The Count of Monte Cristo and King Lear

It is man’s path to struggle with his destiny and writers have long written about such a battle in a man’s inner soul. In the works of Alexandre Dumas and William Shakespeare such a battle is best described in their comparable works, â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo† and â€Å"King Lear†. It is the purpose of this paper to present either novel, and the main male protagonists in the stories and pit them against each other as well as have them share in their twined destiny of faults, failures and eventual redemption.Dumas weaves a story about a man, Edmond Dantes whose life becomes entangled in another man’s vengeance and is subsequently doomed to life imprisonment. These actions are out of the protagonist’s control as he is neither aware of the person for whom the letter is intended that he is carrying to Paris (it is actually supposed to be given to Bonapartist father) nor of the rival against him, Danglars. It would thus appear as though Dant es is allowing his destiny to be overtaken from his free will.In Shakespeare’s â€Å"King Lear† Lear also allows to be a rather flotsam figure on his own path, being lead this way and that, not from a guidance of reason but by happenstance, bad luck, and fate. Blindness is recognized in the play by Lear’s grotesque nature and how he cannot stand to see the world, or kingdom he created. In King Lear’s distrust of his daughters he one by one makes himself disowned by them I prithee, daughter, do not make me mad. I will not trouble thee, my child; farewell.We'll no more meet, no more see one another. But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter; Or rather a disease that's in my flesh, Which I must needs call mine. Thou art a boil, A plague sore, an embossed carbuncle In my corrupted blood. But I'll not chide thee. Let shame come when it will, I do not call it. I do not bid the Thunder-bearer shoot Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging Jove. Mend when th ou canst; be better at thy leisure; I can be patient, I can stay with Regan, I and my hundred knights.† (Shakespeare II. iv. 1514). Blindness is a factor in either author’s tale. For Dumas, he allows his character to remain faithful to himself but also he makes him blind to the events and circumstances surrounding him. Dantes is sent to prison, but it is in prison where he finds Abbe Faria, who teaches his about philosophy, languages, music, history, and it is in this knowledge that Dumas allows the hero to gain self confidence that he would not have otherwise come to had he not been imprisoned.It seems that either author depends a great deal upon unusual circumstances and luck (either perceived as good or bad luck) to progress the plot forward for the characters. Both characters have to face where their loyalties lie, or where the people’s loyalties lie who surround them. In â€Å"King Lear† the focus of the married daughters who are proven to be evil and usurpers of their fathers power while the younger daughter, the innocent unmarried one proves to be the only supporter King Lear has although he blindingly distrusts her from act one.The theme of â€Å"King Lear† is suitably that of loyalty from the female caste whether in faithfulness or disloyalty. With the theme of loyalty there must also be a theme of vengeance as these two factors often walk hand in hand. It is proper for Dantes to want to seek vengeance on an unjust act done to him out of jealousy from Danglars. Although it takes Dantes nine years for his plan to put into action, it takes Lear merely three acts for his vengeance to take shape on Cordelia’s life and Lear’s blindness. For, what is the purpose of having a protagonist who does not learn anything?Lear learns of his mistakes with distrusting his daughter Cordelia and by trusting his other daughters- therefore, because he was blind to this distrust in a metaphorical sense he must be made blind p hysically in order to find redemption for his actions. Dumas takes a different approach in his protagonist’s story. Dumas gives Dantes an education as well as a treasure but the idea of vengeance swallows any joy he may have gleaned from his newly found position in life as the Count of Monte Cristo. It is with a heavy heart (after finding out about his father’s death) that Dantes goes to Marseilles and then on to other European cities.Despite this occupying thought of revenge, Dantes does manage to try and save Caderousse, but is unable to help the man because Caderousse's greed is his downfall. Although he is given two chances of redemption from Dantes he falls into a life of crime and is killed. Both authors need to have progression, change or punishment in their works in order for the reader to find the humanity in the protagonists, for, without their humanity Dantes’ revenge would be a fool’s errand and Lear would not have blinded himself after seeing the error of his ways.The parallels of greed in political power (another form of the grotesque in Shakespeare’s play) are presented in how Goneril and Regan seek political power by their ability to strip the King of all his train of followers, by rejecting the King’s title, and turning him out into the storm, â€Å"†¦entreat him by no means to stay† (III. 1. 297). Also, Edmund has high political aspirations by allowing Gloucester to be blinded for his own political gain, â€Å"Hang him instantly [Regan]†¦Pluck out his eyes [Goneril]† (III. 7. 4-5), and he usurps Edgar’s legitimate title as the future Earl of Gloucester.Furthermore, Kent and Edgar both lose their nobility, the Earl of Kent is banished for his honest defense of Cordelia, and Edgar loses his claim to nobility through the deceit and trickery of Edmund. Political greed was also seen with Caderousse as well as Dantes’ other enemies who have grown wealthy and more corrup t since he has been in prison. Both author’s hinge their characters on the edge of redemption and give them each a scenario in which they can either grasp this ultimate gift and be free of blame or hate, or they can become criminals of love and honor.The authors are the same in this account, they allow their protagonists to find their redemption: For Lear, it is blindness, for Dantes it is shown in the mercy he gives to his enemy Danglars. In their redemption either man finds love again: Cordelia’s for her father Lear and Haydee for Dantes. Bibliography Dumas, Alexandre. â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo†. Penguin Classic. 1992. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"King Lear†. Penguin Classic. 1998.

A Mir Case Essay

In the Case, â€Å"A Mir Case† there are many Organizational Behavioural issues involved. There was no team cohesion amongst the researchers and this was in a large part due to the composition of the team. This composition in itself created many cross cultural, gender and communication issues, which resulted in the conflict amongst the individuals. One factor that influences team cohesion is the members’ similarities and in this case we see the Russians forming their own group (due to their similarities and cultural beliefs and views) and the new international researches forming another group amongst themselves. Another division amongst the group was due to the language barriers. . Language differences are a huge source of communication noise as it lessens effective communication as words and meanings can be easily misunderstood. Along with the language barrier, there was also cross cultural and cross gender communication issues. The Japanese and Austrian saw the inclusion of the female participant to be positive and treated her with respect, the Russians felt she had to be endured and looked at her as a sex-symbol and not a team member. There were also cultural differences as the Russian were seen to be more aggressive and dominating and while the Austrian, the Japanese and the French researcher saw the kiss as a form of sexual harassment, the Russians saw nothing wrong in this â€Å"stolen kiss. † These actions by the Russians (which were due in part to the cultural differences) now has serious repercussions as the other researchers now felt as though they were in a hostile environment which in turn leads to high levels of stress. To make matters worse, there was no intervention by a mediatory or leader from IBMP to help resolve the conflict which only further escalated the problems. Within the individuals there was no emergence of a leader and no one to take charge of the situation and work towards resolving the conflict. In essence, the lack of team dynamic and cohesion and the cross cultural differentiation all escalated to a conflict that was never resolved or addressed rather it was avoided by Moscow’s Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP), who classes the conflict as all a part of the experiment. As mentioned in the case, the purpose of the experiment was to learn about the dynamics of isolation, as they would apply this knowledge to the International Space Station, who would be sending people into space for long periods of time. For this to work, the group would really need to learn how to work effectively as a team and how to overcome conflicts that would naturally arise. In this situation, the individuals really need someone to step up as a leader and take charge of the situation. This would be a positive step, as the leader can work with the individuals to form a cohesive team and initiate some conflict resolution. However this solution will be challenging as the Russians will probably not want to listen to someone who is not Russian and due to their aggressive nature, the other researchers may not want a Russian as their team leader either. As a result it would really take an understanding, open, motivated and influential person to take charge of this team. The individuals also needed conflict resolution. The company should have looked at third party conflict resolution as a means of working through this issue. This would be best as it would be an outside person who is able to be neutral and help the conflicting parties resolve their differences. However this mediator would interfere with the experiment, because if this incident did take place in space, there would be no mediator to send. Due to the fight and the kiss, this conflict escalated to a very high level as one individual felt violated. As a result conflict management is definitely needed. Though IBMP did not want to intervene, sexual harassment is a serious claim and needed to be addressed. A mediator needed to get involved to work through this crisis. A mediator will not only help to diffuse the issue but will show the researchers who were upset with the incident that the company is not avoiding the issue but is taking it seriously. That mediator would first off have to look at ways to reduce differentiation by creating common experiences. The mediator would have to find a way to show the cross cultural differences and show the Russians that what is acceptable in their culture is not in others and vice versa. The researchers need to find the commonalities within each other in order to live and work more effectively. After differentiation has been reduced the mediator would also have to look at ways to improve communication and understanding. Through this experiment IBMP would be able to tell the International Space Station (and implement in future experiments) that you cannot isolate people with different genders, cultures, languages together without first giving them a chance to get to know one another. The group should be asked to choose a team leader first and given some time to form their team dynamics. The group should be able to socialize together, learn about each other’s’ ultures and lifestyles and go through the team processes of storming and norming before being isolated in space. The group should also be given some regulations to follow, as ambiguous rules tend to lead to conflict. Certain common norms, for example, that sexual harassment and violence will not be tolerated should be instituted. Of course due to the different cultures, it will have to be clarified what is meant by sexual harassment and violence. With a good group dynamic, with a clear team leader and some rules in place the group should be able to reduce conflict and function more effectively.

