Law Enforcement, Prison, and Race Essay

The facts are indisputable and have been widely published for years. People of color in the United States are extremely over-represented in the prison population as well as in the number of arrests. While the facts are not in question, what is under debate is the reason why these numbers exist. Just as in a legal case, both sides of the issue have their own experts who provide testimony to support their viewpoint. On one side – which is by far the most publicized – is the belief that the reason why more minorities (especially African Americans) are arrested and imprisoned is a result of racial prejudice. However, the opposing viewpoint states that there is a very logical reason why more African Americans are involved with the judicial system – they simply commit more crimes than whites. Both sides provide mounds of data and studies to support their argument. Although it is not scientific, I believe where there is smoke there is probably fire. More than likely, there is some form of prejudice involved. Thinking the sides of this issue are divided strictly by color lines would be a mistake. Walter Williams (who is black) used the following figures in The Washington Times to prove his point that police are not prejudice, â€Å"†¦ 63 percent of the 65,624 drug arrests were minorities (50 percent blacks and 13 percent Hispanics). Since blacks are only 13 percent of the total population, it means law enforcement officials can assign a higher probability that a drug trafficker is a black more so than other racial groups† (Williams). Indeed, Mr. Williams – as well as many others – believe that such statistics show that police are simply doing their jobs by stopping black motorists more often than whites, since more of them are probably drug dealers. But does such reasoning hold up in the light of other statistics that are just as telling? For example, studies by Human Rights Watch have shown that most drug offenders are white and that five times as many whites use drugs as blacks. However, blacks comprise the great majority of drug offenders sent to prison (â€Å"Racial Disparitiesâ€Å"). So, which set of numbers do you accept? The answer is, you do not have to choose since both can be used – and should be – to find the truth. Considering that whites make up some 75% of the population, while blacks comprise 13%, the fact that five times as many whites use drugs as blacks seems logical. If that is the case, then how can the excessive number of blacks arrested on drug charges be anything other than racially prejudiced? The very terminology used by some to describe the theories used by each side seems to sound judgmental. For instance, according to D’Alessio, Stewart, and Stolzenberg, the term ‘conflict theory’ is used to describe the belief that the elevated arrest rate for black citizens is the consequence of discrimination by police (1381). However, they use the term ‘normative theory’ to describe the belief that those numbers are simply the result of social issues that affect blacks more than whites. Whatever name it is given, the idea that blacks are more likely to commit crimes due to experiencing more difficult social conditions is becoming more widely popular. Writing for Social Forces, a University of North Carolina publication, D’Alessio, Stewart, and Stolzenberg asserted regarding their study of racial bias, â€Å"The results of this study suggest that the disproportionately high arrest rate for black citizens is most likely ascribable to differential criminal participation in reported crime rather than to racially biased law enforcement practicesâ€Å" (1381). Once again – just as with the study involving drug arrests cited earlier – blacks are arrested more because they commit more crimes. Their findings were based on data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System of 1999. Studies such as these invariably cast a large portion of blame on the media for perpetrating what they believe to be the ’myth’ of racial prejudice in law enforcement. Certainly it is true that a higher percentage of blacks suffer from the poor social conditions that often lead to delinquent behavior, such as unemployment, crowded housing conditions, poor health care, and less access to preventative social services. But, while that is true it does not explain other disparities in the criminal justice system that cannot be explained away so easily. Based on the results of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Report of 1999, a black youthful offender is six times more likely to be jailed than a youthful offender who is white, even if they commit the same crimes and have the same criminal backgrounds, according to a nationwide study (â€Å"Study Revealsâ€Å"). The following comment is typical of the response to the report. â€Å"We find that this report leaves no doubt that we are faced with a very serious national civil rights issue, virtually making our system juvenile injustice,† said Hugh B. Price, President and CEO of the National Urban League (Crowley). No matter what set of statistics are used, the reality is that minorities are treated differently at every level in the justice system. Beginning as juveniles, with their first contact with police, minorities can be sent down one of two paths. They can be sent into some type of counseling, or they can be processed into the system. According to a report in The Cincinnati Enquirer, institutional bias regarding who will be referred to private treatment (i. e. ; counseling services) instead of being formally processed also disfavors minorities. Even when other variables are accounted for, minority young males – particularly African Americans – are significantly more likely to be detained than white youths (Crowley). Such reports continue to beg the question: even if we accept that the reason more blacks are originally arrested is simply because they commit more crimes and not due to any police bias, how do we explain the irregularities in the sentencing process? Whether it is blatant prejudice or some other reason, it is clear that something is happening in the courts that cannot easily be explained away. Another issue that needs to be addressed is regarding the purpose for certain laws being passed in the first place. In The New American Apartheid, it is asserted, â€Å"Many sentencing structures have a built-in class and racial bias. This is especially the case with drug laws, which have always targeted mainly the drugs used by minorities and the poor throughout history† (Sheldon and Brown). If the police are simply doing their jobs by enforcing drug laws, and innocently arrest mostly blacks, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that some laws have been passed that target blacks. The evidence of discrimination even extends to the ultimate punishment – the death penalty. It has been widely assumed by the general public that the rationale for pursuing the death penalty in cases – and an execution being ordered – is based primarily on the brutality of the crime or number of victims. If that were true, the death penalty would seem far less arbitrary. However, there is no consistent pattern that can be found in any state or federal court to make that case. Instead, it is just as likely – in fact more so – that a poor black man will be executed for the murder of one white person than a white man receiving the death penalty for serial murders. A perfect example is Gary Leon Ridgeway (who is white), known as the ’Green River Killer’. Although he has acknowledged killing over 48 people, he pleaded guilty to escape the death penalty. Contrast that with the case of Gerald Lee Mitchell (who was black), executed in 2001 for a murder he committed when he was 17 years old. The attorney for Mitchell argued that at the time of the murder Mitchell had an IQ of 75 and had been diagnosed as functioning on the borderline level of retardation. He was put to death in spite of calls for clemency from numerous countries, world leaders, and even the president of the American Bar Association. (â€Å"Execution of Child Offenderâ€Å") One of the few exceptions to this trend was Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City. However, I believe he is the exception that proves the rule. While much data that has been collected is hardly productive, there are places where meaningful progress has been made against racial prejudice. This is generally areas where comprehensive data collection and reporting has occurred. Without data, every complaint of discrimination inevitably boils down to one person’s word against a police officer’s. This is the reason that civil rights advocates are demanding that police be required to keep racial and ethnic data on who is stopped and searched as a basis for eliminating the biased police behavior. Unfortunately, a person can still choose to see his or her own side of the issue despite evidence to the contrary. Prejudice comes in many forms. While it is hard to imagine many judges consciously weighing a decision of whether to have someone executed or not based solely on race, the fact remains that such decisions have been, and are being made. Bias or prejudice can also be a subtle, even subconscious motivation that a person may not even aware of. A judicial system can be only as just and dependable as the people who design and administer it. People are prone to error, dishonesty, and prejudice. Although the blatantly racist cops that used to be around many years ago are no doubt few and far between today, there still is something at work in the legal system that seems to be detrimental to blacks. From laws that target ethnic neighborhoods and individuals, to how decisions are made regarding arrests and prosecutions, a racially biased trail of evidence does emerge. From who gets sentenced to probation to who gets sent to prison, blacks are unfairly being targeted. From length of sentences to who lives or dies, it cannot be denied that prejudice exists in the legal system of this country. Despite arguments to the contrary, and no matter what type of research or studies the supporters of ‘normative theory’ conduct, the facts speak for themselves. Clearly, it has been shown that people of color in the United States are extremely over-represented in the prison population as well as in the number of arrests due, in large part, to biased or prejudicial attitudes and perceptions of many people in law enforcement and the judicial system. Such practices have no place in a country that promises justice for all people – regardless of color. Efforts should continue at every level of government to change this pervasive mindset, until race has absolutely no bearing on how an individual is treated in America. Works Cited D’Alessio, S. J. and Stolzenberg, L. â€Å"Race and the Probability of Arrest† Social Forces. Vol. 81 Issue 4, p1381 June 2001 Crowley, Patrick . â€Å"Study reveals ‘juvenile injustice’, Minorities are jailed more often†. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 26 April 2000 â€Å"Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs† Human Rights Watch. Online. 9 Nov. 2005 Shelden, R. and Brown, W. B. â€Å"The New American Apartheid Part I†. 22 June 2004 Williams, Walter. â€Å"Racial Profiling Puzzle†. The Washington Times. Creators Syndicate, Inc. 14 March 1999

