MIDDLE EAST Essays - Western Asia, Arabian Peninsula,

MIDDLE EAST MIDDLE EAST Regional Makeup- There are three main regions that make up the Middle East. The Fertile Cresent it includes the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Isreal, and Jordan. It is a 1000 mile long area of, fertile land and is shaped like a cresent moon. Another region is the Highlands it includes the countries of Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan.A sereies of mountain ranges stretch through these countries. They are the Taurus Mountains,Elburz Mountains, and the Zagros Mountains.A third region is the Arabian Peninsula it is bordered by the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and,Arabian Sea. Its land area is about 1 milloin squaremiles Saudi Arabia the largest country in the Middle East takes up much of the area. Much of the rest is covered by the Rub' al-Khali or the empty quarter. Physical Features- There are many physical features made up of water such as seas the Red, Mediterranean, Dead, Caspian, Arabain, and Black. Rivers the Euphrates and Tigris are the main rivers. Straits the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Gulfs Aden, Persian, and Oman. There is also two plateaus the Iranian and the Anatolian and three main mountain chains Zagros, Elburz, and the Taurus. Deserts the Rub' al-Khali (empty quater). Lifestyles- If you lived in the Middle East you would probally not have much money and no material things. You have to work all day to survive the types of work you would probally be doing is herding sheep,weaving baskets,selling fruit at the markets,and trading goods. Languages- Pastro,Dari,Farsi,Turkish,Kurdish,Arabic,Persian,Hebrew,English,French, and Armenian. Major agricultural,manufactured, and exported products- Exports-Crude Oil,Petroleum, Services, Machinery,Diamonds, and Natural Gas. Imports-Motor Vehicles, Machinery,Food,and Crude Oil. Agriculture-sheep and fruits. The thing that interested me most about the Middle East is that if you are a muslim you must visit Mecca at least once in your life if you can afford it. That interests me because if you are catholic you do not have to visit Vatican City home of the Pope. Another thing that interested me about the muslim religion is that you must pray in the direction of Mecca wich is the most holy city in the muslim religion. Extra tidbits of information- In our textbooks it states that three major religions were started in the Middle East they were Judism,Christianity,and Islamic but I found out that a fourht major religion was also started there it is Zoroastrianism. The meaning for the word muslim is "Those who surrender to gods will" In sixth century B.C. the Persians overran the whole Middle East and set up a ruling system that became the model for all later empires.

Representation of Culture in Japanese Animation Essays

Representation of Culture in Japanese Animation Essays Representation of Culture in Japanese Animation Essay Representation of Culture in Japanese Animation Essay RESEARCH PROPOSAL: REPRESENTATIONS OF CULTURE IN JAPANESE ANIMATION BY: ASHA JHINA ROLL NO. : 0914152 SUMITTED TO: DR. SAGARIKA GOLDER CHRIST UNIVERSITY BANGALORE Animation, more commonly known as cartoons is a very integral part of a child’s growing years. A medium which started out with a sole purpose of providing entertainment has progressed into a kind of a new-age education method. Cartoons/animations are not merely a tool to keep viewers occupied, it aims to familiarise people with their culture and their roots. Through this research paper I aim to isolate the very specifics of culture which are represented in media, especially cartoons. I have narrowed my research to ‘manga’ more commonly known as ‘anime’ which is the Japanese form of animation. Japan is known to have one of the oldest and strongest historical and cultural roots which are still relevant. Previous research has shown that people who are regular followers of anime do not watch it just as a form of entertainment but also to learn about a new and enigmatic culture. The Japanese are not one of the most outgoing people therefore a medium such as anime provides an interesting as well as visually appealing insight into their lives and culture. I wish to write my research paper by referring to the different kinds of work that has been done on this topic by others. This paper shall be based on facts collected through research and a survey among anime followers. By the end of this research I aim to draw parallels between Japanese culture and the content of different Animes.

A View on the Mozarts Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 as Explained by Woody Allen

A View on the Mozart's Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 as Explained by Woody Allen Woody Allen describes Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 as a composition that proved the existence of God. There is a reason that Allen, several other scholars of the classical period, and the majority of music lovers alike consider Mozart’s â€Å"Jupiter† Symphony to be one of extremes. The innovative and artistic mastery which make up the framework of the symphony creates an experience where a complexity of emotions could take place in this piece. The amount of several differing expressive and compositional contrasts which take place in this single symphonic work have astounded audiences for hundreds of years and is considered to be a work fifty years ahead of its time. The most prolific reason as to why this symphony is so highly regarded in the classical repertoire would have to the be what Mozart accomplishes in the finale of this work. At the end of the movement Mozart is able to successfully take the style of late 18th century instrumental practice, with exceptionally involved counterpoint creating a style of music transcending both of the styles into one of pure and exhilarating originality. This transcendence which Mozart achieved is due in part to a five-part fugato representing five different themes which occur throughout the finale of the work. Mozart takes the five themes and interlays each theme in unity among one another across the whole ensemble. This contrapuntal mastery which takes place has been deemed as one of the greatest finales of music preceding the scientific revolution. However, the significance of the symphony as a whole in terms of the historical context make the reputation of the symphony quite reputable among scholarâ₠¬â„¢s due to the commission of and inspiration of the â€Å"Jupiter† Symphony. No one is exactly sure as to the reason why Mozart wrote this symphony and whether he ever listened to a performance of this symphony as well. Mozart wrote the Symphony No. 41 along with his 39th and 40th symphonies during a period of six weeks in the summer of 1788. During this time Mozart was in serious debt and had to move to the suburb of Alsergrund in order to avoid paying high rental expenses. Some scholars believe that this symphony was composed only for the purpose of making Mozart money so that he could no longer struggle in order to pay his rent. Others believe that Mozart knew that the â€Å"Jupiter† symphony would be his last as he put everything in terms of style, contrast, and emotion into this final symphony. The first movement begins brilliantly in the key of C major. This movement happens to be in sonata allegro form which was traditional of the time. The second movement of this piece is marked Andante cantabile and is known to create dissonance and drama signifying some internal struggle. The third movement of the piece is a minuet that contains an allegretto and trio. This movement features an Austrian folk-dance form and contains interesting instances of imitative texture. Although these movements may not be as highly regarded as the fourth movement, the first three movements also contain innovative and symphonic mastery which only someone like Mozart could succeed in doing. Only Mozart could compose a symphony in less than six weeks and have the symphony contain a legacy spanning generations of musicians. The significance of final symphony of the Austrian composer will continue to baffle listeners young and old as no other composer could imitate the craft of composition and symphoni c art to which Mozart dedicated much of his life to.

