BSBMKG501A Evaluate Marketing Opportunities Essay

BSBMKG501A Evaluate Marketing Opportunities - Essay Example In any organization, there are some tangible and intangible assets, which are used as resources, when company is searching and evaluating various opportunities. Basically marketing activity focuses on assessing and satisfying customer needs, with in the organization; management is responsible for establishing these goals. These are certain resources i. e., key people groups, forces outside the organizations, channels, brand values, relationship, partnership, suppliers, buyers etc. apart from physical resources like technology. In search of opportunities skill of the people working with in the organization always play's a crucial role, opportunities lies in best marketing research to know about innovative product requirements its time and cost well in advance and to exploit these requirements. Best marketing research need more strong financial background and personal skills. Shortage and delay in adopting, technologies plays crucial role in searching opportunities. Intangible like bra nd plays major role in exploring opportunities. When a particular brand already exists in the market and it launches some product in the market, needs lesser advertisement and hence needs less cost investment, but if brand is new and it is to be launched, needs more expensive and exhaustive promotional campaign. In present era, where consumer needs are changing continuously and fastly meeting consumer needs and preferences always cost heavily on the company. Firms spend billions of dollars annually in search of new opportunities on marketing and technical research to add to brand value and product improvement. For example, Hot Pockets, especially formulated meat and cheese, microwavable sandwiches and more than 20 varieties have been introduced but in 2002, after Nestle acquire chef America, it has added its marketing muscle to promote the brand, ability to invest in technologies, training to enhance skills of its employees, upgrading the skill of an employee are few of the resource s which could limit the search for the opportunities by the company. In any company search of opportunities needs financial resources, skill of its employees, its brand value, its technologies adoption, its organizational capabilities, and its ability to conduct market research as nearer to actual. Now as a marketing manager, one has been assigned a vital job is that of recognizing the nature of competition, the potential threats competitors may represent and development of opportunities response strategies. Michael Porter (1980) has proposed that competitive threats can be classified into five major steps: The threat of other producer firms already operating within the market sector (Kotler, 2003). The threats of customer moving up stream to also become producers and / or using their purchasing power to dominate terms and condition for purchase. The threat of supplier moving downstream to become a producer or using their control over critical resources to dominate terms and condition of sale. The threat of a substitute entering the market always been seen carefully. Finally the threat for new entrant who was not previously a major player in the market has to be analyzed properly. To avoid head on competition with competitors, Marketing manager has to opt certain initiatives, w hich must be strategic, cross functional and bottom-line oriented. Marketing manager

Occurrence of distress Essay Example for Free

Occurrence of distress Essay According to Bandura (1976), depression arises from frightful events that are anticipated rather than those that have occurred or are occurring. Hence, any person’s solution to depression is to plan in advance so that the events that occur are taken to be normal, with no adverse impacts. In much the same way, Beck’s theory highlights the future as a cause of anxiety among individuals. Beck (1971) noted that individuals who look at the future with diminished hope are likely to achieve little in their lives and live under perpetual fear. In addition, such individuals are prone to committing errors in their work and are full of negative beliefs about whatever they do. Random thoughts and distortion of thinking In relation to Bandura’s social cognitive theory, people act the way they do because of the patterns of thought and emotional reactions that they develop. Hence, the ability to tackle distressing events skillfully is vital in fending off conditions of depression. Bandura (2006) opined that random thoughts could make people to perceive some tasks to be too tedious, while the same thoughts can also make some people develop an urge to take more diverse and difficult tasks. Therefore, people’s performance in various tasks depends on how well their pattern of thought functions. This pattern of thought is nothing but the organization of the mind at any time in readiness for work. Bandura noted that individuals who are well prepared to work accomplish their tasks fast and derive much satisfaction. The converse is true for individuals who lack vigor and are always outdone by difficult situations. Seemingly supporting Bandura’s idea is a point in the description of Beck’s theory, which says that people usually have schemas of distress in their mind albeit in a latent state. Hence, if an individual if provoked, the schema becomes engaged and the person becomes irritated. Nevertheless, the level of irritation or depression depends on the character of the person involved. In this perspective, Beck (1979) noted that depression is usually a systematic dysfunction of the mind that leads to the development of negative opinions about oneself, other people or the environments, and the future. Further distortion of thinking hinders proper development of concepts in the mind and leads to depression. Comparing the two theories with reference to depression, it is notable that distress or depression arises among people because of failure to properly coordinate the faculties of their minds. Whilst adults are more affected by depression, both theories recommend that training children to overcome depression should be done early enough in order to avoid future occurrences of the problem. Inasmuch as the triads used as models for Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory have different constituents, the arguments and illustrations to elucidate both theories seem to be unified in the context of behavior, personality, character and so on. Nonetheless, the two theories still portray differences, which are discussed in the next sessions.

