War and Peace in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

War and Peace in the Middle East - Essay Example The Middle East political plethora is characterized by fighting raging from Syria and its spillover effect felt in Lebanon Bahrain and Iraq. There is no denying the sectarianism is commonplace in the Middle East politics with religious identity the most vital end in defining the political life of the people. Therefore, the war in these countries remains a familiar factor in the pursuit of national interest of the individual countries in the oil-rich region (CASHMAN, 2000:45). Various ideas, theories, and values shape policy and motivate the political behavior of citizens in certain countries. International relations theorists disagree over the inevitability of war. To classical realists and neo-liberalists, war is inevitable. They posit that each state is compelled to harm the other in pursuit of their interests and to avoid the worst possible outcome. This follows with states increasing their defense capabilities thereby increasing tension and chances of war. Realism has evolved int o the dominant paradigm in explaining state behavior and the eruption of war. Neo-realists hold that state behavior is driven by the need for survival in the international system. States try to survive by maximizing their power and shifting the balance of power in their favor. Mearsheimer’s ‘Offensive Realism Theory’ asserts the rationality of states in an anarchic world system. This leads to a security dilemma where a defensive action taken by one state on the verge of survival is a threat to another.... To classical realists and neo-liberalists, war is inevitable. They posit that each state is compelled to harm the other in pursuit of their interests and to avoid the worst possible outcome. This follows with states increasing their defense capabilities thereby increasing tension and chances of war. Realism has evolved into the dominant paradigm in explaining state behavior and the eruption of war. Neo-realists hold that state behavior is driven by the need for survival in the international system. States try to survive by maximizing their power and shifting the balance of power in their favor. Mearsheimer’s ‘Offensive Realism Theory’ asserts the rationality of states in an anarchic world system. This leads to a security dilemma where a defensive action taken by one state in the verge of survival is a threat to another. Realism fronts war as one of the best strategies for states to maximize their power and ensure their survival. In other cases, the threat of force may be used to maximize power. According to the theory also, other states may insight war between rival nations in a bid to reduce their power and eventually increase their own (DUNNE, KURKI, & SMITH, 2013:79). A good illustration is Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, at an individual level; Saddam Hussein may have calculated that his actions on Kuwait will not provoke military response from the international community due to his originally ruthless nature. However, at the state level Iraq is pursuing its own national interests and attempting to regain oil fields that were previously annexed by the British (CASHMAN, 2000:79). According to Mearsheimer’s theory also, the polarity between states or the possibility of war depends in the number of

I Have a Dream Essay Example for Free

I Have a Dream Essay Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15th 1929. He was a pastor, activist and the prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement and is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. He is most famous for his speech called â€Å"I have a dream†. It is about not being segregated or discriminated against and to have equal rights between white and black people. It is now recognized as one of the greatest speeches in history. Martin Luther King used a number of rhetorical devices in his speech. The main rhetorical device used throughout the speech is repetition and parallelism. In each paragraph he repeats different sentences to emphasize what he is saying. He repeats phrases such as ‘one hundred years later’, ‘we can never be satisfied’, ‘I have a dream’ and ‘now is the time’ to make the listener remember the parts he wants to emphasize. It is effective because the people are anticipating it so then they can join in. Also later on in life people will look back at the speeches and remember it for certain phrases because of the repetition. Martin Luther King also uses inclusive pronouns in his speech, for example we, our and addressing the audience as brothers and sisters. ‘The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.† He makes the audience feel as though it is there duty as well to overcome the discrimination and try and make all the southern states of America united and equal. He also makes the audience feel like it is their dream too and not just his. Martin Luther used different parts of the English language to enhance the meaning of his speech and bring out the details. The different rhetorical devices, allusions to historic documents, and metaphors seemed to have brought about the emotions that King was trying to arouse in his listeners. This helped him influence his listeners towards wanting equality for all and changing what was happening in the present so they didnt repeat things in the past.

Essay --

â€Å"Mom don’t shut off my music!† is one of the most abused phrases teenagers use while attempting to do homework or study for a test. For some, the music works perfectly as a study aid. For others, there is a struggle to comprehend the academic material with background noise going on. The benefits and disadvantages of listening to music and its impacts upon the mind have long been a subject of fascination for humans. Philosophers studied music and its effects on the body and mind back in Ancient Greece, and scientists along with researchers continue to grapple with these finds to this day. The example of students listening to music, in particular, has been a source of contention between scientists, teachers, parents, and youth. Music has physiological and psychological effects on the body, which can improve humans’ ability to take in information to perform well in school in addition to improving cognitive abilities overall. While some types of music may have m ore beneficial effects than others, research has shown that music can have a strong impact on brain function. Music’s positive effects on the mind have been shown through numerous research studies, Greek philosophical ideas, and personal anecdotes. One of the questions that scientists have looked into is whether or not the type of music a student listens to, has a differential impact upon their work. For example, would Katy Perry’s â€Å"Roar† be more or less helpful to listen to while studying than Bach’s â€Å"Trio in D Minor†? Curious researchers looked into these differences and concluded that music with lyrics requires more brain attention because those lyrics have to be processed, thus taking attention away from the academic knowledge the person is trying to acquire. However, musi... ...s increasing cognitive function, particularly in studying, are undeniable. From aspiring artists who influence our grades, to scientists in the lab deepening their understand of the effect those pop artists have on people getting those grades, music’s ability to influence the human mind is fascinating. Scientific research has shown over and over again that instrumental music can be a powerful tool to increase focus, memory, and healing. In addition to the ancient Greeks who provided us with this way of thinking, scientific understanding of music has advanced on a multitude of levels and is growing exponentially by the years. It definitely influences our daily cognitive thinking not to mention allowing us to start our day fresh. So the next time a teenager yells, â€Å"Mom, don’t turn off my music†, perhaps parents should stop and consider the benefits the music may have. Essay -- â€Å"Mom don’t shut off my music!† is one of the most abused phrases teenagers use while attempting to do homework or study for a test. For some, the music works perfectly as a study aid. For others, there is a struggle to comprehend the academic material with background noise going on. The benefits and disadvantages of listening to music and its impacts upon the mind have long been a subject of fascination for humans. Philosophers studied music and its effects on the body and mind back in Ancient Greece, and scientists along with researchers continue to grapple with these finds to this day. The example of students listening to music, in particular, has been a source of contention between scientists, teachers, parents, and youth. Music has physiological and psychological effects on the body, which can improve humans’ ability to take in information to perform well in school in addition to improving cognitive abilities overall. While some types of music may have m ore beneficial effects than others, research has shown that music can have a strong impact on brain function. Music’s positive effects on the mind have been shown through numerous research studies, Greek philosophical ideas, and personal anecdotes. One of the questions that scientists have looked into is whether or not the type of music a student listens to, has a differential impact upon their work. For example, would Katy Perry’s â€Å"Roar† be more or less helpful to listen to while studying than Bach’s â€Å"Trio in D Minor†? Curious researchers looked into these differences and concluded that music with lyrics requires more brain attention because those lyrics have to be processed, thus taking attention away from the academic knowledge the person is trying to acquire. However, musi... ...s increasing cognitive function, particularly in studying, are undeniable. From aspiring artists who influence our grades, to scientists in the lab deepening their understand of the effect those pop artists have on people getting those grades, music’s ability to influence the human mind is fascinating. Scientific research has shown over and over again that instrumental music can be a powerful tool to increase focus, memory, and healing. In addition to the ancient Greeks who provided us with this way of thinking, scientific understanding of music has advanced on a multitude of levels and is growing exponentially by the years. It definitely influences our daily cognitive thinking not to mention allowing us to start our day fresh. So the next time a teenager yells, â€Å"Mom, don’t turn off my music†, perhaps parents should stop and consider the benefits the music may have.

Fellowship Of Ring Book

In his novel, Tolkien uses the conflict between characters and nature to each society that the consequences Of disrupting nature are immediate and devastating. The meaning of nature in this context is not referring to the orientation of a certain thing, but instead it is referring to the natural world. In Toolkit's novel, the natural world can be symbolized the realm of his fictional Middle Earth. The hobbies run into several conflicts with nature on their journey through Middle Earth.For example, as they are preparing to go into the Old Forest, Merry Brandenburg tells the other hobbies about the Bonfire glade saying, â€Å"The hobbies came and cut down hundreds of trees, and made a retreat bonfire in the Forest, and burned all the ground in a long strip east of the Hedge. † (Tolkien 1 57) In the story, the Old Forest is not viewed as a forest today would be viewed. The Forest that the hobbies travel through is actually alive and has a personality and feelings. Therefore, the bonfire made by the people of Backhand can be seen as a terrible act of genocide in the context of the story.This act of cruelty is the foundation for the Forest's hate against Frond, Sam, Pippin, and Merry. Furthermore, the manifestation of the revenge of the Forest can be seen when Old Man Willow, a willow tree in the Forest, swallows Merry and Pippin. By putting a tree that can seek revenge and swallow people whole into his story, Tolkien highlights the importance of the immediate consequences of society's abuse of nature. Later, Sam and Frond try to think of how to get Merry out, and Sam says, â€Å"If it don't let them go, I'll have it down if I have to gnaw at it. (Tolkien 1 66) The aggression shown by the tree is only followed by more aggression from Sam. Tolkien wants us to end this constant cycle of aggression. Merry warns Sam from inside the tree that, if they hurt Old Man Willow any more, the tree will split him in two. If Sam does not stop his aggression, there will be deadly consequences for Merry Brandenburg. Here, Tolkien reveals to us the devastating and deadly consequences of society's aggression towards nature. Today, one of the biggest consequences of society's abuse of nature is global warming.By not being environmentally aware of the consequences of our actions, we have caused a situation that could potentially be catastrophic. By using these conflicts of character versus nature, Tolkien teaches today's society that it needs to recognize these immediate and deadly consequences and stop the hectically show of aggression it has towards nature. In addition to the conflict of person versus nature, Tolkien uses the conflict between a character and his fate to show that people should choose their own fate and make their own destiny.It is easy to see in the novel how some characters are enunciating of their fate, while others are not only accept their fate, but freely choose it. For example, when Frond first finds out from Gangland how important the ring is, he is much less than accepting of the task that is ahead of him. Frond whines, â€Å"Gangland, what am to do? For now am really afraid. What am to do? What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature [Googol], when he had a chance! † (Tolkien 92) Gangland scolds Frond for wishing death upon someone so unreasonably.Frond realizes he was at fault and eventually does accept his task of carrying the ring because he has to. However, it seems that if he had to choice, he would not want the responsibility of the ring. On the contrary, Sam is completely willing to accept his fate. After Sam sees the elves that he has been so curious about, Frond gives him the choice to continue following him On the journey or to go back to the shire. Sam replies, â€Å"l don't know how to say it, but I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. Now we are going to take a very long road, into darkness, but know can't turn back. I don't rightly know what I want: but I have something to d o before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the shire. † (Tolkien 127) Sam does not know what his fate is. All he knows is that he needs to follow it. After Cam's encounter with the elves and the decision to follow his fate, he grows in maturity and takes on more responsibility. Tolkien wants people today to be like Sam, and accept what they have to do and be active in choosing their own Sistine, even though it may not be in their interest.Most importantly, Tolkien uses the conflict between the character and himself to show that people should fight for something that is greater than themselves. In this story, Tolkien stresses that friends should fight for one another. The hobbies are not very brave creatures, but Frond and his fellowship would do anything for each other. For example, Frond thinks about leaving his friends behind and escaping the barrow-Wight but, â€Å"the courage that had awakened in him was now too strong: he could not leave his friends so easily. Tolkien 1 95) He stays and fights for his friends by drawing out his dagger and cutting off the hand of the crawling arm that was about to lop off the heads of his unconscious friends. This was a selfless act by Frond, and it took an enormous amount of courage on his part to not run away. Today people are very selfish and greedy. People obsess over themselves so much that they rarely consider others when making decisions, even if they are considered friends. Through the internal conflict of Frond, Tolkien is teaches people that they should act with the same kind Of selflessness that Frond did.

