Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland

â€Å"Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland: Policy Implications for Emerging Economies† is a scholarly journal article which is written by Peter J. Buckley and Frances Ruane of the University of Leeds and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The article is well structured and starts off with an introduction explaining how the important role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the global economy relates to issues of how the foreign direct investment (FDI) they control impacts on overall economic activity in the receiving countries. It explains that specific emphasis is centered on how the government can influence FDI policies and thereby attract more of an audience. The journal article focuses the entire paper on the FDI in Ireland because of two primary reasons: 1) because Ireland has consistently promoted export-platform inward investment into the manufacturing sector for over four decades, and 2) MNEs in the Ireland economy now account for fifty percent of manufacturing employment and are the focal point of restructuring of the Irish manufacturing sector over the past twenty years. The introduction then goes on to explain that there are four sections of the paper (the first being the introduction itself). The second section examines literature that emphasizes the selective promotion of MNEs, as well as the DFI policies that have promoted MNEs on a selective basis in Ireland. The third section shows primarily how Ireland has attempted to establish industrial clusters in manufacturing, while the fourth and final section draws out some policy propositions for newly emerging economies, which are based on the Irish policy experience. For the second section of the journal article, it explains that until the 1970s there was pretty much an implication of free mobility of capital across sectors. Then, it explains, the ‘Internalization School’ provided a strong connection between MNEs and development in general. In essence, the school argued that developing countries are inexperienced and lack resources, so FDI could essentially help developing countries through capital, technology, and management techniques as well as overall â€Å"know-how. MNEs have far better access to capital from the international banking sector, and this can make a dramatic effect on the development of countries. Technology transfer can also speed up development by â€Å"facilitating the production of goods with higher value-added content by increasing exports and improving efficiency. † The article explains that MNEs posses most of the international patents and it would be much easier for developing countries to get access to these resources by inviting and encouraging FDI. The article also points out that MNEs can also play a huge role in teaching the know-how of the newly emerged sector or enterprise to locals in the respective emerging economy. Finally what is also pointed out is that MNEs allow developing countries to penetrate foreign markets because they may make use of worldwide marketing outlets thereby allowing the selling of products where large marketing investments would have otherwise been needed. Ireland starting shifting its policies from high rates of tariff protection and prohibition of FDI towards a free trade policy that comprised of encouragement and incentives for MNEs. More specifically, the incentives were given in the form of generous financial support for capital investment as well as through giving a tax holiday of fifteen to twenty years on the incremental profits generated by export sales. The journal article then goes on to further elaborate on the development of policy in Ireland. It explains that Ireland realized huge benefits in the 1960s because it had very attractive FDI environment. This was furthered by Ireland’s entry in to the European Community in the 1970s. However, in the 1970s, policy towards FDI became much more selective in Ireland. More specifically, it encouraged investment into the production of high-tech goods by proactively seeking out electronics and pharmaceuticals enterprises and gave higher rates of financial assistance to these high-tech promoted sectors. Another advantage to potential FDI was that there was no opposition or domestic competitors. In formulating this more selective approach, policymakers in Ireland developed a specific system of selectivity for influencing the pattern of MNE investment that was comprised of four stages: (i) finding niche high-value/volume product markets with European growth potential; (ii) identifying enterprises in these markets, which were already exporting large volumes into Europe likely, in terms of the product cycle, to con- sider a European production base; (iii) persuading these enterprises to consider Ireland as an investment base; and (iv) agreeing an incentives package which would both secure the investment and ensure maximum benefit to Ireland as a host country. Since the 1980s, there has been continued evolving in the policy, largely because of limitations set by the EU which ultimately led to the replacement of the original tax holiday with an overall low corporate tax on all profits (trade-neutral). The article then shows how there is a parallel with Ireland concerning China. It explains that China is an attractive location for FDI largely because of its growing domestic industry as well as its low-cost exporting system. It lists a problem that is associated with the aggressive FDI and MNE policy creation that often blocks local private companies from accessing capital thereby cutting them off from export markets. The third section of the journal article discusses the development of clusters in Ireland. It is explained that such development has evolved to be that enterprises now need to take account not only of the presence and costs of traditional factors (such as transport costs and demand levels or patterns), but also of distance-related transaction expenses. There is a lot of theoretical history and implications made from different schools of thought, however this section (and the focus of the article in general) is more concerned with how this relates to Ireland and what developing countries can learn out of it. The article explains that there has always been an Irish effort to induce MNEs to locate in areas of high unemployment and depopulation via financial incentives, however the country only began attempting to build sectorial and spatial clusters since the 1980s. As previously mentioned, they were in two high-tech sectors: electronics and chemicals/pharmaceuticals. Regarding the electronics sector, Ireland was primarily building an electronics cluster to service the European market because the domestic market was not as important. This cluster was built on Ireland’s attractive MNE incentive reputation as well as by collaborating with its existing network of established MNEs. The initial hope was to attract some key electronics investments and then leverage further MNEs who essentially followed suit from the established key MNEs by also establishing bases in Ireland to keep up with competition. In the 1980s, the article explains, there were four key segments: microprocessors, software, computer products and printers. Namely, Ireland succeeded in attracting two key enterprises: Intel and Microsoft. Their initial hope had paid off soon because Hewlett-Packard followed suit, and then a bunch of other smaller electronics and software enterprises all of which wanted to utilize and link with the larger key enterprises. Regarding the chemical/pharmaceutical sector, Ireland followed much of the same leveraged approach, and got similar results even though this sector was much more footloose. However, there is little evidence of production links between the subsequent and key enterprises as there is in the electronics sector. There is also the subsector of medical devices (mainly in West Ireland) where significant grants can still be granted under EU law. The article explains that this is a much less concentrated sector and thus the average enterprise size is much smaller (unlike the electronics and chemicals/pharmaceuticals enterprises). Within this section of the paper, the author notes that there is a specific parallel with India. The article states that like Ireland, â€Å"India had a switch from a protectionist (and dirigiste) regime to a more open one, this process beginning with the Indian software industry. † India’s most successful FDI is the software cluster in Bangalore. The software cluster in India has the support of universities and colleges as well as returning Indian immigrants to strengthen the pool of available skilled labor for these MNEs. As previously mentioned, the fourth and final section of this journal article is all about the implications for FDI policy in newly emerging economies. The article starts off by saying that there are similarities with developing and newly-emerging economies and Ireland in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The article suggests that Ireland’s strategy is particularly appealing to emerging economies that have no strategic power in trade. Ireland was exceptionally successful in attracting MNE investment in the past decade â€Å"is at least in part due to its consistently positive stance towards MNEs over four decades. The article also says that a key reason why Ireland was so successful was because they see government as assisting rather than constraining them. More specifically, however, the paper lists the following implications that are extracted and gathered from the experiences of the success of the Ireland policy. First, it says â€Å"host countries can never stop being pro-active. † There needs to be some serious effort in attracting MNEs. Secondly, â€Å"a package of incentives is superior to a single incentive. This i s based on MNE surveys, which illustrate the fact that they do not prefer single incentives. They prefer a package of incentves. Thirdly, â€Å"host countries should adopt an enterprise-centered approach. † This means that host countries need to makes sure that they understand the global strategies of MNEs, not only as it would relate locally and regionally. Fourthly, it contends, â€Å"sectoral direction requires project selectivity. † The article explains that many emerging countries are insufficiently selective in attempting to attract MNEs. Other implications include the fact that policy consistency matters to investors – that there should not be any room for uncertainty as to an abrupt policy change; the fact that performance-based incentives are a good idea; as well as the fact that projects need to be monitored. That is, clear goals and reporting requirements need to established early on. Now that the summary of the paper has been established, I can now give my own commentary. To begin with, I feel that the paper was well written. It was definitely well organized and cited many references that added credibility to the author’s points. I am in agreement that there are huge advantages to attracting foreign direct investment and MNEs. They are especially useful to emerging economies, because as the paper mentioned, I also agree that there are many resources that would otherwise be unavailable. There is the advantage of global marketing, the advantage of penetrating into external markets. There is also the advantage of the MNEs having access to international financing. However, I feel that there are also disadvantages and problems to FDI and enticing MNEs. If incentives are offered to these organizations, it often causes the local businesses and entrepreneurs to either struggle or fail because they are not able to compete. So in order to solve this problem, I feel that there needs to be many factors that are considered before diving into FDI and changing policies to entice MNEs. Among the considerations that I feel should be made is how under-developed the economy is, as well as a plan of how long these incentives should last. If a country is beyond the initial stages and there are solid businesses that are thriving and all that is needed is more growth, I think the country should be careful about introducing MNEs at least in those same sectors of those thriving businesses. That is, because if they are in the same sector, those very businesses that started the economy are likely to fail. Another consideration as I mentioned is how long these incentives should last if implemented. In essence, there should be a moderation of policy in which there attracts healthy investments but also that doesn’t hurt at home. I also feel that there are other problems with MNEs and FDI in general. For example, when the host country is in dire need of FDI to spur economic growth, they are essentially at the MNE’s mercy and there are often rules that are broken. For example if a country has environmental protection laws and the MNE breaks them, is the country prepared to enforce the laws, or succumb to the threat of a worsened economy if the MNE’s leave or are forced out? These issues need to be solved by considering them before any agreements are made. As the article says, proper planning is key to successful MNE recruitment. Other problems are that like in Ireland, the EU might pass laws disallowing certain incentives. These need to be researched to see whether deals can be grandfathered or not (before the passing of the law), otherwise this can prove detrimental to the whole FDI recruitment plan. At times the governments of the host country face issues with foreign direct investment. This is because it has less control over the functioning of the company, as it is functioning as the wholly owned subsidia ry of an overseas company. This has the potential to lead to serious issues. The MNE might not have to be completely submissive to the economic policies of the host country. It is not unheard of that there have been instances of adverse effects on the balance of payments of a country, for example. The solution to these issues is again proper planning and legal strategy. Attorneys well learned in international business law need to be familiar with all aspects of the law in both the host country as well as the MNE’s home country. Without proper planning, disasters can occur which would undermine the original intent of enticing MNEs and FDI in the first place.

