How China became Chinese Essay

Jared’s Diamond’s â€Å"Guns, Germ and Steel† is an historical narrative that focuses on alternate explanations to the rise and fall of civilizations and the development of cultures and societies by tracing evolutions and nuances in world and human history dating as far back as 13,000 years ago to the present. It is an historical treatise that moves away from a largely Eurocentric model of the world towards a more objective analysis of the various environmental, biological, political and economic phenomena surrounding a continent’s growth. The book attempts to unravel the varying fundamental and decisive causations to explain and answer why continents developed differently from each other. For instance, Chapter 16 of the book lays down the conundrum how China became Chinese today—what with its monolithic ethnicity and almost unified language and uniform racial identities, as opposed to its European and North American counterparts: Both of which are characterized by diverse cultures, language and races. Accordingly, China is the way it is now because of several penultimate causations. Foremost of these reasons is that they gained a decided head-start advantage in terms of food production and animal domestication because of its strategic geographic location. There is the Yellow River in the north and the Yangtze River in the south which conveniently cut across the whole span of the continent thereby making trade and production much easier (331). Because of the advances in food production and animal domestication techniques compared to its backwards hunting-gathering neighbours at that time, ethnic north and south Chinese were able to dominate the entire socio-cultural landscape. As early as 7,500 BC, Jared Diamond notes that based on the archaeological pieces of evidence found scattered in the East Asian regions, it would be fair to conclude that â€Å"China was one of the world’s first centres of plant and animal domestication† (229). These valuable crops and animals contributed to the growth of Chinese civilizations especially in terms of population, language and political and social structures because they jumpstart the economy of a given locality. Diamond continues that â€Å"as elsewhere in the world, in China food production gradually led to other hallmarks of civilization† (330). The Chinese began to invent and discover the process of bronze metallurgy and its uses as substitute domestic tools and probably even in warfare. Furthermore, apart from the optimization of the post-Neolithic metal tools technology, the millennia that followed â€Å"saw the outpouring of Chinese technological inventions that included paper, the compass, the wheelbarrow and gunpowder† (ibid. ). These are manifest indications or signs that the Chinese society has undergone a gradual yet upending process of unification or otherwise known as the great Sinification over the years that it had started to develop and took advantage of their valuable food and animal resources. The most interesting part of Diamond’s analysis however has something to do with the correlation he makes with food production and its residual yet significant consequences as with the spread of infectious diseases (ibid. ). Since pigs, according to Diamond, were domesticated so early and became so important in the region, Influenza must have likely have risen in China (ibid. ). Nevertheless, suffice it to say that China is the solid and monolithic China of today because of the advantages in its geographic locations and the kind of culture that was nourished through time because of trade, domination, ethnic assimilation and language unification as also added consequences of early developments in food production and animal domestication. In other words, because China enjoyed critical benefits during the formation of its civilization at such an early stage, it was able to mass up early and thereafter steam-rolled its neighbours in the Southeast and East Asian regions. Leaving in its wake are fragmented but major influences in other countries of today, such as Japan, Korea and/or Southeast Asian countries, by way of language, race and literature. Indeed, as Jared Diamond concludes the chapter, he writes that the â€Å"persistence of Chinese writing in Japan and Korea is a vivid 20th century legacy of plant and animal domestication in China nearly 10,000 years ago† (333) and owing largely to the leaps and bounds advances in farming in the eastern regions of Asia, China became the Chinese of today and traces of its powerful and overwhelming culture can be gleaned from Thailand and other proximate Asian countries—their cousins (ibid. ). Of course, China is not China today solely because of its early advantage in food production and animal domestication as Jared Diamond argues. There are other important factors which taken together with China’s historical development can make for another alternate hypothesis to explain its present day unified state. It would be a little too much of a stretch of the imagination to correlate present times with the circumstances then present several millennia ago. Although Diamond’s premises are elegant and sound, the simplistic and abbreviated accounting of Chinese history leaves more historical questions than it answers. Denis Sinor argues that China did indeed gain a strong foothold in development early on because of its geography (49). But geography is not all that there is available that arguably led to Chinese domination in the region (51). For instance, the occasional barbaric attacks from the Mongol hordes from the north stimulated the solidification of the small communities in China to a powerful unit under one dynastic rule to parry away the constant threat of invasion. Assuredly, food production and animal domestication have little to do with the menace of warfare except for the fact that surpluses in resources can be a motivating factor for the invaders. Still, because of these threats in the Chinese regions, the warring civil clans in China unified to face a common enemy (Sinor 65). In so doing, the Chinese developed a stronger and distinct identity from their neighbours. For lack of a better term, the Sinification was an offshoot of the fact that China has nurtured a crude sense of nationalism as reflected in their literary works, language and cultural masterpieces—including the building of the Great Wall of China simply because unification was a necessity for warfare. Without a doubt, the lasting legacy of the Great Wall bespeaks that need to solidify China at a time when wars from its neighbours were imminent. It is also important to consider the varying political ideologies in ancient and modern China. Its important leaders and other iconic historical figures adopted a monistic approach to its rule. Laws were codified according to the changing needs of the time. This means that the Chinese had a justice system that is inspired the ruling dynasty replete with its own brand of religious, philosophical and social ideas which required everyone to obey with all zest (Sinor 72). Nevertheless, going back to Diamond’s premises, there is no question that food and animal production acted as an impetus for development. Yet to heavily rely on such a primordial causation is to eschew other aspects of Chinese civilization such as its political and social history. True enough certain advantages in geography open doors for a nascent civilization but then again, once that door is opened, there are multitudes of other doors that the choice of one excludes other historical possibilities for a civilization. It just so happens that the Chinese example is a result of a singular development from the start of its development up to the present time. Works Cited Diamond, Jared. â€Å"How China Became Chinese: The History of East Asia†. In Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Ed. Jared Diamond, pp. 322-333. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , 1999. Sinor, Denis. Inner Asia, History, Civilization, Languages. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1969.

Progressive Era Dbq

Charlie Shinske During the Progressive Era, pressure from labor, suffrage, and conservation movements profoundly changed the course of American history. Many of the reformers' ideas clashed with the male-dominated, capitalist economic structure present at the turn of the century. Some of the intended reforms opposed the current system, but the level of social unrest necessitated change. Businessmen and activists alike initiated the reforms during the Progressive Era.Government, due to the intention of calming the common man and quieting the seemingly more and more vocal middle  class, supported them from the year 1900 to 1920, Progressive Era reformers were successful in bringing about reform to the United States. Socially, America was gaining strength, with women such as Jane Addams, a women's rights activist, entering the progressive fight. The percent of eligible voters who cast ballots in Presidential elections were at a somewhat steady rate from 1904 to 1916, ranging from 59-6 5%, but in the 1920 election, only 49% of eligible voters actually cast ballots. Document J) Although some may argue that the percent decrease was due to most Americans not liking any of the elected Presidential candidates, and therefore not voting this is untrue because this was the first election in which women could vote, which threw of the ratio of voters and non-voters. In addition, all four candidates running for the title of President, Debs, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Taft, were all progressives, and wanted to reduce the number of trusts. This gave all voters, men or women, some incentive to vote.In the end of the election, Woodrow Wilson won, but not with the majority. During Wilson's presidency, some women spoke out saying that Wilson was â€Å"oppressing† them, and compared themselves to people being oppressed by Kaiser that were living Germany. (Document H) many female rights activists saw the government as putting them down that is why the passing of the 19th amendmen t caused such an uproar, women agreed and were excited with their new found power, but men were not happy (mostly because women promoted prohibition).During this thirty year period in American history our country made major strides in working conditions, moral values, and where we stood in the world’s commerce. We now had a wealthy middle class that could sort of fend for themselves and we were working on making sure that the food we ate and the water we drank was healthy enough for us to drink. The U. S. was starting to boom, then came the depression.

Sickle Cell Anemia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sickle Cell Anemia - Term Paper Example This pain can last from several hours to days. Chronic pain,lasting for weeks and months, is also possible. Recurring infections, gallstones, leg ulcers, multiple organ failure, spleen shrinkage and eye problems are due to the complications arising from sickle cell anemia (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute). Sickle cell anemia or sickle cell disease is due to a mutation, or a single nucleotide change in the gene or the DNA sequence that codes for hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the major protein component of red blood cells and has the main function of transporting oxygen from the lungs to other organs in the body. The single nucleotide change occurs at the codon GAG which codes for the amino acid glutamic acid. The adenine base or â€Å"A† is replaced with thymine, or â€Å"T†, resulting in GTG, which codes for amino acid valine (Berg, Tymoczko, & Stryer; US Department of Energy). Normal hemoglobin is HbA while sickle cell hemoglobin is designated as HbS (Figure 1). The change in the amino acid sequence of the hemoglobin gene results in significant changes in the structure of the hemoglobin protein, which ultimately lead to the shape alteration of red blood cells from concave discs to sickle shaped. These alterations are due to the different properties of the two amino acids: valine is non-polar, while glutamic acid is electrically charged. At biological pH 7.4, glutamic acid has 2 negative charges. Mutant or sickle cell hemoglobin has less 2 negative charges compared to normal hemoglobin, therefore the interactions within the 4 chains of hemoglobin in red blood cells are affected, which changes the structure of the protein. A hydrophobic or â€Å"sticky† patch on the surface of the ÃŽ ² chains of hemoglobin is produced. When the hemoglobin molecules of the sickle cells is deoxygenated, they become insoluble and stick to each other, forming polymers or fibers, and the red blood cell