Legal Effects of the Mabo Case in Australian Law

Legal Effects of the Mabo Case in Australian Law The Mabo cases are some of the most well known cases in the Australian legal system, this paper will focus on the Mabo v. Queensland, a case that was litigated over for almost a decade in the Australian high court, this case was a monumental step for indigenous people in Australia. From the colonisation of Australia by the British in 1788 The native Australians (Aboriginals) have fought to claim back their land, but it was seen by the first Australian colonists that Australia was terra nullius and therefore the indigenous people had no claim to land rights. There are many different points that need to be addressed before we can show that the legal effects of the Mabo case have turned out to be deceptive. The Mabo cases were seen by many people in Australia as a victory for indigenous people throughout Australia, but for some indigenous people it was not seen in the same light. A long battle between the indigenous people and the commonwealth had be going on since the first settlers had arrived in Australia and claimed the land as terra nullius (un-inhabited), even though Australia was clearly not un-inhabited. The indigenous people of Australia had a long and devoted relationship with the land and had set-up their families and homes on this land. In 1982, Eddie Mabo began an action for a declaration of native title over the Queensland Aboriginal land claims. They argued that terra nullius had wrongfully been used by the settlers that colonizied Australia, because for thousands of years indigenous Australians had enjoyed a relationship with the land that included a sense of ownership. In 1992 the High Court of Australia rejected terra nullius and the myth that the first settlers had used to deprive indigenous Australians of their land. In doing this, it recognized that native title existed before the arrival of the first Brittish colonists. The judgment became known as the Mabo decision, one of the most controversial decisions ever seen in an Australian court. It was a decision that was quite hard to fully comprehend, as there was no deffinition to which native title existed in Australia. Mining and other industry groups were not happy with the decision as it would take more time and money to gain leases on land and their applications may also be denied, but was celebrated by indigenous Australians and Paul Keating (prime minister), as an opportunity to appologise to indigenous Australians for the treatment they received and the taking of their lands. The Mabo decision in the high court awarded certain land rights to indigenous people, which were celebrated by some, but the terms and conditions that went along with the final high court ruling did not benefit all indigenous and had some negative effects on the indigenous, there are many requirements that must be met in order for an indigenous person / persons to claim rights to land in Australia, which some people see as unfair. For a long time before the first settlers came to Australia Aboriginals have inhabited what they called Mother Earth and there was a strong bond between the aboriginals and their land that they raised their families on, hunted on and built their homes on. The aboriginals roamed the whole of their country as the pleased and had many different sacred sites throughout, sites which had a link to their ancestors and what they called the dreaming, then in 1788 all of what they know and respected was taken from them by the white man, the first settlers had arrived from England and had claimed that land, that the aboriginals had called home for so many centuries, terra nullius (un-inhabited). With the arrival of the first settlers came with them a system of laws and government that had never been seen by the aboriginals. Laws and government that did not benefit the aboriginals in any way shape or form, laws that took away their land and left them with nothing. The indigenous people in Australia have suffered in different ways and forms from the days of the first settlers and have fought to claim back what many see as rightfully theirs, their land and their rights to own land and live, hunt and follow the way their ancestors lived on/ from the land. There have been many attempts by the indigenous to claim back their land and the MABO v Queensland is just one of many. Many of the land rights battles were started by the Milirrpum others v Nabalco Pty Ltd (1971), the Yolnga people brought an action against the Nabalco Corporation which had secured a twelve year mining lease from the federal government, ATNS. (2003), the argument was that the federal government had no right to offer a lease to the lands as they belonged to the aboriginal people. Justice Blackburn stated that native title was not part of the law of Australia and went on to add that even had it existed any native title rights were extinguished, ATNS, (2003), the rights of the indigenous were not heard until nearly two decades later when Justice Blackburns decision was overturned in the MABO others v Queensland others case, the indigenous peoples rights were considered for the first time since the colonization of Australia, Cullen, R. (1990). With the