Monday, February 24, 2020
Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over Dissertation
Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over the years - Dissertation Example Introduction: 17 3.2. Research Purpose: 17 3.3. Research Strategy and Method: 18 3.4. Research Design: 19 3.5. Data Collection: 19 3.6. Methods and Tools used for Collecting Data: 20 3.7. Analysis Techniques: 20 3.8. Validity and Reliability of the Research: 25 3.9. Ethical Considerations: 26 3.10. Summary: 26 4. ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 27 4.1. Introduction 27 4.2. Financial ratios 27 4.2.1. Profitability Ratios 28 4.2.2. Liquidity Ratios 39 4.2.3. Activity Ratios or Efficiency Ratios 47 4.2.4. Leverage Ratios 51 4.2.5. Market Ratios 57 5. CONCLUSION 63 5.1. Summary of the findings 63 5.2. Recommendations 65 5.3. Lessons learnt from the study 66 5.4. Limitations 67 5.5. Further research 67 1. introduction 1.1. Background Of The Study Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over the years, specifically the food retail industry. Because of recession, the overall world economy was not growing despite of that, food retail industry has been one of the industries wh ich reported considerable amount of growth. The food retail industry of UK has a long and solid history. During the fifties and sixties the concept of supermarkets and self service shops became popular; this has been marked as the starting of retail industry in the United Kingdom (Hamlett, Alexander, Bailey, & Shaw, 2008). Despite of the fact that the UK economy was going through recession, the overall sales of the industry had increased in 2009 as it reached a figure of over ?285billion. It has been estimated that this figure will further increase in the years to come. Also with the world economy and UK economy recovers itself from recession, retail industry would be one of the most beneficial industries as this would further increase the total revenue of the firms in the industry (The Scottish Government, 2010). By the end of 2010, the total retail units in the kingdom were approximately 286,000 (Arch, 2010). The food retail industry is an important industry for the UK economy as over the years it has been able to contribute a lot to GDP of the country. In addition to this, food retail industry is a significant one for United Kingdom economy as it has been able to consume considerable portion of the employment. According to a report, there are more than half a million people working in the industry representing almost 13% of the total workforce of United Kingdom. Food retail industry consumed more than 12,750 permanent jobs throughout 2010 which represents an annual growth of 2.1% in the jobs of food retail industry from the year 2009 (The Scottish Government, 2010). There has been an increasing trend of online shopping for people in the UK and this has attracted more people to start online businesses. There are more than 150,000 online retail businesses in United Kingdom and more than 600,000 people are employed because of e-retail industry either directly or indirectly. At present, the online retail business contributes only 7% of the total retail industry revenues (Experian Hitwise, 2008), however it has been predicted that the contribution from online business would further improve with the passage of time. The total sales of online retail industry equalled ?2.8 billion from December, 2009 to December, 2010 i.e. in a year the total sales of the industry was equal to ?2.8 billion (Internet Retailer, 2011). Tesco is the market leader in the UK food retail industry for years and it has been dominating the market with market share of almost 31% (Tesco, 2011). Tesco is
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Policy And Practice In the Education of Bilingual Children Essay
Policy And Practice In the Education of Bilingual Children - Essay Example The physical environment of the school and classroom Upon entering the school, a large map welcomes people with the sign that read: ââ¬Å"Welcome to our school. We come from all over the world and we speak 27 languagesâ⬠. For each language, it was connected to the country of origin as indicated in the map. This sign gave a very warm welcome to anyone who visited the school no matter what culture he or she comes from. An IT room is available for any EAL learner to use whenever one needs to consult a computer for spelling or grammar or anything that pertains to the English language. This additional resource to support their learning is another indication that the school anticipates learnersââ¬â¢ needs and provides them when called for. The classroom observed had a big inflatable globe which represents a wide range of diversity is accepted there. The children can freely explore the globe and search for their own countries and link it to their native language. A trained EAL teac her was employed by the school to help facilitate the cognitive, language and literacy development of foreign children. Adults play a huge role in the language