Is Money Ruining Football Essay

Is money ruining football? One of the most talked about topics in football. Some fans think that it is a wonderful thing, a dream come true however others seem to disagree. Is all of this money in modern day football ruining it? From all this money football seems to become a victim of its own success. One main part of this money being in football is due to a lot of clubs having foreign ownership.It all came about in 2003 when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea FC and since then he has put in hundreds-upon-hundreds of millions of his own money into the club Chelsea have since won nine major trophies including three Premier League titles and most recently the UEFA Champions League. Proof that wealth can indeed buy honours in the world of football. Since then half of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by foreigner investors. Those clubs are: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, QPR, Reading, Southampton and Sunderland.Perhaps the most spectacular of them all is politician and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Manchester City. Since he has bought the club in 2008 he has spent over ? 425 of his own money to buy first team players for the club. The highest fee that has ever been paid for a footballer is ? 80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid, this is a major difference to what the highest fee in 1928 the highest amount paid for a player was ? 10,000.The maximum wage has was also only ? 12 a week and players got a ? 650 bonus if they stayed at the club for 5 years whereas nowadays the most paid players is on ? 250,000 pound a week. This colossal money being spent to attract a footballer to a club doesn’t necessarily mean that the player is any better than another; it purely is just saying that the club has more money than the others. This is having a negative effect on football as now players are playing for the money and now not the club that they are playing for.It is also very unfair on competition in the same league meaning the richer team has an advantage as they can pay crazy amounts to get a player but a lower team can spend very little meaning the competition on less competitive. So if your club has more money it then attracts players who are better known where less known clubs have to settle on lower wages meaning that the players that they buy will be on a much less wage than those of a higher team. One big problem hat money has is the risk of the football club going bust. The most recognisable of those clubs currently in major financial trouble is former Premier League club Portsmouth, now of League One. The club is currently in administration and runs the risk of being non existant. This has come from the club overspending on players and the wages the players been given far too much than what they realistically should be on. Last season Premier League clubs shared a staggering ? 68 million in tel evision revenue, if the Premier League were to introduce a ‘safety pot’ of money (? 9. 68 million) for football league and Conference clubs so that in severe cases clubs can apply for grants to stop them going into administration/save clubs from going bust. Having an owner with millions to spend isn’t always as good as it sounds since it runs the risk of your club vanishing forever. One of the major things though is the rise in ticket prices.Football used to be called the working class sport but now it is an expensive pastime and something that the average working class man struggles to afford. This is shown at St. James’ Park when in 1992/9 3 you were able to get an adult season ticket for around ? 122 but nowadays the average season ticket is around ? 500 which shows how expensive football is now getting and that in 20 years there has been a 150 percent rise in prices.It seems that football is now slowly changing from a working class sport to a sport for those who are wealthier. The only solution to stop money from continuing to ruin football is by Uefa the governing body of football to try and do something about it by introducing salary caps or by putting in place transfer caps so only certain amounts of money can be spent in the transfer market and this would have an effect on agent fees, sponsorship and TV deals which would then ticket prices could be lowered and that clubs could still turn a profit.Another thing is putting a limit on how many foreign players you can have in your team which would mean more home-grown players would be in the team and then less wages would be spent and transfer prices to attract players from overseas and this would mean teams would need to spend more money on youth academies rather than looking all over the world for players to spend ridiculous amounts of money on. Football is no longer turning into a sport, it is a business that is now worth millions and millions of pounds and this is taking the game to its knees. By Reece Paterson.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos, Pathos and Logos Even someone living under a rock has most likely heard of the ongoing debate for and against outsourcing. Outsourcing is defined as enlisting help from an outside supplier or manufacturer in order to increase profit. To make someone gain interest in one’s view on something such as outsourcing, one needs to make a persuasive argument. A good persuasive argument contains three aspects: ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos is established in the character or displayed character of the writer or speaker.Logos uses logical evidence or reason usually with facts or statistics. Pathos appeals to the reader’s emotions. Thomas Friedman, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and The New York Times columnist, uses rhetoric to increase the persuasiveness of his pro-outsourcing article â€Å"The Great Indian Dream. † Meanwhile, David Moberg, senior editor and contributor to numerous national publications, uses different examples using the same tools in his anti-outsourcing article â€Å"High-tech Hijack. Articles, such as these for and against outsourcing, use rhetorical persuasion by citing different examples and facts to add appeal to a specific view. â€Å"The Great Indian Dream,† the pro-outsourcing essay, contains several examples of persuasion using rhetoric. Thomas Friedman discusses how India came to be a workforce to compete with, in a logical and easily understood approach. Friedman demonstrates knowledge on the issue by acknowledging the opposing argument that outsourcing can be bad news from a competition point of view, but claims there is a solution.Friedman, citing what an Indian executive once told him, explains how all the United States needs to do to eliminate concern for outsourcing is â€Å"redouble their efforts at education and research†(Friedman). This is a truly persuasive statement because it establishes the character of the writer making him seem unbiased with this simple solution. Pathos is of ten demonstrated with the use of children, animals, and memories to evoke an emotional response from the reader. In â€Å"The Great Indian Dream,† Thomas Friedman applies this technique using his nine year-old daughter and his imagined granddaughter.Friedman adds persuasion to his argument by appealing to the reader’s sense of awe. This is shown through the innocence of a child’s response to questions about where products come from. This emotional response tends to make the example more relatable for the reader. In addition to using children to persuade, pathos can also be seen in the quote taken from Rajesh Rao while talking about how American executives now know proper Hindi greetings. Mr. Rao, a software marketing manager from India, states, †A few years ago nobody in America wanted to talk to us.Now they are eager†(Friedman). This statement attempts to make the reader feel a sense of sadness for the Indians before offshoring began, and a feeling of happiness now that it has begun. The last element of persuasion, logos, provides the greatest depth of logical reasoning for favoring a specific view. For example, Friedman shines a light on the time-zone difference, which allows for a continuous workday between the United States and India. With the chance to develop one’s own company nonstop by working 24 hours a day, who wouldn’t logically make this choice?Furthermore, India contains 555 million people under the age of 25, all raised with a strong emphasis on education. Friedman reveals this image of India which is comprised of so many young and intelligent individuals that make the country the obvious place to go in search of a large quantity of less expensive employees. â€Å"High-tech hijack,† an anti-outsourcing essay, demonstrates the same principles of persuasion in an attempt to influence the reader to oppose outsourcing.David Moberg also gained a great deal of credibility on outsourcing by winning t he Max Steinbeck Award from the International Labor Communications Association and a Project Censored Award for his coverage of labor issues. Moberg cites several respected sources, such as IDC, a private IT research firm, University of California Berkeley, and Economic Policy Institute, which only adds to the persuasion of his argument making it that much more supported. Using highly respected sources and discussing a solution to the problem by means of government legislation displays ethos for his position.Moberg points out a study of the gross overpayment of corporate positions found that â€Å"Executive pay for the 50 largest outsourcers of service jobs increased dramatically in 2003 to 28 percent above the average for large-company CEOs†(Moberg). This alarming number he uses, combined with the rising unemployment rate, renders a sense of contempt in the reader towards these money driven executives. Secondly, Mr. Moberg uses a first-hand example, with the story of Stephen Gentry to express his relatable emotions felt by many.Gentry, a fifteen year technical programmer for Boeing, worked fulltime while earning a computer-science degree and was forced to train his Indian replacements before being fired. After being unemployed for eighteen months, Stephen Gentry describes American corporations as â€Å"so greedy and cutthroat-oriented they don’t care about me, you or anybody else except their bottom line†(Moberg). This quote, taken from an individual with experience in the subject, persuades the reader showing a significant emotional experience caused by outsourcing. Mr.Moberg presents the use of logos while talking about several credible studies regarding offshoring. The first study conducted by University of California Berkeley estimates that 14 million service jobs are vulnerable. This staggering number persuades the reader against outsourcing which is logically the cause of the United States’ high unemployment problem. Both art icles have good examples of persuasion, but both also seem to put their own spin on what facts to omit. Friedman’s position, being positive regarding offshoring, shapes his argument in many ways.First, he fails to mention all the jobs lost in America due to outsourcing, yet he puts a positive spin on the subject by discussing how greatly it is helping India’s economy. Secondly, Friedman also mentions that the United States can simply fix the problem they are facing by working four times as hard towards education and research. According to â€Å"Outsourcing decision support: a survey of benefits, risks, and decision factors a neutral academic,† an academic article by Tibor Kremic, â€Å"The social costs of outsourcing may be difficult to quantify but they can be significant.Outsourcing may result in low morale, high absenteeism, lower productivity, etc. † Friedman leaves this fact out while Moberg seems to stress it. Meanwhile, Moberg, being anti-outsourci ng, fails to mention the great economic impact on India, and instead he focuses largely on the mass unemployment generated solely in America. Friedman also claims the resolution for the problem lies majorly on government legislation and should be fixed through new stricter laws.Whether pro or against the issue, it’s easy to see how a basic argument can be shaped using ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the reader. By using these rhetorical tools one can appeal to any reader through a basic emotional response. Either emotion or logic can completely lose its appeal however without ethos by the writer. Both readers use pathos and logos well, but when it comes to ethos David Moberg takes the cake. Rhetoric along with using specific facts can be the difference when it comes to persuading the public in favor of a certain view one holds.

