Corporate Responsibility and Governance

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Responsibility and Governance. Answer: Introduction On 20 April 2010, the incident of BP Oil Spilling took place in the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform, was responsible for this particular incident. The platform was responsible for blowing out a wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico; the incident took place around 40 miles towards the southeast of Louisiana coastline line. British Petroleum multinational gas and oil company, initially, although had claimed that the spill that will take place would affect the environment in a minimal way. The incident although turned out to be the biggest offshore oil spill incident in United States of America. BP, although was warned by many of the independent scientists (Brennan 2013). The scientists asked BP to not to set up the instrument on the ocean floor. British Petroleum being the multinational oil and gas company, although did not pay heed to any of those warnings and today the environment and the ecology of the world is paying the price of this ignorance. 69 days after the i ncident took place, the well was leaking out 3, 00,000 litres of oil each day. The experts, who had look at the footage of the leakage, are of the opinion that the amount is at least 3 or 5 times more than that. The Ethical Issue Related to Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico United Kingdom based company, British Petroleum or the BP is a multinational oil and gas company that operates in more than 80 countries (Ritchie, Crotts, Zehrer and Volsky 2013). The company produces around 3.4 million barrels of oil each day and is the third largest energy producing company in the world. BP is responsible for exploration, production as well as for the distribution and the refining of the oil. The company with such a grand image should have achieved the summit easily, but the 2010 explosion or the spilling of the oil changed the whole image of the organization. (Figure 1: The Areas Affected by the BP Oil Spill Source: Brennan 2013 ) The explosion, as mentioned earlier, is the largest oil spill in USA, which made the Obama government investigate the matter. Therefore, the government set up a commission, to identify the causes behind this particular matter. The commission soon found out, the organization along with its partners as well as the government made certain mistakes, which they would have easily avoided. The three parties, if they would not have committed these mistakes then they would have easily avoided the explosion, that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico (Bond 2013). The particular explosion or the incident, made the wildlife around the Gulf of Mexico suffers a lot. The oil spill affected the reputation of BP in the global market. BPs reputation, although was affected in the year 2010 as well. During this year, in Texas, an accident took place in the refinery, which took the life of around 15 people and almost 180 were injured (Issacharoff and Rave 2013). Later investigation proved that the company was focusing on two things at that time. The two things were high production and cost cutting. Therefore, these two factors lead to the serious deterioration of safety regulations that are followed in the refinery. Next year, BPs reputation was again affected when 2, 00,000 gallons of crude oil was spilled in the Alaskan tundra. The pipelines of BP was responsible for this particular act, the investigation that later took place, proved that the company had not gone by the rules and the laws of United States (Horowitz 2014). The law states that pipeline s should go through regular and proper inspection as well as cleaning process. Thus, these two incidents proved that the organization had failed in taking ethical decisions; and the BP executives had been blamed for that particular reason. The two big incidents or accidents could not bring in any big changes in the organizational structure of BP (Boopathy, Shields and Nunna 2012). The internal and the external regulations encouraged the risk taking as well as the cost cutting measures taken by the organization. The management philosophy too encouraged the cost cutting and the risk taking measures adopted by the organization (Michel, Owens, Zengel, Graham, Nixon, Allard, Holton, Reimer, Lamarche, White. and Rutherford 2013). The scholars and the researchers believe that the incident violated the theory of Utilitarianism. According to this ethical theory of John Stuart Mill, greatest utility is there, only if large number of people are happy with the action. Mill refers that an action could be called the best action if it results in the maximization of the happiness of the greatest number of people. Mill is of the opinion that if to bring happiness for the mass, if one person has to sacrifice his/her life then that is acceptable as well. Therefore, if one follows Mills utilitarian philosophy then one can say that BP oil spill incident does not go by this particular theory (Arnold, Beauchamp and Bowie 2012). Rather this incident or explosion is very against the Mills utilitarian theory because it had not only polluted the environment, but had caused death of the human beings at the same time. The particular accident or the explosion would never be supported by the Deontology theory by Emanuel Kant. According to Kant if a person has moral intention, then the consequences of the actions that are being made by him/her should not be given importance (Bentham 2014). The particular theory emphasis on the moral intention of the action, the moral consequences of the actions are not given much importance. Therefore, the BP oil spill accident