Music in Renaissance Period

Introduction Renaissance, literally, meaner rebirth; it is an era that began in sass's and ended in 1600 and its school of thought dramatically shifted from religious and mystical ideals to a focus to human interactions. It is worthy and important to understand the changes from the transition of musical period, because they mark and shape the music industry that stands now. For instance, opera was in its infancy when Gigolo Canine (1551-1681) started writing the first opera and now operas can be found in all around the world and in different cultures.There are tremendous aspects to talk bout of the transition from Medieval to Renaissance period, however this essay will only limit itself on the changes in vocal composition, and the historical events that might lead to such changes. Four aspects will be mainly focused on – change in style of vocal composition, reasons of increased secular composition, invention of new text types and what the biggest motivation behind all changes . Change in style of vocal composition When talking about the liturgical music from medieval period, one can easily associate to plainchant or more specific Gregorian chant.Gregorian Chant usually ivies us a single and narrow ranged of sacred melody and is perceived as the voice of church in that period. Then, polyphony was evolved around twelfth century. Organza (earliest polyphony) involved of adding a faster melody on top of a plainchant. It is rather easy to identify medieval music from Renaissance music, since Renaissance music is relatively richer and fuller. The texture is mostly polyphonic; however could be also homophobic with successions of chords.The bass register was used for the first time, this allows an expansion of pitch range at the same time usually provides a strong and full accompanies when play with the higher voices. Renaissance choral music study: Jonquil's Eave Maria Polyphonic imitation is a technique that best represents the typical style of renaissance voc al composition. The idea is that a short melody is presented by one voice and the other voices imitate the same thing but with delays, thus is similar to an echo of the first melody.This technique of overlapping provides the sense of continuity; and also as all the melodic lines were conceived at the same time instead of being conceived line by line in the renaissance period, the harmonic effect is more ICC and pleasant to hear. One of a great example of polyphonic imitation is the four-voice motet by Joaquin Desired (144(:)-1521). Being one of the most important composers in the renaissance period, Joaquin pioneered the â€Å"pervasive imitation† (a. K. Polyphonic imitation) as a contrapuntal device. His influence to the Western musical history is well recognized because pervasive imitation has became the ancestor of modern fugue (later in Baroque period,J. S. Bach was also being inspired and wrote many famous fugue composition. ) Eave Maria†¦ Virgo serene (1502) is a w ork by Joaquin that may best illustrate the quinine of pervasion imitation. Eave Maria is a chapel that is choral music in the renaissance period that did not need instrumental accompaniment.Yet, some a chapel used instrument to duplicate the vocal lines in order to support and reinforce the singers if they find it hard to maintain on the right pitches. At the opening pervasion imitation is used, soprano sings the single phrase â€Å"Eave Maria† and each voice sings the same melody in succession. In addition to imitation in different voices, it also occurs between pairs of voices. For instance, soprano and LTO come into duet in the phrase â€Å"Eave, cuss conception', while the two lower voices imitate in succession.In the phrase Virgo serene†, all voices sing together creating a feeling to completeness to the first verse. Comparing to the chants in medieval period, the pervasion imitation technique that was used in renaissance period definitely introduce new elements to the style of vocal composition and have made the choral singing more challenging yet interesting to work with. Increase in secular composition The development of secular pieces flourished in the renaissance period. This might u to several reasons, including the Reformation against Catholic Church, and the rise of printing press.Catholic Church came to a crisis in the sixteenth century, because of the leaders' obvious abuse of power and money. In addition to more education opportunities, people were more aware of the false knowledge the church had given them. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a scholar and musician; he realized the doctrine of the Catholic Church – wealthy sinners can buy their way to heaven was contradicting to what he saw in the New Testament letters of the apostle Paul (salvation can only be offered by the grace of God).Such indulgence of the Church provoked reformation from different people, including Martin Luther who later led to the born of Lutheran Chur ch and Henry the eighth from England. As the power of Catholic Church started to fall, people were more aware of the expression of individual's feelings and compositional styles. Other than playing sacred music that centered on God, more and more secular music started to evolve. At the same time, musicians were taken more serious at the first time. In the medieval period, troubadours who were among the first to have written secular songs, were treated as the lowest social class.However the fate of musicians had totally changed in renaissance period. The ideal of â€Å"universal man† had been promoted; it is believed that every educated person was to be trained in music. Musicians now had higher social status; they got paid better and were recognize their work. The invention of printing press also helped to increase the secular composition. Mass publication of music was resulted by the printing press, and now music could survive in volumes and became a common language that not only nobles and people in the court knew.More people were educated with music and were able to make their win, thus the amount of secular music increased. Exploration of more music text types During the renaissance period, the increase in secular music had opened doors to other text types including madrigal, ballet and other instrumental music. Madrigal usually refers to a piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, and is usually set in a chapel or solo voices with very light accompany. Since it was among the first to set story into music, madrigal was also identify as the ancestor of the modern opera.Many people have questioned the origin of opera, however it is lived that The Florentine Camera, a group of intellectuals who met in the home of Count Giovanni De' Bard to discuss trends of art and philosophy, were the ones who inspired the development of opera. The Camera thought that the music in those days were very corrupted, and the only way to save it is to root back to the style of ancient Greek. They also centered on the overuse of polyphony, since polyphony could only create confusion rather than the clarity in expressing â€Å"conception of one's soul†.Therefore, they encouraged â€Å"monody' that was a single melodic line with accompaniment, and also the ancestor of opera. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was the earliest composer who explored the technique tone painting in madrigal. Tone painting is the illustration of the meaning of specific words through musical symbolism. For instance, if there were a word â€Å"long† in the text, then the tone would be very long on that word. Another type of renaissance secular text type is ballet.Ballet is a danceable song for several solo voices; also following the ideal of the Camera ballet was mostly homophobic in texture with the melody in the highest voice. Before renaissance, instrumental music were Just accompaniment to vocal sounds. However, during the sixteenth century, more music w as specifically written for instruments. Besides organ, harpsichord and clavichord both evolved in the fifteenth century. There was also a more organized grouping for instrument in terms of their volumes. They were two groups, altar capable and bass capable meaning loud and soft ensembles.Altar capable that is the loud ensembles included shams, pipes and even percussion. While bass capable included harp, lute and other plucked string. The secret driving force There was a new ideal that was driving all those changes from medieval to incessant music – the Humanism. During the medieval period, music was often a way to seek for a more intimate relationship with God. Yet, the renaissance ideals shifted from â€Å"God-centric† to â€Å"human-centric†, the will and interactions of human were more emphasized.The loss of power of the Catholic Church was originated to the psychological change of Man. People's wills were no long being controlled by the authority, instead t hey were dare to question about the fidelity of the doctrine. The rise of secular music was another sign for the new renaissance ideal. Secular music brought entertainment to the incessant era; people could play secular music in weddings and on the street. This kind of entertainment was fulfilling to people in those times, and people were willing to engage to this activity that made them feel pleasant.Conclusion The transition of the music in medieval period to renaissance period was indeed very spectacular. The literal meaning of the word â€Å"renaissance† best illustrated the state of the music from medieval period – rebirth. The change in vocal composition might be the most obvious change of all. The expansion of range, enriched tone color and the use of new technique had brought music to another level; the music in incessant was more challenging but more interesting to play with.Due to the reformation of new churches, and the invention of printing, he amount of se cular composition being produced had also increased in this era. New music text types had also been explored; the most important of all – madrigal had promoted the growth of opera in later years, ballet and also instrumental music. Yet, among all those change in style of music, or the political adjustments, the most powerful driving force behind the changes was the philosophy of humanism that was floating in the air; the ideals of it had allowed people to emphasize more on â€Å"human-centered† aspects like free will and entertainments.

Why the Early Middle Ages are often referred to as the Dark Ages Essay

Why the Early Middle Ages are often referred to as the Dark Ages - Essay Example In spiritual terms Dark Ages were a period of birth of a new type of personality, a new mentality, both individual and collective. In times when the collection of earthly treasures became impossible, people, following the precepts of Christ, began to collect the treasures of heaven. The Christian religion was gave the support for people and helped not to lose heart and humbly endure all the trials, which he met. Hunger, barbarian attacks, diseases - it seemed that Christian God was testing people in order to prepare believers for promised in the Gospel, "the millennial kingdom of Christ." Philosophers were analyzing not the nature of man - a transient phenomenon, but the divine nature. Theology, which flourished in the High Middle Ages, took its beginning in the monasteries of the Dark Ages. All knowledge about the world of medieval man was based on the knowledge of God.During the Dark Ages the decline of common knowledge took place, and existed science survived only in monasteries, as only Church succeed in preserving of ancient and Biblical writings. So it was assumed, that no-one was literate properly. But not everything was as worse as it seems to be, and in the 19th century a number of sources were found, which proved the existence of culture development. As the Church was powerful, it did its best to promote learning and literacy. In addition, European people were adopting and transforming such legacy of the Roman Empire as Roman law, administrative and taxation practices, literature, trade and economy and so on.

