Managing And Leading Change

Managing And Leading Change Ashland Case Study Assignment Company background Ashland Inc is a Fortune 500 and Standard and Poors (SP) Midcap 400 company, providing specialised chemical, technologies and insights through Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, Ashland Hercules Waters Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials, Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline) and Ashland Distribution. The firm has operations in more than 100 countries worldwide. In 2010 the companys revenue equated to $9bn, but its beginnings in 1924 were far more humble and it has   been though many changes since it was founded in 1924 as part of the refining arm of the Swiss Oil company, and it was then known as the Ashland Refining Company. The company takes its name after the town of its inception, namely Ashland, Kentucky in the United States. In 1936 both companies merged and Ashland General Manager, Paul G. Blazer, became the newly merged companys president and the company achieved $4.8m in sales, and by the entry of the United States into the Second World War they had grown to $12m. During the period a new refinery is built at Catlettsburg to produce aviation fuel. After the war the Ashland brand is developed, and products are sold under the companys name. This enables sales to further rise to $20.4m, and the company makes further strides in 1950 by acquiring the Freedom-Valvoline Oil Company and the contributed to a further boost to sales by 900 per cent. By 1959 the Valvoline brand had begun to reach the top of the lubricants world, thanks to an increase in the firms growing workforce, advertising campaigns, investments in infrastructure and it is highly featured in motorsport to this day. The growth in its petro-chemicals business led to further growth, leading to the acquisition of R.J Brown of St. Louis, Montana and sales grew to $280m. However, in 1966 the company diversified and it purchased Warren Brothers and Ashland Paving And Construction Inc. was born. The firms sales reached $699 million as a result of this acquisition. Furthermore the company continued to evolve during the 1960s with the acquisition of ADM Chemical Group and the formation of Ashland Chemical, making Ashland a leading chemical supplier. In 1969 Ashland Petroleum was formed, a year after the company had reached the milestone of having achieved an annual revenue of $1bn. However, the company further diversified and it enters into the coal-extraction market with the launch of the Arch-Mineral joint venture.   The following year the companys name is changed further to gaining shareholders support, and it became Ashland Oil. It also purchases a refinery, adding the SuperAmerica petrol station and convenience store chain to its holdings. The next milestone appears in 1986 with the establishment of Valvoline Instant Oil Change, which provided a service for lubricating vehicles across 70 units. Since then it has become the second-largest franchised quick lubrication business in the US, and it can be found at 870 locations. The table below, according to the company, shows its other important milestones: Year Event 1992 Ashland acquires most of Unocals chemical distribution business, becoming North Americas leading distributor of chemicals and solvents 1994 Zerex vehicle antifreeze and coolant, the No. 2 brand in the U.S., is added to the Valvoline product line-up. Sales reach $10.3 billion. 1995 Shareholders approve changing the companys name to Ashland Inc. to better reflect our diverse operations. This same year, more than $368 million is invested in 14 acquisitions to strengthen related energy and chemical businesses. 1998 Ashland and Marathon Oil merge their petroleum refining and marketing assets into a joint venture. Eagle One auto appearance products join the Valvoline brand line-up. 1999 Ashland celebrates its 75th anniversary. The company relocates its headquarters from Ashland, Ky., USA, to Covington, Ky., USA, adjacent to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 2002 Ashland introduces Envirez resin, the first commercially available unsaturated polyester resin containing a significant quantity of renewable materials. 2004 Ashland reorganizes into two sectors, Chemical and Transportation Construction. This lays the foundation for the companys transformation into a global specialty chemical company. 2005 Ashland divests its joint-venture oil and refining business to partner Marathon Oil, and also acquires Car Brite, a leading marketer of professional auto reconditioning products. Sales are $9.3 billion. 2006 The transformation into a specialty chemical company continues. Northwest Coatings, a technical leader in the development of innovative Waters-based and energy-curable adhesives and coatings, is acquired and Ashland Paving And Construction, Inc. is sold. 2008 Ashland acquires Hercules Incorporated in a $3.3-billion transaction. The deal moves us into the top tier of global specialty chemical companies. 2009 The Nanjing Technical Center opens in China. The applications lab supports customers in the coatings, construction, energy, food, personal care and industrial specialties markets. Sales reach $8.1 billion. 2010 Natrosol hydroxyethylcellulose rolls off the line at a new plant in Nanjing, China. Ashland launches a global joint venture in foundry chemicals with Sà ¼d-Chemie AG and announces plans to sell Ashland Distribution in 2011. 2011 Ashland and our people continue to set the standard for good chemistry and all of the great things it creates around the world. Table data source: Ashland Inc. Ashland vision, mission, values and operating principles The firm aims to be a leading global specialised chemical company by inspiring and engaging with its employees and adding value to everything it does. The company describes its mission as follows: â€Å"We satisfy our customers by delivering results through quality chemical products and services. Our desire to grow drives our passion to win in the marketplace. With a unified, low-cost operating structure, well remain competitive across every business and in every geographic region.