Cultural Approach Towards Brandsing by Starbucks

Study of cultural approach taken by Starbucks to branding in global marketplace ABSTRACT: _The international marketing promises to solve managerial problems using technical and universalizing approach. Ethnocentric approach to branding is been adopted by the researchers. As the global market develops this seems to be problematic. Thus it is important that some key premises and foundation needs to be revised. The branding research needs to be historically and contextually grounded, polycentric in orientation, and acutely attuned to the symbolic significance of brands of all types. INTRODUCTION: Brands are going everywhere in the global popular market. The Nike tick mark, the Coco-Cola symbol or McDonald’s M triggers tens and hundreds of responses. Brands are becoming integral part of our culture thus there is a great need for international marketing scholars to change with the changing global market condition and also contribute to the public dissonance of branding practices. T he theory and tools available are not sufficient to analyze the complexity of globalization and the brands role in it. The international marketing still does not suggest the appropriate theoretical and methodological challenges brought by globalization, and also in branding. AIM: Study of cultural approach taken by Starbucks to branding in global marketplace. OBJECTIVE: Theoretical and methodological blueprint for studying the cultural role of Starbucks in global market. LITERATURE REVIEW: 1. A* Cultural Approach to Branding in the Global Marketplace*. Review: Related Questions: Premises: What cultural differences (national, regional) do branding strategies embed? How have different branding concepts and theories emerged and for what purposes? Analytical approach: How do traditional brand landscapes affect globalized brands? How do brands at different geographical scales interact in market space? What kinds of mythic elements make for good brand stories? Can we predict the emergence of â€Å"antibrands† (e. g. , Mecca Cola, fair trade)? Units of analysis: How do brands globalize? To what degree do various brand architectures translate across cultures? Is it possible to develop an archive of commercially compelling narrative elements? Review: The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers’ (Anti-corporate) Experiences of Globalization Review: Significance of Research: Help Starbucks understand the cultural effect on globalization. Help Starbucks to adopt appropriate strategy depending on the cultural aspects and consumer behavior geographically. Data collection: Journals from Internet. Personal visit to Starbucks. Interview with the staff and manager of Starbucks. BIBLOGRAPHY: Burgess, Steven M. and Jan-Benedict E. M. Steenkamp (2006), â€Å"Marketing Renaissance: How Research in Emerging Consumer Markets Advances Marketing, 23 (4), 337–56. Aaker, Jennifer and Patti Williams (1998), â€Å"Empathy Versus Pride: The Research, 25 (December), 241–61.