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book Essay

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book - Essay Example t or wrong - acting the part of a good man or of a bad.† (Plato, 48) Socrates believed that danger and fear of death are irrelevant from a moral standpoint and he provides significant illustrations from the Greek epics, suggesting that Achilles never had any thought of death and danger. A man ought to remain in the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander at hour of danger and he should not think of death or of anything, except about disgrace or shame. Socrates condemns danger and fear of death as the source of all unwise deeds and they lead one to disgraceful or shameful deeds in life. â€Å"For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. Is there not here conceit of knowledge, which is a disgraceful sort of ignorance?† (Plato, 49) In shor t, Socrates provides convincing description and illustrations for the â€Å"virtuous life†, danger and fear of death, and â€Å"shame†. According to Socrates, the laws of Athens will be damaged if he escapes his death sentence and he provides striking reasons for claiming so. Socrates believes that a State cannot subsist and be overthrown, if the decisions of law have no power, but are set aside and overthrown by individuals. Every citizen of Athens, especially a clever rhetorician as Socrates, should have a good awareness of the evil of setting aside the law which requires a sentence to be carried out. Socrates believes that he has been in an important contract or agreement with the laws of Athens according to which he should abide by the sentence of the State. Thus, he fears the contempt of the state for not obeying this contract. â€Å"Tell us what complaint you have to make against us which justifies you in attempting to destroy us and the State? †¦ Has a philosopher like you failed to discover

The Catastrophes Experienced in the Modern World Essay

The Catastrophes Experienced in the Modern World - Essay Example Some human actions have played a role in creating global warming and escalating the calamity in the world. The primary cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect. Upon reaching the surface of the earth, an amount of sunlight is absorbed, while the rest radiates back to the atmosphere (Balachandran 107). The sun that radiates to the atmosphere does so at a longer wavelength, with some wavelengths being absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some of the heat energy that would be lost to space is reflected the earth’s surface by the greenhouse gases. Thus, the decisions of human beings to adopt the widespread use of greenhouses have significantly contributed to the escalation of global warming. The increase in global warming can be attributed to high incidences involving the use of greenhouse gases (Atwood 15). The emission of carbon dioxide also causes global warming; burning of fuels plays a role in escalating the incidences of global warming all over the world. Fuels such as diesel, natural gas, petrol, oil, organic diesel, and organic petrol mainly contributed to global warming and overall environmental degradation. Industries emit harmful carbon dioxide gas to the environment, causing massive destruction of the environment. When carbon dioxide is released to the environment, it remains in the atmosphere for as long as 100 to 200 years. The increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment creates a rise in earth’s temperature. Another factor responsible for the rise in global warming is the increased pollution caused by the clearing of vegetation cover. Human beings invade forests and clear vegetation and trees in order to settle.

