Socratic Notes Seminar free essay sample

The law wasnt really around the areas that werent highly populated and things were stolen, people were killed and many bad things were going on because there was no one to stop them except other people with guns. Well†look, were gonna work on a ranch like the one we come from up north. (Steinbeck 7) 8. What possible messages are contained in the novellas conclusion? Themes? Some possible messages in the conclusion Of Mice and Men are, the question of the act of euthanasia Justified, is killing someone ever okay, how does the human brain work when its disabled? Some of the themes in the book are rabbits, a goal that Lennie would like to achieve because he wants to tend the rabbits and look after them. Another theme is death, throughout the book, people and animals die. Candys dog, the mice, the snake, Curlers wife, Lennie, the puppies and Lennies aunt Clara. We will write a custom essay sample on Socratic Notes Seminar or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 9. Is taking another humans life ever Justified? Euthanasia: Good death, term from the Greek, right to die, assisted suicide, mercy killing Dr. Kevorkian (Dr. Death) the plug, but her parents wanted to keep her alive Indirect and Direct classification of euthanasia Indirect means the patient takes the step that induces death Indirect can be done when a clinician purposely prescribes a large enough dose of a drug to kill you Indirect euthanasia is legal in Oregon as a result of the Death with Dignity Act Direct means another person takes the step to induce death for you Three forms of Direct Euthanasia: 1 . Voluntary: With patient consent, physician induces death . Nonvoluntary: patient is not capable of making their own decisions to live or die and is killed without consent or knowledge 3. Involuntary: The patient chooses to live, but is killed regardless of their decision Direct euthanasia is illegal in every US state, but both direct and indirect euthanasia are legal in Belgium and the Netherlands The National Right to Life Committie (NRLC) is the largest prolife organization and was founded in June, 1973 in response to the Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion Lennie had gotten himself into trouble and if it werent or George, Lennie would have been tortured and killed in a way that he wouldnt deserve. If George hadnt killed Lennie, he would have been lynched, hung or shot in a gruesome way. you go yellin, he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. (Steinbeck 89). But Candy said excitedly, We oughtta let him Im get away. You dont know that Curley. Curley gonta wanta get im lynched. Curleyll get im killed. (Steinbeck 91). George watched candys lips. mieah, he said at last, thats right, Curley will. An the other guys will. And he looked back at Curleys wife. (Steinbeck 91-92).

Hurricane Etymology and Word Facts

Hurricane Etymology and Word Facts The word hurricane is widely known and recognized by all people, but its etymology is lesser-known. How old is the word hurricane and where does it come from? Hurricanes AreNamed for the Mayan God "Huracan" Our English word hurricane comes from the Taino (the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida) word huricn, who was the Carib Indian god of evil. Their huricn was derived from the  Mayan god of wind, storm, and fire, huracn. When the Spanish explorers passed through the Caribbean, they picked it up and it turned into huracn, which remains the Spanish word for hurricane still today.  By the 16th century, the word was  modified once again  to our present-day hurricane.   (Hurricane isnt the only weather word with roots in the Spanish language. The word tornado is an altered form of the Spanish words tronado, which means thunderstorm, and tornar, to turn.)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hurricanes Aren't Hurricanes Until Winds Reach 74mph+ We tend to call any swirling storm in the tropical ocean a hurricane, but this isnt really true. Only when a tropical cyclones maximum sustained winds reach 74  miles per hour or more do meteorologists classify it as a hurricane.  Ã‚   They're Not Called Hurricanes Everywhere in the World Tropical cyclones have different titles depending on where in the world they are located. Mature tropical cyclones  with winds of 74 mph or more that exist anywhere in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or in the eastern or central North Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line are called hurricanes. Mature tropical cyclones that form in the Northwest Pacific basin the  western part of the North Pacific Ocean, between 180 °Ã‚  (the International Date Line)  and 100 ° East longitude are called typhoons.  Such tempests  within the North  Indian Ocean  between 100 ° E and 45 ° E are simply called  cyclones. Hurricanes Get PersonalizedNames to Better Track Them Since storms can last for weeks and more than one storm can be occurring at a time in the same body of water, theyre given male and female  names to reduce confusion about which storm forecasters are communicating about to the public.   Hurricane Names Are BorrowedFrom Names of the People They Impact Many storm names are unique to the basin they exist in and regions they impact. This is because names are lifted from those popular in the nations and territories of the lands within that basin. For example, tropical cyclones in the northwest Pacific (near China, Japan, and the Philippines) receive names common to the Asian culture as well as names taken from those of flowers and trees.  Ã‚   Updated by Tiffany Means

