Second Language Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Second Language Acquisition - Essay Example This means that linguistic studies are extremely important as they investigate the matters are able to contribute to a better understanding of the human civilization. This paper will examine the differences between two notions: communicative competence on the one hand and linguistic competence on the other. Since the key to perceiving the differences between the above mentioned notions partially lies in the process of language acquisition, the paper will utilize three perspectives that were developed with regard to Second Language Acquisition, namely linguistic, psychological and social one in other to make the analysis objective as well as detailed. Each of the above mentioned perspectives will be analyzed in great detail and various frameworks within it will be used, such as Transformational-Generative Grammar and Universal Grammar, Functionalism and Neurolinguistics, Information Processing and Connectionism, individual differences of learners will also be utilized, together with m icrosocial and macrosial foci of the social perspective. To begin with, it would be particularly important to provide definitions of each of the concept so that the differences between then might become visible based on some fundamental aspect. Thus, it is suggested that communicative competence might be defined as â€Å"what a speaker needs to know to communicate appropriately within a particular language community† (Saville-Troike 2006, p. 100). As one can easily see, there are several key words in this definition. First of all, it includes a certain amount of skills and knowledge that is essential for acquiring communicative competence. Secondly, there is a word that defines the essential element of this notion – â€Å"appropriately†. In other words, a person might possess the above mentioned skills and knowledge, but their amount may not be sufficient in order to contribute to

Black People and Civil War Essay Example for Free

Black People and Civil War Essay ?Introduction: In this essay I am going to compose a piece of text which will involve the tension of Segregation. In the 1930s, although 50% of the population of Southern towns were black, they had no vote and could not marry whites. Also in the 1930’s, many black people lived in the southern states. During that time, racism reached its highest point. For instance, the whites treated the blacks very poorly because they thought that the blacks were lower than them. Therefore, the blacks had to fight for the right to be treated equally. As a result, black people had to face the Jim Crow Laws and the Ku Klux Klan. In my own opinion I think that the 1930 was a turbulent time for race relations in America. Paragraph 1: The first racism incident that I have spotted out and chosen to write about in my essay is when the Wallace’s’ poured kerosene over Mr Berry and his nephews and lit them on fire. One of the nephews died, the other one is alive but has the same condition as Mr Berry. The reason why the Wallace’s poured kerosene over the Berry’s was because they caught them flirting with a white woman which wasn’t allowed back then. In fact, it was not even true! The Berry’s didn’t even flirt with her. They lied about it. The quote that goes with this event was when mama (Cassies’ mum) said to her kids, â€Å"The Wallaces did that, children. They poured kerosene over Mr Berry and his nephews and lit them afire. † â€Å"Everyone knows they did it, and the Wallaces even laugh about it, but nothing was ever done. † At this right moment I feel disgusted and baffled that people could actually do this in the 1930s. The sympathy for the Wallace’s has decreased because setting fire to someone is arson and that makes Mr Wallace and his clique an arsonist. Also it makes us feel that the Wallaces are black-hearted and atrocious people, because who would want to set a person on fire? Then laugh about it. The sympathy for the Berrys has definitely increased because of what happened to both Mr Berry and his two nephews is utterly excruciating and the fact that there is no reason behind why the Wallaces did it, makes the reader feel more sorrowful for them. On the other hand in the book it says, â€Å"Disfigured man lying in the darkness† In that quote you can see how dreadful his injuries were. He was even camouflaging with the darkness; see that is real bad? Paragraph 2: The second racism incident that I found very crucial was when Cassie bumped into Lillian Jean Simms by accident but Lillian Jean still DEMANDED for a sorry and for Cassie to get on her knees instantly. As well as this was racism, it was also bullying in some kind of way because Cassie didn’t want to get on her Knees but she still got forced. â€Å"Kicking at the sidewalk, my head bowed. It was then that I bumped into Lillian Jean Simms. † Cassie really didn’t mean to bump into Lillian Jean at all but she took it over the top reacted to the bump by saying, â€Å"why don’t you watch were you’re going? † â€Å"Well apologize† â€Å"That ain’t enough. Get down in the road† This right here is what you call racism. Cassie didn’t intend to bump into Lillian Jean, it was just an accident but because Cassie is black they didn’t care at all. Cassie even got pushed around by Mr Simms. Mr Simms was even sticking up for his daughter even though she was in the wrong. Lillian Jeans’ father was saying to Cassie that when Lillian tells you that you should get off the sidewalk, you get off it. The sympathy towards Lillian Jean Simms has totally decreased because what she did was just too dramatic and it was just a ‘bump’. In my opinion Cassie did not have to go on her knees because she didn’t deliberately bump into her; all that should have been done was an apology to Lillian. My sympathy towards Cassie has increased more. The reason why I said this was because she was intimidated and forced to get on her knees even though she had already shed a tear; they didn’t care, they just wanted an apology from her. Conclusion: To sum up I think that Racism is totally unacceptable and utterly inglorious. In this novel I think that Taylor was trying to put across the fact of what the black people had to go through in the 1930s every day of their lives, and how their wouldn’t even be an us our even a peaceful world if racism was still occurring. I also think that Taylor is trying to compare today’s life to the 1930s and too see how much the black people suffered.

Porters Five Forces On Aviation Industry

Porters Five Forces On Aviation Industry The Indian aviation industry is one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world with private airlines accounting for more than 75 per cent of the sector of the domestic aviation. It is stated that the Indian aviation sector will become one of the top five civil aviation markets in the world over the next five years. Currently, India ranks ninth in the global civil aviation market. The Hyderabad International Airport has been ranked amongst the worlds top five in the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ). With the growth in the industry, airport retailing has also gained pace in the recent times. Development of new terminals and airports such as the recently inaugurated T3 in New Delhi has provided added impetus to this segment. The highest margin earners in this segment are food and beverages, beauty product, electronic items, apparel etc. It has been predicted that airports would provide around 300,000-400,000 square feet retail space by 2015. Many companies are also plan ning to leverage on this growing segment by launching specific products for air travelers. In addition, the emphasis on modernization of non-metro airports, fleet expansion by airlines, service expansion by state owned carriers, development of the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry in India, opening up of new international routes by the Indian government, establishment of new airports and renovation and restructuring of the existing airports have added to the growth of the industry. Present Indian Scenario It is a phase of rapid growth in the industry due to huge build-up of capacity in the LCC space, with capacity growing at approximately 45% annually. This has induced a phase of intense price competition with the incumbent full service carriers (Jet, Indian, Air Sahara) this- counting up to 60-70% for certain routes to match the new entrants ticket prices. This, coupled with costs pressures (a key cost element, ATF price, went up approximately 35% in recent months, while staff costs are also rising on the back of shortage of trained personnel), is exerting bottom-line pressure. The growth in supply is overshadowed by the extremely strong demand growth, led primarily by the conversion of train/bus passengers to air travel, as well as by the fact that low fares have allowed passengers to fly more frequently. There has, therefore, been an increase in both the width and depth of consumption. However, the regulatory environment, infrastructure and tax policy have not kept pace with the industrys growth. Enactment of the open sky policy between India and Saarc countries, increase in bilateral entitlements with the EU and the US, and aggressive promotion of India as an attractive tourism spot helped India attract 3.2 million tourists in 2004-05. This market is growing at 15% per annum and India is expected to attract 6 million tourists by 2010. Also, increasing per capita income has led to an increase in disposable incomes, leading to greater spend on leisure and holidays and business travel has risen sharply with increasing MNC presence. Smaller cities are also well connected now. Passenger traffic has increased and over 21 million seats have been sold, resulting in a growth of over 50%. The Indian travel market is expected to triple to $51 billion by 2011 from $16.3 billion in 2005-06. Application of Porters Five Forces strategy in the Aviation Industry Threat of New Entrants A lucrative industry is always a target for investors looking at investment. One of the foremost factors in consideration while looking at the attractiveness of an industry is the threat of new entrants. In the airlines industry, this was a major threat a few years ago. The airlines operating in the industry were limited and the industry had few players like Indian Airlines and Jet Airways. However, as the industry had scope for accommodating more players many players joined the fray. The airlines industry however comes with its fair share of barriers. The investment in the airlines is very huge and acts as a major barrier to entry. Bundled with it were different permits for running an airline company from the civil aviation company and FDI limits. Factors that can limit the threat of new entrants are known as barriers to entry. Some examples include: Existing loyalty to major brands Incentives for using a particular buyer (such as frequent shopper programs) High fixed costs Scarcity of resources High costs of switching companies Government restrictions or legislation Power of Suppliers This is how much pressure suppliers can place on a business. If one supplier has a large enough impact to affect a companys margins and volumes, then it holds substantial power. In the airlines company there is certain amount of bargaining power the suppliers have. Firstly, suppliers in the form of aircraft builders, who very often exceed the time limits. Adding to it are suppliers of oil who hold the key to running of the airlines. Here are a few other reasons that suppliers might have power. There are very few suppliers of a particular product There are no substitutes Switching to another (competitive) product is very costly The product is extremely important to buyers cant do without it The supplying industry has a higher profitability than the buying industry Power of Buyers This is how much pressure customers can place on a business. If one customer has a large enough impact to affect a companys margins and volumes, then the customer hold substantial power. Predominantly, in the airlines industry, it has been seen that the civil aviation ministry has been in favour of the customer and buyers thus have reasonable power. While most airlines companies are running with wafer thin margins, it is pretty difficult for companies to increase prices as the capacity utilization will be seriously affected. Here are a few reasons that customers might have power: Small number of buyers Purchases large volumes Switching to another (competitive) airline is simple The airline is not extremely important to buyers; they can do without the same brand for a period of time Customers are price sensitive Availability of Substitutes What is the likelihood that someone will switch to a competitive product or service? If the cost of switching is low, then this poses a serious threat. Most airline companies have similar facilities and are listed on website such as makemytrip.com, yatra.com where customers choose from the cheapest available tickets. This shows that the customer has a lot of options and would Not mind shifting to a new service. Here are a few factors that can affect the threat of substitutes: The main issue is the similarity of substitutes. All low cost airlines have similar facilities. If substitutes are similar, it can be viewed in the same light as a new entrant. Competitive Rivalry This describes the intensity of competition between existing firms in an industry. Highly competitive industries generally earn low returns because the cost of competition is high. The competition in the airline industry is cutthroat and each player is trying to gain an upper-hand based on non price factors. A highly competitive market might result from: Many players of about the same size; there is no dominant firm Little differentiation between competitors products and services A mature industry with very little growth; companies can only grow by stealing customers away from competitors SWOT ANALYSIS OF THE AVIATION INDUSTRY Strengths: Growing tourism: Due to growth in tourism, there has been an increase in number of the international and domestic passengers. The estimated growth of domestic passenger segment is at 50% per annum and growth for international passenger segment is 25% Rising income levels: Due to the rise in income levels, the disposable income is also higher which are expected to enhance the number of flyers. Growth potential Liberalization of sector. Modernization of non metro airports. Rising share of low cost carriers. Fleet expansion by state owned carriers. The opening up of new international routes by Indian government. Establishment of new airports and restructuring of old airports. Weaknesses: Under penetrated Market : The total passenger traffic was only 50 million as on 31st Dec 2005 amounting to only 0.05 trips per annum as compared to developed nations like United States have 2.02 trips per annum. Untapped Air Cargo Market: Air cargo market has not yet been fully taped in the Indian markets and is expected that in the coming years large number of players will have dedicated fleets. Infrastructural constraints: The infrastructure development has not kept pace with the growth in aviation services sector leading to a bottleneck. Huge investment requirement for physical infrastructure for airports. Shortage of qualified instructors due migration to schedule operation. Pressure on quality standard of inducted pilots. Infrastructural constraints. Opportunities: Expecting investments: investment of about US $30 billion will be made. Expected Market Size: Average growth of aviation sector is about 25%-30% and the expected market size is projected to grow up to 100 million by 2010. Economic Growth Vibrant middle class: Increasing Consumerism and Affordability common man Under-penetrated markets Growth in Tourism Currently domestic passenger market is growing at 50% Threats: Shortage of trained Pilots: There is a shortage of trained pilots, co-pilots and ground staff which is severely limiting growth prospects. Shortage of Airports: There is a shortage of airport facilities, parking bays, air traffic control facilities and takeoff and landing slots. High prices: Though enough number of low cost carriers already exists in the industry, majority of the population is still not able to fly to other destinations. Security and safety. Low profit margins and high operating costs.