development of children, as they need someone who uses simple language in correct form and is flexible enough adjust his language to suit the childââ¬â¢s (Clay, 1988). Having a good second language teacher is essential to learning the language more fluently. The researcher does not discount the fact that imitation of proper pronunciation and intonation is necessary. Hence, learners should have attentive ears and retentive minds, and of course, cooperative tongues to be able to speak fluently in such language. Children also need opportunities to practice speaking and listening to the second language outside the language lessons, so that... This paper approves that in EAL, scaffolding comes in three forms, One is scaffolding by adults by making their expectations clear by sharing learning objectives and criteria for success with the students by way of modeling and demonstrating the English language, ââ¬Ërecastingââ¬â¢ of the childrenââ¬â¢s language from their L1 and providing them with opportunities to use their whole language repertoire to aid them in understanding their L2. The teacher may also use scaffolding through visual support, via pictures, props, models, frames and language prompts, graphic organizers, diagrams, maps, plans and essentially all the print and picture cues they put up in the environmental setting. This report makes a conclusion that the numerous issues on second language learning, especially English, only prove that it is creating much impact on the development of children from diverse cultures. More and more people consider its advantages and possible disadvantages. Such amount of attention is worth it because people think up of ways on how to maximize its benefits. Learning another language apart from oneââ¬â¢s native language helps children be ready to be highly competent in an increasingly globalized world. However, although they become bilingual, it should not be forgotten that they also become bicultural, and learning of one language and the culture that goes with it does not mean forgetting their original one. Teachers should take into consideration that their non-English speaking students should learn English in both its context and language elements so the students gain a better understanding and appreciation of the English language.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Well-being of the sadhu Essay Example for Free
Well-being of the sadhu Essay 1. Who is responsible for the well-being of the sadhu? What are the duties of the people involved? What action would best serve the good of everyone? No one is really responsible for someone elseââ¬â¢s well being, it just depends on a personââ¬â¢s moral thinking. Therefore, there are no duties required from all the people that were involved. If everyone believed that their purpose was to help others, then everyone is responsible for his well-being. In this story, everyone had helped in a little way. For instance, the New Zealanders carried him to where McCoy was, which was then where McCoy checked for pulse and Stephen and the Swiss clothed him. Even though everyone put in a little bit of effort to help him, I believe that if they worked together as a team with their efforts combined, greater outcomes would have resulted. If fingers had to be pointed to someone who is responsible for sadhu, it would have to be the person who found him first, which was one of the New Zealanders. 2. How are the problems here similar to problems that arise in organizations every day? What kinds of sadhus do people confront in everyday life? Organizations face issues like this everyday, where they are met with obstacles that would take them longer to make it to their ultimate goal. For instance, while working on a large project, they notice something wrong. Instead of stopping to figure out how to fix it, they just keep going just for the sake of completing the task on time. Either to put ones effort individually, or make a decision to work as a team to put everyoneââ¬â¢s efforts in as a whole. Sadhus that people are confronted with everyday life for example is a friend who is in need of help, yet if we do help them we are pushed away further from reaching our goals. Sometimes people are too focused on reaching their goal that they do not see anything else and will not help others. Inà reality, while helping others, reaching their goals are still achievable, but perhaps will take a bit longer than normal.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Essay --
