Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Information Enclosed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Information Enclosed - Essay Example However, question arises if digression of women from their traditional roles was the only factor causing this change or were their elements too, that resulted in this transformation. A careful analysis of current corporate and social policies would indicate that women have been given a chance to participate equally in almost every field of life. From military to social work, even running big enterprises, women have undertaken major leading roles in different organizations. In order to facilitate women with these responsibilities different facilities like childcare, flexible working hours, work from home, have been introduced. However, it is important to evaluate if participation in other fields of life was actually necessary for women. Before World War I, women were confined to their traditional roles of a house keeper who was responsible for maintain the house, raising kids and in retrospective, taking care of agricultural activities and cattle rearing in family farms. With advent o f new technology, most of traditional methods of agriculture were modified. It is important to note that women were responsible for growing and preserving food because there were no other methodologies available. Furthermore, technological changes not only brought changes to family life but also affected economic preferences as well. After World War I, the concept of New Girl emerged which was a reflection of new empowered and liberal women who was taking on new responsibilities. After Great Depression, responsibilities of women increased greatly due to lack of economic resources (Abelson 105). Along with taking care of family, most of them were forced to work to earn their living as divorce rates and trends of men leaving their families unsupported increased greatly. Although the trend changed after World War II, and era of 1940s to 1950s was of male dominance but role of women in economic and social activities could not be ignored. With emergence of ââ¬Å"baby boomersâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Xersâ⬠, womenââ¬â¢s participation in national workforce increased greatly after 1950s (Boyd 650). A critical analysis of a famous TV show, ââ¬Å"Leave It to Beaverâ⬠illustrated men and womenââ¬â¢s roles in the normal American family. With Ward Cleaver being the head and bread earner of the family, June Cleaver was demonstrated as regular woman who was busy maintaining a house and taking care of her family while performing chores like washing, cleaning and cooking (Shaffer n.p). Comparison of this TV series to another recent TV series, ââ¬Å"Modern Familyâ⬠would also show Clair Dunphy as a woman who preferred her family over career. She is a multi-tasking woman who is highly concerned about her house and kids. She is often seen as busy with driving for different household chores, community work and even doing extra things like running for Town Council. Hence, she is a house wife but the definition of house wife has transformed as she seems to be busy w ith driving children, arranging their school functions and managing community drives. A comparison of these two sitcoms illustrates that overall family structure has changed greatly which of course
Monday, October 28, 2019
E-commerce innovation Essay Example for Free
E-commerce innovation Essay Abstract The 21st century has been an era of technological development. Life has been a huge success it is possible to get almost anything that you want. Business done through the aid of an internet is called electronic commerce. This kind of business has boomed in the 21st century with the massive availability of personal computers and laptops. Anyone who has been into shopping online will not miss e-bay. E-bay is one shopping center online that has recently been a favorite of those who loves to do shopping without a hassle. E-bay has been in the business for twelve years. This study embark upon the organizational framework of e-bay that aid them in generating more than they have imagined and the organizational strategies of e-bay. Anyone who gets into business has only one thing in mind, success. Success for one business depends on a lot of factors. Apart from its product, the management and the team behind it matters most. This holds true especially for the e-commerce business because this needs a lot of effort on the part of the management to make it appealing to online customers and to make it worthy of trust of many to believe and give their credit card numbers and trust it with money matters. eBay offers more than just a place for auction; they have numerous programs that cater to the need of its client. E-bay has not only conquered North America but also Asia and Europe. The analysis of the organizational strategies of e-bay was done by doing a content analysis of the documents released regarding their system of management. Introduction The 21st century has been an era of technological development. Life has been a huge success it is possible to get almost anything that you want. Development has been continuous and this is not going to stop. Each tries to adapt to the changes that happens in his life and he has to deal with it. Everything happens in the internet, anything that one could think of. There is internet shopping, online education and internet banking and so many more. Since the time internet came into being; information gathering has never been easy. Nowadays, we can get all information that we need with just one snap of the finger. Name the service that you want and the internet has it. You need to study? The web has a site for online education. Need help on money matters? Thereââ¬â¢s online banking. You would like to shop but have no time to stand up from your work? Even shopping can be done online. Doing business online is termed as e-commerce or e-business. Examples of internet websites that cater to e-commerce business would be commercial sites like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and eBay (Sharpened, 2002). Within these sites, one could do online shopping. Business done through the aid of an internet is called electronic commerce. This kind of business has boomed in the 21st century with the massive availability of personal computers and laptops. Forrester research has recorded total of $12.2 billion sales in 2003 contributed by e-commerce industry (Wikipedia). E-commerce was introduce in the seventies and has evolved in its use since. In the seventies it was only use for transferring of funds and data electronically to aid companies. Then in the eighties the growth of automated teller machines and online banking was because of e-commerce as well. In the nineties, shopping online was the other kind of e-commerce that was introduced in the business (Wikipedia). Anyone who has been into shopping online will not miss e-bay. E-bay is one shopping center online that has recently been a favorite of those who loves to do shopping without a hassle. E-bay has been in the business for twelve years. This company has been a fruit of a trial and error of three prominent people in the business now. The three icons of e-bay are Pierre Omidyar, Meg Whitman and Jim Griffith. These three have made a beautiful outcome of a trial business that has been a very good decision. If to be compared to its contemporary e-commerce websites that were born the same time that they were, their capitalization is twenty five percent more than that of its counterpart (Maney, 2005). What is the secret behind e-bayââ¬â¢s success? What is the organizational framework of e-bay that aid them in generating more than they have imagined in a business that some has notes as skeptical? What could be the organizational strategies of e-bay? Literature Review Anyone who gets into business has only one thing in mind, success. Success for one business depends on a lot of factors. Apart from its product, the management and the team behind it matters most. This holds true especially for the e-commerce business because this needs a lot of effort on the part of the management to make it appealing to online customers and to make it worthy of trust of many to believe and give their credit card numbers and trust it with money matters. Companies try to always to check their management system is helping flourish their business. Business strategies are needed to make sure that one stays in the market long. To make sure that everything is in order, one needs to check if its employees are able to meet up the standards set by the company. The development of the use of corporate code of conducts to govern the behavior of employees has flourished since the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in 1977. Back then this code of conducts or corporate social responsibility (CSR) was seen as explicit directives for the employees but today employers were able to understand that these are helpful tools in handling their employees and making their work advantageous for the company. Culture set the business behavior that surrounds a corporations code of conduct. Factors that are included are the way we comprehend the environment, how we use time and power, how we perceive space and structures. Also included is our perception of collective and individual task or relationships. If manage properly, CSR can help in fulfilling economic, social and environmental ambitions. Vital part of corporate governance will include the way codes of conduct are integrated in their operations. To make sure that a global company is competing ethically and effectively, one needs to make sure that the companyââ¬â¢s code of conduct are made known to their employees so that they could incorporate it in their way of working (Wozniak, 1997). HSBC is one organization that provides banking and financial services that is doing its best to make up for all the losses and is giving a promising return to its consumers. They might not be the largest company but they have been awarded a couple of excellence award because of their great customer relation and promising return of investments. HSBC has now what a strategic plan they named Managing for Growth. HSBC has lay down their ways for achieving their objective of having an accelerated their rate of revenue. They still have to develop their brand strategy and improve their productivity at the same time maintaining strong position regarding management risk and financial aspect. Employees are also part of those that needs enhancing to make sure that they will be successful in achieving their goals. Part of the companyââ¬â¢s plan is giving good rewards to those employees who will achieve the criteria that they have set (HSBC fact sheet, 2006). Every company has their own strategy but the burden lies in properly executing this strategies. Chapman (2004) has concluded that almost ninety percent of companies fail in properly executing their strategies. Studies show that when CEOââ¬â¢s who have failed have been interviewed said that the thing that led them