The Glamorization Of Heroin :: essays research papers

The Glamorization of Heroin Celebrities and popular culture in society have glamorized the deadly drug heroin today. The status of heroin in America today is that the drug is "in." Advertisements in magazines and television are displaying gaunt, extremely thin, glassy-eyed, pale faced models. This look of death is often found in Calvin Klein ads or even in Packard-Bell commercials. For over three decades now, powerful role models from music to movies have taken to heroin like pigs take to slop. The drug continues to be portrayed in a favorable light by the fashion, music, and entertainment industries. Mixed messages about heroin are everywhere from raccoon eyed models to songs such as "Heroin Girl" by Everclear. Rock musicians have created and celebrated a culture of heroin, and some have become role models in their death. The use of heroin is increasing in almost every part of the United States. All age groups are all over the drug, including high school and middle school students. What doesn't help is that the availability of heroin has increased as well. New sources and networks of distribution have been reported. The comeback of heroin is not only apparent in the inner cities; it has been making its way to suburban life as well. Another way to tell that the use of heroin is on the rise is by the number of emergency room visits that deal with heroin users. In 1990 there was 33,000 emergency department visits nationally where heroin use was involved. By the year 1995 the number had more than doubled to 76,000. In the mid-1980's about ten percent of patient population was identified as being IV drug users. Now, the number is up to about twenty percent. (Source # 4, Gabor Kelen, Professor of Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine and director of Hopkins Emergency room). What are the causes of this heroin obsession? Some say it could Hollywood's apparent fascination with the drug. Heroin has been a theme in several recent movies. From Trainspotting, to The Basketball Diaries, and even greater hits like Pulp Fiction, heroin is the subject matter. People think that since the movie was so great, maybe their life will be great as well. The "heroin chic" approach taken by photographers is another major cause. Also, all the media attention "heroin chic" gets by the press is a factor causing more people to notice the look of death trend. On May 21, 1997, President Bill Clinton addressed the U.

Africa essay Essay

Sub-Saharan Africa: Change and Continuity Essay Summaries Period 3 1 600-1450: Trade Routes and Their Impacts by Stephanie Lin 2 100-1450: Politics by Rebecca Lee-McFadden 3 1450-1750: Politics and Economics by Emma Loh 4 Sub-Saharan Africa’s Relationship to Global Trade Patterns – 1750 to the Present by Douglas Chee 5 1450-Present: Religion by LJ Cabutaje 6 1914-Present: Formation of National Identities by George Kitsios a using evidence from specific countries Essay 1 Sub-Saharan Africa 600 -1450 Trade Routes and Their Impacts Before the 600s, trade routes in Africa weren’t used nearly as much as they are today After 600s, long distance trade increased and increased social and cultural diffusion At the end of the 600s, the world saw the decline of the classical period The fall of the classical empires such as the Gupta and Han Empires and Rome allowed various religions to spread Before 600 CE, connections existed between Sub-Saharan Africa and civilized societies, but were limited Cultural diffusion before the 600s included Africanity and diffusion of Bantu languages As trade routes intensified, Arab traders could spread to previously unreachable areas using camels and caravans One of the key changes that occurred during this period was the influence and spread of Islamic religion and culture and the connection of West Africa with the Muslim World Trade also increased economic prosperity, such as in the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai Gold-salt trade between Ghana and Arab desert traders and the Mediterranean prospered considerably as Ghana had gold but no salt and the Mediterranean had salt but no gold Ghana’s king converted to Islam, led to better relations with the Islamic world Indian Ocean trade led to increased development of city-states such as Mogadishu and Sofala Slave trading increased Much continuity accompanied these changes Syncretic conversion, which is they kept some of their own beliefs while converting to a new religion such as intertwining Islam with animism and ancient folklore Many people were still devoted to Christianity Nomads were still the â€Å"middlemen† between the east and west Same basic routes were still used for trade during this period Africans retained their sense of originality and culture Essay 2 Evaluate the political changes and continuities over time in Sub Saharan Africa from years 100 to 1450. Thesis: Sub Saharan Africa went from being made up of small individual tribes to large, organized empires. The arrival of new religions also affected the laws and codes Sub Saharan Africans had to follow. Throughout these changes, one continuity was that religious beliefs still played an important part in the political structures. Changes: -Smaller and decentralized tribes became larger, more organized empires. During 100 CE and earlier, there did not exist organized governments. Most societies were clans and tribes ruled by a tribal leader. Some societies were hunter-gatherer ones. Unification really could not occur due to arid environments and culturally diverse regions. Larger empires and kingdoms were able to rise because of an increase in interaction and trade between tribes. An increased production of crops and iron tools and artisan goods led to more trading. As tribes traded, some grew wealthier and more powerful. These tribes conquered others and took control of regional trade routes becoming more powerful. They then became larger kingdoms and societies. Ghana and Great Zimbabwe were two examples of this. Their rise to power was due to the wealth earned from trading and controlling trade routes. Eastern City States like Zanzibar, Mombasa, and Sofala rose to power because of trading in the Indian Ocean Trading Route. -Religions like Islam and Christianity affected law codes Most of Sub-Saharan Africans followed animism. With the arrival of monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam, law codes were altered. Mali, for example, was an Islamic state. The people under the Mali empire had to follow Islamic law, shari’a and the Qur’an. The Kingdom of Aksum converted to Christianity under the king, Ezana. Ezana ruled his people under the beliefs and teachings of Christianity. Continuities: – Religious beliefs continued to play a role in political structures and law codes Whether the dominating religion was Islam, Christianity, or animism, it still affected how the particular society ran and the laws the people had to follow. Animism also affected tribes politically. Kings and tribal leaders were believed to be decedents of their gods. Religion was all people knew and was so heavily integrated in their lives,. Political structures and law codes were not an exception to this. Essay 3 Prompt: The period of 1450 to 1750 witnessed important transformations in Africa. Trace significant changes and continuities in two of the following areas: social, economic, and political. Economics Change: emergence and eventual domination of the transatlantic slave trade first interactions with Europeans Portuguese and some African tribes created trade relations that were beneficial to both sides in gold, world markets. WHY European production growth, e.g. Portugal’s sugar plantations profits went to Africa, most slaves were POWs Continuity: the profitable trade of raw materials 15th C: gold, copper, cotton textiles, leather works 17th C: gold, ivory, timber Politics Changes political alliances with European foreigners 1500s: some African kings were open to European religions (Christianity) allowed access to European firearms and association with advanced societies few were actually committed to Christianity due to dominant Muslim culture. 17th Century: kings profited from the slave trade, cooperative with Europeans some kings lost power to the slave trade 15th C: some normal Africans started to be kidnapped for the slave trade Continuity: monarchies as the dominant governments which maintained power throughout Africa. forced Europeans to adhere to African trading customs. collected expensive rents from European merchants. prevented Europeans from claiming African territory were not heavily influenced by Europeans. ** not all kings participated in European trade, and a majority of them did not. Essay 4 Sub-Saharan Africa’s Relationship to Global Trade Patterns – 1750 to the Present Sub-Saharan Africa is rich with raw materials – precious metals, animal products, plant oils. 1750s: Independent African kingdoms exported gold, copper, ivory, vegetable oils, and animal pelts to various Western powers, in exchange for machine-made products. Lack of industrialization.  Huge slave trade from 1750-1867, despite Great Britains attempted abolishment in 1808. Slaves utilized in Western colonies and plantations. Constant European presence and tight relationship in trade. Scramble for Africa: End of slave trade led to economic weakness, leaving African states vulnerable to the European imperialists. Peak of European’s constant influence. New exports included diamonds and rubber. Africa continued to be a global source for raw materials, due to their continued lack of industrialization. Post WWII: Nationalistic movements brought independence from European powers, but left political/economic issues for the now decolonized states. Dependency on the delicate trade of cash crops, in addition to the lack of industrialization and help for the now expelled European powers had led to economic backwardness in Sub-Saharan Africa. Essay 5 Religious Changes and Continuities in Sub-Saharan Africa: 1450-Present: Thesis: From 1450 to the present, Sub-Saharan Africa’s religious atmosphere has experienced many changes due to the exponential growth of such global religions as Christianity and Islam in the region, while it has also maintained religious continuities in its traditional and established beliefs and practices, by the usage of syncretism Changes and Analysis: There was a large growth in the spread of Islam throughout the region. Because of the way that cultural diffusion occurred throughout various trade routes, Islam easily spread throughout the region and integrated into the cultures of local tribes, without the need for conquest from the leaders. From 1900 to the present, it grew exponentially, from a few million to more than 300 million, comprising 15% of the world’s Islamic population. Christianity was the other global religion that grew exponentially during this time period. It was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuguese Catholic missionaries who wanted to convert the natives to their faith. Similarly to Islam, in the 20th century, the Christian population in Sub-Saharan Africa rose up, eventually totaling over 470 million, effectively making up more than 20% of the world’s Christian population. This occurred due to the heavy anti-slavery sentiment and the scramble for Africa which occurred in this time peri od. Continuities and Analysis: Despite the changes, the people of this region were still able to adhere to their long-time and ancient beliefs and traditions. Many still practice animism, or the belief in the spirits of nature, and practice rituals such as voodoo. They were able to continue because of the tolerance of the major global religions and also because of their practice of syncretism, in which they incorporated the local religions with these global religions. One last continuity was Christianity in Ethiopia, where the religion was indigenous and was there from the 4th Century CE. Essay 6 -Pre WWII, Sub Saharan Africa witnesses significant changes in the identities of its nations. Largely fueled as a reaction to separatist movements from European Colonial structures, and a recent surge in nationalism -Many strive towards self governed rule with dreams of liberation influenced by fighting in the name of freedom in the 2nd World War Changes: -Ghana -Gold Coast was hot bed of nationalism after WWII, desire for British to allow self rule -Took first step through African representation in council, but not enough -Many had aspirations for Ghana to become the African United States -Ambitious Goal expanded in 1947, Kwame Nkrumah starts series of boycotts, strikes, etc -By 1957, Gold Coast receives full independence, renamed Ghana -Nkrumah 1st president, creates proactive reforms -Kenya -Also governed from a far by the British -Large amounts of free land in Northern Highlands believed by the Native kenyans their own land with their own rights; not some prize for Britain. -Movement for Kenyan Independence begins, seeded in nationalism, by Joma Kenyatta, who like others, believed â€Å"Africa can only advance to a higher level if he is free to express himself†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , meaning free from external rule -Formation of Mau Mau Guerilla group, more violent approach toward Kenyan national identity, killing 10,000 Africans and 100 settlers in the process -Eventually, Kenya gains independence in 1963 Continuities: -One of largest things that stayed the same was the pattern of violence and oppression experienced in inter and intercommunication of African native groups/future nations -Nigeria -Key example, newborn nation that adopts a federal system -Borders did not pay attention to the cultural tensions it put in place among the civilians, would provoke a large amount of controversy -Ultimately leads to a full out civil war breaking loose, amongst a number of ethnic groups forced to live together with no prior notice -Horrible level of instability within the government, provoking martial law on some areas. -Outcome of a movement intended to liberate resulted in unimaginable violence, and the replacement of one oppressive, ignorant government, with a more familiar one -South Africa -Obtains partial independence from Great Britain by 1931, allowing for self government (sorta) -White supremacy ends up taking over the reigns immediately however policies of apartheid run rampant for the next couple of decades -Formation and barring of the African National Congress (ANC) -Misrepresentation in laws/distribution of land -South Africans are 75% of population, but only allowed on 13% of land (slum land too!) -ANC and other pro South African Native movements decide to go with a more violent route, yet many end up killed, beaten, or jailed in the 70s and 80s, especially after demonstrations in 1977. -Struggle for accurate democracy at hand, no room for reform, and realization of equality not realized until later on (Nelson Mandela) -Black citizens grossly mistreated in their own homeland, reign of violence and terror overstays its welcome

