Pass or Fail Poem Essay

There are many perceptions on the poem Pass/Fail and what it really means. I However, see this poem relating in life in general. There are many quotes in this poem that remind me of the obsticals in life. The way people expect us to fail, and even we dont want to fail it will happen. I like this poem because it is very true and up to date. The tone of this poem mite be very discourging but in my eyes it is also very encourgeing. Some people also relate this poem to test anxiety , I can also relate this to life’s anxiety. There are always obtiscals in life that we face. In this poem it says â€Å"No matter how you succed awake, asleep there is a test waiting to be failed† (1252). Yes this can be realted to school but I see that in life no matter what you do there is always a test that you can either fail or pass. We mite not relize that they are tests but each and eveyday god gives us test that we can either pass or fail. They are almost the same as test in school becaus e if you fail you can be punished for them with bad grades, and in life you can be punished with consequences. The author said † The dream beckons with two dull pencils, but you havent even taken the course†(1252). I can relate this to life because with a dream all you have at first is a dream starteing from sctract not knoowing what can happen. Two dull pencils can relate to this because you do not know what your getting yourself into and the trails that come along the way can be very dull . Of course you dont know what can happen because you havent lived your future and thats a course itself. Many people expect us to fail. â€Å"When you reach for a book it closes its door in your face† (1252). I can relate this to life because everytime you try to do something productive or good , there is always something that will hold you down from doin this. Every time you think you got something right its wrong in somebody elses eyes. â€Å"When you conjugte a verb it is in the wrong language† (1252). I believe that whenever your even holding a conversation with someone they mite think that your grammer is wrong. No matter what you do , basically your wrong in some type of way in anybodys eyes. â€Å"You willl never graduate from this dream of blue books† (1252). Yes this qoute is talking about school , but agian I percieve this as a statement saying that success is not in your path. However this is what other people can say upon you, but its only you who can determine your path.I Iike to think of this poem as a very inspirational poem, because its so discourging it kinda gives you motivation to prove you can pass and succed. Even though we might fail we still learn from our mistakes. I like how in this whole poem the author is very discourging but at the end she says † Turn to the cool side† (1252). So even though there mite be all of these obtisals and faliures awaiting for you thre is still a cool side. She says † You will still smother in all the feathers that have to be learned by heart† (1252). I believe this statement is very true, beacuse no matter what you do or say in someones eyes you are wrong. However , along the road you will learn all about your mistakes along the way ,leading you to know what not to do or say. So whenever you do have an anxiety about a test, trial of life or anything you will always know in the back of your mind you will at least know what not to do or say. I like how she says they will be learned from the heart , beacuse when people do say you fail or your wrong it always hits you in your heart because maybe you tried so hard and you still were told you were wrong. I just love how this whole poem can be percieved. The tone is very discourging but is very true, because in this world you almost have to be perfect and no matter how hrd you try in anything there is always something wrong in what you do. There is always a new test awaiting for you tommrow, it doesnt nessicarly have to be in school it can be in life and that can give you anxiety itself. When you asleep you dont know what test is awaiting for you tommrow. Even though you may think your right your not always going to be perfect in anybodys eyes. Everythime you think your a step ahead life itself brings you ten steps behind, always giving you something to work for . The road itself in life can be very hard and dull , but either way you look at it your either passing or failing. Which should always give you the motivation to pass because of the many faliures and embarrasements in the past that have been learned from your heart.