Impacts of Negative Leadership Essay

Leadership carries considerable influence and responsibility within any organization. Leaders are challenged daily with how to manage this influence effectively. Communication plays a key role in this approach and can have significant impacts to the leader and their staff. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of negative leadership behavior regarding communication and effects on the team as well as the overall organization. Experience with Negative Leadership Behavior Over my career, there have been negative leadership behaviors experienced with both direct mangers and senior management. One of the most destructive is lack of communication. Recently, an executive manager was going to be out of the office for an entire week. This leader has four direct reports of which three are group leaders. The executive manager casually mentions to one of the direct reports that she will be out of the office the following week at a seminar. The direct report appropriately relays this information to their team supervisor to address any concerns or open issues in advance of this absence. The same communication was not made to the remaining three direct reports, in any form, by the executive manager. As the business week of the absence began, the other three direct reports incur an issue & require assistance from the executive manager. These managers were rendered unproductive and left wondering when the leader was going to be in the office so that they can discuss the problem at hand. During subsequent discussions, the team supervisor aware of the absence is the one to notify the other three direct reports that their direct manager was out for the week. The gap in communication impacted the teams noted but also other service partners and finally the client due to the delays in resolving the issue timely. It is also important to note that this is not an isolated incident but had happened previously having similar impacts to the same parties noted above. Analysis of Leadership Behavior The leadership behavior described in this experience appears straightforward at the surface but is far reaching in its impact to the firm. The leader showed consistent lack of personal integrity as well as respect and empathy for her staff by not relating her accessibility on a regular basis. It impacts the morale of the direct reports and deteriorates their working relationships & ability to collaborate. The leader did not inform all direct reports of her absence. Without a collective knowledge, a subset of the larger reporting team was less effective and efficient during this time. This also created a gap in escalation when issues arose. Lastly it weakens the culture of inclusion. By being excluded, part of the management staff experienced a decrease in satisfaction subsequently affecting their overall performance. Attrition is a by product as well of this negative behavior. Supporting Research of Negative Leadership Behavior â€Å"For it is character through which leadership is exercised, it is character that sets the example and is imitated in turn†¦. The more successfully tomorrow’s manager does his work, the greater will be the integrity required of him†¦. No matter what a man’s general education or his adult education for management, what will be decisive above all, in the future even more than in the past, is neither education nor skill; it is integrity of character† stated Drucker (1954) reiterating the important of reliability in leadership positions. Leading by example creates the ability for the team to tangibly see this character on a daily basis. Additional leadership duties like consideration and management of emotions are becoming more important in the leader-membership interaction per Meike, Jacobs & Soares (2012). As these duties increase so will the need for leaders to develop empathetic skills with regard to their staff. This will include appreciation, trust and open communication. Per Fuller and Green (2005), leaders are responsible for embedding strategy in the organization by developing an excellent team, picking the right roles and allowing the rest of the team to make the strategic moves. This requires teams that can function in unison with high level of collaboration. Lack of communication will cause a disjointed approach affecting the vision of the organization ultimately impacting the firm’s success. Hoffman, Bynum, Piccolo and Sutton (2011) noted that transformational leaders are able to articulate a vision that emphasizes the way in which collective goals are consonant with follower values, causing followers to regard organizational goals as their own and submit extra effort toward goals and accomplishments. This sets the groundwork for a culture of inclusion within an organization. When strong unified behavior, values and beliefs have been developed, a strong organizational cultures does emerge per Tsai (2011). Leaders have a primary role in growing and upholding the firm’s culture. It encourages performance and leads to long lasting job satisfaction. When this is not present, organizations will see increased conflict, reduced dialogue between managers and teams and a progressively dysfunctional environment. According to social identify theory, unfair treatment from supervisors may arouse a negative identification which in turn leads employees’ negative behaviors in organizations as outlined by Duan, Lam, Chen and Zhong (2010). This emphasizes the pattern of negative leadership behavior that has the ability to funnel throughout the entire organization is not addressed. Recommendation for Strengthening Leadership Behavior Leadership is a dynamic, ever changing role and requires the leader to be aware of her own behavior and the potential impacts of this behavior on the team. In this situation, the leader needs to understand the value of leading by example. For the team to utilize the leader for her depth of knowledge and broader perspective, a level of reliability needs to be established. From a time management standpoint, simple steps like sharing the leader’s calendar with direct reports could alleviate this issue on a go-forward. This type of planning and organization will benefit the leader as well as the staff’s perception of her abilities and character. Interpersonal skills like active listening, feedback and conflict resolution are critical as well for any leader. Being able to engage her direct reports and the larger staff in a meaningful way will allow for the team dynamic to shift to a positive state. These relationships can be developed through mentoring and engaging the direct reports in projects or other work the leader is responsible for providing insight to her managers of the next level and current challenges of the firm. This end to end view develops the direct reports as well as building a more full bodied relationship with the leader. The impact to the organization also needs a voice n acknowledging the effects of this negative behavior. The leader is accountable for the resulting impacts of any action they take while representing the firm. In this case, the lower performance and higher attrition are concrete costs to the organization. The leader needs to answer for the consequences ofher behavior to a higher power like senior management, stock holders or similar. Conclusion Negative leadership behavior comes in many forms and lack of communication is one of the most pervasive. This paper provides an example of this type of negative leadership and the effects to the staff and organization. It also provides an outline of productive steps to modify the leader’s behavior and limit the adverse impacts in the future. References Duan, J. , Lam, W. , Chen, Z. , & Zhong, J. A. (2010). Leadership justice, negative organizational behaviors, and mediating effect of affective commitment. Social Behavior and Personality, 38(9), 1287-1296. doi: 10. 2224/sbp. 2010. 38. 9. 1287 Drucker, P. (1954). The practice of management. New York, NY: Harper & Row. Fuller, J. N. , Green, J. C. (2005). The leader’s role in strategy. Graziadio Business Review, 8(2). Retrieved from http://gbr. pepperdine. edu/2010/08/the-leaders-role-in-strategy/ Hoffman, B. J. , Bynum, B. H. , Piccolo, R. F. , & Sutton, A. W. (2011). Person-organization value Congruence: How transformational leaders influence work group effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 779-796. Meike, S. , Jacobs, K. , Soares, M. M. (2012). Emotions and leadership. Reason and impact of emotions in the organizational context. Work, 41, 5671-5673. doi 10. 3233/WOR-2012-0915-5671 Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research, 11(1), 98-106. doi: 10. 1186/1472-6963-11-98

Holocause Literature essays

Holocause Literature essays Many of the survivors of the Holocaust went to writing literature as a way of telling what it was really like. Survivors used this way because it is extremely difficult to explain what happened by talking, so they use literature. Out of all of the Holocaust authors, Elie Wiesel is quite possibly the most well known Holocaust author of all time. Elie Wiesel, being a survivor of the Holocaust, uses his literature to tell his stories about what he went through. Elie Wiesel has written many novels on the Holocaust. Throughout his works he has used many of the same themes. In the novels Night, Dawn, and A Beggar in Jerusalem the same themes or ideas are repeated many times. In the novel Night, the idea of loss of faith is used many times. Elie Wiesel used this theme because during the Holocaust, many of the victims lost faith in God. Confronting the Holocaust states, One of the contradictory ideas in Wiesels Night is: there is no God, I hate him. After Auschwitz Gods presence is most strongly felt through his absence.(57) The victims had every right to believe that God was absent at this time. Many times in Night the characters would just flat out say how they did not believe in God anymore. And in spite of myself, a prayer rose in my heart, to that God in whom I no longer believed. Wiesel used this example over and over in Night to emphasize how almost all Holocaust victims lost faith in their God. Behind me, I heard the same man asking: Where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him Where is He? He is- he is hanging here on this gallows. This shows how characters in the novel feel that their God has died right before them. Night had th e most loss of faith because the novel takes place right in the heart of the Holocaust, so it is easy to see why Wiesel used loss of faith in this novel. The idea of loss of faith also played a role in the novel Dawn. Dawn...