Carmen

Movement, space and dynamics are used in Mat Ek’s work Carmen to portray the various characters throughout the piece and to determine their relationships therefore gaining a greater understanding of the characters and the narrative. Micaela (M) is a respectable and adequate woman who is loyal to her fiance but is always leading him and influencing his behavior in life. The first movement we see from M is at a low height with collapsing, repeated contractions which give us an initial idea of her silent presence amongst her fiance Don Jose while he is conversing with the other solider portraying the idea of her intimidation of other men. Her movements are curved in shape though still very forceful, sharp and have a punch like force about them which gives the idea she is conscience of Jose, giving his directions and guidelines of how the behave. She then progresses into a lot of sustaining movements, which she continuously motions upward, giving the impression and the resemblance of appreciation of life and her faithfulness toward Don Jose. Symbolism of a wish to have a child occurs at 0. 33 through the use of curved â€Å"cradle-like† motions which shows the couples desire to settle down and be a family. There is also a repetitive floor pattern as M often travels away from Don Jose but then travels directly back towards his representing her dedication and loyalty as she always returns to her fiance and also the idea of her constant presence. M’s dynamics then take a sudden change as she is not longer performing contracted, closed movements in a repetitive nature which portrayed her ideal feministic nature of being loyal and she now has a less controlled nature about her performing asymmetrical kicks and contrasting shapes as she seems to let loose the further she ventures away from Jose which symbolizes her soul connection to him as she always returns back. The duet performed by M and Don Jose see’s M return to her original circular, curved shape movements and we see Jose’s unison with her, always a step behind which gives a sense she is showing him the way. Both of their movements are free yet heavy and they have a curved shape about them implying the hidden control and tension between them but also the trance they set each other in as the appear slightly â€Å"playful† and always drawn upwards with high levels and strong gestures such as lifting M up at 1:39 and high suspension movements at 1:09 to the sky symbolizing the feeling of being content and happy. Jose’s continuous following of M and his placement in space of always being slightly behind M symbolizes his shyness and the controlling nature his fiance possesses over him. At 1:44 we see M and Jose linking arms with M pointing to the direction she wishes to head while Jose looks at her in admiration and awaiting her next gesture again portraying the idea of her leading and controlling power she has over him and his obedience to this power. As the group of female dancers come in we see a dramatic change in the dynamics and movements of the dance as in comparison to M, these dancers have a much more open body position about them with much greater use of the entire kinosphere of each individual. The use of multiple kicks and turns which take up a large amount of space around the dancer display their confidence and high self esteem. At 2:45 the girls perform a controlled turn as they have a strong posture and arm position with head titled towards the sky to convey a strong, open shape which further portrays the idea of the confidence and â€Å"teasing† nature they possess in the males presence. As the males and female perform a direct swap in sides we see the males perform loose, uncontrolled arm movements which shows the uncontrollable urge they have to go and â€Å"dance† with the girls and how crazy they females make them along with the back and forth floor pattern the girls create as they swap sides and they lead the boys in and then head back the other direction which also conveys the teasing nature of the females. At 3:12 the males perform a percussive movement as the floor pattern leads them towards the females which emphasizes their excitement, yet the fact they are giving into the females which comments on the power the women posses over the men. The floor pattern shows the males always behind and following in the females paths, almost repeating similar movements that the females do which further emphasizes the idea of the females controlling the males actions and the males chasing them. This idea is also finally show at 3:29 when the females run over the backs of the males showing their dominance and power over them. Escamillo, the confident and desired new man in town conveys the idea of his confidence and power over everyone in his dramatic entry at 3:39 as the first movement we see of him is a open, strong and angular jump travelling to stage front. This jump automatically gives us the idea of his superiority over everyone else. His movements are sharp and angular which the choreographer to convey his confident, powerful ersonality and his intriguing use of controlled and dramatic dynamics of movements. The final section performed by the girls shows a soften, less controlling side of them which is communicated by their use of curved, soft movements and powerless dynamics and motions and shows the idea of their admiration and lust toward Escamillo. In conclusion, the use of various dynamics, movement and space is used in the extract to portray the characters, thei r emotions and determine relationships and further enhance and gain a better understanding of the characters to overall convey the narrative.

Euthanasia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Euthanasia - Term Paper Example According to them, it is the God who created the humans and other living creatures and only He has the right to put an end to it. The opposition maintains that the human should not behave like God. Euthanasia is one of the most contested topics by the followers of God and the church. Often it is observed in the present world that various learned strata of the society that includes the professionals of law, medicine and others decide to end one’s life if they feel there is no remedy of the suffering of the patient. But in doing so they are challenging the very creativity of the Almighty. It is the God upon whom depends the life of every creature and breathe of the entire mankind (Job 12:10, n.d.). One should look up to the example of Jesus, who could have ended his life long before but he endured all the sufferings in the way of his death. The God has supreme power and He can well save one’s life from the vary brink of death if He wills to do so. So, the judgment of the time and process of death should essentially be left to His

Taylor's Main Principles of Scientific Management in Working Place Essay

Taylor's Main Principles of Scientific Management in Working Place - Essay Example Process are now clearly defined as well as how to do it that does not leave any room for intuitive job functioning. This is also to achieve uniformity and consistency in production and to make quality and output predictable. Scientific Management is an engineering approach to achieve efficiency in the workplace. Where the workplace or organization can be likened to a machine which is composed of several parts that should work together to achieve optimum efficiency. Principles of Scientific Management The first systematic attempt to address this conflict and labor recalcitrance in organization was directed by Frederick Winslow Taylor with his Scientific Management. For Taylor, the key to establishing an efficient and productive workplace required the possession and control of knowledge about the methods of production (Jaffe, 2008). Taylor's (1911) preface to the Principles of Scientific Management makes this quite clear when he stresses for national efficiency... first, it is teleolog ical in its orientation to means: what is important is securing the desired consequences. Second, in Taylor's philosophy, actions can be judged only by their consequences: a dogged empiricism is allied to an unquestioned grasp of the ends to be served. Third, ends are defined in terms of efficiency (primarily for factory owners) but are represented as the common good (Taylor, 1911). In pursuit of optimum efficiency, this Scientific Management engendered the idea of defining and breaking down of functions in narrowly defined tasks. Organization is viewed like a well-oiled machine where its parts, including labor would conform to the predetermined methods already in place. It proposed an engineering solution to a human issue with the objective of minimizing friction brought by human factor that the results of production may be predictable. According to Frederick Taylor, "Scientific Management is a distinctively scientific, since it aims to correlate in factory administration, and to p ush development further in accordance with the principles discovered (Taylor, 1911). According to Taylor (1911), the key features of scientific management are as follows: time study, functional or divided foremanship, the standardization of all tools and implements used in trades, the standardization of the acts and movements of workmen in each class of work, a unique planning function, management by the exception method, the use of slide-rules and other similar timesaving methods, instruction cards for workers, careful task Performance Improvement allocation, bonuses for successful performance, the use of a â€Å"differential rate,† a routing system, and mnemonic systems for classifying products and modern cost systems. The underlying principles of the philosophy are as follows: (a) the development of a true science for each element of a job, (b) the scientific selection and training of the worker, (c) cooperation with the worker to ensure that the job is being done in accor dance with principles of scientific education, and (e) an almost equal division of work and responsibility between workers and management (Wagner, 2007). Section 2. Case: Harvey Fast Food Restaurant I. Shift the decision making responsibility from the workers to managers   Decision making responsibility can be shifted to the managers from the workers when functions are broken down into specific tasks where it can be quantified for the managers to determine objective productivity output. In this way, the determination

The Changing Price of Oil and Its Impact on the American Consumers Essay

The Changing Price of Oil and Its Impact on the American Consumers - Essay Example In the words of Lionel Robbins (1898-1984), Head of the Economics Department at the LSE: "Economics is a science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses." (Robbins, 2007,3). This scarcity definition proposed by Lionel Robbins in 1923 reflects the fact that we have to make economic choices in daily life. Economic goods may be defined as those that are relatively scarce, have value and command a price. The price of a particular good or commodity as always is determined by the laws of demand and supply. Demand may be defined as the amount of a particular economic good or service that a consumer or group of consumers will want to purchase at a given price (www.about.com). Supply may be defined as the total amount of a product (good or service) that is available for purchase at a given price (www.investorwords.com). It is the interaction of the forces of demand and supply in a marketplace that determines the price of a produ ct at any given time. Price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods and services. We talk of individual demand when we refer to a particular transaction made by a buyer or seller at a given price. We speak of aggregate demand when we talk of the entire demand of the world buyers for a particular commodity, in this case, oil. This aggregate demand is thus the sum of demand for oil by all the countries interested in buying this commodity from a certain supplier at a given point in time. The biggest supplier of oil in the world market is a consortium or group of producers called OPEC or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, an intergovernmental group of presently 12 oil producers. The graph below shows the price of Brent Crude oil per barrel for the four weeks beginning 07 November 2011 and ending on 07 December 2011. Price is indicated on the vertical axis and the time period on the horizontal axis of the graph. From th e movement of oil prices on the graph, we can see that Brent Crude hit a high of $116 on 08 November 2011, probably as the war in Libya was still raging between Gaddafi loyalists and forces opposing the decadent regime. Ultimately as the liberating forces gained the upper hand, Gadaffi was captured from a sewer in his hometown of Sirte. Still, the battle raged on for a few days more as forces loyal to the former leader took their last stand. The OPEC nations meanwhile had temporarily increased their supply to the world in the light of the fact that access to Libyan oil, which totals 5 percent of the world supply, was unavailable during this period. There is a drop in oil price to $107 per barrel on 17 November 2011 as the world debate on what to do in post-war Libya was finalized and funds were released to the emerging leadership and the commander of the liberating forces was even invited to France to talk with Sarkozy and other leaders. Once it was clear that a transition to democr acy was on the cards and there was no danger of further insurgencies or threat of an Islamist radical group taking over, Libya was given its funds, sanctions were lifted and supplies of oil to the world could be resumed. Meanwhile, as Iran and Syria face increasing sanctions, they would like to keep the price of oil as high as possible.

An examination of employee perception of womens adoption of Essay - 1

An examination of employee perception of womens adoption of stereotypically male leadership styles in traditionally male dominated organisational positions in the 21st century - Essay Example Other studies have been done, but the root cause of the problem in Arabian countries is yet to be identified. This research proposal thus will examine a myriad of factors that hinder the progress of women towards CEO positions in traditionally male dominated organizational positions even in the 21st Century. Womens unequal status has been contributed by various factors such as their absence from managerial and leadership positions. A lack of cultural consensus probably plays the most basic role in determining the lengths at which women can stretch their ambition and this vacuum is itself part of the problem and as it is, as a social concern to development in the 21st century. Corporate management and organizational leadership has been a domain of men. Statics in various organizations have shown that the number of men in leadership and management is far much above that of women (Stephan 145). However, the difference in number of women and men in leadership varies from country to country depending on a countries culture, religion, and population demographics among other factors (Kottke, Janet and Mark 191). A conglomeration of committees, consultancies, commissions, conferences etc have been assembled over the last few decades in an attempt to address womens underrepresentation in positions of power. However, it is still remains a dispiriting distance in the quest for providing solutions to this problem (Gary and Laura, 25). Case in point, Arabian countries have fewer women in corporate management and organizational leadership. This has been caused by a variety of factors that will be investigated by this research. Previous studies have been done, but the root cause of the problem in Arabian countries is yet to be identified. This research will employ different methodologies such as questionnaires and interviews in order to come up with the relevant data to answer the research questions. From a theoretical perspective, this research paper criticizes