Changing Policy and Practice related to Compulsory Education

Globalization is a construct that everyone utilizations but is a hard term to specify. In general, globalization refers to the tendency toward states fall ining together economically, through instruction, society and political relations. Sing themselves non merely through their national individuality but besides as portion of the universe as a whole. Within the educational sphere it is necessary to understand the effects globalization may hold in defining policy and pattern. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the impact of globalization on policy and pattern within Post-Compulsory Education and Training ( PCET ) concentrating on the womb-to-tomb acquisition subdivision within PCET. Initially the essay will concentrate on specifying globalization, one time this is established it will be possible to critically analyze its effects on PCET policy and pattern. The analysis will try to research illustrations of alteration both past and present in order to find to what degree they reflect an consequence of globalization. The essay will so travel to analyze womb-to-tomb larning within Higher Education ( HE ) in farther item. It is within this subdivision of PCET that globalization can be seen to act upon the antiphonal issues of the marketisation and the internationalization of HE coupled with the construct of a developing cognition economic system. This should supply the foundations for the aspiration of continued sweetening to the proviso of womb-to-tomb acquisition in the latter portion of the essay. During the probe it may be necessary to research other positions in order to find and explicate the spread outing influences of globalization within the particular domain of instruction.GlobalizationAs ab initio mentioned globalization is a complex issue to categorize. Globalisation is on a regular basis debated by bookmans as to what is really meant by the term. Globalisation is frequently presented as a late twentieth centaury, early twenty-first century economic phenomenon, stimulated by inventions in communicating and information engineerings. This combined with increased air travel by the multitudes and the turning laterality of English as the common linguistic communication of concern, political relations and scientific discipline ( Crystal, 1997 ) . The World Bank defined globalization as â€Å" the turning integrating of economic systems and societies around the universe † ( World Bank 2001 ) . However the Oxford English Dictionary defines globalization as â€Å" the procedure by which concerns or other administrations develop international influence or get down operating on an international graduated table. † ( Oxford English Dictionary 2010 ) Anthony Giddens ( 1990 ) has described globalization as ‘the intensification of world-wide societal dealingss which link distant vicinities in such a manner that local occurrences are shaped by events happening many stat mis off and frailty versa ‘ . The term can besides be used to depict the alterations in societies and the universe economic system that are the consequence of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. It is these alterations to society within the context of the economic system that can take to alterations with instruction ( Spring 2009 ) . Taking the above into history why would globalisation increase the demand for instruction? Chiefly sing economic sciences, the lifting final payments of a higher instruction in a planetary, scientific discipline based, knowledge focussed economic system makes university instruction more of a necessity to acquire â€Å" good † occupations. This in concurrence with socio-political demographics and democratic ideals have increased force per unit area on universities to supply chances for wider engagement to groups that traditionally have non attended university ( Castells & A ; Himanen 2002 ) . Sing Giddens description, globalization within instruction could be defined as world-wide treatments and processes impacting on local educational patterns and policies. Very small of these on the job patterns would stay inactive in this hypothesis as there would be a changeless altering dynamic as progressing engineerings and communications are integrated into course of studies doing them more economically competitory within the universe phase. This can be viewed with regard to HE establishments as they become intertwined on a planetary degree with pupil organic structures going progressively migratory in their hunt for cognition with the intent of advancing their personal societal and economical development. This leads to the construct of a cognition economic system.Knowledge EconomyA assortment of perceivers depict today ‘s planetary economic system as one in development to a cognition economic system. This knowledge-based economic system depends chiefly upon the usage of thoughts instead than physical aptitude and on the application of engineering instead than the transmutation of resources or the use of inexpensive labor ( Therborn 1995 ) . It is an economic system in which cognition is created, acquired, communicated, and used more efficaciously by persons, endeavors, administrations, and communities to advance economic and societal development ( Giddens 2006 ) . The rise of this cognition economic system has meant that economic experts have been challenged to look beyond labor and capital as the cardinal factors of production. Paul Romer ( 1995 ) ( cited in Holsapple 2003 ) argued that engineering, and the cognition on which it is based, has to be viewed as a major factor in taking economic systems. The Dearing study of 1997 stated that higher instruction should prolong a acquisition society in order to function the demands of an adaptable, sustainable, knowledge-based economic system at local, regional and national degrees ( Dearing 1997 ) . Fixing workers to vie in the cognition economic system requires a new attack to instruction and preparation in the signifier of womb-to-tomb acquisition. This womb-to-tomb acquisition model embraces larning throughout the full life rhythm, from early childhood to retirement. It should include formal, non-formal, and informal instruction and preparation. The deductions and possible hereafter of Lifelong Learning will be discussed subsequently in this essay. As the universe transforms through globalization, single cognition will besides necessitate to set. This will therefore originate the demand to modify the instruction provided to the person so that they can stay current and therefore a feasible trade good within the employment market. In order for the cognition economic system to develop further it requires the support of HE. This suggests a demand to associate HE to the demands of employers, developing HE-market interaction. This could allow orienting high degree accomplishments to the market but could besides jeopardize the ethos of instruction.Marketisation of Higher EducationEducation is really much immersed in planetary transmutations, with HE itself being altered by the cultural and economical facets of globalization. Peters, Marginson et Al ( 2008 ) argue that â€Å" Higher instruction is swept up in planetary marketisation. It trains the executives and technicians of planetary concerns † . Is this the instance within t he UK? With the diminution of the fabrication industry in the UK ( National Statistics Online 2010 ) this has given rise to the increased value placed upon the service sector, both in magnitude and profitableness ( Economic Outlook 2007 ) . This has led to increased trouble dividing the influence of markets from the societal and cultural facets of globalization in which instruction sits. This force per unit area to alter instruction from a public service to a tradable service is unusually compliant with the political orientation of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO ) General Agreement on Trade and Services in an effort to liberalize services within the planetary economic system sector ( cited in Robertson et al 2002 ) . This motion towards a tradable service could take to an change in the character of universities functions within society by altering them from being a Centre of larning into a concern orientated constitution ( Doring 2002 ) . This arguably may take to the displacement of the educational focal point off from an academic focal point, traveling towards a trade good focal point therefore leting the values of the commercial sector to be encoded into the Centre of the university system. Recent Government policy within the UK has encouraged the rapid growing of HE, in order to widen engagement with the purpose of making a more educated and marketable labour force. This growing has led to the inevitable competition between HE establishments with pupils viewed more as consumers than scholars. A position surmised by Willmott when he stated that pupils are openly viewed as clients ( Willmott 1995 ) . However, this rapid enlargement may be under menace given the latest authorities support cuts ( Barker 2010 ) but still the most prevailing mentality within HE is one of concern. Students view the chance to derive a grade, one time selected, as a right and a service for which they have paid for. Maringe and Gibbs ( 2009 ) further sign the issue when they stated â€Å" the thought of instruction and cognition for its ain interest – the intrinsic value of larning – is going subsidiary to the touchable benefits associated with prosecuting with higher instruction † . This leads to a demand for greater pick and a demand for a return on the pupil ‘s investing. This ideal is developed farther with the thought that a grade is a trade good that can, hopefully be exchanged for employment instead than an instruction that prepares a pupil for life ( Willmott 1995 ) . Smith ( 2002 ) argues that this construct of commodification of instruction has been happening for a figure of old ages. However he views the pupil as the trade good instead than the class of survey when he stated that pupils were altering their orientation to Higher Education â€Å" off from that of participants towards being consumers. † The issue for this essay is non what is viewed as a trade good it is instead that either is viewed as a trade good. The marketisation of the HE system, with the force per unit area to export the rational ware in order to keep fiscal support in a competitory market has lead to doing faculty members ‘ functions more complex. The consequence of this marketisation of instruction is likely more seeable in the illustration of the growing of international pupils. Higher instruction has become progressively international in the past decennary as more and more pupils choose to analyze abroad. The issues and environing this internationalization of instruction and the effects is the topic of the following subdivision.Internationalization of Higher EducationThe universe of higher instruction is altering and the universe in which higher instruction dramas such a important function in is besides transforming. Whether it is driven by the motion of skilled labor in a globalised economic system or the desire of the academic establishments to bring forth extra gross or even the demand to construct a more educated work force, the international dimension of higher instruction is going progressively of import, complex, and confounding. In order to go globally competitory universities are following an progressively international attack to the proviso of higher instruction. Internationalisation has become the motto of these present times in higher instruction. Knight ( 1994 ) defines internationalization as â€Å" the procedure of incorporating an international/ intercultural dimension into the instruction, research and service maps of the establishment † Altbach ( 2004 ) merely states that â€Å" internationalization is the procedure of establishments reacting to globalization † which implies that internationalization of instruction is the reply to globalization or at least a agency of capitalizing on the state of affairs. Is this a sudden phenomenon? Well non truly. For a figure of old ages pupils have traveled outside of their ain states in order to progress their higher instruction. High income states have provided grants and extra wagess to both instructors and pupils. Within the UK the entire figure of non-UK pupils for 2008/09 was 368,970, compared with 325,985 in 2007/08, an addition of 8 % . The strongest growing was in full-time taught graduate student programmes, up 17 % for non-UK pupils ( UK Council for International Student Affairs, Statistics on Higher Education ) . Coupled with this increased mobility of pupils universities have taken stairss to reexamine their plans and specific institutional schemes in order to ease the execution of an internationalised course of study ( Haigh, 2002 ) . In order for UK HE establishments to encompass internationalization they appear to concentrate on increasing pupil quotas by intentionally enrolling greater Numberss of international pupils. Other assorted activities are encouraged including diversifying bringing manners ; ‘internationalising ‘ course of study ; bettering the quality of the pupil experience and escalating international linkages and coaction. Besides the outgrowth of new types of suppliers such as international pools and for-profit universities in the instruction market organize portion of this dynamic image. However, as Harari ( 1992 ) stated in an article on internationalization, â€Å" holding many international pupils on a campus does non do that establishment international † Why is there such a thrust towards internationalization of instruction? With the rapid escalating demand for HE driven by an emerging planetary cognition economic system and the demand for instruction to prolong development with the intent of farther heightening planetary citizenship. This should ensue in a greater capacity of alumnuss with a high degree of cultural apprehension and perchance an enhanced perceptual experience of planetary and intercultural personal businesss, if Throsby ( 1998 ) is to be believed. Another issue with this rapid demand is that the domestic supply can transcend the capacity of many states taking to intense competition for topographic points within HE. Internationalization is non without its unfavorable judgments as increased pupil mobility can take to a encephalon drain from the state of pupil beginning and a encephalon addition for the receiving state. Recent World Bank publications progress the statement saying that encephalon circulation may be a more appropriate term than encephalon drain, adumbrating that this is what happens when HE pupils do non return to their state of beginning but other skilled workers emigrate from the having state ( Ozden and Schiff 2006 ) .Lifelong LearningAs alteration within the cognition economic system can be rapid, employers are unable to trust entirely on new alumnuss as a chief beginning of new accomplishments and cognition. This demand to keep a current labor force gave rise to adult instruction policies of the eightiess. However since the 1990s this term seemed to vanish and Lifelong Learning assumed prominence. The accent, as the name suggests, is that everyone should be able to larn through out their life span and that we need to go on the acquisition procedure in order to better people ‘s abilities and skill sets at that place by leting them to work more expeditiously in their several countries. Education and preparation establishments need to be able to fix workers for womb-to-tomb acquisition as it is important in enabling workers to increase societal capital therefore assisting to construct human capital, increasing economic growing and stimulating development. Lifelong acquisition is widely considered to be a transformational procedure, both for the person and for the wider community. For persons the battle with new larning can take to improved wellbeing, perchance taking to fresh personal success. For our society the acquisition can be cardinal in unlocking economic success and a agency to an fresh national individuality. Policies and Practices – The official desire to spread out acquisition can be traced back through educational policies, studies and white documents. The three foremost studies on HE and Lifelong Learning were Dearing, Kennedy and Fryer. Dearing Report – Higher Education in a Learning Society: This study set out a vision for 20 old ages of making â€Å" a society committed to larning throughout life. † ( Dearing Report 1997 ) . This was a committedness that would necessitate non merely persons to prosecute with, but besides the province, employers and suppliers of instruction throughout the UK. The chief purposes of the study were to do recommendations on the hereafter form, size and support of HE in order to run into the UK ‘s educational demands. It besides made recommendations in to widening engagement within HE. Kennedy Report – Learning Plants: This study prepared by the Committee on Widening Participation chaired by Baroness Kennedy set out a extremist vision to promote a return to instruction grownups who have few if any educational makings. The study contains some convincing testimony for the instance that â€Å" acquisition is the key to economic richness and societal coherence † ( Kennedy 1997 ) . This study besides makes recommendations on future support and widening engagement. The authorities responded to the study by saying they were committed to the constitution of a learning society in which all people have chances to win and that they were looking to increase entree to acquisition ( DfEE 1998 ) . Fryer Report – This study was compiled by Professor R.H Fryer and discussed similar subjects to those raised in the Kennedy Report of the same twelvemonth. The primary focal point was to show a deficiency of Lifelong Learning civilization observable within the British educational system at the clip of roll uping the study. Professor Fryer besides argued that the UK could non be considered a learning society as it possessed neither a Lifelong Learning nor a preparation civilization ( Fryer 1997 ) . These three major studies argued for the importance of a broadening of engagement and womb-to-tomb acquisition. This was to hold a bearing on a Green Paper by David Blunkett that placed greater accent on womb-to-tomb acquisition and requested that the educational system expand the acquisition age in order to see grownups as willing scholars and persons that were really in demand of farther instruction. This brought alterations to the national course of study in order to supply for grownup scholars ( Tight 1998 ) . Further responses from the Government were to denote a figure of schemes to convey greater Numberss into Further and Higher Education, a figure of 500,000 by 2002. Enterprises such as the University for Industry and Learning Accounts were designed to turn to skill lack issues by heightening womb-to-tomb acquisition chances and the acceptance of National Learning Targets was seen to show an official desire to spread out larning. Policies to help in accomplishing these marks included the basic accomplishments plan to better grownup literacy and numeracy and encouragement to employers to supply entree to more preparation within the workplace. Table 1 – Entire Part Time Students within the United Kingdom 2002 -2009 ( HESA 2010 ) Since these studies and policies were implemented there has been a steady rise in the figure of portion clip pupils within the United Kingdom, as shown in Table 1. The tabular array shows a combined growing of 68 % from 2002/3 academic twelvemonth until 2008/9 academic twelvemonth within portion clip pupil Numberss, a marked increased in popularity of portion clip survey. This would look to correlate with the rapid growing highlighted within the internationalization treatment earlier in this essay. Unite this with Numberss of international pupils lifting from 278,225 in the academic twelvemonth 2002/3 to 368,970 in academic twelvemonth 2008/9 ; a growing of 75 % ( HESA 2010 ) suggests that the commodification and marketisation of HE is demoing marks of success. The impact of globalization and the aspirations of Lifelong Learning are prevailing in the rhetoric of the studies and policies. Each one discusses the importance of Lifelong Learning as a contemplation of the realization that larning must be more active, more structured and long term. All the pieces must mesh if UK PLC is to stay competitory. The suppliers and donees, including society at big, must lift to the challenge of making and prolonging an environment which encourages and supports Lifelong Learning in order to guarantee economic prosperity now and in the hereafter. So what may be the future aspirations of Lifelong Learning? The purposes of Lifelong Learning UK set out in their 2008 -2011 Strategic Plan ( LLUK 2009 update ) include raising employer battle, demand and investing in accomplishments by offering free advice and literature for any one interested or involved in womb-to-tomb acquisition. In its 8th published paper the Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning Commission articulated the demand for a wide principle for public and private investing in womb-to-tomb acquisition, but they besides stated that the UK, by international instruction criterions, has a really Lifelong Learning friendly environment ( IFLL 2009 ) . The Government ‘s 2009 White Paper titled â€Å" The Learning Revolution † recognised the profound importance of increased engagement and grownup acquisition. It besides discussed the benefits of farther larning assisting people to develop and perchance take to deriving farther makings. However all this was the rhetoric of the old authorities and was published prior to the General Election. The studies, policies and patterns reviewed for this essay seems to hold repeating subjects running though them, specifically the instance for increased larning peculiarly among less skilled grownups. But this seems to be tempered by puting the load on the person to make and fund, to a certain extent, the chance to larn. Some of the study recommendations attempt to undertake lacks in employer proviso. Employers should be encouraged to increase larning chances perchance by supplying entitlements to larning during working hours or possible entree to support for larning and larning installations being increased. This last suggestion does look less probably in the visible radiation of the disbursement reviews that are presently on traveling.DecisionThe purpose of this essay was to research the extent of impact globalization has had on the policies and pattern of HE, concentrating on womb-to-tomb acquisition. It is apparent that globalization has and is go oning to extensively consequence the planetary acquisition society and economic systems. This is peculiarly apparent in the enlargement of the cognition economic system with employers puting greater demands on persons to keep a current and flexible cognition base. In easing this continued larning the person must prosecute in virtually changeless accomplishment sweetening through acquisition. This in bend leads to a greater demand for womb-to-tomb acquisition from academic establishments and an increased enthusiasm for the acquisition throughout workers callings. This has led to the realization that the increased accent and hungriness for womb-to-tomb acquisition can be viewed as a consequence of globalization. Other cardinal countries such as the continued marketisation and internationalization of instruction have lead to seats of larning developing their educational merchandise or, as argued by Smith ( 2002 ) , the single scholar, as a salable trade good that entreaties to all possible pupils within the planetary small town. In order to analyze policies and pattern within Lifelong Learning it has been necessary to reexamine certain studies that were perceived as pivotal in the development of Lifelong Learning. This was necessary in order to understand the alterations taking topographic point within our ain society that have influenced the increased engagement in Lifelong Learning in order to keep a bridgehead within a knowledge-based economic system. If these countries were non explored so the enterprises that have sprung from recent authorities policies such as the aspiration for a â€Å" Learning Revolution † would non be realised. Lifelong acquisition is non merely a method but a civilization that needs to be embraced if continued professional development within UK PLC ‘s labour force is to prevail. HE has a positive function to play in set uping the cognition base during beginning of acquisition and moving as a supplier of farther larning chances such as distance and unfastened larning throughout an persons life-time. HE besides has a duty to widening engagement in acquisition, by luring nonchurchgoing scholars and those who may non hold engaged with larning earlier in their life-times back into the cognition civilization. Despite the positive rhetoric conveyed within the studies and Government white documents there still remains an component of incredulity about the ability to accomplish all that is pledged. Improved employer proviso and support with single support could stay a stumbling block in the journey to the realization of Lifelong Learning aspirations. As David Blunkett stated in the Government 1998 Green Paper â€Å" Learning is the key to prosperity – for each of us as persons, every bit good as for the state as a whole † So why should society merely experience accountable for educating the immature? Even with the increased force per unit areas of marketisation and internationalization the principal of instruction should concentrate on educating the immature in order to fix them to go on this acquisition procedure throughout their lives.