From scandalous to classy, the waltz is a famous type of traditional ballroom dancing that has greatly influenced dance styles around the world. Throughout history, this lovely couplesââ¬â¢ dance waltzed through the hearts of millions of people of all backgrounds. Evolution of the waltz from the landler Although the waltz has been around for hundreds of years, the steps used today are not a part of the original dance. It is widely accepted that the exact origins of the waltz are fairly obscure. However, it is theorized that the waltz was a product of evolving from a dance called the ââ¬Å"landler.â⬠As like many other dances, the waltz has evolved with cultural advances. Before the waltz even existed, there was a coupleââ¬â¢s dance called the ââ¬Å"landler.â⬠Styles of dancing were often influenced by the exchanges of dances between the royal court and the peasants. Often the people would mimic dances such as the Landler, and bring it to their class of people. As the Landler grew more and more popular, there was much controversy over whether or not to dance this in social settings. Because of the close body contract between the men and women, the Landler was seen as sinful and erotic. The church responded harshly, trying to forbid the Landler (Watson). Description and history of the landler Created in the countryside of Austria, the landler was a type of coupleââ¬â¢s dance that became popular in the late eighteenth century when composers began creating music for dance halls. The dance is basically a slow version of the waltz with the manââ¬â¢s hands rested on the womanââ¬â¢s waist, and the womanââ¬â¢s hands on the manââ¬â¢s shoulders (Knowles). At the end of the song, it was typical during the landler for the man to throw the woman into the air and then catch her. Jo... ...r bar. It is not unusal to see a waltz pice with multiple melodies. Famous composers and songs of waltzing music The most talked about waltz music composer is an Austrian composer called Johann Strauss the Elder (1804 - 1849). Along with his talented orchestra, he created 152 compositions that proved to become very successful in not only the waltzing world, but also in classical music. Together, Strauss and Lanner helped bring popularity to the waltz by creating various melodies for the Viennese waltz (Nair.) Modern waltzing music As unconventional as it may be, there is also ââ¬Å"pop waltz music.â⬠Modern music artists that have created music in the waltzing time include Adele, Lifehouse, Kelly Clarkson, and Pink. Because of popular television shows such as ââ¬Å"Dancing with the Stars,â⬠modern waltzing music had made a more vital appearance in the music world. Conclusion
Monday, January 13, 2020
Elements of the Marketing Mix Essay
This case will study describe the elements of the marketing mix. These four elements include product, place, price and promotion. This paper will include a description of how an organizationââ¬â¢s marketing strategy is affected by the four elements of the marketing mix. Another aspect that this paper will include is a description of how each element is implemented in the company. One more topic that this paper will describe is the organizations name and industry in which it exists. The marketing mix is defined as a mixture of several ideas and plans followed by a marketing representative to promote a particular product or brand. Several concepts and ideas are combined together to formulate final strategies helpful in making a brand popular amongst the masses to form the marketing mix (ââ¬Å"Marketing Mix ââ¬â Meaning and Its Elementsâ⬠, n.d.). The elements of the marketing mix are often called the four Pââ¬â¢s of marketing (Perreault, Cannon, & McCarthy, 2011). First, Product is defined as goods that are manufactured by organizations for the consumer. Products can be two types, tangible and intangible. A product in a market place is something which a seller sells to the buyers in exchange for money. Price is defined as the money which a buyer pays for a product. The price of a product is indirectly proportional to its availability in the market. If a product is not readily available then the price goes up (ââ¬Å"Marketing Mix ââ¬â Meaning and Its Elementsâ⬠, n.d.). Place refers to the location where the products are available and can be sold or purchased. Here one is exposed to a physical building, or store, or one can purchase items on the internet. Finally, the fourth element is promotion. Promotion refers to the various strategies and ideas implemented by the marketers to make the consumer aware of their product (ââ¬Å"Marketing Mix ââ¬â Meaning and Its Elementsâ⬠, n.d.). Todayââ¬â¢s market is huge and there is an abundant variety of products available. Frito Lay is a multi-nationalà corporation that is predominantly in the salty snack business. Frito Lay aims its market strategy at both the mass market and target markets alike. This food driven company does have some strengths such as its renowned reliability, high quality control and markets its product as convenient fun foods. The products that Frito Lay generates have consumers in mind that particularly buy snack foods as a leisure item. Their packing and branding is targeting a consumer that wants to snack on the go or during lunch with a sandwich. With this in mind, the organizations marketing strategy uses all four of the marketing mix very well. Frito Lay sells a wide variety of chips form Ruffles to Lays, Cheetos to Doritos and Tostitos to Funyions. These products satisfy many customersââ¬â¢ needs for fun snacking. In the Product element, packaging is also very important when keeping the consumer satisfied. Bright colors are used to catch the eye when they design the bags that carry all of their brands. In the Place element, the product is highly visible in that one can purchase said items and every convenience store in the marketplace. Not only is the product in just about every UDS store but in vending machines and supermarkets. The channel of distribution is very important to deliver these products to the consumer and Frito Lay has an excellent distribution system in place. The third element, Promotion, targets new customers and retaining current customers. Many people have heard the phrase ââ¬Å"no one can eat just one.