Discrimination with “A House on Mango Street” Essay

In the society of today, discrimination and other similar ideas are not suppressed so that they are free to roam our cities, states, countries, and finally the whole world. Still, different sides of the world have different types of discriminations. There are some about animals, race, etc. But the worst possible is discrimination against the opposite sex; cause then those people would be against about 50 percent of the world’s population of humans. So, those who oppose this would try to show the world that the idea of sexism is wrong, and Sandra Cisneros is one of then. She indirectly discusses it in a book, â€Å"House on Mango Street.† This book, â€Å"The House on Mango Street† by Sandra Cisneros, showed feminism and machismo in the Latino culture. For example, I quote, â€Å"I thought I would because he was so old and just as I was about to put my lips on his cheek, he grabs my face with both hands and kisses me hard on the mouth and doesn’t let go.†(p.55) In this quote, the man, who represents the machismo side, tries to take control of Esperanza, which is in the feminism side. This shows an example for power between each other and the thought that the sexes are unequal, unbalanced, and that the male side has more power. For, is the man in the story didn’t think that he could kiss Esperanza and get away with it because he has the right to do so, then he wouldn’t have done so. Just because the society that Esperanza lives in believe that women have no right in the governments or any other part of the society than to care for the family that she lives in and nothing else. So, taking the machismo’s side, first of all I think that it is wrong and that all people are on the same level of equality, its just that some prove themselves more valuable to others so that they have more power in the real world but no person has power over another person. Women’s rights is another important idea of discriminations. An example from this book would be, â€Å"Then Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much, gets locked indoor because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at.†(p.79) In this part of the story, the one on the feminism side is being locked up and prevented from doing what she wants to do. In my point of view, plus my previous experiences, I know that no one likes to be locked up and not enjoy  the joy while is possible to do so. Also, it affects how the affected person would respond to others when they are free because they would have never even touched the real world. It would have both physical and mental effects. In addition to that, the women shouldn’t be locked up and more they are limited, the more they would be afraid of the world outside and surrounding them. But, even though most women who are locked up in their own house would be afraid of the world outside, in the very inside, there would be a place where they are longing to transform the musty air they breath to fresh. The dull and bitter papaya and coconut juice would then change into sugar and bubbly drinks. All these would be incomplete without some equality in this society and world. There are places for everyone in this world, but sometimes there are a few people who will never know where they fit. These people are ignored and need places to belong to. For example, Esperanza needs a home of her own because the house she is living in now brings her and her family shame. In the hierarchy of needs, love and caring is one of the parts in it and when the hierarchy is incomplete, there would be problems and disorders. These women who are fighting hard not only for freedom, but also their lives, and they are least likely to succeed when the opposite sex are constantly harassing them and don’t make them feel that they belong. Some strong willed ones would find a way to escape their treacherous would, but that does not work for every abused woman. As a result, the men would give the women so hard of a time to live their lives that they would even fear to even think about escaping their present life. They are why equality must be achieved throughout the world. All that is done and said, there is only one thing left to do. Words may change people’s thoughts and ideas, but words without action is just like living on a deserted island, no point in doing so. That is why we must bring words and actions together to fight discrimination back to where it came from. Words alone would only give a new idea and would not change the world. Action alone would result in only hurting people. Still, words alone, like Martin Luther King or Caesar Chavez, would succeed, but it would take more time and the â€Å"inactive† people would suffer before the world changes. All that is asked is that ideas of how discriminations should be public so that everyone would know how the majority of the population feels and some or even all would change their ideas about how to treat one another and finally achieve equality. It is all about how in which perspective the ideas are seen. It would take a long and grueling process, but the rewards are always better than what is lost.

Girl’s dancing Essay

The failure of Parris to determine a cause for the girl’s dancing leads to another key character, Reverend Hale of Beverly. From the moment he enters the act, he is portrayed as a man of arrogance and over confidence. Yet, he seems embarrassed when Proctor praises him, contradicting his exterior demeanor. In the early course of the play, Hale is a force behind the conviction of so-called ‘witches’ and he is continually probing people to confess. Like most of the other characters in the play, Hale himself is also afraid of the unknown, despite his ‘experience’ with incidents of this kind in the past. He remarks that no matter what religious status an individual may occupy, they may still be accused of dealing with the devil. In a clear contrast to the beginning of the play he appears uncertain if the girls are telling the truth, but is reluctant to show his suspicions until the very end of the play. Tragically, his suspicions are told too late, as the trials no longer remain in his hands. His reluctance to speak what he actually believed in condemned many more people, which means that Hale is a key figure in showing how innocent people can be convicted and ‘murdered’ so easily by the girls. John Proctor plays the most prominent role in the play, as Arthur Miller gradually brings him into the affray as more and more people become convicted, one of whom is his wife, Elizabeth. Proctor is regarded as a strong figure in the society of Salem, yet his past life continues to haunt him however, as he has committed the sin of adultery with none other than Abigail Williams herself before the play. Once the trials begin, Proctor realises he can stop Abigail’s rampage through Salem, if he confesses to his sin of adultery. This would ruin his reputation in the society, so he is reluctant to confess. This likens Proctor to Reverend Parris at this stage, as he they are both intent on keeping their good reputations. Towards the end of the play however, this changes as Proctor is prepared to lose his reputation by confessing to adultery and finding the truth. His confession arrives too late however, as the matters in the court have gone too far. This now likens him to Reverend Hale, as both of them form an invisible alliance in the courtroom, as both know that Abigail is manipulating the judges and is clearly lying. Proctor is also portrayed as an ‘un-Christian’ being in the mind of the court when Hale questions him about his Christianity. This lack of religious belief in him is a key factor in the court proceedings once Proctor is brought before them. However Miller creates sympathy with the 20th century audience for Proctor by creating hostility towards other characters. The sympathy is also shown at the end of the play when Proctor refuses to give up his name in order to establish the truth. This gives the audience the impression that Proctor is a man of integrity and is willing to give up everything for the truth. Judge Danforth is the key figure in the condemnation of the accused persons. He is, like Parris, portrayed as a man intent on keeping his reputation rather than finding the truth. He enters the play as the trials begin, having no background knowledge of what has gone on in the society before the trials involving Proctor and Abigail, and has no knowledge of people’s ways of thinking and attitudes towards others. These factors ultimately are the main reasons why people are convicted in Danforth’s court, and not because of witchcraft. During the court case in act three involving Proctor and Abigail, all the truthful evidence that Proctor gives against Abigail is ignored by Danforth, as he is easily distracted by Abigail’s lies. This shows that Danforth and the court’s justice is flawed. The flawed justice of the court is another clear reason of how Salem’s society is able to convict people so easily. He also expects people to side with the court by saying: ‘ †¦ A person is either with this court or against it. ‘ This shows that if you were against the court then you would be persecuted. During the case, his justice is frequently questioned, which angers him, as he is not used to having his justice questioned.. Danforth’s belief in the truth fluctuates, as there are points where he begins to doubt Abigail’s story such as where he ‘studies Abigail for a minute’. However, to wash away all of Danforth’s doubts Abigail pretends to have ‘visions’. This works on every occasion, and therefore proves that the court’s justice is again flawed if it can be manipulated so easily by a mere 17-year-old Christian girl on a quest for love. The cause many people would believe of the outpouring of accusations and convictions in Salem would be Abigail Williams, but the detail that surrounds the events is immense. There are many different key figures surrounding the deaths and all play a large part in the events that took place after the ‘dancin’ occurred.

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Personal Statement - Essay Example I had the great opportunity to work at Glorysky Group and Macau Natural Gas, both of which have provided me with intensive training as well as a valuable opportunity to implement my skills and knowledge from my studies. I conducted research in the global energy market and compiled regular reports regarding energy price fluctuation, which I presented to the group’s executive managers. My research has provided my supervisor with credible information about various topics, ranging from price volatility to anticipated profits due to fluctuations in international LNG demand. Furthermore, I was involved in the provision of risk-hedging strategies to Macau Natural Gas, mainly on interest rates and exchange rates, which are the company’s major concern. My research and strategy has contributed valuably to future funding plans, as well as to discovering the best market opportunities. These experiences contribute majorly to my research proposal. Furthermore, to ascertain competence in this field, which lies outside my economics curriculum, I have endeavored to gain some additional qualifications more relevant to the field of risk management. For this purpose, I studied and passed the Professional Risk Manager (PRMTM ) designation. To enhance skills on the same, I have studied and passed the Chartered Financial Analysis Program (CFA), level 1 and the Financial Risk Manager Program (FRM), level 1. These external studies are achievements that distinguish me from the other candidates; since a significant amount of extra time and effort has been invested in gathering academic knowledge as well as work experience. Initially, choosing my focus of research between agriculture and energy presented quite a challenge for me, since these are currently the two most forthcoming scarcity issues concerning economists. I have confirmed, however, that my interest is greatly biased towards energy rather than the alternative, as I discovered after traveling the world. Additional ly, â€Å"Oil on the Brain† by Lisa Margonelli was a true inspiration for me. She indicated that studying a subject is beyond the scope of simply reading text from books and that personal experience is equally important. Fortunately, I have friends and relatives scattered in various industries across the globe, and thus, I was able to gain exceptional access to restricted mining sites to explore the exciting scenes. In particular, Lisa Margonelli mentioned some of the scenes in her books; sights that could get anyone amazed and completely addicted. My trip to Alberta last year was only the start of my journey. The joint venture of Macau Natural Gas and Sinopec will grant me unlimited access to various energy plant sites in Asia, particularly Mainland China, which will thus be my plan for this year. Furthermore, I believe that I have comprehended my weakness explicitly, which makes my progression to graduate studies essential. My major techniques for measuring price prediction s are through econometrics and mathematical modeling, while employing specific programs, making it limited yet efficient. MSc Economics was also vital to intensify my econometrics modeling. Furthermore, having a better understanding in macroeconomics provided me with a bigger picture of the world economy and with sophisticated quantitative skills. An MSc in Finance on the other hand provided me with the better