Final exam paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final exam paper - Essay Example These different forces include the power of customers, the threat of new entrants into the industry, the power of supplier agents, competitive rivalry and the threat of substitute products (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). This paper will explore the competitive environment of Yahoo, in a structured and clear manner, towards exposing the ways that the company uses IT to counter competitive forces and to cultivate their advantage. The threat of new entrants The threat of entry does not affect the competitiveness of Yahoo, due to the following facts. Considering the fact that a new entrant would need to invest millions of dollars, towards developing a site to compare to Yahoo, yahoo have used the popularity of their internet platform as a mechanism of keeping new entrants out of the industry (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). Further, the Yahoo Company has taken advantage of the fact that it takes many years to build a company that will attract millions of internet users; the company has worked hard to sustain its customer-base and to recruit more over the internet platform, which makes it difficult for new entrants. The company has used IT to create economies of scale, including that, like their main competitors, including Google and Altavista; it has setup numerous servers across the world, which helps it collect information on user habits. The wide network allows the company to offer innovative, unified and customized products, in a better and faster manner, which blocks the entry of new industry players. Brand loyalty is among the premises used by the company to eliminate the threat of new entrants, including that in the area of email communication, the company is the second best service provider, with more than 273.1 million users. Through the wide IT outreach, the company has eliminated the threats of new entrants, by ensuring that the costs of developing a new web-portal and recruiting the customers of Yahoo would time and resource consuming (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). Th e power of customers The bargaining power of the customers of the Yahoo Company is high, which is evident from a number of facts. These factors include the availability of substitute search engines in the market. In countering this threat to the business of the company, Yahoo has introduced highly interactive customer services that create an experience to keep their customers with their company (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). One example of these innovative services offered over the IT platform, with the aim of keeping its customers include that the company offers chat-services over its mail platform, it offers highly non-alterable security for e-mail users and also offers news alerts to its customers (Yahoo, 2013). Therefore, unlike other industry players, the company can keep its customer and attract more, by improving the outlook of their services, towards increase the confidence of their customers in the company (Yahoo, 2013). The threat of Substitutes The threat of substitute produc t

Political Science Major Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Science Major - Research Paper Example The New York Times, in an effort to bring a balance to this debate, allowed an exchange of ideas regarding the topic â€Å"Do Police Use Deadly Force Too Often†. I have chosen to use the same topic as the thesis statement for this essay since this is a timely and quite controversial topic that does not seem to have an accurate response in sight. It is my personal opinion that the police have not been using excessive force when dealing with dangerous situations. I will be presenting my supporting opinion in the latter part of this essay. In the meantime, I will be presenting both sides of the issue and hopefully, end up offering some knowledge and considerations to the reader that have not been a part of their consideration of the topic before. Seth Stoughton,a professor from the University of South Carolina School of Law has had the privilege of being both a police officer and a state investigator. He shared his opinion with the New York Times regarding the debate about use of excessive force. It was his opinion that the wrong question is being asked in the debate. Rather than having a public that asks if the shooting was justified, the public should instead be asking if the shooting could have been avoided (Stoughton, Seth â€Å"Police Shouldnt Ask If a Shooting is Justified, But if its Avoidable†). Stoughton spoke from a unique perspective. Having had the experience of a police officer and state investigator, he has found himself in the same situation as the officers accused of using excessive force. The opinion he raised was based upon his personal experience and first hand knowledge of the common scenarios that the police are called upon to respond to. He knew that police officers face extreme circumstances eve ryday. It was his opinion that the use of extreme force cannot be avoided, but it can be limited. Stoughton explains: The tragic shooting of Tamir Rice last November puts the difference between â€Å"justified† and â€Å"avoidable† in stark

Team as an Ideal Design of Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team as an Ideal Design of Job - Essay Example The paper will try examining issues that revolve around the work of the team and their significance in working with the managers. It is possible for managers to create a work unit by just bringing together many individuals with different skills. Before a manager designs a task that they need to be handled, it is always clear that they have a picture of the nature of the outcome they desire. They also have idea on which kind of input is required and what would be the process needed to realize the objective. It is through this understanding that the manger may decide to have a group of individuals to execute the work. This kind of approach has been associated with an authoritarian guidance by some manager. Workers who are involved in a process like this are always denied their autonomy and have very low worker interdependence. The study shows that the productivity of a work force is usually increased when workers have a high sense of interdependence as opposed to when workers are just pulled together to execute certain tasks. It is therefore right to say that team task design is a good design that managers can use to push for results to be gotten but only if the worker interdependence is enhanced. It should not be assumed that team interdependent is the sole mechanism that can be used by mangers to help in utilizing the team and produce successfully. There are some other ways through which teams can be used to realize the objective of an organization. A team as a unit requires some level of self direction and self management to realize certain objective. When teams have control of themselves, then they tend to engage in participatory approach of work, which also relieves the top management from micromanaging the teams and ever getting concerned with small matters that can be addressed at lower levels. It is imperative that mangers delegate duties to the juniors so that they may get

The British Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

The British Economy - Essay Example A fixed exchange rate system as the name suggests, is a system in which the country in question is striving to prevent the exchange rate of the currency to change with the change is balance payments of deficits. This is a system which needs other accompanying systems to make it work (Pitt, 2001). When this system is to be implemented, the government uses certain measures and implements some specific rules. Usually, these rules include the fact that when interventions in the foreign markets are made, there should be macro-economic adjustments so that the income which is spent on imports is reduced. Along with that, protective tariffs are imposed so that the number of imports can be reduced to a desirable level. This system also includes some rules in which there is a restriction on the amount of foreign currencies that can be bought (Barro, 2008). The reason why a fixed exchange rate is used is that it provides certain benefits for the exporters. The basic reason why the exporters benefit from a fixed exchange rate is that there is greater certainty of the rates and the income which would be ultimately received from the export. The exporters have to take lesser risks and can guarantee results that would be more or less near to the things which are predicted (Pitt, 2001). The fixed exchange rate also enables the domestic firms and their workers to make them more disciplined. They enforce the idea that the costs of the company should be kept under a strict balance because that is the only way in which the company is able to compete in the international market. When the domestic firms are watching their costs, the government is able to control inflation and that in turn would control the interest rates (Barro, 2008). The years 1876 to 1913, were the ones in which the rate of a currency was established on the basis of that currency’s comparative conversion into an ounce of gold. This

My Gift of Authenticity as a Lead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

My Gift of Authenticity as a Lead - Essay Example Hutchison claims that living theory is an embodiment in researching for authenticity leader. In this method, Hutchison has made use of autobiographical narrative to develop real-life experiences. Hutchison says that one of the most important exercises in his research was to write his autobiography. Through this, he says he wrote himself out of all explanatory stories in his life and how he became a leader. In addition, he says that it is the values more than anything else that made him rise as a leader. In his project, Hutchison says that he uses multimedia because it makes him use words as well as other aspects that embody his values. The use of multimedia ensures that leaders are relational and do not get fixed to formal representation. Hutchison also claims that the use of multimedia helps in developing an epistemology that is relevant to authentic leadership. Moreover, he argues that multimedia increases his learning capabilities as well as improving his practice of leadership. Hutchison says that everyone has his gift. He says that his gift is an authentic leader and that why he devotes his time researching and finding ways in which he can help other develop the gift of authentic leadership. He started working not knowing that he will be an authentic leader, but he passionately loved his career. Hutchison worked as a community caregiver to young people out of employment and who had addiction problems. For this reason, it is through this journey of his career up being the leader of a Carer’s Centre that he narrates to demonstrate that each and every person has his or her gift and talent. Hutchison says that his practice as an authentic leader help improves the culture of Carer’s Centre organization. Through authentic leadership, he has developed a living theory of learning and mindfulness (Hutchison, 2012). However, Hutchison attests that his journey has not been easy and in time he felt as if he was contradicting himself.  

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Economics - Essay Example competitor lowers its price it may attract some - but not all - buyers because product differentiation makes it possible for some to remain with the sellers product despite the price increase, and they will not switch. Rivalries among oligopolists can be circumvented by some form of open or tacit collusion among members, in the process converting the oligopoly, at least temporarily, into a sort of monopoly. One example is price leadership, where one company, usually the biggest among them, sets the price and the others follow. It is somewhat risky because unless the others expect to benefit or are not harmed by the move, they can undercut the price instead, and a price war among the participants can ensue. A company may also behave in such a way that it does not make things difficult for its competitors. Companies may set their prices so that they are only a few cents apart and thus somehow avoid accusations of having colluded in setting prices. Open collusion (a cartel) is possible but is illegal in the United States. A successful cartel can charge a monopoly price at the expense of the consumers and obtain monopoly profits. An exception in the United States applies to regulated industries such as telecommunications and gas pipeline transportation where members are allowed to behave as cartels provided they do not undercut the prices set by government regulatory agencies (Baumol and Blinder, 1997). A monopoly is either a pure monopoly or a natural monopoly. A pure monopoly is one where there is only one supplier of a product that has no close substitutes and where it is impossible or extremely difficult for another firm to coexist. A natural monopoly, on the other hand. is an industry in which advantages in large scale production make it possible for a single firm to produce the entire output of the market at a lower than average cost than a number of firms each producing a smaller quantity. It is the latter kind of monopoly that can evolve from a

Studies and researches on diverse groups of English speakers Essay Example for Free