Database+Coursework Database 101

Area Film and Literary Society (MLFS) provide groups and events for local people. All participants must be members (who pay an annual fee) or their guests who may attend events. Fees vary from one group to another. In addition members may have a reduction in fees depending on their type of membership. For example Individual members pay 100% fees and Concessionary members pay 50%. There are also Household members and a special category called Friends of the Society. The Society hosts a number of groups which meet monthly.Members can join one or more groups; currently these include Film, Science, Reading and Poetry Groups. A paper record is held for each member, an example of which is given below. Member details| Event talents| Member No1022 NameJay PatelTelephone020 8888 3333AddressHigh Rd, London Member type Individual | Ability Code| Talent | | 01 Poetry 05 Science| membership records| Session (year)| Group code| Group name| CoordNo| CoordName| Feepaid| Date paid| 2007-2008| 01 | Po etry | 102| Carol Duffy| ? 0| 19/09/07| 2008-2009| 01 | Poetry | 102| Carol Duffy| ? 60| 02/09/08| 2008-2009| 06 | Reading| 111| Jane Austen| ? 75| 03/09/08| 2009-2010| 05 | Science| 181| Marie Curie| ? 90| 03/09/09| * | * | * | * | * | * | * | Note that the group code and the ability code are both based on the same domain of values. The latter represents members’ talents which the Society may make use of – this is described later. One group of a particular type (such as Poetry) will be run each year, assuming there are nine or more members who want to join a group.Each group is run by a coordinator, who may change from one year to the next. In addition to the above, the society holds the address and telephone number of each coordinator. Besides groups, the society also holds one-off special events, such as lectures, films, art exhibitions and musical evenings. Events do not relate to particular groups: they are open to all members and their guests and are organised by one of the coordinators. Events will be led by an outside speaker, or sometimes a member (who have special talents as shown in the example record above) will act as the speaker.Each event will have only one speaker (whether an outside speaker or a member speaker), but a speaker may speak at a number of events. Details will be held of the event name, the date, and venue and outside speakers (name and telephone number). The Society will keep records of members who attended events and the number of guests for each member per event. 1a) Entity-relationship model mapped to a relational database If you need to revise this topic, see Text Book Chapter 3. Produce an Entity-Relationship Model using UML notation for the above case.Convert to a relational model by specifying the primary and foreign keys, mapping any one-to-one relationships into relations, and decomposing any many-to-many relationships. This is the Relation diagram and the diagram which you should submit. Note that there is n o need to include the type of each attribute. State any assumptions that you may need to make particularly about optional and mandatory relationships. Note that assumptions are about how you have interpreted the scenario, not about the E-R modelling process. The ERD is not trivial – it involves at least 10 entities.I suggest you start by each member of your group concentrating on different parts of the ERD and then coming together to discuss. Remember: * databases hold historical information, not just details of current records * to work out cardinality of relationship use ‘two sentences each starting with the word one’ * check all attributes; they should be atomic (single-valued) * check primary/foreign key links (remember the foreign key goes on the ‘many side’) * decompose any m:n relationships 1b) Validate the model Checking for connection trapsExamine your model and identify one potential trap (fan trap or chasm trap) – if present. Consid er whether this may cause a problem to your model and re-draw if necessary, arguing your case either way. Supporting the functional requirements Validate the model to check it can support the following functional requirement i. e. specify the access path by listing the appropriate relations (taking into account the correct relationships) from your diagram: ‘List all members by name who have ever belonged to the Science group, who have a talent for music and have attended an event with Goldie as the outside speaker. ’

The following event is from Chicago's history. Explain in detail an Research Paper

The following event is from Chicago's history. Explain in detail an important effect the Pullman Strike produced in either local - Research Paper Example Gradually with time the demand for the Pullman cars decreased and the owner decided to lower the wages of the railroad employees. It was here that the role of Eugene Debs came into play to save the wrath that the employees had to face (Beik 2005). The workers of the railroad company were members of a renowned labor union known as the American Railway Union. Eugene Debs urged the employees to launch a strike against the company so that their wages could be increased and their demands met. The workers then launched a boycott against the Pullman cars and gained a lot of support by joining hands. Debs launched a peaceful strike urging Pullman and the authorities to take the aggravating conditions of the workers into notice. The Union was supported by a number of railroad employees and the number almost reached the mark of 200,000. The Pullman Car Company had the support of the government because of the capitalistic nature of the government. It was because of this reason that the federal government started intervening in the state affairs and an offensive against the labor union was launched. Debs was not successful enough to make the strike successful as the railroads used the government to cut down the strike. Richard Olney interfered and ordered federal intervention for the strike. Federal troops were given the permission to break up the strike as they believed that the delivery of the U.S mail was being affected by the strike. The strike was finally broken down on July 10, 1894 when Debs along with three members of the organization was arrested. Debs was sentenced for six months in the prison and the strike was called off so that the workers could resume their jobs. Although the strike was unsuccessful it proved to be a great event for the labor unions and federal agencies altogether. It had an effect on the national politics of the United States as it favored socialism over the capitalism that was already prevalent in the state. Capitalism and socialism were bo th affected through the strike. Socialism could not be revived for twenty years after the strike was made unsuccessful by the federal agencies and capitalism was brought down in the next elections. President Grover Cleveland was held responsible for the situation that occurred after the Pullman strike. This essay would further provide an overview of the effect that the Pullman strike had over the national politics of the United States of America (Beik 2005; Salvatore et al 1999). Effect of Pullman Strike The Pullman strike was an unsuccessful venture launched by the labor unions in a time of industrialization. The labor union in those times was not strong enough to fight the capitalist governments and hence they lost to the authoritative powers. The overall effect of the strike was to create a socialist environment in the United States. It brought forward the things that took place against the workers to the attention of people. The Supreme Court also decided against the Pullman Car Company as they violated the charter of companies by providing their workers with the wrong environment and conditions. The strike made the federal government stronger as they were able to launch an offensive against the labor unions. Antitrust laws against the labor

Pharmacology and medicines management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Pharmacology and medicines management - Essay Example There are various factors that play a role in the onset of disease. However, therapeutic and non-pharmacological management plans can help the patients in the long run. Scientists theorize that the worldwide increase in pollution due to the industrialization has caused a significant rise in the disease. The major implications and occurrence to treatment ratio along with the various strategies for controlling it are discussed further on. The incidence rates provides the information about the onset of the disease along with the probability of developing a disease. The incidence rate of asthma ranges between 2.65 to 4 per 1000 people annually. The condition is more commonly found in children less than five years of age and among boys as compared to girls. In childhood, the rate is estimated to be about 8.1 to 14 every 1000 persons for boys and 4.3 to 9 every 1000 persons for girls. Annually it is estimated that this rate of incidence is 2.1 every 1000 persons over 25 years of age. CDC r eports that asthma continues to be the major public health concern with a large financial impact on families and health care system. Internationally UK is the highest ranking countries in terms of asthma prevalence. The peak prevalence occurs between the ages of 5 and 15 and falls thereafter the age range of 55-64 years, after which it starts to rise again. Asthma diagnoses have recently became more common since 1950’s. Most of the children wheeze in their early life in response to the respiratory tract infection but most appear to grow out of it by the time they go to school. It is also to be noted that a few children will continue to wheeze and develop interval symptoms similar to atopic asthma (Worldallergy.org. 2013). The most common symptoms that are accompanied in asthma are coughing (especially at night or during exercise), trouble breathing, a tight feeling in the chest and wheezing sound. Some people may have prolonged symptom free periods while others experience som e symptoms every day. Loss of breath, exhaustion, wheezing, coughing, upper tract respiratory infections, sore throat and runny rose are some other less frequent signs. The underlying cause of asthma is bronchoconstriction due to the allergic inflammation of the passage ways. The inflammation process can be histologically seen. There is a hyper secretion of sub epithelial fibrosis, mucus hyper secretion and infiltration of the various inflammatory cells. The immuno-histopathologic features of asthma include the infiltration of the neutrophils, lymphocytes, epithelia cells and mast cell activation. An allergen triggers the type 1 hypersensitivity by activating the IgE antibodies. In normal individuals, the pathogen is phagocytised by the antigens stimulating a low TH1 response. In allergic people, the pathogen or pollutant induces the TH2 mediated response through the release of IL-4. This interleukin 4 induces the production of IgE antibodies which then attach to the mast cells rece ptors upon the secondary exposure of the allergen. Their attachment with mast cells triggers the release of the histamine which causes bronchoconstriction. The TH2 cells can directly induce the type 4 hypersensitivity through the production of interleukin 13. These interleukins cause the goblet cell hyperplasia, increased production of mucus and smooth muscle contraction. TH2 lymphocytes