overturning of Justice Blackburns ruling the indigenous people of Australia have finally been given some legal rights to be able to claim some of their land back. But with these rights come quite a few guidelines and requirements that have to be met for an indigenous person to be able to make a claim to land in Australia, some of which in the Northern Teretory include, under the act the only land claimable is un-alienated Northern Territory land outside town boundaries, land that no-one else owns or leases, usually semi-desert or desert, also claims have been known to take a large amount to be decided and are often rejected by the government and Aboriginals must also prove to the government that they have a lawful claim to the land and that under their Aboriginal laws that they have a responsibility to sacred sites that they are trying to claim, Australiatrek.com. (n.d). Other states such as South Australia have different guidelines and requirements that have to be met in order to claim land some of which include the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act 1981 South Australia This gives Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people title to 10% of South Australia. The land, known as the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, is in the far north of the state. Just south of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands lie the Maralinga Lands, this area was largely contaminated by British nuclear tests in the 1950s, this land in South Australia was returned to its Anangu traditional owners by virtue of the Maralinga Tjarutja Land Rights Act 1984 South Australia, Australiatrek.com. (n.d). To define native title, parliament passed the Native Title Act in 1993. Despite the mining industries anger, the act gives indigenous Australians very few new rights. It limits the application of native title to land which no-one else owns or leases, and also to land with which indigenous Australians have continued to have a sacred bond to. The act states that existing ownership or leases overrides the native title, although the native title may be given back to indigenous australians after mining leases have finished. If land is successfully claimed by indigenous australians under the act, they will have no rights over the developments of the land that they are claiming, including mining royalties. In conclusion i would have to agree and say that initially the Mabo decision would have been seen by indigenous Australians and by non-indiginous Australians as a win for all of the indigenous Australians living in Australia at the time of the decision.

Ts Eliot Mood And Theme :: essays research papers

T.S. Eliot -mood and theme WITH REFERENCE TO THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK AND PREDULES. DISCUSS HOW T.S. ELIOT CONVEYS MOOD AND THEMES. Both Prufrock and Preludes are based in the same rootless world of sordid tedium. In Prufrock Eliot is conveying a theme a strong theme and is based heavily in the Persona of Prufrock himself. Preludes is a poem of changing moods, some subtle, some profound but this time conveyed primarily through diction and repetition. One theme of Eliot's, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, is the exposure of the modern individual's inability and refusal to address inadequacies that he sees in both him and his society. Two ways Eliot conveys his theme is through the persona of Prufrock and repetition . One method used by Eliot to expose this theme is his use of the persona of J Alfred Prufrock. Prufrock is in part a shallow conformist, 41 ....My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, 42 My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin- 43 (They will say: 'But how his arms and legs are thin!')...... However, almost tragically, Eliot has Prufrock aware of the shallowness of the society to which he conforms. 26 There will be time, there will be time 27 To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet. Prufrock observes his society's ability to totally disregard any question of substance, that is, the 'overwhelming'; questions. Yet despite his observations Prufrock is not prepared to confront his society, more importantly, himself. In deeper tragedy Prufrock is defeated by his knowledge of his inadequacies and states quite sincerely, 'And in short, I was afraid'; Two of the minor themes of 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' concern the frustrations felt by the individual towards their society. Specifically the individuals insignificance in their society and the individuals inability to express themselves and be understood as an individual within that society. Repetition plays a crucial role in conveying the theme of insignificance. The r epetition of, 'They will say:..';, conveys Prufrock's feeling of insignificance and reveal a man totally absorbed in the judgments of others and not at all concerned with his worth as an individual. Eliot's repetition of 'Do I dare?'; within the sixth stanza emphasises Prufrock's feeling of insignificance. 'Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?'; Despite the superficial judgments his society passes on him, Prufrock is still hesitant in speaking out against their empty lives.