Criminal Justice and Deviance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Justice and Deviance - Coursework Example Political influence for material leads to bribery, extortion, and kickbacks in the society. For instance, the Watergate scandal in America history illustrated the web of affairs between the political class and organized crime in addition to dirty politics affects citizens’ welfare. In view of this, public funds were lost through unscrupulous payment, for instance in the Watergate scandal, President Reagan ex-GSA appointee and his associates received a total of 2.3 million dollars through the sale of tax credits for a HUD-sponsored project (Simon, 2008). The interrelationship between the political elite with political clout is a fundamental constituent in upholding deviance, in that corporation persuade law makers to make certain that their actions escape criminalization and rigorous sanctions. The use of unfair means to gain and maintain power is also synonymous to political clout because, both distort democracy by disrupting, national unity in addition to destroying freedom. Political power is meant for national building (Bharathi, 1998). 2. Chapters 7 & 9 of Elite Deviance explore many type of political deviance in the US. What can be done to curtail the many types of deviance discussed? Political policing is one of the methods, which can be used to curtail political deviance. Civil societies have undertaken the role of political policing in the government for many years in American and across the globe, by advocating for citizens civil engagement in issues affecting their existence, such as allocation of funds and social equality. The political deviance of secrecy, lying and deception bestowed to politicians especially presidents and vice presidents through executive powers can be curtailed through cutback of executive privileges and immunity to president on leaving office or while in office. This is because presidential immunity allows presidents and other high-ranking politicians to withhold crucial information from the public, the court system, and the legislature such as Congress and senate, which may be crucial to national security. For example, General M. Taylor refused to appear before the House Subcommittee on Defense Application to give information regarding the Bay of Pigs offensive in 1963 (Simon, 2008). Other political deviances like abuse of power by government agencies, war crimes, official violence, political prisoners, and international crimes can be curtailed through imprisonment of the culprits after their rein in power or impeachment of sitting presidents (Hodge & Nolan, 2007). 3. If marijuana were to be legalized in the US with 3 years, would a stigma be associated with its use? Legalization of marijuana would not attract stigma in its users, because its current use in America is widespread despite being illegal. Statistics indicate that marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance under the illicit drugs category. In addition, the drug is relatively socially acceptable as compared to other illicit d rugs such as cocaine and heroin (Husak & De Marneffe, 2005). The social stigma associated with marijuana use would be curtailed by the fact that, at present some states in America have legalized its use for medicinal purpose, hence a marijuana user would support his or her use through the medical facts currently offered. A cultural movement of cannabis enthusiastic called 420 has made cannabis smoking relatively social

Operating strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operating strategies - Assignment Example It is also playing an integral roll in problem in problem solving, implementation and knowledge building to build durable trust based relation ship. And also do your best for superior quality and unique impact. Serve all clients as firm clients by influencing our scale and global network of knowledge resources. Also try to develop and broadcast world class research practice. Try to manage client and firm resources in cost effective manner too. If you want to make any kind of reputation and want your company brand as a standard than you have to deliver best of the firm to each and every client. These strategies also give publicity to your product as a standard one. Al ways try to develop and excite your people through a great active learner ship and make bigger, industrial opportunities. Always promote the wide ranging working atmosphere. And also support the compulsion to be descent to work. Respect the responsibility of individuals for balancing professional and private life and also showing care and consulate for every individual. 4. Govern Yourself Through a Partnership Based on Some Values: Always live by the principles of a concerned partner ship and benefit from individual freedom and take for granted the responsibility of mutual accountability and self governance. And always operate as single form. Operating Strategies in Immediate Staffing Group: Operating strategies should be very unique regarding immediate staffing issues for production of new product. The new generation of product will involve the new technologies that are not known by many current engineers. We mean to say that for the production of new generation we need a persons having command in all aspects that are

Discussion of the problems in monetary control that the Bank of Essay

Discussion of the problems in monetary control that the Bank of England faces - Essay Example The second issue is exogeneity. This is because existing models of money demand have traditionally treated explanatory variables in theoretical money demand functions as exogenously given (or determined elsewhere). However, consistent estimates of the parameters of the money demand functions are easy to be retrieved (Thomas 1997, p.2). Thomas (1997, p.46) also found out that increases in the stock of money have a strong short-term impact on consumption which conquers the effects of real interest rates. Despite that money is treated as an indicator of economic circumstances facing households, households' response to a variety of economic shocks is a complex dynamic interaction of money, credit and expenditure that interpretation of these shocks' effects on broad money cannot be simply made. As Thomas' study results suggest that there is a strong interaction between personal sector holdings of M4 and consumption, factoring consumption patterns into money demand and supply determination may ease the problem on monetary control. Another solution to the problem is the use of the Divisia money concept.

Exercise #1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exercise #1 - Coursework Example To humans, in accordance with CDC, the farms practicing intensive rearing expose the workers to adverse health risks (Greger & Koneswaran, 2010). Such workers may develop certain conditions as skeletal or muscular injuries, chronic and acute lung complications, and infections like tuberculosis that are transmitted form animals to people. In addition to that, consumers endure the most of farmer activity when consuming the final product. When the farmers use pesticides to avert losses from pets, the chemicals in these pesticides cause health problems to the consumers of such products. Large numbers of animals contribute to environmental degradation. Pesticides and fertilizers applied in the growth of animal feeds cause environmental pollution. These effluents pollute water and soil resources (Mitloehner & Schenker, 2007). Manure waste and agrochemicals degrade the air, while large numbers of animals put a strain on the limited energy and water resources. Ethically, factory farming is not a defensible practice. Greger, M., & Koneswaran, G. (2010). The Public Health Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations on Local Communities.  Family & Community Health,  33(1), 11-20.

Law and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Law and Ethics - Essay Example em came into existence; however, due to objections raised by certain citizens, the courts gave their verdict against these religious practices and forbade schools to continue with daily prayers. It is difficult to agree with the statement in the sense that religion is everyone’s personal belief and schools should not foster any particular religious idea among students particularly when the US constitution has granted a full freedom of faith to all its citizens. This simply means that separating church from the school education was indeed a necessity to secure a freedom of expression of the people as their fundamental right as provided in the US constitution. At least until 1962, the regular school prayers were common but while delivering its judgment in the case of Engel versus Vitale, the Supreme Court called it unconstitutional. The Supreme Court took its view citing the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and declared that the reciting prayer in the school is an unconstitutional act. The Establishment Clause ensures that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". The makers of the constitution had introduced the First Amendment, especially to prevent majority thrusting their opinions on others and the school prayers tended to do so. The Supreme Court further added that neither the nondenominational character nor the voluntary nature of school prayers can protect the schools from violating the Establishment clause. Through the case of Murray versus Curlett, the Supreme Court put an end to the prayer recitation practices in the public schools. The Fourteenth Amendment ensures that no state can ever make or enforce any law that results into taking away the privileges and rights given to all Americans. In the landmark decision, the Supreme Court declared that prayer recitation practices were in direct violation of the fundamental rights – "the freedom of religion† provided in the