Is Oil a Blessing or a Curse for the Middle East Essay

Is Oil a Blessing or a Curse for the Middle East - Essay Example The reality that many nations face with regards to being nearly entirely dependent upon their natural resources as the basic foundation of their economies is referred to as both â€Å"renterism† and the â€Å"Dutch disease†. The first term, renterism has to do with the fact that these nations ultimately rent out the access to their resources in exchange for direct payments for such an agreement. Similarly, the term Dutch disease is with regards to the Dutch nation’s dependence upon the revenues from the natural gas fields in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For purposes of this brief analysis, the issue of the resource curse will be viewed within the prism of seeking to understand it as it is exhibited within the nations of Saudi Arabia and Iran. These two nations have been selected due to the fact that they are both regional powers that have defined their economies around the oil wealth that they possess; albeit through slightly different means. Moreover, ev en though a similar economic stance has been taken with regards to a centrally planned economy in both nations, the overall levels of extreme wealth and pervasive poverty, social divisions, non-democratic forms of governance, problems with radical forms of Islam, and a host of other byproducts of the uneven economic development that oil wealth dependence portends crates a great deal of similarity between these two nations. History and Background: Prior to the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and Iran, both of these regions were seeking to integrate at a rather rapid rate with the rest of the world by developing their economies and seeking to industrialize. Although it is not fair to say that these nations were particularly backwards as compared to their neighbors, they exhibited a relatively low level of growth and change as compared to Western Europe and parts of Asia at that time. It can be noted that within both Iran and Saudi Arabia, there existed and much more decentralized und erstanding of governance and power. Although it is not the purpose of this analysis to go into a great deal of defining the means by which resource wealth encourages further levels of despotism, it should be understood that once a high level of valuable resources are located within a given region, it necessarily encourages individuals within government to more fully and completely exert their control over these resources as a means of promoting sovereignty, stability, and deriving profitability; both for themselves and for the nation in general. A byproduct of this increased level of centralization and control is necessarily the loss of specific civil liberties and freedoms. Aside from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and redefining the post-colonial borders, the discovery of oil and natural gas resources has had the most profound impact upon the course of development, politics, war, and even radical forms of Islam. With respect to the actual discovery of oil within the Middle Eas t, Iran was the first in 1908 (Neilberg, 2012) followed by Saudi Arabia in 1923 (Jones, 2012). Oil came to be an even more coveted resource to which all developed nations sought to procure. Accordingly, it was not abnormal to merely take over another country as a means of extracting its mineral wealth and diverting it back to the homeland. Such a model was utilized for nearly 25 years as the British extracted oil wealth from Saudi Arabia and Iran (Mainuddin, 2007). The ways in which key actors within

LABELLING THEORY HAS NO IMPACT ON REAL WORLD DECISION MAKING PRACTISES Essay

LABELLING THEORY HAS NO IMPACT ON REAL WORLD DECISION MAKING PRACTISES - Essay Example Although labelling theory may have influences in different settings, it does not necessarily entail that all decisions be based upon it, as will be discussed in this paper. The theory Labelling theory presents that â€Å"deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants, and they, in turn, come to accept the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly† (Kendall, 2007, pp. 188-189). There are several versions of the theory, of which the ideas of Howard Becker, seen to be a major proponent of the theory, will primarily be considered in the present paper. One famous statement by Becker upheld in this theory is, deviant as â€Å"one to whom the label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label† (as cited in Kendall, 2003, p. 189). Making labels Becker’s work in 1963, Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, is one of the most cited literature that focus es on labelling theory and deviance. According to him, only a few individuals have the power and qualifications to determine what is deviant or not, and they generally belong to the upper social classes (Franzese, 2009, p. 72). These individuals are called â€Å"moral entrepreneurs,† and are presented by Becker to be those who want to help the less fortunate, rather than being mean or evil (p. 72). The supposed intent of labelling was to take societal interests into consideration. However, because labeled individuals are inferior to those who have the capacity to label them in terms of power and status, the positive goal of labeling backfires to become what is usually seen to be negative and deviant to established norms. It is not emphasized how individuals can resist being labeled, but labeled individuals may be rehabilitated in the presence of interventions differing according to the deviant behavior. Consequences of labelling The labelling theory hypothesizes that deviance is not inherent, but rather a product of reaction to established societal norms, or results of societal perceptions. It presents a process where initially there is a pubic labelling which is informal at first but evolves to be formalized later; second, this label â€Å"overrides all the other symbols and statuses a person previously held,† and cause people to react very differently by rejecting or isolating the individual; and third, such label affects the individual’s self-perception and self-image, encouraging many to live according to that deviant label, or in other words accept that he or she is deviant and live according to it (Slattery, 2003, p. 135). This process outlines the consequences of labelling to the labeled individual, which are, most of the time, negative rather than positive. It is further contended that deviant behavior can be â€Å"cured† or rehabilitated, but doing so would not be easy, especially in the continuous presence of societal pres sure and rejection. Labelling in the real world In the context of the theory, labelling may be formal or informal, which is also a common criticism of the ideology. Informal labels are those that tend to be placed by family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, et cetera. Formal labels are those given by health care, the police, the academe, and other institutions. Literature dealing with the theory often cite â€Å"mentally ill† as a common established label, as well as in aspects in criminology,

Constantine I The Great Emperor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Constantine I The Great Emperor - Essay Example The right of choosing one’s religion earned him a place in people’s hearts and his actions earned him great public support. Not only did he ‘legalize’ Christianity, he took deep interest in their matters and formed the Ecumenical Council of Catholic church which was the first of its kind (Odahl). To make worship easy for the public, he constructed a lot of Churches in his empire which was previously only filled with Roman temples. The property that was seized during the great persecution was returned to the rightful owners and the Christian officials were restored to their ranks (Kousoulas). All the wrongs done by his predecessors were corrected and a new era started which offered a promising future for the Christians. All of his actions not only allowed the Christians to practice their religion freely and proudly but it also created a scenario in which it was advantageous to be a Christian. The political image of Constantine improved after Galerius recogni zed Constantine as an emperor. As a customary act, a portrait of Constantine was brought to Rome as recognition of his emperorship. Maxentius was the son of Maximan, the former emperor and also the son-in-law of the emperor Galerius. He had an arch rivalry with Constantine and wanted to take over the empire as his own. Maxentius was full of hatred and jealousy and he could not bear his powerlessness while Constantine having so much authority. The empire faced serious threats from the side of Maxentius when he seized the title in 306. Galerius did not recognize Maxentius as an emperor but he was not strong enough to depower him. Galerius sent a military force against Maxentius under the leadership of Severus but they were defeated and Severus was taken... The political image of Constantine improved after Galerius recognized Constantine as an emperor. As a customary act, a portrait of Constantine was brought to Rome as recognition of his emperorship. Maxentius was the son of Maximan, the former emperor and also the son-in-law of the emperor Galerius. He had an arch rivalry with Constantine and wanted to take over the empire as his own. Maxentius was full of hatred and jealousy and he could not bear his powerlessness while Constantine having so much authority. The empire faced serious threats from the side of Maxentius when he seized the title in 306. Galerius did not recognize Maxentius as an emperor but he was not strong enough to depower him. Galerius sent a military force against Maxentius under the leadership of Severus but they were defeated and Severus was taken prisoner. Constantine tried to reestablish old ties so that empire does not suffer from bloodshed and chaos. Maximan offered Fausta, his daughter to Constantine which wou ld promote him to the rank of an Augustan. In return, Constantine offered his support for Maxentius and the family ties were reformed. During his rule, Licenius also had to suffer defeat. Licenius’ defeat symbolized the defeat of the pagan practices prevalent in the East. In order to integrate the East into the Roman Empire, it was suggested that a new capital of the empire should be formed. Constantine planned a strategic campaign in companionship with the Sarmatians against the Goths.

Listening guide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Listening guide - Essay Example In other words, Mozart applies instrumental alterations. The second theme is followed by a short cadence, which brings the listener back to the repetition of the entire exposition. At the very beginning, the first theme changes its key; the modulation growth into the contrapuntal treatment of the theme by the whole orchestra. In the following phrases, the modulation takes place as well and is accompanied but the breaking up of the main theme into small portions, or fragmentation. Fragmentation ends up the transition passage performed forte by the full orchestra; the retransition leads to the recapitulation. In the recapitulation part, the first theme is performed in G minor piano, as in exposition but with the differences in the orchestration as the party of the bassoon becomes more prominent. The second theme (originally performed in major key) is now played in the tonic key of the piece, which is G minor. It results in the change of the mood of the movement. In addition to this, recapitulation is more stable compared to exposition due to the fact both themes are played in the minor key as well as the bridge theme. The piece under analysis ends up with a short coda comprised imitative passage performed by the strings, piano and then followed by repeated cadences played forte. Like in all the parts of the movement, cadence theme is followed by an abrupt stop. This time, however, the stop is followed by three chords which end the

Thw Importance of English Essay Example for Free

Thw Importance of English Essay Language is the ability of human to communicate. Estimated number of languages in the world variesbetween 6,000 to 7,000. One of the most important languages is English language. Why do we think English language is the most important? English plays a major role in many areas including medicine, engineering and education, which in my opinion; is the most importantlanguage to learn. First of all, the reason why English language is important is to help students find better jobs. In the business sector, the most commonly used language is the English language. In order to achieve success in the selected jobs, one should acquire a sound knowledge in the language. As the result, fresh graduates have to know the language well in order to get a better job, and for those who have less knowledge in the language will only be able to acquire less paid jobs. For example, one of my friends’ sister, who was graduated from a well-known university and she has a good command in the language. That helped her to get a better paid job. The next reason for us to be well-versed in the language is to enable us to communicate with people around the world. It is important to get involvewith advancement of the technology. For that reason, we have to learn a common language. A language which could be understaood by everyone. For example, the internet can be used to get access to unlimited information and if our knowledge in the language is limited then getting around with the internet would be difficult task. Last but not least is the importance of the language in education.It is becoming a common practice in every higher education institutions to conduct lessons in English language. If we are good in the language then scoring good results will be easy. In conclusion, university students need to know the language to get access to all kinds of knowledge. In a nut shell, we could say that, it is important to know English language. It is also proved that the languageplays a major role in our lives. If we want to follow themodern trend, new gadgets and technologyin this developing world, we have to know the English language well.