Analysis of Offshoring Jobs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Offshoring Jobs - Research Paper Example India has become one of the dominant players in the field of offshoring; this has taken place mostly in works related to software. There are several factors that have aided the evolution of offshoring in India and its spread to other countries. The first factor includes the regulations put by the Indian government during the 1970s; these regulations allowed all foreign ventures to have ownership of majority Indians. Another factor that contributed to offshoring included the advent of the internet as well as telecommunications technology. This enabled the doing of computer-based work anywhere in the world. As a result, the phenomenon of offshoring spread to countries all over the world.Offshoring witnessed immense changes during the early years of the 1990s. The CEOs and CIOs of large corporations realized the need to reduce budgets of information technology. The significant and rapid development of web-based communication made information technology become an essential part of carryi ng out business, thus leading to the revolutionization of the corporate world. To curb the costs of maintaining processes, Chief Information Officers and Chief Executive Officers changed their strategies and began outsourcing the development and maintenance of IT systems. This set the trend for other support and administrative functions being outsourced.According to Gupta (2008), there are several jobs that are offshored all over the world; these jobs tend to be more affected by outsourcing than any other jobs.

Compare and contrast snow crash to the matrix Essay

Compare and contrast snow crash to the matrix - Essay Example Bob Rife’s virus from spreading, Neo in the Matrix movie does the same but his fight is directed to machines. Hiro’s fight is simple as compared to the task that Neo engages into. The Matrix movie spreads a darker picture as compared to Snow Crash because of the heroic acts that Neo has to engage into to achieve justice. This paper will compare and contrast the Snow Crash novel and The Matrix Movie. As stated above, the two works present dystopian perspectives into the future where the societies in the two works are grappling with certain problems. The two societies face problems that must be urgently solved so that people can lead happy lives. The struggles can be seen in the main actors’ engagements trying to solve these issues. However, the problems are not entirely the same as in the Snow Crash, Hiro fights against the spread of the virus while in the Matrix, Neo fights with machines. Clearly, this puts The Matrix on the higher edge in terms of the magnitude of the problem. In the movie, The Matrix (1999), the audience has been put in a future dystopian society, where human beings are living a somewhat normal life but again different because they are enslaved and are used as powering gadgets for their rulers electrical requirements. They have been imprisoned and are misused to power the sentient machines. The problem arises from the fact that the sentient machines rebel against the human population because the stormy clouds blocked the sun, which acted as their main source of power. Therefore, for them to survive they have to get power from the human body heat and this is what Neo fights vehemently. Human beings are forcibly put in pods, from where the thermal energy and bioelectricity are taken out of the human beings for use by the machines. The machines also use control the minds of the human beings using cybernetic implants. This is clear in Neo’s statement where he says, â€Å"I don't like the idea that I'm not in control o f my life† (Wachowski and Wachowski). This misuse of the human beings links them to a simulated reality known as the Matrix and is what Neo tries so hard to fight against. This heroic act is like fighting against a ruler or something superior by many standards. This virtual reality world, simulated by the program characterizes the civilized world that has enslaved the minds of human beings, but cannot comprehend this. This is clearly seen when Morpheus says, â€Å"If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain† (Wachowski and Wachowski). Stevenson’s depiction of the future in unpleasant but is not forsaken as people like the one Morpheus and Neo are determined to destroy the entire ruling class having attained enlightenment. For example, Morpheus says, â€Å"I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it† (Wachowski and W achowski). Despite the fact that there is similar injustices in Snow Crash where bleak institutions have replaced the democratic ones, the injustice is not similar because the human beings show the ability to adapt to the changes. In his work, Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson, portrays a similar dystopian that is present in The Matrix. Just like in the movie, where the existence of the machines upsets human beings, the existence of the lethal drug known as the Snow Crash makes life unbearable because of the dependence and makes Hiro, the protagonist determined to des

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neil DeGrasse Tyson - Essay Example His passion and advocacy for science is evident in all his undertakings. Technically, Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, and a science communicator regularly seen as the host of special science occasions. The scientific community has heaped numerous academic and honorary degrees to this 56-year-old Tyson. When we talk about Neil deGrasse Tyson, we are talking about a hardcore scientist and a prime-time badass scientist. Neil deGrasse Tyson was born in October 1958, in Manhattan, New York City, United States of America. His father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, was a sociologist while his mother, Sunchita Feliciano, was a gerontologist. At the age of nine, Neil visited the Hayden Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the world. After returning from his visit, Neil developed an enhanced passion for astronomy. He attended Bronx High School of Science and actively participated in writing and editing the school’s physical sciences magazine (Marne, 19). Neil possessed not only a great passion for astronomy but he was also an excellent communicator. Surprisingly, he had started giving astronomy lectures at the age of fifteen. In the midst of his teenage lectures, Neil deGrasse Tyson was discovered by the iconic astrophysicist Dr. Carl Sagan. Sagan invited him to join an undergraduate degree program at Cornell University but Neil opted to pursue his degree at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics (Marne, 25). After receiving the Bachelor’s degree, Neil deGrasse Tyson became distracted by extracurricular activities like wrestling and dancing. Three years later, Neil proceeded to earn the Master of Arts in Astronomy and Master of Philosophy in Astrophysics from the University of Texas and Colombia University respectively and finally received a PhD of Astrophysics in 1991. Technically, Neil deGrasse Tyson completed his academic journey in 1991, and commenced his career in science. In 1992, Neil