How do the benedictine oblates enable the witness of Monastic Essay

How do the benedictine oblates enable the witness of Monastic Spirituality to be expressed in secular society - Essay Example The Benedictine vocation is not carried out primarily by cloistered, celibate monastics. The vast majority of Benedictines in our age are oblates, married men and women from many different Catholic Churches. The spiritual values embodied by the age-old Benedictine monastic tradition is today dispersed among people of the modern society by those chosen few — whose numbers nonetheless are on sharp rise — who have found their calling in the way shown by St. Benedict barely a few centuries after Jesus Christ. Benedictine oblates today represent a promising movement of bringing forth lofty spiritual principles out into the open and amalgamating them into our everyday humdrum existence. This they do by virtue of their thought, word and deed being permeated by the spirit of Christ. : Faith is like love, a very personal and intimate matter. It has a profound beauty and sublimity that cannot be so easily understood by cool rationality. The values and principles that Benedictine monks and oblates cherish and uphold can be best understood from the point of view of deep empathy. This point can be illustrated by a simple example. Some anthropologists study primitive tribes as if they were strange creatures steeped in a culture of ignorance. More mature anthropologists, on the other hand, often try to identify with the subjects of their study, by mingling and living with them, by becoming almost like one of them, by trying to look at the world from their eyes. Benedictine culture and tradition too ought to be ideally studied in the latter manner. 1. Oblates in the Context of Modern Society The Benedictine vocation is not carried out primarily by cloistered, celibate monastics. The vast majority of Benedictines in our age are oblates, married men and women from many different Catholic Churches. Benedictine oblates are lay persons affiliated with a Benedictine abbey or monastery who strive to direct their lives, as circumstances permit, according to the spirit and Rule of St. Benedict. (Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac 2005, p.490). While yet living "in the world," as ordinary members of society, they join themselves spiritually to a particular Benedictine community and seek to observe in the particular circumstances of their lives the important aspects of the Rule of St. Benedict. In the recent years, there has been a renewed interest among laymen and laywomen in associating themselves with religious communities as oblates or members of secular 'third orders'. Oblates do not take monastic vows but choose to live in close connection to a monastery, while integrating the spirit of the monastic rule into their daily lives. Groups of such "secular oblates" have in fact multiplied today in various forms. The term 'third order' generally has been a category for laity who seek to follow a way of life in the world but under the inspiration and spiritual guidance of a canonically approved religious institute.(Seasoltz, 2003, p.248). These groups often are the lay counterpart of particular religious orders. The First Order of the community was its professed male members, the Second Order, the professed female members, and the Third Order, the nonprofessed male and female affiliates (Wynne, 1988, p.164). People of these third orders seek to deepen their Christian life an d apostolic commitment in association with and according to the spirit of various religious institutes. Considerable numbers of people, most of them lay people with family and work commitments and with many involvements which keep them busy, are today turning to the monastic tradition. The main reason for this is perhaps that in monastic approach to life, in its essence though not in the outer form, they are finding practical help in making the ordinary and the everyday life a way to a higher reality. Monastic tradition began as a lay movement, and remained so until its intertwining with priesthood much later on

Happy Days Essay Example for Free

Happy Days Essay Remember that old television show Happy Days?† Well, when I was in the fifth grade I remember thinking, My family is like ‘Happy Days’. We were happy and there was plenty of laughter and love to go around. Furthermore, like the television show, there were plenty of struggles and some kind of dilemma to solve before the night was over. No matter the problems the day may have brought, I always went to bed feeling happy, safe, and loved. Unlike the majority of kids in my fifth-grade class with broken homes, I just knew that my parents would be together forever. After reading Bradshaw on: The Family by John Bradshaw, I can see now that I may not have had a perfect family. My mom and dad got married in 1962 when she was just 16 and my dad was 23. She was in high school and he was in the Marines when they met, fell in love, and got married. My dad got out of the Marines just before the Vietnam War and went to work for Union Pacific Railroad. They were married two years before they decided to start having kids. My brother Shawn was born first, then me, and last but definitely not least, my little brother Bobby. We were all two years apart. We grew up in a small house on five acres out in the country. There, my mom had plenty of room for her horses and my dad had plenty of room to groom my brothers into great athletes and dirt bike racers. We were like the average all-American family. We were taught to be proud of our country, to respect our elders and to do as we were told. We enjoyed sports, picnics, the drive-in movies, walks on the beach and trips to Disneyland. We would get together with family friends to barbeque every Fourth of July and set off fireworks. We went camping every summer. We flew kites in March when the wind would start to blow and waited up for Santa to come every Christmas Eve. We watched the ball drop with Dick Clark on television every New Years Eve. Sometimes on the weekends my parents spent time with friends playing cards and dancing while us kids played board games and watched movies in another room. As far as we knew or were concerned, we were the perfect family. In his younger days, my dad looked just like Buddy Holly. He was passionate, loving and hot tempered but would do anything for anyone. He never met a stranger and went out of his way to make a friend wherever he went. He was that guy whom the neighbors would seek out if they needed help with something. My mom was beautiful. She looked like a cross between Sophia Lauren and Jackie Onassis. She had a great sense of humor, was easy going, mild-mannered and could be very stubborn at times. She was nice but unlike my dad, she enjoyed keeping to herself and didnt go out of her way to talk to people. My mom and dad did argue sometimes. Dad would usually yell, but they always worked it out. They both worked hard to provide the best of everything for my brothers and myself. My parents taught us that it was important to work hard and to put pride into whatever job you may be doing, whether it be cleaning toilets or flying a plane. Do your job as if you were doing it for Jesus, is what my dad u sed to say. My dad was the kind of dad who wanted his kids to be the best at everything, especially my oldest brother Shawn. He was always one of the coaches on Shawns baseball and football teams. And of course, Shawn was a great athlete. He was a pitcher in baseball and a quarterback in football and a national champion in flat track motorcycle racing. Bobby was really the more talented of the two, but for some reason, my dad put way more time and energy into my oldest brother Shawn. Bobby was kind of over looked. He always used to tell Shawn that he had to set a good example for his brother and sister. And he did. Shawn got straight As all through school, excelled in sports, and became quite successful in his business career as a project manager in an electrical engineering firm. I can see now that my brother Shawn was encouraged to play the rigid role of â€Å"Hero.† â€Å"Another child will take the role of Saint and Hero, becoming a straight-A student, president of his class and winn ing honors. This person gives the family a sense of dignity† (Bradshaw 33). In a healthy family there may be roles being played but they are flexible and changing. It is dysfunctional for one person to play a rigid role such as â€Å"Hero† and that is what was going on with Shawn. I dont think my family was drastically dysfunctional, or that we really needed to have a hero, but for some reason, my dad felt we needed one. By putting so many demands on my brother to be perfect, he took away his freedom to think, feel, to take risks, and to be his true self. This was a form of the Poisonous Pedagogy (Bradshaw 7) that Bradshaw talks about. â€Å"Children are considered ‘good when they think and behave the way they are taught to think and behave† (Bradshaw 7). This was exactly my dad’s way of thinking. He drilled that into us as children. I think my dad really meant well and wanted us to succeed in life. Even though he drilled this success talk into us, he was still kind and did always encourage us and tell us good things about ourselves. One way he demonstrated this was every morning he would wake me up and sing these words to me â€Å"Hey did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world (Charlie Rich)†. It’s funny, I find myself singing to my boys in the morning, and sometimes they get so irritated, just like I used to. I bet someday they will sing to their children in the morning. My mom was really a great mom. She went on all the field trips during my elementary school days. I was always so proud because she was really pretty, and all the boys wanted to sit next to her on the bus during the field trips. She was a hard worker. She worked at the walnut factory during walnut season, often working 10-hour days, and seven days a week. All the while, she would get up early to make us breakfast, and to be sure we had everything we needed for school that day. She was not perfect though. When things would get crazy, and we would argue and fight as most kids do, she would often threaten to leave town and run away. Sometimes she would tell us to go ahead and kill each other or ask us how we would like it if we lived in an orphanage. She would then leave to her room to escape and go lay down. It worked when we were little, but after a few years, we knew that was mom’s way of saying enough. She would often say â€Å"you guys are driving me crazy; you are going to put me in the nuthouse!