Tourism in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Tourism in Malaysia Essay Tourism, including Malaysian tourism, is a big industry worldwide and many countries have already cashed in on its potential. This article seeks to assess the performance of tourism in Malaysia, its development, impacts and future. Implications for students will also be discussed. Tourism success in any country begins from the priority placed on it by the government. The Malaysian government through its Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (hereafter referred to as Tourism Malaysia) plans develops and oversees tourism policies, projects and other activities to realize its vision of making Malaysia an international tourism destination. The activities of this agency are discussed in more details. Overview of Malaysian Tourism International tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts are the popular indicators used in measuringtourism performance. According to the 2010 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Report, Malaysia ranked 9th in international tourist arrivals, welcoming 24. 6 million visitors through its doors. This good performance represents a 3. 9% increase over 2009 performance. Malaysia achieved a third place in the Asian region after China and Turkey respectively in the world’s top ten country lists of international tourist arrivals. This performance was realized by the governments’ tourism training, incentives and promotional programs. Government incentives include tourism infrastructure fund and special tourism fund to support tourism-related development and projects. Promotional programs include the popular ‘Malaysia my second home’, student tourism programs for secondary schools and education tourism among others. Provision of tourism services according to MS ISO 9001:2000 by the Ministry is an indication of the ministry’s international quality benchmark. The impact of these efforts resulted in international tourism receipt of RM 56. 5 billion in 2010. Therefore, in order to complement this achievement, the government is stepping up efforts in its plan to boost the tourism industry. This was reflected in the 2011 budget where more tourism destinations in various parts of the country will be developed (some are already under construction as of writing), ban of import duties on certain tourism-related products, education promotions and part-funding of tourism related projects with the private sector. Highlights of Tourim sites in Malaysia The developmental efforts of the governments’ tourism agency resulting in the recognition of threeattractions as world heritage sites by UNESCO are truly commendable. Theseattractions are: 1. Gunung Mulu National Park (Sarawak) 2. Kinabalu Park (Sabah) 3. Melaka and Georgetown, historic sites of the Straits of Malacca Potential sites already submitted for inclusion by UNESCO includes: 1. Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) and Ai national Park (BANP)   2.  Prehistoric Archeological Heritage of Lenggong Valley 3. The Taman Negara National Park of Peninsular Malaysia Consequently, increased tourism benefits other sectors such as increasing hotel development, training of tourism related courses in tertiary institutions, manufacturing, transportation and the aviation industry only to mention a few. Future of Malaysian tourism and implications for students As Malaysia inches closer to its vision of becoming a developed country by 2020, the race is on to ensure its tourism industry is not left behind. Continued liberalization of some government controlled sectors, increased incentives, development of more tourism destinations where possible, increased involvement of the private sector are some of the key strides that will continue to improve Malaysia tourism performance into the future. This has a huge implication for students especially students of Hospitality and Tourism management. As populations increase in Malaysia and in the world and the Malaysian government makes its tourism industry more attractive, more skilled personnel will be required to manage the increasing government functions and private businesses resulting from it. One key recommendation for the Malaysian government will be to factor in the projected skilled workforce and skill sets required to realize its future tourism ambitions while making plans for those skills and workforce today. Students interested in the tourism industry will focus on developing additional skills sets more than a passing grade that will provide the distinction to ensure a place in the ever growing Malaysian tourism industry. Conclusion This article investigated Malaysian tourism in terms of its performance, impact, development, future and implications for students.  It was found that Malaysia ranks in the world’s top ten countries in international tourist arrivals, achieved recognition for three UNESCO world heritage sites, and has a coordinated promotion, incentive and program to propel its tourism industry into the future. The implication for students especially student of the Hospitality and tourism industry werediscussed. Finally, it was recommended that a holistic tourism plan must include the projected skill set and workforce required to manage the increasing tourism projects of the future.

The Specialist And Inbound Tour Operators

The Specialist And Inbound Tour Operators Mass Market tour operators have dominated in the outbound market for years, with the rise of holidays abroad becoming more and more popular since the end of the Second World War. Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice are examples of mass market tour operators. Thomson and First Choice belong to TUI, these are known as mass market tour operators as they sell/sold holidays that appealed to the majority of holiday makers. Some of the larger mass market tour operators have diversified in now offering more specialised products such as safari and skiing. TUI (www.tui-group.com/en/company/sectors/tuitravel) TUI AG is the largest travel group in the world; Thomson belongs to TUI and is a travel agency as well as having its own airline. First Choice is another travel agent that has its own airline, which belongs to TUI. TUI travel was formed in 2007, with the merger of TUI; their existing distribution, tour operators, air-lines and destination groups; with First Choice Holidays Plc. TUI AG is separated into three sectors: TUI Travel TUI Hotels Resorts TUI Cruises TUI also has a shipping container department. TUI travel is the majority shareholder of the company and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They operate in 180 countries worldwide, making TUI the leading tour operator within Europe; to become this they provide a wide and varied service for over 30million customers. TUI is a British based company, with their head office in Crawley, West Sussex, not too far from Gatwick Airport; one of the UKs busiest international airports. TUI has over 200 different brands to over, over 140 aircraft and 3,500 retail shops across Europe, employing approximately 50,000 employees. TUI is separated in too four sectors of business, covering all 200 plus brands, these are: Mainstream Specialist Activity Accommodation and Destinations The mainstream sector is the largest of the four sectors in size, operating profit and the number of employees. The 3,500 retail outlets through-out Europe, providing over 25million customers per year, with package, self-package, sun and beach holidays. This sector operates over 140 aircraft to a wide variety of destination through-out the year, incorporating a large number of high street retail stores. The Specialist and Emerging Markets sector includes 40 specialist tour operator companies, providing and selling tour destinations to a smaller demographic, this sector is becoming more popular as people are starting to spread away from the usual package beach holiday. Specialist travel and emerging markets are places such as tours in North America, Europe and further afield such as China and Russia, the emerging markets that have not been popular in the past due to inaccessibility. This sector also provides escorted tours to the Galapagos, around-the-world trips and student gap years to Australia for example. The Activity sector is designed in providing customers that are seeking adventure or active holidays unique tours or packages to suit them. These specialised tour operators operate in the marine, adventure, ski, student and sporting segments, for example hiking in Kilimanjaro, polar expeditions, skiing in Canada and chartering yachts in the Caribbean. The Accommodation and Destination sector provides on and offline accommodation and destination services worldwide; selling accommodation directly to the customers through online hotel booking sites, such as Laterooms.com; Hotelpedia.com and Asiarooms.com. It also provides accommodation, transfers, excursions and a destination agencies portfolio to tour operators, travel agents, cruise lines and other corporate customers. Thomas Cook is another example of a mass market tour operator. As with TUI, Thomas Cook has travel agencies, airlines, hotels and tour operator; Club 18-30. In 2007, Thomas Cook merged with MyTravel; this was to cut costs; a predicted  £75million per year saving; and to combat competition from the low-cost airlines and web-based travel agents, that are on the rise in where customers are buying their holidays from. All tour operators that offer air inclusive packages are required by law to have an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL). This protects customers from losing their money and/or being stranded abroad if something was to happen to the flights. ATOL is managed by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk) Specialist Tour Operators Specialist tour operators cater for niche market holidays, they specialise in particular destinations and/or in a particular product. For example Journey Latin America specialises in the particular destination of Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) and Active Diving specialise in Scuba Diving holidays around the world (www.activediving.co.uk). Journey Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) specialises in holidays to Latin America; some of the destinations they include are: Antarctica Argentina Belize Chile Cuba Caribbean El Salvador The Galapagos Islands The Falkland Islands Guyana Peru Mexico Nicaragua Venezuela They provide a wide variety of different types of holidays for a wide range of different markets. The types of holidays available are: Tailor-Made Tours Small Group Tours Value Active Beach Wildlife Expedition Honeymoon Responsible Family Learn to (learning a new skill) Cruise JourneyLatinAmerica markets to everyone, with holidays suitable for low-budgets to the higher budgets, family holidays to romantic honeymoons. Wildlife holidays with JourneyLatinAmerica offers the traveller a vast array of wildlife and birdlife to see, from giant tortoises to llamas to sloths and penguins, all depending which country has been chosen to go to, there is the added advantage of there being the largest rainforest, driest desert to the longest mountain range and biggest river within the territories of the holidays available. There is plently of advantages of travelling with a smaller, specialised tour operator, the service is more personal and the smaller operators tend to have more of a passion for the area they specialise in. Smaller operators are experts in their destination, enabling them to give first-hand advice and recommendations to the holiday maker. They also have more care towards to the places, the people and the environment and try to minimise the negative effects of the holiday. Inbound Tour Operators Not only is there tour operators for outbound tourists, either specialised or/and mass market; there is also many tour operators for inbound tourists, specialised and/or mass market. These tour operators specialise and cater for inbound tourists to the UK from many different countries. They provide tours and holidays in many different languages and for different budgets. One example of an inbound tour operator is British Tours. British Tours (www.britishtours.com) specialise in tours of Britain. They provide tours to all size groups, from private groups up to 7 persons by car with their own guide; to larger groups by mini-bus or coach, with own guide. All prices are per car not per person. Tours are available in most languages, at an extra cost; including French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Tours are suited to individual travellers, families, people with special interest, people with special needs and anyone who wants the freedom to travel at their own pace with their guide to help and inform. The tours of Britain cover the main tourist attractions and sites; the more famous to the lesser known authentic tourist sites; all with guide that are local to the area with a vast knowledge and interest of the particular site. Some of these tours are Stonehenge at Dawn, Legal London, Harry Potter and Englands Gardens. British Tours offer private day tours leaving London as well as personally guided tours of Scotland, Wales and England, special interest tailor-made tours. They also provide European destination tours, such as Paris, Normandy Beaches by private plane and private bus tours of Rome and Italy. British tours work with 100s of travel agents worldwide, as well as many UK companies for sightseeing, ground-handling, interpreting and corporate entertainment within the UK. British Tours is a member of the London Tourist Board, the British Incoming Tour Operators Association, The Society of the Golden Keys and the American Society of Travel Agents. An example of a tour and costs with British Tours: Harry Potter Tour includes the locations where the Harry Potter films have been made, including London, Oxford and Gloucester. Oxford and Gloucester tour only (not including the London sights) for up to 7 people taking roughly 10 hours to complete would cost  £655 per car; price includes private car and guide, collection and return to hotel; anywhere in London; entrance and meals are not included in the price. These tours are also available in most languages.