Studies and researches on diverse groups of English speakers Essay In lieu of the English language expansion throughout the globe, particular nation should really take the advantage of being proficient in the English language even if it is not its official language. As stated earlier, the English language is widely known and used not only by the English-spoken countries but also by the international community (Cheshire 2007). Thus, it is really an advantage if countries would learn how to speak and understand the English language. However, the inclusion of the English language in the curriculum of education of different countries is not really that simple. Moreover, the English language itself is being draft and constructed in a new structure depending on the culture, tradition and established educational method. Hence in a way, there is still a different way of using and understanding the English language. Shaobin’s â€Å"English as a Global Language in China† According to Ji Shaobin, the English language is a very important tool for the Chinese in order to have access on the international scene. He argued that in this modern period, the language that is commonly used in the international scene is the English language hence China should improve their proficiency in the English language (2002). He said that in the ancient times China was against having any contact with the Western culture because of a fear that their Chinese cultural heritage might be contaminated (Shaobin 2002). However, such conservatism would not really help China in advancing itself economically and politically speaking (Weixing 2003). Also, such attempt to close China from the influence of the English language became so impossible given the fact that in order to have a good international business transaction or any international affair, one should do it using the English language otherwise both parties would not understand each other. Moreover, China realized that only through the use of the English language can they penetrate and have access on modern scientific and technological advances (Liu 2007). Besides, the English language is the language that is being used in economic transactions globally (Ross 1993). Hence, China was forced to recognize the importance of a foreign language – that is the English language. In 1978, the reformation of the Chinese economy marked the total entrance of English as its foreign language (Shaobin 2002). With the consideration that Western companies and other transnational organizations may really help the economy of China, English was allowed to be used and practiced in China (Ross 1993). Due to overwhelming advantages of learning and using the English language, China included in its curriculum of education the teaching of English. Such change in educational system facilitated the economic progress in China wherein people who have something to do with business and marketing were using the English language to make business transactions outside China (Shaobin 2002). In addition, Chinese students, even if learning English was not really compulsory, were forced to study it since it has a great advantage on employment. There was an increase of need on English teachers who would teach the English language top the Chinese students (Shaobin 2002). And because of this event, even Chinese teachers were motivated to take English courses too. Nonetheless, China does not really intend to embrace the Western tradition. It is only the English language that they want to adopt. Evidently, China is rising as one of the superpowers in this modern era (Weixing 2003). Together with Japan, China has truly made use of the English language to boost its economic and political aspects. Japan on the English Language and English-speakers The English Language has been considered as the second official language in Japan (Porcaro 2002). It cannot be doubted that Japan has a distinct culture and tradition as well as form of educational system that which is far different from other countries. However, due to economic pursuit, Japan realizes the importance of having a second language that other countries can understand. Japan uses the English to advance itself politically, economically and internationally (Marciamo 2005). The English language is widely used in Japan as public signs. Although, these signs are still printed in Japanese language, it is translated in the English language. Street signs, area maps, transportation directions, post offices and banks’ signs are also translated in English. Such is made for the benefit of the tourists. It is a lot easier and practicable to translate those signs in the English language in order for the tourists to understand the signs posted in Japan (for travel convenience) (Marciamo 2005). When it comes to internet and websites, Japanese companies provide an English version of their websites. Further, the government of Japan and its agencies has also an English version of its websites (McMillan 1999). With regards to media and movies, Japanese films are shown with English subtitles (Marciamo 2005). There are also bilingual programs that are being simulcast and shown in the national TV channel of Japan – in Japanese and in English (McMillan 1999). Major newspapers and magazines are also printed with English translations. Japan’s curriculum for education includes the teaching of the English language (just like China). The Japanese government makes English a required subject. All Japanese schools include English in their education program (Saito, Nakamura, Yamazaki 2002). However it is not the case that all Japanese are proficient in the English language – in writing and speaking of it. Yet, it shows that Japan’s proficiency in speaking the English language is rising (Marciamo 2005). Moreover, the Japanese language is said to have an increasing character of having assimilations on the English language (Marciamo 2005). But then, it does not follow that all English speakers worldwide can understand the Japanese language. Only that the English language is being used extensively by the Japanese people in their everyday activities and dwellings (Stanlaw 2005). There is no other country but Japan where the English language has a special status (McMillan 1999). As mentioned above, it does not follow that all or even most of the Japanese can speak and understand (Marciamo 2005) English. Hitherto, Japan is one of the countries which regard the English language as an essential means to communicate with other people of different culture, race and tradition.