African American Literature Essay Example for Free (#2)

African American Literature Essay African American (597) , African (466) , Short story (403) , American literature (133) , African american literature (7) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? African American literature has a strong deeply rooted background in the history of America, thus giving the writers categorized in this genre a strong message to convey in any story they chose to tell. From tragic life moments to happy life moments, the writers have the ability to tell their story in a variety of methods. This canon of literature serves as a diary for the African American community. All of the literary works that compile this genre reflect the many twists and turns a collective group of persons must endure while struggling to achieve a place in history. The following discussion of three historically significant African American stories reflects the struggles one race of persons had to endure on their journey throughout various time periods in America. The Short Stories In the short story, My White Folks Treated us Good by Mariah Hines the author describes in first person account of a situation when African American slaves were treated well in comparison to the stories of abuse, rape, and neglect most persons are accustom to reading from this era. The slaves never went hungry, always had clothes to wear, were able to work under their own accord, always treated with respect, and were told to take Sundays off while also being encouraged to attend church on Sundays. The slaves were in fact treated so well that when they were free to leave, they choose to remain at their former master’s farm and continued working for him. Hines concluded the Master continued to support his former slaves. Hines stated â€Å"Master helped us much as he could. Some of us he gave a cow or mule or anything he could spare to help us (p. 34). † Moving forward in time, the short story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston describes a situation of domestic abuse in a long term relationship between a wife, Delia Jones, and her husband, Sykes Jones. Sykes enjoyed torturing Delia, he would find ways to make her job as a washwoman more difficult by kicking the clothes across the room or by scaring her with ways related to her fear of snakes. Sykes enjoyed fighting; he in fact enjoyed it so much so that he intentionally picked fights with Delia. This type of torture strained their marriage to the point of near silence on a daily basis. Sykes thought it to be a good idea to bring a rattlesnake into their home. The rattlesnake got lose in the home, Delia was able to get outside the home but Sykes remained in the home and was attacked in their bedroom. Sykes yelled to Delia for help and comfort, but she was unable to come to him related to fear. Delia finally walked to the door, but due to the nature of his injuries and the distance to the doctor she understood he would not make it through this attack, therefore she allowed him to pass in their backyard. â€Å"She could scarcely reach the chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which much known by now that she knew (p. 108). † This story shows how those who choose to abuse others always pay for those actions in the end. Alice Walker wrote the story Nineteen Fifty-Five, about a young white singer, Traynor, who purchased a song from a young African American woman, Gracie Mae, and went on to become famous after recording and releasing his own version. His version of Gracie Mae’s song continued to eat away at Gracie Mae for the rest of her life. It did not have the same meaning, nor was it loved by his fans for the same reasons she hoped it would be. The fans loved Traynor, not the song. Traynor continued to keep in contact with Gracie Mae throughout his time in the army, touring, marriages, and divorces. Then towards after many years, contact stopped and Traynor was found dead after 15 wives and a troubled road in the end. Gracie Mae lived vicariously through Traynor and his portrayal of her song. Gracie Mae herself lived quite happily through the birth of many children, the divorce and/or death of three husbands, the showering of gifts from Traynor, and his ultimate death. Gracie Mae did have a connection to Traynor that flowed deeper than her song. â€Å"One night I dreamed Traynor has split up with his fifteenth wife p. 297). † Due to the stereotypes and prejudices of this time period Gracie Mae and Traynor were never able to express the emotional connection they felt between each other. Common Literary Conventions Literary conventions and themes were similar in the stories; connotations, culture, undertones, and main characters were alike. The three stories were written in first person and portrayed a personal struggle endured by each main character. The main character was always female, strong, and independent in different way. The stories span three different periods of time, yet still reflecting similar struggles in very different settings. These conventions are important when connecting the messages of these stories. Each has a story of struggle, some are internal while others are outward, and each woman must find inner strength to change or cope with their situations. Beginning with My White Folks Treated us Good, this story was historically important in relation to conveying the happiness that could be found in such a dire situation as slavery. Hines showed not all slavery conditions were adverse or abusive; there was still the possibility of enjoying life, and gaining independence by getting the break needed, such as the freeing of all slaves, to make one’s own life better. In Sweat, Hurstson was able write a story about a woman able to persevere in a dreadful situation of both mental and physical abuse. During this time in history, women were not able to be independent and outspoken due to a fear of judgment or increased abuse. Delia was given the chance to be free from the abuses of Sykes and took that chance by allowing him to die from his injuries, thus resulting in her freedom. Following in the same suit, Nineteen Fifty-Five expressed the internal struggle of a woman’s desire to be understood and independent. Gracie Mae wanted to sing her own song and live her own life, without connection to a version of her song that did not represent the original intent. Gracie Mae was happy with her life, but was never free from what the release of her song brought to her life. Conclusion Culturally, these stories are important to all American’s. The historical significance of these stories and the emphasis on equality places a connotation of acceptance and availability of equal opportunity to all persons regardless of color, social class, age, race, gender, or personal situation. African Americans are able to tell their personal stories of struggles and triumphs through literature. This literature is a valuable tool for all persons wanting to educate themselves about significant times in American history. References Young, A. (1996). African American Literature: A brief Introduction and Anthology. New York, New York: HarperCollins College Publishers. African American Literature. (2016, Dec 18).

What Is Sweet Dreams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What Is Sweet Dreams - Essay Example A lot is told about magic and fairytales especially during our childhood where a part of each person’s stage would involve storytelling before bedtime and the many mythical beliefs being introduced to each one of us such as the tooth fairy or our guardian angels. What is so amazing about being a kid who is being told of magical stories is that one truly believes that it is so and somehow creates in him or her that faith that everything is possible or can go the way they wanted to even when it is beyond normal. However, as we all grow older, all these are not necessarily forgotten but are now redefined. This means that we accept the fact that we can imagine stories in our minds but aware of the need to wake up to reality. And the nearest thing that would bring us back to a different world of magic would be when we dream dreams. One common thing between adults and children would be that both dream while they are sleeping. The only difference would be the kind of dreams each person has and of course the effect of dreams to each person. First of all, as an adult, how many times does a normal person dream dreams and what do they commonly dream of? This is the first question I asked myself. Thus, to be able to get a more variety of answers, I have called three of my friends over to a restaurant to catch up over some great milkshake and pizza while asking them about their experiences with dreaming. I chose one girl and one boy of my age and at the same time one girl who is older than I was and was living a different lifestyle than me and my two young friends have. Here I learned from my friend that the number of dreams she would have depended on the major things that have been going on with her life as of the moment. She said, â€Å"The number of dreams I have depends on the number of major things that have hap pened to me recently or depends on how many things made me really happy or perhaps extremely sad† (Gaffud, J.).     