to downfall was the bad execution of strategies that they have formulated. Only fourteen percent of those included in Times 1000 companies have commented that they are implementing good strategies. (Chapman, 2004) Proper management of business and financial risk is needed in order to ensure that an industry like the online shopping and any traditional company associated with it is here to stay. It is easy to acquire a debt but maintaining its positive impact in one company needs a lot of effort and planning. Business risk should be managed well and risk should be realigned in a way to cut costs; Optimized firmââ¬â¢s operating and financing costs; Trade off fixed charge and variable charge costs; Risk management; and when to increase and decrease risk. (Brackers, 2004) Methodology Analysis of the organizational strategies of e-bay by doing a content analysis of the documents released regarding their system of management. Findings / Results E-bay is a phenomenal hit when it comes to online shopping. Their organizational structure is just the same with other big companies. Reports shows that executives of this big company has still the traditional job titles but with a little modification with their job descriptions. To make an organizational structure of an online shopping business advantageous one needs to put more emphasis on its account management and customer relationship manpower (Keen and Qureshiï⬠ª, 2006). Most of e-bays top ranking officials are graduates of good international universities and they have satisfactory working experiences as well. Most of them have taken a degree from Stanford University. E-bay has not only conquered North America but also Asia and Europe. There were twelve countries included in the Asian region, thirteen in the European region, greater part of Canada and United States (http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html). eBay offers more than just a place for auction; they have numerous programs that cater to the need of its client. These services include The eBay Marketplace, this is where customers could buy and sell their products; PayPal, aids in online monetary transactions of companies and individuals; Skype, is the program of e-bay that is focus on internet communication; Shopping.com, as name implies this is a site for shopping and more shopping that is; Rent.com, is the online apartment listing of eBay in the United States; and Online Classifieds, is a part of the eBay program that is an aid on the communication on a local level. (http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html). As recorded, the total number of eBay users worldwide has reach one hundred eighty one million. This total number of users has given eBay total revenue of $44.3 billion in 2005. The good quality of the developer of eBay is that they never loose hope despite all the adversities that they had. They wee also well in choosing in whom to put in specific spots that they needed. Pierre Omidyar, the chairman of eBay, has made a good choice when he chose Meg Whitman to handle his company. Advertisements play a major role in the success of one company as they help in creating public awareness. The first PR Manager of eBay has shown her passion for her work by creating a very good ââ¬Å"mythâ⬠about the company. She has used every advertisement techniques to make a good reputation for the company. This good reputation of the company has been a collaboration of good advertisement techniques and good feedback of the services that they provide (Maney, 2005). Customer relationship is an important aspect in retaining customers; this could be achieved by providing a fast and reliable service. Omidyar has commented that aside from carefully managing their employees, the success of e-bay could be attributed to the right decision prowess of its CEO, Whitman. She was able to understand well that an online auction web also needs guiding and understanding the growing community of eBay sellers. Whitmanââ¬â¢s strategy in managing the organization was being flexible and keeping in phase with the fast movement of the business (Maney, 2005). The total crash of the eBay sites that happened last June 10, 1999 has humbled the company and has teach the company on some pints regarding taking care of their system and clients as well. The system has crashed for a total of twenty-two hours. They had contacted all those affected by the system crash and this has made a direct impact on the customers, making them feel like they were really an important element of the organization. eBay has let the customers help themselves by providing a framework of a self-serve site. eBay has been an icon in the online business that even school try to use the site to teach students about e-commerce (Johnston, 2002). Conclusions/ Recommendations Any business needs an amount of risk and determination to succeed. The capital is one important factor that determines the future of one industry that is why it is important that the amount invested in any given company or business is carefully monitored if it is being use to the fullest and if it will augment to all the needs needed to make it. The capital of one company could be handled well if they have the right organizational strategies. In electronic business the common problems that may arise will be rejection of service attacks, viruses, obliteration, and theft of their intellectual property. These problems could be prevented if the organization has good managerial considerations and technical options. There should be a balance between internal and external security management (Greiger and Wegman., 2002). Each component contributes to the behavior of the system. No component has an independent effect on the system. The behavior of the system is changed if any component is removed or changed. The system has an outside an environment which provides inputs into the system and receives outputs from the system. All customers want a company that would work to their advantage without any surprises regarding deals made between him and the financial company. They would love someone who could provide them and first-rate service and a bank that has security that they could provide service for a long time. Money matter is one issue among the working citizens that requires them to think a hundred times before getting the service of any financial company. There are a lot of companies that tries to persuade them to invest in their company and that they will be getting their moneyââ¬â¢s value. Assessing one programââ¬â¢s effectiveness is crucial to its success. Evaluations of the advertisements and marketing strategy could guide the company if there adjustments are needed. Evaluation of the trend of existing customers would be one way of checking if objectives are being met. This could be on the form of surveys and questionnaires regarding how they foresee the services being provided. The key to a successful partnership is inter-dependency. In choosing an e-commerce site that would provide the services needed by one person, they must make sure that they are dealing with the best in the field. A customer must make sure that they are entrusting their money with the correct organization, whenever it is the traditional way or online. Reference Brackers, Kevin. (2004). Chapter 13: Capital Restructure. Pittsburg State University. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.pittstate.edu/econ/ch12326.html Chapman, Alan. (2004). Strategy Implementation and Realization. Farsight Leadership Ltd. Businessball.com. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.businessballs.com/businessstrategyimplementation.htm Greiger, Joseph and Jerry Wegman. (2002). Small Business and E-Commerce: Strategic and Legal Concerns. University of Idaho. Retrieved September 17, 2006 from http://www.cbe.uidaho.edu/wegman/geiger-wegman%202002%20website.htm HSBC fact sheet. 2006. HSBC Global Site. Retrieved September 17, 2006 from http://www.hsbc.com/hsbc/investor_centre/fast-facts Johnston, Timothy C. (2002). Using E-bay to teach E-commerce. The University of Tennessee at Martin. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.utm.edu/staff/johnston/papers/ebayteachec.doc Keen, Peter and Sajda Qureshiï⬠ª. (2006). Organizational Transformation through Business Models: A Framework for Business Model Design. Proceedings of the 39th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/HICSS39/Best%20Papers/OS/08-14 05.pdf#search=organizational%20framework%20of%20ebay Maney, Kevin. (2005). 10 years ago, eBay changed the world. USA Today. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-03-21-ebay-cover_x.htm Miner, John B. (2005) Organizational Behavior I: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership. HF5549 2005-003746 0-7656-1523-1 Sharpe, Inc. Reference Research Book News. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/search?tb=artqt=Organizational+behavior+/+Analysis Sharpened Productions. (2006). Definition of E-commerce. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://www.sharpened.net/glossary/definition.php?ecommerce The Ebay company. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay/thecompany/companyoverview.html Wikipedia. (2006) E-commerce. Retrieved September 17, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_commerce Wozniak, Lynne. (1997) International Business Ethics: When a Corporate Code of Conduct is Not Enough.. Relocation Journal Real Estate News. Retrieved September 17, 2006 from http://www.relojournal.com/july97/ethics.htm
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Cindy Sherman Essay -- Essays Papers
Cindy Sherman Terror and mockery come together in the portraits of Cindy Sherman on display at the Crocker Art Museum. Walking into the large, dimly lit ballroom, one may begin to feel a slight sense of trepidation as the viewer looks around to find nine sets of beady eyes watching oneââ¬â¢s every move. Sherman produced her History Portraits during the late eighties and early nineties, nine of which are displayed at the museum. In her portraits she uses lush fabrics, lavish jewelry, and false body parts to decorate herself in these self-portraits. Her portraits have been know to cause discomfort in the viewers who find the general stereotypes, depicted in her portraits, amusing, yet confusing and terrorizing. Shermanââ¬â¢s Untitled #225 (Blond Woman) triggers those exact emotions. The portrait is a large colored photograph created in 1990. An eighteenth century blond, Madonna-like, young lady sits poised with one hand on her exposed artificial breast as if she is nursing a baby. She is well dressed in a blue satin dress, small white beads laced through her braided hair, and a tiara atop her head. Her icy, blue eyes stare off to the left with a harsh, cold expression. With her breast aimed high, spewing fluids, in the same direction as she stares, it is difficult to imagine what is going through her head, however it is clear that it is something of an almost vindictive and unforgiving nature. Possibly, she points her breast toward a man who betrayed her or harass...