The Collectivisms Versus Individualism Appeals Cultural Studies Essay

The Collectivisms Versus Individualism Appeals Cultural Studies Essay Love the Internet, love being free-spirited, love getting up late, love the late night food stands, love car-racing and T-shirts for 29RMB as well. I am not a standard-bearer, nor am I someones spokesman, I am HanHan, I just represent myself. When you read this script, do you think that it is an advert launched in the western markets? Actually, it is an advert campaign of a fashion apparel B2C company in China. It is quite interesting to launch an ad which claims I-conscious in a highly collectivistic country. In this essay, the writer will mainly analyze the cultural values behind the ad and discuss how this ad is trying to change the attitudes of the Chinese from group-oriented to self-oriented by using consumer behavior frameworks, such as Maslows hierarchy of needs, Fishbeins behavioral intention model and advertising engagement modes. Background Vancl is a B2C company who sells quality fashion clothing and accessories on-line in China (Appendix 1). It was founded in 2007, and now it has become the NO.1 Chinese fashion apparel B2C enterprise who is occupying 28.4% market share, according to the Report of e-business on fashion apparel industry in China 2009-2010 (http://en.vancl.com). As the concept of the company is to provide quality and stylish apparel at a reasonable price, it considers urban young adults from 18 to 28 years old as its target audiences (http://en.vancl.com). In order to target more consumers and enhance the influence of the brand, Vancl launched an advertising campaign (Appendix 2) in 2010, which achieved a huge success in China. This study is aim to analyze the culture behind the ad campaign based on consumer behavior area. Literature Review Collectivism versus Individualism Appeals in Chinese Adverts Hofstede (1980) developed an individualism-collectivism dimension to differentiate culture. This concept was concluded by Oyserman et al. (2002) that collectivism could be considered as the opposite of individualism, which was usually reflected in the East Asian culture. In thecollectivistic culture, concept of self is relevant to others and the society as a whole (Mooij 2004), which cannot be separated from their social context (Phillips 1976; Shweder 1984). Thus, Families, work groups, social roles, positions, or relationships should be offered as the top priority in an individuals behavior (Mooij 2004, p.96). In the communication level, Individualism-collectivism dimension divides the self-concept into independent self and interdependent self appealed by low-context and high-context communication, affecting in the communication behavior (Mooij 2004). In general, high-context communication occurs more prevalent in collectivistic culture while low-context communication reflects a communication style in individualistic culture (Hall and Hall 1987, Zandpour et al. 1992, Mooij 2004). Therefore, more copy is used in adverts developed in the individualistic countries. By contrast, collectivistic countries use more visual elements in their ads (Mooij 2004). According to Hofstedes (2001) framework of culture dimensions, China is a highly collectivistic country. Collectivism concept congests in the daily life of Chinese. For instance, people are more likely to say, I often watch basketball games with my family and friends. instead of I am a sports fan.' (Liang and Joseph 2010, p.189). Consequently, the level of collectivism may have an impact on the design of local advertising. A host of researchers (for example: Dana et al.1993; Han and Shavitt 1994) have found that collectivistic ideas appear in adverts are more prevalent in the higher collectivism countries, such as China, Japan and South Korea, etc. Similarly, Carolyn (2001) pointed out that group consensus appeals more in Chinese adverts than in American ads. And unlike the commercials in U.S., Chinese were generally we-conscious instead of I-conscious. A research, conducted by Cheng and Schweitzer (1996), identified three main cultural values, in terms of modernity, youth and family dominated in Chinese advertisements, which were much different from the results in the United States (enjoyment, modernity and individualism). Besides, the study also found that comparing with the idea of individualism and manipulation over nature, harmony of social status and oneness with nature were much more frequently discovered in the Chinese advertising (ibid.). Some researches (for example: Belk et al. 1985; Belk and Pollay 1985; Belk and Bryce 1986; Mueller 1987; Paek et al. 2004), however, revealed that the style of the advertisements in some eastern countries was tending to be Americanized and becoming more individualistic orientations. Zhang and Shavitt (2003), for instance, analyzed 463 Chinese advertisements and found that both modernity/individualism values and tradition/collectivism values existed or dominated in Chinese Ads. The former values were more prevalent in personal use products ads, while the latter were more common in the ads promoting shared products. Difference in Appearance and Fashion Advertising Appeals across Culture Mooij (2004) used three culture dimensions, in terms of uncertain avoidance, power distance, and individualism-collectivism, to explain the different needs of appearance in different countries. A map (Appendix 3) was designed to illustrate the importance of appearance in the different cultural valued countries by using individualism-collectivism and uncertain avoidance dimensions, according to the country scores calculated by Hofstede (2001). Mooij (2004) claimed that the degrees of uncertain avoidance determined the proportion of consumption spending of individuals, while the dimension of individualism-collectivism differentiated the purpose of well-dressing between suitability of occasion and earning face. Besides, the higher power distance of culture was, the more degrees people would depend on others. Moreover, Mooij (ibid.) mentioned that self-consciousness was another factor to identify the differences in appearance. Similarly, Phillips and McQuarrie (2010) reviewed numerous of researches (for example: Green and Brock 2000; Holbrook and Hirschman 1982; Petty and Cacioppo 1981) and concluded five modes of fashion advertising engagement (Appendix 4) to illustrate the current situation of fashion ads worldwide. Among these five modes, many scholars (e.g., Murray 2002; Bannister and Hogg 2004; Thompson and Haytko 1997; Richins 1991) found that the engage for identity mode was the most common and traditional model appealed in the fashion adverts, which exactly coincided with Evans (1989) conclusion of three trends in fashion industry: (1) Peoples use of fashion reflects a desire to manifest the self; (2) the desire for self-expression is growing; and (3) there is a continuing need to match female (still the main buyers of clothing and cosmetics) self-images and brand images in more congruent ways (p. 10-11). Evan (ibid.) also suggested that self-expression and branding image were more important than fashion and styling newness when promoting a fashion brand. In General, the advertising appeals in collectivistic counties were more group-identity, while self-identity adverts worked more efficiently in individualistic countries (Cheng and Schweitzer 1996). However, Vancl uses a contrary ad appeals to promote the brand. In the next part, a detailed semiotic analysis will be conducted to explore the different appeals in this advert. Semiotic Analysis According to Solomon (2008 p.103), semiotics is a study of the correspondence between signs and symbols and their roles in how we assign meanings ¼Ã…’which can be interpreted into different information based on the knowledge, culture values, personality and skills of different interpreter. Therefore, analysis of semiotic elements containing in the advert, can help the researcher understand detailed information the advert wants to deliver. There are three components in every marketing message, which should be combined when analyzing an advert, namely an object (product), a sign (symbol), and an interpretant/meaning (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). Vancls advertising campaign is developed to two versions divided by gender. Each version includes large amount of signs and symbols which ccn be interpreted. For example, the price of the clothing marked in the advertisement gives a rough idea of the target audiences. Then the audiences analyze this information using their knowledge, persona lity and skills based on the different culture, such as considering the average price of this kind of clothing in the market, and calculate that the price is affordable and reasonable. Another interpretation of price can be considered as high uncertain avoidance. More specifically, if consumers have known the price before they purchase, they can avoid the risk of buying inappropriate products. Thus, in this ad, marked price can be interpreted into both price-friendly and avoidance of risk (Figure 1). Adapted from Solomon, 2008. A Semiotic Relationship. Object Vancl clothing Sign Marked price Interpretant Price-friendly Risk avoidance Personality Skills Knowledge Culture Figure 1: An Example of a Semiotic Relationship in Vancl Advertising In order to understand the messages interpreted in this advertising campaign by different targets, the writer interviewed five people who spoke Mandarin by asking them to use three words to describe the personality containing in this ad. The top three personalities referred most frequently were self-conscious, lively and enjoyment in life. Here, self-conscious means that the ad is I-conscious oriented, expresses a sense of confidence, self-respect and self-fulfillment. Lively can be explained that the ad appeals are more related to daily life and realistic, while enjoyment in life means that a sense of fun, enjoyment and happiness towards life. Based on this interview result, a detailed semiotic analysis is conducted and summarized (Appendix 5). According to Maslows hierarchy of needs theory (1987), clothing can be categorized to the physiological needs, which is the most basic need of humans. However, from the results of semiotics interpretation, the writer found that Vancl focused on targeting the audiences to the forth level needs self-esteem needs (Appendix 6). As it is shown from the survey, Vancl encourages people to be confident and self-respect, clothing is no matter the basic needs of human beings. Wearing Vancl apparel can help the consumers achieve to self-esteem level. Moreover, another finding is discovered. The three personalities concluded by the respondents are much similar to the elements (excitement, fun and enjoyment in life, self-fulfillment, self-respect, etc.) of the List of Value (LOV), a value approach developed by Kahle and Timmer (1983). Surprisingly, these three personalities, which generally occur in the most western counties, are opposite to the culture value in China concluded by Hofstede (2001, Figure 2). As it is shown by the individualism index, the score (20) is lower than the average of other Asian countries (24), which means that China owns a highly collectivistic culture. Chinese consider group as their priority, focus more on their families, friends and society as a whole, than themselves (Mooij, 2004). The writer analyzes the ads in depth on the basis of the Hofstedes culture values (Appendix 7) and finds that, although collectivism deeply influences on the development of Chinese advertisements, Vancls ad campaign, howeve r, pays a lot attention to self concept. Take the script as an example. The copy of two versions keeps the format of Love à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, I am not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, I am à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, which is much different from the we-conscious adverts in collectivistic countries. It emphasizes self, and gives the opinions of the individuals instead of groups, which reflects an individualistic cultural value. Individualism Masculinity Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Time Orientation China Low Individualism (20) Masculine (66) High (80) Low (30) Long (118) Figure 2: Hofstedes Framework for Assessing Culture China Furthermore, this campaign seems to reform the advertising layout from a traditional way to a new style. As it is shown, there are two versions exclusively designed by gender. The layout of these two versions is similar: there is an image of the spokesman in the left of the picture, while a script containing large information in the right. This is also an uncommon way of the traditional Chinese advertisements. Lastly, according to Fishbein and Ajzen (1980), brand attitude and subject norm are two components which influence the intention and finally determine the purchasing behavior. In highly collectivistic countries, subjective norm stands for an important position in this evaluation process (Lee, 1991). In this case, however, Vancl shifts consumers focuses from subjective norm to brand attitude (Figure 3). Therefore, it can be considered that Vancls ad is trying to change Chineses attitudes from collectivism to individualism. Adapted from Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980. Fishbeins Extended Model of Behavioral Intention. + + Behavioral Intention Vancl Normative Beliefs Friends recommend the brand to me, it seems suit me. Norm Evaluations When wearing Vancl, I am more acceptable among friends and feel that I am one in the group. Collectivism Subjective Norm + Brand Beliefs Just be yourself Belief Evaluations When wearing Vancl, I seem to achieve a unique and self-esteemed life like the celebrities own. Self conscious Brand Attitude Figure 3: Model of Behavioral Intention of Vancl How to Change Attitudes Undoubtedly, it is not facile for a brand to change the attitudes of consumers, especially changing an ingrained notion which has rooted for thousands of years. Harmony is a central concept of Confucian, which results in the group-oriented behaviors in Chinese. According to the appearance map (Mooij, 2004), China is categorized in the left-bottom quadrant, represents a culture of low uncertain avoidance and highly collectivistic. People in this kind of culture pay a lot attention on face, context, low-structured and conformity, who generally buy clothing based on others opinions. What is Vancl doing is to shift the appearance concept of Chinese from the left-bottom quadrant to the right-bottom quadrant, where UK and U.S. are, representing an individualistic culture. Consequently, Vancl engages the ad with self-identity concept. During this attitude changing process, the ad focuses on the elements of celebrities and scripts to evoke the ideal self of the consumers (Figure 4). Adapted from Phillps and McQuarrie, 2010. Modes of Advertising Engagement in Womens Fashion. Mode of Engagement Ad Element Focus Processing Style Conceptual Metaphor Engage to Self-identity Celebrities Scripts Attitude Changing Process Ideal Status Figure 4: Mode of Advertising Engagement of Vancl From analyzing the ad, some clues of the reason why Vancl successfully changes the attitudes of its consumers can be discovered. Firstly, the boom of Chinese economy contributes to the process of culture exchange. An Increasing number of foreign enterprises develop their business in China and bring their culture. Besides, the development of technology helps Chinese access to the culture from different countries via TV, Internet, etc. All these are unconsciously influencing the cultural values of Chinese, which provides a prerequisite for Vancl to implement this advertising campaign. Moreover, the effect of celebrity plays an important role in the attitudes changing process. As what suggested by Malhotra (1988), using a spokesperson was an essential marketing strategy to help to match the brand image with consumers self-concept. HanHan and WangLuoDan, the two spokesmen Vancl selected, own high preferences among Chinese youth, and their characters meet the image of Vancl as well. As celebrities represent a sense of credit, attractiveness and power (Kelman, 1961), consumers can be easily influenced. Especially in the collectivistic countries, consumers are eager for the acceptance from peers and society, following celebrities is a clever way to make them acceptable. Finally, the execution of the ad assists in achieving the purpose of attitude changing. The different version by gender designed on the basis of different cultural value of males and females, targets to audiences widely and accurately. The scripts express the opinions of a unique attitude towards life from the celebrities, which influence consumers powerfully. Since China ranks high score in collectivism, the scripts are designed on this special situation: claim to be I-conscious; meanwhile, meet the traditional cultural values of Chinese. More specifically, although most of the scripts advocate self-identity, at the end of the scripts, Vancl utilizes the collectivistic culture to call for in-group and offers a sense of involvement. The last sentence, I am like you; I am Vancl (common people), gives the consumers a hint that it is not difficult to achieve such life as the two celebrities own, wearing Vancl helps to be this ideal self both in the private context and social context. Thus, it can be concluded that three factors contribute to help Vancl change the attitude of Chinese consumers, namely impact of other culture, influence of celebrities, and elaborate ad execution (such as scripts and visual design, etc.). These three factors combined as the persuasion stimuli, affect on the attitude changing process from collectivism and group-oriented to individualism and self-conscious. This impact is not only influence the target audience, but also powerful to publics. Consequently, wearing Vancl is a personal choice, which helps consumers achieve their ideal self. As the attitudes of publics are changed as well, it unifies the opinion of what others think of you and what you really want to be (Figure 5). Actual Self Collectivism Group-identity Impact of other culture Elaborate execution of ad Influence of celebrities Attitude Changing Focus on self Just be yourself Self-oriented Idea Self Self-esteemed Confident Enjoyment of life Social Self Unique Confident Enjoyment of life VANCL Appeal to Individualism oriented Involvement In group Figure 5: Framework of Attitude Changing Process of Vancl Advert In conclusion, self-concept plays an important role in Vancl advert campaign. The ad delivers the message that Vancl represents who you are and what you are not' (Rune and Rosemary 2006, p.868). Thus, wearing Vancl can promote self-concept of consumers, and correspondingly bolster up their actual or ideal view of themselves (Fournier 1998). Based on this purpose, Vancl uses two spokespersons, who own high reputation among Chinese youth and also have a unique lifestyle, to help the brand promote self-concept. As Carroll (2009) referred, this is an efficient way for a brand to shift the culture from that brand to consumer. Moreover, using celebrities also helps Vancl persuade or change the attitudes towards their consumers (Kardes et al. 2010) from group-oriented to self-conscious. Just like Kelman (1961) claimed, attitudes could be changed through three processes: internalization, identification and compliance. For consumers, HanHan and WangLuoDan represent a credible, attractive and powerful image. Thus, their persuasion could help the brand reform a new attitude or behavior to attract the consumers to imitate through the referred three processes (ibid.), and finally achieve the purpose of changing the attitudes of their consumers. Limitations Admittedly, the article may not have analyzed the advert roundly, and still have some limitations as well. Firstly, as it is an ad in China, the translation of the copy may not very accurately due to different language expression, which may cause some different interpretations of signs or symbols and correspondingly influence the different understanding of this advert. Moreover, the frameworks developed in this study are exclusively suitable for Vancl. Although celebrity endorsement has become increasingly popular since 1970s (Tom et al., 1992; Agrawal Kamakura, 1995), there are not enough studies to prove that it works on most of adverts which try to change the attitudes of their consumers. Thus, Further quantitative and qualitative researches are required for determine whether the model of this study also suit for other brands or industries in China. Finally, consumer behavior across is a deep and wide topic, which can be reflect to other subjects, such as psychology, sociology and history, etc. Therefore, there may be still some factors across other subjects influencing the attitude changing process of Vancl advert. Conclusion This article begins with a rough introduction and background of the Vancl advert campaign in China. The literature review part focuses on collectivism-individualism culture dimension and cultural appeals in Chinese adverts, difference in appearance and fashion advert appeals between different cultural values. Moreover, self-concept and celebrity endorsement are also included. Semiotic analysis gives an outline of the advert and helps to understand the advert thoroughly. In order to acquire more accurate message and cultural values containing in the ad, a survey is conducted among five Chinese speakers. Consequently, three main advert personalities are determined, namely self-conscious, lively and enjoyment in life, which could be explained to the self-esteem needs by Maslows hierarchy of needs. Then Fishbeins extended model of behavioral intention help to define the influence of the Vancl ad on the purchasing behavioral intention. The next part explains the methods Vancl used in the ad to change the attitudes of consumers from group-conscious to self-conscious by using an adapted advertising engagement model. And then a framework of attitude changing process of Vancl advert is finally developed. Recommendations Based on the limitations and conclusion parts, the writer summarizes some recommendations both for further research and brand managers. For further research, more quantitative and qualitative researches should be conducted to create a model, which suits for different brands in other categories who want to develop a self-identity advert campaign in a highly collectivistic country. Besides, more subjects, such as psychology, sociology, history, economics, etc., should be related to determine other factors which affect the attitude changing process, so that the model can be modified. For managers, the collectivism level of different products is different. Thus, claiming self-identity in the ad is another way when promoting a less collectivistic product in a highly collectivistic country, such as clothing and cosmetics. In the collectivistic countries, it seems to be a unique way to promote a brand and help the advert outstanding among other ads, however, it is not omnipotent. What should managers do, is to analyze the market accurately and frame an advert campaign which precisely suit the brand.