does not fall this particular ethical theory at the same time. The multinational petroleum company, carried on with their action because of two definite purposes. One is high production and the second is cost cutting. Thus, the organization did not have any moral intention; rather they had a profitable intention in their mind (O'Sullivan, Smith and Esposito 2012). According to few scholars and the critics the action of British Petroleum that caused the major oil spill in the Gulf Mexico, is neither moral nor is it immoral. According to these few critics, the organization did not have any intention to dig the well inside the ocean. The organization also did not want to blow the wellhead; everything that happened was an accident (Liska 2013). Therefore, it can be said the actions that were carried out without any intention of causing any harm to the society or to the environment. Thus, it can be said that it is neither moral nor is it immoral. The critics are of the opinion that if the ethical theory of Kant is followed for this particular incident then this particular incident has certain morality or ethics related to it. The critics believe that after the incident took place BP carried out few philanthropic actions. The philanthropic actions that are being carried out by the organization proved that the company had certain good intentions. Therefore, they are following these good intentions and carrying out the philanthropic tasks (Mayes, Bracey, Aguilar and Allen 2015). Thus, the actions or their thoughts could be considered as moral, going by the Kants definition of Deontology theory. The particular philanthropic or the clean-up method that has been adopted by BP is not considered as moral or immoral according to many other critics or scholars. The other critics and the scholars believe that BP carried out the clean-up action to gain their lost reputation. Therefore, they had used the human beings as a means to come to a possible end, which will help them to get back their reputation (Beever and Hess 2016). It is true that with respect to Kants Deontology theory critics and scholars have difference in their opinion. They, although, believed that only Kants theory could provide possible ethical solution to this problems. According to them, since the organization did not have any negative intention of blowing the wellhead therefore, it should not be considered as either moral or immoral. The others believe that Mills theory of utilitarianism could not be used in this particular case because here Mill had talked about the action of only one person. Therefore, the action of BP should not be judged with respect to the utilitarian theory, because here the actions are the result of the action carried out by a collective group of people. Conclusion Thus, the ethical issues that are related to BP oil spilling incident or accident is debatable. Many people feel that the actions are immoral, while other feels that they are neither moral nor they are immoral. Therefore, the debate continues, although the particular incidents have changed the lives of many living beings. The dolphins, living in the coast of Gulf of Mexico are the worst sufferer of all. The incident although, warned the US government and they became alert and today the independent companies are careful about the risk management issues that are related to it. The other issues that came to the forefront with this particular incident include the lack of training program that is being provided to the employees. The ignorance towards the health and the safety measures that are being laid by the government of the United States. The particular incident made aware of these facts and the government more concern. They became more careful, when it came to regulating the energy producing companies like British Petroleum. References Arnold, D.G., Beauchamp, T.L. and Bowie, N., 2012. Ethical theory and business. Pearson Higher Ed. Beever, J. and Hess, J.L., 2016. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Ethics Case Study in Environmental Engi-neering. Bentham, J., 2014. Deontology; or, The Science of Morality.: In two volumes. Adegi Graphics LLC. Bond, D., 2013. Governing disaster: the political life of the environment during the BP oil spill. Cultural anthropology, 28(4), pp.694-715. Boopathy, R., Shields, S. and Nunna, S., 2012. Biodegradation of crude oil from the BP oil spill in the marsh sediments of southeast Louisiana, USA. Applied biochemistry and biotechnology, 167(6), pp.1560-1568. Brennan, L.C., 2013. Gulf Oil Spill. ABDO Publishing Company. Horowitz, A., 2014. The BP oil spill and the end of empire, Louisiana. Southern Cultures, 20(3), pp.6-23. Issacharoff, S. and Rave, D.T., 2013. The BP Oil Spill Settlement and the Paradox of Public Litigation. Liska, A., 2013. Ethics Engineering. Mayes, R.J., Bracey, P.S., Aguilar, M.G. and Allen, J.M., 2015. Identifying Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Curricula of Leading US Executive MBA Programs. Handbook of Research on Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibilities, pp.179-195. Michel, J., Owens, E.H., Zengel, S., Graham, A., Nixon, Z., Allard, T., Holton, W., Reimer, P.D., Lamarche, A., White, M. and Rutherford, N., 2013. Extent and degree of shoreline oiling: Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Gulf of Mexico, USA. PloS one, 8(6), p.e65087. O'Sullivan, P., Smith, M. and Esposito, M. eds., 2012. Business ethics: a critical approach: integrating ethics across the business world. Routledge. Ritchie, B.W., Crotts, J.C., Zehrer, A. and Volsky, G.T., 2013. Understanding the effects of a tourism crisis: the impact of the BP oil spill on regional lodging demand. Journal of Travel Research, p.0047287513482775.

