Gatorade †Every Game Needs a Hero Essay

The commercial is about the new Gatorade commercial entitled Every Game Needs a hero. The commercial uses stop motion to feature an ongoing game. With its monochromatic form, the only thing that can be viewed in full color is the Gatorade item that can be found on the side where the water jug must be put in.   The commercial uses the song O-fortuna by Therion, which is a very famous song used as soundtrack in a lot of suspense, actions, and adventure movies. Several sports were featured like baseball, basketball, football and tennis. Finally, the commercial made its subjects moved by exemplifying the climax of the game, hand in hand with inspirational short phrases. Moreover, a grand finale is set by showing the Gatorade logo in the end. By watching the commercial, it is indeed clear that the commercial is a type of brand Advertising. In this case, Gatorade has promoted its brand by using famous sports personalities to persuade people to buy its product. Gatorade is an energy drink suited to fight dehydration. Every athlete exerts their full force when playing a game and because of that, they partially or fully lose the water levels in their body causing them to dehydrate. With Gatorade’s goal, to re-hydrate, replenish and refuel, it is certainly effective to use some sports personalities to endorse its product. In their website, they are fully promoting that Gatorade is faster to absorb that water in rehydrating an active person’s body. The commercial, in my opinion as the bystander, is very easy to like. When I first watched it, it is undeniably eye-catching. The commercial implies a lot of curiosity in which a viewer will not hesitate to watch it until the end. The special effects used in this commercial, although not new, were very effective. The opening scene was stunning especially when everyone can relate to the visuals presented on the first frames of the commercial. When it comes to the music used, I personally like it, not to mention I am a big fan of the band Therion, but also because it is very familiar to everybody’s ear. The music used as part of the effects of every game was very effective. On the other hand, there are still some aspects in the commercial in which I, as the viewer will be able to dislike. If I didn’t see the Gatorade jug on a part of the commercial and instead, jumped on the middle or latter part of it, I would never have thought that it’s from Gatorade. The stop motion thing is good but was poorly edited or visually criticized. Also, the Gatorade thing in this commercial was poorly emphasized as well as the message is quite vague. The theme every game needs a hero is quite fuzzy as delivered in the commercial. It comes in a way in which leaving me, as a viewer confused by finding out who the hero was, is it Gatorade or the sports personalities? I may even think that the hero is me. By interpreting all the thoughts gathered in watching this Gatorade commercial, I have come to a wrap-up thought that Gatorade is just simply emphasizing that everyone can become like any other sports personalities just by putting Gatorade beside them. The commercial put a lot of energy in me, in which I would not hesitate to watch it over and over again.   It affects most to those who really love sports. In contrast, it may minimally affect those who have no heart for any sport activities. However, the commercial is stunning especially is viewed first time. All in all, I could say that the commercial is exceptionally effective.

Albert Bandura’s Works Regarding Psychology

Albert Bandura was born on December 4, 1925, in Mundare, a small town in Alberta, Canada (Boeree 2006). His father, who was a labourer, originally came from Poland while his mother, who worked in a general store, was from Ukraine.Albert was the youngest among six children. Although the whole family had no access to formal education, they gave importance to education. The father learned to read three languages: Polish, Russian and German and engaged in educational affairs.At a very young age, Bandura experienced difficulties in his education. He attended the only school in his town, which lacked teachers and resources for learning.The school had only one Mathematics textbook, for instance, and it had to be used by the students and teachers as well. But although this was the case, the school produced graduates who attended colleges and universities throughout the world. Bandura realized that the scarcity of educational resources was an enabling factor rather than a handicapping one (Bo eree 2006).During vacations, his parents would encourage him to look for experiences outside their small hamlet. Bandura experienced working as a carpenter in a furniture manufacturing plant. The skills he acquired helped him through college. He also worked as a part-time carpenter during afternoons during his college days, and even filled holes in the Alaska Highway.Bandura then attended the University of British Columbia where he took up psychology. He intended to major in one of the biological sciences, but then he worked in the afternoons to be able to support his studying. He found out that taking introductory psychology would fill his schedule in the mornings. He became enthralled and then decided to concentrate on psychology. He finished his education within three years receiving a Bolocan Award in psychology.His accidental choice of psychology influenced his theorizing later on. He discussed in his â€Å"The Psychology of Chance Encounters and Life Paths† how personal initiative can put people into events wherein unexpected events shape the courses that lives take(Pajares, 2004). Bandura also focused on making chance work through self-development to take advantage of fortuitous opportunities (Pajares, 2004).Social Learning TheoryAlbert Bandura is one of the leading proponents of the Social Learning Theory (Ormrod, 1999). This theory says that people learn from one another and focuses on the leaning which occurs within a social context. It also says that concepts such as observational learning, modeling and imitation are learned from around us (Ormrod, 1999).These are the principles of the Social Learning Theory (Ormrod, 1999).. First is that people can learn through observation of the behaviour of other people and its outcomes. Another principle is that, since learning comes from observation alone, it can occur without a change in the behaviour. This is what the social learning theorists believed. This is in contrast to what the behaviorists bel ieved. For them, there must be a permanent change in behaviour if learning took place.The third principle says that cognition has an important part in learning. Ormrod (1999) explained that awareness and expectations of reinforcements or punishments may influence the behaviours of people. The fourth principle says that social learning theory bridges the cognitive learning theories and behaviourist learning theories.Albert Bandura’s ideas also lead to the observational learning, based on the principles discussed above. He made experiments and found out that applying consequences was not compulsory for learning to happen. A person can learn just by observing someone else.He then devised a four-step pattern for the findings of his experiments. These are the attention, retention, reproduction and motivation (Ormrod, 1999). Attention happens when a person becomes aware of something from around him. It includes modeled events, such as affective valence, prevalence, complexity and d istinctiveness, among others, and observer characteristics, such as past reinforcement and sensory capacities (Bandura, 1977). Retention is when the person retains what he noticed.This includes motor rehearsal and symbolic coding, among others. Reproduction happens when the produces acts with regards to what he noticed. This includes accuracy of feedback, physical capabilities and self-observation of reproduction. Motivation, on the other hand, takes place when the surroundings carry a consequence that will change the probability that the behaviour will be produced again (Huitt, 2004). It includes reinforcement (external and vicarious), and punishment (Bandura, 1977).Aside from this, Bandura believes that the learning process takes place with a contribution from the mind, behaviour and environment.One of Bandura’s famous psychological experiments was the Bobo Doll Experiment which solidified his beliefs regarding learned aggression and behaviour modeling. Bandura made a film of a female student of his beating a Bobo doll. A Bobo doll is an egg-shaped, inflatable balloon creature that bounced back when knocked down. The young woman punched, kicked, yelled and hit the doll. Bandura then showed the film to kindergartners.After watching the film, the children were placed in a room full of the same toys they saw on the film. There were Bobo dolls and small hammers around. Bandura’s findings showed that the children were violent towards the doll 88% of the time (â€Å"Albert Bandura, n.d.). In short, the children imitated what the woman in the film did.However, an article by Huitt (2004) showed that the children watched a film wherein another child acted aggressively towards a Bobo doll. It had three different endings. The first ending was that the child was praised for his behaviour.The second was that the child was not allowed to play with the toys and to just sit in a corner. The third ending consisted of the child walking out of the room. After th en, the children were placed in the room and were observed. This experiment became the basis for the Social Learning Theory.Bandura also believed that most of our behaviour is learned by observation through modeling. He also believed that when we observe other people, it gives us an idea of how new behaviours are carried out, and this can be our guide for action (Bandura, 1977).Personality DevelopmentAlbert Bandura also has contributions in personality development. He believes that personality is an interaction among environment, behaviour and the human’s psychological processes (Boeree, 2006).He also believes that in studying a theory of personality, the social contexts where behaviour is acquired and maintained must be considered. This is in support of his social learning theory, which says that our behaviour is developed. Bandura believed that humans regulate and think of their own behaviour (â€Å"Albert Bandura,† 2000).According to the theory of personality, oneâ €™s environment causes one’s behaviour (Boeree, 2006). Whatever happens around us can affect us and thus affect our behaviour.Bandura believes in his social learning theory that social experience, reciprocal determinism and observational learning have important roles in the development of our personality. He also believes that the self-system of a human is composed of his abilities, attitudes and cognitive skills. In turn, a person’s self-system helps him in the way he perceives different situations and acts according to that situation.Bandura also believes that self-efficacy is important for one’s self-system. Self-efficacy, for him, is â€Å"the belief that in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations (1995, p.2). In short, self-efficacy is how one can function well in a given situation.In an article about Bandura’s personality theory, it showed that changing the expectation of personal efficacy can bring change in behaviour. Changing efficacy expectations can be done in four ways: enactive, persuasive, vicarious and physiological information experience. Those who have behavioural problems can cope by making changes in personal efficacy expectations (â€Å"Albert Bandura,† 2000).The concept of self-efficacy became important as it has an impact from psychological states to behaviour and to motivation. People are aware that they can set their goals for whatever they want to achieve, and the things that they want changes. But, we also know that most of the time, doing these things is not so simple. This is where Bandura found out that self-efficacy can help in how people should approach their goals, challenges and tasks.For those who have strong self-efficacy, they think that challenges are tasks to be overcome. They also foster interest in the things that they want to accomplish. Moreover, as their interest deepens, their commitment also deepens. And if there were disappointments, they can easily recover.On the other hand, people who have weak self-efficacy are the opposite. They do not like challenges as they believe that they cannot go through difficult situations. They also tend to dwell on their failures and the negative outcomes of their actions. Additionally, they lose trust and confidence in their abilities (Bandura, 1994).According to Kear (2000), self-concept, cognitive processes and control are the primary characteristics of self-efficacy. The sense of self is developed through the experiences and interactions with other people. The author added that our self-concept contains beliefs and values and attitudes that we have learned and developed through time. When there is self-regulation, we can have a positive self-concept amidst interactions.Control, on the other hand, focuses on two things: self-actualization and locus of control. Self-actualization, Kear (2000) explained, builds when a person has confidence in a suc cessful performance. Locus of control, on the other hand, focuses on causal belief about outcome determination.   