Romanticism was a cultural movement that was based upon reactions to Essay

Romanticism was a cultural movement that was based upon reactions to the onset of the new Industrial Age. Explain the growth of romanticism, its basic ideas, a - Essay Example In order to be able to truly understand how and why all of this took place, we need to first understand a bit more about romanticism itself and what it is all about, as well as all of the key and related issues in regards to how it changed and how it was grown. By doing this, we will not only be able to better understand the term romanticism, but as well we will be able to understand the reasons why and how it has grown and altered. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Romanticism is considered as being "A movement in art and literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in revolt against the Neoclassicism of the previous centuriesThe German poet Friedrich Schlegel, who is given credit for first using the term romantic to describe literature, defined it as 'literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form'Any list of particular characteristics of the literature of romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism; spontaneity; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty; love and worship of nature; and fascination with the past, especially the myths and mysticism of the middle ages".1 There are many different

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry - Essay Example The diversification within the industry ranges from one-person operations to multinational mega-corporations. In just the accommodations area alone, the offerings within the UK range from small mom-and-pop bed and breakfast operations to huge five-star hotels. The bed and breakfast operations are generally carried on by citizens wishing to keep historical homes in good repair, so they offer, patients during the season to supplement their income. These operations are generally quite comfortable and offer a full English breakfast. They are extremely popular for two reasons: the cost is lower and the service is more personal and offers the opportunity to get to know some local people. The price range of bed-and-breakfast within the UK starts at a low of around 7 pounds per night per person to a rather high 75 pounds per night per room. This last is rather palatial, while the first is generally offered in the lower-cost areas, such as Wales. Due to their popularity, some commercial B & B operations have opened in recent years. Other accommodations range from smaller hotels to very large establi shments, which offer a huge range of services. (William Reed Ltd 2007 )The price range here starts at around 35 pounds per night per person to a high of several thousand pounds per night per suite. Quite a few of these still offer the customary English breakfast, but economics are causing many establishments to phase this out. The second-largest sector of the UK hospitality industry is food. While the UK is not exactly famous for its cuisine, the variety of food service is really quite grand. This ranges from street vendors and tiny one-person quick service places to small chippies, take-aways, fast food chains in local restaurants, too small and large pubs, teahouses and cafeterias, and finally to grand restaurants in scenic locations and large five-star hotels. Good solid food, such as that found in most pubs, is

Allocation of Fixed Costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Allocation of Fixed Costs - Essay Example But in recent environment where the overheads such as IT cost became a major portion in product cost. In advanced manufacturing technology overheads are likely to be more important and therefore it is difficult to justify the IT costs on the basis of absorption costing methodology. The problem arises when the company is not able to decide that on which basis the IT costs should allocate into company products. There are many different techniques can be used for allocation of IT costs. Some of them are mentioned below According to many successful financial advisors, the use of Activity Based Costing (ABC) methodology can be a best and beneficial technique for the allocation of IT costs. In addition, it is also proved by accounting practices of past few decades that activity based costing is absolutely a best technique for charging allocating the major complex overheads costs like IT costs. Activity based costing is just one method of charging IT costs because it focuses on the identifi cation of actual IT costs and can give the true and accurate results. A simple charge back costing technique can be also a good option for allocation of IT cost but it is only feasible only at first stage and the company can face many of big inherent problems at the end of process. Why Activity Based Costing (ABC) is best technique for the allocation of IT costs ABC Vs Flat Rate: In comparison with other costing methodologies the Activity based costing technique always gives accurate results and could be a true measure of profitability. For example, Allocation of overheads on flat rate system hides the inefficiencies of the systems and causes many serious problems in long run. Using a flat rate is can be the best option to get cost transparency but sometimes it can be headache for business leaders because they started to thin k that, they are charged greater than the their use. Using flat rate system, there is a possibility of greater charges in respect with little use of service. C omplexity of IT costs: On the other side of coin, other traditional approaches are not able to measure the complexity of the IT costs properly while the Activity based costing recognize the complexity with its multiple cost drivers. Realistic Approach: In modern competitive environment, companies must be able to assess profitability realistically. Activity based costing methodology facilitates a good understanding of what drives IT costs. Purpose of Allocation Simple the cost allocation is the process of charging the indirect costs in to products on the base of services they consume. It is a process of charging the portion of shared services from cost centers in to a product or service. In current technological environment, the overheads are likely to be far more important and in fact direct labour may account for as little 5% of a product cost. In advance environment many non-volume related support activities such as IT costs have captured a great part in company’s profitabi lity that’s why the fair allocation of IT costs is more important to measure the true profitability level. Benefits of Allocation There are many benefits of allocation of IT costs. Some of them are mentioned below: Proper Accountability of resources: In current competitive trends, enterprises demand more accountability of their funds and they try to use their resources in effective manner. For this purpose, Proper allocation of IT