† The following are its values and operating principles: Our Values: Who we are We act with integrity and honesty. We focus on customer and shareholder success and compete to win. We recognize each person for the difference he or she makes. We drive innovation and results by understanding the market and its opportunities. We are committed to the values of responsibility, sustainability and transparency. We create safe and health-conscious work environments, require compliance and embrace environmental stewardship. Our Operating Principles: How it happens We operate in compliance with the law and adhere to high ethical standards. We assess the impact on customers and society when making decisions. We are externally focused. Our businesses are defined by markets. We are process-centred. Our processes are designed to optimize global performance. Ashland leaders are first responsible to Ashland and second to a business, resource group or process. We are led by an Executive Committee that enforces our principles, sets our strategy and manages our capital. We are united by our common vision, mission, values and operating principles. Case Study Background Ashland Incs earnings were off track in 2002. The company was also troubled by high levels of redundancy and operating costs throughout its business groups. The annual net results were also lower than the companys share value. Even though the company has evidently gone through a number of transformations and evolutions since 1924, the vice-president of HR at the time felt that the firms troubles because it had turned it into a change-averse organisation. There was apparently no desire for change, and this person felt that as a company they didnt do it well. Doing something different was thought of as change. Between 1998 and 2003 Ashland had gone through a resource group restructuring exercise, relocated its head office, sold its oil exploration business, and it engaged in marketing and refining joint ventures. Dwight King, Ashland Chemicals President for HR, said that there was a lot of rubble left behind, which led to unwanted turnover and reductions in performance. â€Å"As our previous VP of HR would say, a lot of wreckage results from somehow not executing our plans correctly†, he said before explaining that the elements of a previous failure were impacting severely on the business. There was also a new and critical project on the table, and the leadership team recognised that they were not being very efficient due to a lacking of understanding of what it means to be change leaders.   Dwight therefore felt that he was about to watch another car accident occur. What was missing was not the what and why, but the how to change the organisation for the better. So in 2003 the firms senior executives recognised that they hadnt changed direction as well as they could have done. So the organisation was nearly broken when the company tried to implement its first Enterprise Resource Planning system in its distribution unit, and this led to a shut down of west coast operations. The implementation hadnt gone as well as everyone had expected. Change was therefore vital, and so Dwight initiated a change management programme. The company needed to build change into the organisation as a competency. The objectives were to ‘retro-fit several of its major initiatives to a change management methodology, integrate project and change management, to create a training curriculum and to build competencies within the following groups: managers, supervisors, practitioners, intact project teams and employees. He recognised that this had to start from the top of the organisation, and so he arranged an executive briefing with all of the firms business unit presidents. He succeeded in gaining sponsorship for his initiative at the meeting. The programmes focused on HR, project managers and the distribution leadership team. By 2005 this had created tremendous momentum, including the adoption of change management terminologies and a new change management approach. However, the first investments in change occurred in 2004 when Dwight facilitated a conversation with the chemical sector leadership team. He asked them a number of questions to find out where the company should be in five years time, and what it should look like. The discussion also analysed, from that particular hypothetical perspective, how the company got there, and what they would have to do to arrive at their perceived ‘destination. There was also some in-depth discussion about the obstacles theyd face and how they would overcome them. The SAP implementation moved forward too. It was now fully implemented, and Ashland formed its GlobalOne project team for SAP to begin a worldwide roll-out. Dwight convinced the SAP project manager that he needed to include a change management element in its deployment. In fact he said that ‘change needed to go well beyond that which was defined by the SAP consultants. â€Å"There were plenty of people who gave lip-service to the word ‘change, including the consultants, two of the largest consulting firms in the world†, said Dwight. He added that their idea of change involved â€Å"documenting the new physical competencies of change around what new buttons you had to push, what new levers you had to pull, what new screens you were seeing in order to enter or bill an order, or service an account.