Personal development plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal development plan - Essay Example Upon discussing the important key skills as a promising young Civil Engineer, strategic ways on how I manage to improve my technical knowledge, other related skills, and career path on building construction be tackled in details. Among the important key skills of a promising young civil engineer includes: a good leadership skill, creativity and technical knowledge required in leading a construction project, and good communication skills. Since civil engineers are planners who are responsible in managing people, a good leadership skill is necessary to ensure that internal conflicts are avoided and/or well-negotiated. One of the best ways to win the trust and respect of fellow engineers and subordinates is to show competitive technical knowledge needed when managing a construction project. To avoid unnecessary human errors caused by miscommunication, civil engineers should improve their communication skills at all levels. Since I was 6 years old, my father who works as an engineer introduced me to a lot of basic engineering theories and concepts. Having a strong basic engineering background made me develop enthusiasm in learning and knowing how buildings, roads, and bridges are being constructed. With the purpose of fulfilling my future goals, I managed to earn a diploma on Civil Engineering at the Technology College of Onizah right I graduated from high school. To further enhance my knowledge and skills as a civil engineer, I went through another year of professional training at the Council of Badaya. Because of my desire to pursue a career in Civil Engineering, I spent a lot of time reading building construction and architectural books during my free time. I read books not only regarding how each buildings, roads, and bridges are uniquely designed, constructed, and maintained but also books related to physics, mathematics, and project management related to civil engineering. Aside from

Gatsby vs. Gatsby; novel vs. film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gatsby vs. Gatsby; novel vs. film - Essay Example One time Nick gets an invitation to one of the many parties where he gets to meet Gatsby and they recognize each other, having served in the First World War together. Gatsby’s aim of hosting the parties is to attract the beautiful Daisy. He even gets to ask Nick to organize an â€Å"accidental meeting† so they re-unite; a plan that finally succeeds. Things take a different twist when Daisy’s husband, who is also in an extramarital affair, becomes suspicious of their affair. After a night drive that kills Tom’s mistress, Tom goes hunting for, and shoots Gatsby then himself. Nick sets up a silent burial for Gatsby then returns to his initial home. Decades later in 2013, Baz Luhrmann directed a film, in the same name, featuring famous stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio. The Great Gatsby film was successful almost instantly that it won awards in its first year. This essay will compare the film and novel in detail and evaluate their representation on the theme of the human condition of always yearning for better or higher positions. The novel did not rise to fame immediately, it was published, but after the author died; it was integrated into the high school English literature curriculum where its popularity began. The popularity is attributed to its close relation to real life events that overly engage the readers in that it portrays themes with both emotional and moral significances which are considered universal human attributes. What this means is that in reading the book, one always learns something more with regards to what being human entails. In the novel, the main theme portrayed revolves around constant and insatiable human longing which is an inevitable part of human beings. The evidence in the Great Gatsby is seen in the characters like Gatsby, who is a millionaire, but still feels unsatisfied as long as he does not have Daisy. These and other attributes of human beings are brought out using different styles in the novel as this text will discuss. In

Fences, a play by August Wilson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fences, a play by August Wilson - Research Paper Example This huge disenchantment sets the tone of the play. Troy is a tragic figure beset with waves of bad fortune, a victim of his time but as much his own fault. Troy’s tragic life is made more poignant by the author painting him as a tragic hero. Troy’s myopic interpretation of things and his unwillingness to adapt to reality are his two biggest flaws, blinding him and leading to his ultimate undoing. Troy is presented with opportunities to make peace with the other characters and redeem himself at critical crossroads but sadly he chose to remain in his fabricated world and his tragedy. The onset of act one, scene one provides the context of the big disenchantment in Troy’s life, that of his thwarted dream, resulting in his leading a mundane existence as a garbage collector. Troy has once been a promising baseball player in his prime, but he has been stripped of his chance to make it big in the Major Leagues because of his color. Troy could not reconcile with the fac t that he is too old to play in the Leagues when it finally opened up to black players and this residual bitterness and resentment distorted most of Troy’s perspective on things and people and reinforced his belief that he is a victim of his time. Despite this, Troy has never let go of his identity as a ball player. He continues to use baseball jargons to reflect his world view as in act one, scene one where he says â€Å"Death ain’t nothing but as fastball on the outside corner.† To his credit, Troy has fought back to emerge as a literary hero at the beginning of the play, where the other characters seem to revere him as the sole provider for the family and a fighter for equality at work. Troy’s flaws, however work against him. His narrow-minded perception has evolved into a dual set of standards over time in judging himself and others. This can be seen in Troy carrying himself around with excessive importance as the breadwinner but belittles of the work and accomplishment of others as in act one, scene three, â€Å"I do the best I can do. I come in here every Friday, I carry a sack of potatoes†¦you all line up with your hands stretched out at the door†¦I give you my sweat and my blood I ain’t got no tears†. To Troy, elder son Lyons’ chosen vocation as a jazz musician is simply a stunt in playing â€Å"Chinese music† and not serious work. Troy deduces this as the reason Lyons returns home to borrow money from him. As for Cory, his break into professional football hits a raw nerve in Troy’s thwarted dream. Troy could not accept that times have changed for black sportsman and Cory could actually make a career out of it. Cory brings up the achievement of black players like Clemente and Aaron and Kouflax, but Troy deflates their contributions. When Troy is losing out his argument to Cory, he throws the punch line, â€Å"I ain’t no Sandy Kouflax† in act one, scene three.. Instea d, he wants Cory to stay at a job instead of pursuing football. Cory’s giving away his job at A&P supermarket is seen by Troy as an act of defiance against him. Troy therefore imposes his authoritative presence on Cory in act one, scene three where he sabotages Cory’s opportunity by telling Cory’s coach that he can no longer play on his team. Troy’s shortsightedness prevents him from seeing the further ramifications of his act. Troy reasons that by sabotaging Cory’s chance would teach his son to obey his wishes. Instead it has set the wheels to motion to

Global Forces Essay Example for Free

Global Forces Essay Introduction This case highlights how the European Brewing Industry is striving to grow and gain competitive advantage worldwide. In line to achieve this there have been a lot of innovation, acqiusitions, mergers and of course rebranding of beer products in the Industry. Companies are further trying to reduce operational costs for improved profit. It is therefore imperative that we analyze the global forces in this industry. 1.A PESTEL ANALYSIS (i)PESTEL FACTOR: Political: Firstly I noted that there have been strong campaigns by Governments to stop drunken driving. This might affect the consumption levels for the beers. More especially when there are functions such as weddings and parties, because during such functions Drivers are tempted to drink as functions unfolds. Also people may start avoiding taking beer from Pubs and restaurants since they are required to drive home from such places. Political effects are further emanating from the Government campaigns against binge drinking or overindulgence on alcoholic beverages, hence discouraging consumers from pubs or any social clubs. This may act as catalyst in the reduction of business opportunities for the brewing companies. I further noted that Governments regulate on how packaging for beer should be done due to environmental issues. For example Denmark the use of Bottles is instead of cans. Politically some this may affect the profitability of some brewing companies in Europe. Economic: The Government’s regulations to restrict alcohol consumption in terms of drunken driving and excessive consumption have really helped in increased sales of beer in supermarkets. As indicated in the case statistics shows that sales increased to 66% in 2005. The shift to Chain Stores has worked to the advantage of the brewing industry as the use cut-price on beer which, attract people to buy the commodity. This scenario or should I simply economically the brewing companies would survive as they are assured of more sales though this is indirect business. However there have been little growth in consumption of alcohol or in a nutshell a shift in demand to the developing economies such as China and Brazil. This requires that the brewing industry in Europe should move its investments to overseas markets. Social Factor: Discouragement of binge-drinking affects some people socially as they are denied happiness that comes with alcohol consumption. Furthermore the highly publicized issues of alcohol effects on Health and fitness cause consumption levels to go down. Due to such awareness people chose to socialize without taking any alcohol in some set ups. Technology: I note from the case the due technological advancement has led to the introduction of new products tailored to peoples tastes such as fruit flavored beers and extra cool lagers. In European brewing industry, it is the technology that makes the products attractive as labeling on packages communicates how good the beers on sales may be and also changes to packaging styles is made easy with technology. It is also clear in the case that there have been economies of scale in brewing and distribution of alcoholic beverages as machineries as readily available due to advancement in technology in Europe. Environment: As stated above the Government’s regulations toward environmental protection affect the brewing industry in the European markets either positively or negatively as they have to change packaging to the preferred bottles than cans. The aim is to sustain the environment hence even consumers are always conscious of such laws as they buy beers. Legal factors: My analysis is that the Brewing Industry in Europe is affected negatively as there are laws to curb binge drinking and drunken driving. I have noted that brewing companies have had low sales a result as people are required to buy their products from chain stores and consume it from homes instead of social clubs or pubs. My conclusion after carrying out the PESTEL analysis is that the Brewing Industry in Europe has potential to grow as there are well established companies that able to merge with other organasations either overseas or locally. Also most brands are well known world over hence able to survive any effects that may impact them negatively due to PESTEL factors. (ii) FIVE FORCE ANALYSIS Threat of New Entrants: The threats of new entrants is low in the European markets due to the following reasons campaigns by governments to curb drunken driving and strong awareness about the effects of alcohol on people’s health makes the business an attractive. It is also a known fact that in areas where there are business leaders who are well established it is difficult for the new entrants to survive as customers switching costs maybe very high. Also the high packaging costs for the product makes it unpredictable as to whether the new entrant will be able to survive. Also the switching cost of customers may be high due to ready established relations and confidence that customers have in some existing brands. Further the upcoming economies such as China or Ukraine makes it very unattractive to establish such a business in Europe as there could less business opportunities. Threats of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is very high. This is because raw materials are readily available such as barely and other fruits, therefore very is for any orgsanisation to come up a product that my act as substitute. Further Water Industry is taking its shape such that they are now supplying bottled water. This acts as substitute to quench someone’s thirsty, considering that there campaigns for health living and people are now avoiding alcohol to keep fit. Also Laws that govern drunken driving compel customers more especially motorists to take water as a substitute instead of Beers. Moreover due to technological advancement it is very easy to produce substitute products such as Juices that may be appealing to consumers and such is obtaining in the European Markets as these can be consumed in clubs and Pubs. Lastly the move to high consumption of wines in the United Kingdom than usual beers makes it very clear that the threats of substitutes are high. Supplier’s Bargaining Power: It is clear that the suppliers bargaining power is high. For example it noted that the Packaging industry is highly concentrated in Europe and is dominated by international organizations, as such there are no substitutes to packaging hence suppliers of such materials are on the advantageous side. In addition suppliers are on good side in Europe due to the fact that production costs in the Brewing Industry are there is need treat the supplier’s well in order to operate effectively and efficiently. This gives supplier high bargaining power. Buyer’s Bargaining Power: I can simply say buyers are consumers of the products under discussion. In this context their bargaining power is very. This is because they have a wide choice of such products, this means they able to choose which brand or change at any time. Since there are a lot of substitutes available the switching costs are low hence no impact on them. Further customers would survive whether they consume the product or not. They choose when to buy and when not to, this mean that there is no concentration of buyers. Hence their bargaining power is low. Competitive Rivalry: The competition in this industry in the European Market is high. This is due to the fact that consumption levels have been reducing hence all producers have to sell their products to a reduced number of customers. Furthermore there are a lot of new brands arising from emerging markets such as fruit flavored and other exotic beers from international markets. What make competition much high are the distribution channels. The beers are distributed through supermarkets and it’s up to the brewing companies to do a lot of advertising in order to catch the consumer’s eye while shopping in supermarkets. In my conclusion I have noticed the Brewing Business in Europe is very ugly for the new entrants. It is therefore incumbent upon the existing companies to take up survival strategies such merging with others or acquisitioning of shares in the emerging markets such as Russia, China and Baltic Countries. They should also endeavor to re-brand themselves and try to enter other international markets such as Africa where customers are easily attracted to beers from overseas and there are less entry barriers. 2.Impact of trends on the four companies (a)Heineken in Netherlands: This company is named the biggest in European Beer Industry. However in order to survive the flooded market its target is to go in to international markets and use the local companies that they may acquire to introduce their beer. Transferring of Knowledge and technology is another way it aims to strengthen its new markets. The impact is that this company would grow they take up survival measures in the manner outlined above. (b)It’s strength : It holds five percent of sales in Asia-Pacific and 17% in Americas this puts in a good position when it comes to business share in a market where there is high competition. Heineken is better placed in terms of strength has it is the producer of worldly known brands such Heineken and Amstel. Due to family controlled aspect it becomes stable and independent in terms of business growth even in international markets. Economies of scale gives makes it strong considering that brewing is costly in Europe and in a nutshell it is secondary to non in brewing industry in Europe hence claims its strength in these area. Form the case I have deduced that the other strength is that they have a vision or simply where they want to be regardless of the competition industry where they operate from. I also noticed that another strength that Heineken has, is financial capacity to implement new projects as fast as possible as funding is always available for such. Heineken’s Weaknesses: Firstly weakness that, I have picked that they are unable to be innovative due family controlled. This means they may lack new ideas as the family may always influence decision making to suit their investments thus may be compelled to do things in the same manner hence lagging behind. This may result in non existence of new product development in the organization. A high price of Packaging Materials is another weakness at Heineken. They have no control or other sources for such materials this more reason why they complained of 11% price escalation. (ii)Grolsch (The Netherlands) (a)The impact if these existing business trends will cause Grolsh to push for mergers with other international organizations as it commands other brands such as US Miller and flavored beers such as grapefruit. It is also clear that it may require channeling much of resources to branding and innovation since that’s its strategy in line to survive. They believe that better looking product will attract a lot of business such green bottles and swing tops. (b) It’s Strength and Weakness One of its strength is long existence. It is on record that it was established in 1615 hence experienced hence may attract customer royalty as issues of closure may not easily arise. It has further embarked on centralization hence increase in terms of production volume which results in reduced cost. Grolsch also supplies variety of products this is strength as it gives it competitive advantage in the market in which it operates. Furthermore the other strength is its innovation in order to achieve its strategy. It’s Weakness Though its brewery is centralized it is single, thus pose a high risk in that in case of any challenges there can be no production at all. It also lacks financial muscle for example in 2005 when their colleagues Heineken made amassed 11.8 billion British Pounds Grolsch’s income from sales was only 313 Million Pounds hence very easy to fold. (iii)InBEv (Belgium/Brazil) (a)Impact of these trends: Even though InBev is the largest brewer in the world with a huge financial power it cannot survive with the existing trends in European markets. How can it survive? For it to stay alive it should strive to acquire other well established companies in the world. Since the world is more global now its strategy should be to built more global brands and increase it efficiency via purchasing and technology. The trends have impacted positively on InBev has it now sets its direction to growth through the above. (b) InBev’s Strengths The first strength is that it is the largest in the world; it is ranked either number one or two in about twenty lands. It has a sound financial position hence able to establish businesses anywhere in the world. In addition InBev is already established in emerging markets such as Chine and Brazil though acquisitions. It has well known brands such Beck’s and Stella Artois InBev’s Weaknesses Lack of analysis before acquiring other companies, for example it acquired a certain company whose brands were declining in terms sales, such acquisitions may turn out to be loses. (iv)Scottish and Newcastle (UK) (a)Impact of trends on the organization: Due to the business trends Scottish and Newcastle should be able to a lot of acquisitions in the UK being the market in which it operates; this would act as a point of growth. In line to gain competitive advantage the changing trends has pushed this company to invest in the fast growing markets such as Baltic Beverages where it has put fifty percent and China in CBC twenty Percent. (b) Scottish and Newcastle’s Strengths: It gains its strength by possessing strong brands such as John Smith, Baltika and Fosters. The strength are also drawn from its investments in fast growing economies such as China and Baltic nations, this may result in profitability regardless on competition in Europe. They are also market leaders in France, the United Kingdom and Russia as observed this is a very good strength for Scottish and New castle as competitive advantage is not easily achievable in these areas. It’s Weaknesses: Scottish and Newcastle’s financial position is not adequate for the high completion it is exposed to in this industry. My conclusion in to this assignment is that the Brewing Industry in the European Markets is highly competitive hence the need for companies to be innovative them to survive. There is also need for bigger companies to adopt strategies of acquisitioning of small ones so that they may expand their brands. Companies in this industry also need to spread their web to other countries if they are to gain competitive advantage. Bibliography HUNGER DJ/WHEELER TL (5th ed) (1992) Essentials of Strategic Management Global Forces. Online available from: www.opp.com. [Accessed 13 September 2012] 3H Strategy and international business. Online available from: www.dur.ac.uk. [Accessed 13 September 2012]