no pretty pictures :: essays research papers

"Nominated for a 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War is Anita Lobel's gripping memoir of surviving the Holocaust. A Caldecott-winning illustrator of such delightful picture books as On Market Street, it is difficult to believe Lobel endured the horrific childhood she did. From age 5 to age 10, Lobel spent what are supposed to be carefree years hiding from the Nazis, protecting her younger brother, being captured and marched from camp to camp, and surviving completely dehumanizing conditions. A terrifying story by any measure, Lobel's memoir is all the more haunting as told from the first-person, child's-eye view. Her girlhood voice tells it like it is, without irony or even complete understanding, but with matter-of-fact honesty and astonishing attention to detail. She carves vivid, enduring images into readers' minds. On hiding in the attic of the ghetto: "We were always told to be very quiet. The whispers of the trap ped grown-ups sounded like the noise of insects rubbing their legs together." On being discovered while hiding in a convent: "They lined us up facing the wall. I looked at the dark red bricks in front of me and waited for the shots. When the shouting continued and the shots didn't come, I noticed my breath hanging in thin puffs in the air." On trying not to draw the attention of the Nazis: "I wanted to shrink away. To fold into a small invisible thing that had no detectable smell. No breath. No flesh. No sound." It is a miracle that Lobel and her brother survived on their own in this world that any adult would find unbearable. Indeed, and appropriately, there are no pretty pictures here, and adults choosing to share this story with younger readers should make themselves readily available for explanations and comforting words. (The camps are full of excrement and death, all faithfully recorded in direct, unsparing language.) But this is a story that must be told, from the shocking beginning when a young girl watches the Nazis march into Krakow, to the final words of Lobel's epilogue: "My life has been good. I want more." (Ages 10 to 16) --Brangien Davis From Booklist Gr. 6^-12. The truth of the child's viewpoint is the strength of this Holocaust survivor story, told with physical immediacy and no "pride of victimhood." Lobel's ebullient, gorgeously colored illustrated books--from the Caldecott Honor Book On Market Street (1982) to Toads and Diamonds (1996)--give no hint of her dark, terrifying childhood.

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case - The Film :: Film Movie Essays

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case - The Film [1] It was August 26, 1974, when the first man to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic died of cancer in his home in Maui. He was 72 years old and had lived long enough to be worshipped and reviled by the American public. During the 18 months between the death of Lindbergh and the 1976 television production of The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, the U.S. had endured some culture crises that were certain to challenge the self-image of â€Å"The American." Early in 1974 Patricia Hearst, publishing heiress, was abducted by the Symbionese Liberation Army only to resurface as Tanya, a gun-toting member of the gang of thugs. The public acknowledged the United State’s involvement in Vietnam at large as a debacle of unparalleled proportion. Following close on the heels of Vice-President Spiro Agnew’s ignoble encounter with the law, President Richard Milhouse Nixon was forced to resign from office. Even the unconquerable Babe Ruth suffered a defeat as his home run record fell to Hank Aaron. The fact that Aaron was one of the good guys is unprotested, but it still marked the passing of an era. It seemed that none of the titans were left standing. The nation was in a maelstrom of change, which left many with a sense of loss of direction and purpose. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that a cropped and bloodless version of Charles Lindbergh should appear on television, a medium that was swiftly becoming a changeling for reality. America had had enough of real people. She was casting about for an icon, an inspiration, and a hero. It was a time for artifice and selective historical memory. [2] So precisely where does the film enlighten and where does it mislead? The very opening segment gives us a glimpse of the excitement and unmitigated adulation heaped upon Charles Lindbergh with the completion of his successful transatlantic flight. That Lindbergh’s success was as much a matter of luck and favorable winds as it was planning and talent is well known among historians. While the crowds roared their approval, experienced navigators were astounded that the daring young man had crossed the Atlantic with little more than a compass and a favorable wind. The few-filmed moments of crowds and tickertape parades only suggest the magnitude of the celebrity that was incurred by Lindbergh and the enduring quality of hero worship that he experienced.

Booker T Washington Essay

Booker T. Washington founder of Tuskegee Institute, he was a well know black educator. Tuskegee provider industrial training to African American. He believed that African Americans would gain respect from the white community if they had trade skills. Washington also believed that trade skills were key to economic security. He thought that economic progress was sufficient and that blacks can tolerate inequality. Booker urged blacks to accept discrimination and focus more on elevating themselves , educating themselves in crafting and industrial farming skills . W. E.B Du Bois was more of a political thinker a intellectual scholar . He help found NAACP, he also published a book called The Souls of Black Folks . Bois believed that academic education was more than trade education. He felt like Booker T. Washington was keeping the African Americans trapped in a lower social and economic class with is emphasis on industrial education. Du Bois wanted the black race to expand their mind in ar ts and science, he wanted blacks to work hard no matter of their career . They both was for African American to get their education and wanted us to have the same equal rights as whites.They both had different political views Du Bois encourage blacks to demand their equal rights ,Washington believed that it was important for blacks to develop good relationships with whites ignoring discrimination . Booker T. Washington had a more rational strategy it was more planed out. Washington plan was to change how other race perceived African American. His overall goal was to demonstrate to other race that African American were capable of being civilized, educated, and productive man and women in the work force.Although, DuBois and Washington had the same goal their methods of achieving their goals were completely opposite. Dubois felt that African Americans should demand respect because they deserved it. However, Washington stance was that African American should earn their respect by showin g the world that they weren’t ignorant, thieves, or anything else negative that was commonly used to describe blacks. I agree with Washington approach because his strategy demands that black people become active in their own advancements.I think African American have to get back connect to their root before we can advance as a race in today society . Booker strategy can be modify because not everybody was book smart , but their some people who could work magic with their hands . If blacks could take advantage of the thoughts and ideas of our ancestors we can grow as a race . Ida B. Wells a civil right activist, she expressed herself about lynching through writing and her speeches . She help reduce the amount of lynching in the south. Ida B. Wells demanded that the whites murders of the innocent people be held accountable of their actions.She also was involved in many creation of several organizations encouraging the advancement of women and other minorities . Wells wasnâ€⠄¢t afraid to speak her mind she was determine to make away for the black race . Mary Church Terrell was born into wealth, she was the first black women appointed to the District of Columbia Board of education . Mary was a charter member and first president of the National Association of Colored Women. She was nationally known for her support of women’s suffrage and opposition to racial segregation .Mary had many contributes, she taught at a black secondary school , worked with Fredrick Douglass and spent two years studying in Europe . She was a leader of a large protest against segregated eating places, and she was the only black women to speak at the International Congress of Women in 1904 that was held in Berlin, Germany. She was a powerful woman back in her days, took the steps that was necessary to succeed . Anna Julia Cooper was part of the feminist movement, she published a book call â€Å" A Voice from the South by a Black Women of the South â€Å".She is an African American scholar, she was the fourth black women to earn a doctoral degree. Anna help found the Colored Women’s League in Washington D. C, she was one of the few black women invited to speak on the Pan-African Conference in London. She was committed to the race and gender equality Cooper lived her life as an active vocal participant in the Women Era. Anna Julia Cooper believed that intelligent women’s voices brought balance to the struggle for the human race . Black women today should look as these women as role models, they lead the way for many generation.It’s up to us as women to take a chance to be heard and fight for what we believe in. No matter the outcome Ida, Mary and Anna took a stand as women and make sure their voice were heard that alone say a lot about their character . Many women of our generation is scared to speak out on the thing they believe afraid of being judge. Women are more powerful than they know , I think women can still uplift the bla ck race if we came together to fix the things in the black community and work together instead of tearing each other down. If we change our mindset we can change the world.