† There was no understanding about the resistance that would be created by any change programme implementation; their views didnt even consider the creation of a body of knowledge about expectations and then reinforcing them through training. This meant that there would need to be some systems training in place, and so a change management consultant was hired for the GlobalOne team. Previously they had implemented SAP Global One in Canada, and even though there was a good change management plan in place, some issues arose. The trouble was that the assets were only there for just two weeks, and then the team left to implement it in the US. Out of this situation came the realisation that you need a dedicated change management structure within the project to make sure that it succeeds. It was also recognised that certain people were needed in order to be responsible for the change effort. Around the same period the company implemented an organisation-wide rewards scheme, called Total Rewards, which redesigned the firms salary and incentive schemes. This migrated the company to a single incentive scheme. Previously each group had had their own. Ashlands CEO and Board Chairman, Jim OBrien, was introduced to the change leadership tools, and he used them to identify the champions within the company. Working collaboratively with HR and Communications he developed a strategy to target the change sponsors. â€Å"It went incredibly well†, said Dwight before adding that it was â€Å"fraught with potential landmines and we missed most of them, so Jim, our CEO, became an advocate for change competency.† They also adopted a change management methodology and 150 people attended a workshop. The companys distribution managers and projects leaders, upon participating in the workshops, thought that they had at last struck on what change was all about. Subsequently this marked a change in Ashlands deployment strategy. There was no longer a requirement to apply change management to one project at a time. An enterprise-wide approach was sanctioned by OBrien instead, and he selected Hank Waters to be the Ashland Enterprise Change Management Executive sponsor. Dwight King and Hank Waters then set about creating an organisational structure and identified key players within the ECM Deployment Team. The ECM Deployment Team was created in May 2006, and it began to implement the change management programme across the company from this point. While Hank Waters was at its leader, the team also included Pam Yost, Carol Chistobek, Jerry Prochko, Lisa Ireland, Mark Lambeth, Stacy Dunbar and Vondar Melton. An ECM Steering Committee was also formed to provide oversight for the ECM Deployment team, and it became an important catalyst for driving change further into the organisation. Two members of the team also undertook a course to become change management trainers in a change management methodology. The Steering Committee included heads of HR, Corporate Communications, IT, EHS and two business unit leaders. Its purpose was to provide direction to the change management programme. Together they achieved substantial change between 2003 and 2008, and the company made significantly more inroads than it had done previously to achieve their vision to construct a platform for growth. This exercise was repeated across the globe, and it was helped when a former business unit head and a member of the ECM steering committee, Peter Rijneveldshoek, became president of Ashland Europe. He requested that all members of the 200 plus European management team attend change management training in preparation for the SAP implementation. Dwight says that the company lost momentum at one point due to moving a key executive from change management deployment over to Ashlands Waters division, but the aim was to make change part of the organisations DNA. Therefore European project leaders were also required to undergo change management training. However, this was more embedded in the US more than in Europe. The training also occurred with project managers in China. In April 2007 a series of assessments were conducted, and there were also a number of professional development sessions held with the 12 members of the Operating Committee and the CEO. The aim of the assessments was to help the senior executives to understand the true meaning behind sponsorship of change, and it gave them an insight into how they were fulfilling their roles. Coaching sessions followed these ones, and sponsorship development roadmaps were created to enable the leadership team to develop their skills as sponsors of the change management programme. The project was deemed to be successful with 95% of the participants in a survey about the change management programme reporting that the training and tools helped them to provide support for their employees during the SAP EMEA implementation. An online training course was also provided, and 331 employees took part in it. Again 96% agreed strongly or just agreed that the course had been worth the time it took to take it. However, at one point it was felt that the ECM team required another 6-12 months to ensure that 90% of the organisation would be more change-ready. Problems arose due to members of the team being moved to more permanent roles within other parts of the organisation. Nevertheless, change became more part of Ashlands dictionary than it was previously, and more awareness of what change means was created. TASK: You are a change management consultant whose been asked to come into Ashland to assess the companys change programmes. Critically analyse and evaluate the success of the programme mentioned in the case study, consider other approaches that the firm could have taken, and think about what recommendations for change youd make for 2011 onwards based on the your knowledge of the companys history and previous change management efforts. Use the information contained in the case study, plus further primary and secondary research to form your assessment of Ashlands future strategic direction and explain how it will need to adopt new change management programmes. Consider all of the aspects of Managing and Leading Change that were discussed in your lectures, including the theoretical models and approaches to managing, leading and implementing change within an organisation. Compare your approach to the one taken by Ashland between 2003 and 2008, and explain how you would measure the success of your change management programme. For example, which metrics should Ashland be using to assess the success of its change programmes?