Value Chain And Supply Chain Analysis Commerce Essay

Value Chain And Supply Chain Analysis Commerce Essay The definition of value chain analysis includes evaluation of business activities which impacts the companys competitive strength. Delivering a product on time is the result of multiple business processes working perfectly to create a Value Chain that leads a firm greater profit over costs (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, 2007). There are two main value chain activities in the organizations. The first one is primary activities which could directly add value for the final products, for instance, marketing and sales, operations, service and etc. The second one is support activities which could support the effective of primary activities, for example, the infrastructure, Human Resources Management, technology and etc. (Campbell, 2002) All these departments work together to produce the companys profit. In the race for global domination, the components of this value chain have to be optimized   on a worldwide scale, at all levels of the corporation Global Headquarters, Regional Headquarters, a nd country level, as well as within the critical product portfolios, regions, and countries that the companies operate in. (Johnson, 2008) 2.1.1 The Value-Chain activities for the industry and FedEx Corporation Transportation is one of the largest industries in the world, and its sector range is very wide which include taxis, truck, train, ships, barges, airplanes, pipelines, warehouse and logistics service. For the industry, the three main trends were globalization of business, information technology development and new technology to support process efficient, and the market demand for more value-added. Hence, the companies in transportation and logistics industry depend on the global network of distribution centres to gain quick payment cycle and cheaper resources. In FedEx Corporation, as a leader firm in the industry, its centralized structures have always required, and facilitated billion dollar investments in IT and established the website from 1994. It provided a successful technology for the FedEx Corporation as a pioneer in the whole industry for e-business. This strategy became an advantage that they used to undermine their competitors strengths and localized customer service. Wit h a globally connected IT network, FedEx was able to leverage their IT advantage to service their corporate accounts on a global basis, rather than on a country by country basis. With the best HR system in the business, FedEx also has had an active strategic procurement optimization initiative that has been adopted by the rest of the industry, producing savings in excess of millions of dollars, straight to the bottom line. The most important part of the value chain is found in the senior management of these companies. FedEx has had stable, strong teams running the critical components of the value chain and the associated departments. (Latinamericanlogistics.org, 2009) For further support activities of infrastructure, in the early years, most companies developed on buying space on commercial airlines or contracting their shipment to the third parties. However, FedEx emphasize on creating its own fleet, the strategy could effectively reduce the cost of business process, increase the dependability and speed of delivery and improve the length of order cycle. Furthermore, for solving the transportation volume growth slow down, the FedEx Corporation reorganized in the year of 2000, its five subsidiary companies could operate independently but compete collectively in the industry. 2.1.2 The core activities for the industry and FedEx Corporation Global Transportation and Logistics Industry as the service industry, its core activity of value chain should be the service. The companies should compete on customer segmentation, pricing and quality of service. In the industry, USP was the largest company for transportation. Most companies should emphasize on reducing the cost, well-managed logistics operation could effective reduce the length of order cycle and relieve the stress of cash flow. FedEx Corporation was introduced as federal Express to the early marketplace. At that time, the company fought to a new logistics method, which was overnight delivery. It succeeded and well done enough for their competitors in the market and bring more interesting to the logistics market. The most interesting thing is that FedEx provides fast delivery services which has been named as FedEx Ground. This service provides the delivery day in 2-3 days and within a less expensive cost to every shipper. On the other side, FedExs value chain is embedding into Ground, Cargo and other divisions. At first time when company talking about FedEx ground, the companys president and CEO (Frederick, 2008) indicated that the decision to split Ground apart was to Broaden and deepen FedExs product line, in order to take advantage of customer focus, and the scale of the market. In the package business of FedEx Ground, it includes low value products which dont need to be at final destination because of the short package time of FedEx Express. Smith (2006) announced the model is taken from 3M Company, which has 250 separate operating companies, each of which is focused on a specific market segment. According the figure 1, FedEx had specific objectives and strategies in every Value-chain activities. Figure 2 FedEx value chain activities (Source: http://www.fedex.com/us/about/today/mission) 2.2 Supply Chain Management Analysis Supply Chain Management is the monitor and management of materials, information, and finances, as those elements move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer (SearchManufacturing.com, 2007). For running the full range of products and services, companies rely on SCM expedient procedures and techniques to move goods. I.e. FedEx promise the fast delivery within the less expensive cost. FedEx is in the business of providing businesses the ability to manage their supply chains. In the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, the stage of supply-chain should be from supplier, inbound, manufacturing, order management to the outbound. For the whole process, the companies should have effective management on inventory management, warehouse management, the purchasing process, the product distribution, transportation and the customer service. (Lynch, 2006) In FedEx Corporation, it has advanced management system in each process. The figure 2 shows that the different management system utilization in FedExs supply chain management. For instance, the Customer Oriented Service and Management Operating System is one of unique system in FedEx Corporation which could integrate the information of goods shipping and the information about the mode of transportation. Besides, the Global Resources for Information Distribution which launched in 1998 could improve the quality and quantity of their delivery. Furthermore, its Global Inventory Visibility System, Inventory Mana gement System, Transportation Management System Enterprise Resources Planning, Customer Clearance System are all forceful supporting for every steps in the supply-chain management. Figure 2, FedEx solution in the supply chain process. (Source: Case study of FedEx) In one word, FedEx Corporation could always catch the demand and changing needs quickly and effectively in the industry, their leader strategies in value-chain activities and supply-chain management could perfectly support the company to achieve its core value and take the leadership position in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. 