Hitler and music in the third Reich Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hitler and music in the third Reich - Essay Example This "Hitler and music in the third Reich" essay outlines the impact of Richard Wagner's music on Hitler and what that has to do with World War II. All his musical works were made on the assumption that they will be performed on the stage hence called â€Å"Musikdrama. He wrote all the scripts directly and added music to the scripts. Wagner generated a German epic saga combining music and drama in one unified art work. He took inspiration from German mythology and medieval literature. Wagner was motivated by the medieval myths and literature as Lohengrin, Tristan, Ring des Nibelungs (Das Rhinegold, Die Walkure, Gotterdammerung). Wagner brought plots and characters in medieval myths and literature to his music. The structure of the Ring cycle is complicated and has several topics. However, most of his operas’ topics are love stories. As Wagner accepted the subject of German myths, he also accepted religious elements. He extended this to the unique ritual that inspires nationalism. Wagner’s music drama shows the process of ritual when it is on the stage. This means that his music drama reveals strong religious character. Therefore, people cannot forget the scenes of his music drama easily, because of its strong ritual characteristic. Hitler was one of those people who could not forget Wagner’s strong and powerful opera. Wagner indicts the Jews and metaphorically links them to the characters in the operas. Wagner’s music dramas, made during the time when unification of Germany was taking place, reve al patriotic enthusiasm greatly. In Wagner’s Ring drama, there are a lot of metaphorical words that indicate Jewish characters. In Wagner’s ring opera, Nibelungs, the curse, demons, goblins, and the lust for gold refers to Jewish characters. Wagner casts the voices of Alberich and Mime in an abnormally high register and gives them tritons and other awkward internals to sing which made their voices creak, croak, and buzz. Wagner also used Jewish names for his evil characters. Wagner casts the voices of Alberich and Mime in an abnormally high register and gives them tritones and other awkward internals to sing which made their voices creak, croak, and buzz. Wagner also used Jewish names for his evil characters. In Wagner’s opera â€Å"Das Rheingold†, â€Å"gold-hungry† characters are very consonant with Wagner’s writings about how the Jews seek to control the world through their use of money (gold). In Lohengrin, there are inspirational words, such as those of King Henry to h is knights that wakened in them the primal urge of race and nationalism.   â€Å"Let the Reich’s enemy now appear.   We’re well prepared to see him near.

Hobbes and Internationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hobbes and Internationalism - Essay Example Hobbes’ State of Nature It would be taxing for anyone vaguely familiar with Hobbes to not be aware of his widely quoted vision of man’s brutal and short life in the state of nature. For Hobbes, man’s equality in the state of nature is the cause of his terrible existence in that every man has the right to everything, which causes conflict. Man possesses an inherent selfishness which causes him to strive constantly for self-preservation, and in turn is the cause of his suffering (or seeking) competition, glory, and distrust. Such a state is ultimately â€Å"no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death† (1996: xiii). This is not to say that man is a blundering, blind fool simply seeking to grab that which promises to bring greater comfort and success to his life. Rather, man is in possession of reason, which causes him to grasp an understanding of right and wrong conduct. Yet, because no formal standards of right and wrong exist in a state of nature, opinions and rights clash and differ. This is not to assume that Hobbes denies the universality of morality or natural law, rather man is governed by agreements and contracts. However, Hobbes’ contracts are a product of the selfishness of man, and hence are not based upon any form of honour or trust because they will be valid to the point that an individual believes that another will not fall foul of his promise. An example would be that Y does not punch Z because Y does not want Z to punch him. This ‘contract’ is formed on pure selfishness, and only extends to the point that Z complies with the agreement. If Y feels that Z’s agreement lacks strength, he will quickly feel free to break his part of the contract. Such contracts, because they are without honour and because they are a product of selfishness, are very likely to be breached. If we are to apply these points on an international scale, some contradictions emerge. While on the surface it would appear that each state has the right to do anything, the existence of equality is highly questionable. Hobbes evidently thinks that a â€Å"genuine condition of war† exists between states (Hokestra 2007: 118), though not their individuals; rather their sovereigns who are constantly â€Å"in the state and posture of gladiators† (1996: xiii, 12, 63/78). The lack of common power on an international level today is evident, yet could this be utilised to lead to the conclusion that each state is constantly read for, or under threat of war? The temptation to answer this query negatively is backed by the concept of equality. Indeed, there is a great deal of â€Å"radical uncertainty† surrounding the cooperation between states (Newey 2008: 161). Though Hobbes saw men as equal in a state of nature, it could not be said that all states are equal; the opposite is actually evident. America certainly does not feel the need to harbour pre-emptive aggres sion against countries such as Iceland, for example. This leads to the conclusion that internationally, states are in a state of war as man is in the state of nature (Bull 1977: 49). This concept can also be applied to Hobbes’ view of man in nature as essentially unsociable: states across the globe often enter into mutually beneficial agreements. Even larger states provide aid to third world countries, particularly after crises and where poverty is extreme. Although these distinctions may be rather primitive, they gather much ground in establishing weaknesses in Hobbes’ theory being applied on an international level. Man in the state of nature is certainly more equal than countries in the ‘

Should all father's be given parental responsibility automatically by Essay

Should all father's be given parental responsibility automatically by the law - Essay Example This is quite unfair to the father. As it stands, the law can be said to be wanting for various reasons. The number of births outside marriage continues to grow as a fraction of the total number of births. In 1996, the Lord Chancellor's department figures showed that 35.8% of births on UK were outside marriage, of which 58% indicated both parents living together (Townsend and Baker 1998). This shows an active continued participation of the father in the life of both the mother and the child. As well it is a clear indication of a significant number of mothers holding no reservations to the fathers' participation in their lives, prescribing that of their children (Anne and Probert 2004). Two principal means by which fathers acquire parental responsibility are parental responsibility agreement with the mother,( and registering it with the principle registrar of the family division), and parental responsibility orders. Looking at both, the figures show that a very small percentage of the parents has pursued these means. In 1996, despite registering 232,663 births outside of marriage, only 5,587 parental responsibility orders were given by the courts and a meager 3,000 parental responsibility agreements were registered. ... This is not necessarily a show of lack of concern on the unmarried fathers part. Instead, it brings to light the common assumption that living together outside of marriage grants one common rights before the law. The long judicial processes are in any case, not ideal for anyone. Granting automatic parental rights would go along way in ensuring that these fathers do not have to worry about the long judicial processes but take up their roles as they ought as early as possible. Otherwise, they might continue to avoid the imagined or real humiliation and intimidation in the court or getting an attorney to help them in the signing of the agreement (Lewi Gatvitz and Clarke). Without a doubt, generally categorizing all unmarried fathers as irresponsible or as being of questionable character as the law currently does, as deceptive a heuristic as it is dangerous. It is deceptive because unmarried fathers are just a small representation of what the society is. If we pick married fathers or unmarried mothers or married mothers as other representations of the society, then we will find that there are also men or women who conduct themselves poorly within them. Marital status does not automatically mean a certain character, good or bad (Townsend and Baker 1998). The law should be the first to reflect this reality. If this was the attitude in law then automatic parental responsibility would smell closer for the unmarried fathers (Townsend and Baker 1998). The discrimination due to marital status would end too. Fathers have both a practical and a symbolic significance to the lives of children. To enable them be more effective fathers, the law should seem to acknowledge the importance of the father-child bond. By denying unmarried fathers parental responsibility, they are also

Community Event Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Event Assignments - Essay Example The speaker also explained the deep meaning embedded behind this sacrificial ritual. The story of prophet Ibrahim was narrated really well. Since the event was spread over a long span of time, the members arranged for a time to read the Dhuhr (noon-prayer), Asr (after-noon prayer) and Maghrib prayers (evening prayer). These prayers are 3 of the 5 prayers that every Muslim is expected to read every single day. There was also a Henna session for the female students. During this session, intricate designs using henna was drawn on the palms of the willing female students. The henna designs are known as mehendi in the Muslim culture. Food was served up along with some dessert. A Muslim trivia was also arranged for during which questionnaires revolving Muslim traditions, history and culture were asked through which we gained a lot of more information and facts about Islam. The day ended with a cleaning up session after which we all returned home feeling much satisfied that we had the chanc e to come so close to such a rich yet misunderstood culture. I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend the community event. ... In fact, I believe that young Muslims Americans, like those who organized the event, can decrease the negativity between their culture and the West. American Islam dates back when slaves were brought from around the world to America but since they were freed the American Islam population was completely forgotten. We all are aware that immigrant Muslim population and American Muslim population are fast increasing in numbers and since Muslim students need to keep their cultural background intact as well as merge into the secular Western culture, this community event was an endeavor to accomplish just that1. The event was a nice platform for Muslim as well as Non-Muslim interaction. While the Muslim students had the chance of understanding the cultural and communal strength and the real meaning of Islam, the non-Muslim visitors gained an unforgettable experience. Since American Islam has to thrive among hostile population there are times when American Muslims are not valued, which leads to a feeling of dejection and abandonment. However this community event brought together so many like-minds to discuss about their feelings. I feel that I learnt a lot about cultural pluralism. An African-American poet had said-â€Å"Diversity makes for a rich tapestry and we should understand that all threads have the same value.† Somehow, in present day America, the American Muslims and the immigrant population are on the verge of losing their identity and I was not sure if they are recognized that well. Some studies even suggest that Muslim children often try to hide their real identity among fellow American students, but when I first came to this community event I immediately realized that the work the ASSOC was up to was incredible because they strived to keep their

Differences Between Male and Female graduation rate among U.S. Collegs Research Paper