How Your Personal Personal Preferences, Attitudes, Heritage and Beliefs Might Impact on Working Practice Essay

I work in the care industry and have clients and honour other people’s religion or non religion that I look after that have had a totally different upbringing that myself. Some of these clients have dementia, I was raised in a different country with different beliefs. I had a traumatic upbringing but I cannot ever let my clients know about what my beliefs and life experiences are about. I through my experience with working in this environment have learnt that I have had to research other religions and beliefs and have learnt to respect all people and their beliefs. Prayers are a daily thing for me even though this was not taught to me in my earlier years. Religion affects people in many different ways mainly because we all come from different backgrounds and were all taught differently. It is therefore very important to respect and honour their personal beliefs. Some want to go to church on Sundays and others do not want to speak about church at all and I must respect the fact that they do not want to speak about anything about the Church. It is part of the work that I do to make sure my clients are happy and therefore am conscious at all times that they feel comfortable about anything they want to talk to me about. It is most important to remember that my own preferences are different to others and that I can never expect others to think, act and feel the same as I do. For example, I like to bath at night and shower in the morning but some of my clients fear water and they really hate the idea of being showered, washed or bathes even once a week. I have to respect their decision but at the same time I need to encourage them to maintain a healthy and clean state of mind and body. I in cases like this will spend more time encouraging the client that they will feel better and not try and tell them how I feel when I am clean and fresh. I must always remember having grown up in a different country that my culture is totally different from the Country that I have now adopted myself, even to the degree of holidays. In this country most people have enjoyed 2 or more holidays a year through their younger years, mainly due to the weather, I therefore try and encourage people to remember the happy times of their lives and holidays I have found form a large part of early life memories, unlike myself having only had one holiday in my life with my parents and from memory not a happy holiday but I am always mindful to keep the focus on my clients and not ever on my personal circumstances. I luckily have in my life always believed that we never mix our home lives with our business or professional lives and am very blessed today to be able to keep the 2 totally apart as I am also blessed to be in a job where you need to build amazing relationships with the amazing people I am working with and therefore when I work I have trained myself that nothing is about me it is all and only about the client so I have learnt to work totally centring on the person, their culture, their beliefs and heritage and this takes away responsibility from myself that I could or might be tempted to get people or encourage people to try and believe in my beliefs.

Business Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Business Management - Research Paper Example While costlier than the previous method, the experiment demonstrated promising results, only to be shut down by company executives (Beer, 9). An overemphasis on top-down management forced ASDA’s mid- and lower-level managers to abandon their entrepreneurial spirit and to quit providing upper-level management with valuable insight from the customer and store levels. This is evident in one manager’s quote, â€Å"†¦the stores were full of people who did care, and who knew how to run a store, but were not allowed to do it,† (Beer, 6). The behaviors and activities of executives that led to this culture within ASDA are best stated by the terminology ASDA store employees chose for ASDA’s corporate headquarters: the Dream Factory. As one store manager stated, â€Å" †¦ASDA House never bothered to find out whether their policies had realistic time scales or even whether they were achievable at all,† (Beer, 9). Clearly, top executives had become so focused on the corporate lifestyle they created, complete with â€Å"hunting and partying,† that they were actively choosing to ignore advice from store-level management that could have potentially saved the company (Beer, 6). A human resource manager captured this environment best, stating, â€Å"The top managers at ASDA knew the company had lost focus, but they didn’t seem to care,† (Beer, 6). Clearly, important decisions were waiting on Archie Norman in the winter of 1991 that would affect the future of the company. The important question is what is to be done? How should ASDA turn itself around? I believe the most important lesson new ASDA executives could learn is that top-down, dictatorial management failed in ASDA. The Perry Barr experiment demonstrates the potential impact skill teams and compensation based on skill can have not just on productivity and morale, but on changing the toxic culture at ASDA. Skill teams show employees that upper-level management doesn’t care

Economic Situation In Slovenia Post Financial Crisis Research Paper

Economic Situation In Slovenia Post Financial Crisis - Research Paper Example Slovenia is a developed state in the central Europe which experienced a period of boom between the years 2004 to 2006, when the economy grew at a rate of 5 % per annum. The economic growth surge was mainly due to the rising expenditure (mainly in construction) supported by public debt (OECD, 2015). However, after the global recession of 2007, Slovenia entered in a period of financial austerity to reduce its burden of debt which was earlier created by bailing out its banks. Slovenia’s austerity programmes were aimed at reducing its budget deficit caused by the amounted debt. The austerity policies of the government hence included the rise in the tax rates or introduction of new taxes, reduction of public expenditure and privatisation of state owned companies (Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor; communications operator Telekom Slovenija; airline Adria Airways; Ljubljana airport and Elan ski manufacturer). Such kind of financial strictness often results in rising unemployment; fall in c onsumption level and higher debt to GDP ratio (despite being fall in the budget deficits). With advent of rising debt obligations of Slovenia, financial austerity is a well justified approach by the government. The easier accessibility to credit and the meagre risk assessment prior to the crisis had resulted in such unsustainable debt. The economic reforms in the form of financial consolidation, privatisation and recapitalization of banks were hence required to drive the credibility of the country in financial market.

Healthy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthy - Essay Example In this regard, it is very essential to include fresh farm fruits and vegetables in the diet that is much better from packaged chemical juices. In addition, fast food is a huge factor that causes weight gain and that one of the reasons of huge criticism by dietitians about the fast food, as too much fat can clog arteries and increase weight subsequently (Crocker, pp.7-8). The word health implies fitness, soundness of the human body or mind and freedom from abnormality. Being healthy is far better choice for any one; however, it is essential for one to have sound information about nutritional choices. Nowadays, the fascinating advertisements offer foods with less nutritional values and loaded fats that are not good for health. It is a fact that daily routine depends largely on the food one takes, because humans need energy to work. In particular, fast foods are high in sugar, sodium, and fat. Each of these substances can cause health problems. In the result, one should always go for home cooked food that contains balanced nutritional values, and everyone should have daily walk routine before commencing the day. In conclusion, healthy food can be the best decision to acquire a healthy life style (Turck,

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example The Star Furniture group has been able to establish an international presence with success, operating in countries such as Taiwan. The Star Living Mall is a retailer of the products manufactured by Star Furniture (Star Living, 2011). The Star Furniture group has created a unique shopping mall by making the Star Living Mall because of the one-stop furniture that it provides and the range of brands that it houses. The Mall not only specializes in furniture but also provides related services such as furnishing. The clientele of the Mall is primarily based in Singapore. There are four main branches of the Mall in Singapore, selling furniture ranging from that of living room and dining room to bedroom furniture. Moreover the Mall also showcases the four main retail brands of the Star Corporate Group including Mondi Lifestyle, Star Furniture and Zen Tradition (Get Singapore, 2011). Lucano is regarded as the high-end collection of the Star Furniture and has been able to establish itself as a unique brand in the country. The production of the Star Furniture is such that new products are brought in the market every four months. This helps to keep the brands fresh and up-to-date. Besides the four main brands that the Mall features, it also offers a store-in-store boutique that houses a number of brands specialising in the mattresses and beddings. This boutique, known as BEDz Store, along with the other brands featured, offers the customers a complete and comprehensive shopping practice (Star Living, 2011). The target market of the Mall is mostly Singaporeans. The myriad of brands that the Mall displays caters to a large segment of the population due to the fact that the products displayed have different price ranges. This makes the products affordable for the lesser income group. The customers can choose the products that meet their budgets and lifestyles (Get Singapore, 2011). The four brands that the Mall has cater to the four individual market segments that the brands have created in the years since their launch. Moreover the Mall promotes the brand image that the products are both stylish and functional. The target market of the Star Furniture group is the mass market of Singapore and Taiwan (Star Living, 2011). Question 1 (b) The Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) model is an important means of investigating the stature of a brand. The model was developed by Young & Rubicam in order to analyze the value of a brand by looking into the strengths and weaknesses of the brand. The model helps to measure both the stature of the brand as well as its durability. The underlying principle in the model is that these two components are able to draft an image of the brand equity while identifying problems and providing solutions (Iane, King & Russell, 2008). The model assumes that the brands are composed of a progression of four main consumer trends: differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge. Differentiation and relevance combine together to give rise to br and strength whereas esteem and knowledge are representative of the brand stature. Therefore the model helps to compare brand strength with its stature. The brand stature shows the current strength of the brand; on the other hand, brand strength shows the capacity of the brand to progress and grow. When analyzing the Star Living Mall, by the Star Furniture group, one has to take into consideration these four factors to establish brand equity.