3. Mergers and Acquisitions in Global Transportation and Logistics Industry and FedEx Corporation Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling and combining of different companies that can aid, finance, or help a growing company in a given industry grow rapidly without having to create another business entity. (Lynch, 2006) A merger make the shareholders of the organizations come together to share the resources for enlarging the organization and the all the old shareholders in the merger will become the shareholders in the new organization. (Campbell, 2002) But the acquisition is one organization buying and subsuming the unequal partners. The shares in the smaller company will be bought by the large one. (Ansoff, 1988) With the development of human society, economic globalization is increasingly clear that MA between companies has become a common thing, but a deal is not as simple as writing the word and its connotation of far beyond the superficial meaning, and thus a correct understan ding of mergers and acquisitions are particularly important. 3.1 The MA in the industry and evaluation Apparently, it has both benefits and limitations for MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. From the view of advantages, firstly, the MA could increase the market share in the whole industry. I.e. the DHL acquired Airborne Express to increase its market share in ground delivery market. (Lyne, 2003) Secondly, it could reduce the competition in the market. Thirdly, it could gain preferential access for the distribution channels. For instance, FedEx acquired the UK express company called ANC for improve the distribution channels in the UK. (Business Wire, 2006) Moreover, MA may help the company develop the new products or exploit product ranges for searching more opportunities in the market of Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, this method will be much quicker than the organization to launch it from the beginning step. Besides, the MA could help the company to gain new production and information technology for reducing the cost, improve the quality and differ entiation of their products. For example, FedEx acquired Caliber Systems in 1998. Moreover, the company could entre in a new market by MA. For instances, Amazon.com purchase the joyo.com in China for the Chinese distribution market. (uk.reuters.com, 2004) Additionally, the MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry may enhance the awareness and reputation in the market, especially for the company may under the alleged misdemeanour. Last but not least, the MA could support the companies in Global Transportation and Logistics Industry to achieve asset strip which means break up an acquired company and recovering more than the price paid by selling the parts separately. (Campbell, 2002) On the other side, the MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry also have limitations and potential problems. The main factors of integrations failure could be summarize in the following six elements. The first one is lack of research for the conditions of the target company. Hence, it could not achieve the expectation after the integration. The second factor is the cultural inappropriate between the two parties. The third issue is the two parties lacking of communications before of after the integration. Another failure factor is that loss of key personnel in the target company after the MA performance. Furthermore, a potential problem is the over paying for the acquired company lead the acquiring company to get into the financial risk. The last issue for MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry is assuming that the growth in the market is uncertain which include the market trend, economic trend and etc. 3.2 Evaluation of FedEx acquisition of Caliber System To evaluate the success or failure for FedEx Corporation acquired Caliber Systems in 1998 should also form the different points of view. From the positive side, the company use $88 million acquired the Caliber System, Inc., it could provide the company a powerful technical support on Internet commercial at that time. In the period, the e-commercial was on the development stage in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, the long-term investment and acquisition of Caliber System made the FedEx Corporation own the abilities and opportunities to be the pioneer and leader in this area. According to summary of benefits for MA, The strategy helped FedEx Corporation entre a new market, broaden the business range, develop the new product and also gain new information technology. From the result, after the acquisition, in the following year, the company had an excellent performance, the net income increased 30 per cent and posting record earning risen 73 per cent. (Gelis, 1999) However, as the passage of time, the competition in the market became more intense, despite of the e-tailing and electric commerce supporting, the report shown that both the volume and the income have a negative trend. From the view of financial report, the result had an obvious falling. This condition was cause of several factors. Firstly, the fuel pricing jumping was unexpected, it will increase the cost for the company. Secondly, it also meant the Caliber System did not blend in the organization completely. The organization was enormous, the operation was complicated, hence, just acquisition strategy without well association could not make the new party perform perfectly. For solving the problems, the FedEx Corporation announced reorganization on 19, Jan, 2000. Consequently, it is hard to simply judge whether success or failure for the acquisition of Caliber System. The acquisition brought benefits, opportunities and