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Five Forces Porter Essay
These five forces are empirically derived, e.g. by observation of real companies in real markets, rather than the result of economic analysis. Porterââ¬â¢s five forces is a useful generic structure for thinking about the nature of industries. The understanding of the structure of an industry is the basis for formulation of competitive strategy. The work of Porter provides an analytical framework for the analysis of the structural factors that condition competition within an industry and suggests several generic competitive strategies. An industry is not a closed system, competitors exit and enter, and suppliers and buyers have a major effect on the prospects and profitability of the industry. However, Porter points out that the structure of an industry will not change in the short term. Industry structure is something that irrespective of the general economic climate or short term fluctuations in demand fundamentally affects return on investment. Structural change is slow and often associated with political and labour conflict. Structural factors are often cited as holding back development and in some cases governments make funds available to mitigate social problems caused by structural change. By understanding this Porterââ¬â¢s five forces framework that used to analyse industryââ¬â¢s competitive forces and to shape organizationââ¬â¢s strategy, we can apply it in our company by developing the following steps below: 1.Gather the information on each of the five forces In this step, managers / strategists should gather information about their industry and to check it against each of the factors influencing the force. 2.Analyze the results and display them on a diagram / matrix In this step, managers / strategists should analyze the gathered information and determine how each force is affecting an industry. For example, if there are many companies of equal size operating in the slow growth industry, it means that rivalry between existing companies is strong. The thing that must be remembered is five forces affect different industries differently, so donââ¬â¢t use the same results of analysis for even similar industries. 3.Formulate strategies based on the conclusions At this step, managers / strategists should formulate firmââ¬â¢s strategies usingà the results of the analysis. For example, if it is hard to achieve economies of scale in the market, the company should pursue cost leadership strategy. Product development strategy should be used if the current market growth is slow and the market is saturated. In the end, even though Five Forces is a great tool to analyze industryââ¬â¢s structure and use the results to formulate firmââ¬â¢s strategy, it has its limitations and requires further analysis to be completed such as SWOT, PEST, or Value Chain analysis.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Cosi hsc practice essay Essay
Discuss how Nowraââ¬â¢s perspective on personal relationships is conveyed in Cosi. The play Cosi by Louis Nowra is an emotional portrayal of personal relationships in a Melbourne mental institution ostracised by society. Throughout the play Nowraââ¬â¢s perspective on personal relationships develops and changes through character relationships and development, especially the development of the main protagonist Lewis. Nowra conveys his perspective on personal relationships through themes such as the importance of love and fidelity, the empowerment of women and learning and self-development. Techniques such as symbolism, intertextuality and contrast are also used to further highlight Nowraââ¬â¢s perspective. Nowraââ¬â¢s perspective on personal relationships is primarily shown through the character Lewis and his personal relationships with other characters in the play, especially in his relationship with his girlfriend Lucy. Act Two, Scene Two which features a confrontation between Lewis and Lucy on their relationship is significant in showing this. In this scene, Lucy comes to pick Lewis up to take him to the moratorium meeting and Lewis must decide between staying for the play and going with Lucy. Nowraââ¬â¢s belief on the importance of the existence of love and fidelity in a relationship is shown when Lewis says to Lucy ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s about important things like love and fidelityâ⬠. Intertextuality is used here through Lewisââ¬â¢ character development and change of values that is evident in this line. This change occurred through his participation in the production of Cosi Fan Tutte with the patients and his exposure to the themes in the play. The women in both Cosi Fan Tutte and Cosi are often compared with the Arabian Phoenix which acts a symbol for a womanââ¬â¢s constancy or fidelity. ââ¬Å"A womanââ¬â¢s constancy is like the Arabian Phoenix. Everyone swears it exists, but no one has seen it.â⬠This is quoted by Lewis to Lucy to further convey Nowraââ¬â¢s belief in the importance of love and fidelity in a relationship. As Cosi was written in a time where a huge social change was occurring and women were beginning to have more sexual freedom with the invention he birth control pill, a lot of aspects of the play focus on the empowerment of women and the double standards that exist between and women in society especially when it comes to fidelity. This is shown in Nowraââ¬â¢s contrast of Act Two, Scene One and Act Two, Scene, Two. In Scene One, Lewis is unfaithful as he kisses Julie but in Act Two he reprimands Lucy for sleeping with Nick failing to mention his own infidelities. Intertextuality is used in this scene when Lewis claims that a womanââ¬â¢s constancy is like the Arabian Phoenix, revealing his hypocrisy. Through Lewisââ¬â¢ condemnation, Nowra demonstrates that, although modern society has become more sexually lenient, there are still double standards that occur which condone menââ¬â¢s fidelity but condemn womenââ¬â¢s fidelity. It is revealed that Nowra believes that men and women should be equal not only in relationships but in society too. Julie articulates the message at the beginning of the play when she says that men ââ¬Å"want women to deceive them because it will prove their worst thoughts about womenâ⬠which in contrast is confirmed by Lewisââ¬â¢ attitude towards Lucyââ¬â¢s infidelities.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Benazir Bhutto - Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto - Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was born into one of South Asias great political dynasties, Pakistans equivalent of the Nehru/Gandhi dynasty in India. Her father was president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973, and Prime Minister from 1973 to 1977; his father, in turn, was prime minister of a princely state before independence and the Partition of India. Politics in Pakistan, however, is a dangerous game. In the end, Benazir, her father, and both of her brothers would die violently. Early Life Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953 in Karachi, Pakistan, the first child of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Ispahani. Nusrat was from Iran, and practiced Shia Islam, while her husband (and most other Pakistanis) practiced Sunni Islam. They raised Benazir and their other children as Sunnisà but in an open-minded and non-doctrinaire fashion. The couple later would have two sons and another daughter: Murtaza (born in 1954), daughter Sanam (born in 1957), and Shahnawaz (born in 1958). As the eldest child, Benazir was expected to do very well in her studies, regardless of her gender. Benazir went to school in Karachi through high school, then attended Radcliffe College (now part of Harvard University) in the United States, where she studied comparative government. Bhutto later said that her experience in Boston reconfirmed her belief in the power of democracy. After graduating from Radcliffe in 1973, Benazir Bhutto spent several additional years studying at Oxford University in Great Britain. She took a wide variety of courses in international law and diplomacy, economics, philosophy and politics. Entry into Politics Four years into Benazirs studies in England, the Pakistani military overthrew her fathers government in a coup. The coup leader, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, imposed martial law on Pakistan and had Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrested on trumped-up conspiracy charges. Benazir returned home, where she and her brother Murtaza worked for 18 months to rally public opinion in support of their jailed father. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, meanwhile, convicted Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of conspiracy to commit murderà and sentenced him to death by hanging. Due to their activism on behalf of their father, Benazir and Murtaza were placed under house arrest off and on. As Zulfikars designated execution date of April 4, 1979 drew closer, Benazir, her mother, and her younger siblings were all arrested and imprisoned in a police camp. Imprisonment Despite an international outcry, General Zias government hanged Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on April 4, 1979. Benazir, her brother, and her mother were in prison at the timeà and were not allowed to prepare the former prime ministers body for burial in accordance with Islamic law. When Bhuttos Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won local elections that spring, Zia canceled national elections and sent the surviving members of the Bhutto family to prison in Larkana, about 460 kilometers (285 miles) north of Karachi. Over the next five years, Benazir Bhutto would be held either in prison or under house arrest. Her worst experience was in a desert prison at Sukkur, where she was held in solitary confinement for six months of 1981, including the worst of the summer heat. Tormented by insects, and with her hair falling out and skin peeling off from the baking temperatures, Bhutto had to be hospitalized for several months after this experience. Once Benazir was sufficiently recovered from her term at Sukkur Jail, Zias government sent her back to the Karachi Central Jail, then to Larkana once more, and back to Karachi under house arrest. Meanwhile, her mother, who had also been held at Sukkur, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Benazir herself had developed an inner ear problem that required surgery. International pressure mounted for Zia to allow them to leave Pakistan to seek medical care. Finally, after six years of moving the Bhutto family from one form of imprisonment to the next, General Zia allowed them to go into exile in order to get treatment. Exile Benazir Bhutto and her mother went to London in January of 1984 to begin their self-imposed medical exile. As soon as Benazirs ear problem was remedied, she began to publicly advocate against the Zia regime. Tragedy touched the family once more on July 18, 1985. After a family picnic, Benazirs youngest brother, the 27-year-old Shah Nawaz Bhutto, died of poisoning in his home in France. His family believed that his Afghan princess wife, Rehana, had murdered Shah Nawaz at the behest of the Zia regime; although French police held her in custody for some time, no charges were ever brought against her. Despite her grief, Benazir Bhutto continued her political involvement. She became the leader in exile of her fathers Pakistan Peoples Party. Marriage Family Life Between the assassinations of her close relatives and Benazirs own frantically busy political schedule, she had no time for dating or meeting men. In fact, by the time she entered her 30s, Benazir Bhutto had begun to assume that she would never marry; politics would be her lifes work and only love. However, her family had other ideas. An auntie advocated for a fellow Sindhi and scion of a landed family, a young man named Asif Ali Zardari. Benazir refused to even meet him at first, but after a concerted effort by her family and his, the marriage was arranged (despite Benazirs feminist qualms about arranged marriages). The marriage was a happy one, and the couple had three children - a son, Bilawal (born 1988), and two daughters, Bakhtawar (born 1990) and Aseefa (born 1993). They had hoped for a larger family, but Asif Zardari was imprisoned for seven years, so they were unable to have more children. Return and Election as Prime Minister On August 17, 1988, the Bhuttos received a favor from the heavens, as it were. A C-130 carrying General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and several of his top military commanders, along with US Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel, crashed near Bahawalpur, in the Punjab region of Pakistan. No definitive cause was ever established, although theories included sabotage, Indian missile strike, or a suicidal pilot. Simple mechanical failure seems the most likely cause, however. Zias unexpected