Causes of the American Revolutionary War essays

Causes of the American Revolutionary War essays The American colonists were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain because of unjust laws and a tyrannical king. All of these things outraged the colonists in different ways, leading them to unite together and rebel against Britain, hence leading to the Revolutionary War. First off, Parliament imposed many unjust laws. According to Document 2, the colonists believed that Britain had the right to impose laws to regulate trade, however, on the contrast, the introduction of the Stamp Act was pure to gain revenue. The Stamp Act particularly affected lawyers, merchants, and editors, as well as the general public. Document 5 reads "Parliament can 'of right make laws to bind us in all cases whatsoever.'" This can lead someone to argue that Parliament felt it had complete control over the colonies and that it could pass numerous laws to keep that control. For instance, once the Sons of Liberty used mob violence to force all stamp agents to resign and the Stamp Act was repealed, Parliament asserted its rights with the Declaratory Act. Document 5 also infers that the unfair laws and taxes imposed on the colonists were enforced by the "tyranny of irritated [British officials]." The colonists argued that they were unfairly being taxed without representation, th is being the first time that the colonies began to unite and rebel against the British government. Secondly, a cruel and intolerable king oppressed the colonists. Document 6 blames the King of England for the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and refers to him as "the hardened, sullen-tempered [King of England]." This document excerpted from Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense," convinced many Americans that independence was the only resolve to the conflicts between America and England. Accusations in Document 7 also suggest that the king had "a history of repeated injuries and usurpation," and that his overall character could describe a "tyrant"...

jesuit priests essays

jesuit priests essays The Jesuit community was founded in the year 1540. Jesuit, or the Society of Jesus, played an important role in the renewal of the Catholic Church. Most of the early Jesuits were scholars, teachers, and also trained as missionaries. Some were also preachers who devoted all of their time to helping the sick, imprisoned, and wounded soldiers. In the year 1556, there were about a thousand Jesuits. One hundred years later, there were nearly fifteen thousand. After the next one hundred years, the numbers had nearly doubled. As you can see, the work done by these traveling men of God, was a very respectable one. There were a great number of Jesuit priests who came over to North America also. These men were very well know, some of them were more known for their exploring, rather than for their missionary work. One of the most popular explorers of the North American continent is father Jacques Marquette. Father Marquette established the first permanent mission to the local Chippewas in the year 1671. Along with partner, Louis Joliet, a well renowned French explorer, Marquette has reached fame by being remembered to most as the man that discovered the Northern Mississippi. They were the first people other than Indians to do so. Father Marquette, as he was known, was born in Laon France. In the year 1666, he arrived in Canada, and was schooled in the languages, and the ways of the different Indian tribes that he lived with. For about 2 years, he did missions work in the areas now known as Michigan, and Wisconsin, until the year 1671, when he met his colleague to be, Louis Jolliet. Jolliet as Marquette, was raised in a Jesuit mission. Three years before he met Marquette, Jolliet decided not to be a priest. Once Marquette was joined with his companion, the two had endless places to go. The two joined forces, and traveled across Lake Michigan, and all the way down the Mississippi. Once they met the Arkansas Rive...

Antz vs. Anthem essays

Antz vs. Anthem essays The movie Antz and the book Anthem are really similar in the way that they have the same theme. In both of them we can see two characters (Z and Equality 7-2521) that emerge from society and suddenly realize that out there, there is a better reality. They live oppressed, wishing to find something new that satisfies them as individuals. The concept of evil is illustrated in both stories as the we or the colony. They try to rebel against the highest powers, one having positive results and the other one having negative results. Both of them are heroes trying to defeat what is called a collective society and create a new way of living. Successively both characters discover their need to act for themselves. Dating back since the people are conceived and mindless, the society in both the movie and the book oppresses them by determining what their job is going to be. In Antz the strongest are destined to be soldiers and the weak ones are fated to be workers. In Anthem this is different since the strong and knowledgeable ones are preplanned to have the lowest jobs in society. Equality 7-2521 is shown to be a skilled and enlightened character ever since he is born. The high powers have this in mind and send him to be a street sweeper, simultaneously sending the weak-minded ones to be part of the World Council. Another way they are oppressed is the separation of the social classes where they live. In Anthem they cant have interference with the members of other social classes; they can only talk to the members of their tribe or house. Due to this oppression they create an equal society where they grow faster and become a global power. Having the mentality that they live for the other, they w ork for the society and their needs, putting aside their own self-interests and desires. This way they make the colony or society grow faster and efficiently. The agent of evil in Antz is the general...