Sociology of the Family Course Notes Essay Example for Free

Sociology of the Family Course Notes Essay Indirectly they choose who wil form their child’s friend groups (neighborhood choice). Marital status, sex, sexual orientation, and age of parents shape a child. Parenthood convential order at home, gender division of paid and unpaid—daddy works at home, and mommy goes to work—shows child that’s normalcy, could be different gender of labour somewhere else. Gender specific roles due to life situation of that family Affects children (institutions) -schools, media, churches, peer groups, day care, extra curricular programs. -Siblings- more egalitarian and equal to their peer relationship. Unlike peer relationships, the sibling is inscribed, not optimal, â€Å"stuck with family,† older siblings socialize younger siblings—positivewanting to ride a bike, sharing, communication, attitudes between safe sex, positive relationships, important identity, being strong person, when not to and when to get involved in situations negative—how to use makeup, smoking and drinking, young child figures out how to manipulate parents by watching older siblings, teach skills, attitudes, delinquency and aggressive behaviour, need to know when to stand up to their rights and when to give in peer group- once children start day care and school, peers become huge part of their life, parents have power over peers when young, but control is less when children grow up as parents cannot be with them constantly, peer elatipnship being negative, peers having negative affects on children (deliquent behaviour—drinking with peers and blame behaviour that children taking part in), friends affect childrens desirers of consumers, what the leader of the group wants, everyone has to have, children gravitate to those with similar interests—try on several different peer groups and then finally feel comfortable with similar likes, learning to conform to group culture, what is acceptable and what is not, peers can act more like a family than those at home, can be closer than blood bonds, peers can also create a dose of reality for those children that are a centre of reality for their parents lives Educational system—children learn to act around authority, introduced to many new groups, impact that school has, ie learning a different language, can than have an affect on other family members, formation of gender identities through the curriculum of culture, each school has its own gender regime—masculine and feminine characteristics—ie boys are athletic, strength, power, and others are arts schools, music cultures, etc. that stress certain masculine and feminine traits Religion-attendance in church is falling in the ages of 25-44 age group, adults are not exposing their children to particular formal/organized religious venues on a regular basis, most kids unaware of Sunday school, fellowship, religion had more social impact 50 years ago than today, spirituality has gone up, but doesn’t mean they are religious Media-can display media right away through all electronics, many more electronics today, benefits—news, can see what is going on around the world, broader overview of what is going on, more social awareness through media, more multicultural issues, strong women on tv—dora the explorer, ellen degeneres, judge judy, oprah, the good wife (lawyer), Emily md, modern family, will and grace negatives—cyber bullying, gender roles, racism, sexism, ageism, portraying women as sexual objects and victims of violence, agreesiveness and unhealthy relationships, tv violence raises aggression between young boys, experiencing violence in the home will produce aggressive deliquent behaviour, heavy viewing of tv can also interfere with school performance *reading, Ideologies of Parenthood medicalization of child-rearing-mothers were expected to rely on science and experts in the field of parenthood, scientific management of children in the beginning of this century, everything very routine and systematic scientific paradigm -the ideology of intensive mothering—- after ww2 intensive mothering became an accepted belief system, childrearing should be child centred, labour intensive, financially expensive, still taking advice from experts, -expansion of educational material ‘new’ brain science-no changing a child’s brain, once it is wired, that is the way the chld will be, critics charge that little evidence to prove this to be the case in the first 5 years, it is helpful but won’t detriment them if the mother isn’t completely nurturing them -parenting became medicalized, how to raise their children good mother/bad mother discourse—mothers are blamed for children’s bad experiences, socially created categories, cannot always take ownership of others actions—if child hits, do people think you hit at home, as long as child is adjusted, parenting style is working -responsive or attachment parenting, Alicia silversteen, the goal is to form and nurture a strong connection between parent and child, co-sleeping with the child until puberty hits (until 6 or 7 years old), unscheduled styles of homework, no routine for homework, diaperless poty training, not inflicting a regid routine on a child, the child will dictate to you when they are ready to do certain things blossom—son in sling up until age of 5 and poty training was diaperless for first little bit, and co-sleeping stil at 4 and 7 (7 b’s of attachment syndrome—askdrsears) Parenting Styles -4 socialization styles -authoritarian—maximize control, regid rules and standards of behiavour, don’t like to be challenged, emphasize respect for authority, powers and threats, not a lot of autonomy and individualism expressed by child, if rule broken, severe discipline and violent, low self-esteem, dependent, high delinquency or rebellion, lack of respect for peers indifferent uninvolved arenting-uninvolved st yle, parents barely involved in family life, parents are parents centred rather than child centred, encourage child to stay at a distance, less interaction with child the better, consequences for child have attachment issues, have a void of family, look elsewhere and have attachment issues with peers, low self esteem, difficulty forming relationships, trust issues , authoritative-gold standard—to put boundaries on acceptable behaviour with warm and accepting context, based on firm consistent control with age appropriate demands, and encourage independence, encourage child to foster problem solving and autonomous decision making, controls their behaviour moderately—if break rule won’t get yelled at but with be dealt with appropriately, parent interaction—affection, give and take, not all about power dymanics of parent in control but child has expectations assumed for them. Characteristics of child—high levels of self esteem, show empathy and nurturi ng side, permissive-minimize any control, parent not heavily involved, parents don’t expect a lot from their children, when disciplining have tactics of reasoning—more friend to friend relationship, few parental constraints, parents approve child to do what they want, consequences for children-no respect for rules, push limits and very independent Home leaving and boomerang kids (clustered nest, revolving door, ful nest syndrome)—adults live in their parents home -what is the boomerang generation—1/4 of parents that live with adult children were living with boomerang kid, child may have a different consequence for a child parent who had never left the home, parents more likely to express frustration because kids take up their time and more resources, financial burden, mothers return to their second shift, washing their clothes, doing dishes, marital balance is off because another adult living in house, power dynamics and structures changes, happiness decreases for parents -parents willing to accept 1 or 2 back home but does diminish marital status, 3 and 4 times home is uncommon -no job right out of school, tuition too high must live at home, want to save money to get married or a mortgage on a house, financially struggling **two articles at end of slides, will be on final exam—essay question like for midt erm