The Unobtainable Good Things in O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the En

The Unobtainable Good Things in O’Connor’s A Late Encounter with the Enemy I have Seen the Enemy and it is Myself . . . . . . . She wanted the General at her graduation because she wanted to show what she stood for, or, as she said, "what all was behind her," and was not behind them. This them was not anybody in particular. It was just all the upstarts who has turned the world on its head and unsettled the ways of decent living. (134) These are the thoughts of Sally Poker Sash, as offered by Flannery O'Connor in the second paragraph of her story "A Late Encounter with the Enemy." Sally, a sixty-two year old school teacher, is receiving a college degree that has taken her twenty years to earn. She should be proud of her accomplishment. Of course she should be proud. She proves true the old adages, "its never too late" and "good things come to those who wait." Isn't it possible though, that in some situations, the "good things" come too late and when they do arrive they are not so good? I think O'Connor, through this story, is trying to warn us (the readers) of that possibility. The first paragraph of "A Late Encounter" is told from the point-of-view of Sally's grandfather, General Tennessee Flintrock Sash. O'Connor makes it very clear to us that the old man doesn't "give two slaps for her graduation." Surely, his attitude is apparent to Sally, too. Sally is aware of his attitude, too. Why, then, is it so important to her that he live to see her graduation? In the above passage, Sally offers three seemingly simple, but in actuality, complicated explanations for her prayer. Sally states explicitly that she wants her grandfather to attend her graduation because she "wanted to show what she stood for." This is very ... ...tory, opting instead to make for themselves a false past? Ironically, Sally is guilty of using this false past to impress the Dean and guarantee her degree. Graduation day arrives and Sally is ready for the "good thing" that she has waited so long for to arrive. Alas, if it is her grandfather that she wants to prove something to, she is out of luck. O'Conner cheats Sally out of her moment of glory. We learn at the end of the story that the old man dies while on stage at the graduation, oblivious to Sally receiving her diploma. Afterwards, her young nephew, the "crafty scout" John Wesley Poker Sash, hastily bumped the corpse out the back way so that he could get to the Coca-Cola machine; thus depriving Sally of her moment to gloat in front of him. Dammit! Cheated out of triumph again. Sally Sash (whose middle name is after all Poker) had bet on the past and lost.

9-11 :: essays research papers

The likely mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks is a Kuwaiti-born lieutenant of Osama bin Laden who had previously plotted to attack the World Trade Center and to bomb several airliners simultaneously, a top U.S. counterterrorism official says. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists, is at large in Afghanistan or nearby, the law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. U.S. investigators believe Mohammed, working under bin Laden's leadership, planned many aspects of the Sept. 11 attacks. ``There's lots of links that tie him to 9-11,'' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ``He was intricately involved.'' Mohammed is accused of working with Ramzi Yousef in the first bombing of the World Trade Center, which left six dead in 1993. He and Yousef also were accused of plotting in 1995 to bomb several trans-Pacific airliners heading for the United States. Yousef, now serving a life sentence in the United States after being convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, also is believed to have planned to crash a plane into CIA headquarters. Mohammed was charged by federal prosecutors in New York in 1996 in connection with the alleged 1995 plot. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to his capture. Other bin Laden lieutenants are also believed to have helped put together the Sept. 11 attacks, the official said. But evidence is mounting that Mohammed was at the center of the operational planning. A second U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that Mohammed played a critical role in planning the attacks but said questions remain about the extent of his leadership. The official said other bin Laden lieutenants, including Abu Zubaydah, now in U.S. custody, are also believed to have played top organizational roles. Mohammed, 36, is one of the highest-ranking al-Qaida leaders still at large, officials said, and continues to plan attacks against U.S. interests. Although he was born in Kuwait, officials there say he is a Pakistani national and note that people born in Kuwait do not automatically qualify for citizenship. According to the counterterrorism official, within three months of Sept. 11, the FBI learned that Mohammed had performed some financial transactions to fund the attacks; since then the United States has gathered other significant evidence pointing to him as the key planner. The official declined to go into detail, citing a need to protect intelligence information.