How did the experiences of African American soldiers during World War Research Paper

How did the experiences of African American soldiers during World War 2, and new (American) legislations lead to the Civil Right - Research Paper Example It was in 1955 that the African American Civil Right Movement took place in the United States to remove the barriers which stopped the African Americans from doing things. In other words it was fought to retain the rights of these blacks so that they could integrate into the American society. The problems which led to Civil Rights Movement of 1955 rooted from the experiences of the African American soldiers during the World War II. These problems quickly began to rise and led to the formation of groups in the society. Thus the society became segregated to give way to a civil rights movement launched by the blacks. This essay would further revolve around the problems that gave way to the civil rights movement in America.1 2 World War II In 1941 America entered the World War II to join the Allied forces against Japan and Germany. It was in these times that blacks did not even have the right to vote for the processes of election. The black children were not allowed into the schools of w hites and they were particularly segregated from the society into schools which were under funded by the government. The blacks also were segregated in every term of life including trains and buses. Courtesy was never used to address the blacks living in the society as it is for the whites. This type of discrimination was not only prevalent in the Southern America but was also prevalent in the north. The blacks were not able to rent out or buy places which they liked and even the trade unions did not accept the membership of the blacks. This was not only prevalent in the precinct of the city but it was also prevalent on the battle zone. It was seen that the armed forces had a segregated unit for the blacks where they had to operate by themselves. These blacks were not even allowed in major segments of Navy and this brought discontent amongst the soldiers. All these conditions led to the worsening of conditions of the blacks and they served in the army only to attain their rights in the country. The blacks believed that if they fought for their country they would be able to gain the right of equal citizenship. They also believed that they would get rights to work for employers who previously did not hire them because of the policies of segregation3 4 5. The blacks compared their condition to the condition of the Germans who faced racism at the hands of the Nazis during the war. The blacks believed that it was World War II which would help them retain their lost rights. Racial discrimination during the war was never considered to be a big problem by the whites. The blacks were considered to be unfit for the forces and were not allowed to enroll in the armed forces. Mostly these blacks were given duties in which they would support the forces rather than play an active role in the war. However after the World War II started the government was forced to engage the black individuals into combat and formed special units for them. But here again the segregation polici es were not left out and the blacks were given specific units through which they had to operate. No black was integrated into the forces of whites as they were considered to be superior. Harry Truman in 1948 passed an act to integrate the blacks with the whites but this was still not successful until 1953 when the Korean War started. Furthermore the blacks were not allowed at authoritative positions in the military up till the 1960s after which they

Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Essay - Assignment Example The decision by the New Plymouth District Council to bring to an end the water fluoridation is seen as thetermination of the practice in New Zealand. According to Mary Byrne of the anti-fluoride group, the Fluoride Action Network New Zealand, the New Plymouth District Council decision could bring a domino effect to other councils leading to the chemicals rejection (Stare, 1990). Fluoride, an ionic compound, contains the fluorine components. Fluoride, naturally found component in most of the rocks in New Zealand and worldwide, is the single most reactive element in water. Approximately 90 percent of the fluoride components added to the municipal water supplies come from the chemicals known as silicofluorides. The silicofluorides chemicals production is from the by-products of the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. In most of New Zealand’s District Councils, fluoride is added to the municipal water supplies at the concentration of about one part per million or even slightly below. Fluoride concentrations occurring in surface waters depend on location, but concentrations are low, and in most cases do not exceed 0.3 ppm. Groundwater can however contain much higher concentration levels. Fluoride should not be included to the water supplied by district councils to the residents of cities and towns in New Zealand. A move by New Plymouth District Council is welcome and should act as a precedent to other district councils in New Zealand. Proponents of fluoridation argue that the fluoride helps by binding to tooth enamel. Enamel is primarily composed of hydroxylapatite; a crystal made up of phosphorus, calcium, oxygen and hydrogen. By replacement of hydroxyl molecule on hydroxylapatite, the resistance of the tooth to acidity attacks from bacteria will increase because of the fluoride components (Wagner, 1993). The proponents have however been

Israel Society and History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Israel Society and History - Term Paper Example . . ." With reference to this specific statement, in 1950 the notable Law of Return was made by Israel government (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/Text_of_Law_of_Return.html). The law approved an automated right to every single Jew to immigrate to Israel and turn out to be a citizen of an ideological state. After the vogue of Law of Return, the gateways popped up extensively and Israel observed an influx of refugees from all over the world. Though these particular immigrants of the earliest period substantially distorted the demographic situation of Israeli civil society as well as the harmony amongst the Jewish Diaspora and the Israeli Jews, however, the main focus of this paper is on the immigration of Mizrahi Jews during 1948 to 1967 with reference to their absorption, integration, and divergence in the Israel’s civil society. 1. ... About 50% strength of Israel consists of Mizrahi Jews (Villa, 2009). As soon as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War got over and Israel officially declared its independence and sovereignty, virtually a large number of Mizrahi Jews were exiled by Arab states. Even they were granted the choice to depart their homeland and immigrate to Israel. It is widely considered that somewhere around 50 % of Israeli Jews belong to Mizrahim. During 1950s and 1960s, most of Mizrahi Jews immigrated to Israel either due to their ideological affiliations with Zionism or in response to Anti-Jewish activities of Arab world against the Jews. About 25,000 Mizrahi Jews came to Israel just because of Suez Canal crisis of 1956. Beside Israel, the Mizrahi Jews especially Moroccan and Algerian Jews also immigrated to France and turned into refugees. Similarly a huge number of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Syrian Jews immigrated to Brazil and United States of America. Without traumatic events, safe heaven in Israel was out of qu estion. Ella Sohat, a great Mizrahi scholar writes, "in a generation or two, millennia of rooted oriental civilization, unified even in its diversity† (Shohat, 1988:32). After the safe landing of Mizrahi Jews in Israel, the damage of burst, right from their particular locations of origin, was too much complicated from the challenges within the disruption period. These refugees and immigrants were kept in tent cities which were located under developing town. The tent cities were known as Ma'abarot where all tents were in rudimentary. In a critical review, it seems that Moshavism was comparatively a successful absorption plan of Israeli Government as traditionally the Mizrahi Jews were associated with trade and a niche as craftsmen.

TERM PAPER College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TERM PAPER College - Essay Example With no federal action on the issue, states have been left to devise their own answers to the tuition controversy, leaving supporters on both sides to prevaricate about the repercussions of the law established by the Federal government in 1996, which restricts states from offering benefits to illegal immigrants that any U.S. citizen would not also be entitled to obtain. In fact, at the time of writing (2005), illegal aliens could qualify for in-state tuition rates in nine states, including Texas and California, as well as Kansas but a lawsuit against the Kansas ruling however, coupled with the failure of eighteen other states approving similar policies, reflected the widespread unease about such benefits. Opponents challenging the law claim: it violates the federal statute as well the equal rights clause within the Constitution; that money is not the issue but that it is more a matter of principal and is regarded by some as a kind of back-door amnesty; that American taxpayers will be forced to pay for illegal aliens to replace their own children in the limited seats in college and are worried that granting one privilege would open the flood gates to other benefits currently held for legal residents, and they believe that we all have dreams and they are taking the places away from American residents/citizens. The counterargument however, is that the undocumented children who graduated with diplomas from U.S. high schools in 2005 should now have the opportunity to enter colleges and universities. They believe that it is in our best interests to educate them and denying the American dream for thousands of students, and considering all the pressure placed on children to excel in school, it is only fair to give them an opportunity to continue their education. However, they cannot afford to pay the out-of-state rates charged by the institutions and should therefore, qualify for in-state rates. From this article we can see that questions relating to in-state tuition abound. The fact of the matter is that the country is deeply divided and, without any direction from Federal government, this fracas in the immigration conflict, this question of whether to grant or deny in-state tuition status to students living in a state illegally, is being contested one to one, state to state, and bill to bill. From my perspective, I think that it is not difficult to workout the reasons why giving financially supported tuition to illegal aliens is extremely unpopular. Parents are paying large amounts of money to send their children to universities and colleges, and people are apt to get concerned when they learn that someone who is in the United States in violation of the law is getting as good or a better deal as their own children. Maybe the real concern is that there will be youngsters who actually jump through all these hoops who, are rewarded for their illegality. The question is, in our society, do we punish kids for what their parents have committedThe federal government has not

Analyses of the Website Gutteridge Haskins and Davey Essay

Analyses of the Website Gutteridge Haskins and Davey - Essay Example The essay "Analyses of the Website" talks about the GHD website (Gutteridge Haskins & Davey, ghd.com/australia) that represents an international network of engineers, architects, and environmental scientists. The paper also analyzes the website's audience and if the website effectively communicates to it. GHD website serves multiple purposes. It shares information to its present and prospective clients. It gives a complete detail to anyone who will open the website, about its history, its values, and the various projects it has undertaken. It also attracts Human Resource from its website where job-seekers can find job opportunities. The website also invites users to give their feedback and is a medium to contact them. One thing written on the homepage of the website is â€Å"At GHD, we think beyond tomorrow to anticipate future challenges† which shows their concern for taking business seriously and representing the company’s values. Dechernatony and Mc Donald say that a corporate brand must give a clear picture and should personify the value of the organization. Hence another purpose is to build its corporate brand on an international level. So that when anyone wants to know about GHD, they would get a clear picture of the organization and its strong brand from its website. The purpose of the website is clearly in-line with the kind of business they are in. GHD is a consultancy firm and for such firms, it is best to provide information about the business to clients or any users of the website. While developing a website, one of the first things that a business needs to ask itself is the target audience. The organization needs to develop personas for the different target audience and then analyse how this audience is going to reach out its website (Jacobson 2007). The target audience for GHD’s website are the present and prospective clients, and the prospective employees. The first target audience refers to businesses and organizations who are working in the areas of water, transportation, environment, energy and resources, property and building. Therefore clients in the area of water refer to organizations dealing with water utilities and other water related services. In the area of environment, the business serves and the website attracts privat e organizations, government organizations and authorities. Furthermore government organizations and authorities look forward to consultancy from GHD in the area of transportations. Similarly the website also attracts audiences from different government and private organizations in the area of energy & resources, and building & property. This