The Effect of Celebrity Endorsement on Consumer Buying Behavior Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Celebrity Endorsement on Consumer Buying Behavior Essay The crescendo of celebrities endorsing brands has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years or so. Marketers overtly acknowledge the power of celebrity in influencing buyers purchase decision. They have firm believe that likeability or a favorable attitude towards a brand is created by the use of a celebrity. The crore of rupees spent per year on celebrity endorsement contracts show that celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sharukh khan and Sachin Tendulkar play an important role for the advertising industry. It is an established fact that celebrity endorsement can bestow unique features or special attributes upon a product that it may have lacked otherwise. In India from late 1970s and early 80s the new trend in advertising started. Brands started being endorsed by celebrities. Hindi film and TV stars as well as sportspersons were roped in to endorse prominent brands. Advertisements featuring stars like Late Jalal Agha (Pan Parag), Tabassum (Prestige cookers), Sunil Gavaskar for Dinesh Suiting, Ravi Shastri and Vivian Richards (Vimal), Persis Khambhata and Kapil Dev (Palmolive Shaving cream) became common . Though marketers should remember that celebrities are mere living beings like us and if they can highlight the benefits or advantages of a brand they can also have some uncanny negative impact. Theory and practice suggests that the use of stars and their unleashing power in advertising generate a lot of publicity and attention from the public but the underline questions are, do these stars really help a brand by increasing its sales? On the other hand, can they really have an Impact on the persons consumption pattern, thereby changing his brand preference? How an advertisement featuring a celebrity can influence consumers buying decision and can create an association between a brand and a common man. To answer these questions, the article will examine the relationship between celebrity endorsements and brands, and the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumers buying behaviour as well as how consumer makes brand preferences. We will apply a wide range of accepted principles of how consumers brand attitudes and preferences can be influenced, how buyers behavior can be influenced, how buyers behavior can be molded. We will use the principles of credibility of source and attractiveness, the match-up hypothesis, the consumer decision-making model and the communication model to understand this phenomenon. Brand- A layman  perspective Brand is the proprietary visual, emotional, rational and cultural image that you can associate with a company or the product. Few examples will bring home the meaning i.e. Amul utterly butterly delicious; Coke – thanda matlab coca-cola; Pepsi – Yeh dil mange more; Kurkure- Masti bole to kurkure and Daewoo ka India. These examples convey one message that when people watch advertisement a connect is being created and result is that people go for experience of buying. People feel by using the brand they will portray certain traits or characteristics that otherwise they do not have. This generates a certain level of emotional affiliation and a sense of fulfillment. It is this emotional relationship with brands that make them so powerful. Advertisements enforces what exactly the brand stands for and what to expect by its consumption and above all what factors, features and attributes makes it better from competition. Advertisements along with other marketing efforts generate expectations and feelings in a customer and force them to think when they see or hear the brand name. This Thinking process and emotional bonding gets more mature and relevant when a celebrity endorses the brand. The subjective intangible feelings of a customer become objective and tangible in the form of celebrity and the level of expectations will rise. The customer will start to perceive himself in the reference frame of the celebrity after the brand or the advertised product has been purchased or consumed by him. Celebrity and a Brand Star power in India can be gauged by the successful endorsements done by Sharukh Khan (Pepsi, Hyundai Santro, Sunfeast, and Navratan etc.), Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Hrithik Roshan and the others. The inevitable question is, if and how the lively interest of the public in the rich and famous can be efficiently and effectively used by companies to promote their brands and consequently to increase their sales revenues. This fact can be brought out by using certain examples i.e. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan promoting Cadbury chocolates after the fiasco of infestation when the image of Cadbury India went very low in the eyes of people. Soon the company found a perfect fit and a reliable celebrity to transmit the correct message and help regenerating the lost trust. The fit between the product and celebrity  is evident as Mr. Bachchan and Cadbury chocolates both have tested troubled times and still they stand tall and the love and trust they both share with the people al l across India. This is a live example of how a celebrity brought certain attributes to a product like chocolate. Actor Sharukh khan has also endorsed diversified products. His endorsement basket is ranging from Hyundai Santro to Sunfeast biscuits on one hand and from Compaq computers to Videocon electronics on the other. According to Advertising research companies both the actors are doing well and the ad spent on both by the companies is increasing at a phenomenal rate, so does their basket of endorsements. These actors bring reliability and trust in the brand and above all, they help in increasing the sales revenues. Celebrity endorsements are powerful, has become evident from the above two examples but, why is it so? This power is offered by the following elements, which also creates a Top of the Mind Position. * Instant Awareness, knowledge about the brand and easy recall. * Values and image of the brand is defined, highlighted and refreshed by the celebrity. * The celebrity adds new edge and dimension to the brand. * Credibility, trust, association, aspiration and connectivity to brand. * Belief in efficiency and new appearance that will result in at least trial usage. Understanding Consumer Behaviour Consumer behaviour is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, sociopsychology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision-making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. The study and knowledge of consumer behavior helps firms and organizations to improve their marketing strategies and product offerings. Following are the important issues that have significant influence on consumers psyche  and their ability to take decisions: †¢ The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products); †¢ The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media); †¢ The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions; †¢ Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome; †¢ How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and †¢ How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer. †¢ Their Age, Religion, Culture, Income, informal group and Referent Group. Understanding these issues helps us adapt our strategies by taking the consumer into consideration. Traditional Factors affecting consumer decision making There are several factors that affect consumers decision to purchase a brand and a product. These factors though at time are not very much visible but they make an impact and affects sales of a product or brand up to a great extent. The table below shows some of these factors. Impact of a Brand on consumer purchase decision Research studies have proven that known products and names are sold more than unknown ones. Therefore, a known brand or an optimally exposed brand will find more recognition and buyers in the market in comparison to completely unknown or unexposed brand. Recognition of brand and its significance along with the traditional factors plays a very significant role in consumer decision-making process. More or less every consumer has a brand preference and given the affordability and societal norms, each buyer would like to buy and consume one of the highly acceptable, recognizable, and reputed brands. The above given model explains the important role that a brand plays in three different stages of consumers purchase decision making. A consumer start collecting data or information about his favourite brand than he keeps his favourite as one of the alternatives and he evaluate his selected brand against all available options and on finding it suitable or best among all options based upon a qualitative and quantitative evaluation he will ultimately purchase the selected or favourite brand. The diagram above explains how various traditional factors along with brand preference interact during purchase decision process and finally results into a consumers final product choice or ultimate purchase. Celebrity and a brand Surveys suggest that compared to any other types of endorsers, famous people achieve a higher degree of attention and recall. They increase awareness of a companys advertising as well as help in retention of message in the psyche of the audience. They can also help the company in reducing their expenditure on Media and other forms of publicity. An example will bring more clarity, When S Kumars, a known textile brand entered into readymade garments business they used Hrithik Roshan, then the hottest advertising icon for their launch advertising for TAMARIND, now one of the premium readymade brands. They reckoned that they have spent 40-50 percent less on media due to sheer impact of using hottest star like Hrithik. The Ad recall was as high as 70 percent and the campaign can be termed as a great success. Celebrities also create positive feelings towards brands, connect user to brand and are perceived by consumers as more entertaining. Using a celebrity in advertising or for any, other type of communication for brand building is likely to positively affect consumers brand preference, brand attitude, brand association and purchase intentions. To ensure positive results, however, it is critical for advertisers to have a clear understanding of consumers reactions and reinforcement of celebrity endorsement. The impact of celebrity endorsement on any brand as well as on consumers purchase decision is very critical. Source Credibility Central goal of advertising is the convincing of consumers and persuasion to purchase, the ultimate objective, though not openly spoken, is to some how attract consumers to the market offering of the company, generating positive attitude, reinforce positive association and ultimately to generate sales,  may be a trial purchase. At later stages, the sponsor may work towards creating a brand loyalty but generating initial sales or increasing the existing sales is the primary objective. In this respect, the credibility of an endorser along with advertisement plays an important role in convincing the target audience of the attractiveness of the companys brand and generates sales. Pursuing a celebrity endorsement strategy enables advertisers to project a credible image in terms of expertise, persuasiveness, trustworthiness, and objectiveness. To create effective messages, celebrity advertisers also have to consider the attractiveness of the spokesperson. Source attractiveness refers to the endorsers Physical appearance, Personality, Likeability and Similarity to the receiver, thus to the perceived social value of the source. This behavior mainly goes back to halo effect, whereby persons who perform well on one dimension example: physical attractiveness or top professional performance, social status are assumed to excel on other levels as well i.e. happiness and coolness. This is evident from the use of Fardeen Khan, modern, dynamic, outgoing and smart personality for Provogue; he translates the modernism of the brand well. Titan uses Aamir Khan in his different avatars for communicating to the public that their watches are as reliable and passionate as Aamir is for films. Both Fardeen and Aamir carry the message well and enhance the credibility of the brand they endorse. Establishing a Perfect Match Research proves that a spokesperson especially for a service product or organization (ICICI- First Amitabh Bachchan, now Shahrukh Khan) interacts with the type of brand being advertised. These stars communicate the value of the product and transform an ordinary service into a miracle solution for all problems of an ordinary customer. According to Friedman and Friedman (1979), a famous relative to a normal spokesperson is more effective for products high in psychological or social risk, involving such elements as good taste, self-image, and opinion of others. Several research studies have examined the congruency between celebrity endorsers and brands to explain the effectiveness of using famous persons to promote brands. In India, a brand called Reid Taylor presented its perfect example when they first launched their advertising campaign featuring James Bond fame of the time Mr. Pierce Brosnan along with the tagline BOND WITH THE BEST but the James  Bond idea did not worked and the company was not happy with the results. After the debacle of the first campaign, company introduced a family ad where children are celebrating there parents silver wedding anniversary and they are out with their father to purchase a suit for him. Even this commercial did not work and it was taken off the air. As a last resort, company introduced Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as Reid Taylor man, a man propagating the brand for special occasion and for very special people in life. The commercial from the initial days got good response and did extremely well as people were able to connect with Mr. Bachchan and the values he was propagating. For the masses, there was a perfect match of an ideal Indian family man, a star and a good quality but bit highly priced brand reserved especially for special occasions and for very special people. Second example that can be quoted is of Vishwanathan Anand, who endorsed NIIT. NIIT adopted a very smart strategy by roping in Vishwanathan Anand an international chess wizard for their advertising campaign. As chess is considered to be a game full of strategies and a game for smart people and when one of the greats of the game is asking people to join NIIT it was suppose to have a positive influence on the people and actually it had. There was complete congruency and compatibility between the celebrity endorser, the product and the message. Contrary to only favorable outcomes, there are several examples where the product, even the entire campaign collapsed due to heavy weight celebrity as the agency or the ad failed to establish the relationship between the endorser and the product. Keeping the focus only on success, where the product and the celebrity were a perfect match, following are few examples: Celebrity Endorser Company / Product Amitabh Bachchan * Dabur * Cadbury * Reid and Taylor * Parker Shahrukh Khan * Santro * Videocon * Sunfeast * Pepsi Juhi Chawala * Kurkure Ustad Zakir Hussain * Taj mahal tea Aamir Khan * Titan * Coke * Toyota Innova Aishwarya Rai * Nakshatra * Lux Rani Mukherjee * Fanta * Nestle Munch Kajol and Ajay Devgan * Whirlpool * Tata Indicom The campaigns are not only basking with the glory of success stories, but there is considerable number of failures as well. Assuming that a person just have to be famous to represent a successful brand, however, would be incorrect and may turn out to be a very dangerous preposition resulting into a big calamity for the entire advertising campaign or the brand. Very well accepted and attractive super stars like Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan failed in turning their endorsements into success i.e. Maruti Versa similarly Virendra Sehwag also failed to deliver Reliance Telecommunication with the master stroke of his cricketing genius. Among the possible reasons identified by several authors, including overexposure and identification, the match-up hypothesis specifically suggests that the effectiveness depends on the existence of a fit between the celebrity spokesperson and endorsed brand. Empirical work on the congruency of brand with the celebrity often has concentrated on the physical attractiveness of the endorser. Results show that an attractive spokespersons are more effective in terms of attitude change when prompting brands that enhance ones attractiveness i.e. cosmetics; health drinks or fashion wear. Primary data states, for celebrity spokespersons to be truly effective, they should be knowledgeable, experienced, mature, and a bench mark in their respective field and qualified to talk about the product. Transferring the Meaning After watching an advertisement the consumers try to find the meaning of the advertisement and associate the same with the endorser and eventually transfer to the brand. To understand this phenomenon Mc Cracken (1989)  suggested a comprehensive model known as Meaning Transfer Model. This three-stage model suggests how the meaning associated with the famous person moves from the endorser to the product or the brand. Thus, meanings attributed to the celebrity become associated with the brand in the consumers mind. Finally, in the consumption process, the customer acquires the brands meaning. The third stage of the model explicitly shows the importance of the consumers role in the process of endorsing brands with famous persons. In contrast to anonymous endorsers, celebrities add value to the image transfer process by offering meanings of extra depth and power, what is complemented by their life style and personalities. Therefore, to transfer the correct meaning to the consumer the company should select a celebrity that will produce the most favorable response for consumers and for the purpose the celebrity should have, the appropriate set of characteristics and the public should be able to visualize and comprehend the same. The company should consider the consumers needs while developing their communication strategy and selecting an appropriate celebrity to transmit the same, i.e. Kurkure used actress Juhi Chawala with the punch line Masti Bole To Kurkure and the actress on screen and off-screen personifies the masti and helps the brand in communicating the same easily. Compatibility of the celebritys persona with the overall brand image is very important, as a celebrity imparts credibility and inspirational value to a brand and his or her image should perfectly match the brands image. A good brand campaign idea and an intrinsic link between the celebrity and the message are must for a successful campaign. Certain elements that generate a perfect match or compatibility between the celebrity and brand image are: * Celebritys fit with the brand image along with celebrity-target audience match. * Celebrity associated values and celebrity-product match. * Costs of acquiring the celebrity and his or her popularity along with controversy risks associated with the celebrity. * Credibility, availability and physical attractiveness of celebrity. The above points can be put to perspective by using two examples, first Kapil Devs Palmolive da jawaab nahin and second Nakshatras brand recall due to its endorser, the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Both brands have edged out and carved out their niche in consumers mind due to image and credibility of their endorsers.  These were the cases of perfect match between the brand image and the image or persona of the celebrity endorser. Conclusion A brief assessment of the current market situation indicates, that celebrity endorsement advertising strategy can under the right circumstances indeed justify the high costs associated with this form of advertising. The use of celebrity for endorsements create a very favorable impact on the consumer and it creates a connect which forces a consumer to purchase a product. However, as several failures show, it is essential for advertisers to be aware of the complex processes underlying celebrity endorsement. It has been proved from the discussion that celebrity endorsements are a powerful and useful tool that magnifies the effect of a campaign but the word of caution to be followed seriously; celebrities alone do not guarantee success nor does a great advertising campaign or the best possible product. It is the combination of several factors and elements that work together for the success of a brand and its acceptance in the minds of consumers as well as for its market offering. Modern day consumers are well educated and smart, they know celebrities are being paid for these endorsements and this knowledge makes consumers rather more cynical about the product and celebrity endorsements. Majority of the consuming population also knows what is advertising and how it actually works and this knowledge of consumer makes the task of celebrity endorsement all the more difficult and challenging for the advertising companies and the sponsors. Indian companies both advertising and product offering companies have top make an effort to overcome this ever-mounting challenge. References * Aaker, David A. (1996), Building Strong Brands. New York, NY: The Free Press. * Daneshvary, Rennae and R. Keith Schwer (2000), The Association Endorsement and * Consumers Intention to Purchase, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17 (3), 203-213. * Friedman, Hershey H. and Linda Friedman (1979), Endorser Effectiveness by Product Type, Journal of Advertising Research, 19 (5), 63-71. * McCracken, Grant (1989), Who Is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the Endorsement Process, Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (3), 310-321.

Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs :: Psychology Sociology Maslow Essays

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglas rather than mentally ill or neurotic people. This was a radical departure from two of the chief schools of psychology of his day: Freud and B.F. Skinner. Freud saw little difference between the motivations of humans and animals. We are supposedly rational beings; however, we do not act that way. Such pessimism, Maslow believed, was the result of Freud's study of mentally ill people. "The study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy" (Motivation and Personality). Skinner, on the other hand, studied how pigeons and white rats learn. His motivational models were based on simple rewards such as food and water, sex, and avoidance of pain. Say "sit" to your dog and give the dog a treat when it sits, and-after several repetitions--the dog will sit when you command it to do so. Maslow thought that psychologists should instead study the playfulness, affection, etc., of animals. He also believed that Skinner discounted things that make humans different from each other. Instead, Skinner relied on statistical descriptions of people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was an alternative to the depressing determinism of Freud and Skinner. He felt that people are basically trustworthy, self-protecting, and self-governing. Humans tend toward growth and love. Although there is a continuous cycle of human wars, murder, deceit, etc., he believed that violence is not what human nature is meant to be like. Violence and other evils occur when human needs are thwarted. In other words, people who are deprived of lower needs such as safety may defend themselves by violent means. He did not believe that humans are violent because they enjoy violence. Or that they lie, cheat, and steal because they enjoy doing it. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy; blocking gratification makes us sick or evil. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs :: Psychology Sociology Maslow Essays Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglas rather than mentally ill or neurotic people. This was a radical departure from two of the chief schools of psychology of his day: Freud and B.F. Skinner. Freud saw little difference between the motivations of humans and animals. We are supposedly rational beings; however, we do not act that way. Such pessimism, Maslow believed, was the result of Freud's study of mentally ill people. "The study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy" (Motivation and Personality). Skinner, on the other hand, studied how pigeons and white rats learn. His motivational models were based on simple rewards such as food and water, sex, and avoidance of pain. Say "sit" to your dog and give the dog a treat when it sits, and-after several repetitions--the dog will sit when you command it to do so. Maslow thought that psychologists should instead study the playfulness, affection, etc., of animals. He also believed that Skinner discounted things that make humans different from each other. Instead, Skinner relied on statistical descriptions of people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was an alternative to the depressing determinism of Freud and Skinner. He felt that people are basically trustworthy, self-protecting, and self-governing. Humans tend toward growth and love. Although there is a continuous cycle of human wars, murder, deceit, etc., he believed that violence is not what human nature is meant to be like. Violence and other evils occur when human needs are thwarted. In other words, people who are deprived of lower needs such as safety may defend themselves by violent means. He did not believe that humans are violent because they enjoy violence. Or that they lie, cheat, and steal because they enjoy doing it. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy; blocking gratification makes us sick or evil.