The effects Hip Hop have a society, money, and cars today Research Paper

The effects Hip Hop have a society, money, and cars today - Research Paper Example They formed the DJ Africa Bambaataa, a hip hop collective and  later  the Zulu Nation.  Since its emergence from Bronx, hip hop  style  has spread to the urban and remote communities throughout the world.  There are four  collective  elements of hip hop, comprising; hip hop dance, rapping, graffiti arts and  Deejaying. Rapping This is the  primary  ingredient of hip hop music. It comprises spoken and rhyming chanted lyrics. It is different from spoken word poetry in that it gets synchronized in time to a beat. There are different types of rap; the old school rap (1979-1984) characterized by relatively easy raps with no lyrical technique. The golden  age  rap; period in which the greatest  transformation  took place,  complex  word  play  and  lyrical  kung fu introduced. Moreover,  rap  contains  flow; the rhythm and rhymes of hip hop music and how they interact. Flow also refers to elements such as  volume, timbre and pitch (Price 26 ). DJ (Disk Jockey) Rap music began with the Deejaying from the beginning rappers accompanied by a turn tablist who scratch to create a percussive sounds that are in sync with the rapper on the stage. The turn tablists are able to  create  a  beat  that ensures the rapper’s  pitch, flow and  rhythm  are all integrated (Price 30). Hip hop dance This refers to the dance styles performed to hip hop music. It  becomes viewed  as evolved as a part of hip hop  culture. Most notably styles include; popping, breaking, and locking created in the 1970s. Developed by  dance  crews, it gave hip hop mainstream exposure. Graffiti and Emceeing Graffiti involve writings or drawings always scribbled or sprayed on the wall or any other surfaces. It is a  part  of the hip hop  culture. Hip hop artists and fans have used graffiti to  express  underlying political and social messages throughout the world. Graffiti also  express  a  whole  genre  of hip hop. Moreover, the next element of the hip hop culture included emceeing, an individual in sync with the artist and deejay who stimulates and teases the  crowd. It is the far most successful  element  taking different forms from spoken  word  to  free  styling (Price 31). The most significant aspects of hip hop culture are being  authentic. There are three methods in which  artist  establish  authenticity; being original (true to themselves), reflecting the  society  from which they come from and having respect and  understanding  for the origins and styles of the  early  hip hop. Hip hop has not escaped controversies in this modern era. Hip hop  particularly  gangster rap has often been criticized because of  many  reasons enumerated bellow. Glorification of Violence Hip hop  has become criticized  by many people on the basis of promoting violence amongst the youths and hip hop lovers. After the murder, of Tupac Shakur and many violent scenes created by hip hop rap music has promoted ugly scenes of violence among the youth and children. Today cable channels and satellite  television  portray  rap videos of  primarily  young black men swaggering, group like, through estates projects and pulling imaginary triggers with their fingers. They perceive violence to be  cool, and that should be embraced by kids and teenagers. Most recent case involved the killing of a London rap fan Alex Muamba stabbed to death in the streets. Many young people  get attracted  to danger; rappers describe their

Law of Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Contract - Essay Example The magnitude of the contract was such that notice of termination would be at least three years. The appeal court that decided for the defendant held that there could be no assumption of a contract for an indefinite period. The lower court had observed that in order for the contract to be enforceable, parties intention must be so certain without the court having to write a contract for them. And that in the instant case there had been no certainty as to the continuance of the contract for an indefinite period or a requirement of sufficient notice for termination of contract. It also stated that no implied contract to that effect could be inferred.2 Although the facts and circumstances of the case would appear to make it a deserving case for the plaintiff, they are denied of the relief for want of certainty which could be ascertained only by way of reducing the required terms to a written contract to that effect. This paper examines whether the requirement of certainty has to be much too rigid. Meaning of certainty The fact that the defendant had deliberately avoided making any such written commitment to the plaintiff as averred by the plaintiff themselves shows that they had been aware of uncertainty involved and that they had a forewarning that they should reduce such terms of notice period termination to writing. Their inaction proves to be fatal to the contract’s continuity. Thus, even after compliance with the rules of offer and acceptance and other elements essential for the formation of contract, a contract cannot be enforced by a court if it is marred by ‘vagueness and incompleteness’. In long-term contracts, parties may not be able to set a fixed price because of fluctuation in market conditions. A contract without a fixed price is not necessarily vague or incomplete. Therefore, The Sale of Goods Act 1979 makes a provision in section 8 for price to be agreed after the contract formation.3 As early as in 1932, the issue of vagueness a nd incompleteness was dealt with in Hillas & Co V Arcos Ltd. 4 The court in this case heavily relied on the formality so as to put the agreement strictly business-like unlike in social relationships. In this case, the seller Arcos contracted with the buyer Hillas for supply of Russian timber for one year 1930. The seller also agreed with the buyer for his option to purchase timber of ‘fair specification’ for the next year 1931 also. But the seller could not supply timber to the buyer for the next year as he had fully sold out his timber to another party. When sued by Hillas for breach of contract, it was argued that agreement for supply in 1931 was uncertain and hence void for uncertainty. House of Lords disagreed for the reason that the words ‘fair specification’ were sufficient to lend precision i.e certainty to make a binding contract. Lord Wright explains how certainty in law and flexibility in business could be aligned. He states that most of the busin ess agreements are recorded in crude and summary fashion. The words that appear to the business community as sufficient and precise may appear to others as incomplete and imprecise. As such, the court is entrusted with the responsibility of interpreting documents fairly and broadly without being fault-finding. At the same time, it is not for the court to write contract for

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Education - Essay Example In contrast to such medicinal procedures Eastern medicine in some cases support the use of acupuncture and may even reduce stress. Effects of acupuncture would not be explained through traditional medical models and patients have experienced stress reduction by using acupuncture. The physiological effects of acupuncture can also be theoretically supported with evidence and in this essay I would argue which model of philosophy best fits in with our own belief systems and how this claim could be justified or established. The focus here is thus on differentiating and yet finding common grounds between constructivist and positivist philosophies. The similarities and differences of these two systems of thought could be highlighted not only with regard to stress but several other examples could be used to show exactly where these two systems vary and how they would differ. Positivism relies on strict scientific method and empirical understanding of events. Advocated by Comte, Popper and by scientists, positivism was considered as the most important approach to philosophy of science that could bring about scientific progress with natural or material approaches defined or understood empirically (Mill, 1993). Positivism is generally considered as the scientific method as science is based on certain statements which are empirically testable and verifiable (Morris, 2006). The logical structure and coherence of these statements would make a phenomenon scientifically explicable and only then this would be accepted as explaining the events of the world. Positivism being the best scientific explanation is also closely related to reductionism which shows how one type of entity would be reducible to another. The basis of positivism would relate to quantitative and objective measurement of the events or phenomena studied. Scientific information is thus informatio n that can be quantified and objectively studied. Apart from

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf Essay

Political objectives of the principal participants of the 1991 gulf war - Essay Example Iraq was the largest victim as it pertained to achievement of its own objectives, including sanctions which led to significant economic problems in the country, citizen poverty and starvation, and virtually complete isolation from the international community. Kuwait achieved socio-political stability by driving out the massive population of Palestinians in a nation where there has been significant tensions and mistrust between domestic citizens, government and the Palestinians. This essay identifies all victories and detriments to fulfilment of principal partner political objectives as a consequence of the 1991 Gulf War. The 1991 Gulf War encompassed a six week confrontation against Iraq by US-led coalition forces as a response to Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait which brought rapid condemnation stemming from many member countries of the United Nations who feared that growing economic strength of Iraq would destabilise the balance of power in the Middle East. In total, 34 different nations from around the world joined the joint military operations of the Gulf War or provided economic support for defeating Iraq’s objectives. The United Nations was growing substantially concerned that a Kuwaiti-controlling Iraq which was now threatening and antagonizing Saudi Arabia, a nation with significant geopolitical importance for its international oil supply, would give Saddam Hussein control over nearly all oil reserves in the region. Kuwait represented a strategic environment by which Iraq’s Hussein could strike against Saudi oil fields, which would threaten oil procurement and pricing throughout the developed world. Between 1980 and 1988, one of the longest wars of the 20th Century, Iraq had been at war with Iran which was motivated by border-related disputes. Saudi Arabia, which feared a growing hegemony within Iran, had loaned approximately $26 billion USD to Iraq in an effort to prevent the Shia in Iran from

Role of Cooperation in Controlling Anarchy Essay

Role of Cooperation in Controlling Anarchy - Essay Example Inayatullah (1997) provided a theoretical perspective on anarchy and cooperation suggesting that neo-realism tends to rely on a negative interpretation on the theory of spontaneous order. Inyataullah suggests that institutions which emerge spontaneously tend to show some form of design thus design and human reflexivity indicate an overlap of intentions and outcomes. But how would a theory of order or disorder relate to international relations and where in the discourse can we place anarchy and cooperation as necessary concepts to define IR? As Inayatullah suggests, the study of intended actions is an essential part of international relations theory and outcomes of IR focus on ‘values’ underlying theory and practice. Possibly this is where anarchy and cooperation become important within international relations. Weber points out that the institutional choices of different countries tend to focus on economic theories of organization emphasizing on cooperative security conce pts with elements of bindingness. He suggests that the hierarchical security structures in the international system remain unexplained and hierarchy is usually explained amidst anarchy. In a similar study, Malcolm (2002) took a different view on the concept of anarchy and its portrayal in international relations study. Hobbes’ theory of international relations, for instance, has been branded as realist considering that the international system is in complete anarchy where no law could be possibly applied and any acts of violence would remain justified.... In a similar study, Malcolm (2002) took a different view on the concept of anarchy and its portrayal in international relations study. Hobbes' theory on international relations for instance has been branded as realist considering that the international system is in complete anarchy where no law could be possibly applied and any acts of violence would remain justified. However Malcolm seems to go against the traditional interpretation of Hobbes' realistic viewpoints and suggests that Hobbes' theory does make provisions for international law showing why international cooperation is essential within the necessities of an international system. Malcolm's interpretations of Hobbes could be closer to Rationalist theories although he does point out that Hobbes' theory was a natural law theory that in more compatible with realism than rationalism. Fidler (2003) points out to the importance of public health in world politics and international relations and the role of health concepts to define anarchy and cooperation among nations and individuals. He suggests that issues of public health have become increasingly important in recent years due to the growing health problems in many developing countries and the rise of epidemics and HIV/AIDS. There are also heightened tensions between public health and international trade as associated with patents and access to essential medicines for incurable or fatal diseases. There has been recent discussion on placing public health higher on global diplomatic agendas although there are issues and speculations on how the pursuit of public health could be better at a global scale and could be successfully organised and implemented. Public health issues have triggered a level pf global