Case Analysis of CUP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case Analysis of CUP - Essay Example As an advisor to Derrick Westmuller, I would gladly advice him to use the CCC or Customer Care Center. A company won’t be able to function once the flow of the customer is not good. So it is just to protect the interest, satisfaction and happiness of the customer. With this great idea, many issues will be settled and would be very helpful for the company. Though at the start, this may be tough for every branch to adopt with, the expected result is very profitable for them. In fact there will be less work for the agent and the name of company will receive good feed backs. Remember that it is not the name of the Manager, members of the board or the agents, names that are on stake but the name of the company. It is true that most clients inquire on the same issues commonly normal issues. The price or fee that people pay in acquiring contacts from the insurance company is already expected or predicted but certain matters like not being contented with the service given by the agent and not giving immediate action to complains are very critical for the company. There may be a lot of negative speculations that may come from other employees of the firm but the focus must still be in the whole company and for its good. It may be that it can create undesirable misunderstanding between the duties of the agents and the call center employees if there would be specification of work.

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets - Assignment Example Foreign businesses that would like to purchase goods in the US have to convert the currencies they have into US dollars. However, a rising dollar makes the foreign businesses to use much of their currencies to obtain a unit of US dollar. Thus, the foreign businesses will use more US dollars to obtain a product in the US. This means that businesses in the US that export goods and services will prefer a rising dollar. As the dollar rises, they obtain higher amounts for the goods that they export. This would be the same for a European tourist who comes to the US to visit the Grand Canyon. The tourist will have to change the European pounds that he or she has for US dollars. However, in case the dollar is rising, it means that the value of the dollar is declining. Thus, one unit of European pound will fetch more units of US dollar (Thomas, 2006). Therefore, the European tourist will obtain more units of US dollars. He or she will be able to access more products and services when he or sh e reaches the United States. Question Two The Fed can use various methods to create money. Creation of money refers to the methods that the Fed uses to manage the quantity of money that is in circulation in the economy. One of the methods is through open market operations. This refers to purchase and sale of United States’ government bonds (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed can buy government bonds from the public. This increases the amount of money in circulation in the United States. As the government buys bonds, it releases money into the economy. Alternatively, in case the Fed wants to reduce the amount of money in the economy, it can sell government bonds to the public (Mishkin, 2010). The sale of government bonds makes the Fed take money from the public and offers the public bonds. Therefore, the amount of money in circulation decreases. The Fed can use commercial banks’ reserve requirements to influence the amount of money in circulation (Burton, Brown, & Burton, 2009). Commercial banks must retain a given proportion of the deposits they receive. Thus, commercial banks cannot lend all the money deposited in their accounts. An increase in reserve ratio means that commercial banks will reduce the amount of money that they lend to the public. This reduces the amount of money in circulation. On the other hand, a decrease in reserve ratio requirement means that commercial banks can lend more money to the customers. Thus, the amount of money in circulation increases. The Fed can also influence the amount of money in circulation through the discount window (Thomas, 2006). Commercial banks usually borrow money from the Fed since it is the lender of the last resort. The Fed usually charges an interest whenever commercial banks borrow money. The Fed can increase the interest rate it charges to the commercial banks to reduce the amount of money in circulation. Alternatively, it can reduce the interest rate to increase the amount of money in cir culation. Finally, the Fed can make recommendations to the treasury so that money supply can be increased through printing (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed does not directly control money through printing or minting. The treasury prints notes and mints coins. This method can be used to direct the quantity of money in the economy. The most powerful method is the open market operation. However, the most commonly used method is the discount window or rate. It enables gradual reduction or increase in money in

Questions based on evolution and definitions Essay

Questions based on evolution and definitions - Essay Example Batesian mimicry which is a natural selection that favors the non-poisonous butterflies due to their similarity in their color with the poisonous butterflies is an example of a negative frequency-dependent. Positive frequency-dependency is seen in morph butterflies that are within the same species but have a different color pattern. Linkage disequilibrium arises when the genotype of at two loci is independent of each other and is as a result of Mutation, Random drift and Gene flow. It can be maintained by inducing mutation, random drift or gene flow in a generation. Deterministic forces are referred to as linear pressures due to their tendency to of pushing alleles frequencies in one direction which is either up , down or towards the middle. Important forces that take place in such a situation include selection, mutation, gene flow, meiotic drive and nonrandom mating. However, stochastic evolutionary force is the genetic drift that takes place due to random sampling of individuals and genes in small populations. Both are important because they lead to evolution as they cause changes in the genetic makeup of any population. The variance of reproductive success is usually higher among males than the females because the male sperm runs faster than the female, but dies faster than the female. The effect of this is more females in the society as a result of higher chances of having a female offspring. In situations when nonrandom processes overwhelm the random processes, it leads to low levels of variation which cannot be reconstructed over ecological time scales. Moreover, variation can arise from mutation and recombination. Since selection can remove variations from a population, genetic drift takes place. Antagonistic pleiotropy is a situation whereby the one gene controls foe more than one trait where at least a single of these traits

The Tryals of Joseph Dawson, Edward Forseith, William May, [brace] Essay

The Tryals of Joseph Dawson, Edward Forseith, William May, [brace] William Bishop, James Lewis, and John Sparkes for several piracies and robberies by them committed - Essay Example 3-7). On the other hand, the witnesses for the kings were sworn in whereby, the Grand Jury withdrew and returned back afterwards and the case proceeds (Dawson, p.3-5). Five men were found guilty namely John sparks, William Bishop, William May, Edward Forseith, James Lewis. This is because the five men participated directly or indirect in piracy crime (Dawson, p. 24-26).On the other hand, Joseph Dawson was considered innocent because he was not on board unlike other culprits who witnessed the crime and decided to remain quite(Dawson, p. 24-26). Additionally, the judges considered group involvement to commit a felony as complicity whereby, a syndicate or a group of gang located in different locations whether on the sea or in the land corporate to commit a felony (Dawson, p. 23-27). The result of poor circumstance may be attributed to lack of a comprehensive structure that defines the rimes of piracy crime (Dawson, p. 24-26). In above connection, judge Charles Hedge an expert in law defined crime of piracy as robbery of the sea whereby, sea bandits hijacked captains, ships and cargo on board and take cargo and money. This crime may include all crimes but not limited to those committed on air, land, internet and water bodies (Dawson, p. 18-25). Additionally, crime of piracy may involve unlawful acts or attempts to steal from pirates both from the water bodies and even out side the sea (Dawson, p. 18-25). On the other hand, defense attorney asserted that their clients did not commit any acts of piracy because they did not forcefully rob or removed any thing of value from the ship. Therefore, their acts were not within the scope of piracy crime as defined by the judge (Dawson, p. 22-24). Additionally, future lawyers should focus on the actual structure and organization of a pirate trial. This is because, the structures in this case were not specific and therefore, those who were guilty went unpunished. This could have been prevented if there was specific

The Rise of the Bureaucratic State Essay Example for Free

The Rise of the Bureaucratic State Essay The bureaucracy has been constantly growing since its beginning. At the end of the Federalist period, only 3,000 civilian officials were appointed; then in 1925 about half a million were employees in the bureaucracy. However, the size of the bureaucracy is completely insignificant. What matters is the amount of power that can be exercised by the members of the bureaucratic agencies. The author, James Q. Wilson, provides an example that in 1971, the federal government provided fifty four million dollars to various social security programs, however, the Social Security Administration only employed 73,000 people at the time. The increases in the size of the bureaucratic agencies affect the executive branch of the government. For example, from 1816 to 1861, the employment in the executive branch increased from 4,837 to 36,672. However, eighty six percent of this growth was the result of additions to the postal service. After 1861, many new departments were formed relating to agriculture, labor and commerce, which have led to a clientelisitc (client oriented) bureaucracy. In addition, the government began to formally give bureaucratic recognition to the many peculiar interests in the economy. The author concludes that the bureaucratic clentelism becomes self-perpetuating in the absence of some crisis or scandal. In addition, the separation of powers makes it difficult to permit the enactment of a new program or the creation of a new agency. After reading this article, I was surprised that some agencies associated with agriculture control the flow of billions of dollars in expenditures and loans. Furthermore, local committees of farmers, private farm organizations dominate policy making in some areas.