America: Myth Of Equality Essay -- essays research papers

America: Myth of Equality To many, the Unites States serves as the ideal model of democracy for the modern world. Yet, how truly worthy is America of this status? Although it has been said that, â€Å"Equality is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie,† one must be extremely critical when analyzing such a statement. By taking a historical perspective to the question of how â€Å"equal† American equality actually is, it is simple to recognize how problematic the â€Å"Land of the Free† mentality can be. The early America’s most prominent thinkers have been sensationalized and given credit for developing a free and equal system. However, one can recognize that their manner of thinking was far from this idea of â€Å"all men are created equal† by critical examination of their literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When analyzing equality, a sociological and legal approach must be made. In the case of the United States, the sociological stratification, or division of power, of minority groups had adversely affected the development of the legal system. Especially in the 1600s and 1700s, legal and social equality of those not of the Caucasian persuasion, the less fortunate, and of the female gender was almost nonexistent. This inequality is a direct result of the early American society’s ranking system. Equality was not perceived in the minds of such individuals as John Winthrop, John Adams, and James Madison, and as a result, their significant accomplishments towards the development of the American system have tainted the institution itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the earliest American social groups was the 17th Century Puritans. This society had an extremely unique and strict manner of thinking that was entirely based on inequality. This is clearly represented by the writings of the Puritan leader John Winthrop. In â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity,† Winthrop outlines the societal rationale, and in turn, the disparity of equality in his society. The gist of the Puritan way of life is that, by the grace of God, certain individuals were empowered with the ability to be enlightened and the capability of achieving much within the society itself. However, by the same reasoning, some individuals were also destined to take the lesser roles in society, and as a result, had no power to move up within the ranks because of this inescapable predetermination. Thi... ...the initial American system. The factions that Madison concerns himself with were the population’s majority, otherwise known as the lesser classes. As a result, the establishment of division of power and checks and balances clauses would give the populace a lesser chance of gaining much authority over the already established aristocracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If this is the case, why is America perceived to be relatively fair and equal today? Fortunately the early American politicians did develop framework to allow the Constitution to evolve, and combined with the political movements in both minority and women’s rights of the end of this century, much of this unjust stigma has been eliminated from the system. Still, racial discrepancies in the courts occur more frequently then not, and the social makeup of American politicians continues to follow a predetermined â€Å"mold.† Is this a direct result of the discrepancies formed in the earlier stages of American history? It is hard for anyone to tell. What is indisputable is that the Declaration of Independence’s statement, â€Å"All men are created equal,† was far from the truth during early American history. Word Count: 1,323

American value and health care policy

United States government has been concerned with the running of the health care to a point of establishing Medicare more than 40 years ago to facilitate the running of the health care institution. Since then, the government has had a role to play toward ensuring that American citizens get access to better health care facilities. There has been remarkable improvement in provision of health care for the last 50 years as the United States government has ensured that the quality of health care is enhanced, it’s more accessible and affordable to all people.Effective treatment of various diseases has been discovered due to the fact that the government has constantly been sponsoring researches to be carried out in molecular biology thereby enhancing the understanding of a number of diseases. (Anderson, Hussey, Frogner and Waters, 2005) State intervention toward the running and management of health care in United States lagged behind the intervention of Europe which was the first to b e concerned with the running of their health care systems.In the ancient days, clinical training and medical education in United States had not been