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Reimbursement

In 2002, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) brought before this house a report on the need to implement equal reimbursement strategy across the health sector (Edmunds, 2002). These report aimed at addressing the unbalanced reimbursement practice experienced by NPs, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives and assistant physicians (Edmunds, 2002).Essentially, the report recommended that the Medicare payment rates for certified nurse-midwives be raised by 85% of the physician fee schedule (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, 2002). The congress members overwhelmingly voted positively for this bill (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, 2002).The intent of this statement today is to invite congress members here present to review the said recommendation. In particular, this statement wishes to go an extra mile to assert that Medicare payment rates for advanced practicing nurses (APNs) should not be gauged by the physician’s payment schedule.AnalysisThe percentage rate reflected in the previous recommendation mentioned above limits the APNs from get what they truly deserve. It is imperative, therefore, to recognize that the role of APNs has evolved tremendously for the better so this nation needs to treat their service with the authenticity it deserves.Gone are the days when they worked under the supervision of the physicians. Do congress members here present believe that APNs’ role is meant for the physicians’ such that the former serve as their servants? Is it not so that APNs role is meant for the health and safety of many generations to come?Therefore, their reimbursement process should be dealt with as an end in itself and the agreed payment rates must assume a 100% judgment. This means that they should get reimbursed as per their input; how this house will settle for their just reimbursement should only be guided by the efforts being put by APNs.This way the members of this house will not only effect a just com pensation procedure but they will also recognize the great improvement that has taken place in this nation. Moreover, most Americans continue to benefit from their quality and cost-effective services.In the past physicians dominated in services like diagnosing illness, describing and interpreting laboratory tests, performing physical check ups, suturing wounds and designing preventive health service programs (Sekscenski et al. 1994). Today, the APNs can provide such services in the absence of the physician.Please note that this is not because the physician have got lots of other things to do, no; the bottom line is that APNs healthcare practitioners have really grown and improved in skill.APNs mark a remarkable growing share of the health care provider workforce. It is believed that the number of certified and practicing nurses has risen from approximately 60,000 in 19992 to 124,000 in 2000 (AAPA, 2001). Others in support of this statistics are (Spratley et al. 2000; Moses, 1992). O n the contrary the number of active physicians grew by 27%, to 772,000, on the same period (Cooper et al., 2002)It is important to bring to the attention of this house that the fact that the APNs can handle complicated health matters without the direct supervision of physicians has saved this nation many lives worth much more than the would-be reimbursement.Even if this house agreed to reimburse the APNs as much money as many cannot imagine, it cannot replace the value of their services and the value of the citizens’ health safety. Additionally, the APNs have a legal duty to practice independently or in association with a physician, therefore, they are entitled to a direct reimbursement.The report noted that physicians got paid100% of the physician fee schedule rate excluding any differentiation by specialty (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, 2002). Now all other nonphysician practitioners get remunerated as per the physician schedule.This without the fear of contradictio n implies that physicians enjoy from where they have not labored. Once again, this statement re-states that APNs ought to have an authentic payment schedule and the features to it must be separated from those of the physicians at all times.Conclusion Overall, this nation recognizes the good judgments exhibited by the congress members in the many decades ago. The caution and positive consideration they have demonstrated in shaping the history of this nation’s health sector is laudable.In the same spirit, the APNs fraternity is out there waiting for a positive consideration in this matter. It is important to keep in mind that health matters are very sensitive. It is among those services that must be available to the people no matter the cost.Therefore, consideration of a better reimbursement as suggested in front of this house will lead to this end. This congress cannot fail to take this matter seriously.To sum up, this statement invites the congress members here present to con sider the following: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Separation of physicians’ roles from those of the Advanced Practicing Nurses (nonphysicians). (b)  Ã‚   Medicare payment rates for advanced practicing nurses (APNs) not to be gauged by the physician’s payment schedule.