Immigration In The United States Of America History Essay

Immigration In The United States Of America History Essay During its first hundred years, the United States had a laissez-faire policy toward immigration-no limits. Federal, state, and local governments, private employers, shipping companies and railroads, and churches promoted immigration to the United States. For example, subsidizing railroad construction led to the recruitment of immigrant workers by private railroad companies. High tariffs kept out European manufactured goods and thus created a demand for more workers in American factories. The federal government relied on immigrants to staff the army-immigrants were about a third of the regular soldiers in the 1840s, and an even higher proportion of many state militias. The Door-Ajar era approach began in 1870s. There were popular movements to restrict the immigration of particular groups perceived as threatening. Congress barred the entry of convicts and prostitutes in 1875, and the Immigration Act of 1882 for the first time prohibited immigration from a particular country- China-at the behest of urban workers in California who felt threatened by unfair competition. ( ) Immigration from China was illegal for most of the next 60 yearsEven though a weak economy and increasing immigration led to restrictions on immigration, foreign policy considerations delayed the implementation of these restrictions. The Door-Ajar policy started to gain momentum after 1890. Restrictions and attempts to impose restrictions were the product of a fluctuating economy. But the major reason for the growing opposition to immigration was its composition. Whereas the majority of the old immigrant came from Western Europe, most of the new immigrants came from Eastern and Sout hern Europe. The German, British and the other Western Europe immigrants who were Protestant overall, were replaces by Russians, Polish and Italian immigrants, the majority of whom were Greek-Orthodox, Catholic or Jewish. One of the most important aspects of this era was the attempt to block immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe. Most of the efforts were totally unsuccessful. The shift to the more restrictive Pet-door era started in 1917, when, after numerous attempts, Congress finally passed the literacy test bill and in addition to the literacy test, the immigration act of 1917 added excludable classes, raised the head tax, and introduced the power to deport aliens convicted of certain offenses. A couple of years later, Congress imposed the first quantitative restrictions on immigration, limiting arrivals to 3 percent of the foreign-born persons of each nationality present in the United States in 1910. The base year was soon pushed back to 1890, before most third-wave immigrants had arrived, when northern and western Europeans made up a larger proportion of the population. Restrictions on permanent immigration reached a peak during and after World War I. However, wars also generate support for temporary migration. World War I created a demand for additional manpower because part of the labor force was drafted, another part was employed in war industries. World War II, like World War I had an impact on immigration policy. First, the war increased conformity and anti-immigration sentiment, leading to some restrictions on freedom of expression, potential immigrants and foreign-born citizens. Secondly, the wartime need for manpower generated the recruitment of migrant workers. But the most important development during World War II was the growing influence of foreign policy considerations which led to the liberalization of U.S immigration policy. In the 1960s, the civil rights movement highlighted government discrimination against nonwhites, which influenced in a negative way U.S. immigration policy. President John Kennedy proposed eliminating the national origins system in the early 1960s. In 1965, Congress moved to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination in American immigration policy. It managed to do that offering priority to immigrants with relatives in the United States who petitioned for their admission inside the country. Migrants from Asia were treated like other foreigners seeking to immigrate and, for the first time, quantitative restrictions were placed on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. Until the 1980s, U.S. immigration law could be described as a complex system that is in a continue change looking to reach the needs of each generation in particular. The accelerating pace of global change affected migration patterns all over the world, and that is why US Congress responded with three major changes in immigration laws between 1980 and 1990. The first change was in the definition of refugees. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention defined a refugee as a person outside his or her country of citizenship and unwilling to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution due to the persons race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion(). During the Cold War, the United States defined refugees as persons fleeing communist dictatorship or political violence in the Middle East. But, the United States adopted the UN definition with the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980(). The number of refugees resettled is determined each year by the president in consultation with Congress. The second major policy change aimed to reduce illegal immigration. During the 1960s, the Border Patrol apprehended 1.6 million foreigners; during the 1970s, apprehensions rose five-fold to 8.3 million. After studying the effects of illegal immigration commissions concluded that illegal migrants adversely affected unskilled American workers and undermined the rule of law. They urged the government to continue the effort to reduce migration in United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) recorded a historic deal between those who wanted to prevent more illegal migration and those who wanted to legalize the status of illegal foreigners who already are on United States territory. The most important upgrades that The Immigration Reform and Control Act brought are as it follows. Required employers to attest to their employees immigration status, and granted amnesty to certain illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously. Also it made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants (immigrants who do not possess lawful work authorization).Last, it granted a path towards legalization to certain agricultural seasonal workers and immigrants who had been continuously and illegally present in the United States since January 1, 1982. Immigration remained a high-profile political issue in the early 1990s. People were less tolerant of unauthorized immigrants, who were usually in low-skilled jobs. California Governor Pete Wilson won re-election in 1994 in part by endorsing Proposition 187, an initiative that would have excluded illegal migrants from state-funded services, including public schools. Concern about immigration, terrorism, and welfare contributed to three major laws in 1996: The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (ATEDPA), the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act (EBSVERA) of 2002 required universities to keep better track of the foreign students they enrolled and heightened scrutiny of visa applicants from countries deemed sponsors of terrorism. Foreigners needing visas to enter the United States must be interviewed by consu lar officers abroad, and applications from most Middle Eastern countries are sent to Washington, D.C., to be checked against government databases to detect terrorists. The REAL ID Act of 2005 prohibits federal agencies from accepting drivers licenses issued by the 10 states that granted them to unauthorized foreigners. Perhaps the most important change after Sept. 11 was the creation of a new cabinet agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Immigration and Naturalization Service was moved from the U.S. Department of Justice to DHS and divided into three different agencies. One focused on border enforcement and inspecting persons arriving in the United States, one oversaw enforcement of immigration laws, and the third handled applications for immigration benefits. In Britain most immigration has been permanent. British immigration control policy has been influenced during time by different elements like the volume of dissimilar immigration, foreign policy considerations, external threats and wars. From its beginnings until the early twentieth century, Britain had a liberal immigration policy. Great Britain regulated immigration only twice in this period. First regulation was the 1872-1873 Alien Act. It was phrased as a temporary measure and also it was renewed at intervals until 1926. The second restriction on immigration arrived in 1848. Political instability in Europe generated a flow of political refugees, whose presence in England brought several disturbances. A good example is the 1792 case when the external threat represented by those refugees led to the approval of the Aliens Removal Act. This Act gave to the Home Secretary and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the power to deport any foreigner against whom written allegations had been mad e. Britain kept a liberal immigration policy until the early twentieth century. This policy was facilitated by the limited immigration into Britain, by the similarity between most of the immigrants and the local population and by foreign policy considerations(Smith1981). In 1905 Parliament passed the Aliens Immigration Act. One of the reasons was the unprecedented influx of Jewish immigrants. The 1905 Aliens Immigration act was administrated in a very liberal fashion by the liberal government that came into power the following year. Nevertheless, the act stayed on the books and its significance lay in the breach with the principle of the previous eighty years that Britain should be freely open to immigration from overseas. (Rees 1979). World War I produced the next restriction on immigration to Britain. In August that year, The House of Commons passed the Aliens Restriction Act. The 1914 legislation which was much tougher than the 1905 Act, gave the Home Secretary powers to prohibit the entry of immigrants and to deport them. It was the first time when aliens had to register with the police. The main object of 1914 act, as presented by the Home secretary was to secure the detention and removal of spies. It was renewed after the war by the Aliens Restriction Act of 1919. Even though during the 1920s and 1930s economic depression most of the countries restricted immigration, Britain avoided that to happen and more than that even emphasized its commitment to free migration within the Commonwealth. The direction of migration changed once Britain entered World War II and faced a shortage in manpower. After World War II the UK government faced an unprecedented situation. Britain was no longer seen as a top world power, and the concept of Commonwealth started to replace the notion of Empire. Immigration started to be seen by politicians as a opportunity to bring back the country to its previous international status. Humanitarian solidarity of 1939-45 and sponsored immigration of the 1945-62 were perceived a bit different. In order to obtain a clear conclusion it