Background and decisions of BMW

Background and decisions of BMW BMW Company Background BMW cluster, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is one of the mainly victorious multi kind finest motor manufacturers in the globe. BMW is a German motor; motorbike and appliance manufacturers founded in 1916 and have been widely trade since 1969. The companys slogan in English is â€Å"The Ultimate Driving Machine† and Sheer Driving Pleasure†. The original German slogan is â€Å"fraud am Fahren,† which translates to â€Å"joy in Driving† in English. The corporation produce, and market, a pied choice of senior end active cars and motorcycles. It is also own and make the tiny product and is the parent business of Roll-Royce vehicle Cars. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. BMW has a global presence with group subsidiaries in 41 countries and over 3000 dealerships and local importers in over 100 countries. BMW is a progressive company with salad of 1.2 million automobile and 101,000 motorbikes in 2008 generating revenue of 53.2 billion euros. It has a combined global workforce of 100,000 employees. In addition to cars and motorcycle, BMW operates an aircraft engine division under the brand name of Rolls Royce. The BMW group also has a strong market position in the motorcycle sector and operates successfully in the area of financial services. The Company operates its own financing company, which offers financing for vehicles. Automobiles accounted for 78% of 2000 revenues; vehicle finance leasing, 18%; motorcycles, 3% and other, 1%. UK is the third major souk and second main making base for the BMW group universal, and the only state where BMW groups three brands BMW, TINY and Roll-Royce vehicle Cars are represent {See Appendix-1} Chapter 1 1.1 What is marketing Marketing is a communal course by which person and group acquire what they want and want during creating, offering, and liberally exchanging goods and services of worth with former. (Kotler, 1991) 1.2 Marketing concept The marketing concept of BMW holds that the type to attaining organisational task consists of organism more victorious than competitors in integrating marketing activities toward formative and rewarding the needs and requirements of target markets.{See Appendix-2} The marketing concepts of BMW are as follow. Marketing focuses on the satisfaction of customer needs, wants and requirement. The philosophy of marketing needs to be owned by everyone from within the organisation. Future needs have to be identified and anticipated. There is normally a focus up on profit ability, especially in the corporate sector. However, as public sector organisations and non-profit organisations adopt the concept of marketing, which might not be the case as usual. More recent definitions recognize the influence of marketing upon society. 1.3 Marketing process of BMW Marketing process of BMW are as follows Under the marketing concept, BMW company find a way to discover unfulfilled customer needs and bring to market product that satisfy those needs. A model can be created to design the process using a targeted sequence of steps: The customer and market are analysed to identify opportunities. The market strategy is formulated to yield a value position. Tactical decisions regarding marketing strategy are made The marketing plan is implemented and the result is carefully monitored. The marketing course aim to distribute enlarged success in company through better marketing tactic and marketing plan increase. A better marketing progression provide a number of benefits, with more free time, higher visibility, stronger worker skills sets, easier management, reduced duplication of effort, and increased individual and team rewards, and overall, less headaches. This process in turn creates a marketing organisation thats more reliable, more responsible, with budget. The next paragraph will lay emphases on the advantage of BMW marketing. 1. 4 Benefits of marketing The benefit of marketing is that it enables company to exploit their budding and achieve the punter at the correct time. A right loom to promotion involve sympathetic the client and their require identify the genuine wants of the market. It is forever vital to appreciate bazaar wants, quite than to effort to â€Å"power† persons to purchase yours goods and services because you reflect they are enhanced than something else accessible. If the purchaser doesnt think they will not vend to them. It is as simple as that. A good advertising approach is base on the spot on level of explore in to a markets path and its key company. They have to spot precisely where your commerce strength fit into its souk, and how it will thrive inside it. Chapter 2 Internal and corporate analysis in terms of strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) will assist in gaining an understanding of where BMW is currently in term of strength and where improvement is required with in the business and what outside environment threats it may face as well as what new opportunities are available to the company in the short and medium term. This image of internal analysis which are as follow. {See Appendix-3} The Table below is a demonstrate of the BMW{See Table Appendix-1} 2.3. Macro environment The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organisation decision making and affect its performance and strategies are as follows. 2.3.1 Political factors Laws and regulations had affected the automobile industry as a whole. {See Appendix-4} These laws generally revolved around the environment norms that were to be fulfilled by any car industry. Thus the car manufacturers had to take care of the environmental issues during manufacturing of cars. European Commission proposed binding rules to cut CO2 emission on new cars to 130 gms/km 2.3.1.1 Example According to my research 2005 BMW achieved only 40% of their emission target but today BMW groups with its efficient dynamics programme achieved a reduction of average fuel consumption and CO2 rating by 10.2% and has made a greatest progress in terms of efficiency of all car makers in the European automobile market in the year 2008. Extracting maximum driving pleasure from every drop of fuel; is the aim of BMW Efficient dynamics. 2.3.2 Economic Factors Economic factors relate to the exchange rates, economic growth globally and the business setting prevailing in the industry. Following are the economic factors which has affected the automobile industry. Economic Downturn. Increase in the cost of oil 2.3.2.1 Example Rapid increase in the fuel prices is affecting the demand and the buying power of customer. According to BBC News which crude oil prices at 22 year high, motorists are paying out up to  £1 a litre at the pumps. Moreover according to Automobile Association research showed that in June 2008, litre of unleaded petrol had achieved an average national price of 118.2 pence per litre, while diesel cost 131.6 pence per litre. He also claimed that the annual coast to the motorist of keeping a car worth between  £13,000 and  £20,000 on the road now stood at  £4,112. The impact of this price hike on the drivers of the UK is 28 million cars are clear and it shows how the increase in oil price is affecting the car industry as a whole. In order to cope up with the present situation and existing demand for more fuel cars, BMW efficient dynamic programme which aims at reducing consumption is proved to be successful. 2.3.3 Social environment factors Social factors include the changes in cultures and demographics globally a part from change in the buying pattern and capacity of the customer. Increasing population also has an effect on the car industry. 2.3.3.1 Example According to the Mintel data, UK population will reach 64 million people by 2013. The strongest growth will be witnessed among the age group 25-34, 45-54 and over 65 age groups. Out of these two age brackets, the 25-34 age groups will be a potential key age group for the used car market where the highest proportion of demand is accounted for by younger adults. The age group 45-54 is a key age group for new and used car demand. Moreover during recession consumers spending priorities also changes and they are doing cost cutting on many areas of their expenditure. But the purchase of a new or second hand car has been one of the few areas to show an increase as a spending priority in 2009. This may increase the demand for the cars in the near future and car industry including BMW will again get a positive response from the existing and new customers. 2.3.4 Technical environment Factors With every spin of time technology is also changing which also reflects the consumers buying patterns. Nowadays, people are more concerned with the new and latest technology. In order to cope up with the current demands, BMW efficient dynamic technology tries to stay one step ahead. BMW has launched an I Drive in its all new cars. BMW is also spending a huge amount of money on its research and development department in order to innovate latest techniques like BMW car 2-x communication in their AMULETT project with the aim of improving pedestrian safety and thus creating a more competitive image in the car market. 2.3.5 Legal Environment Factors. Restrictions and strict pollution norms set up in European market and health and safety rules on all cars by (EURO NCAP) is affecting the whole motor industry. The European New Car Assessment Programmed (Euro NCAP) is a European car safety, performance assessment programmed. Euro NCAP publishes safety reports on new cars, and award ‘star ratings based on the performance of the vehicles in a variety of crash tests, including front, side and pole impact, and impact with pedestrians. The entire car manufacturing companies including BMW has to abide by these legal rules and regulations. 2..3.6 Environment Factors With the increasing effect of awareness of global warming and greenhouse effect, people are more diverted towards the use of more eco-friendly cars, hybrid and fuel cars. With the change in consumer taste and preferences the automotive industry has to be more focussed on the changing demand and patterns of the consumers. In order to cope up with the changing behaviour of the consumer, BMW is working on managing resources efficiently and eliminating or recycling all forms of waste wherever possible and thus moving to the hybrid cars. BMW group was the first car manufacturer in the world to create a vehicle Recycling Network. Chapter 3 3.1 Market segmentation BMW had worn three ladders to targeting which is advertising segmentation, target option, creation position.(See Appendix-5) BMW use segmentation to spot exact trade description. To find additional information BMW at Geographic segmentation. Demographic behavioural Psychographic Segmentation Behavioural Segmentation 3.1.1 Geographical segmentation Geographic segmentation calls for dividing the souk into different geographical element such as nations, regions, states, countries, cities, or neighbourhoods. A business can choose to work in one or a few geographical areas, or to function in all areas but pay notice to geographical differences in requests and requirements. 3.1.1.1 Example Lets take a Pakistan and UK BMW market. In Pakistan most of people live in low level society they cant effort BMW. But in UK people live in high Statius society they could effort BMW. 3.1.2 Demographics behavioural The demographics of those who are bright to purchase a BMW are men and women aged 30-50 lifetime old. Behaviourally these folks have a winning picture in their brain facing trade cars. They also estimated to wish a faultless current look or activity look, and the sense fine factors of a recognized trader system. The benefits are required by these folks are dominance, act, dependability excellence. 3.1.3 Psychographic Segmentation BMW Psychographic segmentation divides buyers into different groups based on social class, existence, or character characteristics. One forward-looking grocery store found that segmenting its self-service assembles goods by lifestyle had a big repay: 3.1.4 Behavioural Segmentation Behavioural segmentation divides buyers into groups based on their information, manner, employ, or reply to a creation. Many marketers consider that performance variables are the best starting tip for structure market segments. 3.2 Targeting BMW have the target new customer group that are not primarily targeted by BMW yet. But are interested in the brand and have high buying potential in BMWs products currently or in the near future. These groups include students and women, with students becoming part of the target market with the start of their careers, and women providing sales opportunities due to increasingly higher level of completed education as well as higher paid jobs compared to a decade ago. 3.3 Positioning The position of these company and their brand has been build up over numerous lifetime but BMW has dazed their blot winning the community in an optimistic way with the help of superior community relative and pioneering publicity agitation. This has led to rolling sales expansion throughout the global car market. Chapter 4 4.1 The Marketing Mix. Marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. Traditionally the market mix consisted of 7Ps. Marketing mix can be put under seven headings, often referred to as the seven ‘Ps. {See Appendix-6} Products Promotion Price Place Physical evidence Public purchase 4.1.1 Product The generally central constituent in the selling is the companys produce because this affords the positive desires required by patrons. For example a car that does not start in the Moring will be like by clients. Marketing manager expand their creation into brand that assist to make a single place in the brain of clients. The current models are {See Table Appendix-2} 4.1.1.1 Lifecycle of BMW Each creation goes during what is known as a life cycle procedure. When explore what combine is best matched to the creation. We need to deem where in the life cycle sightsee goods lie which is revealed in the below shape and then depending choose if there is want to make transform in the produce and re-launch. {See Appendix-7} 4.1.1.2 Example BMW X5 launched at 2000 and then corporation lunched the senior or new description of X5 in 2006, for 3 series its 7 years lifecycle and for 7 years only for the 1st model lifecycle of three merchandise. These are the 3, 5 and 7 Series Saloons. This PLC scheme not only helps to ensure more steady profits, but also allow for the growth of substitute produce on a steady base. BMW has also been growing its selection of late and this can be seen by the company of some new product launch in the last few years. The above goods are all moderately established. Many of them have been creature affected for many years now with some redesigns and re-launches. 4.1.2 Price. BMW cost variety is from about  £16,000 to  £60,000 minus. There are many factor that can influence their car price such as mechanism size, vehicle activity account etc. 4.1.2.1 Example Price such as mechanism dimension has been used by BMW for the 3- series is opposition leaning price. Most of the investigate show that all other competitor such as VW, Audi, and Alfa Romeo etc. in the 3 Series manufacture price sore not so vital and create the main revenue is not as required as it would be for a lesser business.{See Table Appendix-3} 4.1.3 Placement. BMW use better market dealership and significant for non merchant network countries they have four car developed vegetation in the UK. There are additional than 156 dealers in the UK who are franchise to retail BMW cars, moreover 148 dealers are franchised to sell Minis. Universal BMW work in more than 100 dissimilar countries with about 4,000 plus dealers which are authorised to retail both new and second-hand cars, parts and after sales service goods. Pattern of allocation for BMW is shown below in the drawing which followed by the business Producer >>>>>Dealers>>>>>>Customers 4.1.4 Promotion BMW has forever focused completely on their cars with same promotion business, WCRS being the worn since 1979. A broad variety of publicity is used by this organization such as TV for branding campaign and new carriage launches, the press with sensationalist weekend dye addition, regional publication and magazines, outside campaign, sales fiction, fliers etc. publicity Campaigns/Slogans used by the corporation in the past. 4.1.4.1 Example According to my research in 1983, 1994, 1997 and 1999 when James bond used in every movies BMW car, James Bond movie â€Å"The Catcher† 4.1.5 Physical Evidence Physical Evidence is the element of the BMW company mix which allows the customer again to create decision on the establishment. 4.1.6 Public A necessary ingredient to BMW company condition is the use of fitting workers and people. Recruiting the right workforce and training them appropriately in the company is essential if the establishment wants to attain a form of competitive advantage. 4.1.7 Purchaser Refers to the systems used to assist the establishment in deliver the service. An efficient service that replaces old credit cards will further customer faithfulness and poise in the company Chapter 5 5.1. Buyer behaviour Customer trade performance is the production of how person or domestic customers behave or the choice creation on business any merchandise or services. Customer trade activities is a significant part of promotion, which studies the reason of why, when where, what and how the customers are behave on their trade decision. customer purchaser actions depends on dissimilar types of marketing (product place, price, promotion, physical evidence, public, purchase) and other stimulus ( Economic, Technological, Political and Cultural) these factors in fluencies the customer black box to make response for creation choice about selecting goods, brand option, price etc. Cultural, social, individual and mental these four factors have great power on customer buyer performance. Person wants, insight, values, performance erudite from culture, relations other institution. Social factor consists of a persons orientation collection relations, friends organisations. Private factor is incorporated age of lifecycle, financial circumstances, vocation, qualities and other individual kind power buyer choice course. Different mental factors like inspiration, perception, attitude, conviction have pressure on customer export conclusion. 5.1.1 Example Driving with friend A- class which in turns affects attitude towards BMW Mercedes and change behaviour in purchasing an automobile. Attitude is not constant and change over time since they are result they are experience. A car crash might change the attitude towards the brand and one might decide to exclude BMW Mercedes as an option buying a car. Chapter 6 6.1 Marketing mix BMW is considered with a single purpose in mind: to augment the joy of driving. BMW engineers have high priorities of providing more exhilaration, more comfort, and pretty driving safety. The target market of BMW is typically the upper middle class with the average takings of about 150,000 dollars a year. Two thirds BMW owners were male, married, and did not have children. In most recent times, the target market has had a focus on the middle aged but continues to have a wide choice of target market from ages 25-35 years old. The BMW Group has unstated about the recent economic attitude of the United States and other countries as well. They have taken ladder to help by opening kindling and expanding to create jobs. 6.2 Consumer market Consumer markets deal with final customer. Each customer buys the product for their direct scarification and has no other intended use for it 6.2.1 Example The market for magazine is consumer market- the customer doesnt resell the magazine and buys it for their own enjoyment. 6.3 Business market Business market is an online marketplace that matches business buyers with franchisors and business opportunities {See Table Appendix-4} 6.5 Domestic market The market for goods and services in the country where the company is based. 6.5.1 International market International marketing is the application of marketing orientation and marketing capabilities to international. {see appendix 6.5.1} ( muhlbacher, Helmuth, Dahringer 2006) 6.5.2 Compression Domestic and International market {See Table Appendix-5} Chapter 7 Conclusion It has taken a lot of referencing and researching for me to write this report and I have learnt a lot from this report, I started off with very little knowledge about this topic and worked my way Through the assignment and I would conclude that BMW is a very powerful name in the automobile industry due to its reputation of providing high quality products and services. BMW and person actor has yearly shown burly monetary results and has reserved its market shares. This become of curiosity to study more greatly, in direct to find the factor last a unbeaten concern and burly product. Scrutiny the progress of BMW through the past five years. Not only are the monetary account taken into reflection that BMW is the most flourishing vehicle producer in top sector. BMW is a well known and greatly cherished brand and has high miscellany in the merchandise range. BMW possesses high inner aptitude and the corporation develop a big part of the car by themselves. The rising market in South East Asia, Russia Eastern Europe and South America has shown obvious swelling growth. Produce, transport and raw fabric outlay have both dampened margins and affected the export power of customers like a s lofty oil price.