Differences Between Male and Female graduation rate among U.S. Collegs and Universities - Research Paper Example Graduations in different colleges and universities in the United States are held on an annual basis for each class that is completing their education. Recent studies have shown that today more women graduate from US colleges as compared to men. Although the number of men enrolling in colleges is significantly higher than that of women, research has shown that only about 2/3 of this number make it to graduation. The rate of women dropping out of school is lower compared to that of their male counterparts and at the end of their four years of study, more women graduate than men. The United States Census Bureau estimates that around 20,501,000 females hold a bachelor’s degree while only 18,423,000 males have a degree. The percentage of these figures is at 59.9% for women and around 49% for men. The 10% difference is attributed to various factors, which in most cases have favored women more than men (Janet, 136). Studies have shown that today women enrolment in US colleges and uni versities outpace that of men by a ratio of 1.4 to 1. In his book, The Rise of Women, Thomas DiPrete says that there have been major changes in the educational sector in the US. The big difference of college enrolment begins at kindergarten level where young girls are said to have better social and behavioral skills that enable them attain good skills. From an early age, girls are said to love school more than boys. They realize the value of good grades and they study more as compared to their male counterparts. On the other hand, boys do not engage themselves so much with school work. By the time they get to college, if they manage to, they are hardly ready for college life, leave alone education. This makes them to drop out even before completion leaving more girls to graduate (Thomas, 98). At a young age, boys have been taught that they do not need to obey rules set by the society; neither do they need to work hard. This is because traditionally men who dropped out of school were able to get good paying jobs at construction sites, manufacturing industries and travel agencies. They were therefore assured of earning a salary in spite of them having not completed college. However, this is not the case today as jobs are not readily available to people who have not studied (Thomas, 125). In spite of this, boys go ahead thinking that they can make it through life without an education hence dropping out of college or getting poor grades. Girls on the other hand grow up knowing the value of hard work and accept the fact that they have to put in extra effort in their studies if they want a good paycheck later in life. This drives them to have the desire to go up to college level and attain their degrees. Thomas argues that men are by nature over optimistic of their capabilities. They believe that they can get higher salaries and better jobs compared to women even without an education. This optimism makes them to pay less attention to their school work. They have poo r academic performance and their chances of completing college are lower. Psychologist Judith Kleinfeld says that boys are misinformed and are unaware of the importance of a college degree. Peer pressure and the need to be popular also results in most boys dropping out of school at early ages. With the rise of feminism, girls have learnt that they need to empower themselves and that education is the most powerful tool for motivation and a better middle class life in future. This of course motivates them to work hard in school and see to it that they

Marketing plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing plan - Case Study Example The business has employees who range between nine and ten who work to serve the customers that are coming from that area, or visiting from other areas. The growth of the business is determined by the manner in which they advertise their products and services. One crucial area in the running of the business is the incorporation of technology into the company core operations or business processes (Lynn, 2010). Engaging actively with customers on numerous media fronts is what keeps the company on its toes. By engaging in all cleaning and laundry operations, the company has something to offer most of its customers. Laundromat and laundry services make it easy for customers to choose what they want, and go for it through different avenues. By performing different analysis in the environment where the business operates provides the company with sufficient information as to what best suits the company. Issues that have been noted from this analysis is that the company has a small staff numb er, which is a drawback. Secondly, the business is faced with the issue of heightened competition from small players within the industry. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Services offered the pricing strategy 4 3.0 Pricing strategy 5 4.0 The promotional strategy 5 5.0 The Situational analysis 6 6.0 Customer analysis 7 7.0 Market and competitor analysis 8 8.0 Marketing strategies 9 8.1 Product 9 8.2 Price 10 8.3 Place 10 8.4 Promotion 10 9.0 Conclusion 11 Snow White Laundry & Drycleaners in Sydney 12 Upgrade Premium listing 12 1.0 Introduction This present paper is a marketing report that is based on the Snow White Laundry and Drycleaners Company. The report is mainly designed to act as a marketing report for the company. It begins with a preview of the services that are offered by the company and even the pricings strategy that has been applied by the company. Other sections that will be covered in the report include a discussion of the promotion strategy that has so far bee n applied by the business and it provides a situational analysis for the business. The report will also presents an analysis about the market and even the competitors of the company. Another section of the report will present an analysis about the company’s customer base and some issues that affecting the business. In the last section, before concluding the report will present marketing strategies that can be applied in order to increase the financial performance of the business as well as its market share in the Sydney market. Before embarking on the actual report it is important to mention that the Snow White Laundry and Drycleaners Company is a company that was established in the year 1949 and it mainly specialize in offering cleaning services for various items that range from clothes to carpets. The company has an established global presence with branches in different countries and its customer base include individual customers as well as corporate or business organizatio ns. 2.0 Services offered the pricing strategy Snow White Laundry & Dry cleaning offers services that are broadly classified into dry cleaning and laundry services. Under dry cleaning services, the company offer to clean various items in a process, which do not include the use of water but rather the use of chemicals in process called tumbling. Laundry services on the other hand include cleaning services that majorly rely on the use of water was well as other chemicals and detergents (Lynn, 2010). For this particular, report the case study branch

Current Issue Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Current Issue - Term Paper Example Although slums had became common by the end of 20th century and dominated a major part of United states Of America and European society ,evolution of slums had taken place in New York City. History says that Five Points slum area was initially a lake namely Collect. Soon slaughtered waist and garbage started to dispose off at the location of the lake Collect. As the hot summer poured in during the ages of 1800’s, the lake with all sorts of garbage had gone dry with no sign of sanitation taken into account. That was the time when the first slum namely Five Points slum started to originate on that location. People from different nationalities who thought New York City as the key to opportunities and had migrated to the city, had to accommodate at the Five Points slum (Moreno 32). In Europe, slums had gone common by the ages of 1920’s during the Victorian period. Charles Dickens, one of the greatest novelist and realistic writer, defined slum as low and an area of bad housing system. According to a census held in 1920, there were 25,000 slums present only in America (Rogers 33). With the increasing number of slums in any country, economy is deeply affected. At one hand, many political powers seek measures to demolish or upgrade slums for their political interest. These political powers encourage the migration of individuals and families from rural areas to urban areas in order to secure their voting blocks. On the other hand, slums cover major of the population in many countries. In order to strengthen a nation economically, slums need sincere attention. The residents of the slums should be offered rights just like any other citizen. Their life styles and lives should be modified not for personal means. Economy can never prosper when slums and people in slums exist. The influential business tycoons also seek to conquer this small urban settlement area for their personal means and not for the

Economic Practice Coursework Essay Example for Free

Economic Practice Coursework Essay My choice of article is the one relating to the oil crisis in Libya, and how it affects the economy of other countries. The article discusses the impacts of the oil cut of Libya, supplying it no more. It starts off by talking about the impact on shares and the price of oil barrels, which is the fastest and direct impact of the oil cut. As supply from Libya territory stops, supply to the entire world is crippled, as Libya is one of the countries that supply most worldwide used oil. As it stops supplying, it shifts the supply and demand graphs completely. In a short term, supply shifts to the left, as it is less. In doing so, for the same amount of oil, the price has gone to a higher figure. By doing that, the shares index of the western countries, such as European countries and the US have dropped, because of the adjustment via disposable income. That happens because of the effects of the shifting of the supply curve. As the price goes higher, the general public have less money to spend on the economy and firms, decreasing the firms profit, damaging that countries economy. Thats the reason for the index to go down, and thats an example of mid-term effects of the oil crisis. In the midterm effect, the demand for oil will decrease, as people will cut back on the oil, and look for alternative routes. On the long term, the demand for the cars will decrease, as people will not want to buy cars, and try to sell their cars. This will affect the economy drastically, as the car companies are a big part of that countries economy. The general public will search for alternative routes to travel, as oil prices are higher. The car companies will have to spend much more money on researching alternatives such as hybrids and electric cars which are starting to appear. The public transport system will benefit from this situation, as more people would want to travel via train or bus, as it is much cheaper and faster. The government would get more money from this, so it would improve as much. The oil companies would want to drill and search for oil in more remote areas, causing more deforestation, and much more money spending by the companies and time. Thus some small oil companies will be closed down due to the high demand of oil, as they cant compete with the oil monopolies. The oil monopolies will also be affected, as some major companies oil supply relies a lot on Libyas supply. Regarding the oil companies, they had to pull out staff from troubled countries, not only Libya, but other countries that are getting affected by that state, and are choosing to cut off supply as well, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. As they do this, the productivity drops to zero in those countries, and there is a high chance of the companies losing contact with their oil. The unrest in Libya may affect the Saudi Arabia, and that concern is affecting a huge majority of stock holders and companies, specified before, changing the stock markets, especially the European and Asia. Relating to airlines, as the supply and demand graphs change, the oil supply for airplanes gets crippled, so more money has to be spent to get the same amount of oil, making the costs bigger, resulting in a bigger price for the customer for the same flight compared to before the whole situation. There is also a chance of investors backing out from the airline business, resulting in smaller profits for the companies and much more monetary issues.