is advised to evaluate chronologically UK government response to colored immigration. Doing this the shifts in policy over time during that specific period will be very clear underlined. The relationship between immigrants and the state remain pretty much the same even though there were changes of administration and policy. A very interesting experience for the British government was the Post-war immigration issues. No doubt that traditionally until the late 1970s the UK had been considered by many a country of net immigrat ion. Anyway due to economic reasons immigration was actively supported as a matter of policy by the UK government starting with 1945. Two years later an independent economic survey was commissioned by the government. The results brought out that the general opinion was that, a useful contribution can be made by foreign labor. Also the survey revealed that the increasing of working population is does not have to be a temporary measure. The newly conceived National Health Service, London Transport and British Rail brought workers from the newly opened recruitment centers in West Indies to the UK but the numbers recruited in these ventures were relatively small to begin with, so they established a nucleus of ethnicity in certain areas. The foreign labor recommended in the 1947 government survey was not only for colored immigrants. A white core policy was instead in the minds of the authorities. In the next years following the war European immigrants were preferred to colored and the Government authorities ware scared of the workers solidarity and how it may affect the relationship with Westminster. After thirty years the records showed all the measures that were taken to block their entry in the UK. One good example is the delaying of issuing the passport so that the colored people could not work legally in the UK and the list continues. In the next year 1948, in The British Nationality Act it began the conceptual separation between British and Commonwealth citizenship and the UK immigration law was begging to rise. Therefore in the next years the visa restrictions for the coloured were taken out and an influx of blacks and Asians, approximately 14000 per annum came in the UK but , in 1962 most towns across the UK remained predominantly white only. In exception in the Wales a small numbers of coloured came and these people were found only in the docks of the capital. The government authorities did not respond properly to the increased number of immigrations and the media elevated the issue to an underserved status of national importance. The individual partisan policy issues clearly played a big role in the timing and manner of the execution of immigration legislation. For example in 1959 the elections were won by the Conservatives for the third time and as the traditional centre-right party of the UK it was no surprise that they should oversee the passing of the most stringent law against coloured immigrants, the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act. It was clear that the law could be seen as a new government policy of moving the economic market to Europe at the beginning of the 1960, which necessitated a symbolic move away from the Commonwealth. David Childs said that Macmillan had a great success in convincing his colleagues of the need of this new road.In other order it was a fact that immigration legislation was motivated by external geo-strateg ic issues and not by the issues of numbers, facts and figures of arrivals into the country. Besides that, the British government acknowledged that its definition of nationality as it was written in the 1948 acct was old-fashioned. This was a good opportunity te begin the second phase of post-war legislation starting with the landmark 1962 Commonwealth act. This act enforced much more tight guidelines regarding entry to to UK. Racial undertones were clearly present as the Act was centred upon immigrants from the New Commonwealth and did not concern immigration from the Old Commonwealth or Ireland.( ). Obviously the British state was keen to legally underline the difference between being British and being a subject of the Empire. This action took place in order to protect what it perceived as a delicate domestic balance. As Jack Watson concludes; It was one thing to control immigration unlimited population growth would add to Britains social problems but the fierce criticism of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, both at home and abroad, centred on the argument that it was di rected against immigration from the New Commonwealth and not against immigration in general. Yet in spite of the arrival of the concept of quotas into the political discourse regarding immigration the numbers of immigrants did not supported a huge change after 1962. Therefore, although the UK government responded to public opinion, a strong sense of ethnic superiority and political expediency, the reality of the matter remained that immigration, post 1945, was an economic and not a nationalistic issue. After the 1997 election UK immigration policy started a new chapter. The White Paper in 1998 showed a different and modern way of handling immigration and asylum . The paper claimed that Britain has lots of advantages from legal immigration. The new strategic way of thinking has been implemented on several different levels . The liberalizing aspects were completely non politic. It was underlined the need for skilled force, the decisive proof coming from various pieces of research . The refugee restrictions favoured by New Labour in its first item of legislation the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 which involved abolition of cash benefits for asylum seekers and a strict policy of dispersal required a public mood of deep antipathy towards this group of people to allow it to be carried through. The consequences of depriving people of the possibility of any degree of self-determination in respect of their life in the UK, and off pushing them even further out of the mainstream of ordinary life, could easily be predicted. It would result in human rights violations (particularly in relation to the right to family life), economic hardship because of grossly inadequate levels of support though the voucher scheme, and an increase in racist attacks against a group of people so widely proclaimed as being unworthy of better treatment. The refugee support networks across the country soon came alive with accounts of how exactly these outcomes were coming about, right up to the point of serious acts of violence and even the murder of at least one asylum seeker. But no sooner was the evidence of these disastrous consequences accumulating, than a reaction to the reaction emerged amongst groups who developed sympathies with the asylum seekers. Faith groups lobbied ministers over the evidence of increasing financial hardship and the obvious suffering of refugee children. Teachers, and even police chiefs, went on record to complain against the deterioration of civil relations between ethnic groups in the school playground and the wider community. The British Medical Association expressed grave concern over the declining health of refugee communities, and the trades union movement, led by transport union leader Bill Morris, staged a revolt against the voucher scheme. Clearly, asylum seekers had their supporters and defende rs, and these tended to be most vocal in the social groups which the Labour government counted upon as their key supporters. In the early 1990, Britain stood out as a country that has reduced immigration to a unavoidable core of family reunification and asylum seekers, numbering no more than 50000 in one year. Since than, both policy an policy outcomes have reversed sharply. The labour government increased the number of work permits issued, promised to reform the Immigration act of 1971 in order to encourage primary immigration, an reevalueted citizenship through the proposed incorporation of citizenship of classes, language texts and naturalization ceremonies. The Labour party started to rethink its core strategy in the 4th semester of 2001 due to a cabinet change. The new Home Secretary from that time, David Blunkett can be considered the initiator of the strategy. In the same time with the new way of Labourss thinking, a change to a more pugnacious style of engagement with public opinion could be noted.( ).The September 11, a date that changed United Sates approach, was almost as important for UK and in the winter of 2002, a second White Paper appeared, this time punctuating the very complex issue of security. Surprisingly though, not the immigrants that were on their way coming to UK were the concern, but those who had finished their migration process recently an who believed of themselves as totally settled in Britain. The controverter problem of the naturalisation of long-settled immigrant communities came onto centre stage as Home Secretary Blunkett sought to open up a new debate about the extent to which these groups had assimilated the distinctive values of UK society. The background to this issue was provided by the summer riots in several northern English towns in 2001. Experts commenting on these developments opened up discussion about the absence of social cohesion revealed by these developments. The principle complaint of one of the most influential of these commentators Lord Herman Ousley was that poverty and lack of resources had prevented civic and other public authorities from addressing the grave problem of racial division, which was a prominent feature of these northern cities. In the White Paper, concerns of this nature were not so subtly transformed into criticism of immigrant communities themselves, for failing to take robust action to ensure their integration into mainstream society. Blunkett was also prepared to do more than had been done during Straws tutelage at the Home Office to force public discussion of economic migration. A whole chapter of the White Paper discussed the issue of working in the UK. The mood here was that government policy was allowing British employers to lead the world in vigorous competition for the brightest and the best amongst the global workforce. The reforms to the work permit scheme of the previous 18 months were set out in detail, and the substantial increase in the volume of people entering in these categories became the badge of success. In the competition to ensure that British business had all the resources it needed to come out on top, the Labour government would not accept second place. The White Paper thus framed the whole question of economic migration as being essentially a matter of business strategy, rather than anything to do with the rights of workers in increasingly globalised labour markets. Indeed, the White Paper wandered into the terrain of considering the clear demand for less skilled workers, and concluded that this would be dealt with by opening up channels for temporary, seasonal migration schemes, which have in practice been associated with the often ruthless exploitation of young foreign students. It is clear from the approach set out in the White Paper that those workers admitted to met local shortages in the informally-skilled sectors of tourism and hospitality industries, construction and agriculture, will not acquire such rights as family reunification, equality of treatment, or long-term settlement in the UK.