Zara and H&M

We have been given an assignment, where we have been divided into groups. In our group we have analyzed two companies, namely Zara and H&M. These two companies are both very big companies within clothing. The fashion business is very tough, and we will explain to you what we believe the two companies does well in this hard business, and why this is good. We have been giving time to solve the assignment in some of our classes with Gitte and Peter, the rest we have made at home. After we have analyzed the two companies we will compare their 4 P’s and their value chain, likewise we also will make a five forces analysis.Z A R A * Company profile – Zara Zara is a very big clothing chain from Spain. The chain was founded in 1975 by Mr. Ortega, and it now has more than 1. 000 stores in approximately 63 countries – so it is a very big chain. However Zara has its biggest market in Spain, where they have 364 stores in total. They sell fashion clothes of a fairly good q uality to reasonable prices – this also means that they have a broad target group, which we believe to be from kids to adults younger than 50, both men and women.Over the years Zara has expanded their product line heavily, so now they also sell accessories, cosmetics, furniture and perfumes. They have made a whole new store called Zara Home where they are selling furniture’s; we will however focus on their clothing. The founder of Zara is naturally very wealthy, in fact he is the richest man in Spain, and the second richest within the business of fashion. Also Zara’s stores are very big, most of them are between 800 and 1. 000 square meters – which makes room for a lot of fashion clothing.Inditex, the mother company of Zara has many stores under them, but it is worth mentioning that Zara stands for 77 % of Inditex’ overall sales, which is very impressive, and their plan for the future is to continue expanding and growing bigger and bigger. Zara clo thing is sold worldwide, and not long ago the first store opened on Stroget in Copenhagen. * Generic strategies Generic strategies is a marketing tool invented by Michael Porter. It is very popular and many companies use it. The generic strategy tells about the product(s) and its target group(s). Beneath you will see the generic strategies model. Low cost| Unique product / high cost| Broad target group| Overall cost leadership| Differentiation| Narrow target group| Niche – Cost focus| Niche – Differentiation focus| As seen above we believe that Zara uses the overall cost leadership strategy. Zara’s target group is very broad but their prices are also fairly low, this is why they use the overall cost leadership strategy. To a certain extend you could also say that Zara uses the differentiation strategy. This is because they have very beautiful products which are a bit more expensive than their closest competitors.But also because they have so many different produ cts – they have everything from clothes to furniture’s. But mainly we are certain that they use the overall cost leadership strategy. * Growth strategies Ansoffs growth strategy is a well known toll within marketing. The strategy is used by marketers who have objectives for growth, and Ansoffs matrix offers different strategic choices to achieve the goals. The model is shown below this text: | Old product| New product| Old target group| Market penetration| Product development| New target group| Market development| Diversification|We believe that Zara uses two growth strategies, and we will know explain why. The two strategies that Zara in our opinion uses is, market penetration and product development. If we have focus on their clothing line we believe that they have penetrated the market very much, naturally because they use the same products, clothing, and also because they aim for their existing target group. If your growth strategy is market penetration it would be obvious choice to promote your products, but that is not what Zara is doing.They are relaying on good store locations and loyal customers who will talk in nice words about Zara to their friends and family. As mentioned we also believe that Zara uses another strategy, namely product development. We base this on the fact that they have expanded their product line. Now they don’t just sell clothing, now customers also have the opportunity to buy accessories, cosmetics and furniture in Zara stores. Even though Zara is introducing new products, they still relay on their existing target group. Inditex has expanded very heavily, and to put this in perspective we have some facts that show this.In 1995 they had 500 stores worldwide, and in 2004, nine years later they had 2. 250 stores. * PEST analysis The PEST analysis is a marketing tool in the macro environment who tells about the political, environmental, socio- cultural and technological forces that may have an influence on your company. These are uncontrollable forces which we do not have any influence on. Also, it is vital that a company considers its situation before beginning the marketing process. Political factors: Zara has stores in a lot of countries; therefore it is hard to get a good view over the political factors.But if we focus on some countries we know it is easier. In Denmark we don’t see any political obstacles for Zara – we have a stable political environment, and the only thing we see as a â€Å"threat† for Zara is new tax-laws, that could influence our buying possibilities, but on the other hand it could also go the other way around. One important global thing that could affect Zara could be new laws regarding the cheap â€Å"work power† in the east. New laws regarding this area could end up raising their costs. Economic factors: We are right now in the middle of a global financial crisis, and many fear that we will have a recession.This will of course influenc e Zara. If the recession comes, customers of Zara will have less money to spend on their products then they used to. This can be very crucial for Zara, because we might fear that their customers will tend to buy products from their greatest competitor, namely H&M. Hennes & Mauritz products are a bit cheaper then Zara’s, and therefore we fear for Zara that they would lose customers during a recession. Socio- cultural factors: Some people are against the fact that big companies use cheap production in foreign countries, but in this situation Zara has an advantage over its competitors.They produce 80 % of their clothes in Europe which is a lot more than their closest competitors. This subject we will also talk about in the SWOT analysis. Teenagers are also spending a lot of money on clothes, and they often do this without influence from their parents. This creates â€Å"a golden group† for Zara who are willing to buy a lot of fashion clothes, so they can look nice . Technological factors: When we are in the clothing business technological factors does not have a very big influence compared to other businesses.But there are things that are relevant for Zara. Because of all the technology we have today, Zara also has new opportunities to get in touch with their customers. The internet is in this case a brilliant example. Zara can promote on the internet, and they also have a homepage where you can learn more about them, and check their products. * The value chain A value chain is a chain of different activities which aims at creating value for the end user, and leaving the company with a positive margin. The activities culminate in the total value delivered by an organization.The value chain is divided into primary and support activities. UpstreamDownstream Research & Development| Inbound logistics| Production (outsourcing)| Outbound logistics| Sales and marketing| Service (After market)| It’s very important for Zara to create as muc h value in the value chain as possible, because there is a tough competition within the market for relatively cheap, but still good quality clothes. Zara creates value in production. –Their production takes place in some of the countries with a low salary, which minimizes the production cost.But they also produce their products in Spain and Portugal, which we believe many customers will like. In outbound logistics we also believe that Zara creates a lot of value. This is the place where the products are sent to the stores – and at this point Zara creates very good and vital value. We know that Zara are very fast at getting their products sent out to the stores, likewise they also can call them back very easily compared to their competitors, and this of course creates value for Zara. In the sales and marketing Zara does not gain much value.They don’t advertise for their products, and we believe that this would be a good idea, especially in the countries where Zar a still needs to get its big â€Å"break trough†, instead Zara depends on good store location. We believe that they should give advertising a chance. * SWOT analysis A SWOT analysis is another strategic method within marketing. It is used to evaluate a company’s, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strength and weaknesses are internal factors, while opportunities and threats are external factors. We will start out with the strengths. One of their great strengths is their fast production.When their clothes are designed for the first time, it can be bought in their stores around the world only 2-5 weeks later. This means that they have a very fast production and if something goes wrong or doesn’t sell they can easily call the product back. At the same time they will also have new clothes with a great variety in the stores every second week. The fast production also gives a good control of your stock, which means that they â€Å"only† have 15-2 0 % unsold inventory each year and a good profit margin. In H&M, Zara’s worst competitor, it takes 6-8 months before their designs are in the shops – therefore it is a great strength.Location of Zara stores is also one of their strengths. They are placed where a lot of people walk by, and therefore a lot of people see the store, and they will go in, and eventually end up buying something. Because of their production, they also have a good reputation among their customers. Most of Zara’s production takes plane in Spain and Portugal. This is a good thing because many people don’t like the thought of underpaid workers. When you buy products from Zara you have a lot of different things to choose of, which is also a strength – and the products you buy are of a high quality and a reasonable price.A weakness for Zara we definitely mean to be their homepage. It is very confusing, and it is not easy to browse around. When we looked at it, we were actual ly very disappointed, and we even got a little bit â€Å"frustrated† – because it is so confusing. We also think that despite their good quality and prices they are a bit unknown among the young generation in Scandinavia. Before this assignment we didn’t know too much about Zara. We believe that H&M is more known then Zara in Scandinavia, and this is due to Zara’s lack of advertising.Right now we have a global financial crisis, which influences the customers buying possibilities. This also affects Zara’s customers, and they will think more carefully over the things they choose to buy. If the financial situation became more positive and we were facing a boom, Zara’s customers would have more money to spend on their products – therefore a boom is a possibility for Zara. Of course Zara has their competitors as a threat, especially H&M and Gap. The business which they operate in is very competitive – therefore it is vital t o â€Å"be on the marks† at all times. Zara also has some production in Asia. Therefore new political laws about salaries and â€Å"working hours† is a threat for Zara, which could end up making their production more expensive. * Price / quality grid The price/quality grid is a tool you can use to analyze a product and the company’s strategy with the given product. First it is worth mentioning that a product is anything that can be offered to a market for purchase or use, which might satisfy a want or need. A product consists of three levels, namely the core benefit, the tangible product and the augmented product. Beneath we have shown the model and we will explain which strategy we believe Zara uses. High price| Low price| High quality| Premium strategy| Good value strategy| Low quality| Overcharging strategy| Economy strategy| In our opinion Zara uses the good value strategy. This is of course because they have a high quality, but also a fairly low price. When buying clothes from Zara the customer at least get the same quality as if buying from Armani, but buying clothes from Zara also gives you a low price. This tells us that the customer gets more then he pays for, when talking about the actual product. Others would say that the brand and status other products give them is more important.But when using a good value strategy, the company will get a lot of satisfied customers. It is worth mentioning that Hennes & Mauritz in our opinion uses the same strategy, namely the good value strategy. Hennes & Mauritz * Company profile Hennes and Mauritz is a very big company, it was founded in Sweden, 1947. They started selling clothes to women and at that time their stores was called Hennes. –Later, in 1968, they founded a store that started selling clothes to men, and this store was called Mauritz, and Mauritz also started selling accessories.Later they changed the name to Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), which is the store we know today, who sells their products to both men and women. Since H&M was founded they have expanded heavily, and today you can find them in 24 different countries, with more than 1. 