Free Essays on Twenty Years At Hull-House

Twenty Years At Hull-House JANE ADDAMS The book Twenty Years At Hull-House is the reminiscences of an extraordinary woman who has just reached another of life’s milestones. Jane Addams, the author wrote this book in her fiftieth year because she felt the efforts and accomplishments were â€Å"worthy† of literary significance and to dispel two other biographies that made her life at Hull-House seem charming and easy. Jane Addams wrote with such clarity and dignity that it was easy for this reader to see into the lives of those who sought refuge and hope at Hull-House and of those residents who fought for the civil rights. Many of the residence of Hull-House were inspired to become involved in the development of positive changes in the lives of everyone. Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860 to John and Sarah Addams in the small town of Cedarville, Illinois. Jane’s mother died when she was very young. John was a wealthy gristmill owner and a sixteen-year Illinois state senator. Jane’s father, although remarried when she was eight years of age was her sole supervising source therefore, her greatest influence. Jane’s childhood was pleasant however, she always fretted over embarrassing her father by what she felt were her own physical flaws. Henry Steele Commager wrote the FORWORD in Twenty Years At Hull-House states, â€Å"†¦she was herself a misfit- so she felt anyway- â€Å" an ugly, pigeon-toed little girl whose crooked back obliged her to walk with her head held very much upon one side,† who was constantly afraid that she might embarrass the handsome father she adored.† Due to these concerns a strong bond grew with her accepting confidant and kind mentor, uncle James. Jane reflected back to her first experience of death at age fifteen when Polly, an old nurse who had cared for and followed her mother to Illinois to raise a second generation of children, died. During one of Polly’s annual visits to her cousins, th... Free Essays on Twenty Years At Hull-House Free Essays on Twenty Years At Hull-House Twenty Years At Hull-House JANE ADDAMS The book Twenty Years At Hull-House is the reminiscences of an extraordinary woman who has just reached another of life’s milestones. Jane Addams, the author wrote this book in her fiftieth year because she felt the efforts and accomplishments were â€Å"worthy† of literary significance and to dispel two other biographies that made her life at Hull-House seem charming and easy. Jane Addams wrote with such clarity and dignity that it was easy for this reader to see into the lives of those who sought refuge and hope at Hull-House and of those residents who fought for the civil rights. Many of the residence of Hull-House were inspired to become involved in the development of positive changes in the lives of everyone. Jane Addams was born on September 6, 1860 to John and Sarah Addams in the small town of Cedarville, Illinois. Jane’s mother died when she was very young. John was a wealthy gristmill owner and a sixteen-year Illinois state senator. Jane’s father, although remarried when she was eight years of age was her sole supervising source therefore, her greatest influence. Jane’s childhood was pleasant however, she always fretted over embarrassing her father by what she felt were her own physical flaws. Henry Steele Commager wrote the FORWORD in Twenty Years At Hull-House states, â€Å"†¦she was herself a misfit- so she felt anyway- â€Å" an ugly, pigeon-toed little girl whose crooked back obliged her to walk with her head held very much upon one side,† who was constantly afraid that she might embarrass the handsome father she adored.† Due to these concerns a strong bond grew with her accepting confidant and kind mentor, uncle James. Jane reflected back to her first experience of death at age fifteen when Polly, an old nurse who had cared for and followed her mother to Illinois to raise a second generation of children, died. During one of Polly’s annual visits to her cousins, th...

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You Geography Homework Help: 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You What is the most important part of an essay? A hook! The introduction to an essay must be interesting and leave a reader wanting to know more. So, they will keep reading to the end. If you’ve come for some geography homework help with this matter, then, keep on reading! Have you ever read the first page of a book or the first paragraph of a story and stopped understanding if it was destined for you? We all have! This is why the first part of your essay is so important. If your professor doesn’t feel this way and is intrigued to keep going, then, you will earn a better grade! There are a few good ways to attract readers grab some examples! 1.   Use an Interesting Stat That Relates to Your Topic ‘Canada has 561 lakes.’ The fact that draws readers’ attention must be impactful or surprising. Many things that we don’t know are surprising. You want your reader to know that they will learn something new. Giving them a fact stirs up their interest and leaves them wanting to see where you are going with your data. 2. Say Something Controversial ‘China needs to abolish their one-child policy in order for their cultural survival.’ Bringing up an issue that seems controversial will undoubtedly meet with a reaction. It really doesn’t matter what kind of reaction it is because that reaction is something that will make your audience listen to you. They will want to hear your arguments in order to solidify their beliefs or hear them find loopholes to argue against. Either way, you’ve won! 3. Be Blunt ‘In this essay, you will discover the little-known mystery of how North America came into being.’ Sometimes, stating a content of your paper will be good enough to make everyone want to listen. In this case, the hook is already taken care of! Just state what you intend to talk about, and you can also add what you expect a reader to gain from it. 4. Make it Personal ‘Seeing a washed-up bag during my latest visit to the beach got me thinking about how items can travel across oceans and what that means for different civilizations. Although it is rare in academic writing, you can get away with using the first person if you do it very seldom. A bit of a personal anecdote or background can be a great hook because it makes readers connect with an author. It is an unusual way to begin a formal homework assignment. Do it carefully and make sure it fully corresponds! Though there are many ways to grab attention. Using a statistic, a strong opinion, being upfront, or speaking from the heart are all good ways of guiding your reader naturally into what you really want to say. They will soon be captivated! There is no better feeling than writing something that people truly enjoy reading. As a matter of fact, our expert writers can provide you with outstanding-quality custom homework writing on any geography topic.

Summary Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summary - Term Paper Example Bartlett, in the article, addresses the issue of the serious rift evident in ethical view of in theoretical terms and manner in which employees follow the theories in real management situations while applying ethics. Ethical theory has its base upon moral theory used to define it. According to Bartlett, decision makers tend to embrace business ethics based on motivational elements. This suggests that level to which ethic receives recognition depends on the motivational elements outlined in the expectancy theory. Several business ethics researchers show failure while formulating and defining their research agenda. In defining their agenda for research, misconception occurs when business ethics researchers do not adequately relate personal values to the course of moral reasoning. By that, business ethics researchers fail to recognize and integrate the role of cognitive process in moral reasoning, which is essential in ensuring business ethics at the workplace. The researchers, therefore, alienate the role of reasoning which is intermediary. Bartlett gives proposals that would help ensure a harmony between the theoretical and practical views of business ethics. These aims at addressing the theory-practice rift existing in the management of business ethics. Bartlett notes that, despite the study of business ethics in philosophies and psychology that promotes morality, business ethics application in real situations remains a challenging issues to many people. The approaches used in the learning of seem to fail in their application, in real life scenarios. Suggestions that bring out the possibility of achieving a narrowing down of the gap would see compatibility of the two concepts. Appreciation of the variability between real life situations in management and theory by researchers is fundamental. Recognition of the complexity is of immense importance. This would enable business ethics researchers come up with frameworks of

Word of God Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Word of God - Research Paper Example differences, both Testaments describe Gods relationship with the world and His people, both reflects and serves as a source for  Christian theology.  Theological dogma, adopted by the Christian Church two millennia ago, is that the Sacred Scripture is the Word of God and Jesus Christ is the personalization of the Word. The skeptics, who do not share the Christian point of view, accept the Bible as an ancient, wise, yet a book created by human mind. Nevertheless,  the integrality of the Bible seems surprising enough. The Book was written by over 40 authors who came from just about every walk of life, including fisherman, kings, a butler, priests, and a tax collector. The 66 books of the Bible were written over a 1,500 year span in three languages on three continents within one theme. "If a fragment of stone were found in Italy, another in Asia Minor, another in Greece, another in Egypt, and on and on until sixty-six fragments had been found, and if when put together they fitted perfectly together, making a perfect statue of Venus de Milo, there is not an artist or scientist but would arrive immediately at the conclusion that there was originally a sculptor who conceived and carved the statue. The very lines and perfections would probably determine which of the great ancient artists carved the statue. Not only the unity of the Scriptures, but their lines of perfection, suggest One far above any human as the real author. That could be no one but God."(Shelly, 1990, p. 114) Also, the fact that the Bible accurately and truthfully recorded historically verifiable events is a great indication of its truthfulness. Through both, archaeological evidences and other writings, the historical facts mentioned in the Bible have been proved many times. So, all archaeological and manuscript evidences supporting the Bible make it the best-documented book from the ancient world. Nelson Glueck, a respected Jewish archaeologist claims, "It may be stated categorically that no

Prison Overcrowding Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Prison Overcrowding - Research Paper Example Generally, prison overcrowding is not a modern phenomenon because internal insurgencies and wars result in prison overcrowding. But in the modern context, several factors (say, apart from internal insurgencies and wars) force prisons to face the problem of overcrowding. Some people consider that prison overcrowding is deeply rooted in the functioning of the criminal justice system. But some others consider that prison overcrowding reflects the change in governance within the context of the Criminal Justice System. Still, one can see the modern concept of prison privatization curbs the development of the prison system because the government is no longer the protector of the prison system in general. Thesis statement: The research on prison overcrowding proves that the factors like privatization, less capacity of prisons, increase in crime rate, increase in incarceration, ineffective Criminal Justice System, and ineffective planning result in prison overcrowding. First of all, private prisons are entirely different from government prisons because the former is based upon contractual agreements with different government agencies and the latter is under the direct control of the government. This basic difference is exploited by the private prisons because profit (say, based upon the funding from the government) is the ultimate aim. In the beginning, private agencies were allowed to undertake some services related to the prison system like transportation and serving food. During the era of disinvestment, private prisons became popular in the US and UK. Gradually, other developed nations followed this path and private prisons began to flourish in different nations.  

SPECIFIC MORAL ISSUES (DEATH PENALTY) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SPECIFIC MORAL ISSUES (DEATH PENALTY) - Essay Example In total, there have been approximately 345 executions within Massachusetts, including 26 convicted of witchcraft. Until 1951, murder in the first degree called for a mandatory punishment of death. In 1951, the law was changed to allow the jury the discretion to recommend against a death sentence after considering mitigating circumstances - in which case the sentence would be life imprisonment -unlessthe murder was committed in connection with a rape or attempted rape, in which case the death sentence was mandatory. In 1968, voters expressed disapproval with this trend in a non-binding referendum, voting 49 to 31 percent in support of continued use of the death penalty. During the 1970's and 80's, a series of judicial rulings eventually eliminated the death penalty altogether under Massachusetts law: In 1972, the US Supreme Court decision of Furman vs. Georgia, threw out Georgia's death penalty as cruel and unusual, citing the arbitrary and capricious manner in which it was administered, and leading to capital statutes throughout the country being overturned. For Massachusetts, this meant that the discretionary death penalty for murder was nullified, but the mandatory death penalty for rape-murder was left intact for the time being (Cf.Commonwealth v. Harrington, 1975). On October 28, 1980, the SJC ruled inDistrict Attorney for the Suffolk Dist. v. Watsonthat a new capital statute signed into law by Governor Edward King the previous November (c. 488, Acts of 1979) was unconstitutionally cruel for all the reasons laid out inO'Nealand their opinion of the proposed 1977 bill. On November 2, 1982, voters approved by referendum (54 to 35 percent) an amendment to Article 26. The amendment, Article 116of the Massachusetts Constitution, states that: No provision of the Constitution... shall be construed as prohibiting the imposition of the punishment of death. This completed the amendment process, which had been initiated in 1980 by legislators acted quickly to draft another new death penalty bill. On December 15, 1982, the House and Senate passed legislation providing for capital punishment for first-degree murder. The bill was signed into law (c. 554, Acts of 1982) a week later by Governor King and went into effect on January 1st. This 1982 statute was invalidated by the SJC on October 18, 1984 in the case ofCommonwealth v. Colon-Cruz. While the death penaltyper sewas no longer forbidden by the Constitution, this particular statute improperly encouraged defendants in murder cases to plead guilty rather than face a jury trial, thus avoiding the possibility of the death sentence, and violating the right against self-incrimination and the right to trial by jury. Massachusetts has remained without a valid death penalty law ever since. Subsequent attempts to reinstate the death penalty have failed: By the time of theColon-Cruzdecision, Michael Dukakis had become governor again. Throughout these two terms, a nearly evenly divided legislature never passed a bill - which the governor would have certainly vetoed. In 1991, William Weld became governor. He, and every governor since, argued for death