Women Before And After The Iranian Revolution Cultural Studies Essay

Women Before And After The Iranian Revolution Cultural Studies Essay Current Iranian women must adhere to strictures of dress and regulation, including the veil (hijab) and full body covering (chador). Yet this was not always the case. Prior to the Iranian revolution the Shah began modernising the state of Iran and introducing womans rights. However, many religious factions strongly disagreed with what they saw as a violation of Islamic culture. When the Islamic Republic took over the monarch in 1979, they began to abolish the changes made to womens rights. This essay hopes to explain how education has contributed to the awareness of many urban Iranian women to their oppressive state. It will explain Iranian women both pre and post Iranian revolution and will draw upon the different viewpoints Iranian women have of Islam to emphasise the current state of Iranian society. Finally it will touch upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and discuss how scholars of gender view the topic of Iranian Woman. As noted by Elton Daniels, in Iran, strict cultural rules and religious regulations dictate and govern the actions of Iranian woman in the public arena. This is because Iranian women, especially married women, are seen as upholding the honour of a family; therefore, individual desires are often sacrificed to centre the husband and children as primary responsibility. The Islamic Republic takes this role seriously and to ensure that women do uphold family honour, Iranian women must be chaperoned by their husbands or male relatives at all times, lone women are either fined or imprisoned. Women are seen as the guardians of Irans moral code and therefore there is much less freedom allowed to them and they must be constantly monitoring their public behaviour. Many urban Iranian women feel themselves restricted by oppressive attitudes and blamed for any misfortune that befalls Irans patriarchal society. This tension is developing mainly in urban womens circles and is likely due to the incre ase of educated women who are becoming progressively aware of their situation. According to Daniels, in a bid to open itself up to the rest of the world during the 1930s (Pre-Iranian revolution), Iran was becoming an increasingly modernised state, therefore relaxing the religious and social strictures that bound and alienated Iranian women. More schools and higher forms of education and governmental employment (especially in hospitals and schools) were being introduced to urban women and even after the Islamic Republic took over, they could not quell the growing education of women. Urbanisation and the expansion of education offered women, mostly urban women, the opportunity to send their daughters to school. In 1936, the chador was banned in public places, which provided the change that was necessary for encouraging women to participate openly in public life. Political developments began to follow, including that of the White Revolution (1963), in which an act was passed that allowed Iranian women to participate politically. Furthermore, in the years between t he White Revolution and the Iranian Revolution, several women were elected to the parliament and ministry of education. However, there was unrest between the growing modernising ideologies and the more traditional rural Islamic views. The Shah was ruling autocratically and had alienated many sectors of society; this eventually leading to his overthrow. The bourgeois continued to feel restricted by the lack of career and intellectual opportunities available to them and the religious sectors of Iran ruled by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini began to accuse the Shah of a corruption and distilling Islamic beliefs. The unhappiness that Iranians felt against the Shah led to a religious revival among Iranian society and the destruction of the modernisation of Iranian culture. During revolt against the Shah, secular urban women and tradition rural women worked together to protest absolute monarchy and many urban women donned the Chador out of respect for the traditional women. Yet, when the Iranian Revolution (1979) proved successful, and Islamic Republic took over as the existing form of government, the budding rights and freedoms for women were smothered. Khomeini decreed that wearing the Chador was now law; many women lost their government jobs and it also became mandatory to segregate both males and females in the public arena. Morality police were put in place to ensure that such laws were stuck to. This marked a significant change for Iranian culture because before the Iranian revolution Islamic modesty was adhered to as religious sympathy, never before had such commands been made law. The current attitudes faced by many urban Iranian women are dictated by the edicts put in place post- Iranian Revolution. Many urban Women feel stifled by these laws and still remember a time when their life was not mandated. Although there have been cases of women receiving political seat between 1979 and 2011, many of those women were set up to appease the feminist movement and have no power within the government. Realising this, an increased number of Iranian women deploy secular feminist movements such as protesting their grievances through public mediums like the media and press, and civil insubordination. For example, deliberate improper wearing of the veil and Chador is practised by many young Iranian Women and is called bad hejabi. Bad hejabi consists of wearing the veil differently than society norms, such as brightly coloured Chadors and crooked hijab, with hair showing. An interview with a young Iranian women explains the nature of bad hejabi; Because of these (conservativ e) people and their aggressive thinking, I believe I am vulnerable to attack if I dont wear the hijab. If I was living in a place where people could respect individual choice and not do me any harm, certainly I wouldnt wear it. I want to show I dont approve. Wearing bad-hejabi proves the desire felt by many young Iranian women to be free of their restricting patriarchal establishment and the religious control that they feel has no place in their lives. Contrary to bad-hejabi are the traditional women who see wearing Islamic dress as a matter of pride and representation of their religious society. Women that are pro-Islamic Republic believe that the laws surrounding women were based around the teachings of Mohammed in the Koran. Questioning these laws would be questioning the foundations upon which many Iranian women live their life. The female Professor Barzin Maknoun in charge of woman issues at the Institute for Cultural Research and Studies states in Iran; The problems have come up because women in the west are trying to be the same as men. Women work outside the home, but they also have to take care of the children, because by nature shes the one who bears the children. The whole burden rests on women now, because theyre trying to be equal to men. But Islam says no to all this. Islam says the best thing for a woman is to be a wife and mother. That doesnt stop her having a job or a profession- she can do that if her husband agre es, but her first job is to take care of her children. And its the job of the man to take care of her. Professor Maknoun represents the views held by many conservative Iranian women. However, the Islamic Republics attitude toward women seems to contradict the rights for women stated in Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The point of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was to ensure that every persons dignity was upheld worldwide. In relation to this view, many scholars of gender are mostly working in the west and there seems to be more interest in pro-feminism in academic circles. Pro feminist studies include Rebecca Barlows article, prospects for feminism in the Islamic Republic of Iran, or from a analysis point of view similar to Mahnaz Koushas article, predictors of life satisfaction among urban Iranian Women and Mitra K Shavarinis article, the feminisation of Iranian Higher Education which deals with overall unhappiness and dissatisfaction of Iranian women. This research indicates an interest in the feminisation and oppression of Iranian women and less interest on the Islamic Republic as a legitimate form of government. Professor Marknoun was the on ly pro- Islamic Republic scholar found. In conclusion many urban Iranian women feel restricted by the hijab and chador due to the oppressive society they represent. Although there are circles of traditional women who view these forms of dress as a symbol of honour and family, wearing the hijab and chador, was originally a personal choice. However, this was before the Islamic Republic made many religious traditions into law upon the conclusion of the Iranian Revolution. A study of Iranian women pre and post Iranian revolution shows that the progressive education of women has contributed to the urban dissatisfaction of a Womens place in Iranian Society and that many scholars of Iranian Women take pro feminist angles.

The Issue Of Authority And Res :: essays research papers

The issue of authority and respect has been and will be an ongoing issue between youngsters and their elderly. In the story Red Dress by Alice Munro and the movie Rebel without a Cause by Nicholas Ray the issue of authority and respect comes up many times through the character actions. Authority and respect is directly linked to one another. It is very hard to obey supremacy if you have no respect for authority. In both the works we have studied, all the characters have trouble dealing with the issues of authority and respect for themselves and for others, they do not show respect to their parents and therefore does not look upon them as authority figures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Alice Munro's the Red Dress, the narrator and her best friend Lonnie have two totally different relationships with their respective guardians. The narrator, without the mention of her father, is in care of her mother, whom she thinks butts in too much into her business. She sort of resents her mother for being so too close and nosy about her private life. Her mother's stories, which at one point seemed interesting to her, is now 'become melodramatic, irrelevant, and tiresome'. She knows that her mother only means well but sometimes she wishes she could be like Lonnie. Lonnie is in care of her father; her mother had passed away some time before. Her father never notices her and does not show his affection for her, she is pretty much on her own. The narrator considers her as a 'Blue-Baby' and privileged. The narrator also sees her mother as 'shameless and obscene'; she tries to direct her friend's attention away from her mother as much as possible. In the story, we are told by the narrator that she was 'never comfortable for a minute' in high school and 'was close to despair at all times'. She hated being called upon to do anything in front of an audience, whether it is the class or just the teacher. She reveals that she hasn't accepted herself as who she is, always wishing to be like someone else, she hasn't learned to respect herself as a growing teenager which makes it hard for her to understand the relationship between her mother and herself. Since she lacks the proper understanding and respect for her mother and herself, the narrator has trouble seeing her mother as an authoritative figure, which makes her less tolerant to the other authoritative figures in her surroundings.

Elasticity of Labour Demand Essays -- Economics

Elasticity of Labour Demand Labour is a derived demand realised by the demand for the product that the labour will be producing. The theory of ‘labour demand’ explains the behaviour of the firm with the key principle being to achieve the optimal amounts of labour employers will want to utilise at different wage levels. We must make several assumptions when describing how the long run labour demand is derived. Firstly we must assume that firms are profit maximisers and therefore will attempt always to minimise any costs incurred. Further assumptions to simplify analysis of labour demand are that there are no costs of employment other than hourly wages and productivity of labour is independent of time worked. I.e. Labour is homogenous. The production process involves only two inputs, Labour (L) and Capital (K): The firmsÂ’ production functions in the short and long run: qSR = f(K, L) qLR = f(K, L) In the long run, the firms’ capital stock is not fixed at any level; K is now changeable as opposed to the short-run where the firm is burdened with a stock of capital that might not be the optimal level under the current market conditions. In the indeterminate ‘long run period’, the firm will therefore be able to select optimal combinations of its variable stock. A firm will now have more than one tool to use in order to capitalize on profits. The only long run constraint of the firm would be given by technology. To find the preferred choice of inputs we can examine different quantities of K and L given the ratio of the input prices with a level of output. These choices are depicted in a curve called an isoquant. An isoquant demonstrates a set of points where output is identical but different combinations of labour and capital are possible. Diagram Isoquant Criteria:  · Isoquants are downward sloping  · Isoquants can not intersect  · A higher isoquant is associated with a higher level of output  · An isoquant must be convex to the origin (displaying diminishing returns to scale) The slope of the isoquant is derived by moving between two points on the curve. Moving from A to B will maintain the level of output but change the ratio of inputs. In this case it will lower the capital stock from K1 to K2 but increase the level of employment from L1 to L2 .Output is decreased by the units of capital stock cut multiplied by the marginal product of capital, but i... ...as I have summarised), a one percent rise in the wage leads to a 30 per cent drop in employment levels. Private strategies are also affected, as a unionÂ’s bargaining strategy will be influenced by the elasticity. The more inelastic the employers demand for labour, the stronger the negotiations will be to oppose a wage cut. Unions would be more uncompromising when offered a lower wage. References: Books - Borjas, G. J. (2004), Labour Economics, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill - Hamermesh, D., Rees, A. (1988), The Economics of Work and Pay, 4th Edition, Harper & Row - McConnel, C. R., Brue, S. L., (1989), Contemporary Labour Economics, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company Websites - www.jstor.ac.uk - http://labour.ceps.lu/ Journals - Chiswick, C. U. (1985), Ââ€Å"The Elasticity of Substitution Revsited: The effects of secular changes in labour force structure†, Journal of Labour Economics, Vol 3 No. 4, pp 490-507 - Oi, W. (1962), Ââ€Å"Labour as a quasi-fixed factor†, Journal of Political Economy, Vol 70, pp 538-55 - Symons, J. and Layard, R. (1984), Ââ€Å"Neoclassical demand for labour functions for six major economies†, Economic Journal, Vol 94, pp 788-99