State or Critique Todays charges against the MNCs Essay

State or Critique Todays charges against the MNCs - Essay Example The global liberalization has paved the way for fast expansion and growth of MNC’s. The value added of all foreign affiliates of MNC’s as a percentage of world GDP increased from about 5 percent in the beginning of the 1980’s to nearly 7 percent in 1990’s and to 15 percent in 2000’s. The dominance of MNC’s is very clear when the contribution towards a country is seen. The GDP of most of the nations is smaller than the value of the annual turnover of multinational giants like Ford and General Motors. This allows MNC’s to play a crucial role to shape national and economic policies to their benefits. This is not acceptable as MNC’s induce competition among the existing firms and it encourages free enterprise through technology transfers. They work to equalize the cost of factors of production around the world. Â  When the MNC’s enter the host country, the local enterprises imitate the new technology brought by the MNC’s to improve their production efficiency; this is the direct technology spillover effect. The market competition pressure force the local firms to adopt more advanced technologies, which push the technological progress. In some cases, countries rely on MNC’s for most of their projects. In this case, MNC’s will be a great boon to the Public Sector too. In the case of employee’s salaries, the private sector pays more compared to the public sector and the work practices in private sector are more innovative compared to the routine based work in most of the public sectors. In these ways, MNC’s enrich Private sector as entry barriers are minimal here and starve the public sector due to high political pressures. MNC’s are characterized by high levels of spending and mostly they are inefficient compare to the management of a small firm where each activity is accountable to the core and efficient methods are followed. MNC’s

TERM PAPER College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TERM PAPER College - Essay Example With no federal action on the issue, states have been left to devise their own answers to the tuition controversy, leaving supporters on both sides to prevaricate about the repercussions of the law established by the Federal government in 1996, which restricts states from offering benefits to illegal immigrants that any U.S. citizen would not also be entitled to obtain. In fact, at the time of writing (2005), illegal aliens could qualify for in-state tuition rates in nine states, including Texas and California, as well as Kansas but a lawsuit against the Kansas ruling however, coupled with the failure of eighteen other states approving similar policies, reflected the widespread unease about such benefits. Opponents challenging the law claim: it violates the federal statute as well the equal rights clause within the Constitution; that money is not the issue but that it is more a matter of principal and is regarded by some as a kind of back-door amnesty; that American taxpayers will be forced to pay for illegal aliens to replace their own children in the limited seats in college and are worried that granting one privilege would open the flood gates to other benefits currently held for legal residents, and they believe that we all have dreams and they are taking the places away from American residents/citizens. The counterargument however, is that the undocumented children who graduated with diplomas from U.S. high schools in 2005 should now have the opportunity to enter colleges and universities. They believe that it is in our best interests to educate them and denying the American dream for thousands of students, and considering all the pressure placed on children to excel in school, it is only fair to give them an opportunity to continue their education. However, they cannot afford to pay the out-of-state rates charged by the institutions and should therefore, qualify for in-state rates. From this article we can see that questions relating to in-state tuition abound. The fact of the matter is that the country is deeply divided and, without any direction from Federal government, this fracas in the immigration conflict, this question of whether to grant or deny in-state tuition status to students living in a state illegally, is being contested one to one, state to state, and bill to bill. From my perspective, I think that it is not difficult to workout the reasons why giving financially supported tuition to illegal aliens is extremely unpopular. Parents are paying large amounts of money to send their children to universities and colleges, and people are apt to get concerned when they learn that someone who is in the United States in violation of the law is getting as good or a better deal as their own children. Maybe the real concern is that there will be youngsters who actually jump through all these hoops who, are rewarded for their illegality. The question is, in our society, do we punish kids for what their parents have committedThe federal government has not

State or Critique Todays charges against the MNCs Essay

State or Critique Todays charges against the MNCs - Essay Example The global liberalization has paved the way for fast expansion and growth of MNC’s. The value added of all foreign affiliates of MNC’s as a percentage of world GDP increased from about 5 percent in the beginning of the 1980’s to nearly 7 percent in 1990’s and to 15 percent in 2000’s. The dominance of MNC’s is very clear when the contribution towards a country is seen. The GDP of most of the nations is smaller than the value of the annual turnover of multinational giants like Ford and General Motors. This allows MNC’s to play a crucial role to shape national and economic policies to their benefits. This is not acceptable as MNC’s induce competition among the existing firms and it encourages free enterprise through technology transfers. They work to equalize the cost of factors of production around the world. Â  When the MNC’s enter the host country, the local enterprises imitate the new technology brought by the MNC’s to improve their production efficiency; this is the direct technology spillover effect. The market competition pressure force the local firms to adopt more advanced technologies, which push the technological progress. In some cases, countries rely on MNC’s for most of their projects. In this case, MNC’s will be a great boon to the Public Sector too. In the case of employee’s salaries, the private sector pays more compared to the public sector and the work practices in private sector are more innovative compared to the routine based work in most of the public sectors. In these ways, MNC’s enrich Private sector as entry barriers are minimal here and starve the public sector due to high political pressures. MNC’s are characterized by high levels of spending and mostly they are inefficient compare to the management of a small firm where each activity is accountable to the core and efficient methods are followed. MNC’s

The setting, population, and program Essay Example for Free

The setting, population, and program Essay Second Step is a violence prevention program has been implemented for Norman area 6th graders. This program focuses on such things as anger management, conflict negotiation, controlling emotions and not acting on impulse. It is designed to give students examples and topics of discussion that will promote thought provoking discussions and hopefully draw out some best behaviors as examples while exposing what should not be done The lessons are usually presented by teachers on a regular schedule and during the same class period when possible. They are designed so that teachers have to prepare very little. Scripts are provided for video programs and for scenario type role playing among the students. The videos attempt to show students reacting to violence or other negative influences as they might encounter them in their daily lives. For this age of student the lessons encourage modeling of the positive behavior that is shown in the videos and proper behavior from role playing and discussion. 2. What are the goals of the program and what are the problems/challenges in trying to meet them? (What is working and what is not working? ) The goal of this program is to ultimately reduce violence in schools. The curriculum is designed to obtain these results by getting the children to recognize their behaviors, beliefs and emotions and learn to deal with them in a positive manner. These activities would hopefully establish norms within the school community and allow the proper behavior to become the norm. These objectives are sometimes difficult to master and meet the standards of the program. Children that go through the Second Step program will generally engage in the curriculum if the instructor has prepared somewhat and is ready to lead the discussion. There are often very positive and mature comments from the students regarding the scenarios and video portions of the program. It really seems to help students who are on the right track reaffirm what they already believe to be the right thing to do. There are students who will always want to lead the discussion and have there answers heard. This is good for certain kids and it really helps the teachers who are leading the discussion. One downfall is that certain students will not engage in the discussion. Some are embarrassed or do not feel confident voicing their opinion in front of the group. The reasons for this vary from past experience with the group, fear of repercussion and lack of maturity on the part of the studen. Still others will loose face within their peer group if they show emotion or put down certain behaviors. These groups will often try to disrupt the flow of the conversation by belittling or not participating at all. They will blame the teacher or the program as being boring. The program may help a select few students develop a better sense of what it takes to prevent violence, but the lessons don’t seem to carry much further than the classroom. It is one thing to model good behavior in front of adults and quite another thing to stand up and do the right thing when no one is there to support their decision. Many students will turn their backs on violence in their area. 3. What evaluation strategies would you use and what type of data (e. g. , test scores, attendance records, referrals, etc. ) would you need to collect in order to substantiate the information stated in response to question #2? How would you evaluate future progress/change? How often does data need to be collected and analyzed? Evaluation of programs such as Second Step can be very difficult. With the end goal being less violence in the school, the number of principal office referrals would be the obvious first line in evaluating the progress of the program. A drop in the number of referrals due to violent acts would be a good indicator that the program is having some effect. Data would also need to be collected from past referrals and compare to the new data to see if which students were committing new act of violence. We would hope to see an overall drop in the number of violent acts among both past offenders and new offenders. Data should be collected on a quarterly basis to ensure that the needs of offending groups are being met. If data is collected on a longer scale (i. e. semester or yearly), it may not facilitate change quickly enough to the methods of delivery or it may not look for other factors within the school environment that may be effecting violent behaviors 4. What factors seem to be facilitating progress/change and which factors seem to be hindering progress/change? The ability of the teacher that is leading the course and who sees that group of students on a regular basis seems to be one factor in determining how successful the program is. If the material is simply presented and nor reinforced through repetition and school wide implementation, the lessons are quickly lost on many students. Staff that believe in the program will tend to follow up and ensure that the lessons are being used outside the context of the presentation time. The talent and motivation of the staff tends to be huge factor in success or failure of the program. It is very difficult to change perceptions and learned behaviors. Many students will participate in the program but will be taught different attitudes at home. This appears to be the largest factor in whether a student will accept the lessons of Second Step or not. When staff and family will follow through and continue the lessons outside of the context of the Second Step allotted time, there seems to be a much better chance of the students applying the lessons. Hindering change occurs when the lessons are left in the classroom and not made part of daily life at school. This will be the biggest obstacle that we face. 5. What recommendations would you make for change or improvement, based on the information that is available at this point? To fully implement such a program there has to be community wide acceptance. There needs to be an outreach effort to parents and other family members to allow them the opportunity to see the materials that are being presented. They should be a part of the effort. The message may not always be reaching home that students are working on violence prevention and reinforcement is needed from all areas of the community. By making family members part of the equation we will allow a better opportunity for success. 6. Who are your â€Å"stakeholders†? (Who has a â€Å"vested interest† in the outcome of your program? ) Who needs to receive a report on both progress and problems/challenges/needed changes? The stakeholders of the program in the end are all members of the community. The community benefits when there is less violence and when more productive citizens graduate from our schools. Families will see the most immediate effects when their children are in less trouble at school and see better results in their academic work. All educators, school families and the community in general including local police and government should receive the report of findings and have a voice in how to proceed. When the schools, police or family place themselves as the sole proprietors of the responsibility of the violence among our young student, we face more obstacles due to miscommunication, personal agendas and lack of understanding of the problem from on a human level in dealing with students who have violence issues.