Death in Do Not Go Gentle, City Cafeteria, Death Shall Have no Dominion

Death in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, City Cafeteria, And Death Shall Have no Dominion and Grandparents  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Death is a highly personal event. It affects each of us differently. It affected Peter Kocan's man in the City Cafeteria by making him look empty and disoriented. It affected Dylan Thomas by making him think about what there was afterward, and what you could do to avoid it. Death even affected Robert Lowell by making him realise how much it changed his life. I, fortunately, seem to have avoided death in many ways, but also have been touched by it, even recently. While preparing for this essay, ironically, one of my family pets died. It was a chicken named Ellephante, which belonged to my younger sister. I didn't know what to think. I don't think, even now, several days later, that I feel the chicken has gone. I suppose I'm denying it. I constantly revisit, in my mind, the times I went into my back yard to be greeted with a flutter of wings and a white body racing down the hill to greet me. I imagine this feeling to be similar to the one expressed in Grandparents, by Robert Lowell. He feels, as he walks around the farm, which now belongs to him, certain pangs of loneliness, of missing his grandparents. Small things set him off - the gramophone and the billiard table with the coffee stain. Small things still set my sister off - going up to the chook shed to feed the remaining chooks, or looking out the window and not seeing that other white shape we came to know and love as Ellephante. Taken before its time (the next-door dog is undoubtably the culprit), I do not feel that Ellephante 'went gentle into that good night'. Ellephante was a feisty chicken, always very vocal and very affectionate and tame... ... I look to death as Dylan Thomas does - as a natural progression from life. I don't know quite what I believe in - some days it's reincarnation, some days it's a very scientific returning to a state of atoms in different forms, some days (when I'm upset) it's just being buried and then it stops, some days it's being taken from this world to another. I don't know that I believe in a Heaven or Hell, as such, but it's nice to think about it some times. Unlike so many people I know, I don't fear death - I used to, but I have come to accept it as an inevitable part of life, which everyone will have to face. I just know that when it's my time to depart, I want people to remember the good times and not to dwell on the bad. "It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other." Francis Bacon - 'Essays "Of Death"' Death in Do Not Go Gentle, City Cafeteria, Death Shall Have no Dominion Death in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, City Cafeteria, And Death Shall Have no Dominion and Grandparents  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Death is a highly personal event. It affects each of us differently. It affected Peter Kocan's man in the City Cafeteria by making him look empty and disoriented. It affected Dylan Thomas by making him think about what there was afterward, and what you could do to avoid it. Death even affected Robert Lowell by making him realise how much it changed his life. I, fortunately, seem to have avoided death in many ways, but also have been touched by it, even recently. While preparing for this essay, ironically, one of my family pets died. It was a chicken named Ellephante, which belonged to my younger sister. I didn't know what to think. I don't think, even now, several days later, that I feel the chicken has gone. I suppose I'm denying it. I constantly revisit, in my mind, the times I went into my back yard to be greeted with a flutter of wings and a white body racing down the hill to greet me. I imagine this feeling to be similar to the one expressed in Grandparents, by Robert Lowell. He feels, as he walks around the farm, which now belongs to him, certain pangs of loneliness, of missing his grandparents. Small things set him off - the gramophone and the billiard table with the coffee stain. Small things still set my sister off - going up to the chook shed to feed the remaining chooks, or looking out the window and not seeing that other white shape we came to know and love as Ellephante. Taken before its time (the next-door dog is undoubtably the culprit), I do not feel that Ellephante 'went gentle into that good night'. Ellephante was a feisty chicken, always very vocal and very affectionate and tame... ... I look to death as Dylan Thomas does - as a natural progression from life. I don't know quite what I believe in - some days it's reincarnation, some days it's a very scientific returning to a state of atoms in different forms, some days (when I'm upset) it's just being buried and then it stops, some days it's being taken from this world to another. I don't know that I believe in a Heaven or Hell, as such, but it's nice to think about it some times. Unlike so many people I know, I don't fear death - I used to, but I have come to accept it as an inevitable part of life, which everyone will have to face. I just know that when it's my time to depart, I want people to remember the good times and not to dwell on the bad. "It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other." Francis Bacon - 'Essays "Of Death"'

Distribution Strategy Essay

Introduction The core of this presentation is to discuss the theory of distribution strategy with the underlying real life examples of McDonald’s fast-food restaurants in Australia. In other words, the aim is to discuss McDonald’s distribution channel, the way this fast-food restaurant gets its products to the market. Nonetheless, this presentation will demonstrate that McDonald’s distribution strategy is effective in many cultures. In the theory of marketing mix, place (distribution) determines where the product will be sold and how it will get there. In fact, McDonald’s is the leading global foodservice retailer, with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 46 million people each day in 121 different countries. Approximately 80 percent of all McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent franchisors. Furthermore, at the essence of place decisions, Kotler (et al., 2001, p. 513) claims that, â€Å"retailers, particularly image fast foods chains often state their seven P’s of marketing to be, that is location, location, location, location, location, location and location.† Hence, a retailer’s location is the key to attracting customers. The costs of the building or leasing facilities is a major factor on the retailer’s profits. Thus, site location decisions are among the most important the retailer make (Kotler, et al., 2001, p. 513). Intensive Distribution On the other hand, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Australia in December 1971. Today there are more than 690 restaurants throughout Australia and serving in excess of one million customers per day and employing over 55,000 staff. Therefore, you can find them everywhere in Australia, where some of the McDonald’s are open 24 hours per day which satisfy people’s needs and wants, especially for exists their hunger. This kind of distribution strategy is called â€Å"intensive distribution†, means marking the product available for sale through all possible channels of distribution. As defined by Kotler (et al., 2001, p. 487), â€Å"intensive distribution is stocking the product in as many outlets as possible.† In addition, this strategy must be designed to reach the consumer wants at  anytime and anywhere. Vertical marketing network (VMN) Furthermore, to quote Kotler (et al., 2001, p. 482), a franchise organization is â€Å"a contractual vertical marketing network in which a channel member called a franchisor links several stages in production-distribution process†. McDonald’s has adopted the service-firm-sponsored retailer franchise network, in which a service firm licenses a network of retailers to bring its service to consumers (Kotler, et al., 2001, p. 482). Nevertheless, McDonald’s caters to a large consumer market with varying tastes and thus cannot afford to introduce products without familiarizing itself with provincial preferences in food. For this reason, McDonald’s distributes its products in foreign locations with the help of franchisors who are well aware of what works in their country. Moreover, these franchisors also provide insight to the company on its diverse customers and helps McDonald’s achieve its vision of â€Å"being the world’s best quick service restaurant experience.† In brief, this is an extremely intelligent distribution method since it helps in providing people with the kind of products they desire, maintaining the franchise reputation worldwide. To encourage repeat customer visits, McDonald’s are intensifying the efforts to ensure the restaurant interiors and exteriors are clean and welcoming. Moreover, McDonald’s intends to regain the status as the gold standard for clean restaurants. Furthermore, McDonald’s are giving the business a fresh edge in many places by rebuilding, renovating and re-imaging the restaurants. The experiences in Australia demonstrate that doing such can result in improved sales and profitability. McDonald’s ensures consistent products by controlling every stage of the distribution. In addition, regional distribution centres purchase products and distribute them to individual restaurants. On the other hand, when designing its channels, a company needs to consider competitors’ channels. Yet, it may want to compete in or close to the same outlets that carry competitors’ products (Kotler, et al., 2001, p. 486). Thus, food companies  want their brands to be displayed next to competing brands. Meanwhile, McDonald’s adopted this setting channel objective as a view and therefore wants to locate near KFC. On the other hand, McDonald’s uses essentially the same competitive strategy in every country as be the first in a market and establish the brand as rapidly as possible by advertising very heavily. However, the strategy has helped McDonald’s develop a strong market share in the fast-food market around the world. Moreover, according to Kotler (et al., 2001, p. 513) store must have a planned atmosphere that suits the target market and moves customers to buy. In addition, McDonald’s determine the locations for reaching a widely spread population. Hence, McDonald’s are turning their stores into theatres that transport customers into unusual, exciting shopping environments that designed to meet the taste of target markets. For instance, McDonald’s Blacktown is one of McDonald’s Australia’s newest restaurants, it has create a locate playgrounds for children to enjoy. Conclusion In conclusion, McDonald’s improve the frequency of their deliveries, form relevant partnerships and implement alternate distribution strategies to effectively capture market and build international brand name based on hygienic, healthy, appetizing fast food consistently worldwide. Adopting market study and focusing on location of franchise, MacDonald’s ensures market niche for food product distribution is a definite success story. References ââ€" ª Kotler, P., Brown, K., Adam, S., & Armstrong, G., 2001, Marketing, 5th Edition, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW ââ€" ª http://www.mcdonalds.com