345 retailers worldwide. Hennes & Mauritz has their biggest market in Scandinavia; likewise their target group is very broad. –They sell clothes to small children but also to adults, both men and woman. * Generic strategies Porter’s generic strategies were made in the 1980’s, and since then it has been a very popular marketing tool.Today it is still very used among companies worldwide. | Low cost| Unique product| Broad target group| Overall cost leadership| Differentiation| Narrow target group| Niche – Cost focus| Niche – Differentiation focus| The generic strategy is used to find the company’s competitive advantage, so they will know what to focus on while they are maintaining their core competitive advantages. –H&M has a very broad target group, and their products are also at a relatively low price. Therefore they use the strategy which is called overall cost leadership.They can sell their products at a low price because they produce them in countries such as China and other Asian countries. H&M has used this strategy with great success. * Growth strategies Ansoffs growth strategies were first published in 1957. Today it is still used by many marketers who have objectives for growth. This model offers different choices of how to achieve your goals. | Old product| New product| Old target group| Market penetration| Product development| New target group| Market development| Diversification| H&M operates uses the market penetration strategy, obviously.They have their existing products, mainly their clothes, which they sell to their existing target groups. They have a good brand within clothing which they are trying to make stronger and stronger. You could say that they over the years also have used market development. Because in the beginning they only sold clothes to women, but know they also sell clothes to men. This is why their strategy for many years has been market penetration. * PEST analysis Before a company begins its marketing process it would be wise to consider its environment. This can be done with a PEST analysis.Political forces: In Denmark we don’t believe that the political forces play any role, but in their production countries it can affect them. New laws about salary and working hours can make production more expensive, which won’t be good for H&M. Economic forces: Not long ago we had a boom period in Denmark, therefore people had â€Å"more† money to spend on clothing for example. But now we are slightly heading towards a recession. But actually we don’t mean this has any negative influence on Hennes & Mauritz. People will still have the money to buy their products because they are cheap compared to others.So maybe they will even experience to get more customers, if the population does not feel that they so much money to spend on clothes. Socio- cultural forces: The trends are very important for H&M. We believe that many girls like having clothing from H&M. This we believe to be their biggest target group also. They have lots of different products which can be bought at a good price, and they feel comfortable wearing clothes from H&M. Therefore it is important that H&M keeps them self updated on new trends. A more negative factor could be the fact that some people are against cheap production in foreign countries.This will hurt their image among some people, because they have so much production in the east. Technological forces: On the technological forces H&M is â€Å"up to date† in our opinion. They have cheap production, partly because of good technology. Also they have a very good homepage where you can see their collection, and also shop online. Furthermore you have the opportunity to r ead about the company and get the newsletter via their homepage. * The value chain UpstreamDownstream Research & Development| Inbound logistics| Production (outsourcing)| Outbound logistics| Sales and marketing| Service (After market)|Above we have shown the value chain. Earlier we have mentioned the purpose therefore we will now start with the analysis. When we look at their production we know that many of their products are produced in China. This makes production cheap and therefore also the products that are sold to the end users. This creates value for H&M. Also they have 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe. Hennes & Mauritz only produce 30 percent of their own clothes, the other clothing they get from firms such as L. O. G. G. , which they have a permanent contract with.This way they don’t spend too much money at their own production, while having lots of independent suppliers. And due to all the suppliers they will naturally get a good p rice, because they order a huge amount each time, but also because the suppliers would like to have their products in H&M stores. H&M has a â€Å"top of mind status† when we think of cheap and fashionable clothing. And this is very valuable. Not many company’s has achieved to make the same brand and position as H&M, therefore they gain great value in sales and marketing.Many big designers has designed clothes for H&M such as Stella McCarthy and now also Madonna wants to design clothes for them. She wants to make a series of clothes for women called â€Å"M by Madonna†, which we believe could be a huge success. If Madonna designs clothe for H&M it will be good promotion and great value. * SWOT analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| Good repetition Loyal customers Good quality Reasonable prices| Slow production Some think of H&M as discount label Recall of products| Opportunities| Threats|Economy (recession, to a certain extant) Growth in the Asia n retail sector| Rising salaries for the workersNew political laws regarding productionCompetitors – intense competition| The purpose of a SWOT analysis we have already mentioned. We believe that their strongest strength is their quality and brand compared to their prices. In H&M you get something in return of your money. But as we see it they also have one very big weakness, especially compared to their strongest competitor, Zara. H&M has a very slow production compared to Zara and it takes up to 8 months before the new designs are available in the stores.If something goes wrong it won’t be easy for them to call the products back, so at this point they have to improve. Regarding the economy we believe that they are well prepared for both a boom and a recession. If we experience a boom people will buy even more clothes then they usually do, and if we experience a recession they will maybe get some new customers. The biggest threat we believe to be new laws rega rding their production, this would give them extra costs. Comparison * The 4 P’s The marketing mix, also known as the 4 P’s, is probably the most famous marketing term.The marketing mix is very simple, and it tells us something about the product, place, price and promotion. We can also say that the marketing mix is the company’s offer to its potential customers. We will start out with the most important P – the product. Product: As we know both Zara and H&M primarily sells clothing. Their products are very similar; they both sell fashionable clothes, so at this point we don’t see any big differences. But Zara has expanded their product line. They have made new stores where it is possible for their customers to buy furnitures, so at this point we see a difference.Also Zara offers cosmetics to their customers. Price: At the price there is a little difference, but again these two companies are very similar. H&M is a little bit cheaper then Zar a and this is a result of their cheap production. Zara is also fairly cheap, but H&M, their closest competitor is a bit cheaper. Place: We believe that we roughly can divide their markets into two in Europe. Zara has their biggest market in the Southern Europe, while we believe that H&M has their biggest market in Northern Europe and Scandinavia.This is also naturally because of the firms â€Å"birthplaces†. Furthermore they both operate worldwide in hard competition with each other. They sell their products worldwide, and they both have good locations – especially Zara. Promotion: Zara is against promotion, so they do not advertise for themselves, instead they rely on good store locations and a good repetition among their customers. The case is different for H&M, they advertise for their products, so that they can create attention upon their products. The 4 P’s have been a very good way at comparing these two companies.Overall we can conclude that t hey look alike each other a lot, and they are in a very hard competition against each other. They both have strong sides which they will use, both they also have weak sides which they can improve. But one thing is certain – the competition is very tough. * Porters 5 forces Five Forces Analysis helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. It has similarities with other tools for environmental audit, such as PEST analysis, but tends to focus on the single, stand alone, business or SBU (Strategic Business Unit) rather than a single product or range of products.Five forces analysis looks at five key areas namely the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. Analysis for Zara and H&M There will always be a thread of new comers on the market. In many cases these companies will not become a big threat, because there on the clothing market is such big competition, that they will be ousted within a relatively short period of time. The Power of buyers is if big buyers like Magasin choose how much they want from a certain company like e. . Bruuns Bazar. Then Magasin sets the standard, they can do this because of their good reputation, and because many costumers do their shopping in this mall every day. Therefore they got a big buying power. The threat of Substitute Products will always be there, for example the walkman was substituted be the MP3 player, and the horse-wagon was substituted by the car. There will always be a development, and companies must be sure to be updated at all times.Therefore it’s extremely important to use a big sum of money in the Research and Development Department because that’s the companies â€Å"future†. The suppliers also have a certain power. –They are the ones providing the company with the raw-materials, so that they can produce the products. * The value chain In the value chain we believe that Zara and H&M gain s value at different places. Zara creates value in their production because some of it takes place in â€Å"good production countries†, while some of it also takes lace in Spain and Portugal which also creates value. But at this point they are similar, because also H&M creates value in the production chain. Most of their production takes place in foreign countries, and this makes their products cheap which will give them more customers. The place where there is a big difference is in the inbound logistics where Zara creates a lot of value, and H&M does not. As we have mentioned earlier Zara can send their new designs quickly to their stores, and also call them back again.H&M can also do this, naturally, but for them it takes much longer time. But then Hennes & Mauritz are good at creating value in Sales & Marketing, where Zara is not so good in our opinion. H&M has huge stars like Madonna who wants to design clothes for them, this is very good promotio n and it also creates a lot of attention. Zara, on the other hand doesn’t even promote their products – they are depending on good store locations as mentioned.[ 1 ]. http://www. marketingteacher. com/Lessons/lesson_fivefoces. htm