death cleared the way for Benazir and her mother to lead the PPP to victory in the November 16, 1988 parliamentary elections. Benazir became Pakistans eleventh prime minister on December 2, 1988. Not only was she Pakistans first female Prime Minister, but also the first woman to lead a Muslim nation in modern times. She focused on social and political reforms, which rankled more traditional or Islamist politicians. Prime Minister Bhutto faced a number of international policy problems during her first tenure in office, including the Soviet and American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the resulting chaos. Bhutto reached out to India, establishing a good working relationship with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, but that initiative failed when he was voted out of office, and then assassinated by Tamil Tigers in 1991. Pakistans relationship with the United States, already strained by the situation in Afghanistan, broke altogether in 1990 over the issue of nuclear weapons. Benazir Bhutto firmly believed that Pakistan needed a credible nuclear deterrent, since India had already tested a nuclear bomb in 1974. Corruption Charges On the domestic front, Prime Minister Bhutto sought to improve human rights and the position of women in Pakistani society. She restored freedom of the pressà and allowed labor unions and student groups to meet openly once again. Prime Minister Bhutto also working assiduously to weaken the ultra-conservative president of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, and his allies in the military leadership. However, Khan had veto power over parliamentary actions, which severely restricted Benazirs effectiveness on matters of political reform. In November of 1990, Khan dismissed Benazir Bhutto from the Prime Ministership and called new elections. She was charged with corruption and nepotism under the Eighth Amendment to the Pakistani Constitution; Bhutto always maintained that the charges were purely political. The conservative parliamentarian Nawaz Sharif became the new prime minister, while Benazir Bhutto was relegated to being the opposition leader for five years. When Sharif also tried to repeal the Eighth Amendment, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan used it to recall his government in 1993, just as he had done to Bhuttos government three years earlier. As a result, Bhutto and Sharif joined forces to oust President Khan in 1993. Second Term as Prime Minister In October of 1993, Benazir Bhuttos PPP got a plurality of the parliamentary seatsà and formed a coalition government. Once again, Bhutto became prime minister. Her hand-picked candidate for the presidency, Farooq Leghari, took office in the place of Khan. In 1995, an alleged conspiracy to oust Bhutto in a military coup was exposed, and the leaders tried and jailed for sentences of two to fourteen years. Some observers believe that the putative coup was simply an excuse for Benazir to rid the military of some of her opponents. On the other hand, she had first-hand knowledge of the danger a military coup could pose, considering her fathers fate. Tragedy struck the Bhuttos once more on September 20, 1996, when Karachi police shot dead Benazirs surviving brother, Mir Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto. Murtaza had not gotten along well with Benazirs husband, which sparked conspiracy theories about his assassination. Even Benazir Bhuttos own mother accused the prime minister and her husband of causing Murtazas death. In 1997, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was dismissed from office once more, this time by President Leghari, whom she had supported. Again, she was charged with corruption; her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was also implicated. Leghari reportedly believed that the couple was implicated in Murtaza Bhuttos assassination. Exile Once More Benazir Bhutto stood for parliamentary elections in February of 1997à but was defeated. Meanwhile, her husband had been arrested trying to get to Dubaià and went on trial for corruption. While in prison, Zardari won a parliamentary seat. In April of 1999, both Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari were convicted of corruptionà and were fined $8.6 million US each. They were both sentenced to five years in prison. However, Bhutto was already in Dubai, which refused to extradite her back to Pakistan, so only Zardari served his sentence. In 2004, after his release, he joined his wife in exile in Dubai. Return to Pakistan On October 5, 2007, General and President Pervez Musharraf granted Benazir Bhutto amnesty from all of her corruption convictions. Two weeks later, Bhutto returned to Pakistan to campaign for the 2008 elections. On the day she landed at Karachi, a suicide bomber attacked her convoy surrounded by well-wishers, killing 136 and injuring 450; Bhutto escaped unharmed. In response, Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3. Bhutto criticized the declarationà and called Musharraf a dictator. Five days later, Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest to prevent her from rallying her supporters against the state of emergency. Bhutto was freed from house arrest the following day, but the state of emergency remained in effect until December 16, 2007. In the meantime, however, Musharraf gave up his post as a general in the army, affirming his intention to rule as a civilian. The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto On December 27, 2007, Bhutto appeared at an election rally in the park known as Liaquat National Bagh in Rawalpindi. As she was leaving the rally, she stood up to wave to supporters through the sunroof of her SUV. A gunman shot her three times, and then explosives went off all around the vehicle. Twenty people died on the scene; Benazir Bhutto passed away about an hour later in the hospital. Her cause of death was not the gunshot wounds but rather blunt force head trauma. The blast of the explosions had slammed her head into the edge of the sunroof with terrible force. Benazir Bhutto died at the age of 54, leaving behind a complicated legacy. The charges of corruption leveled against her husband and herself do not seem to have been entirely invented for political reasons, despite Bhuttos assertions to the contrary in her autobiography. We may never know whether she had any fore-knowledge about her brothers assassination. In the end, though, nobody can question Benazir Bhuttos bravery. She and her family endured tremendous hardships, and whatever her faults as a leader, she genuinely did strive to improve life for the ordinary people of Pakistan. For more information about women in power in Asia, see this list of Female Heads of State. Sources Bahadur, Kalim. Democracy in Pakistan: Crises and Conflicts, New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications, 1998. Obituary: Benazir Bhutto, BBC News, Dec. 27, 2007. Bhutto, Benazir. Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography, 2nd ed., New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Bhutto, Benazir. Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West, New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Englar, Mary. Benazir Bhutto: Pakistani Prime Minister and Activist, Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2006.
Monday, October 21, 2019
PD-H-PE Assignment essays
PD-H-PE Assignment essays It origins/history- Homeopathy was developed during the 1790s by a Samuel Hahnemann, a German who was a physician. Hahnemann who while experimenting on himself with a anti-malarial drug, noticed that large doses of the drug caused the malaria-like symptoms while smaller doses cured the symptoms. Hahnemann then advanced his theory Similia similibus curentur, or let like be cured with like. He then developed an extensive system of medicine based on this concept and named it homeopathy, from the Greek words homois (the same) and pathos (suffering). How it works- There is no real scientific reason for homeopathy working although there are quite a number of theories, none have been scientifically proved. Functions/purpose of treatment- The purpose of homeopathy is to cure the patients who use it on physical, mental and emotional levels. It is also made for the purpose of using it on young children who benefit from not taking drugs and antibiotics instead. Popularity- Homeopathy is very popular with vets, because some drugs may be to strong for weak animals. At the turn of this century 15% of physicians were homeopathic physicians. Medical standing in the community- Homeopathys standing in the community is about 50-50. Some doctors and people believe it and some believe that it does not give any relief or cure to the patients. Those people believe that the patient is convinced that he or she is cured when it is merely an illusion. The providers of the service- Homeopaths are the providers of the homeopathic service, but some western doctors do practice homeopathy and western medical treatments. Cost of the treatment- Homeopathy can range from $135-$525 AUS. Dollars for a full session. Your personal opinion/view- My personal opinion and view is that homeopathy is a good treatment that works, as I myself have had it a few times. I believe it is stupi ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Using the APA Template
Using the APA Template By now, we have all discovered the magic of templates. From statistical reports to business letters, templates make our lives easier by formatting our text correctly for us. Now you can format your APA style papers correctly with the APA template. Using a simple template, you can first choose which type of paper or report you intend to generate. Many APA template packages come with a variety of options to help you choose the APA style thats right for you. Whether youre writing an academic paper or a more stylized report, you can be sure the conform to APA guidelines. The program will then most likely ask you for some information on the paper you are preparing. By entering information into fields, you can customize your paper to your exact needs. You can title the paper, and make further specifications on your report. Other APA Software There is more to APA software than mere templates, however. You can also store your frequently used sources for later, easier reuse. With a few clicks of your mouse, the ease and standardization of the APA style is at your fingertips, and in your paper.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Migration, Immigration and Their Effects on Religion, Women And Essay
Migration, Immigration and Their Effects on Religion, Women And Minorities in Germany - Essay Example A country like the United States is considered to be a ââ¬Å"melting potâ⬠of different cultures and ethnic minorities. The same can also be said with the European Union with its free movement of labor. Higher wages attract workers, especially women to migrate with the idea of having a better and improved welfare. This paper aims to examine the effects of migration on women, religion and ethnic minorities. In this case, Germany shall be examined due to its immigration and refugee policy. It is also considered to have the largest foreign population in Europe. In fact, Germanyââ¬â¢s foreign population has already exceeded seven million people for each of the last 10 years, not counting those migrants who have acquired German citizenship (Oezcan, 2004). Clearly, these factors pose challenges to the Germany and the European Union. Migration in Germany In European history, Germany was identified to have a long history of absorbing migrants from Europe: Lutherans from Austria, Huguenots from France, Jews from East and Central Europe. However, this openness through the years sparked debates and inquiries. Nationalists espoused a particularist approach to such issues which stressed on blood rather than territory or birth right. Those that migrated to Germany were never identified to be Germans. Such an approach was very much seen in Hitler's regime wherein Jews were considered to be a lesser race compared to full-blooded Germans. The particularist approach in Germany history was subdued by the need for economic recovery especially after World War II and German Unification. By the end of the late 1980s, foreigners were increasingly being blamed for taking jobs, housing and public services away from German citizens (Hollifield, 1997:48). There was a need to rebuild Germany after the damages it suffered after the war. With a relatively low population and workforce, it needed foreigners to work and rebuild infrastructures. Nonetheless, this was not seen by German citizens who were easily displaced and unable to receive benefits from the state. The Effects on Women, Religion and Ethnic Minorities In 2000, a new citizenship law came into force, the first such measure in nearly 90 years. For the very first time, children born to foreigners in Germany automatically receive German citizenship, provided one parent has been a legal resident for at least eight years (Oezcan, 2004). The demography and ethnic makeup of Germany has clearly become diversified. Data in 2000 shows that 41,300 children born of parents with non-Germany citizenship became German by birth; in 2001 the figure was 38,600. Without the new rule, these children would have appeared among the statistics on the foreign population and therefore would have increased the number of foreigners by about 80,000. With the continuous entry of temporary workers, refugees, asylum seekers from countries such as Poland, Russia, Czech Republic and Turkey, the society of Germany is bound to be characterized by diversity and dynamicity. For instance, the inflow of different culture greatly affects religion. If one would examine the history of Germany, it has been the refuge for exiled religious groups. Previously it was a Catholic country but with the rise of Protestantism and its variants, the German princes changed their alliance. Currently, the country still serves as a hodgepodge for different religions such Roman Catholic, Lutheran Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity. Immigration to Germany in past decades has seen the arrival of more foreign citizens and more religious communities. At the end of 2001, there
