Business strategy in transport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business strategy in transport - Essay Example In this context, it can be observed that the economic recession alike many other industries had affected airline industry as well. It can also be observed that apart from a number of benefits prevalent in the EU for starting a new airline service provider, there are certain difficulties that requires to be considered such as uncertain economic scenario, credit crunch, fluctuating fuel price and unpredictable environmental and climatic conditions. Due to these uncertainties, a few full-service airlines in the EU had suffered losses. Despite these certain hindrances the growth prospects which have been observed in the EU region has opened up opportunities for low cost service providers such as Ryan Air and EasyJet. In the EU there is a tremendous prospect of improvement in travel and tourism sector which will provide added growth prospect for a new airline service provider. Low cost operators can make the most of the existing and prospective scenario to leverage benefit out of it (Case Study, n.d.). Therefore, it can be observed that in the existing scenario in the EU, the low-cost operators are being able to earn profits for the shareholders. In this context, the research paper intends to critically examine the prospects of an entrepreneur who endeavours to set up a low cost scheduled airline within the EU. The route that has been selected is between London and Amsterdam. It is identified to be one of the most popular routes on a worldwide basis (Patrikarakos, 2009). The research paper will subsequently attempt to analyse the existing business environment to identify potential barriers to the intended business venture. Critical Analysis of the Business Prospect The intended business venture of the optimistic entrepreneur is towards starting a new low-cost scheduled airline service. From the provided case study, it can be observed that in the present economic context (post-recessionary period), there is a substantial growth prospect for establishing business in t he new venture. It can also be identified that in the present context, in the EU region, there are certain obstacles and losses faced by full service carrier due to few prevailing conditions. Therefore, the most promising growth prospect that can be identified is for the low-cost service carriers. The intended business venture can be started in not only the EU but also throughout the world i.e. Amsterdam to London route, which can be one of the most growth prospect oriented routes According to the intention of the entrepreneur, the new scheduled service will provide low-cost airline service in this particular route only at the inception. It can also be stated that the demand for service is at the optimum level in this route. Thus, a new service has tremendous opportunity to acquire benefits out of the growth prospect which can be from business travellers as well as leisure travellers who are likely to use the services provided by the new low-cost scheduled airline service (Patrikara kos, 2009). The two airports that can be selected for the scheduled airline service are Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which is the prime international airport of the Netherlands, and Heathrow Airport of London, which is one of the busiest airports in not only the UK but also in the world (ACI World, 2011). In this context, it can be identified that the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is situated mere 14 km outside the city of Amsterdam. The

Presidential Election 2012 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Presidential Election 2012 - Essay Example 1). The 2012 party conventions show that Democrats maintain the advantage over the Republicans though their lead is smaller than in 2008. Results from the interviews conducted in 2012 indicate that Democratic Party has 35%, and the Republican had 28% while other independents have 33%. When we compare the leanings of the independent voters, a higher percentage of independents lean more on the Republican side than on the Democratic side. The recent Centre polls indicate that Americans prefer the Republican platform to the Partys nominee, Mitt Romney, during the convention. As for the Democratic convention, Americans applauded to Obama’s speech more than they were with the party’s platform. The Republican Platform approved during the convention represented a right shift for the party. It hewed the conservative and made no exceptions for the abortions regardless of whether it was intentional or not, and offered strict definitions on marriage (Lindemann par. 2). Contrary, Democratic platform expressed support homosexuality and gave its reaffirmation for the support of abortion rights. The democrats oppose privatization of the social security while the republicans advocate for personal investments for the young employees. The presidential nominee for the Republican Party faced criticism especially when he expressed his lack of support to Jerusalem. On the other hand, the Democratic Party nominee, President Obama, expressed the commitment towards Israel’s security. In October 15th, Romney criticized the decision by the Democrats and termed it as a shame (Lindemann par. 3). Ideally, the two parties have different ideologies on the fundamental requirements for both the country and the family. Democratic platform has termed the elections in 2012 as just not a battle between two nominees. They argued that it enhanced the determination of the fundamentals necessary to the welfare of the country while the Republicans consider the