Marketing Strategy And E-Commerce Essays - Management,

Marketing Strategy And E-Commerce Marketing Strategy and E-Commerce Introduction With the rapidly advancing technologies that are occurring in modern business, organisations are required to be ready, and able to adapt within their ever-changing environment. It is true across all diverse industries that in order to stay competitive, organisations must be able to utilise the various tools that technology has to offer. Technological factors have been of growing importance, particularly in recent years. A major factor involved in these technology issues is the use of the Internet as a major issue to modern organisations. The Internet has been rapidly growing since it's inception and is now commonly used in all sectors of societies, in all corners of the globe. The Internet has quickly become one of the most valuable assets in modern technology, and as such, is developing as an integral part of modern commerce. As with past technologies, the Internet will have future technological advances develop from its own growth. The task the organisations of in the new century? Realise future opportunities and threats, and base a strategy accordingly. Is it clich? to say that 'the Internet changes everything': the challenge now is to say what, how and how quickly. (When Companies Connect, 1999, p.19) The Internet has lead to the birth and evolution of electronic commerce or E-commerce. E-commerce has now become a key component of many organisations in the daily running of their business. Simply defined, electronic commerce is a system of online shopping and information retrieval accessed through networks of personal computers. (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) E-commerce challenges traditional organisational practices, and opens ups a vast array of issues that the organisations must address. By focusing on the varying levels of an organisation, it soon become apparent the effects that E-commerce can have. An understanding of the implication E-commerce has on such organisational divisions can help businesses gain understanding hence plan for it's inevitable continuing evolution. In terms of marketing, the modern organisation must be critically aware of the development of E-commerce, and the implications that it entails. Marketers develop their own recipe of promotional tactics to fit the product lines or industries in which they compete. Now electronic communications tools are and will continue to be an important ingredient in the promotional mix (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) In assessing the implications of E-commerce in terms of marketing, it is important to understand its impact in respect to marketing strategy formulation. As the Internet, and in turn E-commerce has developed, and continues to evolve and grow, it is vital that any organisation, in any particular industry, must base it's strategic planning around such a rapidly growing medium. The growth of the Internet is an environmental influence that must be embraced and understood so to successfully plan for future marketing i mplementation. In order to successful realise the impact that E-commerce has in terms of marketing, it is important to break the area of interest into some key areas. As most of the issues that arise in terms of E-commerce represent organisations entering the environment, it seems natural to base discussion around this. Therefore, the bulk of the literature review relates existing organisations entering into the E-commerce market environment. In successfully identifying the relationship between E-commerce and strategy, the issues are categorised as follows: 1. Strategic analysis ? Understanding the environment 2. Identifying the strategic options/SWOT analysis ? Strategic Advantages/Disadvantages ? Advertising ? Electronic cost cutting/publishing/Process 3. Corporate level, Business level, d Marketing level 4. Retailing in E-commerce ? Implementation Issues ? Financial ? Performance monitoring 5. Conclusion ? Based on current knowledge state To gain a clearer understanding of the im plication of E-Commerce in the formulation of marketing strategy, it is imperative to gain a clear understanding of the environment and it's relevant effects. This helps in understanding the rationale in a developing marketing strategy, particularly the influences of E-Commerce on its make-up. The next crucial element is to gain an understanding of E-commerce itself, as well as the current and possible future developments. In understanding E-commerce's impact on strategic foundations, an organisation's strategies can be more clearly focused. Once the organisation and E-commerce's respective environments are clear it is

10 Fascinating Facts About Titanium

10 Fascinating Facts About Titanium Titanium is found in surgical implants, sunscreen, aircraft, and eyeglass frames. Here are 10 titanium facts you may find interesting and helpful. Titanium is named for the Titans in mythology. In Greek mythology, the Titans were the gods of Earth. The ruler of the Titans, Cronus, was overthrown by the younger gods, led by  his son, Zeus (ruler of the Olympian gods).The original name for titanium was  manaccanite. The metal was discovered in 1791 by  William Gregor, who  was a pastor in a village in South Cornwall of the United Kingdom called  Manaccan. Gregor reported his finding to the  Royal Geological Society of Cornwall  and published it in the German science journal  Crells Annalen. Usually, the discoverer of an element names it, so what happened? In 1795,  German  chemist  Martin Heinrich Klaproth independently discovered the metal