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Essay - 1

Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries - Essay Example The National Restaurant Association notes that there are a variety of positions that exist in the food industry. Some of the job titles in this respect include baker, bartender, beverage manager, banquet manager, general manager, pastry chef, wine steward, president, and human resource manager among others. Generally, restaurants employ people to work in the kitchen, front-of-house, back-of-house, and as servers. Restaurants always employ people to work as managers in different capacities. Some of the management positions in the restaurant industry include banquet manager, general manager (quick service), beverage manager, catering manager, dining room manager, general manager (fullservice), human resources manager, kitchen manager, public relations manager, and president/CEO. The banquet manager is charged with the responsibility of planning and overseeing parties, conventions, and banquets among other special events that the restaurant hosts or caters for (National Restaurant Assoc iation, 2013). More specifically, the banquet manager solicits business, supervises and coordinates banquet functions, and ensures that customers are satisfied with the products and services they receive during the events. In order for one to qualify as a banquet manager, they have to be knowledgeable in food production and service. Furthermore, they should be able to perform all duties related to banquet operations, and lead, train and supervise banquet staff. The beverage manager is charged with the responsibility of managing lounges and bars among other outlets that deal with beverages and ensuring that they are profitably run (National Restaurant Association, 2013). On the other hand, the catering manager has the responsibility of overseeing all catered functions. The catering manager delegates duties to catering staff, works hand in hand with the sales team to ensure that the restaurant gets and maintains clients, and listens to and addresses customer complaints. Other function s of the catering manager are organizing decorations, photographs, and flowers; booking entertainment bands and facilities, and planning the rent of facilities that may be needed for functions such as linen and tables. The dining room manager oversees the operations of the dining room and ensures that food service activities are properly coordinated (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The manager also directs staff to plan menus and perform related activities; budgets for supplies; and supervises and trains employees. The dining room manager also ensures that budget limitations are respected in addition to maintaining bookkeeping and payroll records. The food and beverage manager generally manages the operations of the food service outlet, kitchen and catering services. The manager also liaises with the sales team to ensure that the restaurant maximizes its profits. The human resources manager is in charge of maintaining a qualified and well motivated staff to work in the resta urant. In particular the manager hires workers, develops in-house training programs, and solves any other issues related to employees and their careers (National Restaurant Association, 2013). The public relations manager has the duty of ensuring that the restaurant has a positive image. They are also concerned with such activities as fund raisers, newsworthy

SPECIFIC MORAL ISSUES (DEATH PENALTY) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SPECIFIC MORAL ISSUES (DEATH PENALTY) - Essay Example In total, there have been approximately 345 executions within Massachusetts, including 26 convicted of witchcraft. Until 1951, murder in the first degree called for a mandatory punishment of death. In 1951, the law was changed to allow the jury the discretion to recommend against a death sentence after considering mitigating circumstances - in which case the sentence would be life imprisonment -unlessthe murder was committed in connection with a rape or attempted rape, in which case the death sentence was mandatory. In 1968, voters expressed disapproval with this trend in a non-binding referendum, voting 49 to 31 percent in support of continued use of the death penalty. During the 1970's and 80's, a series of judicial rulings eventually eliminated the death penalty altogether under Massachusetts law: In 1972, the US Supreme Court decision of Furman vs. Georgia, threw out Georgia's death penalty as cruel and unusual, citing the arbitrary and capricious manner in which it was administered, and leading to capital statutes throughout the country being overturned. For Massachusetts, this meant that the discretionary death penalty for murder was nullified, but the mandatory death penalty for rape-murder was left intact for the time being (Cf.Commonwealth v. Harrington, 1975). On October 28, 1980, the SJC ruled inDistrict Attorney for the Suffolk Dist. v. Watsonthat a new capital statute signed into law by Governor Edward King the previous November (c. 488, Acts of 1979) was unconstitutionally cruel for all the reasons laid out inO'Nealand their opinion of the proposed 1977 bill. On November 2, 1982, voters approved by referendum (54 to 35 percent) an amendment to Article 26. The amendment, Article 116of the Massachusetts Constitution, states that: No provision of the Constitution... shall be construed as prohibiting the imposition of the punishment of death. This completed the amendment process, which had been initiated in 1980 by legislators acted quickly to draft another new death penalty bill. On December 15, 1982, the House and Senate passed legislation providing for capital punishment for first-degree murder. The bill was signed into law (c. 554, Acts of 1982) a week later by Governor King and went into effect on January 1st. This 1982 statute was invalidated by the SJC on October 18, 1984 in the case ofCommonwealth v. Colon-Cruz. While the death penaltyper sewas no longer forbidden by the Constitution, this particular statute improperly encouraged defendants in murder cases to plead guilty rather than face a jury trial, thus avoiding the possibility of the death sentence, and violating the right against self-incrimination and the right to trial by jury. Massachusetts has remained without a valid death penalty law ever since. Subsequent attempts to reinstate the death penalty have failed: By the time of theColon-Cruzdecision, Michael Dukakis had become governor again. Throughout these two terms, a nearly evenly divided legislature never passed a bill - which the governor would have certainly vetoed. In 1991, William Weld became governor. He, and every governor since, argued for death

Subway Franchise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Subway Franchise - Essay Example Furthermore, it provides incremental income for the franchisor through royalty payments. Another advantage of the franchise concept is that it makes possible a faster expansion program for the franchisor supported by motivated distributors in the person of the franchisees (Om Sai Ram Center for Financial Management Research, 2006). The franchisees stand to benefit too from a franchise agreement. The franchisee gets to experience entrepreneurial autonomy using a proven concept, often with extensive recognition of the brand name (Om Sai Ram Center for Financial Management Research, 2006). The franchisee also benefits from the training programs provided by the franchisor, coupled with continuing supervision of the store. Although there are advantages to owning a franchise, franchisees are faced with disadvantages too. Decision-making is quite limited since the franchisee should follow the guidelines set by the franchisor (Om Sai Ram Center for Financial Management Research, 2006). In te rms of purchasing, the franchisee is forced to purchase supplies and equipment from the franchisor even if they are more expensive compared to other sources. They cannot carry other products and they must adhere to the quality standards of the franchisor. Moreover, most franchise agreements are skewed towards the franchisor. ... The three (3) resources that helped one decide which franchise to operate are: A. â€Å"View From the Top† by Nichole L. Torres (2005). This article delves into the reasons why Subway has been consistently in the top franchise list. It talks about how Subway values their franchisees, always making sure that they grow their market share. The article also points out that the entrepreneurial spirit of Subway’s franchises is a major strength of the company. B. â€Å"Subway Hits the Spot† by Dennis Romero (2009). The article discusses the attractiveness of owning a Subway franchise. It tells about how Subway has survived the economic downturn and how this downturn has helped boost its sales. The article points out that one strength of Subway is the upward flow of ideas from its franchisees. C. â€Å"Top 100 Global Franchises Ranking† by Franchise Direct (2012). This site was helpful in helping one decide which franchise to choose. It presented a list of the top 100 global franchises. It gave information about the initial investment needed to obtain the Subway franchise. It also showed that Subway occupies the number one spot in the Top 100 Global Franchises. It presented the support services that one can expect from a Subway franchise. These three resources have influenced one from choosing the Subway franchise. They have given an overview of how the Subway company operates. The articles discuss the strengths of the company and the reasons why it has survived despite the economic slowdown. The reports have extensive information about Subway’s success formula. Choosing a Subway franchise has several advantages. Foremost among this is that Subway is one of the world’s largest restaurant chains. Subway is a very popular brand all over the world; thus, it would not be

Chemistry and Society Essay Example for Free

Chemistry and Society Essay Chemistry is a vast quantity of a person’s everyday life. A person can find chemistry in his or her daily life in the foods that a person eats, air a person breathes, soap, and accurately everything a person comes in contact with. Chemistry is significant in everyday life because chemicals make up everything in life. For example, a person’s body, pet, a desk, the sun, food, and drugs a person may take, to name a few. A person can observe changes in chemistry caused by chemical reactions, such as leaves changing colors, cooking food, and mixing a cleaning product. Knowing chemistry can help a person make day-to-day choices that affect his or her life. For example, if a person should mix certain household chemicals together. Accuracy is the magnitude in which a certain measurement agrees with the standard worth for that measurement (Dictionary, 2011). Precision is how close the measured standards are to each other (Math is fun, 2011). Society depends on accuracy and precision in everyday life. These two relationships are often substituted freely, but both have crucial differences. Businesses entail both accurate and precise measurements to stay in business. Accuracy states that something is constant with an identified rate, whereas precision is the volume of detail something delivers. Society depends on accuracy and precision in many places. One instance is the gas pumps. The gas pump can show accuracy when the gas is flowing, but this is not a precise measurement of how much gas is pumping through the pumps. Gas pumps must not only know how much gas is pumping through the pumps but also how precise the measurement of gas pumped. The gas companies need to know how much is pumped so that the company can charge the right amount for the gas. Sometimes in everyday life a person does not want to be precise. For example, if someone stops and asks for directions to the nearest gas station a person may say that the next gas station is about 10 minutes down the road. Providing directions to someone is a way a person can give accurate information. Another example is, when measuring a room in the house to paint and needing to know how much paint to provide. A person can either measure and provide a precise measurement or provide an accurate measurement on the room to paint. Another precision and accuracy a person may use in every day is how long it takes his or her child to finish the homework. An accurate answer is 20 minutes, but the precise answer would be 20 minutes and 20 seconds. Time is an excellent way to be accurate or precise. References Dictionary.com. (2011). Accuracy. Retrieved November 3, 2011 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/accuracy Math is fun. (2011). Accuracy and Precision. Retrieved November 3, 2011 from http://www.mathsisfun.com/accuracy-precision.html