â⬠This catch phrase was designed for Lays potato chips and hasnââ¬â¢t been used in years, but just about everybody has heard that. That is advertising at its finest. The use of mass selling techniques has been advantageous to Frito Lay. The fourth ââ¬Å"Pâ⬠is Price and that obviously plays an important part in Fritoââ¬â¢s model. Frito Lays strategy is to stay competitive with other salty snack manufacturers and their price points. Their target price is also directed at young adults and children. Each element in the marketing mix is used very well by Frito Lay. The products that this corporation sells to the consumer vary from salty snacks to cookies and even beef jerky. Frito Lay guarantees freshness for its product and delivers a price point that is competitive to just about any consumer. In the channels of distribution process it is important to get a food item to the retailer in a timely manner as the food item can spoil. The freshness guarantee that Frito Lay offers dictates that the salty snack has a shelf life of about a month for most products and theà products need to be removed from the shelves if they do not sell. Because of this model, the delivery system promotes efficiency when sold and distributed to each retailer. Promotions are huge with Frito Lay as they spend millions for point of sale coupons and retail discounts. Not only is there retail push for sales but Frito Lay spends millions on advertising. Advertising can be seen in standard commercials to big budget commercials during super bowl ads. These methods of communication are geared at mass selling and are very effective. Finally, the Price element is important to Frito Lay as the market price for materials goes up so does the price of their products. To circumvent these price hikes, Frito Lay will lower the content volume in the bag and not raise the price. In other instances, they will raise the price by ten cents and remove the price on the bag for a short period of time. The idea is to trick the consumer into believing the price is the same. In all the instances, Frito Lay has a business model that is very effective and has endured for many years. By understanding the similarities and differences between these elements one can understand how a corporation uses the marketing mix to their advantage. The four elements are critical to understand the very nature of the consumer and the retailer. This case study shows that it is important to understand the marketing mix business model as it pertains everyone and final user. References Marketing Mix ââ¬â Meaning and its Elements. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://managementstudyguide.com/marketing-mix.htm Perreault, W. D., Cannon, J. P., & McCarthy, J. (2011). Basic Marketing. A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collectioon database.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
F. Scott Fitzgeralds Short Story, Winter Dreams Essay
F. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s Short Story, ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠In F. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s short story, ââ¬Å"Winter Dreams,â⬠ambitious, ââ¬Å"desirousâ⬠Dexter stands at the threshold between admiring ââ¬Å"glittering thingsâ⬠and finding out that the ââ¬Å"glittering thingsâ⬠he admires fade away sooner or later. Dexterââ¬Ës character throughout this short story, changes in many ways, from being unaware of what he really wanted in life to being aware of what he actually became. Dexter in the story started off as a very young boy who worked as a caddy at a golf course. There he met Miss Jones for the very first time. Judy Jones was a beautiful, young woman who came from a glittery family, but was also very cunning with her ââ¬Å"preposterous smileâ⬠. Dexter was veryâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Judy is confused because she had been with men of ââ¬Å"graceful clothes and the deep tan of healthy summers,â⬠and Dexter because he had always thought of Judy as his ââ¬Å"beau.â⬠Dexter is very feeb le that he is willing to accept Judyââ¬â¢s lies even when he knows they are not the true. He accepts them because ââ¬Å"he was glad that she had taken the trouble to lie to him.â⬠Their relationship was a ââ¬Å"moody depressionâ⬠it would give Dexter a feeling of ââ¬Å"uneasiness.