and named it titanium, for the Greek Titans. Klaproth found out about Gregors earlier discovery and confirmed the two elements were one and the same. He credited Gregor with the elements discovery. However, the metal  was not isolated in pure form until 1910, by  meta llurgist Matthew Hunter of  Schenectady, New York, who went with the name titanium for the element. Titanium is an abundant element. It is the 9th most abundant element in the Earths crust. It occurs naturally in the human body, in plants, in seawater, on the Moon, in meteors, and in the Sun and other stars. The element is only found bonded with other elements, not free in nature in its pure state. Most titanium on Earth is found in igneous (volcanic) rocks. Nearly every igneous rock contains titanium.Although titanium is used in many products, nearly 95% of the metal that is purified is used to make titanium dioxide, TiO2. Titanium dioxide is a white pigment used in paint, sunscreen, cosmetics, paper, toothpaste, and many other products.One of titaniums characteristics is extremely high strength to weight ratio. Although it is 60% more dense than aluminum, it is more than twice as strong. Its strength is comparable to that of steel, but titanium is 45% lighter.Another notable characteristic of titanium is its high corrosion resistance. The resistance is so high, it is estimated ti tanium would only corrode to the thickness of a sheet of paper after 4,000 years in seawater! Titanium is used in medical implants and for jewelry because it is considered non-toxic and non-reactive. However, titanium actually is reactive and fine titanium shavings or dust are a fire hazard. The non-reactivity is associated with the passivation of titanium, which is where the metal forms an oxide layer on its outer surface, so the titanium  does not continue to react or degrade. Titanium can ossointegrate, meaning bone can grow into an implant. This makes the implant much stronger than it would be otherwise.Titanium containers may have application for the long term storage of nuclear waste. Because of high corrosion resistance, titanium containers may last up to 100,000 years.Some 24k gold isnt actually pure gold, but rather, an alloy of gold and titanium. The 1% titanium is not enough to change the karat of the gold, yet produces a metal that is much more durable than pure gold.Titanium is a transition metal. It has some properties commonly seen in other metals, such as hi gh strength and melting point (3,034  °F or  1,668  °C). Unlike most other metals it is not a particularly good conductor of heat or electricity and is not very dense. Titanium is non-magnetic.

How to Write a Great TOEFL or TOEIC Essay

How to Write a Great TOEFL or TOEIC Essay Writing an essay can be a difficult enough task as it is; writing it a language that is your first language is even harder. If youre taking the TOEFL or the TOEIC and have to complete a writing assessment, then read these instructions for organizing a great five-paragraph essay in English. Paragraph One: The Introduction This first paragraph, made up of 3-5 sentences, has two purposes: grabbing the readers attention, and providing the main point (thesis) of the whole essay. To get the readers attention, your first few sentences are key. Use descriptive words, an anecdote, a striking question or an interesting fact related to your topic to draw the reader in. To state your main point, your last sentence in the first paragraph is key. Your first few sentences of the introduction basically introduce the topic and grab the readers attention. The last sentence of the introduction tells the reader what you think about the assigned topic and lists the points that youre going to write about in the essay.Heres an example of a good introductory paragraph given the topic, Do you think teenagers should have jobs while they are still students?: Ive worked ever since I was twelve. As a teenager, I cleaned houses for my family members, made banana splits at an ice cream parlor, and waited tables at various restaurants. I did it all while carrying a pretty good grade point average in school, too! I definitely believe that teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline, earns them cash for school, and keeps them out of trouble. Paragraphs Two - Four: Explaining Your Points Once youve stated your thesis, you have to explain yourself! The thesis in the example introduction was I definitely believe that teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline, earns them cash for school, and keeps them out of trouble. The job of the next three paragraphs is to explain the points of your thesis using statistics, examples from your life, literature, the news or other places, facts, examples, and anecdotes. Paragraph Two: Explains the first point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline. Paragraph Three: Explains the second point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job earns them cash for school. Paragraph Four: Explains the third point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job keeps them out of trouble. In each of the three paragraphs, your first sentence, called the topic sentence, will be the point youre explaining from your thesis. After the topic sentence, youll write 3-4 more sentences explaining why this fact is true. The last sentence should transition you to the next topic. Heres an example of what paragraph two would look like: First, teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline. When I was working at the ice cream store, I had to show up every day on time or I would have gotten fired. That taught me how to keep a