Setting up for urology procedure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Setting up for urology procedure - Essay Example To properly set up the theatre, the nurses and doctors should work together. The surgery room for the urology procedure needs to have all the equipments ready. This indicates that every item needs to be readily available in the room to avoid the doctors and nurses from running around trying to get the equipments once the procedure starts. The equipment also needs to be placed in a place that is within reach for the surgeons. This will facilitate running of the procedure efficiently. Surgeries are usually timed and it is important that all the equipment required be easily accessed by the surgeons with assistance from the nurses. The people chosen to set up the theatre for the urology procedure should have adequate knowledge of the procedure and what is expected of them. This means that not everyone in the hospital can be tasked with setting up the theatre because some of them may not have the required knowledge. When setting up the theatre, the people involved are encouraged to ask questions in case they need clarifications. This helps to avoid mistakes that may take place in the theatre during a procedure. Mistakes in the theatre pose a great risk to the patient, doctors, surgeons and the nurses involved. The individuals setting up the theatre should ensure that there is enough space to accommodate the patient, surgeons, assistants and all the equipments. Space also helps to facilitate easy movement in the theatre (Dasgupta, Fitzpatrick, Kirby & Gill 2010). Analysis of a situation also needs to be conducted (Ely & Scott 2006). This helps to understand why things happened as they did. In the event that a mistake happened, this process helps to understand why it did and the ways that it can be avoided in future situations. After setting up the theatre, it is important for the process be evaluated (Quinn & Hughes 2007). This means that the nurses or the leader of the surgery can check to make sure that all the set

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Strategic Management - Essay Example The Bowman’s Strategy Clock is used in defining the eight possible types of strategies, which are based on the coordinates of price and the value being added (Perceived).The shape of the strategy model is like a star and gives an overall appearance of a clock. The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate th e brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. ... The value addition is low. It is specific to the segment. The price is high and the value is low. The market may be lost, if not in a position of monopoly. Based on the analysis from the Bowman’s Strategy Clock, the position of the company is analysed. This has been found out be as follows- Position 4(Differentiation) The company has been playing the game of differentiation. It has set up a number of steps to make itself superior to its competitors. It can be seen from the huge spending being done by the company as a part of its plan for expansion. It has been spending over a hundred million sterling pounds on a yearly basis, over different projects. Lego has been diversifying with the building of theme parks in Denmark, it also the Lego bricks. In addition to this, theme parks have come up in other parts of the world like UK (United Kingdom) and USA. These have added to the brand value of the company as well as the visibility, attracting over 1.5 million people annually. The company has been trying to differentiate itself from the other players. The building of theme parks is an exercise of branding, which would set itself separate from other competitors (Johnson,s Scholes and Whitington, 2008). So, it is being done so that the company becomes a symbol of quality. The customers would associate the brand (Lego), with a better sense of quality. This is the analysis of the company in terms of Bowman’s Strategy Clock. DIRECTION OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT The decisions regarding corporate growth are centred on the methodologies through which the organization can play a part in the promotion and sustenance of existent competitive advantage. There is a need for the expansion and growth of the companies, which leads to the adoption of different

GNSS pro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

GNSS pro - Essay Example Accomplishment of survey grade precisions for engineering work demands mitigation of the underlying errors. Differential (D) GNSS methods are usually utilized to lessen the majority of errors whilst reference stations having known coordinates allow the measurement of the relative errors. Relative errors are as the modification parameters in actual time or corresponding post analysis. Moreover, it has been the chief surveying method used to accomplish centimeter precisions for the previous decades. Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is as an alternative to differential technique. PPP accomplishes centimeter accuracies were utilizing solely by a single receiver through precise orbital and clock data rather than standard broadcast navigation message within post positioning. Conventional means of undertaking post processing are through online PPP post processing services. The paper aims at assessing the PPP method for surveying in terms of the x,y and z accuracies accomplished from the corresponding online PPP post-processing services. Presently no research has been undertaken regarding the use of PPP measurements within Ireland. Since GNSS orbit and clock products are known nature global, PPP is swiftly becoming a method that has the possible of substituting underlying range limited GNSS relative positioning techniques GNSS consist of three main satellite technologies namely GPS, Glonass, and Galileo. Each of the components of GNSS includes three segments. The three segments are space, control, and user segments. The parts are identical for the three satellite technologies thus making up the GNSS. Currently, the complete satellite technology is the GPS technology and majority of the prevailing universal applications associated with the GPS technology. Thus, GNSS technology will be active subsequent to the operation of the Galileo and the corresponding reconstruction of the Glonass in future. GPS has a massive substantial effect on positioning,

Anti death penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anti death penalty - Essay Example An example from the history tells us that in 1975, two African American men in Florida named Freddie Pitts and Wilber Lee were granted commutation after twelve long years awaiting death-penalty for the murder of two white men. Their conviction was as a result of constrained confessions, spurious testament and an adduced bystander. After a long time of nine-years of battle in the courts, a white confessed his guilt and Pitts and Wilber were granted absolution by the governor. Had their death-penalty not been delayed due to the court-battles, they would have naively executed (Bedau, November 10, 1999). The history of death penalty can be traced back to the eighteenth century (B.C) when the laws for it were established. As years passed these penalties were used all over the world to kill the guilty people. After the World War II the United States protected pregnant women, elders and children from these death penalties but did not abolish it completely. Over these years many countries ha ve abolished it but the United States still follows it to a certain extent (Death Penalty Information Center 2011). The proponents of the death-penalty justify it by biblical quotations to use death penalty as the ultimate punishment for murders and equivalent crimes. The bible says that the murders must be vindicated: life for life is what the bible says about murders. But the justifications presented cannot be applied in the modern world because of the ethics that apply these days. The bible’s quotation about life for life was for that time when the unjust and violent people were killing innocent and exemplary people. According to most of the people, the death-penalty should be abolished from the U.S and that the criminals must be given a chance to change themselves. Death row inmates can spend their time in the law library and interact with each other and somehow get the wind of the crime of what they have done and accept to change from the bottom of their hearts. The proc ess of death qualification was constitutionally challenged in Lockhart v. McCrea on the basis that it produces unrepresentative and doctrine procumbent juries. The United States Supreme Court rejected such challenges by questioning the truthiness of the relevant social science research. But according to me, the challenges made were completely just and the government should have had taken suitable steps in order to eradicate this barbaric act from the society (Guernsey 2010) The moral disengagement is also an aspect worth discussing in this regard. According to a study by Osofsky, Bandura and Zimbardo in 2005, they took direct words from the executioner. The executioner said that the ECG monitors are in front of him when he carries out the process. His duty is to push the syringe in the veins of the guilty and lower the heart beat of the guilty until it becomes flattened. The harder he pushes, the more flattened is the graph and once he empties the last injection, the pulse rate reac hes zero indicating that the guilty is now dead. He adds further that it is distraught to see someone die in front of him and leaves a great impact on him even after some days. This research helps to conclude that the executioner has vivid thoughts about the incident too as it is a harsh process to be carried out (Osofsky et al 2005). The opponents believe that death-penalty should be abolished because it is a barbaric act of murder which involves the death of an individual in a