â⬠Even though Dexter felt this way, he always wanted to ââ¬Å"start rightâ⬠in everything and he always felt that his career would be a large matter in his future, something Judy would not want for herself. All Judy would want is to be known as ââ¬Å"beautiful.â⬠Having this thought in her mind, she leaves Dexter because she thinks she can get any man, which is true, but she is hurting herself without her knowing it. This made Dexterââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"ecstasyâ⬠feel ââ¬Å"solidity.â⬠Because of Judy Jonesââ¬â¢ infidelity, even though he knew it was going to happen, he decides to try to forget about her. As much as he tries, it is impossible for him to forget abo ut Miss Judy Jones. He starts dating Irene Scheerer, her father knew Dexter very well and thought of him as a ââ¬Å"Now thereââ¬â¢s a boyâ⬠type of man. While with Irene, he agreed on that he could not have Judy Jones. He caused himself pain for no reason, he had been hurting himself and Irene by thinking of Miss Jones. Instead of him thinking about Judy Jones as being ââ¬Å"priggishâ⬠he soonShow MoreRelated F. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s All the Sad Young Men Essay1271 Words à |à 6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s All the Sad Young Men F. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s All the Sad Young Men was his sixth book. The work was composed of nine short stories that had been published in magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post over the course of the previous year. The work was Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s third short story collection and followed the Great Gatsby in publication on the 26th of February 1926. To most, this book signaled Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s staying power as many of his seniors had believed that his initialRead More Fitzgerald and Short Story Writing Essay1370 Words à |à 6 PagesFitzgerald and Short Story Writing Although Fitzgerald today is usually considered a novelist, in his lifetime he was more well-known for his short stories. He was a prolific writer of short stories, and published around 160 of them (Bruccoli xiii). Many literary critics often separate ââ¬Å"Fitzgerald the novel writerâ⬠from ââ¬Å"Fitzgerald the short story writerâ⬠. In his own life, Fitzgerald felt somewhat of a disconnection between his ââ¬Ëliteraryââ¬â¢ career as a novelist and his more professionalRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald930 Words à |à 4 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald is mostly known for his images of young, rich, immoral individuals pursuing the American Dream of the 1920ââ¬â¢s (Mangum). This image is best portrayed in his greatest novel, The Great Gatsby, alongside his principal themes, ââ¬Å"lost hope, the corruption of innocence by money, and the impossibility of recapturing the pastâ⬠(Witkoski). Fitzgerald was identified as a modern period writ er because his themes and topics were inconsistent with traditional writing (Rahn). The modern periodRead More Comparing F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway Essay1214 Words à |à 5 PagesComparing F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, though both evolved from the same literary time and place, created their works in two very dissimilar writing styles which are representative of their subject matter. The two writers were both products of the post-WWI lost generation and first gained notoriety as members of the American expatriate literary community living in Paris during the 1920s. Despite this underlying fact which influencedRead MoreComparison of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠953 Words à |à 4 PagesThe short story of ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠was written around the same time that Fitzgerald was developing ideas for a story to turn into a novel. While The Great Gatsby wasnââ¬â¢t published until 1925, ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠dà ©buted in 1922 and the similarities between the novel and short story were done on purpose. ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠became a short draft which Fitzgerald paralleled The Great Gatsby aft er, but also differentiated the two in specific ways (ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠217). The main characters are both men, Jay GatsbyRead MoreAnalysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald2104 Words à |à 9 Pagesand be happy. Happiness, something that can be so undetermined, is what one spends ones entire life searching for. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a poetic and romantic writer, shows his definition of happiness through every story he has written. Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s background starts as a hopeless romantic, winning over the heart of his wife by rewriting a novel he had previously started on. Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s focus his entire life was becoming something, and wanting fame. During this 20ââ¬â¢s, if one didnââ¬â¢t have the dazzle,Read MoreRomantic Nostalgia As A Method Of Self Destruction By Edna St. Vincent Millay And F. Scott Fitzgerald1298 Words à |à 6 Pages13 October 2014 Romantic Nostalgia as a Method of Self Destruction by Edna St. Vincent Millay and F. Scott Fitzgerald Throughout literature, countless poems, plays, and novels are written about lost loves. Either written as a poem of remembering the past or telling the story of people trying regain a love from the past, romantic nostalgia is what causes their emotions in poem or actions within a story. American writers of the 20th century have managed to capture melancholy but also as response toRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay970 Words à |à 4 PagesHow came people did not respect Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s writing in the twentieth century, but why people are respecting and valuing Fitzgerald work in the twenty-first century? Fitzgerald had a hard time to profiting from his writing, but he was not successful after his first novel. There are three major point of this essay are: the background history of Fitzgerald life, the comparisons between Fitzgerald and the Gatsby from his number one book in America The Great Gatsby, and the Fitzgerald got influencesRead More An Era Understo od Through Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s Characters Essay1971 Words à |à 8 Pagesstretch out our arms farther.â⬠¦ And one fine morningââ¬ââ⬠(Fitzgerald 180). In this quote from The Great Gatsby, Nick attempts to describe the nature of Gatsbyââ¬â¢s hope and draws the parallel to all of our hopes and dreams that we have as Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American novelist and short-story writer, was an amazing author who used his work, just like in the quote above, to write about the Roaring Twenties and the hopes of Americans during that time. His earlier works show an idealistic feelingRead MoreAnalysis Of Winter Dreams1507 Words à |à 7 PagesThe short story ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and was first seen by anyone in December of 1922 when it appeared in Metropolitan Magazine. The story also illustrates many of the same themes as ââ¬Å"The Great Gatsby,â⬠the greatest novel in American history. ââ¬Å"Winter Dreamsâ⬠is a bout a young man named ââ¬Å"Dexterâ⬠who has desires, but thinks the only way he can have them is if he is rich. His ambition gets the best of him when he strives for everything he cannot have. When unmasked to reality
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Profile of Eugene V. Debs Socialist & Labor Leader
Eugene V. Debs (November 5, 1855 to October 20, 1926) was an influential organizer and leader of the American labor movement, democratic socialist political activist, and a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). As the candidate of the Socialist Party of America, Debs ran five times for President of the United States, once while in jail for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. Through his forceful oratory, presidential campaigns, and advocacy for workersââ¬â¢ rights, he became one of the highest-profile socialists in Americaââ¬â¢s history. Fast Facts: Eugene V. Debs Full Name: Eugene Victor Debsà Known for: Organizer and leader of the American labor movement and democratic socialist political activistà Born: November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, IndianaDied: October 20, 1926, (heart failure) at age 70 in Elmhurst, Illinoisà Parents: Jean Daniel Debs and Marguerite Mari (Bettrich) DebsEducation: Terre Haute public schools. Dropped out of high school at age 14Key Accomplishments: Founded the American Railway Union (ARU), the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and the American Socialist Party.Wife: Kate Metzel, married on June 9, 1885Children:à None Early Life and Education Eugene Victor Debs was born on November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, Indiana. His father, Jean Daniel Debs, owned a prosperous textile mill and meat market. His mother, Marguerite Mari (Bettrich) Debs, had immigrated to the United States from France. Debs attended Terre Haute Public schools but dropped out of high school at age 14 to go to work as a painter in the local railroad yards, working his way up to railroad fireman (a steam locomotive boiler operator) in 1870. Marriage and Family Life Debs married Kate Metzel on June 9, 1885. While they had no children, Debs was a strong advocate of legislative restrictions on child labor. Today, their Terre Haute home is preserved on the campus of Indiana State University. Early Union Involvement and Entry Into Politics At his motherââ¬â¢s insistence, Debs left his railroad fireman job in September 1874 and went to work as a billing clerk at Hulman Cox, a local wholesale grocery firm. In February 1875, he became a charter member of Vigo Lodge, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (BLF), using his salary from Hulman Cox to help promote the fledgling labor union. In 1880, the BLF members repaid Debs by electing him Grand Secretary and Treasurer.