Does High Perception of School Environment Correlate with Teacher Essay

Does High Perception of School Environment Correlate with Teacher Performance - Essay Example coming in, many educators have approached this researcher on concerns pertaining to administration support, discipline, and overall knowledge to serve their students. Some expressed concerns of not being equipped or trained properly to perform their job expectations. As the â€Å"new person† to the school, I have faced with some of the same issues. In this study, the researcher will use stratified random sampling to find his data. Stratified random sampling involves looking at distinct subgroups while obtaining data (CustomInsight, n.d.). For the research question, â€Å"Does High Perception of School Environment Correlate with Teacher Performance,† this researcher will be looking at two groups: regular education teachers and special education teachers. Atha Elementary has 9 special education teachers and 34 regular education teachers. The objective is to get a clear view on how educators perceive their environment. Therefore, a likert-scale must be utilized (Super Survey, 2007). This research after attitudinal information: describes how a person thinks or feels about something. Educators will be able to rate their feelings on a scale of 1 to 5 as shown below. In order to select the appropriate method of data recording one must first understand variables. Variables are used in the study of statistics. A variable is a characteristic that can take more than one set of values that numerical measures can be assigned to: height, age, income, country, grades, and housing type (Statistics Canada, 2011). Quantitatively, this writer will give a survey to collect initial perception of the school before professional developments are provided or major concerns are addressed. Surveys will be given to two mixed groups of elementary school educators (both groups will contain an equal amount of special and regular education teachers). Group A labeled (control group) will not be provided with options on professional development, will only meet with assistant principals at their

Articles of association Essay Example for Free

Articles of association Essay This sets out the rules for running the company. It contains the procedures for calling shareholder meetings, the number, rights, and obligations of directors, shareholder voting rights, and lastly details of how accounts will be kept and recorded.  Once these two documents have been agreed they are sent to Companies House (a government body that watches over limited companies). If everything is in order, the registrar of companies issues a Certificate of incorporation, which allows the company to start trading out makes the company a separate legal entity from the owners. Details of the directors and the secretarys intended address for the registered office as well as their personal details and information of other directorships they may have held within the last five years.  This must be signed after all the other documents as it confirms that all the other registration requirements have been fulfilled. This declaration must be signed before a solicitor.  Once all the forms are completed, they should be send to the companys house where they are checked for such instances as confirming that the prospective officers of the company are not on the disqualified directors list. How the ownership suits the business activity  Peacocks groups ownership suits their activity because they operate on a large scale by selling a wide range of goods like womens wear, (lingerie, night wear, swimwear, e-vie fashions), mens wear (jackets, shirts, ties, trousers), childrens wear (new borns, toddlers, babies), street wear, foot wear, home wear. With this, they employ more than 5000 personnel and trades from over 385 stores throughout the UK. The profits Peacocks receives from selling their goods is used to pay wages, and buying other products to be sold from the suppliers. Because Peacocks is a large company, it gets a lot of profits from different branches and can manage to sell a large number of products and also employ enough staff to maintain the smooth running of the business. Relationship between the size of the business and the type of ownership  Peacocks is a large business covering 110,000 square feet and has about 385 stores in the UK. It operates on a large scale and this is one of the reasons why it is a public limited company. It employs 5000 personnel to work for it throughout the UK.  The industrial sectors to which my businesses belong  The primary sector is concerned with the production or obtaining of raw materials. This includes occupations like farming, forestry, fishing and mining, and oil and gas drilling. For many products, such as fish fingers, this will be the first stage of production. The fish will be then sold on for processing at the secondary stage. The secondary sector deals with manufacturing, processing, construction, and assembly. This relates to manufacturers of consumer and industrial goods. A paper mill, a carpet factory, and a house builder are all found in this sector. Secondary industry processes the goods that come from the primary industry and turns them into something that people want. My two businesses, which are Peacocks, and Top Girl hairdressers both belong to the same industrial sector. They both belong to the tertiary sector, which is known as the service sector. The tertiary sector includes all the providers of services to businesses and to individuals, and can be divided into four sections. These are business services, financial and business services, transport and communication, retailing, distribution, hotels and catering. They belong to this sector because they provide services. Peacocks mainly provides retailing while top girl hairdressers provides hair styling. Top girl hairdressers also provides retailing but as a side activity. It sells a few hair products to its customers just in case they come to get their hair done without any products. They also provide information about maintaining hair. Peacocks sells womens wear, mens wear, home wear and childrens wear.Consultancy work is generally popular- tax consultants, management consultants, and computer consultants. Whenever there is constant, rapid change that affects business you will find that consultants are often used to advise how best to adjust to these. Recruitment agencies and selection consultants depend on the job market. When unemployment is high they may struggle, when employment is good and people are looking to change jobs regularly they benefit from increased business. Dont forget that recruitment agencies often specialise in temporary employment opportunities.  Security firms are becoming more and more popular. Certainly many retail organisations do. Security services are normally sub-contracted because this is more cost-effective than employing and managing specialised security staff.  Industrial cleaners are also sub-contracted. Your college probably buys in its cleaning services rather than employing cleaners. This has been a growth area for entrepreneurs in the past few years.  Secretarial services are generally less popular than they were several years ago. The use of computers and modern software packages means that many people can produce their own documents quickly and easily.

Pride and Prejudice Passage Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pride and Prejudice Passage Analysis Essay Jane Austen resolves the novel while using particular writing style and technique to reinforce the characters of Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Elizabeth’s strong-willed character is emphasized when Austen subtly contrasts her against Georgiana’s shy one; she uses Georgiana as a foil character for Elizabeth, and vice versa. Elizabeth’s strong opinions, quick wit, and â€Å"lively, sportive, manner† of conversing with Darcy astonish Georgiana. Austen’s use of the phrase â€Å"lively, sportive, manner† gives the sentence a more vigorous and energetic feel, which reflects the nature of the conversation. Apart from her wit, Elizabeth’s sensibility is also shown with she persuades Darcy to seek reconciliation with his aunt. While several members of her family might have been happy to begrudge Lady de Bourgh, Austen reinforces Elizabeth’s intelligence and sensibility by emphasizing that she has risen above some of the poor behaviour that she has grown up with. In terms of Georgiana, Austen maintains her character as an innocent and shy girl. She brings up the fact that Georgiana is more than ten years younger than Darcy, and contrasts her somewhat introverted personality with Elizabeth’s strong-willed and confident one. Lastly, her youth and naivete is emphasized when Austen chooses to say she was influenced by Elizabeth’s â€Å"instruction†. In terms of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Austen emphasizes her class-snobbery and haughtiness with her satirical (and quite comedic) choice of words, saying that Elizabeth and her relatives had â€Å"polluted† Pemberley. Her bossiness and need to be in control of everything causes her to write an angry letter to Darcy, since he and Elizabeth ignored her objections. The entire ending can be contrasted to the start of the book, which outlined the unhappy marriage of the Bennets. It seems that Elizabeth, who marries Darcy out of love, will enjoy a much happier marriage than Lydia, who married for passion, as well as Charlotte, who married for financial stability.