Diesel Business Plan

[BUSINESS PLAN ASSIGNMENT]| | Creating your own brand jeans We are going to introduce a business where we with the help of recognized jeans brands all over the world will give ordinary people a chance of creating their own pair of jeans, but still maintaining the quality and the status that the specific brand maintain for their customers. We will basically be a jeans selling store but with a niche that we introduce our customers to â€Å"custom made† jeans instead of the regular ones. We will use the existing bran with its cut, bootleg and design but we will give our customers the opportunity to choose some of the details themselves. For people who for example want to have a wear on jeans which don’t have any wear from the original reseller we offer the possibility that at an expert level giving a pair of jeans the wear that the customer wants. Also we will be able to give the jeans another wash if the customer is interested in a light tone of the fabric but there isn’t any available from the Label/Brand/maker. If someone wants to have any other color or size on the main buttons we are able to provide that, if one wants any other kind of back pockets we are also able to provide that. Someone might want some additional motives or fabrics on their jeans. We will always try to be as flexible as possible and serve our clients in any way that we best can. Why work with Diesel We have chosen to work with the brand Diesel, because of many factors. We will work with an established brand that has a solid customer base here in Sweden. Regarding to the survey done by ISI Wissing, Diesel is the number 3 popular jeans brand in Sweden, also it qualifies for the 3rd place when it comes to customer satisfaction. When it comes to using the brand, regarding this survey, it ends on 4th place. And that for us shows that there are opportunities to take this even further. Also there is a mentality among younger people that they are attractive to the Diesel brand. One of the reasons why, are their outstanding and peculiar commercials. They try to show the brand as very attractive and cool and also with all their different products they want to make a valid point that Diesel is something else then all the other brands. It’s more attractive and aggressive and it’s there for the people who know what they want. One of their later commercial campaign are the â€Å"Be Stupid† commercial where they address their clothes and products to specific people that want to be something else. An example of their commercial is the following quotes: â€Å"Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls. †, â€Å"Stupid might fail. Smart doesn’t even try. †, â€Å"Smart may have the answers, but stupid has all the interesting questions†, â€Å"Smart has the plans, stupid has the stories†. So these are examples that they really try to have their own approach and make something amusing and attractive to their customer base. And we think this is one of the things that make Diesel stand out and be an attractive and popular brand to work with. (Willebrand, P, 2007), (Habitat. se, 2009) This type of product we offer is focused on a relatively young, between 18 and 35 years as a textile style, young, dynamic, unique and with character. Our target is to focus sales in a single product with its own identity, a trend and a reference in the textile market, developing products for a demanding consumer sector, where each product can be distinguished from the rest. This product is so expensive, it’s focused on one type of consumer with a high economic level, but that is why our service is striking, since it is an affordable way to get what the customer as to the characteristics mentioned, looking at the market. We don’t think that the segment with low paying jobs will be that particular interested in our business because we think it will be too much money for them to spend on clothes. So our business is rather directed to people who are at the average salary and more. Preferably we find this customer base in larger urban cities where there are enough to offer for people being interested in specific branding clothes. What we can see a connection to might be an independent employee or an entrepreneur that already are going their own path and following their own lifestyle, not bounded to any specific rules or dress code at their jobs. We also think that people with a specific identity can benefit from this of business venture, if you work at some place where you have a dress code that is suits or jackets for example, you are not able to wear your average blue jeans, but you still might be a jeans guy. We then offer the possibility to change the color on your jeans to make them look as much as suit pants as possible and so they not stand out and look really different and inappropriate from what expected. An attractive base product Our service is not unique since there are companies like Indicustom and Somconceptshop that gives the costumer the chance to customize their own jeans. But our service offers the customer a new feature in the market of customizing jeans. We want to use an â€Å"attractive† base product and let the customer personalize it. We looked at the other companies that were operating in the same market as us. We understood that we needed to concentrate on points of difference the benefits that set our product apart from the competition. Such points of differentiation are, in many cases, what consumers remember about a product. No one of the existing companies that we studied used brand/labeled jeans as the product that you could personalize. So we thought that if we use a well-known brand like Diesel as a base product that the customers could customize the way they personally want them to look but still have the quality that Diesel provides. It would unquestioningly set our product apart from the competition. About Diesel Diesel is an international brand, present on the clothing industry market in over 80 countries with 5500 points of sale, throughout all 5 continents. In terms of projected-in the population interested in buying clothes and brand accessories is more and more important that’s why the companies of the clothing industry have to offer varied products to boost their sells and their fame. The brand sells almost 3000 products from the basic pair of jeans, to the bags, belts and the house furniture. Diesel also owns 200 companies and having partnership with 100 local distributors, such as L’Oreal, Ford or Adidas. The main goal is to be everywhere geographically, in different strategic areas, expanding, in that way, their international presence. Concerning the sales and profits, the company realized a revenue of 1,2 billionsâ‚ ¬ en 2008, 80 millions in France. But even with these good results the revenue global of the group doesn’t really know a huge growth and on the contrary decrease of 3. 5% in 2009, whereas there was a rise of 3% in 2008. Then, even if the company has a healthy financial position as its campaigns, its results and its growth shows there is no extra revenue since 5 years. That’s why we decided to create this personalize service. (Pavarini, M, 2010) Tailored e-commerce in Sweden Tailored e-commerce is on the rise if you ask the CEO of Tailor store. He expects an annual growth of 30 percent because the distance trade is on the rise and growing faster than the regular store trade. Tailor Store had a sales report of 40 million last year and reported a profit of 5 million after net financial items. He thinks the reason of the success is because consumers have benefited greatly by including the ability to investigate and compare the products of a larger range of products and services that can be purchased at any time and from anywhere and a greater opportunity to get more customized products to satisfy personal needs. And e-commerce is getting popular in the whole of Sweden; 28 billion in turnover was from distance trade, e-commerce and mail order, in 2010. If you look at the numbers you can see that it has been a doubling in sales in the last five years and today it represents 4. percent of the total retail sales. (Melkersson, E, 2011) Competitors When we look at the biggest competitors it’s hard to say who will be the biggest competitor for our business. Obviously every brand will be a competitor since we will only work with Diesel, also other stores who sell Jeans will also be a competitor to us and in Sweden especially Brothers & Sisters, JC and H&M are big competitor s. Also companies who sell other brand that are big will be a competitor for us, such as resellers for Lee who is number one in Sweden and Levis which is number two. But if we focus specifically on our distinction from the other resellers, the custom made part, we think that companies like Tailor Store will be a big competitor for us. A company that already made themselves a name on the market of custom made clothes, even though they are not only limited to specific brands. If we look in to the sector with custom made clothes a lot of them are not resellers and dealing with bigger worldwide brands. It’s often some smaller brand which they import and give people the opportunity to make changes to. Here is where we have a problem identifying any specific company that are selling luxury brand jeans, designer jeans, with the opportunity for the customer to have the jeans custom made after their wishes. If we look at the jeans market here in Sweden it has suffered from a little fallback. About 15 million pair of jeans is sold in Sweden every year. And the competition from companies like H&M, Kappahl and Lindex are getting bigger at the cost of specialized jeans resellers revenue. (Willebrand, P, 2007), (Habitat. se, 2009) External Factors Affecting A Business There are a couple of external factors we are looking into when it comes to how they can affect our business: 1. GENERAL ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRY CONDITIONS Any general economic, business or industry conditions that cause customers or potential customers to reduce or delay their investments in the jeans industry could have a negative effect on the company's strength and profitability. Currently, the world economic conditions had a bad and considerable impact on every commercial fields of the society, and the jean’s industry couldn’t escape from that either. Trying to launch this custom made project can be profitable for us, of course, but with that we will also try to help in a way the Diesel company. 2. COMPETITION The jeans industry is highly competitive. The intense competition inherent in the industry could result in the loss of customers or pricing pressures. 