Deontology And Consequentialism Case Analysis

Deontology And Consequentialism Case Analysis Why did they receive bonuses when their institutions had billions of euros in losses? Why did they get large pensions after they had to be fired? (International Bar Association, 2010, p108). A lot of questions arose when it became clear that Multi-National companies, especially in the financial sector, were giving out bonuses to employees while they received financial funds from the government or were in desperate need of financial aid. Many people were angry with the fact that employees and highly placed bankers collected bonuses despite the fact that many believed they did not do a good job at countering the financial crisis or financial uncertainty in their firm. Some even believe these people were the cause of the whole economic instability. Many different countries are looking for solutions to prevent companies of awarding their employees with bonuses while there is no genuine reasons for. (Watson, 2009). According to Haag and Muller (IBA, 2010), bonuses should not depend on solely the individual performance or contribution of a particular employee, but should be based on the performance of a department or even the whole institution. In this essay, I will address if an international business has the right to grant their employees bonuses, even whilst the corporation is monetarily healthy or is being supported by state funds. To address this dilemma and view it from an ethical perception, I will use two well known theories in the world of philosophy. These are deontology and consequentialism. Deontology is a theory that concentrates itself in making choices that are morally required, prohibited or just (Moore and Alexander, 2007). In this case, this theory questions if multinational companies are in fact morally righteous towards their employees or morally wrong towards the public, as in deceiving the population or hiding the truth of what really happened or what has not occurred yet. Deontologists believe in acting in the sense of the right thing to do, no so much in the judgment of the good thing to do. In other words, no matter how good an decision might be, if it would not be the right thing to do, that action should not be made. There are two main deontological theories; Agent-Centered theories and Patient-Centered teories. The Agent-Centered theory explains that the moral choices people make are decided by personal duty and acceptance (Alexander, Moore, 2007). For example, it is a parents duty to treat his or her child as more important than other people, but, other adults have no responsibility to treat that parents child more different than anyone else. To simplify it even more, it is alright for the parent to save his or her own child even if that could be the cause of harmful or disastrous consequences for other peoples children. In case of Patient-Centered deontology, this theory centers itself among the rights of individuals, instead of personal duty and obligation. Individuals have the right not to be used for moral good if that would be against their will (Alexander, Moore, 2007). In other words, causing harm to someone in order to do good, that would not be morally possible without permission from that person to harm him or her. Deontologists are fond of this way of thinking because it gives them permission to keep family and friends safe even when causing danger to others. This brings a pretty big disadvantage to this theory, people can become irrational in making decisions just for the sake of having a duty or permissions to do so. The exact opposite of deontology would be consequentialism. A consequentialist consider this theory to be applied to situations about moral rightness of acts that solely depends on the consequences of those acts for them to be morally right (Armstrong, 2006). In other words, it an act does or does not bring out the best consequences, this means an act is morally right or wrong. Everyone agrees that the consequences of our actions matter morally, but some people think that only the consequences matter (Mason, 2009). Consequentialism is one of many different diverse claims under the name of classic utilitarianism. Actually, classic utilitarianism is divided into eleven claims that creates this theory. This many claims makes this theory a difficult one to understand at first. There is one major difference between consequentialism and Deontology; according to consequentialists some we should never do whatever the consequences are. However, deontologists believe some things can be done because it is their duty to do so, even when the consequences are very negative. This because deontologists following Immanuel Kants moral philosophy state there are rules to be following no matter what the consequences are according to Johnson (2009). To determine what theory does or does not apply the most towards the dilemma of this essay, whether companies are to be restricted or not from them granting bonuses to their employees. In an ideal world, the perfect solution would be the satisfaction of each side, whether that side is in favor for bonuses or not. Not granting employees bonuses at all would definitely diminish their motivation and dedication for the company, thus resulting in a less stable company. However, giving the full hundred percent bonus to employees, while not deserving this, because they did a poor job, would negatively affect the public. As Haag (IBA, 2010) said, when the public became aware of the large amounts of bonuses paid, while they were supported by large capital injections by the government, this resulted in a logical reaction of anger. If we should believe a deontological explanation of this dilemma, a reasonable argument could be that employees that receive excessive bonuses should take responsibility for doing poor job, and eventually should decide not to accept the bonus from their employers. Why should these employees be rewarded with a sum of money they do not deserve? However, not all employees are the cause of a possible financial instability of a company. Bad leadership, bad decisions or just the lack of ability to communicate and/or delegate could have be the cause of this financial instability in a company. Not all employees ranging in the organizational structure are to blame as some might have done an excellent job, without knowing the company was in dire need of financial funds. These people should not be punished for their act of not knowing what was going on in the company. If we relate this dilemma to the actual theory of deontology, and especially the agent-centered theory behind this philosophy, it seems that the people responsible for causing financial instability in their company have no interest in their company whatsoever. It is supposed to be their duty to act in the best interest for their company. However, it seems they only seem to act selfishly for their own good; make the most money, related to the bonus system, in the smallest amount of time possible for their own gain. On the other hand, if we would look at consequential reasoning, arguments might be perceived totally different. For instance, employees that get bonuses are more satisfied and thus are more motivated and dedicated to the company they work for. This would result in a more stable, pleasant and reliable company to be working for. On the other hand, bad publicity for companies that grant unacceptable bonuses could result in even worse financial conditions they were originally in. There is a chance there is no longer faith in a company that has no purpose for society to exist. It only causes the society trouble as they probably have to pay taxes for the debt caused by the company, however, this would only be in extreme cases if the company would be on the verge of insolvency. To counter and regulate the excessive bonuses being awarded to employees, bonus taxes were introduced by governments. Many employees believe there was no regulation according to Mueller (IBA, 2010). It was an exceptional chance to exploit the financial markets, without knowing what kind of consequences could come from making such actions. Culture, miscommunication and manipulation within an organization or department are also aspects that are needed to be questioned in order to make a decisive statement. In the end, it is not the system which is good or bad, most likely it are people/employees that can or cannot, on whichever level within an organization, handle these very important responsibilities. I would recommend an consequentialist view on the decision of the introduction of the bonus system in (non-)commercial companies. Recommendation IBA: International Bar Association (2010). A survey of current regulatory trends. Johnson, Robert. (2008) Kants Moral Philisophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/ Watson, J. (2009). Bonus Culture. http://www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=0EACCDBE-287B-473C-BBE6-A550508F7804 [Accessed 25/10/2010] Armstrong, W, S. (2006) Consequentialism. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/ [Accessed 26/10/2010] Alexander, L. Moore, M. (2007) Deontological Ethics. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/#AdvDeoThe [Accessed 26/10/2010] Mason, E. (2009). What is consequentialism? http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1fid=3331492jid=THIvolumeId=8issueId=21aid=3331484 [Accessed 04/11/2010]

Promotion of Education in Africa Essay -- basic education, literacy, so

Topic 1: Promotion of Education in Africa The issue of basic education in the world, especially in Africa has been in the spotlight, waiting impatiently to be solved. The UN, with its Millennium Development Goals, has cited education as one of its top priorities to be achieved by 2015. The African Union, with its Second Decade of Education, has emphasized the need for primary education in Africa to ensure gender equality and the enhancement of African cultural values. Sadly, in many African nations, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa, adult literacy rates are well below 50%, and many youth lack the most basic and primal educational opportunities. The delegation of South Africa recognizes this urgent need of promotion of education in Africa. Background As a fortunate nation, South Africa has a stable educational infrastructure and a sound â€Å"baseline† for elementary education. In South Africa, the average adult literacy rate is a good 93 percent, as compared to the international average of 84 percent (2010) and the staggering 62 percent of Africa. To continue, most youth has completed grade 9, which concludes their general education and ends their compulsory schooling. And to breathe a sigh of relief, there is little gender disparity in the South African education system. However, there are always some holes. Despite the solid literacy rate- this is defined as a person 15 years or older and can write a short statement about his or her life- South Africa lacks strong secondary and tertiary education. As stated from a study conducted by the OCED (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development), â€Å"some three-quarters of South African adults have completed at least grade 6, half has completed grade 9, and just under one-thir... ...amic Militant Organizations in Africa "Africa's Militant Islamist Groups." BBC News. BBC, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. . Nkala, Oscar. "Little Terror Threat in South Africa – Report." Home. Defence Web, 5 June 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. . "South Africa: Consolidated Acts." Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act 2004. South African Legal Information Institute, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. . The War on Terrorism in Africa. N.p.: Westview Press, n.d. PDF. http://www.cfr.org/content/thinktank/Lyman_chapter_Terrorism.pdf

Nursing Leadership Paper Essay

They have an open concept design, select menus, and our outside landscaping that allows their residents to enjoy a comfortable setting during either their short or long term stay. Their care is directed by an interdisciplinary team of professionals that includes a Medical Director, attending physicians, 24 hour licensed nurses, a dietary manager, activity director, social worker, and therapist for physical, occupational and speech rehabilitation. At Park Manor, the goal is to provide the care and services to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of each of our residents. I got to work with the MDS nurse, an MDS nurse is the nurse in the long term care facility who schedules and completes the RAI-Resident Assessment Instrument, a detailed assessment done at least quarterly on every nursing home resident. The MDS nurse is also usually responsible to coordinate the completion of the care plans for the resident based on the results of the assessment. We were collecting data from a whole bunch of sources; from the nurses, aides, resident, families, doctors, progress notes, therapy notes, etc. Then we completed the paper/computer MDS form based on our complete assessment (using the data collected). A RUG score (or resource utilization grouper) score is generated based upon our answers which is used to determine medicare/medicaide reimbursement rates for the facility. The MDS is used to create the care plan, determines reimbursement rates and determines quality measures/indicators per federal standards. State Surveyors pull these reports prior to inspection visits and to know who is losing weight and who may have pressure ulcers, etc.