Return to Normalcy Essay

â€Å"Return to Normalcy† – United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding’s campaign promise in the election of 1920. Doc 7 – Muscle Shoals – famous for its contributions to American popular music in the 1920’s. Doc 24 – Election of 1924 – Republican Calvin Coolidge wins election by a landslide. Doc 11 – Federal Farm Board – created in 1929, before the stock market crash on Black Tuesday, 1929, but its powers were later enlarged to meet the economic crisis farmers faced during the Great Depression. It was established by the Agricultural Marketing Act to stabilize prices and to promote the sale of agricultural products. The board would help farmers stabilize prices by holding surplus grain and cotton in storage. Doc 7 – Theodore Dreiser – an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters that succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. Dreiser’s best known novels include Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925). Doc 3 – T. S. Eliot – a publisher, playwright, literary and social critic and â€Å"arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. † Although he was born an American, he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 (at age 25) and was naturalized as a British subject in 1927 at age 39. Doc 1 – Fundamentalists – The demand for a strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology, combined with a vigorous attack on outside threats to their religious culture. The term â€Å"fundamentalism† was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the Protestant community of the United States in the early part of the 20th century, and that had its roots in the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy of that time. Doc 20 – Billy Sunday – an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball’s National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelistduring the first two decades of the 20th century. Henry Ford [Model T]- an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford’s Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to October 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that opened travel to the common middle-class American; some of this was because of Ford’s innovations, including assembly line production instead of individual hand crafting. (23) flappers- a â€Å"new breed† of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles and otherwise flouting social and sexual norms. (8,9,14,22) Harlem Renaissance- a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the â€Å"New Negro Movement†, named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, many French-speaking black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. 3) Marcus Garvey- a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). He founded the Black Star Line, part of the Back-to-Africa movement, which promoted the return of the African Diaspora to their ancestral lands. (10) Charles Lindbergh- an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist. As a 25-year-old U. S.  Air Mail pilot Lindbergh emerged suddenly from virtual obscurity to instantaneous world fame as the result of his Orteig Prize-winning solo non-stop flight on May 20–21, 1927, made from Roosevelt Field[N 1] located in Garden City on New York’s Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France. (5,21) Twenty-One Demands- a set of demands made by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu sent to the nominal government of the Republic of China on January 18, 1915, resulting in two treaties with Japan on May 25, 1915. 5:5:3:1. 75:1. 5 naval ratio- after World War I, many nations became concerned about the threat of another war and the possibility of an arms race. To address these issues in the naval arena, in 1922, Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy signed the Five Powers Treaty at the Washington Conference. In the treaty, the powers agreed to a 5:5:3:1. 75:1. 75 ratio of naval tonnage and restrictions with regard to new building of both ships and bases. Young Plan- a program for settlement of German reparations debts after World War I written in 1929 and formally adopted in 1930. It was presented by the committee headed (1929–30) by American Owen D. Young. The reparations, set in January 1921 by an Inter-Allied Reparations Commission at 269 billion gold marks (the equivalent of around 100,000 tonnes of pure gold) were deliberately crushing. Teapot Dome Scandal- a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–1923, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. doc 24 Secy. of the Treasury Mellon (tax cuts)- Mellon came into office with a goal of reducing the huge federal debt from World War I. To do this, he needed to increase the federal revenue and cut spending. He believed that if the tax rates were too high, then the people would try to avoid paying them. He observed that as tax rates had increased during the first part of the 20th century, investors moved to avoid the highest rates by choosing tax-free municipal bonds, for instance. (doc 15 Progressive Party- was an American political party. It was formed by former President Theodore Roosevelt, after a split in the Republican Party between himself and President William Howard Taft. â€Å"The Lost Generation†- is a term used to refer to the generation, actually a cohort, that came of age during World War I. The term was popularized by Ernest Hemingway who used it as one of two contrasting epigraphs for his novel, The Sun Also Rises. (doc 9, Doc 13 Ernest Hemingway [A Farewell to Arms]- a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway concerning events during the Italian campaigns during the First World War. The book, which was first published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant (â€Å"Tenente†) in the ambulance corps of the Italian Army. The title is taken from a poem by 16th-century English dramatist George Peele. (doc 13 prohibition [Volstead Act]- prohibited the production, sale, and transport of â€Å"intoxicating liquors†, it did not define â€Å"intoxicating liquors† or provide penalties. It granted both the federal government and the states the power to enforce the ban by â€Å"appropriate legislation. † A bill to do so was introduced in Congress in 1919. (Doc 2 Immigration Acts (1921, 1924)- was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States in 1890, down from the 3% cap set by the Immigration Restriction Act of 1921, according to the Census of 1890. doc 11, doc 17 Scopes Trial- was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act which made it unlawful to teach evolution in any state-funded school. (Doc 1 The Jazz Singer (Doc 7)- is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the â€Å"talkiesâ⠂¬  and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system, the movie stars Al Jolson, who performs six songs. The â€Å"New Woman† (Doc 22)- was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century. The New Woman pushed the limits set by male-dominated society, especially as modeled in the plays of Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906). â€Å"The New Woman sprang fully armed from Ibsen’s brain,† according to a joke by Max Beerbohm (1872–1956). Langston Hughes (Doc. 3)- was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. Pan-African Movement (Document 10)- is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a â€Å"one African community† Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity. Spirit of St. Louis (Doc 21)- is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize. Washington Naval Conference(NA)- also called the Washington Arms Conference, was a military conference called by President Warren G. Harding and held in Washington from 12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922. Conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations, it was attended by nine nations. Dawes Plan(NA)- was an attempt in 1924 to solve the reparations problem, which had bedeviled international politics, in the wake of the Ruhr occupation and the hyperinflation crisis. It provided for the Allies to collect war reparations debt from Germany. Intended as an interim measure, the Young Plan was adopted in 1929 to replace it. Kellogg-Briand Treaty(NA)- agreement, signed Aug. 27, 1928, condemning â€Å"recourse to war for the solution of international controversies. † It is more properly known as the Pact of Paris. In June, 1927, Aristide Briand, foreign minister of France, proposed to the U. S. government a treaty outlawing war between the two countries.