Introduction to Carrot Crops Production and Marketing

Introduction to Carrot Crops Production and Marketing Eric Harms Production Seeding Carrots are a very specialized crop, which is suitable to late season starts, seeding should take place around 3-5 days after your last suspected frost. Carrot seeds prefer a deeply tilled sandy soil with a plant density of one plant per three to four inches. Seeding depth can very from a quarter to a half inch deep. Germination takes place in ten to twenty one days. Due to thinning of carrots it is recommended to re-sow sections of the row that have thinned every two weeks, leading up to May. Seeding equipment varies depending on the size of operation, planting can be done by hand with large commercial machinery being used for large-scale operations. Fertilization Carrots should be fertilized five to six weeks after they have been planted and based off of soil test from field of planting. It is recommended to broadcast half of the desired fertilizer onto the field and work in before planting occurs, then incorporate. Once seeding has taken place you should side dress the remaining fertilizer. Amounts of Fertilizer varies depending on the prior mentioned soil test. Later charts illustrate desired fertilizer. (from University of Minnesota) Crop protection Carrots main pests come in the forms of insects with the main ones being Carrot Rust Fly, Carrot Weevil and the Aster Leafhopper.   There is a variety of ways to monitor for these pest some being orange/yellow sticky traps, wooden plate traps, carrot root section monitoring and planting away from marshes and wet lands. Continuous monitoring is necessary as these pests can drastically reduce your yield potential and incite disease. If thresholds are reached there are many insecticides that can be used to treat the populations. Diseases in Manitoba production have been limited as not many acres have been planted over the years. Much like soybeans it is in its Cinderella period, most of carrots problems come from nutrient deficiencies, which can be managed by proper soil tests. Harvest Harvest typically takes place between august 15 and into late fall with September and October being the best months. For wholesalers carrots must be five inches or longer and between  ¾ inch and 1-1/2 inch diameter. Depending on where you sell, carrot sizing can vary largely. Farmers markets have limited standards and grocery stores have personal standards. Marketing End Use/End Market Depending on the size of your farming operation the final destination for your carrots will vary. Small farmers 1-5 acres will typically focus on farmers markets and direct marketing to local food stores in their areas. Once you get into medium sized operations farmers will typically work with peak of the market in order to get branding and packaging. Peak of the Market acts as a co-operative that helps sell your produce for you. Lastly large scale carrot producers, typically will package their own produce under their own branding cutting out peak of the market as their help isnt required. Sales are typically with large scale grocery chains starting from province of origin then working outward to other provinces as business scale grows. As a whole carrot farming is marketed towards two main groups wholesale (supermarkets, grocery stores) and farmers markets. Where the farmer focuses on typically depends on the stage of the farmers business and how large of scale they are operating in. Current/Historical prices Carrot prices historically have been on the good side with the average farmer being able to make a good living. In the current market we are looking at a price of around $2.46 per kilogram. This is a higher price when compared to the historical prices where in 2014 carrots were around $2.04 per kilogram. This increase in price is the trend going forward with carrots as populations increase. Carrot prices function much like major crops where they will typically skyrocket with natural disasters. On the tail end of things prices dropping below the level of earning a profit do not typically occur. Carrots are a cash crop and farmers are usually making a good living off of this species. Supply/Demand With Canada and most other first world countries becoming more health conscious carrot demand has been improving both globally and nationally. For standard carrots there has been a slow gradual increase in demand. On the other hand specialized carrots such as organic have had a substantial increase in demand in first world countries. Those who produce carrots are in a very viable market in Manitoba and Canada for that matter. When it comes to supply there is typically enough food in the market so that customers demanding carrots dont go home carrotless. In Manitoba there are some carrot farmers but not enough to saturate the market thus the good prices we are facing. Supply is on the low end when it comes to carrots, though demand is being met there is more room in the market for other suppliers to enter it. References   Ã‚   Stevenson, AB, and J. Chaput. Carrot Insects. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. N.p., 1 July 1993. Web. 1 July 1998. . Fritz, Vincent A., Cindy B.S. Tong, Carl J. Rosen, and Terry Nennich. Carrot-Vegetable Crop Management. University of Minnesota Extension. N.p., 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2012. . Munro, D. B. and E. Small (1997). Vegetables of Canada. National Research Council. http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/home.html Chaput, J. (2000). Identification and Management of Carrot Root Diseases. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Nitrogen recommendations for carrots: Approximate Yield Goal2 Soil Organic Matter Level (O.M.)1 Organic Soil Low Medium High cwt/A N to Apply (lb/A) Soil Tes K Level (ppm) 0-41 41-80 81-120 121-160 161-200 201+ Yield goal cwt/A K2O to Apply (lb/A)2 350 200 150 100 75 50 0 Soil test P Level (ppm) Bray-P1 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51+ Olsen-P 0-7 7-15 16-25 26-33 34-41 42+ Yield Goal cwt/A P2O5 to Apply (lb/A)2 350 150 100 75 50 25 0