Brand Identity And Brand Image Marketing Essay

Brand Identity And Brand Image Marketing Essay In business brand isnt a new theory. It is used by marketers from long time to identify their products from other competitors that have same product category. As Van Den Heever said the word brand comes from the old German word brandr which means to burn. (Lombard, 2007, p. 18)A Brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it (Kalakumari Sekar, 2012)The traditional American definition of brand is, a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them, which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors (Lee Zhang, 2000) 2.1.1 Brand identity and Brand image Brand image has been assigned different meanings from the day it was introduced into the marketing discipline by Gardner and Levy (1955). Some researches has define brand image as brand identity, but according to the recent studies that have claimed that brand image and brand identity are two different concepts but they are interchangeable. Moreover, there are four basics to understand and define the brand image, which are : 1)Brand image is an image in the mind created by the consumer.2) Consumers use their emotions and feelings to interpret the concept of brand image.3) Brand image is an idea fuelled by knowledge through marketing activities taken from the observation of consumer characteristics. 4) The perception of brand image designed in the mind of consumer is much more important than the actual one. However, Brand image is how a brand is perceived by consumers, while brand identity is the way that the company exposes the brand in the market, and how it wants to be perceived by the customers. Eventually, customers may not have the same image of the brand that the company presented. (Bian X., 2011) (Price, 2010) 2.1.2 Brand Power and Market Share According to Stobart (1994) brand power and dominant market share could be occurred through perceived product quality. Generally, entrepreneurs and managers have a great impact on creating power brands. They understand a need and desire of a specific group of customers then they create products and supply the associated services that satisfy those needs extremely well. Effective quality control procedures make sure they do things right the first time in delivering those products and services. Therefore, they achieve superior quality when they sell them the high quality with a less cost of lower quality competitors. Then, they advertise and promote the benefits and the advantages they got using those products. The customer perceives the high quality and the added value offered by the product. The result : a power brand is created and dominant share follows. (Vantamay, 2004) (draw brand power conceptual model) 2.1.3 Brand equity According to Kwok Keung Tam (2007), brand equity is the value premium that a company  realizes from a  product with a recognizable name as compared to its competitors. when Companies make their products memorable, easily recognizable using its name or symbol and superior in quality and reliability, this is the process of creating brand equity. Also, it depends on the number of people with habitual purchase, in that way it could also be a strategy used by the firm to generate cash flow because people arent buying just an ordinary product but they are buying unique value. However, when people are ready to pay more for a standard product instead of branded one, here the brand fails that means brand equity is negative. This might happen if a company caused a widely publicized environmental disaster or had a major product recall. So, when the company wants to expand its product line, it has to consider the brand equity conceptual model. (draw conceptual model) For the consumers, brand equity could present them information about the brand that improves their confidence while their purchasing process. Nevertheless, the brand equity could reduce the expenses of promotions because when brand equity is positive, brand image is positive too that means consumers dont focus on the short term promotion but on the whole brand. Brand equity has five major areas, which are Brand awareness, perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand association and brand positioning. Brand awareness is one of main determinants of brand equity. Brand awareness consist recognition of one particular brand which allows a potential customer to recognize about a specific product or services existence, and confirms that he or she has previously been exposed to it and creating brand awareness is one of the  key steps in promoting a product. (Csapà ³, 2010) In addition according to Kwok Keung Tam (2007) there is two tasks should be done to achieve brand awareness which are namely increasing brand name identity and associating it with the product class. Also, To raise brand awareness some techniques could be useful as advertising and celebrity endorsement. Furthermore, Using perceived quality strategy may lead to consumer satisfaction, which will be shown through perceived performance and expectation. As well, there are many definitions said by some scholars, as consumers perception towards tangible and non tangible characteristics of a product is perceived product quality. these characteristics may include some added value characteristics as performance, durability, conformance, features, serviceability, aesthetics and reliability etc. Moreover, sometimes the actual quality of the product doesnt confirm all these characteristics but the perceived quality of a product could be derived from consumers past experiences. (Vantamay, 2004) A consumer gives a brand loyalty by purchasing the same product or service over and over again rather than buying from other suppliers that sell the same product category. As well, brand loyalty could be defined as the degree of purchasing repeatedly the same brand by the same consumer within a product class. Brand association is the linkage that exist between a brand and the other nodes stored in memory (Korchia, 2007). Every company through consumer buyer research must understand its brand as well as competitors brands . Such a research studies existing and potential customers, past customers, industry experts, and intermediaries. A strong brand should be difficult to be copied by other companies, and such a powerful brand is associated with beliefs and values. (Ghodeswar, 2008) Brand positioning occurs when brand occupies a distinct position comparative to competing brands, in the mind of the customer. Companies use this brand positioning marketing strategy by differentiating the features and characteristics of their brands, or they try to create a specific image of the brand as luxurious, inexpensive, premium and utilitarian through advertising. Branding its all about adding psychological value on service, products and companies. Such value could be in the form of emotional links, beliefs, values, and feelings that people relate to the brand. Once a brand is positioned, it is very difficult to reposition it without destroying its credibility. (Lee Zhang, 2000) 2.2 Consumer Behavior Consumer behavior is the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires (Solomon, 2007, p. 7).In other words, it is a study focuses on how, what, why, and why people buy. In addition, it studies how people choose to spend their available resources time, money, and effort. 2.2.1 Consumer Buying Behavior The consumer buying behavior concept is the individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumption (Tam, 2007). For companies the buying decision is the most crucial part of their enterprise, yet no one really knows how the human brain makes that choice. Buying decisions are made at an unconscious level (Csapà ³, 2010). Furthermore, there are many theories explain the meaning of consumer buying behavior, one of them is Role theory. It suggests that consumers satisfying a need or desire, for this reason they change their consumption decisions, their evaluation criteria. The 7 Ps of marketing stimuli consumer buying behavior which are product, price, place of distribution, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence (KHOURY, 2008) Moreover, there are many factors called buyers characteristics that affect the buying behavior, which are economical, cultural, personal, psychological and social. All these inputs enter the buyers middle box, then many consumers responses observed as product choice, brand choice, dealer choice, purchase timing, and purchase amount. (Csapà ³, 2010) (conceptual model vanda article) 2.2.2 Factors Affecting Consumer Buying Behavior Culture factors: Buyer culture, subculture, and social class are factors that affect consumer buying behavior. Culture is the piece of every society and behavior of people is deeply influenced by their culture. Moreover, Culture is the collection of beliefs, behavior, values, customs and attitudes. Marketers should be careful by analyzing every culture because needs, wants and buying behavior vary from country to other. Culture is divided to many subcultures, and each subculture is a group of people with mutual value systems based on common life situations and experiences. Moreover, subcultures includes nationalities, religious, racial groups, and geographic regions. Marketers should segment the market into different small portions using these groups. Every society contains many social class(upper class, middle class, working class and lower class) which are determined by different factors such income, education , wealth and occupation. These social classes are used by marketers in market segmentation, and it is an important factor because all similar social classes recommend same marketing strategy and every social class its members shares same interests, values and beliefs. (Griffin Pustay, 2003) Social factors : Social factors which are reference groups, family, role and status also influence the buying behavior of consumers . Reference groups could form the attitude or behavior of a person. The impact of reference groups varies according to products and brands types. As an example if the product is visible as clothes, the impact of reference groups is high. Moreover, there is a person who has special skills, knowledge or characteristics which called leader, his opinion is considered by a reference group in many societies. Family members could deeply influence buyer behavior. Hence marketers are trying to know every role of every person in a family, husband, wife, and children. However, they also try to find out who buys a specific product, if husband then they will try to target the men in their advertisements. So, here we should understand that buying roles vary with evolving consumer lifestyles. In the society, roles and status change from one person to other because every person is a member of a specific clubs, organizations or groups For example a husband is working as a coach of football team, that means he will buy the kind of clothing that reflects his and status in his work. (Csapà ³, 2010) Personal factors: Personal factors have impact on buying behavior, such as the buyers age and life cycle, occupation, lifestyle, and personality and self concept. Age and life cycle shape the consumer buying behavior. Purchasing of goods and services of people change with time because every stage of life has its own interests. Life-cycle of a family consists of diverse stages such as young single, unmarried couples, married couples which facilitate marketers to design specific products for each stage. Occupation of a person will affect his purchasing behavior. For example a accounting manager of an organization he should purchase business suits, but a regular or low position worker will purchase cheaper clothes. Economic situation of a consumer has great impact on his buying behavior. The more the income of a consumer is high the more his purchase will be high. However, a person with low income will purchase cheap products. Lifestyle is an important factor that affect strongly the buying behavior of people. lifestyle is a persons of living as expressed in his or her psychographics (Kotler Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 2001, p. 146). Moreover, people coming from same subcultures, occupation, social class may have quite different lifestyle because lifestyle is determined by customer opinions, interests, activities (work, sports, shopping etc.) Personality varies from person to person, place to place and time to time. the behavior of a person it is his personality not what he wears or what he eats. Personality includes some characteristics such as : self confidence, positive attitude, dominance , active etc which could be useful to determine the selection of products or services for a person. Psychological factors: There are four factors affecting the consumer buying behavior, which are Perception, motivation, learning, beliefs and attitudes. Motivation level that affect the buying behavior. Every person has specific needs such as biological, social, and physiological needs etc. Moreover, these needs vary from one person to another because every person has priority in his needs, and some of these natural needs are pressing more than others. So, These needs which are pressing strongly become motive for a person to reach satisfaction. Perception is a process to produce a meaningful experience in the mind of consumers which contain three steps: Select, organize, and interpret information. Furthermore, there are three different perceptual methods. First method which is selective attention, this case is used by marketers to grab customers attention. Second method is selective distortion, this case is used to interpret the information available about the product in a way to support the customers beliefs. However, third method is selective retention, which is used to retain information that supports customers beliefs. Every customer has specific belief and attitude towards diverse products. However, some of these beliefs and attitudes marketers are interested in them because they affect buying behavior and make up brand image. Moreover, there are some campaigns done by marketers to change customers attitudes and beliefs. (Kotler Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 2001)

Essay --

NAME: SOHAIL AHMAD AZIZI SUBJECT: EBM-635 BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION ASSIGNMENT: DISTINGUSIH BETWEEN CORPORATE AND BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGIES Distinguish between Corporate &Business level strategies? Give examples to support your answer. Corporate Level Strategy Corporate level strategy is the overall strategy for a diversified organization or company. It is usually concerned with a mix of businesses that the company should compete in and also the ways on which individual strategy units are integrated and co-ordinated. The corporate level strategy basically lays down the foundation as regards where the organization is today and what expand, growth function a company has and what could be possible unit that can a corporate exit. A corporate level strategy is a long term strategy where it involves high level of decision making. A corporate level strategy is also called as an umbrella vision for the company. Any action plan which deals in diversification, expansion, merger and acquisition are called corporate level strategy. The 4E’s to addressing Corporate Strategy; 1. Extend: extending...