Comparing the Theme of Sacrifice in My Antonia and The Song of the Lark

Theme of Sacrifice in My Antonia and The Song of the Lark      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A common trait for Willa Cather's characters is that they possess a certain talent or skill. This art usually controls the lives of these characters. According to critic Maxell Geismar, Cather's heroines who possess a skill often either do not marry or marry men whom they dominate; if they do marry the marriage is without excitement because their passion is invested in their art. In a sense, Geismar accuses Cather's heroines of sacrificing their marital roles for their art (172). However, marriage is not the only aspect that raises the subject of sacrifice for Cather's protagonists - there is also the issue of family. This is because a woman artist, or any woman, is judged not only on her art but also on her personal life, especially by her submissiveness to man in the role of daughter, wife and mother. If a woman is unable to commit towards one of these roles, she is blamed for renouncing her expectant role for something that is associated with a ma n's world - talent. Many readers judge Thea Kronberg and Lena Lingard according to these female roles, and hence place the accusation of sacrifice upon them. Thea Kronberg and Lena Lingard in Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark and My Antonia, respectively, are accused of sacrificing too much for their art because they apparently choose to overlook their families and love relations in respect to their art. On the surface, it appears as if Thea sacrifices her relationship with her mother and her love with Fred Ottenburg in order to achieve her musical desires. Similarly, Lena is depicted as a female who sacrifices her bond with her mother and her prospects for marriage for the life of an indepe... ...r orator skills (i.e. they usually become Lawyers), and postponing marriage prospects until they are independently and financially settled. However, these men are never accused of sacrificing their relations, or too much for their art. Unfortunately, even in the literary world men and women are depicted differently in terms of their relational expectations. This difference goes as far as accusing the pursuit of art as a sacrifice only when the individual is a woman.    Works Cited    Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Cather, Willa. The Song of the Lark. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1943. Geismar, Maxell. The Last of the Provincials: The American Novel 1915 to 1925. Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1947. Sabiston, Elizabeth. EN 4210 3.0E Seminar. Toronto: York University, October 15 2002.   

Evolution -Them-to Us Essay -- essays research papers

Evolution The origins of mankind is an extremely controversial issue within today’s society. Scientists have a host of different theories pertaining to man’s inhabitance of earth. Many disagreements arise between scientists who have different beliefs pertaining to where and how mankind arose. One such argument is the conflict involving the theory of evolution versus the theory of creation. After extensive scientific research, it is apparent that the theory of evolution is correct. Evolution is the theory that life arose by natural processes at an early stage of the earth’s history and that complex organisms developed from simpler organisms by a process of slow change. It is the idea that new species rise from older species after thousands of years of gradual chemical, environmental, and genetic change. Evolution can be described as the complex processes by which living organisms originated on earth and have been diversified and modified through sustained changes in form an d function â€Å"Evolution†. Scientists, looking for an explanation to the origin of man and other organisms created this evolutionism theory, which also presented answers to the many asked questions dealing with similarities between species. Unlike the theory of creation, which states that the complexity of life and different species can only be explained in terms of a supernatural creator or god who placed life on earth, the theory of evolution has a plethora of evidence proving it to be true â€Å"Creation†. There are several different types of observations that support the theory of organic evolution as an explanation for the similarities and the differences among species. One such observation is in the geologic record. The geologic record is the rock scheme found within the earth’s outer crust. By means of radioactive dating, the ages of rocks in many places on earth have been determined. It is a timetable of the earth’s geologic history. This combin ed with the fossil record, another observation supporting the evolutionary hypothesis, has produced an apparent sequence of life forms from most simple to most complex during the history of the planet. Fossils are any remains or traces of a once-living organism, which are formed by preservation, petrifaction, or sedimentation. Organisms can be preserved and protected against decay by being trapped in amber, tar, or frozen in ice. The hard parts of ... ... the world could have been created in six days. Even though Scopes was found guilty of contradicting creationism and the Bible’s teachings, the persuasion of the defense’s case brought up the major question of evolution versus creation. In 1996, the issue was revisited and now teachers have the right to teach both theories. The Attorney General said the constitutional separation of church and state would be violated if both theories were not acceptable. This trial was a major step for those who believed in evolution. The outcome eventually allowed for people to open their eyes and accept new ideas. The theory of evolution proved to be true â€Å"Monkey†. The controversy over whether evolution or creation is the correct answer to human origins is a major topic of discussion and argument in today’s society. People are entitled to their beliefs, but a great deal of evidence and supporting information has confirmed the theory of evolution to be factual and accurate. By combining all of this information along with comparisons between man and ape and the discoveries of humanlike fossils, the truth is apparent. The theory of evolution in my opinion is correct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Astronomy, why is the sky dark Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Why is the night sky dark?†(Hienrich) For thousands of years this question, also known as Olber’s paradox, has been asked. Astronomers are constantly growing closer to the answer but still no one has yet found a finite answer. As scientists relentlessly collect data hoping to find some clue as to the answer to this riddle we seem to realize that the answer may be because of something that is too mind blowing for us to comprehend. Several explanations have been considered over the years. But as of right now only about two reasons seem to answer the question at hand. Here are several explanations, some of which have been scientifically accepted and others that just simply appear to be logical. The first explanation is that there is too much dusk in the universe to see the light from distant stars. This is obviously wrong. The dust does act as a shield, making some of the light harder to see from earth. But the amount of dust that it would take to completely block out all starlight would also block out light from the sun and this is clearly not happening. A second explanation is that the Universe has a finite number of stars. Well, regardless of how finite the number of stars is, the reality is that the number of stars we do have would be enough energy to light up the entire sky. There is too much luminous matter in the Universe to allow this explanation to be correct. A third explanation is that the distribution of stars is such that some hind behind others and so the lig...