schedule, which is a big part of learning discipline. As I cleaned the floors and washed the windows of my family members homes, I knew they would be checking up on me, so I worked hard to do my best, which taught me an important facet of discipline, which is thoroughness. But being disciplined isnt the only reason its a good idea for teenagers to work during school; it can also bring in the money! Paragraph Five: Concluding the Essay Once youve written the introduction, explained your main points in the body of the essay, transitioning nicely between them all, your final step is to conclude the essay. The conclusion, made up of 3-5 sentences, has two purposes: to recap what youve stated in the essay, and leave a lasting impression on the reader. To recap, your first few sentences are key. Restate the three major points of your essay in different words, so you know the reader has understood where you stand. To leave a lasting impression, your last sentences are key. Leave the reader with something to think about before ending the paragraph. You could try a quote, a question, an anecdote, or simply a descriptive sentence. Heres an example of a conclusion: I cant speak for anyone else, but my experience has taught me that having a job while being a student is a very good idea. Not only does it teach people to have character in their lives, it can give them the tools they need to succeed like money for college tuition or a good reputation. Sure, its hard to be a teenager without the added pressure of a job, but with all the benefits of having one, its too important not to make the sacrifice. Like Mike would say, Just do it.

See the attach file Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

See the attach file - Essay Example From this latter perspective, a woman with no children and based on her religious beliefs does not seek medical care for herself, her family, or friends is causing harm by not seeking medical advice, although her act of not having children should be allowed. Mill offers several reasons why experiments of living should be allowed. He offers the infallibility argument, in which he contends that society, as it is, is not perfect and the only manner in which society can move forward is by allowing for experiments of life (Gray 52). Natural selection and the forces that drive it need change to occur if they are to work. The selective process would only allow the production of happiness. Whereby, if there is a greater population of people living happily under a particular method, this method will spread to other areas. Since a specific way of life could be an improvement on the way people live; no way of life should be forbidden or suppressed (Gray 52). In the case of a woman with no child ren refusing medical help for anyone, her life cannot bring any happiness and, as such, cannot spread. This way of life will not improve anyone’s life, including hers. ... Ways of life that are flawed, rendering them undesirable as the common rule, rather than being the exception, do possess merits and valuable ideas. Ideas that can benefit society can only be achieved when society allows practical testing and trial of these ways of life (Gray 54). Therefore, even disagreeable living experiments like that of this woman should be allowed in the case of not bearing children. This partly true argument can be furthered through the contention that even a way of life that has no tangible benefits for anyone involved must be allowed. This is because it will act as a highlight to the benefits of other ways of life (Gray 55). Only when society tries out a way of life in reality that it can be judged to have no merit. Hence, it acts as evidence of the manner in which its guiding principles work practically. For example, the woman who refuses medical care for everyone may be suggestive of life that is permanently full of divine grace and hope, which is a perfect aim to work for. An experiment of living like this one offers vivid evidence that the goal it aims for is flawed. John Mill also argues that the fact that the human race is made of diverse groups and cultures, is proof that society should encourage diverse modes of living. All persons possess different characters and, therefore, all persons have diverse ways of life, which are best for them. In John Mill’s words, â€Å"The same mode of life is a healthy excitement to one, keeping all his faculties of action and enjoyment in their best order, while to another it is a distracting burden which suspends or crushes all internal life† (Mill 44). Where there is an attempt to

Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example It will further establish the relationship between company ethics and ethical dilemma. The paper concludes that, though the company has its business strategy and goals, it is faced with ethical challenges within the stakeholders and shareholders. Therefore, the group should not only focus on growth, but also put into consideration the ethical impact of its operations on employees, the government, customers, suppliers, and the community. Ethical dilemma Business ethic is vital for any business entity to gain a competitive edge and attain its goals. Ethics ensure observation of morals and code of conduct within an organization as well as its operation with its stakeholders. Business ethics disciplines employees and other stakeholders as it defines what is wrong and what is right. At times, organizations experience conflict of interests with its employees, society, the business environment as well as the government policies. When such differences arise, the management decision-making or gan has to