à Even as a rising star in the labor movement, Debs was becoming a prominent figure in the community. As president of Occidental Literary Club of Terre Haute, he attracted several influential people to town, including womenââ¬â¢s suffrage champion Susan B. Anthony.à Debââ¬â¢s political career began in September 1879 when he was elected to two terms as Terre Haute city clerk. In the fall of 1884, he was elected as a representative to the Indiana General Assembly as a Democrat, serving one term.à à Evolving Views on Labor Activism The early railroad unions, including Debsââ¬â¢ Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, were generally conservative, focusing more on fellowship than on workersââ¬â¢ rights and collective bargaining. During the early 1880s, Debs opposed strikes, expressing the view that ââ¬Å"labor and capital are friends.â⬠In 1951, historian David A. Shannon wrote, ââ¬Å"Debsââ¬â¢ [desire] was one of peace and co-operation between labor and capital, but he expected management to treat labor with respect, honor and social equality.â⬠However, as the railroads grew to be some of Americaââ¬â¢s most powerful companies, Debs became convinced that the unions should adopt a more unified and confrontational approach in dealing with management. His involvement in the Burlington Railroad Strike of 1888, a major defeat for labor, solidified Debsââ¬â¢ growingly activist views.à Debs Organizes the American Railway Union In 1893, Debs left his post at the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen to organize the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the first industrial labor unions in the United States specifically open to unskilled workers from different crafts. In early 1894, with Debs as its first president and his fellow railway labor organizer George W. Howard as first vice president, the rapidly growing ARU led the successful strike and boycott of the Great Northern Railway, winning most of laborââ¬â¢s demands.à The Pullman Strike In the summer of 1894, Debs became involved in the great Pullman Strikeââ¬âa vicious, widespread railroad strike and boycott that virtually halted all train traffic in the Midwestern states of the U.S. for over three months. Blaming the financial panic of 1893, rail coach maker Pullman Palace Car Company cut the wages of its workers by 28 percent. In response, about 3,000 Pullman employees, all members of Debsââ¬â¢ ARU, walked off their jobs. At the same time, the ARU organized a nationwide boycott of Pullman cars to support the strike. By July, almost all train traffic to states west of Detroit had been stopped because of the boycott.à In the early stages of the strike, Debs had urged his ARU members to abandon the boycott due to the risk to the union. However, the members ignored his warnings, refusing to handle Pullman cars or any other railroad cars attached to themââ¬âincluding cars carrying U.S. Mail. Eventually, Debs added his support to the boycott, prompting the New York Times to call him ââ¬Å"a lawbreaker at large, an enemy of the human race.â⬠à Pullman Railway Strike. Kean Collection / Getty Images Claiming a need to keep the mail running, President Grover Cleveland, whom Debs had supported, obtained a court injunction against the strike and boycott. When the rail workers first ignored the injunction, President Cleveland deployed the U.S. Army to enforce it. While the Army succeeded in breaking the strike, 30 striking workers were killed in the process. For his involvement in the strike as leader of the ARU, Debs was convicted on federal charges of obstructing the U.S. mail and served six months in prison. Debs Leaves Jail a Socialist Party Leader While in jail for mail obstruction, Debsââ¬âa longtime Democratââ¬âread about the theories of socialism related to workersââ¬â¢ rights. Six months later, he left prison a devout supporter of the international socialist movement. After being released from prison in 1895, he would spend the last 30 years of his life advocating for the socialist movement.à Never one to do anything half-way, Debs founded the Social Democracy of America, the Social Democratic Party of America, and finally the Socialist Party of America. As one of the first candidates of the Socialist Party for a federal office, Debs ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1900, receiving only 0.6% (87,945 votes) of the popular vote and no Electoral College votes. Debs would go on to run unsuccessfully in the 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920 elections, the last time from prison. Founding the IWW Debs would resume his role as an organized labor leader on June 27, 1905, in Chicago, Illinois, when, along with ââ¬Å"Big Billâ⬠Haywood, leader of the Western Federation of Miners and Daniel De Leà ³n, leader of the Socialist Labor Party, he convened what Haywood called the ââ¬Å"Continental Congress of the working class.