My personal experience Essay

This story is from my personal experience where I was involved directly with the central character in this story. This story is about a little girl who had lot of aspirations in life and wanted to make a mark in this world. Though the name doesn’t matter but for the matter of convenience, let us call her Mary. Mary’s only fault, if it was, was getting born to parents who could only afford her education by skipping one meal in a day. Mary was above average and hence scored well in her kindergarten levels. The problem started when she was promoted to 1st standard where the level of difficulty increased for her. Her parents who could not read or write were of little help. In the daily grind of earning, when they could hardly afford the meals and her education, getting a tutor for her was a distant dream. This made the little bud sink as she always wanted to be the best and was ready to work hard as well but the conditions at home and school prevented her from unlocking her potential. On one side while her parents had their own rut to handle, her school teacher was not any considerate. She would hardly teach in the class and yet expect her students to perform the best. Well, her prestige was at stake. Any weak student in the class was a pain for her and she wanted to devise ways and means to expel the student who was not able to score. The first trimester results were declared and as expected Mary flunked in most of the subjects. She was not the worst but she was not above average any more. Mary’s teacher was infuriated with the results of the class, which was not as she wanted. She felt a necessity to teach last 10 rankers a lesson. What else could be better method than to physically torture the tiny tender kids, so that they never forget the lesson the learned teacher was trying to hammer on them. In no time, last 10 rankers were asked to stand outside in the sun which was blazing at the peak summer noon. No prizes for guessing that our Mary was also asked to stand in the scorching heat. The summer sun was too harsh for the slender frame of Mary who could not sustain and passed out on the ground. She was immediately rushed in the shade and nursed. This incidence further aggravated teacher’s indignation. It was difficult for her to believe that kids of Mary’s age can not sustain such punishments. She considered Mary to be faking the whole situation. Teacher remembered the incidence and sought to vindicate it at the right opportunity. It did not take much time for the right opportunity to come in. The Semester exams were going on. Mary was trying her best to prepare for the difficult subjects. Her parents had asked me to take few classes for her as a favor. I agreed and started coaching Mary on the subjects. She was having good grasping power and unique ability to apply the knowledge as soon as acquired. Hence, my effort was quite less in teaching her and the output was beyond my expectation. I started liking to teach her. Mary was working very hard to make up the grades. She was doing well in her exams, she used to tell me. On the day of her last exam, Mary was quietly writing her paper. The paper was easy for her as she was well prepared. The teacher, as vindictive she was, was watching for a slight error from Mary so that she could throw her out of the exam hall. To Mary’s misfortune, the moment arrived. A quick gust of wind flew Mary’s question paper to her fellow students’ desk. As Mary went on to pick her question paper, she was confronted & slapped hard by her teacher who left no stone un-turned in proving that she was cheating. Mary cried, cried and cried but it all went on deaf ears. Fortunately, for Mary, the principal of the school was passing by. She stopped and asked the reason for the commotion. Thankfully, the principal believed Mary and allowed her to complete her exams. This was the last straw for the class teacher to consider Mary her sworn enemy. To rub salt on her wounds, Mary’s result was just excellent in the semester exams. She had topped, though over all she was 3rd ranker but still there were six months to go and Mary hoped that she would be able to regain her original position. And then the fateful day arrived. It was one week, since the school opened and Mary was quite excited to learn the subjects further. She was quick to answer the questions asked in the class and was doing very well. Finally, on that day, the teacher got into an ego clash and asked Mary to explain something which was way beyond Mary’s scope of learning. The teacher, infuriated, threw the duster with full force towards Mary which unfortunately hit Mary directly at her temple. Immediate brain hemorrhage followed resulting in on-the-spot loss of a life which was definitely not meant to be going this way. The teacher was tried in the court but she was released due to lack of evidence and on the ground of accidental but not intended hit. Life is going on usual for me or anyone else in the world, but definitely its’ no more a fair world for me!

Bad Habits: Attitudes of Filipinos That Need to Change Essay

1. Thoughtless When someone celebrates birthday, graduation or winning the lotto in the neighborhood, the party lasts through deep in the night, keeping neighbors awake by the noise of an out of tune videoke singer. 2. Inconsiderate Even after agreeing to meet at a certain time, some Filipinos manage to fail this initial agreement, using alibis as traffic, got caught up with something or lost in the way, disregarding the feeling of someone who just complied with agreed time. If these folks can’t fulfill simple tasks, can we trust them when it comes to, say lending them our prized books or CDs, loaning them money or anything they promise? 3. Racist Many Filipinos complain of being racially profiled (Filipinas in Middle East are easy to get or gullible) but some of us look down on other people such as Indians as fellows with strange body odor who live off through usury. Or on Chinese neighbors who own bigger stores in the market as penny-pinchers. But we can’t look at ourselves and fix our flaws. Worse, see #6. 4. Too self-conscious Wants to know who are his or her stalkers at social media. Installs ‘who are my top viewers’ application which turns out as a link to a malicious website. Wants to get everybody’s attention to the point that they post celebrity, semi-naked or suggestive profile photos 5. Religious fanaticism While admittedly deeply religious people, many of us Filipinos are also living a life of hypocricy/inconsistency. Outside of the Quiapo church are shops that sell abortion formula and the island of Siquijor becomes a haven of faith healers who practice black magic. 6. Onion skinned We easily go ballistic whenever the word Filipino is used as dark humor in a script of an American sitcom or acelebrity mocking our â€Å"presumed† perfect accent. We are quick to call for apology even if they’re all meant as a joke. That may be a reason we become a topic of humor. 7. Short-sighted Some Filipinos prefer to receive a few hundred pesos in exchange of favors to a politician running for office rather than resist temptation and bond together for a better society and governance. Poor tricycle drivers are allowed to ply on dangerous streets — risking the lives and limbs of passengers — just to earn a living. 8. Laziness When going to the market, some Filipinos prefer to take the motorized bike and pay a premium instead of a 20-minute walk — to ensure a favorite TV show will not be missed. At the end of the day they lament how a hundred peso bill could no longer be stretched. Or they spend the whole day staring at the television, sending SMS on shows that offer prizes to ‘home text partners’. 9. Gossipmonger Many Filipinos live off talking about affairs of other people. Maybe that’s because it’s a major function of the Filipino culture. Who impregnated a neighbor’s teenage daughter? A barrio councilor has bad breathe. The baby of a close friend has a striking resemblance of the family driver. No wonder many families are broken, trust lost and friendships gone awry because of people trying to get in the way. 10. Undisciplined Pass laws that are easily broken: no smoking on jeepneys, no jaywalking on streets, picking flowers in the park or peeing on fences, trees or truck tires. Even wearing prescribed attire (‘please wear semi-formal wear’) when attending wedding ceremonies becomes a task difficult to. When we’re overseas we find it necessary to follow rules, but we seem to take our country and its simple laws for granted. 11. Crab Mentality Once a fledgling banana cue business becomes the talk of the barrio, everyone is riding the bandwagon and put up the same business. Eventually, every single banana cue business in the neighborhood fails and shuts down operation. If someone gets promoted at work, some Filipinos are good at making up stories; did he date the supervisor? Did she sleep with the manager? It also exists in the form of protectionism. Insecurity or lack of creativity drives this attitude. 12. Nepotism A bright yet not well-connected job applicant never gets the job position because it was reserved for a family member of an incumbent official or a reward for supporters of a candidate who just won in the elections. A well-connected passenger gets the airport’s special lane while hard-working OFWs sweat it out on a long line. 13. Freebie hunters Some Filipinos have got the nerve to crash into wedding parties uninvited or show up at a birthday party because they were brought along by a friend of an invited friend. They enjoy free electricity supply through illegal connections or enjoying a bonanza of free water from busted pipes instead of reporting the apparent waste or scarce resources. Often visits the house of a balikbayan/OFW who just arrived and ask — they don’t wait — for presents. 14. Allegiance by convenience Filipino politicians often change parties not because they found a better principled group, but to gain something — power, money or fame. When momentum shifts, be prepared to jump ship and switch loyalty. Read their biographies and be not surprised they’ve been into various alliances with no real accomplishment to show. 15. Rarely punctual Appointments are never meant to be on time as many Filipinos make it a habit of not making it on time. Meetings, parties, and so on. Teachers didn’t lack the motivation to make us punctual as tardy ones were meted with appropriate punishment. Shall we blame others for this? Traffic congestion, slow jeepney driver, hard to find location, ‘I was robbed’, and others in an endless list of alibis and excuses. 16. Propensity for ‘good time’ Gathering of friends isn’t bad. But if it always meant 20 bottles of hard liquor meant to be consumed overnight, that’s something. Just got the job? Let’s celebrate and have a drink. Just got the paycheck, let’s have a drink. When someone starts reminding them to be frugal and slow down on alcohol spending, they reason out, â€Å"it’s my money, you have no business interfering†, â€Å"this is just once in a while† or â€Å"I need to drink to forget my problems†. Yeah, right. 17. Treat OFWs as ATMs Some Filipinos are overly dependent on relatives working overseas that they don’t look for jobs or don’t attend classes because they are in â€Å"abundant supply of financial aid†. Worse, money remittance from OFWs are often spent only on luxuries like mobile phones and jewelry they can brag to friends. In many cases, nothing was allocated for savings or investment. When OFWs come home, families find it hard to explain where money was spent.

House of Wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

House of Wisdom - Essay Example It is  impossible  to  envision  Western civilization without fruits of Arab science. Al- khwarizmi’s art of Algebra, the well researched and explained medical teachings and  philosophy  of Avicenna, the new geography and cartography introduced by al-idrisi or the  thorough  rationalism of Averroes (Jonathan, 2009). It is  evident  how uneducated the westerners were. Their leader was an  implacable  cleric who had appeared from nowhere to massive  popular  acclaim; he exhorted his charges to holy war against the infidels with promises of a home in paradise. Diseases and malnutrition were  rife. Medical care often involved exorcism or the amputation of the injured limb. Torture and other ordeals settled criminal cases. Few had any  learning  at all.  The little  education  that they had consisted of memorizing out dated texts under the watchful eyes of  hidebound  doctors of religion.  They did not understand basic technology, scien ce or mathematics. They could not  date  their most significant holy days nor could they  chart  the  regular  movement of the sun, moon and planets. Natural phenomena such as  eclipse  of the moon or a sudden change in  weather  terrified them; they thought it was black magic. Pope Uban II appealed to the princes in the French town of Clermont to end their  ceaseless  warring to  turn  their murderous energies on the unbelievers of the East. The  fighting  and denouncing of the Muslims by the European Christians and the Westerners began to  obscure  any  recognition  of the Muslim way of life and their contribution to science. This message consisted of four themes, some of which still resonate today. One was that Islam distorts the word of God, and the other was that Islam  was  solely  spread  by  violence. The third one was that Islam promoted pervertedsexuality  of humans by encouraging the  practice  of polygamy, for examp le, the way the sultans behaved in their Kingdoms, and through their excessively  modest  way  they carried themselves out. Finally, they also believed that the Antichrist was a muslim(Jonathan, 2009). These were just prejudices because some of the European philosophers, who had earlier denounced the Muslim way of life, later appreciated and acknowledged their contribution to  education  (Jonathan, 2009). As most Westerners denounced the Muslims, an Englishman named Aderlard of Bath one of the early pioneers of the Arab teachings who brought about the wonder of astronomy geometry astrology and other fields to the medieval West, looked at the Muslims differently, he left his home in search for education. In addition, he believed that the Muslims had the best education. He had no interest in the debaucheries of his fellow Europeans. Unlike the holy warriors unleashed by Pope Uban II, he had the  determination  to learn from the Muslims rather than killing them under the sign of the cross. While the crusaders saw only evil in the Muslim infidel, Aderlard sought the  light

Financial Interest Against The Code Of Ethics Essay

Financial Interest Against The Code Of Ethics - Essay Example The essay "Financial Interest Against The Code Of Ethics" discusses the situation when the financial interest of the company goes before the possible harm that the product can bring to the consumers. The paper discusses the situation where the chemist Helen found herself in the situation in which her personal doubts about the safety of the product contradict with the desire of the company to sign a profitable contract and to launch the product. The dilemma that Helen has to deal with is probably typical for all chemists, and in such cases, they have to refer to the Chemical Professional Code of Conduct. I believe that Helen`s doubts about the product should lead to a thorough revision of the experimental data because her concerns are grounded on the fatal outcome of the experimental animals, which is always crucial. Helen did everything that was expected from her: informed her bosses about â€Å"the absorption problem† and its further possible risk and got their opinion on this issue. The bosses assessed economic questions more than the data received in the course of the experiments it seems. Helen has doubts herself because if she had been more convinced about the threat of the product she would have expressed her opinion more unambiguously insisting on the ban of the product launch. The first thing that should be done by Helen, in this case, is involvement of some other experts in chemistry for assessing the data once more before signing the contract. It is possible to attract the experts working in the same company.