Demographics of Online Shoppers

Demographics of Online Shoppers Abstract This dissertation aims at developing profiles of Greek consumers who have already conducted purchases through the Internet and of the consumers who are willing to adopt the Internet shopping as an innovation. Measurement of the demographic and behavioural data, investigation of the trends and attitudes of the online consumers toward online apparel shopping. The research will provide insightful preliminary data based on the detailed profiles of Internet shoppers (innovators) and interested-to-adopt Internet shopping (early adopters). The empirical findings will provide valuable managerial implications while setting the foundation for future research in this topic. Introduction The Importance of the Research Internet gained the trust of more than 1,5 billion users around the globe (world Stats, 2009) and became the most important tool of almost every international business (Mc donald and Tobin, 1998; Rha et al., 2002; Urban, 2003). The majority of the web users is taking advantage of the globalization and the online prices.In some countries the percentage of the online shoppers is reaching the 95% according to the Nielsen Online Report (2008). The same report indicates that the users which prefer the internet for frequent purchases is 39% and about 84% of the users concluded the purchase of a product once every month through the Internet the last two years of the study. The total sales in Europe are expected to be more than 407 billion dollars by the end of the 2011. According to the same report UK, France and Germany hold more than 70 percent of the total European sales followed by Italy and Spain. The structures of the web sites profess differences because of the culture but also common characteristics (Okazaki et al., 2006). In the next few years because of the globalization of the media there is evidence of a new global culture, the digital culture (Deuze, 2006) Hofman and Novak (1996) described the online apparel shopping as a new kind of consumer behavior according to computer mediated shopping environment. The researchers seek to develop the past theories of customers behavior while retailers seek to establish successful strategies by knowing better their customers (Goldsmith and Mcgregor, 1999). Paisley According Paisley to Paisley Lohse Paisley and Paisley Spiller Paisley (1998, Paisley p.81) Paisley there Paisley are Paisley large Paisley differences Paisley between Paisley a Paisley physical Paisley store Paisley and Paisley its Paisley electronic Paisley counterpart Paisley and Paisley the Paisley online Paisley shopping Paisley by Paisley nature Paisley is Paisley an Paisley innovating Paisley experience Paisley (Wang Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1998). PaisPaisley Donthu Paisley and Paisley Garcia Paisley (1999) Paisley conducted Paisley a Paisley relevant Paisley survey Paisley and Paisley the Paisley findings Paisley clearly Paisley showed Paisley that Paisley the Paisley Internet Paisley shoppers Paisley are Paisley moremmm more Paisley innovative Paisley in Paisley contrast Paisley to Paisley Internet Paisley non-shoppers. The Paisley key Paisley task Paisley is Paisley to Paisley discover Paisley the Paisley actual Paisley and Paisley potential Paisley customer Paisley through Paisley the Paisley fundamental Paisley change Paisley of Paisley the Paisley online Paisley purchases Paisley (Turban Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1999). Paisley Thus, Paisley Paisley this Paisley research Paisley will try Paisley to Paisley emphasize Paisley into Paisley different Paisley modes Paisley of Paisley consumers (Internet shoppers and interested-to adopt Internet shopping) Paisley and Paisley not Paisley just Paisley through Paisley a Paisley simplistic Paisley analysis. Moreover, the research will highlight the differences and similarities of these consumers groups and to the Internet online apparel shopping, and clearly will provide some of the most important success ingredients that every online retailer should take under consideration. Paisley ThetPaisley The Research Aims Objective This Paisley research Paisley aims Paisley to Paisley develop Paisley profiles Paisley of Paisley the Paisley Greek Paisley Internet Paisley online Paisley shoppers Paisley and Paisley of Paisley those Paisley who Paisley are Paisley going Paisley or Paisley interested Paisley to Paisley adopt Paisley the Paisley internet Paisley shopping Paisley as Paisley an Paisley innovation. Paisley A Paisley special Paisley focus Paisley in Paisley the Paisley process Paisley of Paisley decision Paisley and Paisley diffusion Paisley theories Paisley of Paisley innovation Paisley seems Paisley necessary Paisley through Paisley the Paisley measurement Paisley of Paisley the Paisley demographic Paisley and Paisley behavioral Paisley characteristics. Paisley Paisley The Paisley general Paisley objective Paisley has Paisley to Paisley focus Paisley in Paisley numerous Paisley specific Paisley aims: To Paisley examine Paisley the Paisley demographic Paisley and Paisley psychological Paisley characteristics Paisley of Paisley the Paisley Greek Paisley online Paisley shoppers Paisley To Paisley analyze Paisley the Paisley perceived Paisley risk Paisley next Paisley to Paisley any Paisley online Paisley transaction To Paisley present Paisley the Paisley previous Paisley online Paisley apparel Paisley shopping Paisley experiences Paisley To Paisley develop Paisley a Paisley detailed Paisley profile Paisley of Paisley existing Paisley and Paisley potential Paisley Greek Customers To Paisley analyze Paisley theories Paisley and Paisley concepts Paisley that Paisley can Paisley be Paisley applied Paisley by Paisley the Paisley online Paisley apparel Paisley industry To Paisley propose Paisley strategies Paisley and Paisley relevant Paisley effective Paisley managerial Paisley tools Literature Review The Importance of Apparel Online Shopping For years researchers examined the reasons that made shoppers to buy from home, focusing on the differences between traditional retailers and online retailers (Eastlick and Feinberg, 1999; Hawes, 1986). Authors developed a risk-taker profile of the online consumer (versus the in-store consumer) who is ready to perceive a higher risk (Donthu and Garcia, 1999; Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002; Vijayasarathy and Jones, 2000). Researchers described PPaisley the online purchase of Paisley apparel Paisley products a decision with increased perceived risk Paisley (Bhatnagar Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2000; Paisley PaisleHawes Paisley and Paisley Lumpkin, Paisley 1986). Paisley Internet Paisley shoppers are skeptical Paisley are scepticalPaisley to Paisley purchase or not Paisle PaisleyPaisley apparel Paisley products online Paisley Paisley because Paisley of Paisley the Paisley uncertainty Paisley next to the Paisley fit, Paisley fabric Paisley and Paisley color Paisley (Bhatnagar Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2000). Paisley People Paisley with a Paisley higher Paisley income(Leung, Paisley 1998; Paisley Pepermans Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1996; Paisley Summers, Paisley 1972), Paisley well Paisley educated(Leung, Paisley 1998; Paisley Pepermans Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1996; Paisley Rogers, Paisley 1995), Paisley and Paisley with Paisley an Paisley occupational Paisley status Paisley above Paisley the Paisley average(Rogers, Paisley 1995), Paisley in Paisley general Paisley are Paisley innovators Paisley and Paisley will Paisley adopt Paisley first Paisley new Paisley products Paisley and Paisley services. Paisley Therefore, Paisley the Paisley innovators Paisley might Paisley adopt Paisley the Paisley internet Paisley as Paisley a Paisley tool Paisley for Paisley apparel Paisley shopping Paisley even Paisley though underliesPaisley underlies Paisley a Paisley higher Paisley risk. Gender Paisley is Paisley among Paisley the Paisley factors we need to emphasizePaisley whichww and previousPaisley Paisley research Paisley showed Paisley that Paisley women Paisley are Paisley more Paisley innovative Paisley than Paisley men Paisley (Goldsmith Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1987). Paisley In Paisley a Paisley household Paisley the Paisley primary Paisley shoppers Paisley for Paisley apparel Paisley products Paisley are Paisley the female Paisley femalefffFFFFffffffffffer2wewsxxcdf]45421sPaisley (Dholakia Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1995). Paisley Among Paisley young Paisley consumers Paisley (students) Paisley the Paisley differences Paisley are Paisley not Paisley that Paisley obvious Paisley but Paisley mainly Paisley focus Paisley on Paisley different Paisley shopping Paisley habits Paisley (Dholakia Paisley and Paisley Chiang, Paisley 2003). Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Consumer Characteristics Purchasers because of their different characteristics approaching the online apparel stores with many different ways and receiving different messages, which may affect their online purchases (Cheung et al., 2003). Therefore, we will have to emphasize to these characteristics because of their importance. Previous online purchase experiences, characteristics based on their personalities and the level of their innovative thinking when they go online to shop (Cheung et al., 2003) need to be discussed. Personalities The online shopping behaviors of the consumers are close attached to their personalities and may affect their choice of the online apparel stores and products (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Therefore, we need to focus in two main consumers personalities: The utilitarian and hedonic personalities. Utilitarian Consumers Utilitarian consumers buying online based on their goal oriented shopping behaviors. Shopping is made according to their goals and rational necessary needs (Kim shim, 2002). They are trying to deliberate their shopping habits through rationality and efficiency and they are not searching for any kind of entertainment through shopping (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Main aspect is to conclude their online shopping experience efficiently and in time without any kind of unnecessary irritation (Monsuwe, Dellaert Ruyter, 2004). Moreover, their instrumental characteristics guide their shopping experiences efficiently to a task oriented behavior (Sorce, Perotti Widrick, 2005) They are in search for sites offering variety of products, convenience, ease of access and multiple information among others (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Hedonic Consumers Hedonic consumers defined according to experiential buying behavior. Their concern is not to gather as many information they are able to but at first to seek happiness sensory stimulation and some sort of enjoyable experiences (Monsuwe, Dellaert Ruyter, 2004). The hedonic consumers are trying to immerse into the experience in a greater way than achieving their goals by shopping online (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). They are trying to combine shopping with enjoyable experiences, playful sites and uniqueness (Sorce et al., 2005). Consequently, the hedonists when they get satisfied are increasing their visits and purchases to their favorite online apparel stores (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Main differences between hedonic (experiential) and utilitarian (goal oriented) consumers behaviors. Their differences in personality, motivation and key aspect leads to a different interaction with the online apparel stores. The goal-oriented customers are guided from instrumental factors which may include the ease of access, the available information and the variety of selection. While the goal oriented consumers seek for control the experiential consumers seeking for fun and surprising web stores (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001; Sanchez-Franco Roldan, 2005). A summarization follows in Table 2.1 Compulsive shopping According to Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2001) more than 72% of the shoppers are goal oriented and followed some sort of plan on their recent purchases, and 28% of the shoppers are experiential and decided a purchase while they were browsing. Moreover, research has shown that even if the goal oriented customers represent the majority, the experiential consumers and their browsing attitude are welcome, because of their close connection with high impulse purchases and frequency (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Innovativeness Innovation described as the degree to which an individual . is relatively earlier in adopting new ideas than the other members of a system (Rogers, 1995). Several researchers referred to the different characteristics of the innovative consumers. Most of them are: higher or highest education (Leung, 1998; Pepermans et al., 1996;) mostly young consumers (Hirschman and Adcock, 1978;) income is higher than the average (Pepermans et al., Summers, 1972;) higher social activity (Robertson and Kennedy, 1968; Roggers, 1995;) risk takers (Leung, 1998; Roggers, 1995;) opinion leaders (Darden and Reynolds, 1974; Chau and Hui, 1998;) women in majority (Goldsmith et al., 1987) Researchers have tried to analyze the role of gender or/and race on innovation and clearly saw that the women are more likely to be innovative than men. The key aspect of the innovation seems is the new products to adopted by the consumers in the market (Leung, 1998; Pepermans et al., 1996). The higher acceptance of the new innovative products as the World Wide Web, may affect as well the use of the network for purchases(Citrin et al., 2000). The apparel online shoppers described mostly as innovators from other researchers (Goldsmith et al., 1995). Goldsmith and Flynn (2004) defined that online apparel purchasers could not be distinguished from non-purchasers by their demographics, but they were more innovative toward clothing and fashions than the non-purchasers. Online apparel purchasers, however, did use the Internet more and were more innovative toward using the Internet than non-purchasers were. The innovative online consumers more likely will purchase apparel online instead of the non-purchasers which are less innovative. Theoretical Framework Rogers (1995) proposed a five-stages process for the innovation to be adopted by an individual. The first one is the knowledge stage, a stage on which an individual tries upon previous experience to understand an innovation and its characteristics. The knowledge derives from the social environment, understanding of problems and general innovativeness. The Persuasion stage which is the second one, represents the development of every positive and negative attitude upon innovation as a result of the knowledge stage. The perceived elements (Rogers, 1995) which are going to influence the adoption of an innovation are: The relative advantage in other words the consumers will assume the advantageous role of the innovation and the adoption will be faster. The compatibility aspect if the consumers recognize in the innovation compatibility with their lifestyle, there is a greater possibility to adopt the innovation. The complexity issue the consumers will examine the innovation and if they think that is easy to use, maybe will adopt earlier the innovation. The trial ability a trial of the innovation will make it easier for the consumers to adopt it. The observation ability the chance of observing the results of each innovation may speed up the adopt timeframe. Another researcher examined the five elements and discovered that the relative advantage, compatibility aspect, the trial ability and the observation ability are positively connected to adoption of every innovation and complexity issue is negatively connected to the adoption of an innovation. In the decision stage which is the third one, the consumer decides to adopt or to reject the innovation according to his/her attitude created during the persuasion stage (Rogers, 1995). The behavioral change will be visible during the fourth stage, the implementation stage. During that stage the consumer will act on his decision of the approval or the rejection of an innovation. Even at this stage the consumer holds a level of uncertainty about the scope of the innovation and will keep collecting information about the innovation. During the last stage according to Rogers (1995), the confirmation stage, the consumer will re-examine the innovation and will reach to a new decision whether or not he will continue to adopt the innovation. Purchasers Browsers and Searchers Internet users have different aspects when they go online. Some users are online because of their intention to buy apparel online (purchasers), but the browsers may not interested to buy online. A search for extra information on the websites is what made them to go online in some of the cases. The searcher is a goal oriented consumer who is online to search for information in a productive way in order to fulfill his goals (Ha Stoel, 2004). A task oriented behavior, more as pre-purchase deliberation and an intention to conclude a purchase next to the gathering of information online are the characteristics of the searcher. Schlosser (2004), defines the consumer known as a browser, an experiential shopper who seeks more and more for an entertaining experience. If the websites are able to fulfill the aspects of the searchers and browsers may transform them to purchasers. Ha Stoel(2004), assumes that all three kind of potential shoppers (purchasers, browsers and searchers) may show different online shopping attitude on a specific site and may consider the advantages of the online apparel shopping in a different way because of their goals. The browsers and not the searchers according to schlosser (2004), affected more from vivid images. Consumers Attitudes Darwin (1872) mentioned the attitudes as a physical action of a thought. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) through their work Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior : An introduction to Theory and Research focused on the prediction of the human behavior through their theory of the reasoned actions. Ajzen (1987) developed the theory of the reasoned actions to the theory of planned behavior. The model suggested by Fishbein still is the most popular among researchers but among psychologists is Fazios (1986) attitude accessibility model. Fishbeins Multi-attribute Model Fishbeins claims that the consumers form attributes towards objects on the basis of their beliefs (perceptions and knowledge) about these objects. Since a consumer may hold different beliefs about an object it may be difficult to get the overall perception of a product such as the McDonalds if they are good or bad for the consumers (Perner, 2006). Within this framework a persons attitude toward an object is a function of his beliefs about an object and the implicit evaluative responses associated with those beliefs (Karjaluoto, 2006). Beliefs are acquired by the processing information, which are obtained from direct experiences with objects and from interaction with other sources. Moreover, if there is a need to understand consumers attitudes adequately, a determination of the beliefs that form the basis of these attitudes is necessary (Fishbein and Steiner, 1965). The model focus in three attributes of the attitude: The salient beliefs people hold about an attitude object, e.g. those beliefs which are the first to come in mind; Object-attribute linkages, or the probability, that a particular object has an important attribute. Evaluation of each one of the important attributes. Upon any case, the model created on assumptions that may prove wrong on everyday practice. At first assumes that exists the ability to specify adequately all the relevant attributes. This model also assumes that he/she will go through the process (formally or informally) of identifying a set of relevant attributes, evaluating them and measuring the overall outcome. Without any attempt of questioning this model, which is clearly a high-involvement subject, it is still possible that the consumers attitude will be formed by an overall affective response (Solomon et al., 1992). Since any kind of object, such as a product or a brand, has numerous attributes (size, features, shape etc), an individual will collect information and develop beliefs quite different according to the provided individual attributes. Positive or negative feelings are also formed on the basis of the beliefs held about the attributes. Thus, the persons overall attitude toward an object is derived from the beliefs and feelings created by the various attributes of the model and that is why the model is referred as a Multi attribute model or as the Fishbeins attitude model (Newman and Foxall, 2003). The Multi attribute model tries to summarize the overall attitudes by using the following equation (Hawkins et al., 1998): Where: Ao = the persons overall attitude toward the object-Characteristics of the attitude object (e.g. Reputation of a College) bi = the strength of his belief that the object is related to this attribute (e.g. the strength of belief that Wrangler Jeans are durable, or the belief that on line shopping is a convenient way to shop) ei = the evaluation or intensity of feelings (liking or disliking) toward attribute-the priority consumers place on an object. Some A (attitudes) will be more important than others. i.e. (Library resources, social environmentpriorities). n = the number of relevant beliefs for that person ( Loudon and Bitta, 1994) According to the above mentioned formula the weight of importance of a belief towards an object (bi) is multiplied with the evaluation i.e. of` the product. For example, a consumer believes that the taste of a refreshment is moderately important or a 4 in a scale of importance from 1 to 7.He/she also believes that drinking coffee feels very good, or 6 on a scale from 1 to 7.Thus the product overall grade here is 4*6 =24.The customer also believes that the potential of a drink to stain is extremely important (7), and coffee fares moderately badly at -4 on this attribute (since this is a negative belief, for this purpose we are taking numbers from -1 to -7 with -7 being worst). The total score for this belief is 7*(-4) =-28.If we hold these two beliefs the aggregated attitude would have been 24+(-28)=-4.In real life, it is obvious that consumers tend to have many more beliefs and their summary will provide an accurate measurement (Perner, 2006). Based on this multi-attribute model, marketers may consider four strategies when attempting to affect behavior: Change the value placed on a particular product attributes (a change in an ei component) Change beliefs (a change in a b1 component) Change the attitude toward the brand (A change in Ao) Change behavioral intentions (a change in BI) or behavior change in B (Assael, 1992) The Fishbeins attitude-towards object model has been relatively successful in predicting, behavioral intentions arising by various cognitive variables to which they refer (Birtwistle and Shearer, 2001; Doyle and Fenwick, 1974; Fishbein, 1967; Bass and Talarzyk, 1972). For example, excessive usage of the model to measure different advertisements or store brands. The tangible attributes and the utility versus the intangible ,symbolic attributes. However, this approach has not always been useful results for the retail management, as the knowledge of a customers attitude about a brand is not always a safe predictor of their actual behavior (Wicker, 1967). Furthermore, the model allows marketers to focus on the important issues of their consumers. Examines the effectiveness of their brand in providing the necessary attributes, and how marketers stack up against their competitors (Karjaluoto, 2006). By all means a negative response of the consumers to one feature of a brand does not necessarily eliminates the consumers connection with the specific brand. According to Wilkie and Pessemier (1973) the most important aspect of the multi-attribute model is: The advantage of multi-attribute models is in gaining understanding of attitudinal structure. Diagnosis of brand strengths and weaknesses on relevant product attributes can then be used to suggest specific changes in a brand and its marketing support. The retailers tried to take advantage of the Multi attribute model in a way to predict the behavior of their consumers. Although, the use of the model was inappropriate and in some of the cases unacceptable. As a result, the forecast of the consumers behavior was not accurate (Sheppard, 1988): The model was developed to deal with the actual behavior (e.g. taking an aspirin), not with the outcomes of behavior (e.g. allergy), which is assessed in some studies (Solomon et al., 2002) Consumption situations may vary and this is going to influence the strength of the attitude behavior relationship (Bearden and Woodside, 1976). In fact, evidence suggests that consumers attitudes toward brands can actually vary depending on the situation (Miller and Ginter, 1979). Time usually elapses while consumers forming attitudes and when they are ready to act on these. During that time, many variables expected and unexpected may intervene to affect behavior. For example, an unexpected need for a new family car could quickly postpone, or cancel, plans to purchase a new motorcycle (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). The consumers attitudes toward some types of behavior are influenced by his evaluation of the perceived consequences (positive or negative) of taking such action. Therefore, these attitudes are more relevant for predicting consumers attitudes toward the objects themselves (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). Consumers are often influenced by their perceptions of what others will think of their actions. Thus, even though a consumer may have a favorable attitude toward making a purchase, he may refrain from doing so because of his perception that other people, who are very important to him (such as his/her friends) might not approve his action. This influence noted as subjective norm (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). New models able to adjust to the formed complexity introduced and the above-mentioned factors were used as a guide. As a result, Fishbein introduced the Behavioral Intentions model (Loudon and Bitta, 1994) in an attempt to escape from the traditional attitude toward object model to a more attitudes towards behavior model (Thoradeniya, 2006). Fishbeins Behavioral Intentions Model This revised model presented by Fishbein and contributed by Ajzen (1975), was designed to include the persons evaluation about performing certain behaviour. Their attitude toward the behaviour and additionally the social pressure experienced when performing the behaviour, like the subjective norm (Stephen, 2002). The theory of reasoned action is different from the traditional attitude theories in a manner of introducing normative influences to the overall model and a causal relationship between the two antecedents and intention (Ha, 1998). Subjective norms are determined by the consumers beliefs about the actions of the others regarding his intended behaviour and his motivations to comply with their standards of behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980). The subjective norms reflect as well the individuals sense to behave in an acceptable manner (Teo and Loosemore, 2001). Normative beliefs in general involve specific individuals or groups rather than generalised important others(Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980). In addition, the persons behaviour is a function of his/her intention to behave in a certain manner (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). For example, a womans attitude towards birth control pills maybe favourable, but the pressure exerted by family and friends could represent the subjective norm, which may result in a negative attitude towards using them (Johnson and Fishbein, 2003). Fishbeins expressed relationships in equation form as: As the model indicates, in order to predict the consumers behavior, the researcher must determine the consumers attitude toward the specific behavior in question (AB) and his subjective norm (SN). Each of these will be weighted by w1 and w2 respectively (which add up to 1.0) to reflect their relative importance in influencing the behavioural intentions (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). The consumers attitudes toward performing a specific behaviour has the same structure as in the Fishbeins Multiattribute model. The important change here is that beliefs and evaluations concern certain actions, and the consequences of these actions, affect the attributes of the object (Ha, 1998). These beliefs are called behavioural beliefs. An individual will attempt to perform certain behaviour because of his evaluation upon beliefs. Attitudes are determined by the individuals beliefs about the consequences of performing according to a specific behaviour (behavioural beliefs) and his concerns about the above mentioned consequences (outcome evaluations).Those attitudes have a direct effect on behavioural intention and are linked with subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (Brown, 1999). A number of issues and limitations of the Fishbein Behavioural Intentions model need further examination, since the potential number of factors affecting attitude are infinitive. Other researchers are involved with the thoughts of the consumers before their decision upon action. We are not able to apply these theories in the organisational buyer behaviour because of the complexity of the influencing factors which affect this kind of behaviour (Thompson and Panayiotopoulos, 1999). Moreover, there is a significant risk between attitudes and subjective norms since attitudes can often be reframed as norms and vice versa. In practice the consumer suffer from several constraints such us limited ability, time, environmental or organisational limits and unconscious habits. It is also very important to note, that although the theory assumes that behaviours are influenced only by intentions, other authors suggest that attitudes and past attitudes have a direct influence on future behaviour(Bargh, 1997). According to the above-mentioned frame the current behavior may be habitual and triggered by environmental stimuli and may be elicited unintentionally when an evaluative representation is present (Bargh, 1997). However, the implications of this model are extremely important for the marketers, while there is a specific need for understanding the factors which affect the consumers intentins. Past research strengths the ability to identify the most important attributes, which forced the consumers to form negative or positive attitudes towards a purchase of a product (Ha, 1998). It is also a valuable tool to proceed with the identification of the sources of the social environment and their possible role in intention. (Ha, 1998). These attitudinal and subjective-norm components are helpful to marketers to analyse and understand/predict the consumers behaviour. Moreover, they are useful because of their suggestions to alternative marketing strategies for the evaluation and change of the consumers attitudes and intentions to act (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). Online Apparel Shopping Intention The representation Paisley of Paisley what Paisley we Paisley think Paisley we Paisley will Paisley buy Paisley (Blackwell Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2001, Paisley p. Paisley 283) describes the online appare