Essay about Cultural Universals - 672 Words

Cultural concepts are the outline of life. These concepts work with and complement each other. There are sayings such as â€Å"you are what you eat† and â€Å"you’re a product of your environment† These sayings only hold true if you believe you were put on earth to serve a purpose. There are some that believe your design for life has already been made and there are those that choose to believe the outcome of your life is what you make of it. Every choice you make redesigns your life’s path. I choose to believe in the saying â€Å"life is what you make it†. After reading each meaning I can understand why I choose to make the decisions I make on a daily basis. Material Culture is the man-made possessions in society, such as our cars,†¦show more content†¦I was brought up Catholic and went to Catholic school. On the other hand I am a believer that as a parent, a public school has the right to teach and inform children about other reli gions. I am not one of those parents at the PTA meeting that gets upset when the school wants to show a viewing of the President of the United States of America talk about education and reading. I am also proud to display the coloring my child’s brings home of a Menorah. Many of us get wrapped up in thinking our beliefs are the only way. Because of this many people tend to flock to a cognitive culture. It is easy to have conversations when everyone is in agreement with the topic or on the same level with one another. New ideas are being brought to the table but rarely is there conflict with this type of culture. An example of a cognitive culture in my life is my work. I am in the military and we use a language of our own. In a group it is easy to have a conversation with each other. We understand what is being said without having to explain at the lowest level to an outsider. I can also tie my work life into a subculture and using language and symbols. The milit ary is subculture of life because they have their own set of rules and values they live by. In the military you are taught service before self. This something that no other culture or subculture is required to do. Being a part of this subculture you are not only required to adapt toShow MoreRelatedCultural Relativism : A Universal Standard Of Morality1480 Words   |  6 PagesCultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics of a culture should be understood and tolerated by people of other cultures (Fastiggi, 2013, p.30). The universal standards of morality do not exist between cultures rather it exists within cultures which prevents other cultures form being judged (Rachels, p.2). This means that the rights and wrongs are based upon an individual’s culture so an action considered moral in one society can be immoral in another. Cultural relativismRead More Body Language: Cultural or Universal? Essay1714 Words   |  7 Pagesinnate and thus universal . The nature versus nurture dichotomy inherent in this debate is false; one does not preclude the other’s influence. Rather researchers should seek to address the question how much of nonverbal communication is innate and how much is culturally defined? Are there any true universal nonverbal cues or just universal tendencies modified to suit cultural ideals and constraints? It is my proposal that of all forms of nonverbal communication the most universal is the communicationRead MoreCultural Universals1060 Words   |  5 Pageshave chosen to write about why cultural universals pose a problem for moral relativism in this paper. I will begin by defining cultural universals (CU). Then, I will cite examples of such theory and continue by applying them to situations in which these similarities can be seen. Next, I will discuss how we can convince ourselves that a given standard of behavior is in fact a cultural universal. I will then define moral relativism as well as provide examples of cultural differences that are oftenRead MoreCross Cultural Communication : A Universal Standards For Business Communication871 Words   |  4 PagesCross-Cultural Communication Does the world have a universal standards for business communication? With business being a crucial part in how countries interact and exchange goods it almost seems as if the answer is yes, but as business continues to grow and become internationally engaged many see the answer is more complicated. Across the world countries have created standards for communication that differ from other countries, therefore, creating the urge to understand how to communicate acrossRead MoreCultural Universal Characteristics Essay878 Words   |  4 Pagesis the cultural universal trait(s) which are common features of human behavior that can be found in virtually all societies. The second is culturally specific traits which are traits that form in a society that are unique to that specific society. Of course there are traits that lie on the border line of these two categories. As stated before cultural universal traits are common features of human behavior that can be found in virtually all societies. One such