Econ5150final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Econ5150final - Essay Example Another reason as to why the economy of these two nations as well as that of the general Asian region is the availability of technology and well skilled personnel who are able to use this technology to improve production (Onyemelukwe, Pg. 265). The high population of these nations has also been a contributing factor due to the fact that it creates a large and ready market for finished goods. In economics, one of the factors that influence the demand of a commodity is the size of the population. As such, with the high population in China and S. Korea, the demand for finished goods is high (Onyemelukwe, Pg. 266). Despite the numerous similarities between the economic growth and development of China and that of S. Korea, it is imperative to note that there are some distinguishing factors between the two and hence there exist a number of differences. As a norm, the economical and political environment of one geographical region will always differ from that of other regions. This article will purpose to compare and contrast the economies of China and S. Korea. It will address the variety of factors that influence the economies of the two nations before giving a conclusion on the same. Economy of China China is one of the nations that have had the most significant economic growth over the last couple of years. Being a third world country, China has been able to grow to such a level that today it is ranked second largest economy in terms of GDP second only to the United States of America which is considered a global superpower. In addition, over the period of the last three decades, China has been ranked as the fastest growing economy in the world registering an average growth rate of 10% per annum in the last thirty years (Lardy Pg. 3-6). In addition, China has also been ranked as the largest exporter in the world and at the same time as the second largest importer after the USA. It is also imperative to note that China is ranked first in manufacturing. It has outdon e the USA and has now become the largest service driven economy. Ranking on per capita basis, China was at position 87th by Nominal GDP in the year 2012. This was according to the records of the International Monetary Funds. Despite the enormous rejuvenation of the Chinese economy, it should be acknowledged that there are some parts of the country which are less developed tan others. For instance, areas located in the hinterland have experienced relatively slow development while areas at the coastal region are highly industrialized. China continues to strategize itself for further development and economic growth. One of the strategies that are guiding its development is the Xi Jinping’s Chinese Dream. Under this dream, the China government is committed to achieving â€Å"Two 100s† by the year 2049. This means, by the year 2020 which also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, the nation plans to have become a moderately well off community a nd that will denote the first 100 of the â€Å"two 100s.† then, by the year 2049, which will also be the 100th anniversary since the People’s Republic was founded, it is expected that China will be a fully developed economy. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the growth and

Politics and war in Afghanistan during the novel Kite Runner Essay

Politics and war in Afghanistan during the novel Kite Runner - Essay Example Touted as the first Afghan novel written in English, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner makes up part of the growing branch of Muslim American immigrant literature (along with Diana Abu-Jaber's Crescent and Laila Halaby's West of the Jordan , both published in 2003). Loosely autobiographical, The Kite Runner begins in the same well-off Kabul neighborhood in which the author grew up with his diplomat father and schoolteacher mother. The action then shifts to California, where the family resettled in the early 1980's after fleeing Afghanistan. Hosseini, a practicing physician, began the novel in March, 2001, and, working in the early morning hours, had it half-completed by September 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks which occurred on that day left him and other Muslim Americans feeling anxious about their safety and also turned his unfinished novel into a hot property. After making a successful preemptive bid, Riverhead Books asked Hosseini to revise the manuscript (rather extensively, it turned out) in just four weeks in late 2002, in order to capitalize on interest in Afghanistan during the United States' military action against the Taliban. The well-publicized novel appeared in the summer of 2003, just after American and world interest had shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq. Employing a simple but effective three-part structure, framed by chapters set in December, 2001, The Kite Runner begins where Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things (1997) ends, with an act of betrayal. Part 1 focuses on the formative years of its narrator-protagonist, especially his relationship with Hassan, who is at once his servant and friend. The two boys are linked in several important ways: Born just a year apart, they live in the same household and have nursed at the same breast (following Amir's mother's death in childbirth and Hassan's mother's having run away). The two are also divided-by physical ability, by temperament, by class, and most deeply by ethnicity, one a member of the majority Pashtuns, the other a despised Hazara. Hassan's devotion to Amir is both a sign of his sweet disposition and, more troubling, the result of an ingrained servant-class mentality. Amir is, if not quite devoted to his playmate then certainly attached (including in a way that Amir could never have imagined, for Hassan turns out to be his half brother). Amir's relatively privileged life, however, coupled with Hassan's self-sacrificing devotion, makes Amir cruel, albeit in petty, even passive ways. Amir's cruelty and weakness of character are thrown into higher relief when a third boy, Assef, arrives on the scene. "On the surface, he was the embodiment of every parent's dream but his eyes betrayed him. Beyond the faade, madness." Beyond Amir's facade there is neither madness nor maliciousness, only anxiety that derives, in large measure, from his not being manly enough to earn the love of his father, Baba, a successful, decidedly secular businessman highly respected for his business savvy, physical prowess, and charitable acts. Amir's character is a typical Afghani character of the contemporary society. His character has been delineated by the writer very carefully and according to the norms and standing customs and conventions of Afghan society of that time. The crisis,

Banking in the modern world Homework 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Banking in the modern world Homework 2 - Essay Example What is the leverage-adjusted duration gap? Total value of portfolios of Assets = Commercial Loan + Consumer Loan = $400 + $250 = $650 Fractional value of assets at = 61.5 = 0.615% Fractional value of assets B = 38.4 = 0.384% Weighted Average Duration= Duration asset A (% in portfolio) + Duration of asset B (% in portfolio) Weighted Average Duration= 3 years (. 615) + 7 years (. 384) Weighted Average Duration= 1.85 + 2.69 = 4.54 years Total value of portfolios of Liability = IG Bonds + Deposits + Non-deposit borrowing = $65 + $600 + $50= $715 Fractional value of Liability A = .091 Fractional value of Liability B = .839 Fractional value of Liability C = .070 Weighted Average Duration= Duration Liability A (% in portfolio) + Duration of Liability B (% in portfolio) + Duration Liability C (% in portfolio) Weighted Average Duration= 15 years (.091) + 1.25 years (.839) + .50 years (.070) Weighted Average Duration= 1.365 + 1.049 + .035 Weighted Average Duration= 2.4 years Leverage-adjusted duration gap is a formula that measures the overall interest rate of bank and it tells positive or negative changes in the overall interest rate of a banking company. B. What is going to happen to the Bank’s net worth if interest rates will increase or decrease by 1 per cent from the current 5 percent? Interpret the results. Each banking service provider has to face the interest rate risk in its business and if the market rate increases or decrease, it affects the value of cash of banks. Suppose market rate increases with 1 %, then the demand and value of cash will not be affected and it will remain un-changed. But the value of the loan will effect and it will decrease. In this case, the market value of equity of that bank will increase and thus investors will get another opportunity to invest. C. How the Bank can reduce its exposure to interest rate risk? Show this with a numerical example. Each bank has an option to alter its interest rate exposure by making some changes a nd restricting its investment plans, borrowings and other pricing strategies and this can be done with the help of managing maturity times of its current portfolio. Question No. 2. What kind of futures or options hedges would be called for in the following situations? a. Market interest rates are expected to increase and your financial firm’s asset-liability managers expect to liquidate a portion of their bond portfolio to meet customers’ demands for funds in the upcoming quarter. Usually Financial firms expect a lower price for selling their bond portfolio in the market but they don’t expect it if the portfolio consists on short future hedge securities. After selling them on lower prices, they use to repurchase them at a profit giving rate. A similar profit can be made by the bank with the help of Put options for government and financial futures contracts. b. Your financial firm has interest-sensitive assets of $79 million and interest-sensitive liabilities of $88 million over the next 30 days and market interest rates are expected to rise. Financial firm has increased its interest-sensitive assets by $9 million that means this firm is a growing yo bear looser if the interest rate in the market increases. This firm need to hedge its risk it's going to bear on increased $9 million and for this, it should sell financial futures contracts or use a put option on government securities or financial futures contracts. c. A survey of Tuskee Bank’