standardized until the state intervened toward standardizing the health care institution at the end of the 19th century. A board that would license examination began to be formed in 1870’s and came to be in operation in 1898 in all states. Many people enrolled in the medical schools and by 1900, 10% of physicians who were practicing in America had graduated from the already established medical institutions following the establishment of the licensing examination board.Flexner Report and American Medical Association ensured more medical practitioners graduated from the already established medical institutions and in fact, 20 years later, all medical practitioners who were practicing in United States had graduated from these institutions. (Woolhandler, Campbell and Himmelstein, 2003) The government of United States also has facilit ated the provision of health care facilities in United States of America by ensuring there is a considerable national health insurance system.The history of national health insurance date back in 1915 when an association of about 3,500 professionals that included: lawyers, academicians and social scientists proposed the scheme. The American Association of labor Legislation drafted a bill that was proposing that the state to bring forward health legislation that would be compulsory. (Anderson, Hussey, Frogner and Waters, 2005) The government of has been very supportive on the issue of national health insurance scheme that would benefit the American citizens.A security Act was signed in1935 by then the president of United States of America President Roosevelt which brought about the issue of renewing the discussion of coming up with a governmental national insurance scheme. Later on, Senator Wagner attempted to introduce a bill that was meant to outline a federal health program that w ould serve all the American citizens in 1939. However, his efforts failed to bear fruits as the bill never gathered enough support that is required for enactment of a bill.The efforts of the legislator to come up with a bill that would facilitate the provision of health care did not end there. In early 1950’s during Truman administration, a health care bill was revived and this time as Ewing proposal. The bill despite being submitted to the congress for action and enactment, nothing was heard of it and those efforts did not bear any fruit. (Anderson, Hussey, Frogner and Waters, 2005) The role of the government on provision and running of health care systems in United States came to right in 1965 after President Lyndon Johnson signed a health bill thereby creating Medicare.Since then, provision of health care in United States has never been the same and all American citizens have had the access to better medical care within their reach. (Feldman, 2001) There has been significa nce growth of national health care and Medicare costs that are said to have been contributed by: ? Newly introduced diagnostic equipments and facilities. ? Increased population especially of the elderly people which is projected to increase to about 45 millions in ten year’s time. ? Administrative costs that are rapidly increasing. ? Advancement of medical technology which is advancing day by day, and? Advancement of surgical procedures such as hip replacement and coronary artery bypass. A number of medical equipments were discovered that have significantly added value to the overall provision of medical care in United States. These equipments have enabled health care facilities to offer efficient health care to the American citizens and these machines include: blue cross, respirator, dialysis machine and iron lung. These have enable provision of health care to show some improvement as they enabled diagnosis of diseases even to be faster. The government has been very supporti ve more so in the provision of funds toPurchase drugs. The budgetary cost of prescribed drugs has been increasing significantly of the years and in fact, provision of medical care is known be spending the highest share of the total national budgetary allocation. Statistics shows that drugs prescribed in 1980 were 6% and this increased in 2003 to 12%. It is projected that due to the increased population of the elderly, the budget allocation on Medicaid, entitlement of social security and Medicare is to increase and expenditure is estimated by 2025 to reach $4 trillion. (Anderson, Hussey, Frogner and Waters, 2005)Although the government shows some willingness to provide affordable health care to all American, it is the high time the society should take a challenge of accepting national health care scheme that is provided and be ready to pay contribute toward it. They should also take the initiative of avoiding the administration and control therein by the awkward governmental and insu rance bureaucracy in the industry. It is the high time American citizens are supposed to advocate for provision of effective and efficient health care delivery that is accessible and affordable.