also new operation method for FedEx Corporation. The negative result in the following years was also cause of multiple factors, i.e. the competition in the industry, the fuel price rapid rising and etc. 4. FedExs financial and non-financial performance in the Internet and e-tailing market The popular using of Internet has changed most business in the world. The utilization of Internet improved the structure of organization, the collection, saving and dealing with data and information management. Furthermore, it also provided the opportunity for companies increase the awareness and sale channels in the market. FedEx Corporation created its own website form 1994, it is the first step and basis for the company to develop its e-commerce. FedEx.com is the first transportation website which could accept the one line order for package tracking and allow the customers to transact the business by Internet. Both shippers and recipients could access shipping information and print documentation via Internet. As the pioneer in the industry, FedEx should continually improve their system and service due to its competitor also created the Internet service and Internet software. For instance, the DHL launched the website in 1995(Exelby, 2000), UPS spent billions on IT and electronic commerce (Blackmon, 1999). The express transportation associated with e-tailing would reach $7 billion in the year of 2000, but FedEx only handled with 10 percent of purchase on-line goods. All of these brought heavy pressure to FedEx. In 1998, the company paid more than $2 billions to acquire the Caliber System, Inc. to incre ase the abilities and power on Internet service and e-tailing. (Payne, 1997) Because of the large potential market and lower cost, the Internet and e-tailing market was continually enlarging in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. To evaluate the performance of FedEx in Internet and e-tailing market should be from the view of five performance objectives. (Slack, 2007) Firstly, from the view of cost, FedEx as the first one for Internet and e-tailing in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, it focused on long-term investment on IT and led the company to have the specific position in the area. For the intense competition, the company paid more than $2 millions to purchase Caliber System. It could effectively increase their market share in business-to-consumer delivery service. Hence, the investment partly made up the weakness against with UPS. Secondly, flexibility, the Internet service and e-tailing provide the convenience for the customers, increase a easy and quick channel for the transportation and e-tailing business. For instance, i n the year of 1999, FedEx Marketplace created a link to the on-line shopping, the on-line shopper could click to the top on-line stores and with FedEx delivery. Thirdly, dependability, the establishing of the website enhanced the dependability between the organization and customers. The computer system supported the customers to know their goods conditions in the whole delivery process. For example, the company created software called FedEx Virtual Order in 1999 which provide Internet order and also provide the customers catalogues for them on the website. Moreover, the IT system also enhanced the internal management of FedEx Corporation. For the enormous organization, the dependable information system should be the basis for the busy operation process. (I.e. in 1995, FedEx launched AsiaOne Network, it is a transportation routing system) Fourthly, speed, for the transportation and logistics industry, speed is one of the crucial elements for the customers choosing a transportation co mpany. The online order and the unique information system in FedEx deal with the order and storage, goods and shipping process, every process could reduce the time than before. For example, the FedEx Marketplace provided easy access to on-line merchants to offer fast FedEx shipping. Last but not least, quality, all of the strategies and performances about Internet and e-tailing could be linked to improve the quality providing for the customers and partners. For instance, the FedEx created e-business Tool in the year of 1997 which could support an easier connection with FedEx shipping applications. And the EuroOne network established also provide a powerful transportation routing system which linking more than 30 cities. All of this would enhance the service quality of FedExs Internet and e-tailing. Consequently, the FedEx had an explicit objective in the Internet and e-tailing market, for both financial and non-financial performance of organization in this area was focus on achieving their objective. For the customers and partners, FedEx try to provide more flexible, convenient, fast service by the Internet and e-tailing channel, created dependable and loyal relationships with them and build a perfect reputation in the market. For the own organization, it insisted on long-term investment on Internet and e-tailing area, it would lead to earn a long-term benefits. Besides, the organization continually emphasized on the infrastructure building and technology improvement, to create a dependable operation system and transportation team which could support the smooth operation in Internet and e-tailing market. All of these performances lead the development of FedEx. It could not satisfy only by the pioneer of Internet business in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry but t ry to be the long-term leadership in this market. 5. Conclusion As has been discussed and evaluated, the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry as a significant industry in the world, the competition is intense and its changes is large and rapid. For the main organization in the industry, such as FedEx Corporation, should have clear objectives in its long-term operation and management. It includes the right decisions in the value-chain activities the specific process in the supply-chain management. Furthermore, the company should have a penetrating judgment for the marketing trend in the following years and according the judgment and other factors provide a right decision for Merger and Acquisition strategies. Additionally, the organizations should also focus on the infrastructure building, enhance the performance in their operation and management process. Internet market should still play a significant role in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry and its potential benefit is enormous. Hence, to gain the leadership position in t he Internet and E-commerce area may lead the organization to take the leadership in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry.