† I do not think Bradshaw would say that these were effective ways of communicating he would refer to these as â€Å"cause and effect distortions† (Bradshaw 56). This simply means that her statement about driving her crazy is wrong, it is impossible to â€Å"drive† someone crazy. It was, however, better than beating us. One of my favorite memories of my mom is how she would tuck us in every night at bedtime, kiss us softly on the forehead and say our prayers with us; this made me feel so loved and safe. Growing up I could tell my mom anything, and she would not lecture me, she usually just quietly listened. Even though my mother had an ineffective way of communicating, we did end up having a wonderful relationship and became the best of friends. I moved a few hours away from my parents and my mom, and I still would talk on the phone every other day or so. Until she passed away, my mom never missed any of my boys first days of school or any of their sporting events. My younger brother Bobby was the cutest little boy ever created. He actually looked like a little cherub, with blond loose curly hair, big blue eyes, long eyelashes and dimples. My little brother was cute for a reason. That guy could find trouble like no one else and get out of it because of his charming cuteness. We used to joke that he must be like a cat and have nine lives, he was always getting hurt. I spent a lot of time bandaging him up. Now that I look back, I think he was always trying to keep up or compete with his older brother, going full force, not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Bobby was magnetic, and everyone loved him. Bobby did grow up feeling like second best and used to confide in me that he felt like the black sheep of the family. I can see how my dads dysfunctional obsessed relationship with my older brother made him feel that way, for I used to feel the same way too. I do believe that Bradshaw would probably say that Bobby was acting out the scapegoat role (Bradshaw 33), trying to get attention any way he could. Bobby went through some rough patches in his lifetime but with therapy and a lot of hard work, he was able to get straightened out and found his true identity. He still enjoyed living life on edge but this time it wasnt because he wanted my fathers approval or disapproval. He lived life with joy and for himself. Sadly, my brother passed away two years ago while on a mission trip for an orphanage in Mexico. He was struck while riding his motorcycle head-on by a watermelon truck. I can definitely say that in his last few years, he loved life and lived it well and to its fullest. I was the classic middle child. I spent a lot of my time trying to make everyone happy and keeping the peace. I was the middle child just as Bradshaw described, â€Å"Second children naturally relate to the emotional maintenance needs of the system† (Bradshaw 35). I could always sense what people in my family needed, and it made me feel good to help. When my brother would get in trouble with my dad he would call me to help patch things over. I could always tell when my mom needed a shopping or lunch date to vent about her frustrations with dad. I could usually cheer my family up or make things better. I was and still am an eternal optimist. I was tall, thin and tomboyish growing up. I was often told that someday, when I grew up and into those long legs, I would be beautiful. Heck, I wanted to be beautiful now! Oh well, I was good at sports and enjoyed playing whatever was in season with my brothers. All of us enjoyed trying to out run, jump and play the others. There was always some sort of friendly competition going on. I played softball on a team one year and really enjoyed it. My moms friend signed me up and took me to all the practices and games. We won first place that year. My mom worked a lot during softball season, but she still was able to make it to most of my games. Sadly; my dad never came to any of them. I have no idea why I didnt play after that one year, I really liked playing softball. I think because by that time most of my parent’s free time was consumed with my dad and older brothers new interest in dirt bikes and racing. They traveled to different towns to race on the weekends. I enjoyed it sometimes but most of the time I stayed with my grandma. The time I spent with her was a blessing. She would read to me every night. She taught me my time tables, how to make yummy pies and most importantly she told me that I was special. My grandma taught me that God loves everyone the same, no matter who you are or what you d o. She took me to church on Sundays, where I learned other valuable lessons. I learned to be forgiving and how to treat others. I truly believe that everyone should grow up with that kind of love. The kind that you know you can do or be anything, and if you fail you are still special, loved and welcome. I know Bradshaw would have given my grandma an A for helping me to create solid self-esteem in myself. She allowed me the freedom to be me, the freedom to choose, feel, and take chances. No matter what, she would love me for being me. Bradshaw lists the five freedoms and says, â€Å"These freedoms amount to full self-esteem and self-integration† (Bradshaw and Satir 53). This means that when a person is free to be themselves without fear of persecution or rejection they will feel good about themselves and be able to relate to others and the world in a better way. Instead of attending the small farm town elementary school down the road from where I grew up, my parents chose for my brothers and I to be bused to a brand new cultural arts school in the middle of a predominantly African-American neighborhood. At first, it was kind of strange being one of the only few little white girls in class, but it didn’t take long before I fit right in. During that period in time, in the early 70s, integration in schools was being encouraged and my parents thought that we would get a well-rounded education at this new school. My parents sincerely did a considerable job in instilling the importance of a good education in us kids. I got a great education there and learned about many different cultures, which was truly interesting. I also became close friends with a diverse group of people. I graduated high school in 1985 and moved with some friends to Lompoc, California. We held many odd jobs like babysitting and working in clothing stores. The most interesting was our job at a celery packing plant. We were the only two English-speaking people in the plant besides the boss. I learned a lot from those women there, especially about good Mexican food. I ended up moving back home and my parents were pretty happy about that. A week or so later my dad introduced me to my younger brothers best friend, he said, â€Å"Hey Chris, I would like you to meet your future husband.† Oh, my gosh, Yea right! I wanted to kill my dad, how embarrassing. There was no way I was ever going to date a guy younger than me, not cool. He was kind of cute, and after a few months of this guy hanging around staring at me, I decided to ask him out on a date. A year later we were married. My dad may be kind of corny, but he is pretty cool in my eyes for knowing that Lee was the guy for me. My husband Lee is a very patient, kind and loving man. He understands me and allows me to be my true self. We bring out the best in each other. I grew up into a confident, positive, mature person with solid self-esteem. â€Å"The mature person is emotionally free and can choose to move near without anger or absorption, and move away without guilt† (Bradshaw 44). I do feel that I am bonded to my family, yet free to be myself and have my own identity. It did take some work to get over some of the resentment that I had toward my father and older brother. I have a great relationship with both now. And my mom was my best friend up until she passed away twelve years ago from brain cancer. My mom and dad set an amazing example of how to love each other and how to work through problems and not ever give up or never go to bed mad. I do believe that no family is perfect. All people are flawed. Therefore, all families are flawed. I do agree with Bradshaw in that love is a decision, and it takes work and good communication to make a functional marriage. â€Å"A good relationship is based on committed love. It’s not some maudlin feeling-it’s a decision† (Bradshaw 51). I married my best friend, Lee, when I was 21. We have three loving, talented, and well-adjusted sons. After reading Bradshaw on: the Family, I see now that my family growing up was a bit dysfunctional. My parents never elaborated on how they were raised. They never spoke ill words about their parents so I am not sure of the dysfunction they may have experienced in growing up. I am pleased with the way I turned out and still have fond memories of my â€Å"Happy Days† family. Works Cited Bradshaw, John. Bradshaw on the Family: A New Way of Creating Solid Self-esteem. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, 1996. Print. Rich, Charlie. The Most Beautiful Girl. Charlie Rich. Rec. Dec. 1973. Sun Records, 1973. Vinyl recording. Satir, Virginia. Conjoint Family Therapy. 3rd ed. Palo Alto: Science and Behavior, 1983. Print.