The Unilever market analysis and overview

The Unilever market analysis and overview To add vitality to life is Unilevers everlasting corporate mission, and it works to create a better future every day. Ever since Unilever was established in 1884 by the founder William Hesketh Lever, It has grown to one of worlds leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods. Winning in the market place is one of the core secrets of its success (Unilever Global, 2010). In 1996, Unilevers market share of powder category in Brazil reached as high as 81 per cent with three brands: Omo, Minerva and Campeiro. Despite its brand name and company goodwill Unilever was unable to penetrate the detergent market in the North East (NE) of Brazil. The North East of Brazil constitutes twenty eight percent of Brazils total population with close to forty eight million low income consumers (Chandon Pacheco 2007).This report therefore aims at providing recommendations on the marketing strategy that Unilever should employ to target the low-income consumer segment. The report is structured into three parts namely consumer behaviour, brand identity, and the marketing mix followed by our recommendations. First we shall identify the consumer behaviour differences among laundry products customers in Brazil. Second we shall discuss whether Unilever should bring out a new brand, reposition its existing brand or go ahead with a brand extension to target the North Eastern Brazilian market. We will then briefly touch upon the positioning of the brand and discuss in detail the marketing mix. Theories and empirical data shall be applied where necessary. CONSUMER DIFFERENCES In order to make an effective marketing strategy, we should first analyse the consumer behaviour differences between the SE and NE segments of the laundry product market in Brazil. A deep understanding of the target consumer group is the first step in promoting a successful product to a new market (Chandon Pacheco 2007). The following table clearly shows the consumer behaviour differences between the two market segments. NORTH EAST SOUTH EAST 53% of the population live on less than two minimum wages. 21% of the population live on less than two minimum wages. Only 28% of households own a washing machine. Washing machines are a necessity with 67% of the population possessing a machine. Women scrub clothes using bars. Then they add bleach to remove stains little detergent powder at the end to make clothes smell good. Women mix powder detergent and softener in a washing machine and use laundry soap and bleach only to remove the toughest stains. North-easterners use a lot more soap (20kg) South Easterners use a lot less soap than the NE (7kg) Women often do their washing in a public place Most women wash clothes alone at home People attach the symbolic value to cleanliness; women see it as the dedication towards her family. Cleanliness has much lower relevance for self-esteem and social status It is essential to analyse the buyer role framework to understand the shopping habits of low income consumer. This in turn will help the firm in its marketing mix. Table 2 below analyses the buyer role framework for the laundry products in the NE segment: INITIATOR Women of the house INFLUENCER Friends, neighbours or relatives that the women meet at the public laundry area DECIDER Husband or in the case of the unmarried woman the financial head of the family sometimes even themselves. BUYER Husband and Wife or either one of them USER The Whole Family/Household Table 2: NE BUYER ROLE FRAMEWORK SOURCE- OWN COMPILATION Why are there such varied differences between the two consumer segments? The reasons can be attributed to some factors which influence their choices. All these factors can be divided into four aspects: cultural, social, personal and psychological. The first factor that should be taken into consideration is motivation which belongs to the psychological aspect; because the motives drive consumers to buy. We all know Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. According to his theory, motives can be divided into five categories: the physiological needs, the safety needs, the love needs, the esteem needs and the need for self-actualization. Among these categories, the physiological is the basic need, which means the fundamentals of survival (Maslow 1943, 370-396). Only if the lower needs are well gratified, can new set of higher needs emerge (Maslow 1943). As stated in the case, women in the NE of Brazil, who have very low incomes and poor living conditions, are just fulfilling the most basic need and hence will prefer a product that offers value for money. Another factor related to psychological aspect is beliefs and attitudes. Women in NE of Brazil attach symbolic value to the cleanliness of the clothes. They regard it as the dedication of the mother to her family. Due to this they would probably buy a laundry product with ability to remove stains. Lifestyle is also an important factor that influences behaviour under personal aspect. Lifestyle refers to the pattern of living as expressed in a persons activities, interests and opinions. Lifestyle analysis, categorizes consumers according to their beliefs, activities, values, and demographic characteristics such as education and income (Jobber, D. 2007). Women in the NE of Brazil, viewing washing clothes as one of the pleasurable routine activities of their week. The forth factor which influences their consumer behaviour is the social class. It is a sub factor of cultural aspect. People in NE of Brazil are the working class and those at lowest level of subsistence. Their social class is at the bottom of the pyramid. Their income can only sustain their daily basic needs, and these factors greatly affect their buying attitudes towards the laundry products. This is one reason for their extensive laundry soap usage. One factor of classifying households is based on their geographic location. This analysis is called geo demographics and is based on population census data. (Jobber, D. 2007). The households different economic conditions determine whether they will buy the kind of laundry product which may be less effective but with a more reasonable price or the best product without considering its price. The geographic location differences can enlighten the company to make the marketing strategies accordingly. BRAND IDENTITY Marketing managers aim at developing their products into brands to help them create a unique position in the minds of their customers (Jobber, 2007, p. 326). It is therefore essential to understand the difference between a product and a brand. A product can be anything that has the capacity to satisfy customer need. Branding is the process by which companies distinguish their product offering from the competition. (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 133). Branding enables customers to build relationship in terms of prestige, status, economy and eases the purchase decision (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 134). After analyzing the needs of the target market we as a strategic marketing team propose that Unilever should employ the brand extension strategy. 3.1 BRAND EXTENSION Brand extension refers to the use of an established brand name on a new brand within the same broad market (Jobber Fahy, 2006). As mentioned earlier, Unilever has three brands namely Omo, Minerva and Campeiro. Their prices are coherent with the order in which they are listed. Omo has been positioned as an expensive product with the ability to remove stains with low quantity when used in washing machines, thus reducing the need for soap or bleach. Minerva, the only brand having penetrated the laundry soap market and the detergent market has positioned itself has having an emotional appeal where as Campeiro stands out as the price brand (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 132). After closely examining the performance, characteristics, consumer preference and market penetration (in both the categories of laundry products) of the three brands we propose that Unilever should apply the brand extension strategy to Minerva. This will provide a good opportunity for Minerva as a brand to increase its mar ket share in the laundry soap market, which is currently being dominated by other local or international products. Also the strong brand identity of Minerva can be sustained into the future through this extension (Jobber, 2007, p. 370). Minerva proves to be the right choice for brand extension because it is correctly priced and positioned unlike its sister brands which are either too low (Campeiro) giving the idea of low quality, or either too high (Omo) making it out of reach to our target market. Our target market being the women in the North East of Brazil and considering their washing traits (Table 1) we propose that Minervas extension be a laundry soap that will try to cater to all of the needs of the North Eastern women or household. Also the North East market for laundry soap is very fragmented because laundry soap is much easier to produce than powdered detergent. Laundry soap is also seen as multi-use product that has many home and personal care uses. The brand will be called Minerva Brilhar- Sabà £o Multi Purpose (Multi Purpose Soap). Under the brand flagship we propose to launch three products namely Minerva Brilhar Alfazema, Minerva Brilhar Cà ­trico and Minerva Brilhar Coco.The reason for choosing three variants is to reduce the risk of the product not being acknowledged by the mass. A detailed explanation of all the three variants will be discussed under the marketing mix. 3.1.1 JUSTIFICATION FOR CHOOSING BRAND EXTENSION A strong brand provides a strong foundation for leveraging positive perceptions and goodwill from the core brand to brand extensions. The new brand benefits from the added value that the brand equity of the core brand bestows on the extension (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 136). Minerva as a brand has a considerable share in both the laundry soap and detergent market. Though not the largest in terms of sales or market share, its positioning makes it the most popular or sought after brand. The use of brand extension is an important marketing tool. The two main advantages of brand extension in launching new products are that: Reduces risk Less costly than alternative launch strategies (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Both distributors and consumers may perceive less risk if the new brand comes or is part of an already established brand name (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). The North Eastern side of Brazil has very few malls and supermarkets. Small retailers with small-to- midsized shops are very dominant. Due to their restricted clientele and their spending power shopkeepers would generally be skeptical in shelving a new brand, until and unless they were being paid for shelving the particular product. Consumers generally seem to attribute the quality associations they have of the original brand to the new one (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142).Launch costs may also be reduced by using brand extension. Since the established brand name is already well known the task of building awareness of the new brand is not required. Consequently advertising, sales and promotional costs are reduced (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Furthermore, there is the likelihood that the company may be able to bank upon advertising economies of scale since advertisements for the original brand and its extension reinforce each other (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Looking at the other side of the coin, there is also the danger that the marketing management will underfund the launch of the product, beleiving that the spin off effects of the original brand name will compensate. This can lead to low awareness. Another effect is cannibalization, which refers to a situation where the new brand gains sales at the expense of the existing brand. There is also the danger that bad publicity for one brand can affect the reputation of the other brands under the same umbrella. Also if a brand name is extended too far there can be a loss of credibility and this is something that the management needs to guard itself against (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 142). Brand extensions are likely to be successful if they make sense to the consumer. If the values and aspirations of the new target segement (s) match those of the original segement, and the qualities of the brand name are likewise highly prized then success is likely (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 143). 4. MARKETING STRATEGIES: 4.1Market segmentation Targeting: Market segmentation is the technique used by marketers to gain an understanding about a diverse nature of markets. Market segmentation may be defined as the identification of individuals or organisations with similar characteristics that have significant implications for the determination of marketing strategy (Jobber, 2007, p. 275) Market segmentation provides the basis for the selection of target markets. The company decides the target market that it wants to serve. As customers in the target market segment are homogenous, a single marketing mix strategy can be developed to match those requirements (Jobber, 2007). The consumer segmentation criteria can be classified into three broad groups: Behavioural, psychological and profile variables (Jobber, 2007).In reference to the case at hand, Unilever is focussing on marketing its laundry products to the low income consumers in North East part of Brazil. Since the consumers in this region are homogenous a single marketing mix strategy can be developed. The launch of Minerva Brilhar aims at targeting the market with the following factors taken into consideration: Buyers: Household women from NE part of Brazil Benefits Sought: Fragrance, Multi-use product. Purchase occasion: Self Buy Lifestyle: Conservatives with traditional values. Gender: Female Social Class: Lower income. Income: 53% of population live on less than two minimum wages. Geographic: North East VS South East part of Brazil. 5. Marketing Mix Marketing Mix is the planned management of the customer relationship including product, price, place and promotion (Jobber, 2007, p. 1001). In what follows, each of the aforementioned elements of marketing mix is discussed in further detail. 5.1 Product Strategies: For some time now it has been conventional for marketers to think in terms of different product levels (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Managing products from a marketing perspective can be explained using the three product levels namely core product, actual product and augmented product as seen in Figure 3. Figure 3: PRODUCT FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE SOURCE ADAPTED: (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The three product levels that are depicted in the figure above can be applied to the case of Minerva Brilhar as shown in Table 3. Core product Convenience, Familiarity, Reassurance and Fragrance Actual Product Plastic pack, Images with text, Modern look to the laundry bar with a ready to use image Augmented Product Satisfaction, Guarantee, Ease of use. Table 3: PRODUCT LEVEL ANALYSIS OF MINERVA BRILHAR SOURCE: OWN COMPILATION USING TEXT FROM (Jobber Fahy, 2006). The characteristics of Minerva Brilhar are discussed below across various criterions: Key product drivers: Various fragrances to choose from, ability to remove stains, better grip, multi-use product (can be used for other home and personal care uses), value for money and longer life of the product. Packaging: Plastic pack of 250 gms x 4 bars with images and text. Each flavour will be packed in individually. Flavour and Ingredients: Three flavours namely Lavender (Alfazema), Citrus (Citrico) and Coconut (Coco). The patented formulae and technology developed by Hindustan Unilever in India for its brand Rin Supreme (sister company) will also be used to develop the above mentioned products. The technology used by HUL is called Pure Clean. The supposed technology would keep clothes looking new for longer unlike other detergent bars which contains 40% mined ingredients (Exchange4media, 2002) Product positioning: Our products tag line would be Keeps your family spotless for longer. The images of the product Minerva Brilhar are seen below. Minerva Brilhar- Sabà £o Multi Purpose SOURCE:OWN COMPILATION SOURCE:OWN COMPILATION 5.2 Price Strategy: Price from a marketing perspective can be defined as the sacrifice a consumer is prepared to make in exchange for the benefits of having a product or service, in order to achieve good value. The value is determined as a function of price, functional benefits and emotional benefits (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Therefore in reference to Minerva Brilhar; we provide improved value to customers by using the differentiation approach strategy wherein the product benefits are enhanced by maintaining the price. Minerva Brilhar is reasonably priced as compared to the other Unilever detergent brands. The product provides enhanced value in terms of functional benefits such as ease of use with a better grip and is a multipurpose product. It also caters to the emotional benefits of the NE Brazilian customers such as cleanliness and provides a range of pleasant fragrances. 5.21: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PRICING DECISIONS OF MINERVA BRILHAR: The pricing decision of products is influenced by internal and external factors. While deciding the price for Minerva Brilhar the following factors were taken into consideration. Marketing strategy: The differentiation strategy of pricing is suggested since the product has enhanced value and is priced at a nominally higher price than the existing Unilever products. Marketing Mix: The quality of the product was enhanced in terms of better grip and more variety of fragrances for multipurpose use. Length of the distribution channel: The length of the distribution channel is long in the NE Brazilian market therefore the distributor mark up price is increased slightly. 5.22: KEY BASES FOR PRICE SETTING: There are three key methods used by managers to set prices namely cost based pricing, competition pricing and marketing pricing. The figure below briefly explains the three pricing methods. Figure 4: KEY BASES FOR SETTING PRICE SOURCE ADAPTED FROM: (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The pricing method adopted in the case of Minerva Brilhar is the marketing/customer based pricing wherein the price of the product is designed based on attaching appropriate price to reflect the benefits offered to the customers (Dr.Angela Tregear, 2010). The market orientation approach was used to decide the prices. Minerva Brilhar will be priced at 1.71$/kg. Table 4 will outline the cost break up of Minerva Brilhar The cost break up constitutes of formulation cost of 1.05$/kg due to added features in the product such as three variants in flavour and better grip with a pure clean formula. The packaging cost will be 0.15$/kg as it is a plastic pack with four bars. The promotional cost is slightly higher at 0.32 $/kg as heavy promotion is needed to build awareness for the brand extension. The major challenge faced by Unilever in pricing their products was to divert its funds from its premium brands to invest in a lower margin market. Therefore, pricing Minerva Brilhar at a price that is affordable by the mass can allow Unilever to penetrate the market better. 5.3 Promotion strategies: Promotional activities can be broad and are aimed at the market as a whole. The overall range of techniques available to the marketer is usually known as the promotional mix and comprises seven main elements which are represented in Figure 4 (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 217). Figure 5: SEVEN MAIN ELEMENTS OF PROMOTIONAL MIX SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM (Jobber Fahy, 2006) The promotion of Minerva Brilhar will be done through advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship. A key point to note here is that almost all Brazilians irrespective of their incomes are avid television watchers (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 133). Despite of this fact, Unilever has responded by reducing the amount of advertising it places on television and instead switching to outdoor and internet advertising (Jobber Fahy, 2006).Therefore retaining the existing Unilever marketing strategy of outdoor and internet advertising the product will be advertised will the help of posters on small stores. Radio will also be used as an alternative to television for delivering the message across to a wide number of audiences. The other means of promotion that we propose for the new brand is through sales promotions. Consumer promotion techniques such as free samples can be introduced to encourage trial as this can be effective for brand extension (Jobber Fahy, 2006). In the case of Minerva Brilhar we will sell 20g of free sample with the purchase of each pack of any flavour. The final step of promotion for our brand will be through sponsorship. Considering the popularity of football in Brazil we propose that the sponsorship be in the form of a football match played by four teams namely Minerva, Minerva Brilhar Alfazema, Minerva Brilhar Cà ­trico and Minerva Brilhar Coco. We will encourage the North Eastern locals to participate in the match.This will indeed create an awareness among the minds of the consumers.There will also be wet demos of the product at the end of the match for consumers to visualise the features of the product.Radio shall also be used inorder to promote the event. 5.4 Distribution strategy: The final part of the jigsaw is the distribution,the place element of the marketing mix.Products must be available in adequate quantities, in convienent locations and at times when customers want to buy them.According to Jobber and Fahy,distribution channel is the means by which products are moved from producer to end consumer (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 285).Choosing the most effective marketing channel is as crucial aspect of a marketing strategy. 5.41 COMPONENTS OF DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY: All products require a channel for distribution. There are various channels of distributions. The most difficult decision is to decide which channel of distribution to choose. The distribution strategy comprises of three components namely channel selection, distribution intensity and channel integration. Channel selection: The main challenge for Unilever was that they lacked a strong distribution network in NE part of Brazil (Jobber Fahy, 2006, p. 134).This makes it indeed difficult for a product that is new to the market to position itself well. Keeping the practicality of the situation in mind, to establish a strong distribution channel for Minerva Brilhar would be to get access to as many specialised distributors as possible for the product to be recognised in the market. By keeping the channel length short, we will be able to cater to the mark up price of distributors. Distribution intensity: The distribution intensity for Minerva Brilhar will be intensive as it essential for the product to reach the 75,000 small outlets spread over the North East. The product should be easily accessible or else the purpose of creating a brand extension is defeated. 6. CONCLUSION: Prahalad Hart (2002) in an article state an interesting statement that low income markets present a prodigious opportunity for the worlds wealthiest companies-to seek their fortunes and bring prosperity to the aspiring poor (Prahalad Hart, 2002). Unilevers own analysis of Nirma and HLLs competition in the detergent business reveals more about the profit potential of the marketplace at the bottom of the pyramid (Prahalad Hart, 2002).This theory is widely known as the bottom of the pyramid theory. It is essential for an organisation to bear in mind that they must focus on low income consumer segments as value-demanding customers (Rajghatta, 2010). In relevance to the case at hand, Unilever can adopt the bottom of pyramid theory and develop products exclusively for the lower income segments wherein producing only cheap and low quality products must not be an ultimate goal. The company can earn immense profits if it rightly creates a good quality product with the value for money. The brand extension strategy as proposed should be the right decision for Unilever as it can provide a wide range of products with value for money to the customers. If Unilever adopts the bottom of the pyramid theory in the right fashion it surely will move towards the road of success.