American Women in the 19th vs 20th Century Essay

For many of the American history, women were not considered equal to men and were denied equality in many areas in life. In the 19th century women had no legal identity, apart from their husband. Married women could not hold property in their own names, make contracts, sit on a jury, write a will, or vote. Nor did women have the same opportunities for education and careers that men had. Yet, many women found ways to show their intelligence, courage, and leadership. In the 20th century, women in most states won the right to vote and increased their education and job opportunities. Since early 19th century women have been underestimated by men. Women were longed considered weaker than men. They were unable to perform work requiring muscular or intellectual development. A lower-class woman job included working for higher class families doing household duties, such as cleaning and cooking. Unable to afford help in the house they were responsible of their household duties. Traditionally, a middle-class girl would tend to learn from her mother’s examples. Cooking, cleaning, and caring for children was the behavior expected of her when she grew up. A lot was expected from these women, and they were often tired and sick. An upper-class married woman, after having everything as a child, is to be responsible of her own household and slave plantation. Different from the lower-class, the upper-class could afford a slave that was needed to help with house duties. â€Å"Upper-class women responsibilities involved; running a slave plantation, being a nurse to the slaves, making the slaves clothes, overseeing the food preparation, and supervising the work plans. †(Women in 19th) Most women were excluded from most jobs. The 20th century produced dramatic changes and opportunities for women. The success of many manufacturing wholesale trade, banking, and services depended on women and grew rapidly. During WWI, many women were government used as a political tool, enfranchising army nurses and female relatives of soldiers serving overseas in order to secure an election victory. Securing a job was only the first step in the right direction for women, soon after they aimed for the right to vote. â€Å"Women won the right to vote on August 26, 1920, but this long fight wasn’t easily achieved. It formally began 72 years earlier at the Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady and Lucretia Mott. †(Dougas, 1999) During that time the suffrage movements in the United States were large and vigorous. After the Union winning the Civil War, women hoped their hard work would result in suffrage for women as well as for blacks. But the blacks were granted citizenship and suffrage, not to women. The struggle to win the vote was slow and frustrating. â€Å"Wyoming Territory in 1869, Utah Territory in 1870, and the states of Colorado in 1893 and Idaho in 1896 granted women the vote but the Eastern States resisted. (WIC, 1994) Many Organizations were created that develop many meetings to help gain rights for women. The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) came about after Elizabeth and Lucy Stone uniting their groups. Although they have not accomplished their goal, they continued to fight. â€Å"In 1907 international socialism decided to support women’s suffrage. Since bans against female party membership existed within most traditional political parties, Socialists, having to organize women separately from me, manage to create successful oriented movements in some countries. (Women’s Suffrage, 1996) Many other conventions and associations were form to help women to gain their rights. As the years advanced, women grew stronger and did not give up. Although they achieved the voting rights, they continued struggling to gain equal participation in political office alongside men. Winning the right to vote inspired the younger generation of women to go to school and gain the knowledge needed for a better life style. â€Å"Test made in the 1860’s that the scholastic achievement of girls was higher in the early grades than in high school. (WIC, 1994) This was caused by the lack of ambition given to the girls. Teachers and family did not expect the girls to achieve any educational skills. She was to anticipate in marriage and motherhood. Other girls who went to school were lucky, but not only because there was room for them. Generally, schools were open to girls during the summer. Summer was when the boys were working. However, colleges were still full of boys and very little of girls. Due to the Civil War an increase demand for higher education for women was needed. The reason of an eruption in the numbers of women entering higher education was the returning veterans and the later the baby boom. â€Å"During the 1960’s and 1970’s, due to social and legislative changes, several intuitions of higher education that had been previously all-male open doors to women. † (Harwarth) Numerous institutions and private schools became available to women. Men and women had arguments on the separation of genders but later the school converted to a coeducational public institution. After many disagreements and protests, women can now earn a degree alongside men who can no longer interfere with their education. The 19th and 20th century had different roles for women in the Unites States. In both centuries, women had to work hard to gain equality. Although women accomplished many goals, they still continue to strive for new ambitions, such as jobs. Women had the desire to vote and have equal rights with men, this gave them much respect. They were giving respect by having women institutions and public schools that directed them to join men. There will never be an ending to the equality between women and men. The competition among the two will always be there.

Internalization of Values Socialization of the Baraka

Internalization of Values Socialization of the Baraka and Keiski Aubrey Love English Comp 3 Dr. Popham 3/21/2012 The people who inhabit a community and their interactions with one another comprise a society. These repeated interactions allow people to internalize or, hold true, what society portrays as everyday norms and values. These norms and values are instilled during childhood through the time he or she becomes an adult. Amiri Baraka’s autobiography â€Å"School† and Lisa Keiski’s essay â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victims,† makes this evident.In both â€Å"School† and â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victims,† Baraka’s and Keiski’s daily interactions with their peers, authority figures, and society contribute to the formulation of important life lessons. Through the daily interactions with his peers in his educational setting, Baraka internalizes concepts pivotal to real world situations. School provided Baraka with an environment to social with students that have common interests and goals: â€Å"The games and sports of the playground and streets was one registration carried with us as long as we live† (260). Friends compose the next primary socializing agent outside the family.It allows Baraka to see beyond his small world at home and introduces him to new experiences. Physical and recreational activities are important components in childhood development. Interactions with his peers provided Baraka with his first experience of equal status relationships. When Baraka played around with his friends, he made a distinction between himself and the others around him. The games shared between his friends shows that Baraka began learning to understand the idea of multiple roles; the duties and behaviors expected of someone who holds a particular status.Baraka took the values he learned from playing with his friends and certified them, implementing them in his everyday actions for the rest of his life. Baraka’s peers allowed him to internalize a vital life lesson necessary for the real world. Like Baraka, the daily interactions of Keiski with her roommate and friends in college allow her to experience a form of socialization necessary for reality. College not only provides a rigorous coursework, it offers Keiski and her peers a place to learn and grow from each other. I went to a mutual friend who was going to stay with her that night†¦ he had been around Sue too and said that she’d be all right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (95). When faced with a scenario that Keishi is unsure about, she seeks refuge and clarification from a friend, hoping he can provide her with insight and wisdom about her situation. Although he tried to affirm Sue’s safety, deep in Keiski’s heart, she knew Sue faced trials and tribulations. From her interaction with her mutual friend, Keiski learns that she cannot depend on others to understand or take care of a situation for her.Keisk i had some kind of understanding of Sue’s hint for help, while her mutual friend did not sense suicidal signs from Sue and thus remained clueless the underlying pain. Keiski internalizes the life lesson that not everyone will understand a particular situation and if he or she does not understand, he or she will not have the answer to fix the situation; not all daily interactions lead to a positive end, a harsh but evident value in society. Similarly to the peers in Baraka’s â€Å"School,† authority figures contribute to Baraka’s socialization by exemplifying values and norms in their day-to-day actions.In this case, authority figures take the form of Baraka’s teacher, Mrs. Powell. â€Å"The only black teacher in the school at the time†¦, beat me damn near to death in full view of her and my 7B class†¦ (which apparently was sanctioned by my mother†¦)† (258). Baraka exerted the wrong class attitude by playing around while the te acher taught her class. Mrs. Powell uses Baraka as a demonstration for the class on what appropriate behavior in the classroom is. Mrs. Powell provides Baraka with an experience of the hierarchal system between adults and children.Baraka’s mother’s approval of physical discipline shows Baraka that certain behavior in a given situation will not be tolerated. The authority figures intend to instill the value they believe prove useful in society; values such as respecting authority figures or not talking over someone in a conversation. Through his experience with Mrs. Powell, Baraka internalizes the importance of recognizing people in positions of power and how to interact with them; a life lesson needed in almost every situation: family, friends, or the workplace.By the same token, authority figures in â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victim† help the socialization of Keiski by allowing her to view the world in terms of how it affected her well-being. She says, â €Å"My own therapy has been immensely helpful, perhaps lifesaving† (96). Keiski’s repressed feelings grew stronger eating away at her conscious. She condemned herself for not having done anything to help prevent Sue from committing harm to herself. Keiski sought help from a psychiatrist whom gave her the support she needed, gingerly and sympathetically listening to Keiski’s issues.The therapeutic treatment of positive discussion allowed Keiski to think about herself and how she continuously handled the situation instead of worrying about her roommate and feeling guilty for not taking action to prevent such a travesty from occurring. It was helpful to Keiski in that she began to understand her why she was feeling the way she was. It can be argued that without having the support of the psychiatrist Keiski could have succumbed the pressure and guilt she felt and like Sue, have tried to end her life. That emotional outlet ultimately saved Keiski from herself and the personal guilt within her that built up.The authority figure, the psychiatrist, taught Keiski that she has to remember to consider herself and her own emotions when dealing with hardships in order to maintain good mental health. Not only do the peers and authority figures contribute to Baraka learning life lessons, society as a whole holds the many values and norms that vary from culture to culture. Baraka narrates a moment in time where he was on trial for supposedly cussing out a cop and making remarks about the cop’s father in a bank. Baraka countered stating African Americans focus on joking about mothers and the case was dismissed.From these societal experiences Baraka states, â€Å"I learned that you could keep people off you if you were mouth-dangerous as well as physically capable† (263). Away from the school or home setting, Baraka becomes exposed to values of society that may not have been so evident, such as racism. In society, it is important to be verball y educated. Not everything in life requires physical strength to overcome an obstacle. Baraka learned that words are just as powerful as physical abilities. He can get what he wants by persuading another by manipulating words and sentence structure.Language is used to convey rules, norms, and values amongst a group. It is main form of communication that exists. Baraka learns that life is based off previous statements about how to live, whether they are true or not. Without language, these ideals would not be able to be shared. Just like Baraka, society in Keiski’s â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten History† society teaches life lessons on how to deal with the pressures of day-to-day interactions. The nature of society blames and points fingers when something goes wrong: â€Å"We, as a society, need to stop stigmatizing the friends and relatives of a suicide victim and start helping them† (94).The societal stigma that followed casted blame on Keiski for Sue’ s suicidal attempt, subjecting her to isolation. This stigma only promotes more grief, increases the recovery time, and discourages individuals from seeking help. Keiski argues that society needs to change its approach in deailing with suicide and suicide’s victim. Instead of pointing fingers and having scapegoats, society needs to give support and sympathy to families that have lost a love one to suicide. Keiski wants society to focus on prevention and intervention to allow families and friends to cope with their trama.Although â€Å"School† and â€Å"Suicide’s Forgotten Victim† tell the story of two distinctive individuals growing up, both account for strong life lessons learned in the process. Peers provide environments for individual to interaction and learn from one another. Authority figures give insight to the world at large through the experiences of their socialized minds. Society is the daily interaction of citizens in any environment exposing p eople to all the aspects that make up society. These are key agents in the development of norms and values in children throughout their growing period.