Resistance And Electrical Conductivity Environmental Sciences Essay

Resistance And Electrical Conductivity Environmental Sciences Essay Electrical currents are routinely harnessed and transmitted via interconnected wires. The purpose of this research is to identify factors commonly responsible for affecting the resistance of current, or flow of electricity, across a wire in an electrical circuit. Some factors will need to be identified and investigated prior to experimentation. A basic understanding of electrical circuits and resistance is required for successful completion of this project. In order to create an electric circuit, a path must be constructed to allow electrons to continuously move, or flow, across a medium. The movement of electrons is called the current. The medium used to conduct the electron transfer is called a conductor. The difference or potential difference in electrical charges in the circuit is called voltage. Voltage is the measure of the force between two pots. When electrons move through conductors they often encounter friction which is called resistance. As with voltage, resistance is a measurement between to points and does not have meaning outside of those two points. A conductor with low resistance is considered a good conductor and a conductor with high resistance is considered a bad conductor (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Because copper atoms have only one electron in their outer shell they tend to share electrons easily and allow an electrical charge to move through them with little resistance. Because of these properties copper is a good conductor (http://www.webelements.com). Free electrons tend to move through conductors with some degree of friction, or opposition to motion. This opposition to motion is more properly called resistance. The amount of current in a circuit depends on the amount of voltage available to motivate the electrons, and also the amount of resistance in the circuit to oppose electron flow. Just like voltage, resistance is a quantity relative between two points. For this reason, the quantities of voltage and resistance are often stated as being between or across two points in a circuit. Resistance is the property of a conductor that inhibits or restricts the flow of electricity through it. Good conductors are associated with low resistance and high energy transference. Poor conductors are associated with low current and higher resistance (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this experiment is: the resistance to an electrical current should increase in relation to the length of the conductor. The resistance should be proportionally higher for the 60cm length of wire than it is for a 10cm length of wire. Prior research indicates that the resistance of the 60cm length should be 6 times that of the 10cm length. Earlier studies indicate that resistance will increase with length because resistance is proportional to length (www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694). Project Plan/Problem Statement Does the length of the conductor affect the flow of electricity? If it does, in what way? Resistance to an electrical current should increase in proportion to the length of the conductor. The resistance should be considerably higher for the 60cm length than it is for the 10cm length. Theoretically the resistance for the 60cm length should be 6 times that of the 10cm length. The reason for this was explained earlier. Resistances are just added together in a series circuit so having a long length of wire will just be the same as having 2 lengths of wire half the size. Resistance will increase with length. Resistance is proportional to length (www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694). The mathematical formula for the relationship between two points, as described by Ohms Law, being directly proportional to the voltage across the points and inversely proportional to the resistance between them is expressed mathematically as: (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Or graphically as: (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). This science project will be used to test the length of an assortment of wires to determine how characteristic of length affects electrical conductivity. The electrons jump from atom to atom in the metal in response to the electric field in the circuit (http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm). Research tells us that copper has more free electrons than many other materials and should conduct electricity relatively freely (http://www.webelements.com/). The dependent variable for this project is the amount of resistance measured. The independent variable is the length of the copper wire used to conduct the electrical charge. The controlled variables for this project are constant room temperature, constant humidity, constant circuit, and a constant charge from a DC power pack. The project plan is to test the current/resistance over different length of wires. This project is relevant to real world applications because if people have a better understanding of the factors that affect electricity conduction, enhancement can be made in electricity transmission to reduce loss of charge and increase preservation of electrical energy. Literature Review/Other Experiments Research has shown the conductivity of certain materials is: Cu copper use 2.15 nÃŽÂ ©m 15.43 nÃŽÂ ©m 16.78 nÃŽÂ ©m 17.12 nÃŽÂ ©m 17.25 nÃŽÂ ©m CRC (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) 0.215 1.543 1.678 1.712 1.725 LNG (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) 1.678 WEL (10-8  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ©m) (293 K-298 K) 1.7 (http://www.webelements.com/) Yamaguchi, T., Matsuoka, T., Koda, S. (2007). A theoretical study on the frequency-dependent electric conductivity of electrolyte solutions.  Journal of Chemical Physics,  127(23), 234501. doi:10.1063/1.2806289. The accepting on the frequency-dependent electric accoutrement of electrolyte solutions proposed beat by Yamaguchi et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 127, 234501 (2007)] is affiliated to arbor the hydrodynamic alternation amidst ions. The accepting is activated to the aqueous band-aid of NaCl and the assimilation affirmation of the accoutrement agrees able with that angled by experiments. The abatement in the electric accoutrement is acceptance into the contributions of ion brace administering at acclimatized distances. The all-embracing ionic atmosphere plays a aloft role at the assimilation as low as 0.01 mol/kg, accepting the accession of the accent ion brace amphitheatre is important at 1 mol/kg. The acclimatized basal of cation is afflicted to be a abbreviating activity of assimilation as is empiric in experiments. How Electricity Works, retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm The basal of electrons in motion in a abuttals is declared the current, and its abstinent in amps. The force allegation the electron alternating is declared the voltage and is abstinent in volts. The accumulated of electricity consumed were measured in watts. Investigation the Factors That Affect Resistance of a Conductor. (21 Jul 2010) Retrieved from: (http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=120694) The factors that affect the transmission of electricity are: length of the wire- the greater the distance over the medium is the longer the electrons have to pass through and producing a higher possibility of impacts with other electrons; material used- the more closely packed the conductor (the nearer the electrons are) the more difficult it is for electrons to move through the conductor and so more crashes between particles, thus giving rise to a greater resistance; temperature- if the temperature of the cable is elevated then the atoms in the cable will begin to pulsate and that will augment the total number of impacts amid particles consequently rising the resistance; cross-sectional area- if the wires thickness is increased the resistance will decrease, this is because the electrons will have more space to move and that will make the probability of a collision with another electron is less likely. Experimental Design Steps/Sequence of Events This test set up should be able to assess the length of a wire for disparity in resistance of wire. Wires of differing lengths will be tested to verify that resistance is proportional to length. This will require testing different lengths of copper wire. For the experiment assorted wires from 10 cm to 60 cm will be tested using a current, a voltmeter and ammeter. The project will require an electrical circuit to test the resistance of a wire and an apparatus to connect differing sections of wire. To gauge the resistance of the wire conductor by means of Ohms Law, both an ammeter and a voltmeter will be used to check the electrical current. To achieve an average, the experiment will be conducted twice and then averaged for more accurate results. The power from the power source will be set at a current of 0.22 amps. Identical experiment steps will be utilized for wires of the following lengths: 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, and 60 cm. The wire will be attached to the circuit in su ccession so that the current flows directly through it. Power will be supplied by a DC power pack that facilitates easy and accurate adjustments of power. Steps: Prepare circuit Attach section of wire to be tested to circuit Join one end of the ammeter to one end of the open circuit to guarantee that the whole current will be calculated. Check the polarization of the ammeters ends that are connected to the circuit. Turn on the power supply and increase the current to 0.22. Check the reading from the voltmeter. Check the reading from the ammeter. Attach the 10 cm length of the copper wire to the circuit. Apply 0.22 current to the circuit from the power source. Check the reading from the voltmeter. Record the reading from the voltmeter. Check the reading from the ammeter. Record the reading from the ammeter. Calculate resistance. Repeat steps 8-14 with 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm, and 60cm lengths of copper wire. The dependent variable for this project is the amount of current/resistance measured. The independent variable is the wire used to conduct the electrical charge. The controlled variables for this project are steady room temperature, steady humidity, and a steady charge in the form of a DC output from a DC power pack that will allow the power to be changed easily and accurately. Reasoning Copper is a widely recognized conductor that is extensively used in business and housing wiring for electricity. The greater the distance that the electrical charge has to travel then the greater chance of collisions with other electrons within the electrical current. In this experiment the length of an otherwise identical wire will be investigated to find how that factor affects resistance. This experiment design method was chosen for its relative simplicity and ease of computing results. The reasoning behind this testing method was to prove fundamental factors of Ohm law and to test current laws in electrical conductivity. Tools/Materials Tools: Ammeter Votlmeter Circuit Power Source (DC Power Pack) Materials: Wire 10 cm copper wire 20 cm copper wire 30 cm copper wire 40 cm copper wire 50 cm copper wire 60 cm copper wire Variables The controlled variables, which must stay constant in this experiment to make it fair, are the output voltage from the power supply, which remains the same (0.22A) throughout measuring and the surrounding temperature should not rise or lower too much. The independent variable in this experiment is the length of the wire. The dependent variable is the output of current and resistance which are measured with a voltmeter and ammeter. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity To reduce the threat to internal validity a new wire is used for each subsequent test. Previously used wires are discarded after use to ensure that the wire has not been compromised in a previous test. All testing supplies and materials are kept clean and away from contamination. In order to reduce any inconsistency this experiment is repeated several times and several measurements are taken by meters which have previously been checked and determined to be free from defect. Results Experiment 1 Result: Length Experiment 1 Cm I V 10 0.22 0.08 20 0.22 0.14 30 0.22 0.23 40 0.22 0.32 50 0.22 0.4 60 0.22 0.47 Experiment 2 Result: Length Experiment 2 Cm I V 10 0.22 0.09 20 0.22 0.18 30 0.22 0.25 40 0.22 0.33 50 0.22 0.42 60 0.22 0.51 Average Result: Length Average Cm I V 10 0.22 0.85 20 0.22 0.16 30 0.22 0.24 40 0.22 0.325 50 0.22 0.41 60 0.22 0.49 Conclusion The resistance of the wire increases in proportion to length as predicted in the hypothesis. The results from this experiment have followed previous energy laws. The experiment proved that the resistance in 10cm of wire is roughly 50% of the resistance of 20 cm of wire, which is in turn roughly 50% of the resistance of 40 cm of wire. Additionally, the resistance of the 10cm wire is approximately 1/3 of the resistance of the 30cm wire. This is because 10 is 1/3 of 30. Confirmation of Hypothesis Based in the results of this experiment the hypothesis is correct. This experiment proves that resistance increases in proportion to length. The evidence to support this is clearly shown in the graphs included above. As the length of the wire is increased, the resistance also increases directly proportional to the additional distance in length that the electricity had to travel. Experimental Design as Key Factor Experiments are generally conducted to prove or disprove a hypothesis, theory or an assumption. The legitimacy of any experiment is precisely affected by its design and implementation. Consideration of experimental design is particularly significant. If an experiments design is inconsistent the results and conclusions will be unsound and as a result will be unusable. Replication This project could be easily replicated using materials that cost less than $50. This is important because easily replicable results are not as likely to be impacted by accidental errors and if an experiment can be repeated under different circumstances by different people then it is most likely that the conclusions will remain the same and be accepted. Scientists are not likely to accept the results of a single experiment since the proposed hypothesis has to explain all experimental results and due to surrounding conditions, results could potentially vary, Evaluation of Validity This experiment is valid because it is easily reproducible, the data corresponds to scientific proofs, and most importantly the data is consistent through a variety of testing situations. This experiment would be easily confirmed by another scientist recreating the process. Further research is ongoing to develop a method of transmitting electricity with minimal resistance and loss of voltage.

Port-a-Blast :: Personal Narrative Writing

Port-a-Blast I had been waiting in the cold, empty interrogation room for hours anticipating the dreaded arrival of the detective. It had to be one of the longest nights of my life waiting in anticipation to find out the consequences I was about to face. I had numerous thoughts running through my mind about how I was going to get out of this predicament. I was the last of four, Kevin, Chris, Brian, and I, to be interviewed. To my relief, I did not have to talk my way out of the crime I had committed, which seemed to have occurred days earlier. It was about ten o’clock on a brisk and lonely night in November of 2001 when we parked my car about 800 meters away from our target, the notorious port-a-potty, which was located on the west side of the park. My car was the only car in the parking lot, which turned out to be our biggest mistake of the night. We sat in the car for about ten minutes with thoughts racing through our heads of the getaway route we were going to take. We talked about what we would do if we got split up on the run back and where we would meet. We also made sure we emptied our pockets of cell phones, wallets, and anything else that we might drop, which could connect us to the scene. The walk through the park to the port-a-potty seemed to be one of the longest walks of my life. The anticipation and excitement was like that of a kid opening presents on Christmas Eve. We were not exactly sure what was going to happen when we would place the sparkler bomb in the port-a-potty, but we had a good idea and could not wait to find out. When we finally reached the port-a-potty, we were constantly on the lookout for passers-by. We ended up waiting about thirty minutes for the coast to clear. We did not want to take any chances, because we knew of the considerable distance we had to run. Kevin would be the one to light the sparkler bomb, while Chris, Brian, and I were on the lookout. We made sure we had our running shoes tied up tight one last time. As Kevin stepped into the port-a-potty, we waited about ten feet behind in a row of trees impatiently anticipating the lighting of the sparkler bomb.