Group Norm Development and Leasership Essay -- Personality and leaders

Group Formation and Structure Group Development Norm Development Group communication networks Leadership Personality qualities relevant to leadership Task vs. Relationship Leadership Leadership Styles The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the members of group 1 (The Fantastics) in terms of behavior by looking at personal experience and connecting them to academic research and theory. The Fantastics consist of five members: team member A, 24-year-old female student in human resources Studies, team member B, 24-year-old male in psychology studies, team member C, 21-year-old female in psychology studies, team member D, 25-year-old female in psychology studies and team member E, 21-year-old female in psychology studies who dropped the course during the third week. She was an aggressive leader who everyone feared; team member A decided to replace her role and as a result the group adopted a more fluid structure. The findings of this experiment were that the teams’ roles became more obvious, norm developed and the group became more interactive, cohesive, efficient and productive in managing conflicts as well as completing tasks. Group Formation and Structure Group Development In the beginning, it was conspicuous that the team members felt low levels of intimacy. The team building activities on the first day were helping them become more familiar with each other and build rapport. Team member E took the leadership role and aggressively led the team while others remained polite and compliant. She took the liberty of choosing a name and a slogan for the group without considering their suggestions. With her presence there was no sense of cohesion due to her authoritarian style: therefore, upon team member... ...ambel, M. J., Curral, L., & Arana, J. M. (2009). The role of task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership on normative contract and group performance. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal,37(10), 1391-1404. Tjosvold, D., & Chia, L. C. (1989). Conflict between managers and workers: The role of cooperation and competition. The Journal of social psychology,129(2), 235-247. Wang Dan, , & Xu Shi-jie, . (2013). Impacts of leadership styles on new venture performance. 2013 International Conference on Management Science and Engineering 20th Annual Conference Proceedings, , 1410-1415. doi:10.1109/ICMSE.2013.6586455 Zhang, X., Stafford, T. F., Dhaliwal, J. S., Gillenson, M. L., & Moeller, G. (2014). Sources of conflict between developers and testers in software development. Information & Management, 51(1), 13-26. doi:10.1016/j.im.2013.09.006

Achieve Success Now Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Achieve Success Now We all want to have a life full of success. Many people assume without question that success is essentially material, that it can be measured in money, prestige, or an abundance of possessions. These can certainly play a role, but having such things is no guarantee of success. The success that we should strive for is the ability to love and have compassion, the capacity to feel joy and spread it to others, the security of knowing that one’s life serves a purpose, and finally, a sense of connection to the power of the universe. All of these are what create the dimensions of success, which will bring inner fulfillment. We as human beings are made of mind, body, and spirit. Of these, spirit is the most important, for it connects us to the source of everything. In other words we can describe it as our conscience. The more clearly that we think, the more we will enjoy the abundance of the universe. Our conscience is broken down into many different layers, the most important being our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is portrayed by our interactions with others. â€Å"Some simple examples of how we should use are self esteem is:  · Always greet people with a smile. As simple as it sounds, a smile establishes your own self-worth and shares it with others.  · Always say â€Å"thank you† when you are praised. A simple thank you is the universal mark of an individual with self-esteem.  · Surround yourself with people who enjoy their work. People with self-esteem seem to radiate it to others.† The second most important layer of the conscience is our attitude. 2â€Å"A positive attitude means everything†. Have you ever noticed when you enter a room with a huge smile on your face, give someone a c... ... right and expand them. In other words we must learn to give a hundred and ten percent and never give up. Remember the first step to success is to think BIG and always believe in yourself in whatever you do. Bibliography: Applegate, Jane. Succeeding In Small Business. New York: Plume, 1992. Boone, Louis E. Boone & Kurt’s Business. Fortworth: Oryden Press, 1995 Davenport, Rita. Making Time, Making Money. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982. Griffen, Ricky W. How To Succeed In The Business World. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1988 Jassinowski, Jerry, and Robert Hamrin. Making It In America. New York: Simon & Schulster, 1995. Pride, William M. Business. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989. Vesper, Joan, and Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. Contemporary Business Communication. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers, 1993