Endospore-forming Bacteria and their Role in Biodefense Essay Example for Free

Endospore-forming Bacteria and their Role in Biodefense Essay Bacteria that have the ability to produce non-reproductive structures or endospores during unfavorable environmental conditions are termed endospore-forming bacteria. Two genera of bacteria in which sporulation are predominant are Bacillus and Clostridium. Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria, species of which are either obligate or facultative aerobes. The genera include both free-living and pathogenic species. When conditions become unfavorable, the bacterial populations thrive by producing endospores or cysts which can remain dormant and viable for prolonged periods. The genera include several species such as Bacillus anthracis, B. coagulans, B. megaterium, B. cereus, B. globigii, B. natto, B. infernus, B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, thuringiensis, B. polymyxa and B. sphaericus. Of these, the most pathogenic ones are B. anthracis and B. cereus. B. anthracis causes anthrax. B. cereus causes a foodborne illness. B. subtilis and B. coagulans are microbes that cause food spoilage. B. thuringiensis, is an insect pathogen and is therefore a potential biocontrol agent, while B. subtilis is used as model organism in research. Clostridium is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, which are obligate anaerobes. They are also capable of producing endospores under stressful or unfavorable environmental conditions. Species include Clostridium acetobutylicum, C. beijerinckii, C. aerotolerans, C. bifermentans, C. chauvoei, C. botulinum, C. butyricum, C. difficile, C. formicaceticum, C. colicanis, C. laramie, C. perfringens, C. ljungdahlii, C. novyi, C. piliforme, C. phytofermentans, C. sordellii, C. scatologenes, C. tetanie, C. tyrobutyricum and C. sporogenes. Five species of this genus are highly pathogenic. These are C. botulinum, C. perfringens, C. tetani, C. sordellii and C. difficile. C. botulinum causes botulism by producing toxin in food or wound. C. perfringens causes varied disease symptoms such as food poisoning, gas gangrene, enterotoxemia in cattle. This species also causes food spoilage. C. tetani causes tetanus. C. sordellii is a microbe associated with deaths of women post childbirth. C. difficile causes pseudo-membranous colitis. Both these genera of gram-positive bacteria are capable of producing endospores in response to nutrient depletion. According to Liu et al (2004), spores are dormant bacterial morphotypes able to endure harsh environments for decades, thus making it easier to be formulated and dispersed as a biological weapon. B. anthracis spores are highly persistent and can simply be â€Å"weaponized† for routing through air, food or water. The formulated spores are usually dry and concentrated, which can reach the human body by inhalation, ingestion, or cutaneous contact and cause anthrax. Infection is severe upon inhalation on endospores of B. anthracis. When inhaled, the spores enter lungs and reach deep into the alveolar spaces. From there they traverse into the medistinal and peribronchial lymph nodes. Once they reach the blood stream, they begin to multiply by switching on to the vegetative cycle and produce toxins that are lethal (Young and Collier, 2002). These are potential biodefense agents because, B. anthracis endospores when dispersed in the air as 1-to-5- µm particles may create a threat over a larger geographical location. In Russia, an accidental release of endospores from a military biologic-weapons facility in Sverdlovsk caused anthrax in humans as far as 4 km from the site, and cases in animals extended as far as 50 km away (Swartz, 2001). The detection of anthrax spores is also not easy and technologically also it is not realistic for rapid in-place detection to be done (Webb, 2003). Nevertheless, when diagnosed immediately the severity can be decreased, administration of oral antibiotic prophylaxis during the incubation stage has proved to be successful. However, once the fulminant stage is attained, the disease is clear of treatment and without doubt lethal (CDC, 2002). According to Inglesby et al. (2002), vaccination is supposedly effectual but the drawback is that a series of six shots over 18 months followed by annual booster shots is a pre-requisite for complete immunity. Therefore, it is obvious that when used as a biological weapon, spores of B.anthracis are capable of inflicting immeasurable torment on man and animals. This elects it to be an ideal candidate for biodefense. References CDC. (2002). Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (November, 2002) www. bt. cdc. gov_agent_anthrax_index. asp. Inglesby, T. V. , O’Toole, T. , Henderson, D. A. , Bartlett, J. G. , Ascher, M. S. , Eitzen, E. , Friedlander, A. M. , Gerberding, J. , Hauer, J. , Hughes, J. , et al. (2002). Anthrax as a Biological Weapon, J. Am. Med. Assoc. 287, 2236–2252. Liu, H. , Bergman, N. H. , Thomason, B. , Shallom, S. , Hazen, A. , Crossno, J. , Rasko, D. A. , Ravel, J. , Read, T. D. , Peterson, S. C. , Yates J. and Hanna, P. C. (2004). Formation and Composition of the Bacillus anthracis Endospore. Journal of Bacteriology. 186 (1), 164–178. Swartz, M. N. (2001). Recognition and management of anthrax an update. N Engl J Med. 345, 1621-1626. Webb, G. F. (2003). A silent bomb: The risk of anthrax as a weapon of mass destruction. PNAS. 100(8), 4355–4356 Young, J. A. T. and Collier, R. J. (2002) Attacking Anthrax. Sci. Am. 286, 48–59.