Character Comparisons of Winston vs. Guy in Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 Ess

Winston Smith vs. Guy Montag The two protagonists in Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 both started out somewhere, following the rules and doing what they were told, and towards the end of the book you see them change and become completely different people. In 1984, the reader experiences a nightmarish world that Orwell imagines through the eyes of the protagonist, Winston Smith. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Guy Montag is on a desperate search to find and understand his own life and purpose. These stories are set in the past tense but they both talk about what the future would or could be like. Winston Smith, from the novel 1984, is a low status member of the Party who rules over the nation of Oceania. Winston is never alone, even in his own house. Everywhere he goes the Party is watching him through what they call telescreens. Oceania is run by a leader that is referred to as Big Brother. Winston is struggling with the fact that he doesn’t even have control of his own life, it’s controlled by the Party and Big Brother. When Winston becomes frustrated by the Party and Big Brother he illegally buys a diary in which to write criminal things like, â€Å"Down with Big Brother.† The Thought Police can basically read your mind, so even thinking anything rebellious or illegal will get you in trouble with them. Winston knows that he will soon get caught by the Thought Police for committing a thoughtcrime. He convinces himself that he will be caught no matter what he does, so he continues to rebel. Winston finds the courage to join a secret organization, called the Brotherhood, in order to take down Big Brother. O’Brien, the Brotherhood’s leader, turns Winston in and he goes to jail. There he is questioned by O’Brien and tortured, ... ...s running from his life he meets a group of people called the â€Å"Book People.† They are books lovers who have memorized many books. When enemy jets appear in the sky and they completely obliterate the city, Guy and the Book People move on in search of survivors and to rebuild the city. Montag started as a man with a incomplete life. That life was fulfilled when he discovered literature. In conclusion, Winston Smith and Guy Montag are two men who are distinct in their own ways. Winston really figured out his life while he was in jail. That makes me think, do you need to be somewhere like that in order to get your life back together? Guy Montag found his satisfaction in books. Which I believe is the way to get your life in order. They are similar people for the reason that they both are unsure of their place in the world and who go through a journey to figure it out.

Jiang Zemin :: essays research papers

Allen Bullock   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  HST 407  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7/24/2003  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jiang Zemin, as the President of China, will be leading the world's most populous country into the 21st century. A new biography of Mr. Jiang describes him as an economic reformer but not a political reformer and as someone often mistakenly believed to have blundered his way to power. Bruce Gilley is the author of the first western full-length study of the Chinese leader. Historians, political scientists, and journalists hungry for reliable information about Chinese politics have to rely on official publications, and on the semiofficial and nonofficial accounts that bubble up in Hong Kong. These are the same methods of tracking and analyzing China's political movements that outsiders have used for decades. It is in this Byzantine context that Bruce Gilley has written Tiger on the Brink, a biography of Jiang Zemin and a highly readable account of modern Chinese politics. Unfortunately, Gilley is sharply limited by the same lack of access as every other student of Zhongnanhai. A correspondent for The Far Eastern Economic Review who covered China out of Hong Kong, Gilley has done an admirable job of scouring Chinese-language publications for tidbits about Jiang's personal background. But hamstrung by lack of information, this story of Jiang's decade at the top of China's Communist Party only partly satisfies. Tiger on the Brink is essentially a first-rate job. However, Gilley had to rely overwhelmingly on secondary sources; as he relates in the preface, the closest he ever got to his subject was when he ran into the portly president in the men's room at the Great Hall of the People. And Jiang left the restroom before a surprised Gilley could think of a question to ask. The big cat in the book's title apparently refers to China, not Jiang, for it is unlikely that anyone would ever mistake the genial and cautious leader portrayed by Gilley for such a ferocious creature. Gilley reinforces the assessment of Jiang as a politically slippery but tenacious survivor, less tiger than â€Å"Mr. Tiger Balm,† a moniker he once gave himself, which Gilley uses to head a chapter. Jiang Zemin emerges from this book as a skilled political tactician, who distinguished himself over nearly 50 years of Communist Party politics not as an intellectual or a fighter but by his ability to get along with superiors and inferiors alike, and by making use of an unsurpassed knack for currying favor with influential men.

American dream Essay

Exploration of the theme of the American Dream In a country where liberty, freedom and the land of opportunity is a pivotal part of American society the American dream is born. The American dream is fundamentally the notation that no matter your race, religion, sex or social class if you work hard in America you will achieve materialistic wealth. Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men sets in the 1930’s, the time of the great depression and depicts the flaws of the American Dream. Some of the themes in the novel include friendship, death, jealousy and loneliness. The exploration of this essay shall consist of me focussing on the theme of the American Dream by exploring the characters, George and Lennie, Candy and Crooks. Steinbeck also conveys the theme of the American Dream through the character of Candy- as the name implies Candy is a sweet character, the quote, ‘yeah, nice fella too’ demonstrates this as Candy is talking fairly about Crooks who is black and looked down upon in society of that time. Candy is an old character, ‘the old man put the yellow can in his pocket†¦ ‘ and this is illustrated by Steinbeck as one of the flaws of the American Dream which stops them achieve the A. D. and because everyone shall someday become old Steinbeck is implying that sometimes the American Dream is never achievable. Candy owns a dog which he has known for most of his life, ‘That’s a hell of an old dog; Yeah I had ‘im since he was a pup†¦ ‘ This dog of his is a very close possession and friend and it is implied that Candy has realised that he shall never achieve his American Dream but his dog is the closest he shall get to it so it is a part of his American Dream. However Candy’s dog was shot by Carlson due to it being old and smelly, ‘I don’t know anything that stinks so bad as an old dog†¦ he’s got no teeth†¦ why’n’t you shoot him Candy? ‘ The death of Candy’s dog symbolises the death of Candy’s Amercian Dream, however in more depth, the death of his dog illustrates that anyone (animal or human) who is old or smells or has no teeth (basically out of the ‘norm’) is not accepted into society and shall not be accepted and death could be a possible out come. Although Candy;s dog had no use to the people around and society, to Candy he meant a lot and the death of his meant a death of part of candy himself. Similarly, Lennie like the dog was not accepted in society due to the deed he had committed and due to his disability however, he meant something to George and they too like Candy an his dog were loyal friends but it was because of society that cause the death of both the dog and Lennie which cause the death of their American Dream. Through the character of Curley, Steinbeck shows the Amercian Dream in a different light. He illustrates that the American Dream is achievable through Curley as he has his own ranch, the trophy wife, the money and power. However, Steinbeck is also showing that only a few people achieve the American Dream as only one of the Characters achieves the American Dream out of 6. Although Curley has achieved the American Dream, Steinbeck clearly shows through the nature of Curley that those who are able and do achieve the American Dream are not always nice people, in fact from Curleys character, the audience feels that they are in fact horrible people. The way in which Curley treats other people makes him perceived as a very horrible person. The way in which Curley’s wife describes him, ‘I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella’ shows how little liked he is. Also, the way in which Curley’s wife is used as a possession of his shows the greed of power that Curley has. Also the way that Curley is perceived by George shows already within only a day of knowing Curley he is not liked as George refers to Curley as a ‘son of a bitch’ vAlso, the way in which Curley treats Lennie is appalling,’ â€Å"What the hell you laughin’ at? ‘Lennie looked blankly at him. â€Å"Huh? † Then Curley’s rage exploded. â€Å"Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya who’s yella. ‘ This shows the arrogance of Curley. The theme of the American Dream is finely woven through the entire novel and without a doubt this has been done very effectively . Steinbeck clearly conveys his message about the American Dream in much detail and has done in a very meaning full way.

Clarke Case Study

CSR 3/13/13 Going Green The company Clarke is a family company that has grown, since 1946, and is now the largest Mosquito Abatement firm out of all the districts in the US. They have been involved in the industry since 1927 when John Clark Sr. wrote the legislation that established the Mosquito Abatement District in the state of Illinois. The main goal was to produce a full, high-quality selection of products for the Mosquito Abatement Districts, taxpayer-funded municipal regions; individual administered, and state government entities.Starting out with their mission to provide pesticide applications, they have grown to turnkey mosquito management systems, which include necessary personnel, chemical, and public education equipment. This case involves the company Clarke and their efforts to go green, and focus on environmental CSR, which seems to be what most companies are trying to do now-a-days. Consumers see going green as a company who is producing goods that are not harmful to th e environment. It projects an overall better image for the company, which in return pleases environmentalists and helps to generate a better customer database a larger profit.It also gives companies a way to be innovative with their products and differentiate themselves from all of their competitors in the market, and promotes a global initiative to provide a better overall living environment for the consumers. Their overall goal was to be able to shift their industry and bring in a new business model that would be able to change the industry in a positive way and give them an upper hand on their competition. They followed four core values, which are: 1. Extend the Reach: Responding to the growing interest in environmentalism. . Innovate: Helping their company grow with new products. 3. Sustainability 4. One Clark: Creating a culture of shared aspirations. Over the course of time, Clarke’s new developed product called â€Å"Natular†, was redeveloped and made environmen t friendly for multiple aquatic habitats such as lakes, ponds, retention ponds, and potable water containers. The main issue that the company faces is that they are having difficulty adding this product because it would potentially alter the overall consumers that they have.And with the company trying to go green, this product does not really promote the â€Å"going green’ initiative, mainly because the fact of the matter is that this product is still a pesticide. It seems a bit contradicting to go green when you are producing pesticide products. Question: How does a company become a pesticide leader, demonstrating environmental responsibility in everything it does, in a way that is both profitable and credible to its customers, employees and other stakeholders?The question stated above is what the main issue that was discussed in their recent meeting, and how they could go about solving this issue without sabotaging their business as a whole and losing their current custome rs. I believe that the bottom line is that they can go green but by what methods can you use to begin the process being that they are the industry that they are. The type of industry that they are in are already making products that have been know to harm the environment, not by choice to harm the environment, but that’s typically what they do when consumers use them for the things that they are used for.In this case killing mosquitos. Which also in the long run can be very costly for the companies because there are specific regulations that they are to follow that are enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency, and they can also shut down any operations that Clarke has going on if the suspect that they are in fact not following the regulations that they are to abide by, and that could make it more difficult to create new products that could help them promote going green.With their four goals that I mentioned earlier, they should really have no problem with trying to imp lement new CSR strategies that would eventually make them more environment friendly. They just have to be sure that they abide by regulations and continue working to develop their products to be more environment friendly until they achieve their overall goal.