Drugs - Does America Have a Future? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Does America Have a Future? Can you picture this? Children and teenagers suffer from irreversible brain damage. Children go to school high, if they even to go school at all. Crime rates soar to outrageous proportions. Businesses fail because of decreased productivity and increased absenteeism. Families break up because a parent is in prison. Courtrooms and prisons are overcrowded with criminals convicted of drug-related crimes. These scenes could reflect America in the future if drugs such as cocaine and marijuana are legalized. One argument for the legalization of drugs is that crime rates would be reduced. Former Surgeon General, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, stated on December 8, 1993, that "we could markedly reduce our crime rate if drugs were legalized." Her rationale is that drug users would not kill other people for drugs or drug money of drugs were legal. The logic is simple: if much of our growing crime rate is due to attempts by drug dealers to obtain and market drugs, and to attempts by addicts to obtain the money to buy their drugs at inflated prices, then legalizing drugs and controlling the cost would reduce the current crime rate. However, legalizing drugs would most likely increase the crime rate, not decrease it. A close look at the dynamics involved reveals that legalizing drugs would bring nothing but disaster for our future. First, legalizing drugs would promote further drug use. Current users would probably use drugs more often if they were legal, and people who do not currently use drugs might be tempted to try them for the same reasons. The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that two-thirds of Americans between the ages of twenty and forty have used illegal drugs in the past... ...If that were not enough, parents under the influence of drugs are simply unable to make logical decisions or give children the guidance they need. What will happen, then, if more parents were suddenly able to obtain drugs for their "recreational use," most often in their homes? With such disastrous effects, why would anyone believe that legalizing drugs would benefit this country? Even if one or two of these predictions turned out to be true, would we be better off than we are now? If drugs are legalized in this country, this country would rapidly deteriorate in the midst of the millions and millions of drug-using Americans. Crime rates would escalate, and individuals, families, and society would disintegrate. Drugs are already consuming America. The future of America looks even more dismal if drug use were further legalized and its use further condoned.