â⬠à The result of the meeting was the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). ââ¬Å"We are here to confederate the workers of this country into a working class movement that shall have for its purpose the emancipation of the working class...â⬠said Haywood, with Debs adding, ââ¬Å"We are here to perform a task so great that it appeals to our best thought, our united energies, and will enlist our most loyal support; a task in the presence of which weak men might falter and despair, but from which it is impossible to shrink without betraying the working class.â⬠Back to Jail As a devoted isolationist, Debs vocally opposed President Woodrow Wilson and the participation of the United States in World War I. In a passionate speech in Canton, Ohio, on June 16, 1918, Debs urged young American men to resist registering for the WWI military draft. Called a ââ¬Å"traitor to his countryâ⬠by President Wilson, Debs was arrested and charged with 10 counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, making it a crime to in any way to interfere with the U.S. armed forcesââ¬â¢ prosecution of the war or to promote the success of the nationââ¬â¢s enemies.à In a highly-publicized trial, in which his lawyers offered little defense, Debs was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 12, 1918. In addition, his right to vote was denied for life.à At his sentencing hearing, Debs delivered what historians consider his best-remembered statement: ââ¬Å"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.â⬠Debs entered the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary on April 13, 1919. On May 1, a protest parade of unionists, socialists, anarchists, and communists in Cleveland, Ohio, turned into the violent May Day Riots of 1919.à à Prisoner and Presidential Candidate From his Atlanta jail cell, Debs ran for president in the 1920 election. The constitutional requirements for serving as president do not exclude convicted felons. He did surprisingly well for a prisoner, winning 3.4% (919,799 votes) of the popular vote, slightly less than he had won in 1912 when he received 6%, the highest number of votes ever won by a Socialist Party presidential candidate.à While in jail, Debs wrote several columns critical of the U.S. prison system that would be published after his death in his only full-length book, ââ¬Å"Walls and Bars: Prisons and Prison Life in the Land of the Free.â⬠After President Wilson twice refused to grant Debs a presidential pardon, President Warren G. Harding commuted his sentence to time served on December 23, 1921. Debs was released from prison on Christmas day, 1921. Last Years and Legacy Debs remained active in the Socialist movement following his release from prison until late 1926, when his failing health forced him to enter the Lindlahr Sanitarium in Elmhurst, Illinois. After suffering heart failure, he died there at the age of 70 on October 20, 1926. His remains are buried at Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute. Today, Debsââ¬â¢ work for the labor movement, along with his opposition to war and massive corporations are revered by American socialists. In 1979, independent socialist politician Bernie Sanders referred to Debs as ââ¬Å"probably the most effective and popular leader that the American working class has ever had.â⬠à Notable Quotes Renowned as a powerful and persuasive public speaker, Debs left behind many memorable quotes. A few of these include: ââ¬Å"Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. He has not come; he never will come. I would not lead you out if I could; for if you could be led out, you could be led back again. I would have you make up your minds that there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves.â⬠ââ¬Å"The end of class struggles and class rule, of master and slave, or ignorance and vice, of poverty and shame, of cruelty and crime -- the birth of freedom, the dawn of Brotherhood, the beginning of MAN. That is the demand.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes, I am my brothers keeper. I am under a moral obligation to him that is inspired, not by maudlin sentimentality, but by the higher duty I owe myself.â⬠ââ¬Å"The strike is the weapon of the oppressed, of men capable of appreciating justice and having the courage to resist wrong and contend for principle. The nation had for its cornerstone a strike â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Sources Schulte, Elizabeth. ââ¬Å"Socialism According to Eugene V. Debs.â⬠July 9, 2015. SocialistWorker.orgââ¬Å"Debs Biography.â⬠The Debs FoundationShannon, David A. (1951). ââ¬Å"Eugene V. Debs: Conservative Labor Editor.â⬠Indiana Magazine of HistoryLindsey, Almont (1964). ââ¬Å"The Pullman strike: the story of a unique experiment and of a great labor.â⬠University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226483832.ââ¬Å"Eugene V. Debs.â⬠Kansas heritage.orgââ¬Å"Socialism According to Eugene V. Debs.â⬠SocialistWorker.orgGreenberg, David (September 2015). ââ¬Å"Can Bernie Keep Socialism Alive?.â⬠politico.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)