Discuss Three or Four Examples of Radical Changes Brought About by Past Waves of Immigration

What do people gain when immigrating? It’s really hard to tell. However, what we do know is that immigration brings about radical changes to society. Nowadays, many countries with immigrants have great changes. For example, skillful Korean labor and Chinese immigration to the United States are the two typical examples that can illustrate that immigration has made radical changes. From the past to the present, immigration has generated great influence—not only positive influence but also negative one.Many things have been influenced by immigration including the accelerating economy, the mixing of cultures and languages, and racist sentiments, such as anti-Chinese discrimination. The biggest benefit that immigration brings about is stimulating economic growth. Take the first wave of Korean immigration to the United States started in 1903 when Korean labors came to Hawaii as an example. At that time, Hawaiian sugar plantation owners needed labor to meet the shortage of lab or resources. Labor is the key element to the development of productivity.Skillful and vigorous Korean immigrants (primarily male adults among 20 to 30) developed the Hawaiian sugar plantation and facilitated the local economic growth. (Koo, Hagen. , & Yu, Eui-Young, 1981, p 2-8) With far more labor-abundant, the United States has stimulated economic growth. Immigration has brought huge economic benefits due to the labor resources which is an important factor of economic growth. Societies include a number of cultures and languages because immigrants bring their native cultures and languages to new countries.That’s the reason why we can see many Americans enjoy eating Korean food pickles and Europeans become more familiar with Korean movies A Li Lang in the 64th Cannes film festival. Edward (1999) found â€Å"Even though the majorities speak English in United States, significant portions are other language speaking, like Korean†. As we can see, immigration facilitates t he current rise of multiculturalism, or the assimilation of a society of many different cultures and languages. Immigration not only brings about positive influence but also has negative impacts on society.In many cases, immigration causes conflicts. In 1848, the California Gold Rush attracted many Chinese immigrants to the United States. The industrious but uneducated Chinese people promoted the exploitation of gold mines. However, according to Mark (2005) â€Å"Employers desired low-wage labor, perhaps opposing exclusion because the Chinese were inexpensive, highly productive workers and their presence increased company profits and reduced the bargaining power of native worker. Therefore, many Americans attributed their unemployment to the Chinese immigrants. Because Chinese immigrants lacked an effective political voice, they encountered hostile discrimination and ultimately, legislative prohibitions on further immigration when Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 (Mark, 2005, p 779). Chinese Exclusion was not the only case of how the ethnic majority mistreated the immigrants. Everything has two sides, we cannot only notice that immigration brings up some positive effects, it also causes restrictions.Diverse cultural immigration can increase the development of society and bring many other benefits (Korean labor brought promotion of economic growth and their cultures and languages), but it also causes problems (the Chinese Exclusion). In order to reduce the conflicts, the government should take actions, like modify and enact legitimate laws. From the overview of ancient and modern, immigration does bring about radical changes which promote the development of society and human beings.References Koo, Hagen. , & Yu, Eui-Young. (1981). Its demographic patterns and social implications for both societies. Korean immigration to the United States, 74, 2-8. P. Lazear, Edward, (1999). Culture and Language, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 107, no. 6, part 2: S95-S126). Kanazawa, Mark. (2005) Immigration, Exclusion, and Taxation: Anti-Chinese Legislation in Gold Rush California. The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 65, No. 3, pp. 779-805

HD-DVD versus Blu-ray Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HD-DVD versus Blu-ray - Research Paper Example stages of technology battle, the HD-DVD and Blu-ray technologies pulled efforts in gathering decoder and disk manufacturers, retail outlets, and media companies towards their respective sides. The Blu-ray gained endorsements from some major retail companies; Blockbuster and Netflix, acquiring a victories string. On 2008 January, Warner Brothers Production Company announced its exclusive support of the Blu-ray format. The top DVD retailers: Best-Buy and Wal-Mart announced their support for Blu-ray as opposed to HD-DVD. The HD DVD from Toshiba continued to get support from major Hollywood production companies such as Paramount pictures and Universal pictures (Jim & Michael, 2008. Blu-ray technology is developed by Sony and has a slower start though slightly more expensive than HD DVD. Its proponents argue that the larger storage capacity of Blu-ray is at 25GB, single layer disk, as well as 50 GB dual layer that is about twice the HD DVD capacity. Blockbuster announced its greater support for Blu-ray than HD DVD in the summer of 2006, hence predicting a shift towards Blu-ray as the major technology of high definition. On 2008 January, Warner Bros announced its release of its DVDs in Blu-ray format only thus joining other production companies, resulting in roughly 70% new releases in Blu-ray. The formats are incompatible with each other and the HD DVD buyers cannot play movies presented in the Blu-ray format (Michael & Philip, 2007). There are companies that find both technologies vital, for instance, NVIDIA’s graphics, Seagate and MIPS Technologies, Sigma Designs and Broadcom, and ‘Moses Baer India Limited’. The winners of Blu-ray technologies are Sony, Apple, Dell, LG, Panasonic, Philips and Mitsubishi, among others. The HD DVD winners include Microsoft, Lite-On IT, Intel and Toshiba (Mark & Charles, 2007). HD DVD had a chance of winning the competition due to its low manufacturing costs and cheaper products. The flexibility to have HD and conventional

Threat Analysis for IN-n-OUT bURGER Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Threat Analysis for IN-n-OUT bURGER - Case Study Example This is a threat to the future performance of In-N-Out Burger. The other threat is the issue of health consciousness. Consumption of too much fat is not healthy. In-n-Out burger products have a lot of fats. The foods that the company prepares have too much fat which is not healthy. Fats cause a number of health complications. Customers might decide to buy fast foods from other retail chains such as McDonalds which have little fats rather than those from In-N-Out Burger. This might lead to In-n-Out Burger losing some of its customers to such retail chains (World Market Intelligence, 2011). The other threat that faces In-n-Out Burger is the fact that prices of raw materials are not constant. They are likely to escalate in the future hence increasing its cost of production. The high cost causes an increase in the selling price, and this might turn away customers (World Market Intelligence, 2011). World Market Intelligence. (2011). In-N-Out Burger: Company Profile and SWOT Analysis; Market Research; Retrieved from on September 10,

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Essay - 3

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development - Essay Example The focus is on Leadership.This section is purely theoretical identification and review with proposition(s) proposed (approximate 700 words). Characteristics/attributes associated with entrepreneurship. The emphasis is on that of the business entrepreneur and/or factors that are likely to impact on the entrepreneur and/or the creation of a new venture or venture activities. Typical topics include: motivation, leadership, invention, innovation, and approaches to change, but these are not limited. A critical review of the existing literature in the knowledge field with an in-depth insight, focusing on the selected topical area. Various theories/conceptual perspectives centered on the selected topical area are identified, reviewed, discussed and synthesised. A proposition/propositions being proposed based on literature reviewed. 3. Practical Evidence (15%): Collect information about the entrepreneur focused on the theme you selected in the literature review and review relevant material related to the selected entrepreneur (approximate 850 words). Describe and discuss the process you undertook to collect the secondary data about the chosen business entrepreneur, e.g., mention library, Internet, and any other sources that you consulted. Some appreciation of the limitation of this approach. A detailed description of the business entrepreneur and/or the venture created. This should be based entirely on material (via the secondary research) related to the conceptual material presented in literature review. The description of the identified examples/evidence in practice is focused, reflecting and coherent with appropriate and sufficient evidence to support. 4. Analysis (20%): A synthesis of the material on the selected entrepreneur and the review of the literature. Discussions are to generate insights into the entrepreneur from the theory (approximate 850 words). A focused analysis and synthesis of the material on the selected entrepreneur

Summary Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Summary - Article Example Education of staff is one strategy that is solving this problem. It involves tabling the divergence between many cultures, and asking employees to accommodate each other and accept the unlike opinions (Chinitz 97). Having a successful kick-off can also help solve cultural differences. When the employees openly and willingly disclose about their values and behaviors, the other can understand and learn to receive them the way they are. A successful kick-off will also involve of laying down a standard working protocol that should be followed by each member. This acts as a control over individual acts and keeps everyone in line. For instance, there should be an agreed way of harmonizing cultural divide when it comes to decision making process (Chinitz 123). Cultural training can also add to eradicating cultural divide. Learning about dissimilar norms, values and assumptions of other cultures can help understand them better and create a good working environment (Chinitz 259). Off-shore English should also be used as an international language of trade because it can be easily understood by all

Parent training gender norm during through youth age Research Paper

Parent training gender norm during through youth age - Research Paper Example Gender norms are the creation of society as a whole, with the unconscious notions of normal behaviors for the genders begun through the influence of a child’s parental role models. Gender norms begin through the actions of parents to the children. Reactions define how the child will see themselves as either a boy or a girl. Through the purchase of toys, the tone of speech, and even their own role modeling, parents insert their ideas about gender norms into the behaviors of their children. Newman and Newman (2012) discuss the complexity of influences that parents have on their children concerning norms. They state that â€Å"the experience to which they expose them (their children), and the activities in which they encourage their children’s participation all reflect dimensions of the parents’ gender role standards† (Newman & Newman, 2012, p. 245). When children get to school age they have had discipline for gender inappropriate behavior and encouraged to adopt the social standards of behavior that are expected. Gender is an issue of social construction. Although there are many debates on how children are socialized to enact their gender, whether it is biological or strictly psychological, the development of social roles for the genders as a topic has shown that men and women are taught to act different than each other in society. Gender roles are developed through the creation of norms, behaviors, and beliefs about the abilities of a gender to act within society. Social expectations tend to refine those beliefs so that roles can be filled (Munez, 2013). Acculturation occurs within a family where examples and teaching provide young males and females with information about how their gender identifies them within a community. Through the continuation of these beliefs throughout a community, gender norms are created. The use of gender norms as a way in which to calculate behaviors provides the researcher with a