example of a cultural universal traitRead Moremarriage as a universal cultural trait4265 Words   |  18 Pagesapproved by many societies. Therefore marriage is a legalized relationship but the sexual relation is consider only a part of marriage.It has many causes for example, the legitimacy of children, economic security ect. Marriage is socially recognized universal institution and all most found in every society .Marriage is a social union between a man and woman, which is approved socially and religiously.It is such a stable relation in which a man and woman are socially permitted to have children, implyingRead MoreUniversal Cultural Values Essay1290 Words   |  6 Pagesdrastically different from those of ancient societies, many underlying philosophical similarities do emerge deep down. Even though modern westerners enjoy enhanced lives due to technology, medicine, and education, they share many similar values and cultural beliefs with the societies of Ancient India, Rome, and China. The civilizations of Ancient India and the Modern West cherish the idea that all individuals have a responsibility to contribute to society. However, because these two different civilizationsRead MoreEssay on Cultural Universals Between United States and China1074 Words   |  5 Pagesdictionary, the definition of culture is â€Å"the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group†. Every country has its specific culture and there are some obvious cultural universals between China and America. One example of such cultural universal is the directness of American versus the humbleness of the Chinese people. Another example would be the self independence of the young Americans versus the young Chinese who tend to depend on their parents. WhatRead MoreIs Children’s Development a Universal Staged Process or a Social and Cultural Process?1547 Words   |  7 PagesIs Children’s development a universal staged process or a social and cultural process? There are three main approaches to child development, the scientific, the social constructionist and the applied approach. Each of these approaches look at children’s development from a different stand point. I will go on to explore each approach in turn and how they can help us answer the above question. The scientific approach to child development seeks to explain the facts about child development. It doesRead MoreThe Importance Of A Good Society Is Not Achieved By Chance Or By Default1446 Words   |  6 Pagesorganization is a fixed and fundamental condition. In order for this structure to provide a foundation of a good society, there are a few other conditions that must follow--among them are attentiveness to all members of the society, commitment to universal values, and flexibility to change and adapt. In addition to structure, a good society is one that works to help all members thrive, especially individuals at the bottom confronted with difficult socioeconomic situations. A good society must be

The Republic by Plato - 1411 Words

After reading The Republic there are three main points that Plato had touched on. The first of these three points is that Plato is disheartened with democracy. It was due to Socrates’ untimely death during Athens’ democracy that led to his perception of the ideal state as referred to in The Republic. Plato perceived that the material greed was one of the many evils of politics; in Plato’s eyes greed was one of the worst evils of political life. Thus economic power must be separated from political power; he came to this conclusion due to an experience that filled him with a hatred for mob mentality. He concluded that a democracy must be replaced with a government ruled by the wisest and the greatest people fit for the job; the people that would be fit for the job would be called Philosopher-Kings; which I will touch on later. Plato feels that democracy is a form of political organization that is exceptionally inferior as compared to other types of political organi zations such as a monarchy and aristocracy. He came to this notion because of the fact that in his eyes the average man and woman would be inclined to make improper decisions for the society based on greed. Plato viewed all forms of government as being corrupt; the key components in an ideal society are morality and justice. The forms of government that Plato thought were corrupt was timocracy, which would ultimately fall and crumble into an oligarchy which then turns into a democracy, then last but not least turnsShow MoreRelatedThe Republic By Plato1341 Words   |  6 PagesIn book X of The Republic, Plato uses Socrates as his voice to discuss the topic of poetry in his ideal society. While he sees music and gymnastics as vital parts of society, he sees poetry as something that’s not only unnecessary, but also harmful. Glaucon is surprised by this and questions the reasons Socrates has this way of thinking. Socrates states that â€Å"all such poetry is likely to distort the thought of anyone who hears it, unless he has the knowledge of what it is really like†. Here, SocratesRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato2010 