The Strength in Challenges

The Strength in Challenges My ability to overcome difficulties throughout my life is by far my greatest strength. I have gone through more hardships than the average teen. Each time has forced me to look inside myself, and find the strength to rise up again. I’ve never resented anything that has come my way because each hardship has placed a brick on what is the base of my character today. Back in fifth grade my house had caught fire. It was one of the scariest things in my life.As a fifth grader, dolls and going outside to play soccer were the things I held most sacred. This one event changed my entire outlook on life and showed me what was truly important in my life: my family. When I moved into a hotel for months it made me realize, trivial things like clothes and toys aren’t what makes a home your home it’s the people that are with you through it all. Also, the enormous support we got from the community helped me understand the true meaning of giving. Althoug h this happened to me at a young age, the lessons still ring true today.I never wanted anyone to feel like they were alone and helpless, so every time an opportunity presents itself I feel the need to help. Whenever faced with a difficult decision or see someone in need I look back on this and it reminds me to place myself in their shoes and do whatever I can to help. Being pelted with a ball and getting the wind knocked out of you could be compared to the feeling I got when my mom told me she had terminal cancer. I knew the air was touching my lips, but I couldn’t suck it in.The pain in my chest was so great I had to crouch. Drops from my eyes pooled on the ground and my ears only heard buzzing rather than words. After a while the tears stopped, and I was left in my mom’s arms trying to process all of it. It’s been a year and I am still processing all of it. Each day I wake up not knowing how long my mom has left, and yet each day my mom wakes up fighting for a nother day which keeps me going. I’ve never had an obstacle as great as this, but it doesn’t stop me from reaching for my dreams.I am part of the first generation in my family to attend a four-year college, and my mom inspires me everyday. Although things may seem almost impossible, if you work hard enough and put forth your best effort, impossible is possible. Throughout my life I’ve been presented with many challenges; however, I never let them control my destiny. I now embrace each one as it comes because I’ve found that the harder I’ve worked to overcome something, it has always left me a better person than before. And with each new challenge, I become better at conquering the next.

NSA surveillance Essay

There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the topic of the NSA. Throughout the history of the United States we have fallen victim to terrorist attacks and we cannot blame the governments desire to be ten steps ahead rather than 10 steps behind. The NSA’s main focus is our safety, they do not exist to infringe on our constitutional rights. Liberty and security go hand-in-hand; one cannot exist without the other. People tend to approach this topic on a â€Å"national security v. civil liberties† meanwhile nothing says that both cannot exist together. It is absolutely possible to have national security while still preserving the civil liberties of the citizens. Everyone would like to live in an ideal world where the government takes an idealistic approach because that would mean leaving the people completely vulnerable to outside threats. What the people fail to realize is that modern terrorists online are a real risk to this country. They use the internet as a way to contact each other. The internet holds fatal information like how to make a bomb which anyone and everyone can have access to. Terrorists would also have access to most of the information needed about the enemy in order to make their attack successful. The media has portrayed the NSA as a negative and unnecessary agency meanwhile there is nothing negative and unnecessary about keeping this country safe. The NSA doesnâ€⠄¢t target innocent Americans one by one. The NSA works solely for our benefit and safety. If a person has nothing to hide there should be no reason to have a problem with the NSA and the things that they do. I do see how people can feel like it is an invasion of privacy but at the end of the day, would you want the NSA to check on you every once in a while or would you rather risk the possibility of a terrorist attack that can lead into millions of lives lost ultimately leading to war? The NSA is able to tap into anyone’s email and texts but they aren’t doing it with malicious intent, or to snoop in your business, they’re doing it solely for the reason of your safety and the safety of everyone else around you. Less than 30,000 people work for the NSA and there are 300 million people in the United States sending calls everyday, the chances of you getting monitored is the same as the odds of  you winning the lottery. The NSA does not care who you’re going to the movies with or what you are having for dinner. As long as you are not contacting terrorists groups or posing harm to the well being of this country you have absolutely nothing to worry about. In June of this year, whistleblower Edward Snowden, a worker for the NSA, leaked classified documents about the NSA’s procedures in online and telephone surveillance to a the Guardian, a British newspaper. Before the leak, however, no public knowledge of PRISM, the surveillance program controlled by the NSA, existed. There were no riots protesting a violation of privacy, only benefits. In fact, the NSA stopped numerous terrorist attacks before the leak. An example of this is that of Najibullah Zazi. Zazi was an Islamic extremist living in Colorado who planned to bomb the New York City subway in 2009. He was traced to Al-Qaeda operative in the Middle East and the NSA discovered information about the plot after monitoring him for only a s hort period of time. Before the leak, the NSA was not harming anyone, and saving countless numbers of lives. Since 2001, the NSA records more than 50 classified cases of thwarted terrorist plots outweighing any potential harms of surveillance. It is impossible to satisfy every person in the country. People complain when there is nothing being done and they complain when a solution is found. This leaves the government stuck between a rock and a hard place. Realistically, the NSA doesn’t affect our lives on a daily basis. The chances of the NSA getting hacked are much more slim then the chances of an attack on the country. We all have to sacrifice certain things for the well being of the country as a whole and in this case privacy is worth sacrificing for safety. I’m sure no one wants to see a repeat of the tragedy that occurred on 9/11. This country is the place we call home, and for people to say that privacy is more important than safety is selfish. The NSA has done nothing but prevent attacks on our homes. Instead of feeling like our privacy is being invaded we should feel a sense of safety. The government continues find new ways to improve then lives on the people that live in this wonderful country and I believe that they shouldn’t be scrutinized for it. National security is essential which has been shown in past experience such as the Boston bombing. There is no way the United States will ever be 100 percent protected but there are programs and agencies such as the NSA, which gives  us an advantage. The NSA is vital in the security of this country and is in place only to protect you, me and all the other citizens of the United States.