3. LOCAL ACTIVITIES The company's future growth rates and success are in-part dependent on continued growth and success in local market at first, as we’ll try to open the custom made project worldwide after studying the results in Sweden. (Essays. cc, u. d. ). The Swedish economy emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest in Europe. A high-tech local economy and a comprehensive system of welfare benefits allow Sweden to enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Sweden has one of the most globalized and competitive economies today. GDP is expected to increase by 4% in 2010 and by 3. 7% in 2011. The welfare has been able to be maintained because of the high tax levels, even if they recently have begun to decrease. Also, concerning government regulations, Sweden’s economic freedom score is 71. ; it appears that the overall regulatory and legal environment, transparent and efficient, encourages robust entrepreneurial activity. (Traveldocs. com, u. d. ). 4. SOCIAL FACTORS The profit margins realized by the company vary somewhat among its products and its customer business units. Like we said before this custom made opportunity that we are going to submit to Diesel is a product to a narrow customers base (1 8-35 years), and they maybe don’t have the possibility to pay this kind of services. That’s why we are trying to make an arrangement with a company like Diesel who stay affordable. . TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AND PRODUCT TRANSITIONS The jeans industry is characterized by continuing improvements in fashion and design which result in frequent introduction of new products, short product life cycles and continual improvement in product price/design characteristics. 6. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT/SUPPLIES The company's ability to manage its inventory has been enhanced by favorable supply conditions in the industry. The company's manufacturing process requires a high volume of quality components that are procured from third party suppliers. The six external factors highlighted in this paper are identified as primary factors in this industry (Essays. cc, u. d. ) Enterprise resource planning and organization First of all we have to have our wholesale to buy the jeans from, we obviously by our jeans from a supplier since it’s a specific brand that we will be using. We need a workstation where we do our tweaks on the jeans, since we will do the tailoring in-house and not outsourced. Meaning we will have a department changing buttons, sawing on new pockets on the back of the jeans, wearing them and washing them. We will buy the raw jeans models from Diesel and all the tailoring we do will be done in-house. This way we get a overview over the whole process and we will be able to overlook it and see what works and what does not to be able to make changes and develop our working process and expand. In long term we possibly would like our tailoring to be outsourced as well but then we have to get a lot of bigger volumes and sales. Our company needs to be of a local medium proportion, after asking prices we have chosen an office in the center of Linkoping, over 90m2 warehouse 100m2. The rental price â‚ ¬ 1000 per month. Costs of production / initiation of the company: Machines and Computer products| Manufacturer| Units| Euros| Sewing Machine| | 2| 1000| Washing machine| | 1| 1000| Mac Pro| Apple| 1| 1200| Jet color laser multifunctional printer | Hp| 2| 750| Textil Studio 8| Macromedia| 1| 480| Quark Xpress 6. 1 Passport Diseno| Quark| 1| 2. 200| Norton Internet Security 2007 Antivirus | Symantec| 1| 60| | Total| 6. 990| Furniture Product| manufacturer| Units| Euros| Computer table ERISTER| IKEA| 4| 520| Chair STEFANO| IKEA| 4| 320| shelf FJUS| IKEA| 4| 400| Chairs| IKEA| 4| 80| filings| IKEA| 4| 180| Ceiling fluorescent bars| IKEA| 6| 180| | Total| 1. 680| Total computer equipment and furniture company| Computer equipment| 6. 990| Furniture company| 1. 680| | Total| 8. 670| Telephone rental and adsl| Local callsADSL Internet 10MG | 40Per month| Production process of our company First Phase In the first instance, we take care of developing the product design, according to the specifications and style that the customer provided to us. We need the measurements of the client to make the program design Textile Studio 8. Second Phase Then perform the design by computer program, the design is sent to our textile machinery in the warehouse where the design is recreated in the pants, is embroidered, sewn and glued, additional accessories or tweaks that you must do the product. Third Phase. In third phase, the products pass an exhaustive examination of tissue and finishes, in order to verify that the product is done with the selected design and has no damage. Distribution Our field is nationwide, with an eye to expanding our international infrastructure over the medium term. As our company turnover grow fence on the market performance will be broader. The distribution is provided by our company is an outsourced process by which we have a freight agreement with the company MRW light which provides an optimum distribution at a reasonable price, short and medium term by increasing our relationships grow if our trade with other countries. The cost of distribution affects the final price, so that the customer pays, revenue is recorded in the product itself. Marketing (advertising) In the field of marketing, the company will open a website with a catalog of examples, price list, contact, and an application through which you can perform orders. We have thought hiring advertising space in newspapers to national newspapers, the expenses are high, we will follow up weekly to see the number of people responding to advertising, if it is positive we will find these services. Also we will do advertising in social networks, starting a group of our company, our website advertising, adding to people that this profile for potential buyers to our profile social. So as included in online media websites such as www. undoanuncio. com. Regarding marketing we will also try to use SEO(Search engine optimization) as much as possible to get more hits when our possible customer base browse the web and search for companies that does custom made clothes. Implementation Plan We need to contact Diesel / a Wholesale to be able to secure our purchases of the Jeans. We need to establish a workplace where we change the Jeans into the customer’s wishes. Since our main sales channel will be via the internet we need to establish a homepage with the possibility to tailor your jeans and also a web store on the homepage so our customers can buy the jeans they want. We have to get some it-system that will be able to trace our orders and the specific changes the customer wants so we can make them and then ship them out to our customer. Activity| COMPLETED OR UNDERTAKEN in RELEVANT Quarter OF 2011-12| Development| | Finding investor interested in investing in the business. | 2011 – Q1| Attaining the site for thebusiness and making any needed physical developments| 2011Q1- Q2| Proof-of-concept development. Need to develop a prototype for the investors to see. | 2011Q1- Q4| Marketing| | Choose our target market, the group of customers we want to target| 2011 – Q3| Plan how to reach and address your customers, with specific measures coveringproduct design, pricing, distribution and communication| 2011 Q3 – Q4| Promote the service to potential investors and buyers. | 2011 – Q42012 – Q2| Management| | Recruit personal for the development of the service. | 2011Q1- Q4| Training of personnel| 2011Q1 – Q3| Forming a team| 2011 – Q32012 – Q2| Financial plan First of all our initial cost for our company is the cost for starting it up and register it as a incorporated company and for that cost we calculate 7  000 euro. Next up is our warehouse and office with its equipment needed. For the first month we need the capital for investing in our equipment that we estimate to 8  700 euro. After that we will have cost for our rent and staff, also for our purchases and a onetime fee to our web developer and a cost for every time we need to update our website. We estimate that the web developers onetime charge would be about 10  000 euro. Our rent will be 1  000 euro with a down payment for 3 months. Also we have a OTC for the officer and warehouse for 500 euro. That would mean that our total initial cost would be 29  200 â‚ ¬ and we count with a big miscalculation so we would say 30  000 â‚ ¬ as initial cost. Our monthly cost will be: Rent : 1000 â‚ ¬Telecome: 40 â‚ ¬Salary: 3000â‚ ¬ for 1. 5 fulltime employee Utilities: 500 â‚ ¬Distribution: 500 â‚ ¬Raw Material: 50â‚ ¬/jeans +5-15â‚ ¬depending on what customer choos to add to the jeans Promotion : 2000 â‚ ¬Other expenses: 400 â‚ ¬ That would be a total of 7  500 â‚ ¬ in monthly expenses but also a additional part depending on how many jeans we manufacture Sales forecast: We think that we can start with selling 75 pair of jeans the first month, meaning 2,5 jeans per day. And then we count with an increase of 10 % per month. Our price range on the jeans will be 120 – 200 â‚ ¬ and we have counted with an average price on 140 â‚ ¬ per pair of jeans We count with an increase in sales as soon as our website is up and running and getting some regular visitors and that they spread the word. Also it will take some time for our promotion and marketing to get effective What we would like to offer our investors are 20% of the shares in our company for the price of 15  000 â‚ ¬, the rest we would make up as a loan from the bank with a low mortgage and try to pay only the interest. Bibliography Melkersson, Erik (01-04-2011). Skraddarsydd e-handel pa frammarsch, www. hd. se. Avaible at: http://hd. se/ekonomi/2011/04/02/skraddarsydd-e-handel-pa/ [13-10-2011] Willebrand, Peter (16-08-2007). Jeansjattarna haller greppet om svenskarna, www. resume. se. Avaible at: http://www. resume. se/nyheter/2007/08/16/jeansjattarna-haller-grepp/index. xml [10-10-2011] Habit. se (17-12-2009). Jeansmarknaden tappar fart, Habit. se. Avaible at: http://www. habit. se/iuware. aspx? pageid=1780&ssoid=112504[12-10-2011] Pavarini, Maria (07-05-2010). DIESEL NAMES NEW CEO, RESTRUCTURES ONLY THE BRAVE, www. sportswearnet. com. Avaible at: http://www. sportswearnet. com/businessnews/pages/protected/DIESEL- ­? NAMES- ­? NEW- ­? CEO- ­? RESTRUCTURES- ­? ONLY- ­? THE- ­? BRAVE_2503. html [12-10-2011] Essays. cc (u. d). External Factors Affecting A Business, www. essays. cc. Avaible at: http://www. essays. cc/free_essays/b2/utv218. shtml [09-10-2011] Traveldocs. com (u. d). The Swedish economy, www. traveldocs. com. Avaible at: http://www. essays. cc/free_essays/b2/utv218. shtm [07-10-2011]