Words   |  9 Pages In The Republic, Plato presents a dialogue of Socrates, in which he seeks to uncover truths about what constitutes a just society, and what kind of men would rule such a society. As such a society would require a sound government, Plato, through Socrates, presents five possible types of governments, which involve varying levels of liberty and justice. Although the arguments demonstrate that aristocracy is the ideal form of government, all forms of government have fatal flaws that lead to continualRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato1412 Words   |  6 PagesIn Plato’s book, â€Å"The Republic†, there are many examples of rhetoric. In regards to the controversial topic of women and eugenics in which Plato is almost forced into mentioning because of Adeimantus and Glaucon, he uses various rhetorical state ments to portray his view on the matter. His readers believe women should be equal, so Plato attempts to persuade his readers into thinking he believes the same. For example, in the passage on women and family Plato states, â€Å"we shall assign these to each accordingly;Read MoreThe Republic by Plato1645 Words   |  7 Pages In Plato’s Republic Book 1, Thrasymachus argues that morality is the advantage of the stronger. To support his view, Thrasymachus first claims that the governments, which are the stronger parties, always pass laws based on their own interest, and then argues that subjects must always obey these laws, therefore morality is the advantage of the stronger. Socrates gives two sets of counter arguments. First, by differentiating apparent advantage and actual advantage to the stronger, SocratesRead MoreThe Republic by Plato1202 Words   |  5 Pagesupon, as explained by Socrates in Plato’s Republic. Throughout the eight books of Socratic di alogue the ideal state and ideas of justice are debated, on both individual and state levels. The guidelines for a perfect state and how it will come about are thoroughly described. Socrates covers every aspect of political life and how it should work stating that â€Å"until power and philosophy entirely coincide†¦ cities will have no rest form evils† . In Plato’s Republic Socrates emphasizes the superiority of theRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato1250 Words   |  5 Pages In his text, The Republic, Plato leads us through an elaborate thought experiment in which he creates the ideal city. Throughout The Republic Plato constructs the laws and societal structures of what he deems will lead to a high functioning society. He names this city Kallipolis. A cornerstone of Kallipolis’ structure is Plato’s principle of specialization. The Principle of Specialization argues that each member of society must do the job in which he is best suited. Plato explains â€Å"The result,Read MoreThe Republic By Plato1385 Words   |  6 Pages In Book IV of The Republic, written by Plato, Socrates makes an argument for why an individual should strive to be just, or more importantly, why being just is more profitable than being unjust to the individual. The three parts of an individual: rational, spirited, and appetitive, must all strive to pursue truth in the just individual, but it is possible that this requirement may not be met while still profiting the individual. Through an analogy between justice in the city and justiceRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato1500 Words   |  6 PagesThis textual analysis will be based on the book â€Å"The Republic† by Plato, specifically the passage 475d-477a. The purpose of this essay is to analyze and evaluate the main concepts explored in the passage and their relation to the platonic political philosophy presented in â€Å"The Republic†. The essay will provide a summary of the passage, emphasizing the breakthroughs reached in the Socratic dialogue. The main points will then be singled out for a more in-depth review in order to see if the argumentsRead MoreThe Republic, By Plato1255 Words   |  6 Pageswas just beginning to surface as a notable substance within various societies. Athens, was perhaps, the greatest nesting ground of intellectual thought, and it hosted many great minds, such as Plato. While Plato is famous for many of his works, The Republic is the most read and circulated. In the Republic, Plato lays out two philosophical questions through a character named Socrates. Both questions re-occur as the foundation of dialogue amongst other characters, such as Glaucon, Adeimantus, and PolemarchusRead MoreThe Republic By Plato982 Words   |  4 PagesBook II of The Republic by Plato showcases the two very different views of Socrates and Glaucon in regards to the account of nature and origin of justice. Socrates and Glaucon discuss the theory presented by Glaucon that states that injustice is something that is intrinsically desired by all humans. Glaucon presents this argument to Socrates in order to understand and defend justice for its own sake. Glaucon seeks reassurance from Socrates that justice is not just only good for the positive consequences