What Did We Learn from the Vietnam War? Essay -- Vietnam War Essays

â€Å"Teaching the Vietnam War makes one realize how the shape of a narrative determines, and is determined by, its content† (Franklin 246). The Vietnam War was one of America’s most controversial wars. Many of its aspects are still plagued with great uncertainty. Those aspects of the Vietnam War are argued and debated about, they were argued during the time of the war and the arguing has continued. The Vietnam War was indeed a time of confusion. Why did the war start? What was the United States’ real reason for getting involved? What was the objective of the war? What were the American soldiers really fighting, or in reality, dying for? How do you explain a war to someone who has not experienced firsthand, especially if you were not around yourself? There is no real answer. You can give the facts and figures, but that leaves out the true grit of a war. The human perspective must also be given. As with any war, the Vietnam War had many perspective: th e protestors, the politician, and lastly, but most importantly, the soldier (Although there are many other stories that could and should be told). Through the facts and figures and the eyes of those who were there, an individual could learn about the Vietnam War, although how many actually want to understand war is uncertain. The facts and figures are one of the first things that should be learned about the war (Although many would argue the facts). The Vietnamese waged an anti-colonial war against France between 1945 and 1954. They received $2.6 billion in financial aid from the United States to aid their efforts. The Geneva Convention followed the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, where Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam all received independence. Vietnam was momentarily divide... ...n Vietnamese deaths. Still today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in the Vietnam War was necessary, a sin, a mistake, or a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese people from the North. In order to truly understand the war you and to determine your own answer to the many questions it is still pending, you must look at the war from every perspective and understand the many facts it produced. Dr. Carl Sagan wrote, â€Å"You have to know the past to understand the present†. The Vietnam War is a large part of America’s past. It is important to know of the Vietnam War and to know of those who experienced, so you may learn of how America came to be as it is today and were it may be heading, of whether or not we learned from our mistakes or if we are destined to repeats those made during the Vietnam War again.

Cross Cultural Understanding Essay

The first culture that would be considered as a client for this paper is a minority culture of Asian Americans in the United States. Statistically, Asian-Americans compose the fourth largest cultural group in America. However, their cultural group is significantly far from the third one which are the Latin American residents of the country. Also, an important point to understand for the Asian-American culture in the United States is that although they are American citizens and are classified under Asian descent, their cultural group and contents as many countries belong to Asia such as Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese (Zhang, Snowden, & Sue, 1998). However, recently, although there has been a steady influx of Asian nationals who have migrated to the United States in order to find work, family, or any other purpose, there is also a category within the Asian-American community — those who have been descendents of Asians in the country. However, at least for this paper, those two subcategories of Asian-American shall be considered together. For this minority cultural group, we shall approach to the discussion from the point of view of Jessica. Jessica is a Filipino who has migrated to the United States five years ago and whose current occupation is a household domestic helper for a middle-class family in the country. Like many other Filipinos — in fact like many other Asians who have migrated to the United States, although their cultural beliefs have been associated by many people in the country to be either Buddhist, talents, or any one of the far Eastern religions, Jessica is actually a Roman Catholic. Being a Roman Catholic, she has the duties and responsibilities of going to Mass every Sunday and beliefs any many of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, although some of the beliefs are culturally different from Roman Catholics in the United States because of her Filipino roots. Also, she was educated up to first-year college in our community back in the Philippines and is a mother of three children who have stayed back in the country and who, at least according to her, she wants to migrate to America over the next years if her savings from her current occupation of as. Her husband is also backing her home country. Having extremely powerful family values, her daughter — the eldest of her children — his plan to go to the United States early next year to start studying here as a scholarship that has