decide, harmonize, and reconcile the conflicting interests. For an organization to avoid and solve ethical dilemmas, it should be able to have a sound decision-making body. The body should be able to collect as many information and material facts as the situation permits. It should then identify the relevant and key ethical issue and consider alternative viewpoints. When dealing with ethical issues, it is crucial to identify, measure, and prioritize the effects on different stakeholders. This is because the effect may vary from one stakeholder to another due to their diverse interests and concerns. The decision makers should then consider what effort it has put towards the issue and how committed it is to solve the issue. This will enable the management to understand its failure and evaluate its commitment to the organization. In order to establish a well serving solution to the issue, the management should identify the available options for the issue. A variety of course of action will allow it choose the best action since they will be able in a position to analyze the consequences attached to each option. These consequences may be either long term or short term to the business. Positive results will be of much importance and the option with such results should be emulated while negative results will harm the business therefore, should be avoided. The practicality of benefitting options should be identified and the impacts upon ones character and integrity. The management should then pick most beneficial and practical course of action as it fits the situation better. Causes of ethical dilemma In a perfect business environment, employees and employers would always do the right and perfect thing while conducting business. However, ethical dilemmas are present in every workplace, as people have to make a very difficult choice between moral and immoral (Touchstone, 2008). Employees should handle work related pressure to perform well and facilitate comp any goals and objectives achievement. At times, employees experience temptations to apply the shortest route possible; to achieve targets or even handle the pressure. The shortcuts may be immoral or against the company policies. Therefore, pressure from management regarding profits and results can push employees to act immoral and witnesses not whistle blow for fear of victimization. Ambitions and discrimination also causes ethical dilemma especially when some employees are under hunger for

Comparing Classic Folktales Essay Example for Free

Comparing Classic Folktales Essay Before reading and writing were common practice; history was told in the form of legend; fiction was told in the form of myth; and lessons about life were taught to children through folktales and fables. Folktales not only served a role in teaching children, but often helped define the common themes of life in general for that particular culture. Most folktales have a specific message which they try to portray through symbolism, writing style, and plot. Many folktales from different cultures are very similar and present the same main ideas and messages. Today folktales are popular mostly as a way of teaching morals and life lessons. They are often compilations, or illustrated books made for children. Two popular folktales that are very similar are, Frans Timmerman’s, â€Å"The Frog and the Fox† and a story we all know, originally from the book, Aesop’s Fables, â€Å"The Tortoise and the Hare†. In the folktale, â€Å"The Tortoise and the Hare† Aesop masterfully demonstrates what we all consider to be a classic folktale. The story begins with a hare who makes boastful claims about how swift he is, and how no animals could run faster than he could. The hare teases a tortoise for his slowness; the tortoise, annoyed by the hare’s claims, agrees to a race that they plan the next day. The next morning the hare comes to the race half asleep and unprepared. Hare sees how slow tortoise is and decides to take a nap. When he awakes, he notices tortoise is only one third of the way through the course, and decides to have a quick breakfast. The meal made hare sleepy and seeing tortoise was not yet half done with the course, hare decided to take another quick nap. The hare oversleeps and tortoise wins the race against the boastful, overconfident hare. Aesop’s story can be related to by people all over the world and many cultures have adopted the story. Today it is pu blished in over thirty languages, and sells in bookstores worldwide. A lesser known American writer named Frans Timmerman has a remarkably similar story that was published in 1911. The story is about a frog, he is in the jungle minding his own business when a fox passes by. The fox makes fun of the frog because he is such a strange specimen; she asks how frog is able to move about with one long pair of legs, and one short one. The fox is very amused when frog tells her that he is the fastest frog in the whole jungle. The fox is almost insulted when frog thinks he can beat her in a race, and begins to boast about her speed and running skills. They plan to have the race the next day, and set up a course through the jungle. The next day the frog and the fox meet with a friend, duck, and get ready to race. When the race begins frog jumps onto the tail of fox and holds on while fox sprints as fast as she can. Fox does not notice the small frog on her tail and already believes she has won the race. As fox approaches the finish line, frog makes a mighty leap onto her back, and then across the finish line, just before fox makes it across. Fox says frog didn’t win but duck, as the referee, claims frog to be the winner as