Discuss the themes of Virtu and Fortuna in The Prince. Essay -- Englis

Discuss the themes of Virtu and Fortuna in The Prince. Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy on the 3rd May 1469. In 1498, Florence became a republic and Machiavelli gained a position within the Florentine government. After this he was soon confirmed by the great council as the second chancellor of the republic, making him the head of internal affairs. Less than a month later he was elected as secretary to the ten of war, which focussed on foreign and defensive affairs. In November 1498 Machiavelli was sent on his first diplomatic mission and over the years he continued with many more. On his first mission to France to see King Louis XII, which lasted six months, Machiavelli was able to observe the effects of having a single prince ruling a united country. When Machiavelli returned to Florence and he found it to be slowly disintegrating because Cesare Borgia endeavoured to create a principality for himself in Italy and during this time Machiavelli made many visits to him on behalf of the Florentine government to try and negotiate. When Borgia finally retaliated by killing his captains in Sinigaglia, Machiavelli was witness to this and later wrote an account of it. Machiavelli had a lot of admiration for Borgia’s conduct and believed his qualities would be found in the perfect prince who would eventually unite all the Italian states. Over the next few years Machiavelli maintained his position within the Florentine government and was sent on various missions and given many different roles with increasing amounts of authority over Florence. In 1513 Machiavelli is accused of being involved in an anti-Medici conspiracy with the Medici family being rulers of Florence at the time. Machiavel... ...t rule a principality. And also the book has visions of wanting to unite Italy, which is an idea 350 years ahead of its time. When Machiavelli wrote this book it was write for the time as there were frequent wars and some advice on the art of war was needed. Even though, in many cases, Machiavelli’s the Prince is still relevant today particularly in government, as if you want to succeed and gain power in it, you need to be ruthless and corrupted. Bibliography Machiavelli, N. (2003) The Prince. London: Penguin Group Solomon, R, C., Higgins, K, M., (1996). A short history of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Skinner, Q. (2000) Machiavelli – A very short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. www.constitution.org/mac/prince00/html - another translation of The Prince. â€Å"Machiavelli, Niccolo†. Microsoft Encarta 99 Encyclopedia.