been granted to her by the local Filipino community and support group. Jessica, being a resident of the United States and belong to any minority cultural community in the country, is of course entitled to receive social support as is recommended, documented, and legislated by that country’s government (Brown & James, 2000). However, this is not the only reason why Jessica is receiving social services. The fact that she belongs to a minority cultural community in the United States reflects that she is an individual is limping in a different cultural background than what she had been used to back in her home country. In fact, back in the Philippines, living far from the urban metropolis and in the rural areas of the country, Jessica, whenever she feels an ailment, does not immediately go to the local hospital not only because of the certain expenses that are required in order to receive medical treatment, but also because of the long-standing cultural belief that before any medical help and aid is taken and listed by citizens, the first person that one approaches is the local healers of the community (Monzon, 1995). Therefore, here, living in the United States, Jessica suddenly finds herself in situations where he and if she has medical ailments, problems, or even minor conditions — something which is usually felt especially when in the industry of domestic and household work — she does not recognize that she is entitled to various medical rights as she is a taxpayer of the country. And because of the lack of the local healers of the local residents in the United States, Jessica only seeks medical attention when the ailment that she feels reaches an unbearable state. If Jessica was back in the Philippines, although she would have certainly received social welfare and social work services, she would have had local support and be familiar with the system of medical treatment in our country. However, now, being the United States, her problem is that such medical attention is daunting especially for a migrant worker in the country who knows that her income in salary is relatively low compared to other citizens (Huang & Yeoh, 1996). The availability of social work not only for medical access but also for information regarding what the hell services of the country can offer becomes essential in her case and the many other domestic helpers that belong to Asian-American communities in the country. The second person that we take into consideration is an individual named Lucas. Lucas, however, is not the real name of the client for reasons that shall be evident. Lucas belongs to a cultural majority in the United States — African-Americans — who have integrated themselves from family, to environment, culture, and even to work, in greater metro polyps and areas in the United States today. Lucas is 24 years old and works in an advertising agency in one of the many public relations groups in the city. Also, he is single and living separately from his family with an income that current income brackets would classify as under the middle-class. He has received a university education from one of the local state colleges and is planning on taking up a Masters degree in journalism for public communication in the next two years. Also, Lucas is a Baptist Christian and belongs to a tightknit community of families that practice the faith. However, not known to his family members and as he has only revealed to a few people, Lucas is homosexual and has known this for quite some time. He regularly undergoes sexual encounters with men in and around his age belonging to all kinds of races and cultures. Recently, Lucas, upon receiving medical checkup and blood test — as well as an advice from one of his sexual partners — as discovered that he has the HIV virus and that his CD4 count is already below 300. The CD4 count is a indicator of the number of white blood cells a person has. A person without HIV or does not have any immune system problems will usually have 700 to 1000 CD4 count in their blood . Even individuals who have contracted HIV virus do not necessarily have to take medication as long as they are CD4 count remains above 300(Solomon et al. , 1998). However, once this number is breached, certain doses of medication have to be taken every day at a certain time without missing a single dose in order to ensure survival from the disease. In fact, unbeknownst to Lucas or many other individuals who have contracted HIV virus and have been tested, and individual with HIV could survive up to the normal lifespan of human beings given that they either take their medicine every day in regularly without missing a single dose or insuring proper leadership to keep their immune system up if their white blood cell counts have not yet gone below 300 (Veazey & Lackner, 2004). However, because of the negative convention of HIV, many people do not notice. Furthermore, the medication for HIV-positive individuals are extremely expensive (Kalichman et al. , 2000). It is up to social workers to inform individuals such as Lucas that the medications required to fight off the HIV virus and to maintain proper immune system in order to live a full healthy life is actually free and provided by the health services of the local and national government without any charge. In fact, as of recently, any individual who has contracted HIV virus and started the medication that is provided by the government have not experienced deaths over five years because of its efficiency (Cole, Kemeny, & Taylor, 1997). The only problem with HIV is that individuals do not know either if it’s deadly effects, its problems of transmission, or the fact that medicine