Social And Emotional Development Of Children

Social And Emotional Development Of Children Social and emotional development underpins effective learning, positive behaviour and the judgements they make in and out of school. Schools need to be places where emotions are accepted as normal, unthreatening, discussed freely, expressed safely strategies and support are written in statements and policies. A successful strategy that has been introduced into schools is SEAL, SEAL stands for social, emotional aspects of learning, and this is a school programme that focuses on the development and the application of social and emotional skills. Not only does SEAL consider the needs of the children but also all that work in the setting, providing support for them to implement the strategies that it highlights. Its important in the early years that practitioners understand that children develop at different rates; emotionally others are more mature than others. This is a similar situation for social development children that dont have enough social experiences from a young age are less likely to be social in a classroom due to lack of confidence. The theorist Bowlby is most famous for his attachment theory he devised the term maternal deprivation (Bowlby, n.d.) this was because he believed that if children were separated from their mothers at young age then they would be psychology damaged (Squire, 2007) this supports the theory that without enough social attachment and experiences in the early stages of life then children are more likely to be unconfident in social situations and find it harder to adapting to school life. The EYFS believe that all children are ready to learn. The EYFS (2012, pp.2) states that Development is not an automatic process, however. It depends on each unique child having opportunities to interact with positive relationships and enabling environments being a unique child emphasises more on the fact that children do develop at different rates. So having relationships with people and being in a encouraging environment helps develop children socially and emotionally, this is why its essential practitioners and schools provide these are much as possible. It is proven that in the 21st century children are more likely to worry about family, school, friendships from two decades ago (Blake, 2007). This is a worrying result because most people have the view that childhood should be carefree and trouble free. Schools have more pressure now more than ever to ensure that children have a safe and worry free environment to learn in. Social development is promoted in all child care settings, teachers are using group tasks more and involving children as much as possible, if they realise that a child is withdrawn then action is taken to involve this child such as talking to them and introducing new provisions such as a buddy system at play times so children can always have someone to socialise with. However when it comes to emotional development, I havent seen many provisions put into place to support this, some schools introduce schemes such as emotion sticks in which the children place their name in the pot with the emotion that they are feelin g that day, this quickly faded out because the children forgot and the practitioners forgot to remind the children that they need to do this, circle time is a popular way that schools choose to support emotional development, this is very effective in the early years, unfortunately not every school use circle time often because they dont have time and it wont fit into their curriculum so its often put aside. One way in which some schools promote emotional and social development is interacting with the community in which they live in, this gives children the sense of belonging and a strong self-image, this in turn builds self-esteem, the higher their self-esteem is then the more confident the child will be, making the most of opportunities especially throughout the school, because they have already had the experience of being involved with the charity event or helping the elderly they will be more confident in the social aspect of new activities but also emotionally because they have more confidence in what they can do. The every child matters document supports this strategy, the ECM has a section titled make a positive contribution helping the community is part of this. There are several strategies that schools use to support emotional and social development, in order to keep these as effective as possible, the school need to review the strategies as often as needed to ensure that they are working, if a method isnt working then another is chosen and used in the school. This can be done by monitoring the children whilst they are taking part in the strategies to see how they are using them, if they are engaged and involving themselves in them then this is a good sign however if a couple of children dont feel comfortable or utilising the method as desired then a different approach may need to be taken. Reviewing the strategies every term is a good way to see how effective it is, another strategy can then be introduced in the next term, and once the method that is the most effective in the school for the pupils, teachers and parents then it can be used throughout the school, different age groups may also need different strategies, older childrens emotio nal and social developmental needs will be different to the early years, this needs to be taken in consideration when planning approaches. Some schools may end up with 2 or 3 different methods being used in the school. One of the most recent strategies that schools use to support emotional and social development is the healthy schools scheme. This was set up to promote healthy eating and exercise in schools, not only does this promote concentration in the classrooms but it involves children in activities organised by the school, the way in which the schools implement this strategy is up to them, some may decide to use Activate or Wake Up Shake Up in their school day or by introducing healthy snacks at break and lunch time. A Healthy  School  promotes  the  health  and  well ­being  of  its  pupils  and  staff through  a well-planned,  taught  curriculum  in  a  physical  and  emotional environment  that  promotes  learning  and  healthy  lifestyle  choices (Departement of Health, 2007) This strategy was more important than ever in 2012 due to the London Olympic Games, children wanted to be more active in and out of schools, so having sports days and Olympic challenges was an ideal way to promote healthy schools further. The walking and cycling provisions that some schools use, involve the children in the community as well as being sociable, this supports the emotional and social development of children. However not all schools provide strategies such as these, some schools dont have the funding whereas others dont see it as an important aspect of childrens learning. When the scheme was first introduced thousands of schools took it on board however as the years have passed its become increasingly difficult for schools to motivate themselves to continue the strategy. In order for healthy schools to once again be a priority for schools, new ways of promoting healthy eating and exercise need to be put into place, schools could involve the children in this process, this would also make the children more motivated to actually do the activities because they have had an input. If a child is constantly being told that they are unhe althy therefore they need to take part in the schools activities, then their self-esteem is going to get lower and lower which has a considerable effect on the childs emotional welfare, they will eventually have a negative view of themself, schools need to be aware of this and ensure that no child is told they are unhealthy or lazy, every child needs to take part in the scheme as much as possible. In contrast to the recent impact of healthy schools, there has been numerous research and discussion about gender roles. There is the ultimate question of, are girls born automatically liking pink and boys liking blue? There will never be an exact answer to this question some will say its to do with nature whereas others will say affected by nurture. When children first come into a setting, they may feel pressure to go and play with the construction area if they are a boy or immediately go into the role play area if they are a girl. This attitude is changing and children are becoming more confident in their own decisions as to where they should play, however some parents heavily promote girls playing with dolls and putting on makeup the same is for boys, parents may want their son to play football or rugby which are heavily male influenced. This goes against the various strategies that schools are implementing to help prevent children feeling as though they dont have an individual id entity, which affects their emotional understanding. Dowling (2012, pp.159) agrees with this point young children will only become confused if values at home and nursery are in direct opposition Every classroom should be gender neutral with pale walls, and pictures of girls and boys playing in the different areas of the classroom, providing activities that both girls and boys can play with for example not just providing colouring pages for girls but for boys as well. However even though this method is being implemented, the media still goes against a gender neutral environment, portraying women in Disney films as being helpless and in danger and having a dashing knight coming to save the day, this gives children the perception that women are weaker and less brave then men. However this attitude will almost never be changed, companies know what makes them money and if it means giving children mixed views about themselves then they will continue to do it. Its essential that schools co ntinue to use the action that they are taking to help prevent these views coming into schools. Not only is it important that classrooms are inclusive, the practitioners also need have an understanding and agreement about inclusion, in order to provide equal opportunities for every child (Beaty, 2006) One of the most effective provisions that schools have introduced is circle time. Jenny Mosley is the brains behind the whole school approach towards circle time. Good behaviour management is key when doing circle time, the children need to know the rules that surround circle time, its a trusting place where the children can communicate with each other and discussing issues that they feel are important and is also a great opportunity for children to socialise with the rest of the class. Circle time can also be used as a anti bullying technique, if children arent getting along in or out of the classroom then this strategy can be used to give the children the opportunity to talk about their issues, this also opens their eyes to the fact that they may of really upset the other children, providing emotional awareness that a childs actions may affect another child and they may not even know it. Circle time works best when its not done too often; having circle time every day would be borin g for the children and the teacher and would lose the desired effect. It provides opportunities to learn how to listen and respect others; its also an emotionally safe place for children to be in with trusting people and a comfortable environment. (Circle Time, n.d.) However because circle time is the most effective when its done regularly, it can be easy to forget the routine of circle time missing circle time several weeks in a row can effect children because they may have something specific they want to say in circle time and dont get the opportunity to say it because the teacher has forgotten about circle time, this can be easily resolved the children could be responsible for reminding the teacher about circle time, having a day activity planner in a visible place that consists of pictures and words so the children can see what they are doing also, is a good way to inform that circle time will be happening, reassuring the children. Circle time additionally provides important tim e for children and practitioners to develop a trusting and positive relationship; this is why circle time is especially important in the first couple of weeks of term. The professional relationship between parents and teachers is just as important, parents and carers need to know that their child is safe and happy in the setting, if a parent has concerns about their child then the teacher is the first person that they will go to, for example if a parent thinks that their child is being bullied by another child in the class then the teacher and parent can work together to think of techniques to use in order to stop this happening, circle time could be one of the strategies used. A method that was used in a school to promote the relationships between child and teacher and parent and teacher was stay and play. This occurred once a week and parents or relatives had the choice to join in on activities in the classroom, it would start off by the teacher explaining what the activities were for, how they linked in with the curriculum and what the parents could do to further encourage the learning at home, the stay and play session lasted for 45 minutes, th e teacher answered any questions that they were asked, and the children enjoyed playing with the various activities in the classroom with the support from parents and teachers. This was a very effective strategy used in this school, and they can continue to maintain the building relationships by having parent councils like the one in Bruce Grove Primary School, they found a parent council very effective it provided opportunities for parents to communicate with one another and have their input into how they wanted their children to learn. This continues the positive relationship between schools and parents/carers, its essential that there is constant communication because they both want the children to learn and develop to the best of their ability, when children see the positive relationship between their parents and their teacher, it makes them comfortable around the teacher. Not only is the relationships within school important but the environment is equally important, the EYFS approach to the unique child consists of positive relationships and an enabling environment. An environment that provides opportunities and exploration also needs to make the child feel safe and secure. These positive environments from the EYFS (2012, pp.2) explain that they need to have stimulating resources, relevant to all the childrens cultures and communities successfully combining play and learning especially in early years settings, this is important because then children will link learning with being fun. Not only do schools need to support children with their emotional and social development but they also need to support them to take risks and explore new environments, children learn the most effectively through personal experiences so promoting these gives children more confidence in their abilities and having a better perception of themself. Positive relationships and e nabling environments ensures learning and development. Observing, assessing and planning ensures that strategies work in the setting and meet the childrens individual needs. Each section of the EYFS document are individual however they are all underpinned by the basic factors to successfully support childrens social and emotional development. Every unique child needs positive relationships from every direction; parents, teachers and fellow peers. Enabling environments that are supportive and positive these together will equal to learning and development.