British Airways Marketing Report Essay Example for Free

British Airways Marketing Report Essay Current share price is 225 with a range of between 224 and 289. Marketing is ‘the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. ’ BA used to operate in an oligopoly market however throughout the last century this has changed. Previously it was only large national companies that had enough money to provide flights however nowadays the market operates in perfect competition with high barriers to entry. BA can use marketing to promote their product, drive market share, anticipate customer requirements, satisfy customer needs and ultimately make a profit. The Marketing Mix The marketing mix is a combination of 4 P’s (product, price, place and promotion) that should be used in conjunction with each other to ensure a competitive edge over other companies. ‘The marketing mix is designed to produce mutually satisfying exchanges with a target market’. Product BA’s product in essence relates to the flights offered. However, the product can be drilled down into specific areas ranging from the airport lounges around the world, the ‘extras’ that you can buy on board such as model BA aeroplanes or even package holidays. Each of these has been specifically tailored to meet customer expectations (which are highlighted in the section of the report titled ‘target market’). This part of the marketing mix focuses on how BA’s products are managed and in the Guardian case study article titled ‘BA, Iberia and American Airlines tie-up heralds new era of transatlantic travel’ dated 06/10/2010 it shows how BA have made an executive decision to link their websites with other companies to have the possibility to offer a higher number of routes (products) to their potential customers. Price Price is simply ‘the amount of money customers must pay to obtain a product’. BA’s price is generally higher than their competitors although this is because they believe they are offering higher quality. However, in recent times BA appear to be losing the price war against low cost budget competitors such as Ryanair and Easyjet. Following this, BA have undergone marketing strategies to reduce their price and carry out ‘sale discounted’ periods. BA demand immediate payment for their products, do not give credit terms or allowances. Promotion In the early days when BA was a nationalised company and the market was an oligopoly, they didn’t have to promote as much, as competition was minimal. However, with the growth of new players in the market BA have resulted to advertising in the following areas: tube stations (especially the Jubilee Line going towards Canary Wharf to target higher earners), newspapers (such as the Financial Times and Sunday broadsheets), airports (mainly in Heathrow and Gatwick – their primary hubs) and adverts between TV programmes, starting from September 2009 – such as the News, Politics programmes and factual documentaries. BA also use personal advertising techniques with their advert: ‘Come together it’s Christmas’. This uses emotional targeting to encourage people to buy their product to visit loved ones during this period. See Appendix 2. Place Currently BA do not operate from London Stanstead however a marketing decision could be taken to include this to their portfolio. This would give them a higher percentage of UK airport utilisation however a cost benefit analysis could prove this move to be not so advantageous. BA have recently ‘taken on’ Easyjet and are now offering a Gatwick-Marrakech route at discount prices. This gives customers higher choice and allows BA to remain competitive and attempt at satisfying the needs of those who want to pay less. Once BA have exhausted the 4 P’s, a S. W. O. T. Analysis will be completed to determine and examine internal strengths and weaknesses and, external opportunities and threats. S. W. O. T. Analysis Strengths The case study website article on ‘This is Money’ dated 24/01/2011 undoubtedly highlights one of the major strengths carrying BA at present. The merger between BA and Iberia has strengthened its financial position and is a step closer to ‘creating a multinational multi-brand airlines group’. BA take pride in their strong brand, high quality service and offer prestigious first class airport lounges to ensure that their customers are taken care of to the standard they expect for the prices they are paying. This is what has allowed BA to charge higher fares and gives them the image that higher class passengers are willing to pay for. By linking themselves to fellow competitors (American Airlines) and strengthening their position by joining the One World syndicate, BA have encouraged higher revenues from this tactical decision. Following the strong decline throughout the global recession, BA’s strength is ‘bouncing back’ according to the BBC News Article ‘British Airways in first profit for two years’. Although the rise in incomes and ultimately rise in profits was linked to higher cargo fares, BA were able to successfully cut costs and meet their carbon emissions targets also. Weaknesses Despite the above, BA has been renowned for strong continual losses as highlighted in the other BBC News Article ‘British Airways reports ? 164m loss’. The losses were mainly caused by the volcanic ash cloud and staff strikes both resulting in the cancellation of thousands of flights. It’s reported that just ’15 days strikes had cost the airline ? 142m’. The strikes had also had a negative impact on their declining reputation making some people not wanting to fly with them anymore. BA’s reputation was also hit when they were sued ? 10K by competitor Virgin for accessing their private files and consequently trying to poach business. If this wasn’t bad enough, in 2009 BA were fined a massive ? 110m for price fixing – known as a ‘cartel’ and this is illegal. Although passengers accept that flight travel can be dangerous, BA adds to its weakness with its own incidents. These range from a mid-air collision in 1 976, a pilot being sucked out of the aircraft when a windscreen exploded and in 2008 a BA plane at Heathrow missed the runway and crash-landed. More recently, BA has been investigating prices of flights to some destinations that were being charged at 10 times the normal price owing to a ‘system error’ online. This is going to make people think twice when booking with the company. Opportunities While the above 2 sections focus internally, opportunities and threats highlight those factors that can influence BA externally. The lifting of the recession in recent months has allowed passengers to review their spending habits and hopefully create higher disposable income in households and allow the ‘loosening of the belt’ for those corporate company credit cards. BA need to carefully position their marketing strategies at the right time in order to capture these people with that bit of extra money to spend and the report will focus on this issue in the following few pages. BA sold its Gatwick hub airport for ? 1. 5bn, although this was reportedly at a loss (as BA originally paid ? 10. 1bn for it 3 years prior), it gave BA the opportunity to invest its interests elsewhere and concentrate on a smaller number of airports. BA also sold its interest in the London Eye – now sponsored by EDF, to focus on other projects. Threats BA has been hit by threats in recent years ranging from terrorism, bad weather, volcanoes and more recently the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the civil unrest in Libya. Numerous flights have been cancelled to the Libyan capital Tripoli costing BA millions of pounds. Following this, BA has been forced to cancel their entire summer 2011 season of flight programmes. The events in Japan have also affected BA’s programmes with flights to Tokyo disrupted. The case studies provided highlight how BA ‘went into meltdown’ following the heavy snow suffered in the UK during December 2010. The conditions caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled for both cargo and passengers and the title of the article ‘British Airways says bad weather could cost it ? 50m’ sums up the situation perfectly. The terrorist events in the USA in 2001 still continue to make passengers nervous of flying, especially Trans-Atlantic and this is always going to be a sensitive subject that BA would find hard to market against. By doing so, they would not want to seem like they are publicising terrorism but at the same time have concentrated their marketing strategies on the highest standard of comfort and ‘relaxability’. A final threat is shown in an article by the Telegraph where BA is ‘attacked’ by a social media Facebook campaign where Gatwick workers have criticised BA’s Terminal 5 at Heathrow calling it ‘shambolic’ and the page was even designed with videos showing the CEO of BA wrestling with baggage and trolleys. This damages BA’s reputation and makes a mockery of their brand. All of the factors mentioned above in the marketing mix and S. W. O. T. Analysis are important for BA to consider however if the company does not have a target market to aim their products at, the company would not be able to survive. British Airways Target Market and Positioning Strategy In order to ensure BA’s products are directed at the correct audience to maximise revenues and profits, careful market research needs to be invested in to find a target market. ‘The basis of target marketing is market segmentation’; which splits the market into groups of potential customers that have the same characteristics. From the 3 marketing strategies, it’s believed that BA use a ‘differentiated strategy’ as they focus on several specific areas of the market to target. The characteristics below offer ome possibilities that link all of BA’s customers together. Watch the News on television Celebrities Speak a 2nd language Middle/Upper Class Holiday in non-European destinations Read non-fiction In full time employment or retired Have higher disposable incomes By segmenting the customer base to determine a ‘target market’ BA split the market depending on the following variables: * Demographic – age, gender * Geographic – where the target is based * Geo-demographic – size of households, number of cars etc.. depending on location * Psychographic – lifestyle, attitudes Behavioural – the relationship between the target market and the product As the points show in the circle above, BA focus their marketing strategies on those that have higher income and appear in the middle/upper classes of the population, this is evident from the prices of their products and the quality of the service offered. Both genders are targeted equally with the age range (generally) being between 35 to 65. The BA advertising strategies are positioned to target those situations that their customers can relate to and dream about – i. . luxury holidays, comfortable flights and a reliable service. This concentrates on the behavioural variable. Geographically, as BA is a British company, the target market is centralised in the UK however following partnerships with fellow companies such as American Airlines for example, a wider global base is reached. BA have positioned their product away from their low cost budget competitors acknowledging that they offer a more luxurious alternative to cheap travel. Their positioning strategy can lso be seen in the ‘product class membership’ which again, separates BA’s service away from the Easyjets and Ryanairs. By doing this, BA have created their own competitive advantage and have taken an alternative route to satisfy other customers needs that are not centered around saving money. Marketing Recommendations In order for BA to evaluate how successful their target market strategies and their positioning tactics are, the report recommends that the company should see how many levels of ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ are being satisfied from a purchase of a BA flight. This can be seen in Appendix 3. Psychological needs: SATISIFIED: shelter from the cold, provision of food and oxygen * Safety needs: SATISIFIED: provision of a safe environment and reassuring customers * Belongingness and love needs: N/A * Esteem needs: N/A * Self-actualization needs: Possibly relevant to those who are over-coming their fear of flying. Secondly, BA could conduct marketing research to determine ‘why’ customers buy their products in the first place. This could be conducted as a quick questionnaire either in-flight when the customers are all in one place at the same time or as a mandatory set of questions when booking flights. This will help BA to see what criteria are satisfied during the stage of the ‘buyer decision process’. There are 3 possibilities however the report recommends that BA would come across the most popular varible below: * Routine Response Behaviour: Customers who are frequent flyers, possibly members of the Executive Club, they are aware of the low cost competition however have a loyalty towards BA and favour their service. Appendix 4 shows where the report deems BA’s product to currently be in the market. By carrying out the market research above and with the new strong group behind the company, the brand could move backwards in the graph and back and return to the growth stage. This can also be said of Appendix 5, by moving BA from a question mark in the Boston Matrix and positioning it in the ‘star’ category. The report recommends BA to further extend their marketing strategy to concentrate on ‘holidays’ and not just flights. This links closely with an interview carried out by ‘Marketing Week’ and BA’s Head of Marketing, Richard Tams. ‘We are devoting more and more of our reativity in any given campaign to talking about holidays’. BA should extend this further and working with tourist boards of exotic countries to promote cheaper package holidays with the support of the Government in those ‘further to reach’ luxurious locations. Tams states ‘we are looking to move BA. com to much more into the space of a t ravel website rather than a flights website’. The report strongly agrees with this marketing strategy and would fully support BA’s proposals. This widens their product mix and allows a larger more diverse target market to be captured. Conclusion The report has analysed the company British Airways firstly concentrating on the product mix and a S. W. O. T analysis. The report has described the company’s target audience and commented on the current positioning strategy of British Airways. The report has concluded with marketing recommendations that could be put in place to ensure the long time success of the company. Future events that British Airways will have to be aware of include the UK Government adjusting passenger air tax and carbon emission regulations. 2,682 words. Bibliography All referenced throughout. Books Jobber, D. 2001 4th edition ‘Principals and Practices of Marketing’, McGraw Hill International, P 810 * Kotler, P. 2010 9th edition ‘Principals of Marketing’, Pearson * Lamb, C. 2009 6th edition ‘Essentials of Marketing’, Neil Marquardt * The Chartered Institute of Marketing, LSBU lecture notes Websites All accessed between 24/03/2011 and 30/04/2011 * www. bbc. co. uk /news * www. dailymail. co. uk/travel/article-1369100/Libya-action-hits-British-Airways-flights. html * www. guardian. co. uk * www. google. co. uk/finance? q=PINK%3ABAIRY * www. iagshares. com www. letsstartthinking. org/quickreference/maslow-need-hierarchy. asp * www. marketingweek. co. uk/sectors/travel-and-leisure/airlines/qa-with-ba-marketing-head-richard-tams/3019560. article * www. news. airwise. com/story/view/1300492770. html * www. news. cheapflights. co. uk/ /ba-takes-on-easyjet-on-gatwick-marrakech-route * http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODMyOTJ8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=amp;t=1 * www. telegraph. co. uk/travel/3366187/British-Airways-staff-attack-passengers-on-Facebook. html * www. thisislondon. co. k/standard/article-23431527-london-eye-looks-for-new-sponsor-as-ba-pulls-out. do * www. thisismoney. co. uk * http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/10/21/uk-baa-idUKTRE59K1D820091021 * www. utalkmarketing. com/UTMImages/2/BA_terminal5_2. jpg Append ices 1. ) Group structure of IAG 2. ) BA advert 3. ) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 4. ) Product Life Cycle 5. ) Boston Matrix [ 1 ]. www. iagshares. com [ 2 ]. http://www. google. co. uk/finance? q=PINK%3ABAIRY [ 3 ]. Lamb, C, 2009 ‘Essentials of Marketing’ 6th edition. Neil Marquardt,