is distributed freely by the government is once tested this positive. Lucas had only known of this fact when he had received information and help from social workers and the system of health benefits for HIV-positive individuals together with social work scenarios are kept in complete anonymity especially considering the fact that Lucas belongs to a religious sect of Christianity that condone such actions (Nelson, Rosenfeld, Breitbart, & Galietta, 2002). I, on the other hand, am a 28-year-old heterosexual female and have been raised in the country, although discussions with parents and relatives have revealed that I have some Italian and Native American roots. Also, I am deeply religious and believe in large families, as well as a firm believer that sex should only be undergone after marriage as it stopped by the Catholic religion that I fervently practice. As a social worker, it is very essential to understand — especially considering the two clients that have already been mentioned earlier in this paper — of the various contexts they are coming from. In fact, one of the most problematic approach is especially in social work is if we have social workers immediately instigate judgment upon individuals. These two identities, although significantly different from each other and even significantly different from my own, require introspection and interface because it is only through understanding their local social and cultural context would I be able to understand the way they think and therefore also be able to formulate plans on how to help these individuals and even be able to help other in the victuals who belong to the same social and cultural majority or minority in the future. For example, in the case of Jessica, perhaps it may not be logical for me as a American citizens understand why she doesn’t go to healthcare facilities immediately when she feels pain and parts of her body, but then realized that her cultural perspective is that from the Philippines and a small room village community where elements usually go away or if they don’t, are addressed by local medicines and she looks. However, unbeknownst to these individuals is that some diseases — like the ones that have been experienced by Lucas — could only be seen after relative medical examinations and tests have been performed by research facilities and hospitals which look specifically for signs, symptoms, and ailments as a result of years of study by medical professionals in their fields (Woloschuk & Tarrant, 2002). Also, as another example, from the point of view of Lucas, being raised as a Christian Baptist immediately raises a problem in the issue of homosexuality — much more the issue of having contracted HIV because of his many experiences and sexual encounters. Perhaps, from my point of view, it would have been illogical for him not to seek treatment immediately. However, what I must remember again is that from his cultural point of view and perspective — especially from the perspective of religion and family — being a homosexual is a sin not only to local family members but even to his fate as well — much more contracting the deadly HIV virus. As a social worker, even though I believe that sex should only be done after marriage and done in full fidelity to your partner, if I really wanted to help Lucas, I would not deliver this judgment just because of my own cultural Mormon perspective but rather understand it from his point of view and realized that health, among others, must trump the cards from the perspective of my duty as a social worker. References: Brown, D. E. , & James, G. D. (2000). Physiological stress responses in Filipino-American immigrant nurses: the effects of residence time, life-style, and job strain (Vol. 62, pp. 394–400). Am Psychosomatic Soc. Cole, S. W. , Kemeny, M. E. , & Taylor, S. E. (1997). Social identity and physical health: accelerated HIV progression in rejection-sensitive gay men. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(2), 320. Huang, S. , & Yeoh, B. S. (1996). Ties that bind: state policy and migrant female domestic helpers in Singapore. Geoforum, 27(4), 479–493. Kalichman, S. C. , Benotsch, E. , Suarez, T. , Catz, S. , Miller, J. , & Rompa, D. (2000). Health literacy and health-related knowledge among persons living with HIV/AIDS. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 18(4), 325–331. Monzon, R. B. (1995). Traditional medicine in the treatment of parasitic diseases in the Philippines. Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health, 26(3), 421–428. Nelson, C. J. , Rosenfeld, B. J. , Breitbart, W. , & Galietta, M. (2002). Spirituality, religion, and depression in the terminally ill (Vol. 43, pp. 213–220). Acad Psychosom Med. Solomon, L. , Stein, M. , Flynn, C. , Schuman, P. , Schoenbaum, E. , Moore, J. , et al. (1998). Health services use by urban women with or at risk for HIV-1 infection: the HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS). Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes and human retrovirology: official publication of the International Retrovirology Association, 17(3), 253. Veazey, R. S. , & Lackner, A. A. (2004). Getting to the guts of HIV pathogenesis (Vol. 200, pp. 697–700). The Rockefeller University Press. Woloschuk, W. , & Tarrant, M. (2002). Does a rural educational experience influence students’ likelihood of rural practice? Impact of student background and gender. Journal of Rural Health, 18(4), 492. Zhang, A. Y. , Snowden, L. R. , & Sue, S. (1998). Differences between Asian and White Americans’ help seeking and utilization patterns in the Los Angeles area. Journal of Community Psychology, 26(4).