Black People and Roberta Essay

Determining the race of Twyla and Roberta from the clouded descriptions in Recitatif is a rather difficult task. The evidence in my opinion leads me to believe that Roberta is white and that Twyla is black. In this paper I will identify situations in this story that reinforce my opinion. I will also explain how minority group treatment influenced my perception of the events in this story. My early impression of Roberta was that of a spoiled country girl with little or no education that opinion was based on her inability to read and her waste of food at meal times. Finishing all your food is a strong force in many black families this waste can be construed as a connection to Roberta being white. The first verbal indication is Roberta’s mother’s refusal to greet Twyla’s mother Mary. This is a strong image of prejudice in my opinion. Roberta’s mother said nothing. She just grabbed Roberta and stepped out of line. Roberta’s mother’s disinterest in meeting a woman of the opposite race makes a convincing argument that she is white and in her mind better than associating with blacks. In the next scene the families were eating Lunch. Twyla made the observation that â€Å"The wrong food is always with the wrong people. † And the connection that â€Å"Maybe that’s why I got into waitress work later-to match up the right people with the right food. † There is a common stereotype that black people love chicken. So the white Roberta having the â€Å"black† chicken could be considered a Mitch match and since Roberta is white she should not have the chicken. The next piece of evidence comes much later when the two old friends are reunited in a supermarket. They have exchanged pleasantries and discussed how well there lives are going. It is obvious to the reader that Roberta is well off financially. Roberta makes the comment â€Å"I was dying to know what happened to her, how she got from Jimi Hendrix to Annandale, a neighborhood full of doctors and IBM executives. Easy, I thought. Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. † This statement shows that Twyla is aware of how easy it is for white people to raise their economic class. It can be implied that Roberta made the large advance because she was of the proper â€Å"white† race to make such advancement. The final piece of evidence is When Twyla confronts Roberta on her poor behavior at their encounter in Howard Johnson’s Roberta says â€Å"Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was. † Roberta here identifies the strong pressure she felt from her peers to not associate with the â€Å"lower† black race. My first indication of Twyla’s race was the way her mother Mary introduced herself. She used the phrase â€Å"Twyyyyyla, baby! † the term â€Å"baby† is commonly associated with older black females. Mary’s reaction to Roberta’s mother’s refusal to shake hands coupled with the loud outbursts on the way to the chapel are also part of what society has deemed as black female behavior. Mary is described wearing â€Å"those ugly green slacks that made her behind stick out† There is a stereotype that black women have large behinds. These examples leads me believe Roberta’s mother is black and so the daughter must be of the same race. Throughout the story Roberta is always depicted in a lower class than Roberta always overshadowed by Roberta. Roberta marries into a higher social standing and has an implied superiority throughout the story. The statement â€Å"Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. † Is a common opinion about the social standing of whites in the United States. There are a lot of conflicting data to for both sides of this argument. In my opinion though there is much more evidence that leads the reader to believe that Roberta is white and Twyla is black.

Spains American Colonies and the Encomienda System

Spains American Colonies and the Encomienda System In the 1500s, Spain systematically conquered parts of North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. With native governments such as the efficient Inca Empire in ruins, the Spanish conquistadors  needed to find a way to rule their new subjects. The encomienda system was put in place in several areas, most importantly in Peru. Under the encomienda system, prominent Spaniards were entrusted with native communities. In exchange for native labor and tribute, the Spanish lord would provide protection and education. In reality, however, the encomienda system was thinly-masked slavery and led to some of the worst horrors of the colonial era. The Encomienda System The word encomienda comes from the Spanish word encomendar, meaning to entrust. The encomienda system had been used in feudal Spain during the reconquest and had survived in some form ever since. In the Americas, the first encomiendas were handed out by Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean. Spanish conquistadors, settlers, priests or colonial officials were given a repartimiento, or grant of land. These lands were often quite vast. The land included any native cities, towns, communities or families that lived there. The natives were supposed to provide tribute, in the form of gold or silver, crops, and foodstuffs, animals such as pigs or llamas or anything else the land produced. The natives could also be made to work for a certain amount of time, say on a sugarcane plantation or in a mine. In return, the owner, or encomendero, was responsible for the well-being of his subjects and was to see to it that they were converted and educated about Christianity. A Troublesome System The Spanish crown reluctantly approved the granting of encomiendas because it needed to reward the conquistadors and establish a system of governance in the newly-conquered territories, and the encomiendas were a quick-fix that killed both birds with one stone. The system essentially made landed nobility out of men whose only skills were murder, mayhem, and torture: the kings hesitated to set up a New World oligarchy which could later prove troublesome. It also swiftly led to abuses: encomenderos made unreasonable demands of the natives who lived on their lands, working them excessively or demanding tribute of crops that could not be grown on the land. These problems appeared quickly. The first New World haciendas, granted in the Caribbean, often had only 50 to 100 natives and even on such a small scale, it wasn’t long before the encomenderos had virtually enslaved their subjects. Encomiendas in Peru In Peru, where encomiendas were granted on the ruins of the rich and mighty Inca Empire, the abuses soon reached epic proportions. The encomenderos there showed an inhuman indifference to the suffering of the families on their encomiendas. They did not change the quotas even when crops failed or disasters struck: many natives were forced to choose between fulfilling quotas and starving to death or failing to meet quotas and facing the often-lethal punishment of the overseers. Men and women were forced to work in mines for weeks at a time, often by candlelight in deep shafts. The mercury mines were particularly lethal. During the first years of the colonial era, Peruvian natives died by the hundreds of thousands. Administration of the Encomiendas The owners of the encomiendas were not supposed to ever visit the encomienda lands: this was supposed to cut down on abuses. The natives instead brought the tribute to wherever the owner happened to be, generally in the larger cities. The natives were often forced to walk for days with heavy loads to be delivered to their encomendero. The lands were run by cruel overseers and native chieftains who often demanded extra tribute themselves, making the lives of the natives even more miserable. Priests were supposed to live on the encomienda lands, instructing the natives in Catholicism, and often these men became defenders of the people they taught, but just as often they committed abuses of their own, living with native women or demanding tribute of their own. The Reformers While the conquistadors were wringing every last speck of gold from their miserable subjects, the ghastly reports of abuses piled up in Spain. The Spanish crown was in a tough spot: the royal fifth, or 20% tax on conquests and mining in the New World, was fueling the expansion of the Spanish Empire. On the other hand, the crown had made it quite clear that the Indians were not slaves but Spanish subjects with certain rights, which were being flagrant, systematically and horrifically violated. Reformers such as Bartolomà © de las Casas were predicting everything from the complete depopulation of the Americas to the eternal damnation of everyone involved in the whole sordid enterprise. In 1542, Charles V of Spain finally listened to them and passed the so-called New Laws. The New Laws The New Laws were a series of royal ordinances designed to halt the abuses of the encomienda system, particularly in Peru. Natives were to have their rights as citizens of Spain and could not be forced to work if they did not want to. Reasonable tribute could be collected, but any additional work was to be paid for. Existing encomiendas would pass to the crown upon the death of the encomendero, and no new encomiendas were to be granted. Furthermore, anyone who abused natives or who had participated in the conquistador civil wars could lose their encomiendas. The king approved the laws and sent a Viceroy, Blasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez Vela, to Lima with clear orders to enforce them. Rebellion The colonial elite was livid with rage when the provisions of the New Laws became known. The encomenderos had lobbied for years for the encomiendas to be made permanent and passable from one generation to another, something the King had always resisted. The New Laws removed all hope of perpetuity being granted. In Peru, most of the settlers had taken part in the conquistador civil wars and could, therefore, lose their encomiendas immediately. The settlers rallied around Gonzalo Pizarro, one of the leaders of the original conquest of the Inca Empire and brother of Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro defeated Viceroy Nà ºÃƒ ±ez, who was killed in battle, and basically ruled Peru for two years before another royalist army defeated him; Pizarro was captured and executed. A few years later, the second rebellion under Francisco Hernndez Girà ³n took place and was also put down. End of the Encomienda System The King of Spain almost lost Peru during these conquistador uprisings. Gonzalo Pizarros supporters had urged him to declare himself King of Peru, but he refused: had he done so, Peru might have successfully split from Spain 300 years early. Charles V felt it prudent to suspend or repeal the most hated aspects of the New Laws. The Spanish crown still steadfastly refused to grant encomiendas in perpetuity, however, so slowly these lands reverted to the crown. Some of the encomenderos managed to secure title-deeds to certain lands: unlike the encomiendas, these could be passed down from one generation to the next. Those families that held land would eventually become the native oligarchy. Once the encomiendas reverted to the crown, they were overseen by corregidores, royal agents who administered crown holdings. These men proved to be every bit as bad as the encomenderos had been: corregidores were appointed for relatively brief periods, so they tended to squeeze as much as they could out of a particular holding while they could. In other words, although the encomiendas were phased out eventually by the crown, the lot of the native workers did not improve. The encomienda system was one of the many horrors inflicted on the native people of the New World during the conquest and colonial eras. It was essentially slavery, given but a thin (and illusory) veneer of respectability for the Catholic education that it implied. It legally allowed the Spaniards to work the natives literally to death in the fields and mines. It seems counter-productive to kill off your own workers, but the Spanish conquistadors in question were only interested in getting as rich as they could as quickly as they could: this greed led directly to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the native population. To the conquistadors and settlers, the encomiendas were nothing less than their fair and just reward for the risks they had taken during the conquest. They saw the New Laws as the actions of an ungrateful king who, after all, had been sent 20% of Atahualpas ransom. Reading them today, the New Laws do not seem radical - they provide for basic human rights such as the right to be paid for work and the right to not be unreasonably taxed. The fact that the settlers rebelled, fought and died to fight the New Laws only shows how deeply they had sunk into greed and cruelty. Sources: Burkholder, Mark and Lyman L. Johnson. Colonial Latin America. Fourth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Hemming, John. The Conquest of the Inca London: Pan Books, 2004 (original 1970). Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962 Patterson, Thomas C. The Inca Empire: The Formation and Disintegration of a Pre-Capitalist State.New York: Berg Publishers, 1991.