Girls who Cried Witch in The Crucible Essay -- Arthur Miller

In â€Å"The Crucible†, the author, Arthur Miller, conveys what he believes Senator Joe McCarthy is doing during the Red Scare. The Salem Witch Trials were true events, while this play uses these trials and adds a fictional twist to show a point. Witchcraft was punishable by death during this time. Once names started flying in town it was like a chain reaction, people were accusing others of witchcraft because they were not fond of them or they had something they wanted. Some definitions state mass hysteria as contagious, the characters in this play deemed it true. In this play, innocent people were hung because some of the girls in town cried witch. To start from the beginning, Abby, Tituba, and the girls were out in the forest one night, dancing, and were caught by Reverend Paris. Abby blamed Tituba for calling the Devil. Tituba then said it was not her, for there are many witches in the community. Tituba named some of the town’s women as witches. From here, Abby got the idea to accuse Elizabeth of being involved in witchcraft. In addition, the chain reaction of mass hysteri...

Illinois Employers Essay

The Illinois WARN reduces the number of employees required for an employer’s notification, which should be done 60 days advance, in case of layoffs or closing. It reduces from 100 (as set by the federal WARN) to not less than 75 full-time employees who has a combined working time of 4,000 hours or more per week. Also, 33% and at least 25 full-time employees or at least 250 full-time employees are required for mass lay offs which is half the requirement of the federal WARN. Other government officials must also be informed in case of reallocation. Noncompliance with the Act can be brought in the federal court by the concerned employees. COMMENT 1: Indeed, theses laws will have good impact in the community and may also decrease the unemployment rate. However, it will also trigger a fear on the side of the employer. Upon receiving a notice 60 days before the closing or lay off, the employees will surely look for a job. There, they may be times when the employees will leave their job even before the closing period once they find a new job. However, notification in such cases (closing or lay off and reallocation) will surely benefit the community will surely benefit the community as a whole for unemployment is sure to decrease. WARN really secures the employees interest by taking away the fear of being fired all of a sudden. Thus, employees will really feel secure as long WARN is in place since there is a law that protects their interest and work security. They are also more secure because noncompliance to the laws imposed by WARN can be brought to the federal court in which employers can be required to pay for the 60 days of non-notification. ESSAY 2 Almost all members of the community will be affected by the decision especially the smokers or costumers as well as the tobacco growers, manufacturers and the stores. The store has no obligation to not hurt tourism since every business is free to offer what product or services that they want provided that they didn’t violate the law. Neda does not set aside business ethics since even business ethics does not impose compulsory selling of tobacco. It is more like being responsible to the community since they aim to prevent lawsuits and criminal penalties due to unavoidable selling of tobacco to minors. COMMENT 1: Smokers and non-smokers are the ones that are truly affected by the decision to ban tobacco selling within the community. Neda does have the right to sell whatever she see fit thus, business ethics was not violated. Neda also have no responsibility on the tourism industry since what the decision she had made was meant for her own store only and not for the whole community. It just so happen that more and more agreed to her decision. However, there are times that business and personal ethics does not go hand in hand. There are times that in order to protect your personal ethics, you must violated business ethics and vice versa. Personal ethics is not a requirement of business ethics although most of the time, personally ethical are also business ethical. COMMENT 2: The stake holders that are mentioned are indeed the affected people by the decision. However, the most affected remains the consumers of the product, the smokers. They are the most affected because they are the ones that really depend on the use of the product. Regarding Neda’s decision, it is also right to say that both personal and business ethics had been taken for consideration. Another proof that showed that business ethics was also considered is that Neda protected not only the citizens but as well as the workers who are legally punished for selling tobacco on minors. It is also the concern of business ethics to ensure that their employees are doing legal jobs. Also, rather than decrease in tourism, the decision may also serve as a ground to increase tourism because of the good image that the community is able to portray. The tourists do not visit the community to smoke in the first place. It is also natural there are people that will accommodate those smokers who are suffering from the decision. Reference Craft, M. & Diljohn, J. (2005). New Illinois WARN Act Imposes Additional Requirements on Illinois Employers. Retrieved July 19, 2008 from http://library.findlaw. com/2005/Mar/10/163974. html Employment and Training Administration United States Department of Labor. (No Date). Workers Guide to Advance Notice of Closing and Layoffs. Retrieved July 19, 2008 from http://www. doleta. gov/layoff/pdf/WorkerWARN2003. pdf. Federwisch, A. (June 2006). Assessing for Ethics. Retrieved July 19, 2008 from http://www. scu. edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/business/assessing. html. White, Maj Gen Jerry. (1996). Personal Ethics Versus Professional Ethics. Retrieved July 19, 2008 from http://www. airpower. maxwell. af. mil/airchronicles/apj/apj96/sum96/white. html.

Individualism as an American Cultural Value Essay

American culture is often associated with some images related to general stereotypes such as assertiveness, optimism, boldness, a sense of enterprise, and a solid handshake. However, these characteristics are only general observations about the American society. Given this, the mentioned characteristics may be present to only some Americans and cannot be attributed to everyone. But there is one value that nearly every American possesses and that is individualism. In defining the American culture, individualism is the immediate concept that comes to mind. Because of this, â€Å"outsiders† like immigrants, foreigners or people from different backgrounds will have a difficult time to become accustomed with this kind of culture. In fact, in the early period, outsiders found it hard to adapt to the American value of individualism because of the differences in cultural values. The idea of a family often poses as the source for confusion or misunderstanding between cultures. In the US, bringing happiness to every family member is the main purpose of having a family. This can be carried out by giving each family member the right to express themselves and pursue their dreams and passions in life. However for other cultures, the emphasis on the achievement of an individual’s happiness without the help of the others may be perceived as rude or inappropriate. It could be a sign of disrespect or lack of love. But for many Americans, it is simply just an act of encouragement for a person to reach his or her utmost potential. For instance, a typical American would usually start to live independently after highs cool by going to college and living in campus dormitories. Also, Sponsol had a similar experience when he attended a summer camp for the East-West Center participants. One of the supervisors brought his wife and kids. The ten month old son of the supervisor acquired the most attention because of his cuteness so everyone wanted to play. During this interaction, the kid fell down and everyone tried to help him get up. But the parents became and asked the students to leave the kid alone who eventually got up on his own and stopped crying ( Sponsol 423). Moreover, privacy is definitely another aspect that an â€Å"outsider† would find unusual in the American culture. Majority of the American population value their privacy. It has been observed that most Americans just say hello and seldom pursue a conversation with other people. For â€Å"outsiders,† this can be a sign of being impolite particularly for those who grew in a setting wherein asking private questions are accepted. Because of this, many find it hard to be friends with Americans. Sponsol explained that in the book, Americans do not like to be asked in with private questions or pried on their personal affairs. For instance, asking questions like, How long have you been divorced? Or Are you going to marry a Thai again or American? Or How much do you earn? or How long have you been married? , can be recognized as an invasion of one’s privacy (421). A lot of people could experience having cultural shock when they visit the US for the very first time. As a result, it would be difficult for them to get used to the American culture. There are many reasons why this happens but cultural background plays a major role in drawing the line between the Americans and â€Å"outsiders. † Some may have a privileged life in their home lands but when they migrated to the US, they had to work in order to sustain their daily living. Furthermore, in the US culture, an individual has to be independent and hardworking to earn money in order to pay for the bills and other necessities such as food, home and education. In other cultures, some individuals do not have to work in order to survive because their parents are the ones taking care of their finances. It is very hard for an â€Å"outsider† to adapt and imbibe the American Culture. In the experience of Hanan Al-Shaykh, a Lebanese, she was filled with shock when she visited her sister in the US. Their family was accustomed to the good life in Lebanon but in the US, her sister lived a minimum wage earned. She felt pitiful for the living condition of her sister in the Land of Milk and Honey. Her sister even found it hard to get a job in the US even though she has a good educational background (Hanan 287). As a foreigner, I also experienced some difficult times in getting immersed and accustomed with American society and culture. In Saudi Arabia, my life was easier. In my native land, dependence to others is a common practice. For instance, my family employed helpers to take care of all our needs at home. Their duties mainly evolved on domestic chores such as cleaning clothes, cooking food and many others. Because of this, easy and carefree lifestyle, I had trouble adapting to the American culture when I moved there. I had to learn to look after myself wherein all the duties of our helpers back home, I had to them on my own in the US. Finally, because of the cultural values of the Americans, an â€Å"outsider† will find it hard or at least will need a longer time to adapt to theses values. Besides the assertiveness, optimism, boldness, a sense of enterprise, and a solid handshake, individualism will always be a crucial value of the Americans that will aid in developing and achieving their dreams and passion.