Analyze The Avon Product Inc

Analyze The Avon Product Inc The report has been designed to analyse the Avon Product Inc that has been undergone by major strategic change. Furthermore this report has been divided into two parts, first part of the report will explain the organisation back ground and the strategic change that has been adopted, further second part of the report will discuss the influence of external environmental forces, how they affect on the organisation performance. Avon Vision Statement : To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product service and self-fulfillment needs of women globally Organisation Background Avon is the largest seller, marketer and manufacturer of beauty related products around the world. Avon generates 98% of its revenue from cosmetics products. The company markets to women in more than 110 countries through more than Five millions independent sale representatives. Products categories are for instance skincare, fragrances, cosmetics, toiletries and also jewellery, watches, home products candles and toys. Moreover, 98% of the company sales are generated via direct sales. This sales approach had also been successful in the Asian and Latin America market. However, could not be for the American market. Strategic change According to Lynch (2006), define Strategic change is the pro-active management of change in organisations to achieve clearly identified strategic objectives. It may be undertaken using either prescriptive or emergent strategic approaches. Avons strategic change According to Johnson (2008) define in orders to diagnose the strategic change within organisation, it is important to consider the type of change that is required and also identify the type of change that has been adopted For over the last 124 years, being a global manufacturer and marketer of beauty related products, Avon has been adopted several changes and devoted to empower women by helping them to look beautiful. Avon major strategic changes are: Avon has invested the millions on research development to bring the innovative products and also focused on the increases advertisement for the sustainability of brand competitiveness. Avon eliminated the layers of Hierarchal management and redesigned the organisational structure to take the full advantage of Global sale Avon helped million of women across the world to build a better future for instance, provide the opportunities to become, entrepreneurs, representative or their own business owner. www.avon.com Organisational structure According to Carnall, (2007) ideal organisational structure is based on the right balance of information, resources and power to support the organisation objective. On geographically Avon operates business in six regions and has sales operation in 63 countries also products are distributed more than 52 countries in the world. Primarily Avon conducts business through direct selling and marketing by millions of Avon independent representative. Generally distributor purchased products directly from Avon on discounted price also Avon provide an opportunity to their representative to manage their business online including two way communication with Avon. Moreover in some countries for instance in USA, representatives can build their own web page for the sales of Avon Products. ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE According to Cameron, (2004), if current organisational culture does not support to achieve the organisation objectives or goals then organisation should involves themselves to change organisational cultural in order to achieve the organisational goals. However, since 1866 Avon organisational cultural is the most recognisable and considered the pioneered to sell the cosmetics products via using direct selling model and continue to maintain the same sales model since its foundation. Furthermore, 98% of revenue of the cosmetics product which is 6 billion dollar is come from direct selling model which impressed the other cosmetic companies to follow the direct sale model. Appendix 3 illustrates Avons organizational culture by using the cultural web model from Johnson and Scholes (2005). Stakeholder analysis According to Spicker (2008) state the stakeholder analysis will explain, how external and internal stakeholder influence on the organisation, and whats there needs and expectations, also what organisation need from each of them. Stakeholder analysis for Avon Stakeholder Interest Power Attitude Expectations/Needs Government Worldwide High High Mixed The acceptation to meet the all local, national and environmental laws of the country where they operate. Shareholders High High Positive Always take interest on maximization of shares value and dividend. Customers High Low Positive Take active interest in products and appearance. Communities Low Low Mixed Take interest in the respect of using natural resources, environmental issues and minimization of recycling and reuse practices. Suppliers Low Low Neutral Surety of contracts and payment. Take interest to add value to produce the products. Media Medium Medium Negative Always take interest to publish negative factors regarding harmful ingredients of cosmetics products. Executive team High High Positive Need to appreciate the whole organisation effort and give reward and reorganize the effort of representatives and employees worldwide. Employees High Low Positive Expect to achieve financial need and economical independence and support their happiness. The key environmental influences The PEST framework categories environmental influences into four main types: political, economic, social, technological. Political factors Avons products Inc business ranges cover many countries and it offers approaches to women who work in those countries to attained financial independence and good performance. In some countries, this move is regard as a way to advance the economic growth and create personal wealth. However, owing to the political differences among countries, it causes different influences on Avons corporate strategy. For instance, there is a Data Protection Act within the European Union which is aimed at protecting the privacy and safety of personal information. Different implementation dynamics of this policy in Europe countries will have different effects on Avons representatives calling door to door. Economic factors The key dominant factors that influence on customers for buying Avon products are their economical condition, inflation and interest rates. Simultaneously, Avon is also affected by currency fluctuations rates. Avon has employed about 5.3 million representatives and this leads to the free and actively cosmetics market to sell and buy Avons products. Social factors Consumers preferences and buying powers has changed by time to time and they are related to the local culture and personal working conditions. Countries in different climates and environmental circumstances would commend different cosmetic products for their citizens and this is a big concern for Avon to reach the goal that not only value and contain the similarities among different customers but also respect and create the differences of their needs. The top objective of Avon is to serve women all over the world with its products to reach their identical aspiration look their best at all places at all time. Technological factors The revolution and innovation of technology can influence the behavior of peoples. In the process of researching and product developing, cosmetic industry always put new products into a position of consequence. Avons strategy is to enhance the brand competitiveness through investing millions on the research and development of its products and increasing the advertisement of its products on media. . Managing change According to Mullins (2010) External environment can affect the organisational performance and organisation effective performance will depends on the interaction of its external environment. SWOT analysis Strength Avon products are sold in 110 countries around the world by five millions representatives. The products are sold in comparatively moderate prices. Additionally, features of personalization in customer service, creation in products design and satisfaction guarantee are the key factors which provide Avon a competitive advantage among the cosmetic industry. Furthermore Avon uses variety of electronic order systems to help representatives to increase the accuracy of business process and efficient business operations. The cost-effective sales strategies and the diversity of business model give Avon the ability to be the superior in cosmetic market. -Revenue growth stable From the companys record, it shows there was a stable and forceful growth in recent years which successful outstripped its key competitors. Avons revenue grew at a compounded annual growth rate (GAGR) of 10% during FY2006-2008 and this result a stable operation of the company. Dominant position provides more opportunities to attract new consumers Avon is one of four top brand leaders in cosmetic industry with brand value about $5,264 million in the top 100 global customer companies. The pioneered anti-aging skincare and perfume category induced Avon with wide business presence and leading position to attract new Opportunities Weakness Declining North American operation The declining trend of Avons North America business has slowed down in FY2008, but compared with FY2007, the total revenue of North America has still decreased 4.9 %, and Avons North America operation has contributed 23.3% to the total revenue of the company at last. Obviously, the top line was affected by the weak performance of this geographic segment. Opportunity Emerging markets The importance of emerging market such as Brazil with an annual growth of 20%, china which has valued approx $10,200 million with the enormous increase of population in future and the sudden growth of economy will offer a huge potential market for cosmetic industry .Furthermore The increasingly fierce competitions among cosmetic market, in order to capture the Brazilian market Avon has announced its plan to build the new distribution centre in brazil. Threats, In order to achieve the global recommendation in cosmetics business and gain the market share from emerging market, Avon has faced strong competition from its competitors for instance, LOreal, Unilever and Estee Lauder, Revlon and Procter Gamble. Conclusion This report offers an attempt to understand the major strategic change undergone by Avon Cosmetics Limited. Furthermore, report evaluated the effectiveness of the change in relation to Avons structure, culture. Being a global manufacturer and marketer of beauty and related products and a direct selling organisation, Avon was faced with several challenges in the external environment. The factors were: fierce competitions from multinational companies, consumer behaviour worldwide, government rules and regulations, technological and social background. It was found that the major strategic change does relate to the objectives of the organization and matches the organisations capability, including its structure, culture and politics. . References Cameron, Esther (2004) Making Sense of Change Management, London (UK), Kogan Page Limited Carnall, C A. (2007) Managing Change in Organisations. Harlow (UK), Financial Times Prentice Hall Johnson, G., Scholes, K., and Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy. ion. Harlow (UK): Financial Times Prentice Hall Johnson, Gerry (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Harlow (UK), Financial Times Prentice Hall Lynch, Richard L (2006), corporate strategy, Harlow, England, FT/Prentice Hall Mullins, Laurie J (2010), Management and Organisational Behaviour, Harlow (UK), Financial Times Prentice Hall Spicker, Paul (2008) Social policy: themes and approaches, Bristol (UK), Financial Times Prentice Hall (2009).Avon Products, Inc. SWOT Analysis, Avon Products, Inc. SWOT Analysis,1. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database Title: Change Management: A Critical Perspective Author(s): Simon Shurville Journal: International Journal of Managing Projects in Business Year: 2008 Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Start Page: 447