High school education Essay

We can all say education is a big requisite in life, but do we really spend the appropriate time to it? . We sure not†¦, at least I didn’t for a couple of years. Freshman year on high school could be hat year you would never forget. Becomes a new life style, met new people, new hobbies, and new interests. Basically turns out to your biggest change in life. My high school education could of say it was more fun and adventurous than those kids who actually are focus to graduate with a high GPA, get an efficient scholarship, and attend to a reputable university. I started out my freshman year good. I was attending to class, participating and doing class work, I was doing homework. I had no problems, then after my freshman year was over I had many friends that I was expected. Then I got to meet my true friends which I still hang out and do crazy stuff. My sophomore and junior year I went out of control laterally. I never was in school, just to go get my free lunch because, who didn’t liked to be in lunch? Right. To be clearer, anywhere was a better place than school. Yeah I had so much fun, memories than I would never forget, unexpected trips, water balloons fights, ride horsing, and four wheeling, ditching parties, even run away from cops. But like how it needed to happened, it happened. My slacking in grades would be known eventually by my mom. There’s one thing that I’ll be always glad for, I have the most overprotective mom in the world. Her reaction was immediately that the next day she knew about I was not going to school, she was there talking to the principle asking him to make a stop of it. All the trouble that I was into, and all the talks my mom and I had, it made my mind expand to reality and to convince myself that I was not doing good in school and that would affect my future. I catch up my senior year picking up my GPA and grades to proudly get thehigh school education and be able to register at CNM. College is a different level than high school by too much. Here you cannot take the risk to slack not even a little. If you slack not showing up, or not turning homework, grades are really affected. College has help me to raise myself as an adult and take proprieties first. That you are who build your future, that hard work always pays off. I’m thankful to attend to college.

Educating Rita Essay

How does Willy Russell use dramatic devices to show the change in character and relationship in Rita and Frank. In this essay I will be exploring the dramatic devices Willy Russell uses to show the changes in characters and the development in relationships. One of the dramatic devices is the telephone. The telephone shows to me that Frank is the sort of person who never really socialises and only cares about himself and his always in his own world. â€Å"The telephone rings and startles him,.† This stage direction supports my point because the word â€Å"startles† implies that he is shocked about the phone call as if no-one ever calls him, the word â€Å"startles†, also implies that he is not focusing on what is going on around him and what he is doing and he indulges in his drink. The first impression I get of Frank is that he is emotionally unstable because he is always frantically searching for something in his bookcase, and he is constantly saying random letters and names, â€Å"E,Ec,E.† I also got the impression that Frank is not really interested in his job working at the university also I got the impression that Frank has always wanted to do something other than teaching, in the movie Frank is in a completely different world when his is in a lecture as well that Frank doesn’t really seem that interested in teaching the students at all. Another dramatic device Willy Russell uses is the door, the door in Frank’s study is like a barrier between him and his students, â€Å"I’m comin’ in, aren’t I? You wanna get that bleedin’ handle fixed.† This supports my point because the fact that Frank is not in the slight bit interested to fix the door and he knows the door is unable to open easily shows me that he is deliberately trying to keep out his students and his co-workers , this also shows me that he has a lot to hide because he is constantly in his study. The door projects the emotions of Rita before she opens the door, â€Å"there’s another knock on the door.† This suggests that Rita is nervous and she wants to get her interview over and done with. I think Rita would be nervous because she is stepping into a world where she doesn’t fit in and where she stands out from other students because she comes from a lower class, also I think that Rita is nervous because she is breaking away from the traditional role expected of lower class women in the 1970’s. â€Å"I’m I should’ve had a baby by now. Everyone expects it.† The first impression I received from Rita is she’s a lower class woman who is trying something new for the first and would probably give up after a while, â€Å"Because I might decide to pack it in.† During Act 1 Scene 1 Rita shows that she is really determined to become a student and educate herself. â€Å"It’s not sudden. I’ve been realising for ages that I’m out of step.† The relationship between Frank and Rita has been strong since the beginning because Frank saw something unique in Rita that his other students don’t have, â€Å"You’re the first breath of fresh air that’s been in this room for years.† This quote shows the strength of relationship between Frank and Rita because earlier he was talking about throwing his students out of his study window, Frank doesn’t really interact with his students in the way he does with Rita. I think that Frank feels that Rita is portraying the life he would love to have away from annoying students who analysis everything. Willy Russell uses the window as another dramatic device , I think that the window is significant because it shows a connection between Frank and the outside world, the window shows changes in Rita when she comes back from summer school , in the film when Frank was looking out of the window he acknowledges Rita sitting down on the bench and approaches her showing the breaking of the barrier whereas before he would have been completely oblivious to what is going on around him. Earlier in the play the breaking of the barrier by Frank was suttle, â€Å"you’re the first breath of fresh air that’s been in this room for years.† This shows the breaking of the barrier of the two classes because it shows that they can get along. The change in Rita is shown by the window after summer school because in the beginning of the film , Rita hid away from the students and she looked down onto the students on the grass when she was in Franks study , But when she came back Rita mingles in with the students and pushes Frank to go out an sit on the grass with them. â€Å"lets go out there. On the grass.† This shows that she’s breaking out of her shell and she’s mixing in with the middle class and she is not standing out anymore. During the time Rita was at summer school, I think she changed remarkably in her knowledge and the language she used. â€Å"Blake, William Blake.† This quote supports my point because at the beginning she would have referred the poet to a person in the lower class that frank has never heard of but now she is analysing and instantly naming poets off by heart because at the end of Act 2 Scene1 she recited one of William Blake’s poem â€Å"The Songs Of Innocence.† The Dramatic devices Willy Russell uses shows a lot of emotion between Frank and Rita , because Frank is an image Rita would like to have knowledge wise and vice versa , like the window showed a lot of changes so did the door. The first impression I get of Rita’s and Franks relationship is a student and teacher relationship, but as the play progresses their relationship turns into a more personal one. The play of Educating Rita was mainly based on Willy Russell’s life and the changes he had to go through , I feel that the dramatic devices Willy Russell uses are very successful in showing the changes in relationship and life of Rita and Frank.

Advantage of Music

Advantages of music Affecting the brain waves According to studies it has been proven that your brainwaves can get stimulated with strong beats. The stimulation takes place to resonate in sync with the beat. Sharp  beats ensure sharp concentration and it can help you attain a meditative and calm state. Music and your heart rate: Due to alternations taking place in brainwaves, other bodily functions also get affected. Functions like heart rate and breathing that are controlled by the autonomic nervous system can be altered with music. Mozart effect The skills you learn through music get transferred to your communication skills, study skills and cognitive skills. According to a Harvard University study, the spatial-temporal reasoning gets enhanced when children start learning music. Such reasoning tends to improve in a temporary manner when an adult listens to a particular type of music. This study was named as the â€Å"Mozart effect† and it suggested that spatial reasoning and music have a neurological and psychological connection. Other Advantages Music therapy  is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their health. In some instances, the clients needs are addressed directly through music; in others they are addressed through the relationships that develop between the client and therapist. Music therapy is used with individuals of all ages and with a variety of conditions, including: psychiatric disorders, medical problems, physical handicaps, sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, communication disorders, interpersonal problems, and aging. It is also used to: improve learning, build self-esteem, reduce stress,  support physical exercise, and facilitate a host of other health-related activities. Music Genera A  music genre  is a categorical and typological construct that identifies  musical  sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music

Micro Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Micro - Term Paper Example Yet, in the economic cycle consumer is inevitable to business’s working and survival. As any produced good or service basically relies on consumer’s demand, who consumes it eventually. Thus, consumer’s demand, choice, preferences and decision making are significant aspects of micro economic system as they shed light on how any consumer chooses to exert his influence on any economic activity. Similarly, consumer is faced with the option of choosing from among the diverse products to meet his needs in most efficient way and likewise, utilizing his asset/cash in a prudent manner. Now how a consumer chooses and spends his earning to invest in the capital of the company is a comprehensive and diligent process, which mainly focuses on how two parties (business owner and consumer) involved take business and spending decisions. The main factors which impact the purchase inclination and decision of a consumer are price of the good or services, quality, reliability, durability and feasibility. However, there are many other factors as well, which influence the preferences of the consumer as well like fashion, marketing, government policies, and social or religious preferences. Yet, the core idea to learn about marketing strategy relies in the understanding of consumer decision making (when and how he decides to pay for goods or services). The term which describes how a consumer makes his decision t earn maximum advantage from the purchase any god or services is known as utility. This utility enables the consumer to spend more than usual on the goods/services, which benefit him in more than usual manner. However, not all the consumers can benefit any product/services in a similar way. Thus, diverse level of utility are associated with different types of consumers and this diverse nature of utility creates distinctiveness in the demand of goods/services too. However, this consumer inclination or decision making is received in the form of raw