(Woolhandler, Campbell and Himmelstein, 2003) The question medical practitioners need to ask themselves is whether they have a responsibility on caring for all American citizens who are ill. It is difficult for one to survive if he or she is unhealthy hence seeking health care by American citizens and any other human being is mandatory. Indeed if all American people are healthy, there will be increased productivity since everyone will be working toward building the national. This in turn increases tax that will be collected by the exchequer as result of increased productivity.As a result, it makes life even better since more funds will be allocated to various projects that are beneficial to the common citizens such as government health care, improving of transport network and provision of edu cation among other amenities. For this care, I would urge the federal government to continue allocating a high share of fund to Medicare when it comes to allocation of funds in the annual national budget. References Anderson, G. F. , Hussey, P. S, Frogner, B. F. , Waters, H. R.(2005): Health spending in the United States and the test of the industrialized world; Health Aff (Millwood) 2005; 24:908 –11 Feldman, R. D. (2001): American Health Care: Government, Market Processes, and the Public Interest. Oakland, CA: The Independent Institute Rothman, D. J. (1997). Beginnings Counts: The Technological Imperative in American Health Care: New York, Oxford University Press Woolhandler, S. Campbell, T. and Himmelstein, D. U. (2003): Costs of health care administration in the United States and Canada. N Engl J; Med 2003; 349:768 –75

Assess Critically Three Causes of World War I Essay

World War I and its consequences have dominated European history since 1914. Because of the bitter controversy over the post-war peace treaties, the origins of the war continued to be an issue of utmost political importance in the years to come. The Great War had its roots in 1870 in the grand expansion and uncontrolled ambitions of Bismarck and the new Germany (Wolfson et al 1997). Imperialism, which began to emerge around the turn of the 20th century also played a decisive role. Fights over the colonies contributed to the establishment of complex set of international alliances, which helped to destabilize the European balance of power and when combined with the third factor – instability in the Balkan region – inevitably sparked off the First World War. Besides the three main causes, they were also other conditions, like the arms race between Germany and Britain, a process of social-economic modernization in Europe, the increasing importance of international prestige, the underestimation of the counterpart’s power, which also contributed to the outbreak of the war. As Joll (1990) argues, there were also philosophical facts that had great impact in the evolution of the tragic events of 1914. The prevalent Darwinian ideas of the survival of the fittest, of the struggle for existence were among European statesmen prior 1914. The Versailles Treaty, signed in June 1919 unambiguously blamed Germany, the military regime of the Kaiser, William II and his allies for causing all the loss and damage they imposed upon Europe between 1914-1918. In the eighty- five years since the war ended however there has been a growing awareness, that the origins of the war were far more complex. Historians have studied not only the tangle of alliances and treaties which existed before the war but also the connections between the political and military spheres, the influence of domestic policies, and the national myths and traditions (Merriman 1996). Looking back in history, the Franco-Prussian War (1870) completely changed the balance of power in Europe and strengthened Germany’s position as the leading continental power. The annexation of Alsace-Lorraine never healed the wounds in France, and poisoned the relations between the two countries down to 1914. European politics from the 1880s was dominated by a dense web of alliances and treaties, which aimed to consolidate Germany’s position in Europe. However, Bismarck’s international relations were only successful in the short-term and in the long-term they were plagued by insecurity and mistrust. As one alliance developed, it aroused the distrust of those states excluded from it, which then created counter-alliances (Joll 1990). French hostility was inevitable but Britain and Russia had also become deeply suspicious of German policies. But insecurity ruled also between the Russians and the French, the French and the British, the Serbs and the Russians, and the Germans and the Austrians. By the time Bismarck left office in 1890, his only reliable German allies were the Dual Monarchy of Austro-Hungary and Italy, and this remained the position in 1914. By 1914 the key European alliances