The Power of Preparation Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Power of Preparation There is an old adage that claims it is better to be safe than sorry. Most people living on planet Earth would agree. The art of preparation is a skill every old person wants the youth of America to possess. Business leaders want their employees to be better prepared. Simple everyday people want to be ready for all kinds of disasters that life may have in store for them. Someone who was trying to be wise once said,  ¡Ã‚ °Dig the well before you are thirsty ¡Ã‚ ±. This person was obviously relatively smart. Preparation is an essential tool for making life a more positive experience. First, success could come more easily if enough work was done beforehand. For example, many students dislike final examinations for one reason: the  ¡Ã‚ °cramming ¡Ã‚ ± study method. This method is ineffective, and makes students cranky and tired. Relationships at all levels become strained, and everyone is unhappy with everyone else. This situation can easily be avoided with one simple solution. It is preparation. If they had reviewed their notes and read their books periodically, then they would most likely retain all the necessary information to pass any final. Second, preparation can make lives of thousands more pleasant. Picture a red-brick building that is large enough for approximately 1,400 young adults. Now, picture about 400 extra people. Are there any problems that could rise from this high population density? Perhaps, there would be difficulties shifting from room to room...

The Medicinal Marijuana Debate Essay -- Medicinal Marijuana Essays

The Medicinal Marijuana Debate For years research groups, certain state governments, pharmaceutical companies and even some physicians have battled with the federal government over the legalization of the marijuana plant for medicinal purposes. Large amounts of research have been devoted to both sides of the argument; however, many of the studies contradict each other when naming the benefits and risks of marijuana. How can we decide whether the therapeutic values of marijuana outweigh the hazards of the drug when there have been no definitive findings? First we must review what is known about marijuana, such as how the chemicals in it affect the body, and then pick which study results seem more scientifically sound. For over 4000 years and in many different cultures, marijuana has been used medicinally for pain relief and treatment of many ailments. These ailments include digestive disorders, hemorrhaging, congestion, asthma and insomnia. The drug has been administered orally, topically and through inhalation. It was not until 1937 that using marijuana became a federal offense with the introduction of the Marijuana Tax Act ((6)). Today, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which defines it as "highly addictive with no medical usefulness"-the same definition given to heroin ((4)). The opioids in heroin and the cannabinoids in marijuana are used similarly by the brain. They either bridge synapses in the brain so that messages can be transmitted, in which case they are acting as agonists, or they block the agonist's binding site so that messages cannot be transmitted across synapses. In the latter case, the cannabinoids or opioids are acting as antagonists ((3)). Cannabinoids and opioids do not cause identica... ...dicine but with severe restrictions. Why deny ill people almost definite relief? References 1) Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base http://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/es.html 2) Medical Marijuana: full analysis of the Institute of Medicine's commissioned report http://www.360marijuana.com/marijuana/articles/041999.html 3) Scientific American: Healing Haze? http://www.sciam.com/missing.cfm 4) Drug Enforcement Administration: The Medical Myths of Marijuana http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/sayit/myths.htm 5) ARDPArk, Inc.: Synthetic THC/ Marinol http://www.ardpark.org/reference/marinol.htm 6) Why all the controversy? What does the research actually show? http://www.medmjscience.org/Pages/history/chapter.bhtml 7) New, Emerging Evidence of Marijuana's Medical Efficacy http://www.medmjscience.org/Pages/science/emerging.html

Communities Essay -- Group Communication Community Essays

Communitites When most people talk about community, they think of a location, an area in which people live. By definition â€Å"community† is a group of people living in the same location and under the same government. Community can also be defined as a group of people with the same common interests or segments in society. However, these definitions, which can be found in any dictionary, are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to explaining what community really is. Community is the memories and traditions of a certain area, as well as the interactions and responsibilities of its members. In order to truly belong to a community people must follow a set of values. These communal values are needed to provide stability among communities in this ever changing world. In the past ten years, with the advent of the internet and many other forms of communication, communities have become less interactive and isolated. In this paper I will be discussing the purpose of communal values and why t hey should be protected. Having a sense of belonging within a community is very important. Many people who have moved since childhood will always remember where they grew up. It is the memories and history they have there that will always make it home. In the play The Piano Lesson, the author shows the conflict between Boy Willie and his sister Berniece both of whom are African American. The conflict of the story centers on gaining a sense of belonging from one’s past. Boy Willie wishes to buy the land where his ancestors were slaves. In doing this Boy Willie must sell an antique piano which has been in his family for generations. Berniece wishes to hold on to the antique piano because it holds the history of their family in its unique carvings. In Boy Willie’s mind, gaining the piece of land would make his life meaningful and give him a sense of belonging. This story shows how the powerful bonds of memories and history are enough to create conflict between even the closest individuals. However , sense of belonging in a community does not require the history and memories of a place. People can gain a sense of belonging from simple but meaningful acts within the community. In Scott Russell Sanders’s essay on community, he explains how simple acts such as making bread with his daughter and children from the neighborhood gives him a sense of belonging and hope. Communal inte... ...o their communities as a whole. Throughout this paper we see the common problem of limiting the interactions between community members, and how this will hurt communities. Only when these issues become so evident that they begin to cause large problems will they be looked at, and by that time it could be too late. Schools now should be teaching children the importance of group thought and how it forms the basis of community structure around the world. The children of the future must not be sheltered from the outside world with new technology and packaged communities. Works Cited Collie, Tim. â€Å"In 21st Century, Americans are increasingly mobile creatures.† Sun-Sentinel [Fort Lauderdale, FL] 3 Jan. 2001: A4. Ehrenfeld, David. â€Å"Pseudocommunities.† Vitek and Jackson 20-24. Kline, David. â€Å"An Amish Perspective.† Vitek and Jackson 35-40. Paige, Harry W. â€Å"Leave If You Can.† Vitek and Jackson 11-14. Sanders, Scott Russell. â€Å"The Common Life.† Vitek and Jackson 40-49. Tall, Deborah. â€Å"Dwelling: Making Peace with Space and Place.† Vitek and Jackson 104-12. Vitek, William, and Wes Jackson, eds. Rooted In The Lan: Essays on Community and Place. New Haven: Yale UP, 1996.