Lessons from Enron: Bad Management, Negative Consequences

One of the classic examples of bad management, Enron's collapse according to the Economist (2002) was a result of bad management and poor decision-making of the auditing firm Andersen in handling the account of the company. The primary root of Enron’s collapse was bad management and the power of the management to delegate auditing and accounting responsibilities to a firm that they have chosen. The dependence of the auditing firm on the management in essence creates the break in the accounting and auditing ethics: in order not to lose an all-too important account such as Enron, they would need to abide by the decisions of the management.The lack of willpower of Andersen to question the unethical practices of Enron made it culpable in the same way as Enron’s managers. This led a domino and cascading effect in the corporate world of America: the government scrambling to look for other companies who are also hiding in their auditor’s books, the deterioration of the auditing and accounting profession, lack of trust in companies, and investor apprehension. The collapse of Enron was largely a decision by the top management which also involves its accountants to provide a bogus statement of finances to make Enron look like a profitable company.Auditors of Enron on the other hand, have sought to protect the company by shredding incriminating documents. From an agency theory perspective, the role of the Enron’s top management to that of the shareholders is one that is governed by the principle that managers will act in a way that will benefit the owners or shareholders of the company (Abrahamson and Park, 1994). In essence, what happened to Enron was that the managers or the agents gained too much power and the shareholders did not perform its function of overseeing the operations of their company.Fundamentally, what the shareholders and the managers who did not take part in the Enron scandal could have done was to have the government to appo int an auditing or accounting firm that will monitor the financial movement of the company. In this way, accountants and auditors will not be obliged to follow what the top managers would want them to do. Managers need to be wary of decisions made by the top management or their colleagues. To a significant extent, appointments should be made independent of the managers.In an era where auditing and accounting fraud are prevalent, managers can protect themselves by safeguarding their companies among their peers. References Abrahamson, E. and Park, C. (1994) Concealment of negative organizational outcomes: An agency theory perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 37: 1302-1334. Barefoot, JA. (2002). What can you learn from Enron? How to know if you are creating a climate of rule-breaking. ABA Banking Journal, 94. The Economist. (2002) The Lessons from Enron. 362, 8259: 9-10. Retrieved 1 July at http://www.csupomona. edu/~smemerson/PLS499%20Greed_Need/Enron. doc. Appendix 1. Enron Ar ticle Title: THE LESSONS FROM ENRON , Economist, 0013-0613, February 9, 2002, Vol. 362, Issue 8259 Database: Academic Search Elite Section: Leaders THE LESSONS FROM ENRON After the energy firm's collapse, the entire auditing regime needs radical change THE mess just keeps spreading. Two months after Enron filed for Chapter 11, the reverberations from the Texas-based energy-trading firm's bankruptcy might have been expected to fade; instead, they are growing.On Capitol Hill, politicians are engaged in an investigative orgy not seen since Whitewater, with the blame pinned variously on the company's managers, its directors, its auditors and its bankers, as well as on the Bush administration; indeed on anybody except the hundreds of congressmen who queued up to take campaign cash from Enron. The only missing ingredient in the scandal–so far–is sex. The effects are also touching Wall Street. In the past few weeks, investors have shifted their attention to other companies, m aking a frenzied search for any dodgy accounting that might reveal the next Enron.Canny traders have found a lucrative new strategy: sell a firm's stock short and then spread rumours about its accounts. Such companies as Tyco, PNC Financial Services, Invensys and even the biggest of the lot, General Electric, have all suffered. Last week Global Crossing, a telecoms firm, went bust amid claims of dubious accounts. This week shares in Elan, an Irish-based drug maker, were pummelled by worries over its accounting policies. All this might create the impression that corporate financial reports, the quality of company profits and the standard of auditing in America have suddenly and simultaneously deteriorated.Yet that would be wide of the mark: the deterioration has actually been apparent for many years. A growing body of evidence does indeed suggest that Enron was a peculiarly egregious case of bad management, misleading accounts, shoddy auditing and, quite probably, outright fraud. But the bigger lessons that Enron offers for accounting and corporate governance have long been familiar from previous scandals, in America and elsewhere. That makes it all the more urgent to respond now with the right reforms.Uncooking the books The place to start is auditing. Accurate company accounts are a keystone for any proper capital market, not least America's. Andersen, the firm that audited Enron's books from its inception in 1985 (it was also Global Crossing's auditor), has been suggesting that its failings are representative of the whole profession's. In fact, Andersen seems to have been unusually culpable over Enron: shredding of incriminating documents just ahead of the investigators is not yet a widespread habit.But it is also true that this is only the latest of a string of corporate scandals involving appalling audit failures, from Maxwell and Polly Peck in Britain, through Metallgesellschaft in Germany, to Cendant, Sunbeam and Waste Management in America. In the past four years alone, over 700 American companies have been forced to restate their accounts. At the heart of these audit failures lies a set of business relationships that are bedevilled by perverse incentives and conflicts of interest. In theory, a company's auditors are appointed independently by its shareholders, to whom they report.In practice, they are chosen by the company's bosses, to whom they all too often become beholden. Accounting firms frequently sell consulting services to their audit clients; external auditors may be hired to senior management positions or as internal auditors; it is far too easy to play on an individual audit partner's fear of losing a lucrative audit assignment. Against such a background, it is little wonder that the quality of the audit often suffers. What should be done? The most radical change would be to take responsibility for audits away from private accounting firms altogether and give it, lock, stock and barrel, to the government.Perhaps such a change may yet become necessary. But it would run risks in terms of the quality of auditors; and it is not always so obvious that a government agency would manage to escape the conflicts and mistakes to which private firms have so often fallen prey. As an intermediate step, however, a simpler suggestion is to take the job of choosing the auditors away from a company's bosses. Instead, a government agency–meaning, in America, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)–would appoint the auditors, even if on the basis of a list recommended by the company, which would continue to pay the audit fee.Harvey Pitt, the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is not yet willing to be anything like so radical. He has been widely attacked because, when he acted in the past as a lawyer for a number of accounting firms, he helped to fend off several reforms. Yet he now seems ready to make at least some of the other changes that the Enron scandal has shown to be ne cessary (see pages 67-70. ) Among these are much fiercer statutory regulation of the auditing profession, including disciplinary powers with real bite.Hitherto, auditors have managed to get away with the fiction of self-regulation, both through peer review and by toothless professional and oversight bodies that they themselves have dominated. There should also be a ban on accounting firms offering (often more profitable) consulting and other services to their audit clients. Another good idea is mandatory rotation, every four years or so, both of audit partners–so that individuals do not become too committed to their clients–and of audit firms. The most effective peer review happens when one firm comes in to look at a predecessor's books.The SEC should also ban the practice of companies' hiring managers and internal auditors from their external audit firms. In search of better standards Then there is the issue of accounting standards themselves. Enron's behaviour has co nfirmed that in some areas, notably the treatment of off-balance-sheet dodges, American accounting standards are too lax; while in others they are so prescriptive that they have lost sight of broader principles. Past attempts by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to improve standards have often been stymied by vociferous lobbying.It is time for the SEC itself to impose more rigorous standards, although that should often be through sound principles (including paying less attention to single numbers for earnings) rather than overly detailed rules. It would also be good to come up with internationally agreed standards. Although audit is the most pressing area for change, it is not the only one. The Enron fiasco has shown that all is not well with the governance of many big American companies. Over the years all sorts of checks and balances have been created to ensure that company bosses, who supposedly act as agents for shareholders, their principals, actually do so.Yet the cult of the all-powerful chief executive, armed with sackfuls of stock options, has too often pushed such checks aside. It is time for another effort to realign the system to function more in shareholders' interests. Companies need stronger non-executive directors, paid enough to devote proper attention to the job; genuinely independent audit and remuneration committees; more powerful internal auditors; and a separation of the jobs of chairman and chief executive.If corporate America cannot deliver better governance, as well as better audit, it will have only itself to blame when the public backlash proves both fierce and unpleasant. PHOTO (COLOR) ________________________________________ Copyright of The Economist is the property of Economist Newspaper Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. Source: Eco nomist, 2/9/2002, Vol. 362 Issue 8259, p9, 2p, 1c. Item Number: 6056697