were: -Germany-Austro-Hungary (1789) -France-Russia (1893) -Entente Cordial between England-France (1904) -The Triple Entente between England France and Russia (1907) and -Russia-Serbia (1914) Out of the great European powers only Austro-Hungary entered the war with a clear aim: to end the challenge of the South-Slav nationalism; the other participants fought for their survival as Great Powers. So Austria has to bear also some responsibility for the outbreak of the war. Russia was not ready for war, she desperately needed to avoid another humiliation as in 1905 in the Russo-Japanese war – the first time in history, when white supremacy became endangered. The British government was also reluctant to become involved in the war, it had its own problems with the Irish Home Rule, with strikes and suffragettes (Gildea 1996). France was also on the defensive side, she had its socialists to worry about, but she highly relied on the Russian alliance given the danger of the German attack. Imperialism played a decisive role in the escalation of the tensions between the Great Powers at the outbreak of the war in 1914. As Marxist historians considered, imperial expansion was the logical extension of the development of monopoly capitalism, and such it would lead to war and eventually to international revolution (Wolfson et al 1997). The motives for swift colonial expansion prior the Great War were mixed and complex. There was a strong ideological belief in the superiority of European culture, but also the possession of colonies was a factor of world power. Imperialism poisoned the relations between the Great Powers from the 1870s. Although the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 had settled the principles of European colonisation, further disagreements developed among the parties over territory, access to raw materials and markets, thus leading to series of crisis, like the Fashoda incident (1898), or the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) (Merriman 1996). The issue of control over the Suez Canal particularly embittered the relation between Britain and France, because France was deeply jealous of British colonial supremacy. Germany was keen to exploit this rupture to win France over to his side, and to bully Great Britain into making concessions to Germany (Gildea 1996). However, the Anglo-German rivalry, which became acute by 1914, was the most important clash among the Great Powers (Eksteins 1989). British statesmen were eager to uphold certain principles in Europe. They were concerned by the prospect of any nation becoming too powerful and providing a threat to British world power. Germany, which had been united as recently as 1871, and within one generation had become an awesome industrial and military power, posed real danger to the British pre-eminence and mastery in Europe. However the most dangerous acceleration came in the field of naval expansion. Since Britain held her navy to be vital, any attempt to rival it by another power, particularly Germany would meet a spirited response (Wolfson et al 1997 ). Britain also feared that Germany and Russia might make common cause, for instance in the Middle East (Stone 1973). However there were many other signs that the alliance system was overheating in the years before 1914. Morocco – rich in mineral and agricultural wealth – on the northern coast of Africa had become a central feature of the world politics because it combined a variety of aims and interest (Wolfson et al 1997). It provided an opportunity for colonial expansion, and also to enhance European aims in relative safety. By 1900 several European countries were eager to exploit the resources of Morocco, particularly Germany and France coveted the place. In 1904, in the ‘Entente Cordial’ Britain had recognised French interest over the country. Germany was not consulted of these negotiations. In the Algeciras conference in 1906 Germany found herself deserted by all but Austro-Hungary, and the German delegation had to be satisfied with a share of international control of Moroccan finances (Wolfson et al ibid). In 1911 when France was given a protectorate in Morocco, Kaiser William attacked the Moroccan port, Agadir, to protect German interests there. Although direct confrontation was avoided when the Germans were compensated by an offer of territory in the French Kongo, this compromise could only offer a temporary solution to the Franco-German conflict, since Germany was dissatisfied with the resolution. The Agadir crisis also had harmful consequences for the peace of Europe. On the one hand, Germany had suffered a diplomatic defeat, but on the other hand, the British, French and Russian governments were alarmed by the aggressive attitude of the Germans. France was also humiliated, which fact stimulated the awakening of national feeling in France (Gildea 1996). The growth of opposition to imperial rule resulted