Energy, Sustainability and Renewability Assignment
Energy, Sustainability and Renewability - Assignment Example Various issues will be discussed in this assignment related to energy and its other variables. KEY TERMINOLIGIES For better understanding of this report some key terminologies have to be discussed in detail. These terms are the essence of this paper and cannot be comprehended without excessive research from different books and journals related to physics. Energy Although energy has been described in the introductory paragraph, a further analysis will be produced here. As described before that the ability of a system to do work on another system is known as energy. Coming towards the sub-division or the types of energy present in the language of physics. Energy can be divided into mechanical, solar, thermal, chemical, electrical, electromagnetic and nuclear energy. Mechanical energy is further broken down into two very important categories, potential and kinetic energy. Potential energy is the form of energy stored in a body for e.g. a fully stretched elastic band and kinetic energy i s the one when a body is motion for e.g. the same elastic band when being released. Sustainable Energy The fact that energy is utilized by burning or disfiguring other natural resources brings about the change in thinking of man, can we provide energy otherwise? The answer to this lies in the definition of sustainable energy. It is the provision of energy that meets the need without compromising the ability to generate energy in the future (Smith, 1998). Several factors go into making energy sustainable. The first is whether or not the current use of the energy is something which could potentially persist into the future, which leads many forms of renewable energy to qualify as sustainable. Therefore renewable and sustainable can be termed as in-lieu terminologies. Some of the renewable energy sources are hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, bio-energy, and tidal power. Examples Some of the examples of sustainable/renewable will be discussed in this report to better understand the various benefits and downsides of this form of energy. Hydroelectricity is the first term that will be discussed. It is one of the most used alternate energy being used in the modern world today. The flow of water in the river is used to turn turbines which in turn produce massive amount of electricity. Then comes wind energy which is the most blossoming alternate energy source in the commercial market is the ability to produce energy with the help of wind. Wind energy has had a huge impact in the energy industries. Wind farms have been set up in various windy cities of the world top produce large amount of electricity. The output power produced has been increasing by the day. The fact is clearly shown by the figure (Maggie, 2008) Issues with Renewable Energy Various questions have been raised with the alternate energy process. Although that the new renewable sources are cheap and effective, still many organizations and researches show that this form of energy production is more harm, since cost effectiveness is not the only issue at hand. Even before the low cost electricity is produced the problem which arises is that the setup of such plants which produce cheap energy, be it a dam or a wind city. Solar panels cost way more than burning fossil fuel and setting millions of panels for sustained energy providence is also a very costly factor. The problem is just not cost effective. Natural and environmental damages have huge costs
Friday, October 18, 2019
Interethnic Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina Research Paper
Interethnic Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Research Paper Example The Bosniacs mainly belongs to the Islamic religion, while the Serbs belong to the Orthodox tradition. The Croats, on the other hand, are affiliated to the Roma Catholic. This has seen the three ethnic communities engage each other in one of the worst ethnic violence that took place from 1992 to 1995. The war has been regarded as the worst ethnic violence ever witnessed in Europe since the end of World War II. Latest figures indicate that an estimated 100,000 people out of the countryââ¬â¢s 4.4 million people were mercilessly killed in the war and left thousands other injured2. The massacre received wide condemnation from the international community as the war spread throughout Bosnia. The report indicates that Srebrenica was the epicenter of this ethnic violence where an estimated 70,000 Bosniac boys and men were massacred by the Serbian forces. Due to the magnitude and the number of people who died in the war, the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hagu e terms the massacre an act of genocide. The report indicates that the ethnic cleansing resulted in the displacement of more than two million people. The World Bank report more than 60% houses in Bosnia and Herzegovina and more than 50% of schools were destroyed3.à à Bosnia and Herzegovina are ethnically diverse states. The dominant ethnic communities in the two states include the Bosniacs, Serbs, and Croats. These ethnic communities coexisted peacefully for a very long time even though they sometimes found themselves at odds with one another or with the government. However, the peaceful coexistence ended in 1992 when civil war broke out in among the three dominant communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina4. The war began following a disagreement between the three ethnic groups on the political future of the republic just soon after the extrication of Yugoslavia in 1991. Research indicates that the Croats and Muslims voted overwhelmingly in favor of the March 1992 referendum in support of the secession from the former Yugoslavia. This led to the session of the two countries resulting in the declaration of Serbia as an independent state. A report indicates that the minority ethnic group boycotted the election and staged protest throughout the coun try. This is because they wanted Bosnia and Yugoslavia to remain one single state. The protest also resulted in an ethnic violence, which left more than 100,000 people dead, in a war, which began in 1992 and ended in 1995. Of those who died, a majority estimated at about 80,000 was Bosniacs who belong to the Islamic religion.
The Teaching of Foreign Languages Research Proposal
The Teaching of Foreign Languages - Research Proposal Example In the result, one can observe impact of globalization on almost every aspect of different societies around the world, such as immigration, e-commerce, learning and most importantly, language learning. In particular, English has become an international language, and millions of individuals are endeavoring to learn foreign languages to equip themselves with the tools of surviving and competing in this modern global village. In this regard, institutions and organizations (Kirkman, 2010) are putting efforts to ensure effective learning of foreign languages by students and professionals around the world. In such an attempt, huge advancements in the field of information and technology have been playing a pivotal role in enhancing the language learning globally. Moreover, educational institutions are in midst of endeavors to identify the most effective methodology of teaching foreign languages. At the same time, it is an observation that technological tools are currently the most effective and interactive way of ensuring efficient teaching methodology when it comes to teaching of foreign languages. ... Research Statement In this regard, the proposed research will focus on the following research statement: ââ¬Å"To identify and analyze the impact of teaching methodology on the performances of students and teachers toward technological language learning in EFL contextâ⬠Literature Review In order to carry out research to analyze the impact, it is very imperative to acquire a foundational understanding of teaching methodologies that exist in the area of language learning. In this regard, brief review of the literature (Kirkman, 2010) has facilitated in identification of ââ¬Ëcomputer assisted language learningââ¬â¢ that indicates very effective outcomes in terms of efficient teaching of foreign language. In the result, a huge number of organizations and institutions (Johnson, 2008) are in midst of implementing CALL technology for teaching different languages around the globe. In addition, due to effectiveness of CALL, statistics have indicated that due to advancements in th e field of information technology, a higher number of institutions are transferring their teaching environment into a CALL atmosphere that is an effective way of learning foreign languages. Although a huge number of experts (Ruffin, 2000) have carried out researches on the effectiveness of CALL technology; however, it is an observation that a very few has focused on its impact on studentsââ¬â¢ performance in the subject, and thus, there exists a need of new researches in this area. In this regard, to understand its impact, it is imperative to have an understanding of its different forms. In specifically, CALL technology has come to the present era while passing through different stages where it existed as ââ¬ËStructural CALL,
Thursday, October 17, 2019
The challenges and opportunities of BMW Assignment
The challenges and opportunities of BMW - Assignment Example After conducting a thorough review of the literature it has been established that in order to offer high speed, sporty and designer cars to customers the company is neglecting the EU emission norms. There has been several news of the company taking political support to escape penalties and norms immorally. However, strict legal framework is compelling them towards thinking about other opportunities. In this backdrop a qualitative research has been conducted to know about customersââ¬â¢ perception and buying interest after knowing about the challenge. Primary data has been collected through a questionnaire survey among a sample size of 20 respondents. It was found that though customers check size, style, brand name and colour first, when it comes to buying a car but they would not prefer to buy a vehicle which does not meet legal emission standards. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Research Problem 4 1.3 Research Objectives 4 1.4 Research Questions 5 SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review on a particular aspect of health psychology Essay
Literature review on a particular aspect of health psychology - Essay Example Another eating disorder emerged, however, towards the end of the 1970s, when there were reports of an increasing number of adolescents who indulged in overeating, followed immediately by induced vomiting. This disorder was first named ââ¬Ëbulimarexiaââ¬â¢ (Ibid), as it shared some similar features with those suffering from anorexia nervosa. It was in 1979 when the term ââ¬Ëbulimia nervosaââ¬â¢ was introduced by a London psychiatrist, Professor Gerald Russell in a seminal paper which he published in the psychiatric journal Psychological Medicine (Abraham, 2008). Bulimia means ââ¬Ëto eat like an oxâ⬠(Abraham, 2008). Professor Russell described 40% of his patients suffering from a clinical condition as that of ââ¬Ëan ominous variant of anorexia nervosaâ⬠, a disorder he termed ââ¬Ëbulimia nervosaââ¬â¢. He explained that these groups of people periodically went on eating binges, while at the same time adopted extreme measures like induced vomiting to prevent themselves from becoming fat (Abraham, 2008; Cooper, 2009). In his paper, he proposed three definitions for bulimia nervosa: 1) powerful and intractable urges to overeat; 2) attempts to avoid the ââ¬Ëfatteningââ¬â¢ effects of food by inducing vomiting, abusing purgatives, or both; and 3) a morbid fear of fatness (Cooper, 2009). His definitions set a trend over the next few years, as clinicians and researchers used them as guidelines in identifying people with bulimia nervosa. The criteria for recognizing the onset of the disorder, however, became the subject of much debate as to how widespread bulimia nervosa was. In 1994, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association, provided some guidelines which has since then been widely accepted by mental health professionals (Schulherr, 2008). Some of these included episodes of binge-eating and purging, characterized by the personââ¬â¢s