he had barely passed the finish line first. At the end fox accepts that she was outsmarted and realizes that her overconfidence was the root of her downfall. This story is not identical to the story in Aesop’s Fables, but has many of the same characteristics, as well as a similar overall message and symbolic meaning. Historians agree that Aesop’s Fables was written around 500 B.C. by a slave living in Greece. It was originally written in Greek; European versions were not printed until the early 1800’s. English versions were printed in the 1900’s, and it is likely this book was at least one inspiration to Frans Timmerman’s work. Timmerman’s book was released in 1911 just a few short years after English prints of Aesop’s Fables were available in the United States. Each story shares similar characteristics in plot, style, technique, and symbolism, but there are also more superficial similarities and differences. In both stories the authors choose to use animals as a form of symbolism to tell their story. Animals are commonly used as characters in folktale; however, the animals each author decides to use are very specific. Each author chooses animals that have traits and characteristics that are familiar to most people, regardless of age or education level. In Aesop’s folktale the animals used are a tortoise and a hare. In Timmerman’s story the animals used are a frog and a fox. When people think of a tortoise they generally have images of a very slow moving land creature. Similarly Timmerman’s character frog brings thoughts of a water dwelling species, clumsy and slow on land. The same idea spreads to the fox and the hare; both are considered to be quick and cunning species and the authors use them in this light. It is likely these animals were common where each story was written. These animals also share similar more transparent symbolic meaning. Although time, and simple cultural differences likely led to the different characters and context of the stories, they still share many similar traits in there symbolism and morals. Because the symbolism is easily identified, and the message is easily related to, nearly all people can apply this story to life. It is easy to see how nearly every culture has embraced a version of this story, or come up with a similar version of their own. Today Aesop’s Fables is printed in 31 languages. The tortoise is symbolic in Aesop’s story for a wise, slow moving, dedicated creature. He uses the tortoise to help portray the message that â€Å"slow and steady† can persevere over an overconfident, boastful opponent. Likewise, Timmerman chooses to use a frog, which sometimes symbolizes the same things as the tortoise in folktales and fables. A frog additionally represents transformation. The frog is shown in his story to be very intelligent and the message is that you can overcome a problem even when the odds are against you if you use your head. By using his intelligence he defeats the overconfident, boastful opponent. Timmerman decides to use a fox in his story as a quick, overconfident, somewhat ignorant character. He portrays the fox in this way as a symbol for this type of person, whom everyone has encountered at some point in their lives. Aesop similarly chooses a hare and uses the same technique of making the hare somewhat ignorant and cocky. Using this writing style effectively makes the fox and the hare the antagonist in the story without specifically portraying them as a â€Å"bad guy†. They further this technique by having these characters use condescending dialogue in the beginning of the story. Despite the two authors cultural differences, the human qualities of the characters are nearly portrayed identically. The writing style, and technique used by the authors helps us to identify with the characters. It also helps us identify personally with the plot. Both stories have plots that follow the same basic ideas. One animal is different physically from another, so naturally that animal thinks that he is superior the superior creature. They use animals that everyone would consider to be the obvious winners and losers in a race. They portray the animals in a unique way that gives them human qualities that we are familiar with. The underdog is considered the protagonist in these fables and both authors portray them as likely losers in a physical challenge. However, as the story unfolds the obvious winners change due to the negative human qualities the antagonists possess. The messages of the stories are both related to perseverance, and that sometimes being conceded and boastful about your skills can end in disaster. There is also the message that one should not judge others simply by how they look. There are many other interpretations of this story as well, and this just scratches the surface of the symbolism in the two folktales. The messages of the two stories are values that everyone can apply to their daily lives. When the stories reach their conclusions the readers are left with many options on how they choose to interpret the message. The theme of both stories are the same, however the differences allow them to be interpreted many ways. It is mostly agreed upon by literature experts that the message in â€Å"The Tortoise and the Hare† is that slow and steady wins the race, and taking your time to do things right the first time is worth it. The message in â€Å"The Fox and the Frog† the message is that it is sometimes better to work smarter, not harder. Both stories share the message that judging others by their appearance is not an intelligent thing to do. They also share the idea that being boastful and conceded can end in embarrassment.