Witch Trial Phenomena Essay -- essays research papers fc

In important respects, the great witch hunts began with the invention of the stereotypical witch in texts by professional demonologists. Prior to the publication of these texts, there was already widespread belief in magic both harmless and malicious. But not until the practice of magic became a religious warfare between God and his enemy the devil did community concerns about the practice of magic evolve into the desperate, sadistic trials that occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the idea that witchcraft was a reality rather than a myth suddenly made a comeback. Trials of individual witches in early modern Europe always began with specific accusations brought against a supposed witch by one or more of her neighbours. When the printing press was invented, writings could be distributed around Europe. The first and most significant written ideas of witchcraft available to a majority of people was the Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches) written by Sprenger and Kramer in 1486. The document made an important contribution to the widespread witch hunt. Sprenger and Kraemer proclaimed that not believing in the reality of witches was heresy. Sprenger and Kramer informed secular authorities to fight witches by any means necessary. It was followed by other texts that described, often in great detail, the alleged practices of witches, or that outlined the procedures for conducting a trial of a witch. These texts created some of main aspects of wild beliefs of witches that permeated Europe for two centuries: that witches had deviant sex with one another and with the devil, that they interfered in natural reproduction, that they caused death and disease and other natural occurrences such as storms and that they turned away from their Christian faith. In short that they threatened every form of religious and secular order. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, the seven deadly sins had came into place which had taken the place of the ten commandments.3 This made it sins against God rather than sins against fellow neighbours and the community. "witchcraft had been previously been the crime of harming neighbours by occult means ; now clerical intellectuals tied it firmly to devil-worship." creating a new vision of witches of being extreme heretics therefore leading the way to large persecutions to eradicate this evil and cause of disord... ...ration of the killing of women, London, 2000,pg 18 5 ibid.,pg 19 6 ibid.,pg 15 7 Norman, Davies, Europe A history, London, 1996, pg 556 8 Rob Briggs, Witches and Neighbours, London, 1996 pg 191 9 ibid.,pg 273 10 Norman, Davies, Europe A history, London, 1996, pg 566 11 Rob Briggs, Witches and Neighbours, London, 1996, pg 324 12 H.G. Koenigberger,, George. L. Mosse, G. Q. Bowler, europe in the sixteenth century, 2nd ed, England, 1989, pg 135 13 Rob Briggs, Witches and Neighbours, London, 1996, pg 323 14 ibid., pg 324 15 ibid.,pg 8 Bibliography: Briggs, Rob, Witches and Neighbours, London, 1996 Clarke, Stuart, Thinking with demons: the idea of witchcraft in early modern Europe, England, 1999 Davies, Norman, Europe A history, London, 1996 Heinemann, Evelyn, Witches : A psychoanalytical exploration of the killing of women, London, 2000 Koenigberger, H..G, George. L. Mosse, G. Q. Bowler, europe in the sixteenth century, 2nd ed, England, 1989 Willis, Deborah, Malevolent Nurture Witch- Hunting And Maternal Power In Early Modern England, United States of America, 1995 Electronic sources: Microsoft, Encarta, Encyclopedia Deluxe, 99, ‘Witchcraft’