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
The challenges and opportunities of BMW Assignment
The challenges and opportunities of BMW - Assignment Example After conducting a thorough review of the literature it has been established that in order to offer high speed, sporty and designer cars to customers the company is neglecting the EU emission norms. There has been several news of the company taking political support to escape penalties and norms immorally. However, strict legal framework is compelling them towards thinking about other opportunities. In this backdrop a qualitative research has been conducted to know about customersââ¬â¢ perception and buying interest after knowing about the challenge. Primary data has been collected through a questionnaire survey among a sample size of 20 respondents. It was found that though customers check size, style, brand name and colour first, when it comes to buying a car but they would not prefer to buy a vehicle which does not meet legal emission standards. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Research Problem 4 1.3 Research Objectives 4 1.4 Research Questions 5 SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Internet & interactive media-consumer website analysis and evaluation Research Paper
Internet & interactive media-consumer website analysis and evaluation project about Sephora - Research Paper Example Sales associates and make-up artists undergo intensive training so that they can be well prepared to answer customersââ¬â¢ questions and give them advice ranging from skin types, and application techniques. The company not only serves women who are frequent users of the beauty products, but also men. This paper examines the Sephoraââ¬â¢s digital marketing strategy and its website which is located at http://www.sephora.com/. 2. Unique market positioning The company was launched in the 1960s and unlike other business entities which use the commission-based model, Sephora relies on the self-service model. Under this model, customers go around the store, and are able to feel, touch and try the available offerings. Its founder, Dominique Mondonnaud transformed the existing model by grouping products by qualities such as perfume notes and scents rather than by brand. By 1984, Dominique had opened more than 8 perfume shops, but in 1993 he sold all the stores to Louis Vuitton. Followin g the acquisition of Sephora, LVMH expanded its operations in many European countries as well as in the North America. Under the LVMH group, Sephora continues to expand the existing product lines and its current offerings include accessories, skin care, hair care, and make-up products. The company is renowned for its revolutionary products such as the anti-wrinkle cream StriVectin-SD. On its website, Sephora is highly recognized for providing the customers with an interactive shopping environment, and an unparalleled assortment of prestige products. Its products are most popular with those aged between 15 and 70 years old, and currently, the company operates in 24 countries. In North America, the company has established around 280 stores and mini-stores and has 11,000 products and 250 brands. Such a wide offerings ensures consumers needs and wants are adequately satisfied. 2.1 Products The company offers more than 200 brands and over 13,000 products and is considered a one-stop shop for all personal care needs. The company boasts of highly esteemed brands and trendy products and each of the brand features unique colors and packaging. In each of the stores, customers can receive innovative services from the Sephora professionals and it is this element that sets the company apart from its direct competitors. Maintaining high perceived quality products enables the company to charge premium prices. The prices of the available products and services are differentiated and this variation helps the company to serve a wider segment. Some of the products are highly priced while others are lowly priced to fit into the middle to upper range. The prices of course are higher than at other stores, and this price level is justified by the high quality services offered. 2.2 Communication and differentiation The company differentiates itself on three principles: freedom, experience and guarantee. In this regard, customers are guaranteed of quality services and they can s return product they are not satisfied
Monday, October 14, 2019
Miss Brill Essay Example for Free
Miss Brill Essay In Katherine Mansfieldââ¬â¢s short story ââ¬Å"Miss Brill,â⬠Mansfield describes Miss Brill as a woman who is in deep denial of her situation. Miss Brill is an elderly woman who is not aware of the distress in her life; because she doesnââ¬â¢t want to face the reality of getting old. Miss Brill shows the personality of a woman who is vain, detached, and over sensitive as she goes through her specific Sunday in the park wearing her favorite ââ¬Å"Dear little thingâ⬠fur (65). Because Miss Brill struggles to admit the reality of getting old, her vanity makes her thinks sheââ¬â¢s a special person and an actress in the play. Miss Brill believes she has a ââ¬Å"special seatâ⬠(65) in Jardinââ¬â¢s Publiques the park where she sits every time. This particular Sunday afternoon is quite special for Miss Brill, because she has taken out her favourite fur from the box. Her ââ¬Å"little rogueâ⬠(65) is like a pet ââ¬Å"biting its tail just by her left earâ⬠(65), and she imagines it as her companion. As Miss Brill goes through her day on watching and listening other people in the park she thought, ââ¬Å"She had become really quite expert . . . t listening though she didnââ¬â¢t listen, at sitting in other peopleââ¬â¢s lives just for a minute while they talked round herâ⬠(65). She fantasizes about reading a newspaper to an invalid gentleman snoring besides her, pretending to be on stage and believing she was a good actress. ââ¬Å"An actress are ye? â⬠(67) thought Miss Brill, which again shows her vanity. Although Miss Brill is a teacher and is around people in the park ever y Sunday, her detachment is revealed by her not making any actual contact with her patrons. She is always distant, reserved and aloof. The only companion she has is her fur, she ââ¬Å"laid it on her lap and stroked itâ⬠(65). When the band started to play again, she thought the music ââ¬Å"was warm, sunny, yet there was just a faint chill . . . , what was it? . . . , not sadnessa something that made you want to sing? â⬠(67). Miss Brill rejects the feelings of pain and loneliness detaching herself from being hurt. As Miss Brill continues her moment of delusion, her over sensitivity is apparent when a boy and a girl suddenly come to sit ext to her, she is looking forward listening to their conversation as she thought of them as a ââ¬Å"hero and a heroine,â⬠(68) but to her dismay, she hears them talking about her, calling her ââ¬Å"that stupid old thingâ⬠(68), and making fun of her favourite fur: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s her fu-fur . . . Itââ¬â¢s exactly like a fried whitingâ⬠(68). Miss Brill is hurt and on her way home, she skips going to the bakery to buy her favourite treat. Instead she goes straight home, puts her fur in the box and goes into her dark, cupboard-like room. While sitting there for a long time ââ¬Å"she heard something crying,â⬠(68). Miss Brill is the one crying, yet she doesnââ¬â¢t want to face the reality of getting old and the resemblance she has with her old fur. After every denial and rejection of her pain and loneliness, Miss Brillââ¬â¢s reality comes in a harsh way when she hears the young couple making fun of her. Finally, she allows herself to feel the pain, hurt, and loneliness for a moment. Miss Brillââ¬â¢s vanity, detachment, and over sensitivity are her weapons to hide her emotional struggle of accepting the reality of becoming a spinster.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Tower of Hanoi Solutions
Tower of Hanoi Solutions Introduction The Tower of Hanoi is a puzzle popularized in 1883 by Edouard Lucas, a French scientist famous for his study of the Fibonacci sequence. However, this puzzles roots are from an ancient legend of a Hindu temple. The legend states that there is a secret room in a hidden temple that contains three large pegs. One of these poles has 64 golden disks stacked upon it, each disk being smaller then the disk underneath it, with the biggest disk at the bottom. Since the beginning of time, monks have been trying to shift the 64 disks onto the third peg. The monks also can only transfer the disks if the following rules are followed. First, the monks can only move one disk at a time, and second, they cannot put larger disks on top of smaller disks. Once all 64 disks are shifted to the third peg, the world will end. After encountering this puzzle (in a simpler form) at a science fair a couple years ago and seeing it occasionally even today in an engineering classroom environment, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to examine this puzzle at a deeper level. (A basic rendition of a 3 disk tower) Ã Ã Aim My aim is to explore the different patterns that lead to the answer to the legend: how much time would it take for the world to end? Finding an Optimal Strategy In order to get closer to solving this puzzle, the goal will be to find the most efficient way to get 64 disks onto the third peg. To better grasp the mathematical concepts and patterns when solving the tower, it would be easier to look at a simpler version of the puzzle, such as the following 3 disk example. Binary Code (Standard Gray Code) We can relate the pattern seen above to binary code, specifically Standard Gray Code. Standard Gray Code is a binary numeral system where two successive values differ in only one (binary) digit. Using this method may bring us closer to being able to solve the 64 disk tower. If we relate the example in Figure 1 with Standard Gray Code, using 3 binary digits, we are left with something like this: 000 Step 1 001 Step 2 011 Step 3 010 Step 4 110 Step 5 111 Step 6 101 Step 7 100 Step 8 For example, Step 1 is shown by the three digits 000. The next step is 001, changing the digit that corresponds with the smallest disk, which means disk 1 is the first disk to move in the solution. And to continue, Step 2 is 011, showing that now the middle (second) disk is being moved. This method could lead us to the solution of a 64 disk tower, as it would show which disk to move; however, the flaw in this method is that even though the binary digits can show which disk has moved, it does not show where to move it. There are always two possibilities for each disk, and when we factor in the 64 other disks, the calculations get extremely tedious and suboptimal as a solution. Recursive Pattern The next viable solution is finding a recursive pattern to determine how many moves it would take to solve the puzzle, depending on the number of disks. A recursive pattern uses information from the previous step to find the next. In order to move n amount of disks from peg 1 to peg 3, we can again refer to Figure 1. The first step is transferring n-1 disks from peg 1 to peg 3. We assign a variable to the number of moves this takes, in this case, M. Next, transfer the middle disk to peg 2 (step 3) and finally, transfer the remaining disks from peg 3 to peg 2 (step 4). When you move n amount of disks to any peg, the number of moves will be the same, no matter which direction you choose to go. From this, we can find an equation to finding the moves needed for any number of disks:Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã 2M + 1, where M equals the number of moves needed to transfer n-1 disks from peg 1 to peg 2. This brings up another flaw to the problem. In order to find how many moves needed to transfer 64 disks, we also need to calculate the number of moves for 63, 62, 61, etc amount of disks as well. Because of this, the recursive pattern cannot be used to find the time it takes before the world ends. However, what the recursive pattern can do is generate numbers that lead into a non recursive pattern. # of Disks # of Moves 2M + 1 1 1 2(0) + 1 = 1 2 3 2(1) + 1 = 3 3 7 2(3) + 1 = 7 4 15 2(7) + 1 = 15 5 31 2(15) + 1 = 31 From Table 2, we can see that the third column represents a geometric progression that can help us find a formula for a non-recursive pattern. Non-Recursive Pattern (Explicit Pattern) When looking back at Table 2, there is a direct correlation that can be made from the number of disks and the number of moves. Recognizing that there is a geometric progression, one could infer the pattern that is being used though the power of two. # of Disks # of Moves 1 21 1 = 1 2 22 1 = 3 3 23 1 = 7 4 24 1 =15 5 25 1 =31 Therefore the function to find the number of steps with any number of disks would be 2n 1, with n being the # of disks. Just to further prove that 2n 1 is the correct function, we can graph 2n 1 and compare to the number of disks and moves in Table 2. It completely fits the data points, confirming the relation between the points and the function. Now we can just plug in the function: 264 1 = 590,000,000,000 years Conclusion In order to move 64 disks from the first peg to the third, the monks would need over 590 billion years, assuming that they can move one disk per second. The function 2n 1 was found by recognizing the geometric progressions in the recursive formula and using it in an explicit pattern. This function can be used to find the most optimal number of moves it would take to move any number of disks to the third peg. Bibliography Bogomolny, Alexander. Tower of Hanoi. Tower of Hanoi. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. . Johnson, P. Sam, Recurrence Relations And Their Solutions (Problem : Tower Of Hanoi), 2015 December 26, and 1/1. Information on Subsets of a Set. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. . Longman, Addison Wesley. Millers Mathematical Ideas, 9th Edition Web Site Chapter 4 Internet Project. Millers Mathematical Ideas, 9th Edition Web Site Chapter 4 Internet Project. Pearson Education, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. Math, Dr. Ask Dr. Math FAQ: Tower of Hanoi. Mathforum.org. Drexel University, n.d.Ã Ã Web. 3 Mar. 2017.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Body Image Essays -- Psychology, Physiology
When navigating to the official website of Self, one of todayââ¬â¢s leading womenââ¬â¢s magazines, I was not surprised to immediately stumble upon a photograph of two slender women, in skimpy shorts and sports bras, exercising on the beach. ââ¬Å"Flat belly Secretsâ⬠was the headline under the image, along with the subtopics ââ¬Å"Magic Moves that Work Your Whole Core,â⬠ââ¬Å"Superfoods for a Sexy Stomach,â⬠and ââ¬Å"4 Ab Mistakes Everyone Makes.â⬠It is no secret that modern American culture gives great importance to body image, namely to having a ââ¬Å"perfectâ⬠physique, although a vast majority of the population is far from attaining said physique. I struggled for years to ââ¬Å"make peaceâ⬠with my own body and obtain a positive body image, hence why I have chosen to research body image and the media, focusing more on the female aspect of it. With so much attention being given to peopleââ¬â¢s perceptions of their own physical beauty, numerous studies have been conducted on men and women of all ages. Every single study I read about in gathering information for this report showed that body image dissatisfaction, ââ¬Å"the feeling that people may have that their actual physical appearance is not how they would ideally like it to beâ⬠(Kovar), is experienced by an astonishing number of men and women. That being said, it was also evident from the research that women are significantly more affected by body image dissatisfaction. One particular study of male and female undergraduates concluded that compared to menââ¬â¢s perceptions, ââ¬Å"women's [body image] perceptions place [greater] pressure on them to lose weightâ⬠(Fallon and Rozin). Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for eating disorders and is said to be most common in Western cultures, predominantly with teenage girls (Boone and... ...ave A Negative Impact On Body Image And Behaviors? Factors And Processes Related To Self And Identity." Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 28.1 (2009): 1-8. Academic Search Premier. Fallon, A. E., & Rozin, P. (1985). Sex differences in perceptions of desirable body shape. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94(1), 102-105. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.94.1.102 Kovar, Allie. "Effects of Media on Body Image." Health Psychology. Vanderbilt University, 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. . SELF Magazine, Nutrition, Health and Advice: Self.com. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. . Thompson, J. Kevin, and Eric Stice. "Thin-Ideal Internalization: Mounting Evidence for a New Risk Factor for Body-Image Disturbance and Eating Pathology." Current Directions in Psychological Science 10.5 (2001): 181-83. Print.
Friday, October 11, 2019
FBI Case Study
The ââ¬Å"Who Killed the Virtual Case File? â⬠case study is a clear example of project failure which resulted on not only balloon the cost of the project, but also loss that could be counted on millions of dollars. Because of the size of the project and the failure of the project, it is broadly used to prevent future IT Project Management disasters. Project Overview: When special agent Larry Depew collected evidence of illegal activity of the Russian and Italian mafia tax skim activity, FBI didnââ¬â¢t have database system, which could organize and support all the information gathering processes that were needed for the organization. A decade later, Depew was landed in his first project management job called FBI Virtual Case File project (VCF), even though he had no previous experience. In the PMBOK Guide book describes what abilities a project manager should possess to successfully manage projects is: knowledge, performance and personal . In the results of lack of experience and ineffective planning the project was unfortunate failure. Because of availability of funds, the FBIââ¬â¢s 23 divisions developed own database system for each of the different divisions. In the result FBI ended up with 45-50 different investigative databases and applications, which are not communicating with each other. Also, the Automated Case Support (ACS) system was cumbersome to use, inefficient and had limited functional capabilities. Additionally all 13000 were really old which resulted in not supporting new softwareââ¬â¢s. Intranet that connected FBI offices had 56-kilobit-per second modems. SAIC (Applications International Corp. ) for software developed delivered 700,000 lines of code bug-ridden, off target system which resulted in $105 million worth loss. However, researches and findings showed that the FBIââ¬âlacking IT management and technical expertiseââ¬âshares the blame for the project's failure. The research and study later on painted a picture of an enterprise IT project that fell into the most basic traps of software development, from poor requirement gathering, planning and bad communication between software developer and FBI. The key issues related to the failure of the project: * Violation of the Project Scope Management. One of the main factors of VSF project was poorly defined business requirements and overly specific nature of the requirements defined in systems design and analysis phase which resulted in creating 400 functional deficiencies found after testing the system. * Violation of the Project Cost Management The lack of IT investment processes resulted in ballooning the cost of the project in spite of the millions of dollars spending which was the also one of the main reason of VSF project failure. Violation of the Project Time Management Overly ambitious schedules and poorly defined schedule is one of the among VSF project failures. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure The lack of a plan to guide hardware purchases and deployment was one also of the failures of VSF project. Resolution: * The FBIââ¬â¢s higher management will be participating in the new software development to overcome the discrepancies associated with the previous those were VCF project. FBI is planning to purchase software from the vendor to digitize all documents, crime related evidence paperwork processes in the single database and still continue use VCF project systems up until it will be replaced with the desired software. * The new project will deploy and create new monitoring, risk management system which involves planning, scheduling and target oriented testing. Relevance to IT Project Management: * Project Scope Management Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that project includes all the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope Management includes following steps: clearly defining and documenting project business requirements by the company shareholders (collect requirements), develop a detailed description of the project (define scope), subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, manageable components (create WBS), formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables, and monitoring the status and scope (verify scope), and managing changes to the scope baseline (control scope). FBIââ¬â¢s VSF project failed to define detailed project requirements, formalize acceptance of completed project deliverables by SAIC and monitoring and managing the scope by project manager. * Violation of the Project Cost Management Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost management process includes: developing an approximation of the monetary resources (estimate costs), estimating costs of the individual activities (determine budget) and monitoring the status of the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline (control costs). VSF project failed to address cost control in project cost management, because it had possibility to receive funding from the government. * Violation of the Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project. It includes following processes: identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables (define activities), identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities (sequence activities), estimating quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity (estimate activity resources), coming up with the approximate number of works periods needed to omplete individual activities with estimated resource (estimate activity durations), analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constrains to create project schedule (develop schedule), and monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline (control schedule). In VSF project most of the required activities in time management FBI m anagement and SAIC failed to follow. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure. Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on the project. It includes following processes: defining how to conduct risk management activities (planning), determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics (identify risks), prioritizing risks for further analysis and combining their probability of occurrence and impact (perform qualitative risk analysis). Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives (perform quantitative risk analysis), developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives (plan risk responses), and implementing risk response plan, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project (monitor and control risk). In the FBI case none of the project risk management was applied to minimize risk associated with the possibility of the failure of the VSF project. Key Takeaways: It is important follow IT project management rules in order to develop the system. Main lessons learnt from the case study: * Business requirement analysis and technical requirements are crucial in the success of the project in planning phase. * Managing communication between companiesââ¬â¢ key shareholders and server providers is required for productive outcome of the development. * Project monitoring and testing is vital task and should be accepted throughout the development * Prototypes be shown to client on regular basis to avoid all changes required at the end of the project * Having a individuals without proper knowledge in the rojects leads to the project success * Planning and monitoring leads to delivering the right product and timely completion of the project * Unsystematic approach in project time management could lead to delay in completion of projects * Deficient and unsatisfactory requirements lead to incomplete projects failure Research Approach For my research approach, I used Project Management and body of knowledge to identify main processes of the project management, and applied some basics acquired from the Systems Analysis and Design class to identify where FBIââ¬â¢s VSF project failed to address and manage this huge multimillion dollar project.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Definition of Institutionalize Racism