Importance of Family Essay

THE FAMILY AS THE BASIC UNIT OF SOCIETY The family unit – principally a man and a woman living together in harmony and peace – is and always will be the basic social organization or unit of any society. This relationship alone provides stability in a sexual, emotional, intellectual and social way as no other can. This statement may seem prejudiced or biased against other forms of social organization, but it has proven true over hundreds and even thousands of years. Other forms of societal organization include most people remaining single or unattached, homosexuality, or various forms of collective living arrangements that are called free love societies, communes, kibbutz living in some cases, and others. To the best of my knowledge, none of these have worked out on a large scale nearly as well as what is called a monogamous man-woman relationship in terms of stability and happiness for the couple, and for the society as a whole. When the families are strong, society is strong, as a rule. When families are weak, societies begin to break down. This is the important concept of this article. EXACTLY WHAT IS MEANT BY A FAMILY? A family is a unit of two dedicated to healing, even if they do not enunciate it or even understand it fully. It means two who are happy to be together, who want to be together, and who deeply love one another, even though it can just be friends, for example, or a parent and a child. This is what is meant by a family in this article. Stated differently, the definition of family is two living in a close personal relationship. Close relationships most often exist between family members, but not always by any means. Couples may live together for years and not be that close, for example. In fact, close relationships often develop among friends of either sex, work colleagues, and perhaps in other situations such as members of a sports team who work and play together constantly, for example. This is important to understand. They don’t even need to live in the same town or know each other personally, as long as they love each other enough. Also, those living under the same roof must be in a close relationship. Just because two are roommates, for example, or even sexual partners living together, married, church-going, or just â€Å"shacking up†, as they call it, does not mean they are a family because they must be in a close, loving relationship with each other. One in relationship with the other, if it is not returned, is not good enough. They both must feel the same way about each other, and this is the key. The rest of this article deals with various topics related to those living in families, or in close relationships, as explained in the preceding paragraphs. HEALING WITHIN FAMILIES – EMPATHIC BLENDING IN FAMILIES An interesting phenomenon that can be used for healing, but which can also have negative effects, is called empathic blending. It occurs in all close relationships, including, of course, within many families. It is a slight blending of the aura or energy fields of individuals who live together or even those who just work together or recreate together. However, it is much stronger in those who are in intimate relationships and having sex together. This interesting phenomenon has been known for thousands of years, but is rarely discussed. It can help bind a family or relationship together and help heal all members of a family. Unfortunately, it sometimes also causes problems in families if the man and woman are not that compatible. What  this means is that at times, two in a relationship have issues that do not blend well. Each can bring out the worst aspects of another, for example, instead of the best. For more on this topic, read Empathic Blending on this website. MALE-FEMALE BLENDING IN FAMILIES This is a subset or type of empathic blending that occurs only between members of the opposite sex. It does not occur in homosexual relationships, and it is one reason these relationships are always inferior to a good man-woman relationship. Two of the same sex may blend empathically, and often do. But only a man and a woman can blend in a very special way. For the same reason, it will not occur in members of an all-male or all-female sports team, work team, etc. This type of blending is similar to other empathic blending, but much stronger and much more able to cause healing in both parties. It is a powerful advantage to having friends of the opposite sex, a wife or husband, and even having children, at times. Children and parents. Interestingly, this type of blending can be done between a male parent and a female child, and conversely, between a female parent and a male child. It can even occur between siblings of the opposite sex, too, although this is not nearly as common. To read more about this very exciting method of healing, read Male-Female Blending on this website. OTHER TYPES OF UNUSUAL HEALING IN FAMILIES AND IN OTHER CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS A phenomenon we observe within families, and within all close relationships, is that when one person begins to heal, particularly a parent, often the partner and the children also experience a degree of healing. This occurs even when the others are not following a nutritional balancing program at all. I call it healing by osmosis, because I don’t know what else to name it. This phenomenon may be due to empathic blending, described in a paragraph above. However, it may be also be due to other factors, such as less stress in the home, better food in the home, more of a healing atmosphere in the home, or something else. In addition to these reasons, other reasons help explain unusual healing in those who in close relationships such as in families. For example, as one heals, he or she serves as an example to the other and perhaps as an inspiration to the other. As one heals, the body becomes more capable of love, and this felt by the other As one heals, some nutrients are actually transferred to the other in sexual fluids, for example, or in saliva in kissing. This may sound odd, but these are factors in healing within families or close relationships only. THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY UNDER ATTACK EVERYWHERE For the past 100 years of so, the family unit in America and Europe, in particular, has been under constant attack. The attack has been coming from work outside of the home, two parents having to work, the school system that takes away authority of parents, and a much more intrusive government that also takes away the rights and powers of parents to control their children and even their homes. Unemployment is very hard on families, and there is plenty of that in Europe, particularly. Pressure from Anti-Christian groups such as gay rights advocates and even some women’s advocate groups has also forced the passage of laws that discourage marriage. The growth of the welfare system is another anti-family factor. These systems often contain incentives to have children out of wedlock, for example, in order to collect more money from the government. Asia has much less of these pressures, but they are growing on a daily basis. Communism, for example, practiced still today in Russia, China, and other large nations, has a devastating effect on the family. Also, Asia has other problems, such as a traditional hierarchical male-dominated culture that may  seem to support the family, but really is very hard on women, and impedes the development of deep love between men and women among the population. Other nations, such as those in the Middle East, insist on rules and regulations that are so rigid and strict that they may hold society together, but they stop love from developing because the roles of man and wife are too rigidly defined. The Muslim world has some serious family problems. Here the family unit is strong, but in some homes the male dominates and the women are treated so badly that they cannot love their husbands and children correctly. I hope someday soon this will stop. Some of the best family units are found among the Jewish families and some of the Asian cultures, such as the Chinese and Koreans. Even here, however, divorce rates are rising and the traditional family is under attack. THE NEED TO RESTORE THE INTEGRITY OF THE FAMILY The above leads us to the need to clarify, correct and realize the importance of the traditional family unit and restore it legally, culturally, socially, and in every other way as well. This is also a goal of nutritional balancing science. It must begin with each person understanding the need for very high-quality relationships, and then acting at all levels of society to push for a more family-friendly society. The kind of reforms needed in society include: 1. Legislative action and tax reform to encourage marriage. This means that married couples should have tax advantages, which is not true today. Often it is the opposite. Also laws must clearly define marriage as the relationship between one many and one woman. All other arrangements of living and sexuality must not be given equal recognition or equal treatment under the law. This means no gay marriage, no homosexual or gay rights laws, and no gay-friendly legislation at all. This sounds harsh, but gay rights laws are the worst thing for the traditional family today. It also means that polygamy must be banned altogether. It does not matter if all members of a polygamous community like the arrangement. It does not work well and it is usually a cult. For more on this topic, read Cults and Terror Societies on this site. Tax credits should be given for having children, but only if a couple is married and filing jointly. Society should not be giving tax credits to single parent households of the same magnitude, as it encourages promiscuity and single-parent households. I know this is a difficult area, but it is important to strengthen and protect traditional marriage. 2. Legislative action and tax reform to strengthen families. Here are examples of laws and tax arrangements that favor the family unit in society: Smaller government favors families. This is because power in society is always shared between individuals and their families, and the government. The more power and scope of the government, the less power and scope the family will have. Laws that should be abolished to assist the family are all laws that allow schools to give out condoms and birth control pills without parental consent, and all laws that allow minor children to obtain abortions and even driver’s licenses without parental consent. Some states claim they can vaccinate children without parental consent, and some allow medical treatment without parental consent. All these laws destroy the integrity and strength of the family unit and ought to be repealed. I realize that repealing these laws will permit some abuse by uncaring or unthinking parents. However, this is better than an across-the-board rule that damages the family, which is still the best hope for children in the entire world. Government welfare agencies do not do a good job, overall, and I would not expect them to do so. They are too distant and too â€Å"professional† to care deeply enough about the children. Similarly, judges and juries should not have the right to remove minor children from the home unless the abuse is obvious and severe. Low taxes strongly favor the family unit and family integrity. Much higher taxes for everyone today is forcing two parents to work outside of the home and to send children to government or private daycare centers and pre-schools. This is horrendous for families. While in some nations, the poor and even middle classes do not pay income taxes, they pay for taxes that are hidden in every product and service that they buy. This is the case especially in America and Europe where corporate taxes are high. These are hidden taxes on all products that can account for up to half the cost of the product such as a car, food, clothing, building materials and other necessities. This is why corporate tax rates should be zero. Tax income, tax consumption, or tax imports and exports, but do not tax in hidden ways such as corporate taxes that no one can see and that are regressive, meaning they harm the poor much more than they harm the wealthy because the poor must spend a lot more of their income on necessities, while the rich can easily afford the taxes on goods and services such as electricity, etc. Laws that permit, encourage and even pay one parent to stay at home with children and teach them favor the family strongly. Parents should be discouraged from both working outside the home, and young children should be at home. If a parent does not want to raise a child at home, he or she should not become a parent. It is that simple. Home schooling favors the family unit. In the same vein, home schooling must be encouraged, not attacked, as it is in many nations, including the United States of America. Home schooling is the ideal, and should not be considered a deviant or religious or unusual concept. It is far better, according to statistics, than any school situation. Home schooling parents should not have to pay school taxes, for example, and perhaps should be compensated so that a parent can stay home and teach rather than have to take a job outside the home and send the child to public or private schools. No death taxes favor the family. Death taxes are also called estate taxes. They do not allow some families to pass on their wealth to their children,  or anyone else. Instead, the government takes a large portion of their money, even though they have already paid taxes on that income. Families should be permitted to pass on their wealth, as it is theirs and they often worked hard for it. The government has no right to it, having already taxed it once or perhaps twice. Tort reform strongly favors families and employment. It is important that if one is truly injured, that one can sue for damages. However, the situation in America, in particular, but also in Europe in which attorneys are able to sue basically innocent people for all sorts of frivolous reasons places great strain and a huge financial burden on everyone. It raises the price of all goods and services, frightens away many businesses and keeps good products off the market. It also supports a class of parasitic attorneys who make good money often by ruining other people’s lives. There are simple answers for this problem, but the trial lawyers lobby, and their political allies – the Democratic party – has so far prevented them from being implemented, especially in the United States. The solutions include: 1. Simplify legal proceedings so that people do not need attorneys to represent them and can handle simple cases themselves. This is certainly possible, but judges and attorneys don’t like the idea. It is similar to learning how to take care of your health, which the doctor’s don’t like. Court proceedings, rules of evidence, rules of discovery, motions, and so on can be made simpler. 2. The loser in a suit should pay all court and attorney fees. This is the system in Great Britain and some other nations. It can stop some frivolous lawsuits, especially in the health care area, but also in product safety. 3. Attorneys must not be allowed to disqualify jurors at their whim. The only reason to disqualify a juror should be a direct conflict of interest, perhaps. The current system today allows sharp attorneys to get rid of potential jurors whom they sense they cannot manipulate or influence. This  should not be the way the jury system works and it makes a mockery of the jury system. 4. It may be necessary to place a cap on damages. This is more complex, especially in a class action lawsuit but sometimes juries are talked into awarding far too much money for damages because attorneys take a percentage for themselves. A capitalist economic system, with controls to prevent corporate raiding and cheating, tends to favor families, while socialism is usually even more corrupt and it destroys families. It does this because the government gains so much power that the family becomes secondary to government, which becomes the nanny, the provider, the police force and everything else. This must be taught and the reasons for it thoroughly understood in society. The basic reason is that a large, powerful government always competes for power with the family, so it is inherently inimical to the family. In contrast, a weak government allows the family unit to have more power over itself and over society. It is not an accident that the weakest families occur in communist and socialist nations, while the strongest are found in the capitalist nations. Private and not socialized, nationalized or â€Å"universal† health care helps the family unit. Caring for one’s health and that of the children are extremely important issues that are best handled within families. This is because they have to do with diet, lifestyle, thinking patterns and other personal habits that are learned and practiced in families. In general, when people are forced into a governmental system, the family loses a lot of power and control over this important area of life. If the government system were perfect, it would not be so bad. However, all governmental systems are more costly, the dietary recommendations are often poor, bureaucrats are distant and don’t care as much for people as private doctoring arrangements, and waste and corruption are worse. Also, just turning over control of this vital area of life is a bad idea. Even the HMO or PPO system in the USA, which is based on private insurance but herds people into groups with little choice in health care, is not good for family integrity and strength. This is just one reason why Obamacare, for example, in the USA, will not work and must be repealed at once before it further bankrupts the USA, which it is doing and with no good results. It is just socialism, and that is harmful for families, as explained above. Freedom, in general, is wonderful for the family. Repression in society works against families. Freedoms of religion, of speech, of assembly, the right to bear arms and all the freedoms that some nations permit are helpful for the family as they weaken governmental power and encourage responsibility and power to be centered in the family. Denying the people freedom weakens the family in all cases. Traditional religions and, in general, religious freedom tend to favor the family unit. However, too much repression in the religion harms families by several means. Repressing women, for example, leads to anger and hatred of women for men and for the religious leaders. Also, if the family roles are so rigidly defined, some will rebel and avoid families altogether. They also, of course, may just leave the religion, but this is not always possible, as with Islam. As these legal and other changes occur, and only when they occur, we can expect to see great improvements and restoration of our societies. They will be safer, more sane, healthier, with far more emphasis on spiritual values and the dignity of each individual soul. All will be happier and life will be far more worthwhile and enjoyable for women, in particular, for our children, and for everyone. Easy divorce laws have mixed effects upon families. On one hand, they make it easy for a selfish parent to basically abandon their children or â€Å"steal† them from a partner. They may also leave a former partner stranded without financial support at all, or very little. On the other hand, very strict divorce laws that existed in the past kept families together where there was physical or emotional abuse, or just terrible unhappiness. This is not ideal for families, either. Many people say that the traditional family is dead, as evidenced by the high divorce rates in the Western world, in particular. However, they forget that although the divorce rate is high, the remarriage rate is also very high. In other words, many people do not want to be single. They just want to be with the right type of person. If they are not, then they are more likely today than in the past to split up and move on to what is often, though not always, a better marriage the second time around. When children are involved, the situation is more complex. Children need a stable home and they need love – plenty of it. So it is more complicated. Here one must use good judgment and try to avoid selfishness. Selfishness is often the problem and the reason that a couple does not blend and heal one another. Laws favoring easy abortions probably harm families. This is an ongoing debate in the USA, though not much in Europe. ALL abortions terminate a life, and some women suffer psychological damage from abortions, even if they are not fully aware of it. I particularly dislike the Planned Parenthood approach, often, in which young women are just told they can get their abortion right away, no one needs to know about it, and that is all there is to it. However, those who favor abortions rightly point out that women perhaps should have more control over their reproductive abilities, especially in case of rape, incest, and all conditions in which the health and well-being of the mother or even the father is at stake. So I suspect this issue will be debated for many years. I believe anti-abortion laws are there to protect women in many cases, and this is how they should be â€Å"sold† or promoted. They help women avoid psychological damage that comes with abortions, they help prevent infections and other problems of abortions, and they help the family in many cases, which helps women the most. If the family does not want another child, then put it up for adoption. Encouraging monogamous man-woman relationships is by far best for the family. Sadly, this is not what is taught in schools today. Politically correct teachers often stress that homosexuality, communal living, open marriage and other â€Å"alternatives† are just as good as the traditional one man-one woman relationship. I believe this is a lie in most cases, due to the nature and construction of human beings. I believe there exist certain differences between men and women that are often subtle, but very real. Living together, they tend to balance one another, help one another, heal one another, and love one another better than any other type of arrangement. This does not mean that in a few cases a different type of relationship is best, but I am speaking in general terms of what seems to work best for the great majority of people in our world. I strongly believe that if this were not so, we would see around the world plenty of societies in which marriage is not supported or practiced much, and instead we would see much more of other living arrangements such as homosexuality or just staying single and living alone or in one’s family of origin during one’s entire lifespan. But we do not see this very much among the thousands of human societies of every race and religion. This is not an indictment of other ways to live socially, just an observation. For this reason, I want to suggest that laws should protect, proclaim, educate and demand that the young are taught this truth, and nothing else.