Book of the Courtier Essay

â€Å"Whatever character an individual has determines how successful the community he belongs to will be†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ these lines are indeed true with what the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† suggests. Authored by an Italian soldier, and a statesman attached to the court of the duke of Milan and later in the service of Duke Urbino, Baldassare Castiglione, the entire book dwells in a central theme which includes having graceful behavior, especially that of the impression of effortlessness or referred to by the book as â€Å"sprezzatura. † This series of four books deals so much on how an individual should train himself in discipline so as to be able to reach the best person he could in a way that he could contribute so much to his own community. In the case of this book, Castiliogne puts it in the personification of a perfect courtier. On the third book though, the story evolves on how a court lady should carry herself and thus be able to serve her master in a way that they will never have any point of despising her service. Being clever is quite a clear attitude pointed in this part of the book. In addition to this, the wide differences between male and female genders is shown with emphasis. One part of these series of stories talks about the individuality of each men as I may quote: â€Å"I don’t want to be like the man who stripped down to his shirt and then jumped a shorter distance than he had in his greatcoat. So as far as I am concerned it is very fortunate that the hour is late, because as there is little time I shall have to say far less, and not having given the matter any thought, I will be excusable and allowed to say without being censured all the things that come to my mind. And now in order not to have to carry the burden any longer, let me start by saying that to recognize true perfection in anything is so difficult as to be scarcely possible; and this because of the opinions vary. Thus there are many who like to hear someone talking a great deal and who will call him an agreeable companion. Some will prefer reticence; others an active and restless man; others one who always acts with calmness and deliberation; and so everyone praises or condemns according to his own opinion, always Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #2 camouflaging a vice under the name of a corresponding virtue; or a virtue under the name of a corresponding vice. † This lines shows how individual opinions affect how one person chooses to conduct himself in front of the other people in his community. Sometimes held in hindrance to what he really likes to do, a person chooses to succumb to what his society considers to be right and acceptable. Yet some choose to stick to what they believe in and dares to be different in some ways thus facing the judgment of his community men regarding his rather different being. Indeed, however a man chooses to deal with his own life defending his own beliefs as such, it will strongly influence his society’s views on things. A real â€Å"perfect courtier† is referred to as someone who can direct his own way. Someone who would not allow his principles be cracked by people who aims to put his â€Å"service to his master† into a lower state of excellence. A real noble man is the one who can decide for himself. From the smallest detail of how he should dress to the most complicated issue of how he should deal with his life. He that continuously struggles for his goals toward aspiring people. Someone who is able to measure his accomplishments with those of other people is the one considered to be truly successful. Everything must occur in such a reasonable way and with purpose. It is very important for each and every one of us to continue on pursuing our own goals to attain self excellence. As Sydney Bremer says in his book Successful Achievements: â€Å"In the assurance of strength, there is strength, and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their powers. Men often conquer difficulties because they think they can. Their confidence in themselves inspires confidence in others†. This is indeed true specially in connection with the theme of the book of Castiglione. It is thus true that what a person does as a separate part of his community is directly linked to other people living with him. Man, as the very basic part of a certain society determines both the norms and the idealism a community considers to be true and acceptable. On the other hand, aiming for the best, as suggested by the ideas of Castiglione is concerned with how we embed ourselves with the positive traits that lead to self excellence and also eliminating negative characters which may Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #3 hinder us from doing what we are supposed to reach as our aims in life. One of which is â€Å"sprezzatura† which was translated in the modern English as â€Å"recklessness†. It came from an Italian root-word â€Å"sprezza† meaning contempt, disdain, or scorn. Having such attitudes wouldn’t make any young courtier a successful one at that. On the contrary, it will just lead him to failure and distress. His goals of giving his best service will surely be a waste if he continues to cultivate this character in his everyday dealings. This is so much true even to an individual who strives to be the best in what he does. As a whole, as we could closely see, the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† shows so much emphasis on the kind of living of an individual person. From the positive traits he must posses to the negative attitudes he must omit from his system so as to be able to meet the goal of self excellence. Women also were given emphasis to have certain independence from the authority of men in some ways. Giving them the free will, freedom of speech and freedom in deciding for what they want with their lives. Yes, as this book has been set at a long time past in England, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t have any practical advise to the modern times we are presently living in today. Apparently, the contents of this book has a lot of advise enclosed for these generation which we are living in. As to what we could actually observe, many young people today lack the enthusiasm of actually establishing their own purpose in life. Sadly, only a few of the youth today endeavor to influence the community they are living in with positive contributions to the moral, spiritual, and even secular aspects of life in the society. Only a fewer percent of today’s population really strive for the aim of having self-excellence. Yes, sometimes, its not bad to be a bit perfectionist with ourselves. Knowing our limits of course, perfectionism usually lead us to self-excellence. As one saying implies : â€Å"Make perfection your aim and be satisfied with nothing less†. Yes, we must always remember to ask ourselves of what we ought to do as an individual, what we could improve on ourselves and thus be able to make a difference on the community we are living in. Not to be praised or to be renowned as a noble man, but to reach the reality of self-excellence. Sources: Castigliogne, Baldesar. The Book of The Courtier. Penguin Classics. 1967.