United States of America is not a country for one specific group of people such as French, China, or Angola. Instead, many of these people come to United States to live. Under one roof, all these different groups have to coexist for this country to function properly. As a result of interaction between groups of different background, race, tension develops. Soon, it becomes a personal dislike from one member of one group for members of another group. While these feeling are unavoidable and sometimes understandable, it is unacceptable to institutionalize these feelings and make it an acceptable part of society. Yet, this has existed and prospered in the social fabric of America since the day of slavery. Black Americans, victims of this institution of racism, have tried to change the system through legal means, and protest. The government has responded through legislation such as Civil Right Act of 1965 and Affirmative Action. These policies have faced opposition from some white Americans, but Justice Blackmun said, ââ¬Å"In order to beyond racism, we must take account of race. â⬠The institution of racism has targeted minority Americans as its victim by denying them the opportunity that everyone else have such as making a living. Those policies address this problem by using race, rightfully, to identify who is the victim of racism, and discrimination. Racism has plagued the public education system long before Brown vs. Board of Education. Segregation has led to underfunded school that has no tools to teach children in black-dominated area. State and local government use property tax to determine the amount of fund a school gets. However, properties in black-dominated area are either run-down, or have low value. As a result, underfunded schools lead to underfunded education that gives black students no skill to make a living. Very few of them will be able to get out of the poverty cycle that has plagued their parents. After Brown vs. Board of Education, mandatory busing has tried to bring black students to white dominated neighborhood school, and also bring white students to urban school. This policy has given black students access to school that has better facilities and equipment. It has forced states and locals government to give more funds to urban school. Many white parents have refused to send their children to urban school for countless reason. They have a valid claim that busing violates their personal freedom. The court has to decide between two conflicting interests, whether to give equal access to one group at the expense of one individual's personal freedom. After deciding in favor of equal opportunity, the court has tried to enforce the decision by mandatory busing, and it has even used the National Guard to escort black students to white school. However, it did not require states to change their school overnight. State and local government then began to have gradual mandatory busing. However, gradualism has watered down the effort of true integration. Juan Williams, Thurgood Marshall's biographer, has said on C-span that Marshall has regretted for not having demanding more aggressively for rapid integration. Today, due to the court keep chipping away part and part of Brown vs. Board of education, school integration and busing remain far and few. State and local government have almost stopped funding for mandatory busing. As a result, public school has become as segregated as ever and the accomplishment of Brown vs. Board of Education has vanished. In its place are programs such as magnet, school choice, voluntary enrollment, or voucher. However, these programs fall far short the goal of equal access, and integration. Magnet, school choice, or voluntary busing promise to bring diversity to school. However, these programs only bring children from urban school into suburban school. White parents will not risk sending their children to urban school for reasonable fear of drugs, crime, or lack of educational equipment. Suburban schools will end up getting more money, and urban schools will keep losing money and students. Since these programs have a quota of how many student can enroll, the majority of students cannot enroll. These unfortunate ones will have to settle for a school that lacks money at their neighborhood. So, these programs only allow a selected few to have an opportunity that students in suburban schools have. Another program is voucher that promotes to give poor minority students a chance for quality education at a private school. However, voucher works much better for a middle class white family trying to get into an exclusive private school than a poor black family. The voucher system determines how much to give by looking at the property tax of a family. If a family is poor, the voucher for that family will not have much worth. Since poor family cannot put much more money into their voucher, voucher program eliminates poor minority families as its recipients, contrary to what it promotes. While voting is considered by many as a personal choice, special interest groups working to ensure representation for minorities have dominated the election process. Sometimes, this helps minorities but can also hurt them. The common method for ensuring minority representation is racial districting. White Americans had used racial districting method such as ââ¬Å"crackingâ⬠or ââ¬Å"stackingâ⬠to eliminate black votes at first (Swain 426). These methods give minorities no representation or hope of electing a candidate that is friendly toward minorities. Since court has ruled against ââ¬Å"stackingâ⬠or ââ¬Å"crackingâ⬠, racial districting has appeared of the form ââ¬Å"packingâ⬠in recent years (Swain 426). Even though packing surely gives minorities representation, it has diminished the voting power of minorities. In 1991, 15 of the 27 seats held by black politicians have a black population of over 50 percents (Swain 423). This packing of black voters has led to poor turnout and poor performance. For example, one 13 percents of black in Major Owen's district vote in 1986 (Swain 423). Poor performance also contributes to the problem due to an automatic reelection of a black politician in a black majority district. So packing has its benefit in term of ensuring black representation but it also wastes the vote of black Americans. Major Owen surely would have won his district even if it were only 40 percents to 45 percents black. The remaining black voters should move to another district where they can vote for another candidate that will work for their interest. Ironically, the Republican Party appears to be benefited from packing. It has been very supportive of packing that involves large black district. Even if it ensures the election of a black Democrat, it allows the Republican to compete at the new district that has been drained of black Democrats (Swain 405). This makes the election more racially polarized. So the symbol of democracy, the Congress, will also be the most segregated as Republican tries to portray Democrat as a party of black's interest. Swain names the two most promising alternative method for packing are black representation in majority white district and voting for white candidates that can represent the interest of blacks (Swain 431). There has been many doubts that black candidates cannot win in a majority white district. However the election of Governor Wilder, Mayor Bradley, has proved otherwise. Black politicians has proved that they can both represent racial interest and their white constituent such as Louis Stokes (Swain 430). Black voters must not forget there are white politicians that can be as good a black politician such as Gephardt, Kennedy. Minority voters can only benefit from these two methods. First, it allows black politicians to look beyond the House of Representative for a higher office such as the Senate or may be the presidency. Second, it fosters a coalition with other racial and ethnic group (Swain 433). This will expand the representation of Black Americans. These two methods go beyond blaming white people or society for racism by reaching out to white people to combat it. Black and minorities need the help of white politicians and activist who are in a position to make a difference. Only then, the goal of racial equality will be achieved. Racism has tried to exclude minorities from public school and voting. Now, it has turned to another target, the college system in America. Public colleges in America have always used Affirmative Action to determine admission. This program has given minorities an opportunity to seek higher education. It does not promote under-qualification but instead, it will level the playing field for people who are capable of taking the advantage of opportunities that has denied them because of their gender or ethnicity (Patterson 443). When Affirmative Action is examined alone in term of college admission, it has mixed success. For example, the number of Asian students at Berkeley is half of the student body, whereas blacks and Hispanics continue to stagger. This program has come under the attack of conservatives who label it as reverse discrimination. Justice Scalia call it as ââ¬Å"racial preferences appear to even the scoreâ⬠(Siegel 458). Conservatives have completely overlooked the fact that being white is a privilege that other minorities do not have. White men control 99. percents of all the important top position in this country, so what they do from hiring employee, or drafting policy will tend to benefit white people. This is just a normal pattern of human behavior (Patterson 449). Affirmative Action's goal is to correct this problem but it is on the verge of extinction because of proposition 209, or Hopwood vs. Texas. As a result, black admission drop from 65 to 11 in the year following the court case Hopwood vs. Texas. We have seen that effect spreads to UCSD where the number of black students can be measured by finger counting. Opponent of Affirmative Action in college admission has called for using a class-based initiative to determine college admission. They have claimed Affirmative Action not only hurts whites but also Asian Americans. A class based initiative can only help with diversity and does not have the reverse discrimination element that Affirmative Action appears to have. Nonetheless, research has shown Asian American enrollment will increase, white will stay the same, black and Hispanic will decrease if socioeconomic status is used to determine admission (Omi and Takagi 438). The result shows the University of California will be more racially polarized if this plan is implemented. It will generate hostility toward Asian Americans from whites and other minority groups because this plan clearly give Asian American an advantage, unlike Affirmative Action. For a plan that promise diversity, it will end up hurting the diversity makeup of University of California because it deletes race as a factor for consideration. Therefore, minority groups beside Asian American will be denied from an opportunity for higher education. To promote diversity and equal opportunity, race must be taken into consideration because it allows us to identify the victim of racism, who has been denied the opportunity he is entitled to. Without race, how do we know who or where is the victim? Justice Blackmun has said ââ¬Å"to get beyond racism, we must take account of raceâ⬠. This signifies a shift from protecting individual to protecting a certain group. As a result, race based policies such as Affirmative Action and school desegregation was created. They have helped protecting minority from racism and leveling the playing field. They have forced the public sector and private sector to give minorities equal opportunity because minorities do not have the privilege of being white. The white establishment, without government intervention will extend it hands only to those similar to its. Those policies remedy this preference. Critics of race based policies claim these policies practice reverse discrimination. They want a colorblind policy to be implement instead. However, colorblind policy assumes society to be free of racism and discrimination toward minorities. Statistics have shown otherwise from the low college enrollment of black to the lack of minority in the top position. Colorblind policy will give the control back to the white establishment. Then, discrimination, intentionally or unintentionally, will be directed toward minorities will be much more visible similar to the pre-Civil Right period. In this case, racism cannot be blamed because the people in the establishment are ââ¬Å"colorblindâ⬠. It is ironic that a colorblind policy, the goal of the civil right movement, will end up nullifying the legacy of the civil right movement because colorblind is a policy ahead of its time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)