Ethics and Morals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics and Morals - Essay Example It is regarded by society, religion culture and family setting. On the other hand, ethics is about the decisions which we make. When an individual takes an action with conforms to the societal beliefs and standards, that action are regarded to be ethical. Morals and ethics are guiding principles which assist in giving directions to a person’s conduct. Many at times, people tend to make conclusions that will be of favour to them (Nietzsche, 4). It is essential for a person to act and make ethical decision at all times, even when experiencing a difficult moment. It is also important to choose for a resolution which will be fair to everyone since we will be liable to our actions and deeds whether good or bad. The ultimate goal of these societal values is to make the world a better place. The evaluation of the good and the bad of a deed are based on a couple of issues which pertains to the values of morality in the society (Nietzsche & Arendt). The presumption of an issue by the e ntire community is a worrying trend. A person can be timid about reprimanding a certain perpetual societal evils, if the society approves it. It is argued individual absent at the instance of an occurrence should not be allowed to deliberate on the issue. No legal proceedings in court would be a success if we allow ourselves to be deceived by this notion. Substantive measures must be enforced to ensure obedience of the law to the letter. A person can use his capacity to ascertain the truth of the matter without necessarily being a witness to an action when it occurred. A verdict is not passed based on hints at that point in time. A good judge should gather effective and concrete evidence that will help him doubt an eyewitness submission or to disregard inappropriate judgements made by those who witnessed a happening of an event. Passing out judgement without ones presence might be considered to be an element of arrogance. In a moral and ethical perspective, it is basically pointing out what is right or wrong and is totally acceptable since it conforms to codes of ethics. Our society is engulfed in fear of judgement that has been confused by a biblical point of view. â€Å"Never judge and you will not be judged†. This approach is intertwined with throwing the fast stone. Reluctance to judge the right and wrong prowls that there is no voluntariness to an agent. Anyone is accountable and answerable to their deeds. Rising up of the issues of morality even as a by the way, is accompanied by confrontations to the persons who instigated them. Many people tend to keep quiet due to fear as a result of inadequate self-consciousness, confidence and being ego centric. The modesty attitude of saying a person is not worth to judge is also an impediment to the conformity to morals and ethics. This reflects the resemblance in people’s attitude and mentality. Those who make an effort to uphold to decency are considered to be hypocrites or consecrated therefore, t hey are marginalized. Thus, the immense outrage and the uproar in the attempt to correct particular blame on an individual, rather than rebuking all actions or historical tendencies. One can get an insight by recalling on what Hitler did to Plato, Nihilism, Giacchino da Fiore, the French revolution. Hitler was a considered to be murderer, politically powerful and strong. His historical traits and background cannot explain exactly who he really was and his general exercise of authority towards people’

Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Presentation - Essay Example Different scientist and researchers have taken it upon themselves to try and, understand the mechanism of the mysterious X chromosome as well as its inactivation amongst the female. i. A team of scientist in the Journal neuron noted a complexity in shutting and waking of chromosomes. Understanding the X- chromosomes mechanism of action, aids in the application of stem cells in treatment procedures (â€Å"The New York Times†). ii. Females have more genome diversity than males since different copies of X chromosome. Males have only a single X chromosome hence they do not possess genetic complexity compared to their female counterparts. The copies of X-chromosome possess different genes and this is an advantage since in case of a defective gene, there will be back up from another gene (â€Å"The New York Times†). i. According to a study done by Susumu Ohno, a Japanese biologist who first identified chromosome inactivation, one of the X chromosomes present in females usually becomes dormant and ceases producing proteins (â€Å"The New York Times†). ii. Another scientist by name Mary Lyon carried out a research by breeding mice. She realized that some offspring retained hair colour of their mothers and some retained that of their fathers. This explained chromosome inactivation since the colour gene is evident on the X chromosome (â€Å"The New York Times†). i. Following the discovery by Lyon, Jeremy Nathans from Johns Hopkins University together with his colleagues decided to investigate more on the works of Mary Lyon. They therefore carried out the following experiment. ii. Pictures from this experiment indicate that X chromosome inactivation leads to genetic diversity. Dr. Nathan hopes that his pictures could serve as an atlas in analysing effects of X chromosomes shutting in females (â€Å"The New York Times†). iii. The X-chromosomes form both parents could dominate opposite sides of an organ such like mothers X chromosome for the right and fathers X