in the emergence of nascent nationalist movements in Europe. The principle of national self-determination had been gaining force since the revolutions of 1848, and revolutionary nationalism in various forms threatened the Ottoman, Austrian, German, Russian and British Empires. The war of 1914 was also due to the unbearable national tensions within the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the attempts of that power to escape from them by action dangerous to peace (Wolfson et al 1997). Austro-Hungary had always been a multi-racial state and the subject races were now rebelling against it. Nationalism of the different nationalities within the empire profoundly threatened the stability of its power, and thus the empire sought a swift and easy victory that would reunite the nationalities against a common enemy. So, finally, it was the Balkan which was the tinderbox for the outbreak of the war. The national struggles of the Balkan people were complicated by the rivalry between the powers in the area. Of the five great powers, Russia, Austria and Germany were particularly interested in the area either on political, or cultural reasons. Also, the control of the Balkan meant an abundant supply of cheap raw materials, a populous market and a large field for profitable investment for the rival parties. In 1908 the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had been occupied by Austria Hungary since the Congress of Berlin in 1878, were annexed by the Austro-Hungarian government, mainly to prevent these Slav provinces from being absorbed by the Slav kingdom of Serbia. These Turkish provinces were of great strategic importance to the Habsburgs. Russia, the protector of the South Slavs, didn’t fight over this issue, because she was compensated by access to the Mediterranean. However, as an immediate repercussion to the Bosnian crisis, Russia constructed a Balkan block as a bulwark against further Austrian expansion. The success of the Balkan League (1912) against the Turkish Ottoman Empire horrified the Great Powers. Each of the new Balkan powers had made significant gains of both territory and prestige. These gains endangered the plans of Russia and Austro-Hungary for the domination, if not annexation, of the Balkan (Wolfson et al 1997). The emergence of a victorious Serbia grew particularly troublesome in the region. The Czar felt that Russia had suffered a diplomatic defeat because due to Austrian insistence she could not obtain Albania for Serbia. Austria-Hungary considered her ambitions to reach the Aegean directly affected, and she also considered that a powerful Serbian state might be dangerous if it reached the sea, and under the influence of Russia might be able to close Austria’s only outlet, the Adriatic. Therefore some of the bolder statesmen of the Dual Monarchy desired to keep Serbia always dependent. The consequences of the Balkan Wars directly led to the outbreak of the First World War. The increasingly serious crises sparkled the murder of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne at Sarajevo by Bosnian students. They opposed the Trialism that advocated the integration of Bosnia-Herzegovina into the Kingdom of Serbia, but the Serbian government was not responsible in the killing (Gildea 1996). However, the crisis couldn’t have developed further, if imperial tensions hadn’t poisoned the relation between the Great Powers. In the approach to the outbreak of the First World War three factors were crucial. Imperialism, the system of international alliances, and the rising nationalism. However, the ambitions and strategies of the Great Powers, colonial rivalry, awakening national pride were also decisive factors. Imperialism fuelled conflicts among the Great Powers, particularly when it threatened the participants’ pride, and interest. But it also led to the frustrations of ethnic minorities, which in turn sparkled violent reactions. The Morocco crisis increased the sense of international insecurity and intensified the pressure on states to rearm. The Balkan Wars strengthened the position of the Balkan powers, which challenged the plans of Russia and Austria-Hungary for domination. Each of these clashes had the potential to ignite a European war and while none solely contributed to the outbreak of war, they certainly assisted in the creation of a complex series of international alliances geared towards mutual protection against mutual enemies. B I B L I O G R A P H Y Eksteins, M. 1989. Rites of Spring. The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age. London: Bantam Press. Joll, J. 1990. Europe since 1870. London: Penguin. Gildea, R. 1996. Barricades and Borders. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Merriman, J. 1996. The History of Europe Vol 2. London: Norton. Stone, N. 1973. Europe Transformed 1878-1919. London: Fontana. Wolfson, R. Laver, J. 1997. Years of Change. Europe 1890-1945.