Customer Service Standards Essay

Explain how customer service standards are planned, implemented and monitored, and the impact this has on the operation of a selected business. In this task I will explain why customer service needs to be planned, how this is monitored and what impact it has for the whole organisation. The present customers of the organisation are really important for the organisation and company has to do ‘a step forward’ to make them satisfy and to keep them. If a company has no customers there are no profits for the business. Keeping existing customers is important as finding new ones is time consuming and costly. Planning customer service standards If companies plan their customer service they are more likely to exist in a business environment. Companies which have planned customer service for both; external and internal customers are more likely to be succeeding than others. Setting aims, outlining measurable benchmarks Companies must have standards which are measured and it the targets are not achieved action will be taken. Setting aims Aims are main announcements of what the business wants to achieve. Objectives are targets which are measured to check if they are achieved. Aims and objectives are really important for the business as without them there is no meaning to business. Aim and objectives give meaning to successive activities of planning, directing, staffing, organising and controlling. Methods of setting aims for customer service are wide. It depends on company and what good or service they provide. Some of the businesses have different aims, like providing employment for the owner; increasing sales and production or taking over businesses. Except aims, like making profits, providing goods and services, businesses have to state objectives by which they can get their aims. In example, if a business settled an aim to make a profit, they have to think how to achieve this; they need to set targets to know how much they want to spend and how much they want to receive. These targets should be specific as to what must be achieved; measurable to measure their success and relevant to business aim. A mission statement is a statement which determines a company or organisation. The mission statement must advise any of the organisation’s action. It influences overall success and run decision-making. In the Barclays bank, their aim is to be no. 1 bank in the England. They want to be the best choice for the customers by what they can make more profits and eliminate other banks. The Barclays objective is to provide first class customer service and offer market landing products. To achieve what they want, they use lots of trainings which can improve their skills in area where they need to be improved. This bank mission statement is related with their aims and objectives – ‘To be innovative, customer focused group that delivers superb products and service ensures excellent careers for all people and contributes positively to the communities in which we live and work.’ All of these focused and linked make the bank successful by what they have more customers and more profits. However, step by step they are better. Outlining measurable benchmarks Benchmarks purpose is to set minimum level of service, quality and quantity customer service system must reach in order to meet their objectives. Benchmarks need to be realistic, understandable and measurable. Benchmarking is the process of comparing one’s business processes and performance metrics to industry best practices from other industries. The Barclays can benchmark against another businesses by hiring the best qualified people on positions. They can make the best training for them to improve their skills, do meetings where they can talk about any issues and where they can resolve all of the problems. Make easy accessible entrances and dimensioned halls. Taking phone calls faster, and making good first impression by wearing clean and suit clothes. They can be friendly to all customers and greet them when they walking into the bank, listen to customers when they talking make sure that customer understood what was said to him. The staff of the bank should know all of the health and safety procedures and keep everything clean. Designing qualitative and quantitative performance indicators Performance indicators are needed to control achievements and to know how business and its service can be improved. Qualitative performance indicators are non numeric, like judgements and opinions; it includes management relationships; customer satisfaction – like monitoring customer feedback programme; employee morale – like level of staff turnover; quality and taste of product and customer loyalty; levels of staff absenteeism – like staffs that are unhappy or stressed. Quantitative performance indicators are numeric indicators; it includes sales and profit levels – to check if they raised or dropped; speed of service – in what time customer received what they ordered; customer retention; number of complains about staff/service/products; percentage of orders resulting from visits to customers by salespeople and responses to marketing material sent out. Public services, like ambulances or police also set performance indicators, as in need they have to arrive in max 8 minutes. Qualitative indicators in the Barclays bank are made by mastery shopper, who comes once in a month. He is checking performance of all of the employees and afterwards he is doing a report of what he saw. Mystery shopper comes to the branch and he looks and behaves like a normal customer. He pretends that he buys a product provided by a bank and check how employee who serve him is dealing with this. Other methods of checking qualitative indicator are feedbacks from customers and temporary employees. Also, complains sometimes are taken from customers and can be done by a website or can be done verbally to the staff of the bank where after they go to the log system. Quantitative indicators are measured by number of appointments of cashiers and private bankers. They are measured on solutions given by cashiers and private bankers; also it is measured in customers service served. Number of complains are counted, products sold to the customers are counted and after it is compared with this amount from previous month to check if there is any improvement. Implementing and monitoring customer care standards A company who want be successful, have to not just set good customer care standards but also monitor it afterwards. Providing staff training on raising customer service standards Lots of businesses now, in which customer service in involved are making at least one day of customer service training on the induction. New staff must be present in training at a head of the organisation or in regional office of the organisation where they will be absorbed customer service in a local level. These training usually involve presenting how to deal with different situations, to learn it there are usually used role plays with different scenarios to know how to deal with problems, complains and different types of customers. When a potential employee finishes his induction, the training still continues in place of work and done with a local staff to make sure that customer service standards are keeping up. In the Barclays bank, all of the staff has an induction which involves whole training program in a training centre which is placed in Manchester and afterwards it is continued in a branch. This induction process takes minimum 6 to 8 weeks. In the first day of the work, new employee has to go through security procedures, do other trainings like health and safety and get to know other employees. Other trainings which are necessary are people plus which is about customer service and trainings like computer skills and accountant trainings need to be taken. There is no mentor, but all of the employees are monitored by the managers, but besides this, everyone helps. Other courses which are vital to work in the bank are complains, money, fraud protection and fire procedures. Departmental trainings take place, lots of the trainings are done individually on the computer but there are regular courses to attend. External trainings also are present; they are taken in the Manchester in head of branch, where employees improve their skills knowledge about fire procedures are also improved. Meeting performance indicators The businesses monitor the performance indicators which were set to check whether target was met or not, this is also needed to check why the target was not meet and take direct action to improve it. For example, to find out what is wrong, they can set questions like, is a product provided in good quality? Is timing on serving product appropriate, etc. The Barclays bank targets are settled daily for cashiers and monthly for private bankers, also it depends on position what targets do a person has. For example, cashiers daily target is to make three lending appointments, five lending cards, three basic appointments, three walk overs, approach all ABC, credit’s and mark accordingly. Private bankers target are; deal with six loans, two insurances, six Barclay’s cards, and one hundred fifty solutions, six upgrades of an account and for new paid accounts. In measuring qualitative indicators is mastery shopper and for quantitative appointments, solutions, and number of products sold are measured and counted. I do not think that any improvements are needed in work what they do, as when I worked there for a week all the time targets were met. Measuring and monitoring performance There is wide range of ways how performance can be measured, like sales level; conducting surveys of customers; postage-paid questionnaires/comment cards/forms; make special facilities where customer can give an feedback, for example on the website ‘Contact us’ buttons; occasional telephone calls to customers; personal or telephone interviews; complains about staff/products/services; email customers, for example with surveys; etc. Customer service performance is monitored all the time, to know that customers get what they want and when they want it. This monitoring also has many ways, such as inspection by unknown company staff to witness customer service at first hand; regular staff meeting; mystery shoppers; monitoring telephone conversations; staff appraisals. Performance in the Barclays bank is measured and monitored by making overall report of previous day and showing it in the next day morning meeting. Also, on this meetings there are given sheets to complete out in which employees are able to put feedback of other employees and any other performances. Other ways are contact by a website, mystery shoppers and feedbacks on sheets from temporary employees. Reviewing performance and taking action Businesses always want to know which customers are satisfied with service provided and which are not. If they know it, they can make steps to improve themselves if a customer is unhappy. Staffs know when they are praised. Suggestions for improvements are deliberated and putted into practice when necessary. Ways how performance is reviewed can be done by – making action plan to improve areas which are criticised, investigating negative feedback, making changes in procedures, let customer know of any action taken by putting these information on the website, making regular meetings where performance can be discussed, etc. In the Barclays bank action is taken in complains. Firstly, one of the staff try to calm down a customer, try resolve problem by himself, if he is not able, he apologised for it and call a manager to speak with complaining customer. Manager tries do it by himself if he is not able, information is putted on the log system and on the next meeting everyone try to resolve it, if this do not work, it is sent to head of branch when they will consider any changes on which a person is complaining. Procedures for handling customer complains All of the businesses need to deal with complains. Most of businesses have special procedures how to deal with them with points to follow. When customer’s problem is resolved it is more likely that he will return. Complains are good way of getting rid of competitors, as when a company handle it successfully, company makes a step forward in customer service. Complains should be handled quickly and sympathy. In the Barclays bank complains are posted into the log system and afterwards if cannot be resolved in a branch, complains are sent out to branch office. Customer information and helplines There are many methods of informing customers, like putting information on the website, notices on displays, making and giving out leaflets and information sheets, frequently asked questions on the website, newsletters, and customer service advice helplines. In the Barclays bank, information is provided by leaflets, on the website, helpline, newsletters, posters, adverts and notices. The Barclays is a huge brand which is recognisable in whole country, so they use wide range methods of providing information and for marketing. Everything is easy to find in a branch as there are signs and staff is wearing identification cards where is also placed on what position they work. Impact on resources All of the companies want their employees to have the best customer service; also they want any issue easy to be resolved. If in some cases poor customer service was identified, like poor knowledge of product provided then more training is needed. It will need additional costs to arrange training and to transport staff in the place where training is provided, also, another cost is to replace the members of staff for the time when they are on training. Other costly thing is investigating complains, as it is time and consuming. Some of the staff members must be involved in resolving problem and records of it need to be completed. When a customer complains about member of a staff, the staff member can get a verbal warning, if it is first time, if not; warning can be written or can be dismissal. Improving communication is also costly, telephones, internet, computers are costly but vey useful. Besides these methods are costly for the first time, a person who has a meeting abroad can do a conference by the computer, not traveling, what saves time. The last one costly thing is improvement in physical structure of the building, for example, making things more accessible for disabled people, making lifts, automatic doors, etc. In the Barclays bank in recruiting new staff, the potential employees need to show that they are confident, punctual and have outstanding potentials. Involving new staff involves assessments which are afterwards scored. Firstly, when somebody is interesting in a position in Barclays bank, he needs to apply online, when his application form is successful he needs to get through telephone assessment, when he pass it, he is invited to the branch for an interview. Training is really costly and time consuming, but this is worth it, as people there are working for the long time and they are picked from lots of the applicants, as they are the best for these positions for which they applied. Costs involved in revamping are training cost, uniform cost, and staff time. In the Barclays, they do not really take part of making new layout of the bank.