The Street Lawyer

RUNNING HEAD: THE STREET LAWYER The Street Lawyer Social Work 3040-01I Apr. 30, 2008 SUMMARY John Grisham’s The Street Lawyer tells the story of Michael Brock a married wealthy attorney who has it all. Michael, a graduate of Yale University, works at Drake & Sweeny, one of the top and well respected firms in Washington D. C. While there he is making the money and rushing relentlessly to the top of Drake & Sweeny. He is only one step away from an early partnership. Until one rainy winter afternoon at Drake & Sweeny. An angry homeless man who only wants to be called â€Å"Mister† holds Michael and eight other lawyers hostage in an office at Drake & Sweeny. â€Å"Mister† demands the tax records be brought to him. After the tax records arrive he orders Michael to tell him what each lawyer including Michael has made in earnings for the year and how much of their money is donated to charities and the homeless. After several hours the hostage stand off is over leaving one man dead and another reborn. Mister† is shot in the head by a sniper policeman as he opens the office door to receive the soup he wants delivered from a local shelter. â€Å"Mister’s† blood and bodily fluids cover Michael’s entire face since he is standing directly behind him. The police escort Michael to a small gym in the building where doctors examine him and he is able to shower. After his shower Michael returns home. The next morning he returns to work at Drake & Sweeny. After reading an article in the Post he learns more about â€Å"Mister† whose real name is DeVon Hardy. After paying a visit to Mordecia Green the director of the 14th Street Legal Clinic, where â€Å"Mister† was a client, Michael begins to rethink his career as an anti-trust lawyer for Drake & Sweeny and his life as well. Leaving Drake & Sweeny to become a street lawyer would have profound affect on his home life and marriage as well. After telling his wife he will take a job with less money and no benefits the couple separate and eventually file for divorce. Michael moves to a smaller apartment on the rough side of Washington D. C. nd begins working at the 14th Street Legal Law Clinic with Mordeci Green. While working there Michael is harboring a dark secret: a confidential file. A confidential file from the law offices of Drake & Sweeny which contains information about the illegal eviction of â€Å"Misterâ€Å" and the other homeless people. Now Drake & Sweeny know their file is missing and want it returned immediately no matter what. Even if it means Michael losing his lic ense to practice law. His former partners have become his enemies and Michael is now the most dangerous man on the streets of Washington D. C. EXAMINATION Populations-at risk are the homeless in John Grisham’s The Street Lawyer and the environment that which they live in are considered the social environment. Populations-at risk are defined as populations or groups of people who share some identifiable characteristics that places them at greater risk of social and economic deprivation and oppression than the general mainstream of society. The social environment involves the conditions, circumstances, and human interactions that encompasses human beings. People are dependent upon effective interactions with their environment in order to survive and thrive. The social environment includes the actual physical setting that society provides. This involves the type of home a person lives in, the type of work that is done, the amount of money available, and the laws and social rules by which people live. â€Å"Mister† and the other homeless who were illegal evicted from their makeshift apartments are to considered members of a social environment. In reference to the social environment the actual physical setting that society provided to the homeless were homeless shelters. But once the homeless shelters do not begin to taken in borders because they are over crowded the homeless are forced into the streets in hopes of finding a safe and warm place to stay for the night. Sleeping on park benches and makeshift warehouses are the only means of shelter available to them. Even if they are working at a job the wages are usually not enough to provide adequate shelter. Society tends to blame the homeless for their choice of life and for being homeless. But at times it not the fault of the homeless but the fault of the government. For example a working middle class family loses their home to foreclosure because of lay-offs and budget cuts at their jobs. With being laid off both lose their pension and benefits that came along with their jobs. Even if both parents would find another job paying minimum wage it would not be enough to pay the $1000. 00 monthly mortgage and other expenses. Therefore, those individuals cannot be held at fault for becoming homeless the fault lies with the budget cuts made by the federal government to their jobs. At other times the fault lies with the individual themselves for becoming homeless. For example a woman works as a nurse in a hospital becomes addicted to prescription drugs and is later fired from her job because of stealing the prescription drugs to which is addicted to. Since the prescription drugs are no longer available to her she becomes addicted to crack/cocaine because it is accessible to her. She files for unemployment until she can find another job but her unemployment checks are going to support her habit instead of paying her monthly rent. She is evicted and thrown into the streets where and begins prostitution to support her habit. Receiving a â€Å"fix† has become her main priority in life. In that particular situation the individual is the blame for their choice to become homeless. ELUDICATION John Grisham’s characters Michael Brock and Mordecia Green worked not only as attorneys for the homeless but also as social workers too. Throughout The Street Lawyer Michael and Mordecia counseled each individual to gain a knowledge of what their lives were before they became homeless and why they have become homeless. Most lawyers would not take the time find out if whether or not their client had a place to sleep or food to eat the night before. Many lawyers would not offer their services free of charge. Michael and Mordecia worked as lawyers as well as social workers. Each day Michael and Mordecia traveled to a local homeless shelter to interview potential clients and help them with whatever they needed. Most of their clients were generally homeless people or individuals who were laid off from their job recently. The two helped these individuals fill out government forms, obtain job applications, and sometimes a rehab center for those who were addicted to drugs and alcohol. At times some clients could not be helped but Michael and Mordecia provided their counseling service as a means of help. Some individuals only needed some to talk to about what was going on in their life at that time. He wants his readers to see the similarities between social workers and attorneys. His examples with Michael and Mordecia with their clients express key elements in the career of a social worker. EVALUATION/CONCLUSION The Street Lawyer by John Grisham conveys its readers to the unknown world of homelessness and the cause. He wants his readers to see the cruel dark side of humanity and how society views homelessness. By having the story take place in Washington D. C. , the capitol of the United States, a place where many would not believe crack houses are a block away from the White House. Homeless women, men, and children are forced to seek shelter anywhere when all the shelters in the city are full. These same people are usually victims of layoffs and budget cuts by Congress. Grisham wants his readers to see the reality of homelessness and that it can happen to anyone. One’s whole perspective on their life can change in an instance because of one individual or many. He gives thorough examples throughout his book about the day and life of a homeless person and their family. The struggles they face day to day not knowing if he or she will have something to eat or a place to sleep by night fall. He contributes to the study of social work by having his main characters act as counselors to the homeless, employment agencies and location of rehabs for those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. The Street Lawyer is a learning tool in the world of social work for those who want to gain a better understanding of what a social worker does on a daily bases. One who enjoys helping others and making a difference in someone else’s life will definitely enjoy reading this book. After reading this book I now have a better understanding of homelessness and I will eventually use this book as learning tool while furthering my education in the study of social work. â€Å"

International Marketing in a Global Economy Research Paper

International Marketing in a Global Economy - Research Paper Example This is because common marketing concerns (such as input or production costs, price, advertising and distribution) are likely to differ from country to country where the business firm targets to market its products or services. There are four ways to develop markets in foreign land according to the Encyclopedia of Business and these are: (1) international trade through exporting products and services from the country of origin; (2) entering into joint venture arrangements with one or more foreign companies; (3) licensing patent rights, trademark rights, etc. to companies abroad; and (4) establishing manufacturing plants in foreign countries. Exporting is the easiest and most frequently used strategy of entering international markets because there is lesser risk of financial losses for the company. International trade comes in when a business entity engage in the buying (importing) and or selling (exporting) of goods or services in the global market arena. In exporting, factors to consider are: market opportunities, foreign exchange risk, import and export financing, and challenges of doing business in a foreign market. Business analysts note that in exporting, firms should focus on at least single market i nitially, start entering foreign market on a small scale (to limit potential loss due to failure), and be realistic about time, commitment and resources needed. Two contrasting viewpoint for developing global marketing strategy are being expounded by many business analysts. First is the localized marketing strategy that considers four differences across countries: buyer behavior characteristics, socioeconomic condition, marketing infrastructure, and competitive environment. Many companies failed to succeed or experience difficulties in the international market because they did not fully understand differences in buyer behavior knowing that

Retail Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Retail Branding - Essay Example The current interest in retail branding is scarcely to be wondered at, given that, as Ailawadi and Keller acknowledged, ‘’With the growing realization that brands are one of a firm’s most intangible assets, branding has emerged as a top management priority in the last decade’ (p.1). If one looks at a breakdown of the revenue of a major retailer, one will usually find that a large proportion of that revenue comes from the sale of manufacturer’s goods. However, this poses problems for retailers given the incredibly competitive nature of the marketplace – many stores might stock exactly the same goods, and quite probably at similar prices. They thus have to focus on developing marketing strategies which will encourage consumers, when faced with a choice of stores, all of which sell what they want, to choose one over another. As Ailawadi and Keller note, ‘building their [retailers] own equity is a particularly challenging problem, but one wi th big potential rewards. Such equity insulates them from competing retailers’ (p.1). The definition of retail branding offered by the Canadian Marketing Blog supports this, stating that it ‘is about differentiating, a unique personality, a true point of difference’. ... n incredibly wide range of factors, from the assortment of goods on offer in the store, to the level of customer service and comfort they experienced while shopping there, to their pricing and credit policies, and of course the quality of the goods sold. This stands in contrast to a consumer’s opinion of a product brand, which is more likely to have been constructed mostly from their opinions on that product’s marketing campaigns, and any experiences they’ve had of that brand’s goods. Identifying the manifold elements that strongly influence the construction and perception of a retailers’ brand image, we might conclude that the general atmosphere in the store, the prices and presence or absence of attractive promotions or reductions, and the range of products are perhaps the most important. One might think that price is always the most important factor in decisions made by consumers, but Brown highlighted long ago that price perception is more impor tant that actual prices. In short, if a retailer intends to market its brand based principally on its price, Brown found that for consumers, what was important was that they believed a store’s prices to be low, rather than whether they actually were. Therefore, a retailer has to work on getting all of these elements right in order to create the best possible experience for consumers frequenting their stores, in order to build up networks of loyalty and patronage among consumers. The key is winning over large numbers of consumers who believe that a particular retailer offers a superior shopping experience, and will recommend that retailer to their friend and family networks, as well a visiting it again themselves. Of course, manufacturer brands, as Ailawadi and Keller acknowledge, can be useful in creating a