Barriers to Democratization in China

This article presents and enlightens the rationale for the failure of China in establishing a democratic system. Such topic is broad and extensive apparently because it attempts to explain the natural flow of democratization with relation to China that has yet to establish a democratic system. This also endeavors to enhance the understanding of democratization process on a certain country.The whole presentation of barriers to Chinese democratization is divided into phases and provides analytical framework in the further understanding of the nature of democratization process.Such phases are consisting of several factors which serve as the subordinate topics in demonstrating the impacts of these factors on Chinese democratization. Chinese Democratization Chinese democratization is of immense importance, both practically and theoretically. Although it is only one country, China represents between one-fifth and one-fourth of the world’s population. According to Rummel (1991), â₠¬Å"due to the undemocratic systems in twentieth-century China, millions suffered from political persecution and died unnatural deaths.† For example, more than twenty million starved to death in the famine of 1959–61. As late as 1989, hundreds of unarmed civilians were mowed down in the capital city of Beijing. Democracy may not work miracles, but it can avoid such tragedies (Rummel 1991). Presenting Barriers to Chinese Democracy I. Historical Legacy and Democracy This part of the article presents the assessment of the potential impact of historical legacy on the process of democratization in China. The general conditions, political thoughts, and political traditions go under this first factor.It initially looks at how some general conditions constrain Chinese political development and compares political thoughts with modern democracy and examines the way democratic or undemocratic Chinese political traditions were. Historical legacies are not of equal importance. Some a re trivial and transitory, such as people’s dress. Others are substantial and stable, such as people’s ways of treating one another. Modern democracy resulted from the interaction between Western traditions and modernization.Given China’s different historical path and its low level of modernization, its democratization process was in the grip of its historical legacies. By focusing on general conditions, political thoughts, and political traditions, this chapter suggests that China’s historical legacies pose a challenge to the democratization process. The vast territory and diverse conditions always create problems for governability and participation in traditional times. A long history tends to foster a cynical view of politics, just as a short history may facilitate an idealistic view of politics.A huge population not only decreases people’s incentive for participation, but also renders it difficult to change the rules of the game. China’s relative isolation from the West cost the Chinese the opportunity to learn from a great and dynamic civilization. All these forms formidable force of inertia that slows down and even blocks attempts to adopt new systems and habits in China. Indeed, few Western thoughts before the modern time were democratic, but the Athenian political and intellectual experiences, the Roman conception of citizenship and law, and Christianity’s conception of humanity did facilitate democracy as we know it today.By contrast, Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, and Taoism contained some democratic elements, but none qualified as being democratic because of their failure to advocate popular sovereignty and individual liberty. As the dominant ideology in China, Confucianism was paternalistic in preaching benevolence and propriety. Despite its good intentions, its differences from democracy were huge. Kant’s remark that paternalism is the worst form of tyranny contains some truth. What further separates China from the West is their political traditions. Feudalism had dominated the West for a long time.It was characterized by its lack of equality, liberty, and a powerful central government. It deserves mentioning that not until the early 1860s were serfdom and slavery abolished in Russia and the United States, respectively. Against this historical background, the middle class in the West not only demanded equality and freedom denied by feudal systems, but also attempted to limit the rising power of the central government after the decline of feudalism. By contrast, traditional China witnessed a great deal of socioeconomic equality and freedom.Chinese political and economic systems allowed for a high level of social mobility. So the call for freedom and equality appealed less to the Chinese than to the Europeans. Compared with its European counterparts, the Chinese government was powerful. Theoretically, all the land and people belonged to the emperor. But China’s va st territory and traditional technology softened the impact of a bureaucratic empire. There were both enlightened and despotic rulers in Chinese history. When tyranny accompanied socioeconomic hardship, the Chinese exercised their right of rebellion.As a result, Chinese history seemed to be trapped in a â€Å"dynastic cycle. † Without modernization and foreign contacts, China might have found it difficult to break this cycle. II. Local Forces and Democracy During the second half of the 19th century, China experienced the decline of central power in contrast to the rise of many countries like the U. S. , Italy, and Prussia. In particular, the Taiping Rebellion which endured from 1851-64 had affected almost all the provinces in China proper, devastated its most prosperous regions, and had cost 20 to 40 million people dead.What further undermined the central power was the Nien Rebellion in the north from 1851 to 1868, the Miao Rebellion in the southwest from 1855 to 1872, and th e Moslem Rebellion in the northwest from 1862 to 1878. Collectively, these are referred to as local forces that decisively affect the democratization process in the Republican era. The establishment of the republic did not imply that the Chinese were willing or able to maintain democracy. Before the 1911 Revolution, most Chinese had no preference for democratic republicanism, and those who advocated democracy treated it less as an end than as a means to national power and wealth.But the revolution ruled out the possibility of establishing a new monarchy in China and ushered in the era of republicanism. The entire Republican era was mainly shaped by the shifting balance of power between the central government and local forces. Since the mid–nineteenth century, foreign powers and local forces had undermined the Manchu regime. During the 1911 Revolution, the independence of provinces doomed the Qing dynasty. Since the local forces continued to threaten the new republic, a strong man was needed to rule China.Yuan Shih-kai’s fight against disintegration served national interests and commanded widespread support. But his monarchical scheme discredited him, and his death created an opportunity for the rise of warlordism. During the warlord period, the central government not only lost control of local forces, but also was manipulated by powerful warlords. Against this background, the Nationalists cooperated with the Soviet Union to achieve national unification. The rise of local forces was nothing new in China. With its vast territory, regional diversity, and traditional technology, the empire always faced the danger of division.Since the respective authorities of central and local governments were not clearly defined, the central government might have too much or too little power. On balance, the former was a lesser evil than the latter. While rational rulers had little intention to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, the lack of legitimacy motivat ed local satraps to maximize their profits. The Chinese fear of local forces appeared unwarranted in the eyes of foreigners, but it constituted a self-fulfilling prophecy. Idealizing a unitary system, many Chinese leaders would resort to violence and war for the sake of national unification.Accordingly, the fear of local forces led to war, which in turn justified people’s original fear. If the establishment of the new republic had little to do with the Chinese people’s democratic conviction, partisan conflict, domestic turmoil, and civil wars in the Republican era made the Chinese disillusioned with democracy. Indeed, democracy does not necessarily weaken state power, and no real democracy was put into practice in China. But there is no denying that the early phase of democratization tends to unleash divisive forces. Through legitimating diverse interests democracy risks undermining the central power.Historical examples abound. A weak confederation followed the America n Revolution. Fortunately, the founding fathers opted for a federal system, which struck a balance between central and local powers. Like many other countries, post-Revolution China experienced chaos and civil wars. The Revolution was intended to strengthen state power, but contributed to its further decline. The painful experience in the Republican era convinced the Chinese that a weak and divisive country needed a strong government, and that dictatorship represented a lesser evil than anarchy. III. World System and DemocracyAll countries have been dragged into the world system in the contemporary times. Unfortunately, this foreign system is unbeneficial to weaker countries and a monster that is beyond their control. It is no exaggeration, as Toynbee (1969) declares, to say that their modern history is one of their responses to foreign challenges. Before the end of World War II, China was one of the disadvantaged countries having deplorable status in the effect of world system†™s adversity to democratization processes. Without the modern world system, democratization might not have become an issue in China.However, such a system militated against the process of democratization in the Nationalist era in several ways. First, the nature of the world system was undemocratic, if not antidemocratic. What characterized this system was power politics and capitalism. The former treated might as right; the latter sought profits and ignored equality. To survive in such a world required a strong state, but not necessarily a democratic one. Given China’s low status in the world, the Chinese desired wealth and power rather than democracy.In fact, the Chinese accepted democracy, less because they embraced the value itself than because they saw it as a method to strengthen the state power. Second, liberal democracy was less attractive than it is today. Internal disturbance and foreign threats in 1930s provided the best justification for dictatorship. No wonder t hat the Nationalist government and many Chinese intellectuals found dictatorship both necessary and desirable. Third, the Japanese aggression made the Chinese democratization almost irrelevant.Indeed, the Sino-Japanese War facilitated partisan cooperation, stimulated Chinese nationalism, and helped democratize the world system. But amid foreign aggression, national survival took precedence over the call for democracy and human rights. Equally important, the war catapulted the Communists into formidable power and exacerbated socioeconomic problems the Nationalists had never been able to handle. As a result, a democratic solution to China’s political, economic, and social problems became difficult, if not impossible. Lastly, the Cold War system affected Chinese political development.The victory of the Soviet Union in World War II and the expansion of socialism into East Europe boosted the reputation of socialism in comparison with liberal democracy. Both superpowers wanted to i ncrease their own influence in China and sided with either the Nationalists or the Communists. It was no exaggeration to say that the evolution of the world system made possible the Communist triumph. IV. Socialist Values and Democracy Although the Mao era did well in promoting socioeconomic equality and deserved credit for encouraging mass participation, socialist China did not qualify as democracy as we know it.The one-party rule excluded the possibility for citizens to select rulers. Civil and political rights were ignored, if not flagrantly violated. The house-registration system and class label contravened the principles of liberty and equality. Millions suffered from political persecution. Even among the party itself, powerful struggles were frequent and cruel. What was worse, the Communists did not deliver on their own material promise. Living standards in Maoist China barely increased. In explaining the lack of democracy in China, one cannot ignore the role of Mao.It was Mao who hastened the socialist transformation, led the AntiRightists Campaign, initiated the Great Leap, encouraged the people’s communes, reversed the sensible guidelines of the Eighth Congress, and launched the Cultural Revolution. Without him, Chinese socialism would have taken different shape. But even without him, there would have been little chance for socialist China to be democratic. Authors like Berger (1993) and Almond (1991) believe that â€Å"the reality is that although countries with market economies have not necessarily been democratic, all democracies have coexisted with market economies†.Advocates of socialism see no contradiction between socialism and democracy. Ralph Miliband, for example, maintains that â€Å"socialist democracy would embody many of the features of liberal democracy, including the rule of law, the separation of powers, civil liberties, political pluralism, and a vibrant civil society, but it would give them much more effective meaning . It would seek the democratization of the state and of society at all levels (Miliband p. 117). This theoretical possibility has not yet translated into reality.C. B. MacPherson is more sophisticated in arguing that although existing socialist countries do not guarantee political freedom, this does not imply that socialism inevitably conflicts with democracy. He attributes the socialist failure in this respect to three specific factors. According to MacPherson (1973), â€Å"socialist countries were established in underdeveloped countries; they faced the hostility of Western powers; and their birth in revolution or civil war entailed the restriction of freedom. †The conflict between socialism and democracy cannot merely be explained by historical circumstances, but should be explained by the nature of both socialist revolution and the socialist system. By aiming at abolishing private property, socialist revolution inevitably invites the strongest opposition from all ruling an d propertied classes. As a result, socialists have to rely on violence to achieve their objective. Moreover, many scholars, like Belden (1949) and Talmon (1960) find the socialist preference for collective over individual rights to be at the root of totalitarianism.As early as 1848, Tocqueville stated that â€Å"democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom; socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: as quoted in Hayek (1972) that â€Å"while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. † The dictatorship of the proletariat may intend to serve the vast majority of the people, but it bodes ill for democracy and human rights.Lenin defines dictatorship as â€Å"nothing more or less than authority untrammeled by any laws, absolutely unrestricted by any rules whatever, and based directly on force† (Lenin p. 353). Socialists’ emphasis on class character ignores humanity and individuality, and their call for class struggle damages the social fabric. By dehumanizing class enemies, they tolerate and even extol the abuse of human rights. Not least of all, even if socialist rulers are well intentioned, a socialist economy provides the best pedestal for despotism.Public ownership and planned economy enable an all-powerful state to control people’s livelihood, to limit their freedom, and to foster their passivity and fear. V. Economic Development and Democracy Deng Xiaoping’s Era Deng’s reform policy was less political democratization than economic development. Nevertheless, close relations between these two processes determined that he had an important role to play in the process of democratization (Shambaugh 1995). Economic development and political democratization are both desirable, but they somet imes compete and even conflict with each other.Deng’s preference for economic development over political democratization was understandable. Human beings are more economic animals than political ones. Democracy appeals less to poor people in poor countries, and Deng’s political liberalization further decreased the Chinese desire for democracy. Deng first instituted the responsibility system in the countryside and later abolished the commune system. At the same time, he did his best to integrate China into the outside world. The success in rural reform shifted Deng’s attention to urban reform.Despite its limitations, the economic reform increased the people’s living standard, boosted the private sector, substituted a market economy for a planned economy, and internationalized the Chinese economy. All these had positive impacts on democratization, because they reduced the state power over the society, expanded an autonomous economic realm, decreased the eli te’s interest in seeking political power, and motivated better-off and better-educated people to demand more freedom and rights.Economic reforms, however, could not be deepened without political reform. Twice Deng wanted to institute political reforms, but they fell short of expectations. Deng never embraced liberal democracy. For him, democracy represented a means to economic development. When it jeopardized stability and unity, it would be abandoned. But Deng’s political reform received less credit than it deserves. Elections were permitted at local levels. Legal reforms moved China closer to the rule of law. With his administrative reform, old cadres gradually gave way to new technocrats.Although the Chinese did not enjoy positive freedom to participate in government affairs, they were granted negative freedom in their social and economic life. In short, Deng’s political reform represented a change in system rather than a change of system, and was characteriz ed not by democratization but by liberalization and institutionalization. Deng’s economic reform was a two-edged sword, providing more legitimacy to the Communist rule, and causing social unrest and public protests. The 1989 Tiananmen Incident reflected and reinforced the legitimacy crisis.The mass protests originated from people’s dissatisfaction with their economic situations and social injustice, but did not mean that they wanted to overthrow Communist rule. Although the repression temporarily stabilized the situation, the legitimacy crisis became much severer. Like most authoritarian rulers, Deng had no choice but to rely on further economic development to regain legitimacy. Since then, Chinese leaders and people have followed the East Asian model, putting development before democratization.Conclusion All of the above factors presented are apparently legitimate and convincing when it comes to the realities happening in China. These barriers are enough to provide an swers to the issue of China democratization. This presentation provides knowledge with such potential factors and significantly deepens our knowledge of the nature of democratization process in a selected country. 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