The Conquoring of Othello in Shakespeares Story :: essays research papers

When we first meet Othello in Venice as he calmly responds to the passionate accusations of Brabantio he is, indeed, dignified and virtuous. Once Iago begins so to weave his sinister web, however, the worthy â€Å"general† changes quickly with the poison, and he does seem ill equipped to deal with the evil plan. Yet it is doubtful that it is Othello goodness which explains his destruction. To understand what happens to him, rather, we need to consider his ‘nine years’ on the ‘tentered field’ and his lack of experience with women – and men – beyond that. His experience is compounded by the insecurity he feels as a Moor in a racist society of Venice, and when confronted with the cunning and unmitigated evil of Iago, he is easily conquered. The calm dignity of Othello on his first appearance contrasts with what Iago and Brabantio have said about him in Act 1, Scene 1 (Roderigo and Iago telling Brabantio of Desdemona and Othello getting married). Othello is faced with an exceptionally rude, infuriated Brabantio. Othello’s response, â€Å"keep your bright swords for the dew will rust them†, exhibits his calm authority, rather than his supposes tendency to self – dramatization. Othello is a valuable and reliable soldier in the Venetian army. When Cyprus is threatened by the Turks, Othello is ordered to go to the battle. This shows that he is deeply trusted by the Venetians and he proves him self time and time again to be a priceless soldier. As we watch Othello rapidly sink into Iago’s trap, he becomes an irate, insecure, callous and irrational man. He no longer speaks and behaves sagaciously. He is now brutal, vindictive, and violent. He never really sees his own role in the tragedy, he sees him self as an honourable soldier. Iago succeeds in making Othello believe his loyal wife is having an affair with his lieutenant, Cassio, a belief that leads Othello to killing his Desdemona and later himself when he realises that he was wrongly and merely tricked by Iago. Although Othello does stab Iago, Iago lives. Iago uses him cunningness to destroy Othello. At the beginning of Act 3, Scene 3, Othello is perfectly happy with his marriage, and at the end of the play, he is planing to murder Desdemona and Cassio. To some extent it is Othello’s own nature and background, however which is respected for the ease with which Iago ruined him. The Conquoring of Othello in Shakespeare's Story :: essays research papers When we first meet Othello in Venice as he calmly responds to the passionate accusations of Brabantio he is, indeed, dignified and virtuous. Once Iago begins so to weave his sinister web, however, the worthy â€Å"general† changes quickly with the poison, and he does seem ill equipped to deal with the evil plan. Yet it is doubtful that it is Othello goodness which explains his destruction. To understand what happens to him, rather, we need to consider his ‘nine years’ on the ‘tentered field’ and his lack of experience with women – and men – beyond that. His experience is compounded by the insecurity he feels as a Moor in a racist society of Venice, and when confronted with the cunning and unmitigated evil of Iago, he is easily conquered. The calm dignity of Othello on his first appearance contrasts with what Iago and Brabantio have said about him in Act 1, Scene 1 (Roderigo and Iago telling Brabantio of Desdemona and Othello getting married). Othello is faced with an exceptionally rude, infuriated Brabantio. Othello’s response, â€Å"keep your bright swords for the dew will rust them†, exhibits his calm authority, rather than his supposes tendency to self – dramatization. Othello is a valuable and reliable soldier in the Venetian army. When Cyprus is threatened by the Turks, Othello is ordered to go to the battle. This shows that he is deeply trusted by the Venetians and he proves him self time and time again to be a priceless soldier. As we watch Othello rapidly sink into Iago’s trap, he becomes an irate, insecure, callous and irrational man. He no longer speaks and behaves sagaciously. He is now brutal, vindictive, and violent. He never really sees his own role in the tragedy, he sees him self as an honourable soldier. Iago succeeds in making Othello believe his loyal wife is having an affair with his lieutenant, Cassio, a belief that leads Othello to killing his Desdemona and later himself when he realises that he was wrongly and merely tricked by Iago. Although Othello does stab Iago, Iago lives. Iago uses him cunningness to destroy Othello. At the beginning of Act 3, Scene 3, Othello is perfectly happy with his marriage, and at the end of the play, he is planing to murder Desdemona and Cassio. To some extent it is Othello’s own nature and background, however which is respected for the ease with which Iago ruined him.

Free Essay on Symbols and Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter - The Symbolic Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Highly Symbolic Scarlet Letter Hyatt Waggoner, a noted Hawthorne scholar, says, "The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne's most widely read and admired novel and is also the one that has inspired the most inconclusive debate . . ." (Waggoner 118). Much of the trouble in interpreting The Scarlet Letter stems from the fact that the story is highly symbolic. The Scarlet Letter opens with the stark image of the throng of people surrounding the prison door. Hawthorne creates a mood by using the, "sadcolored," garment and, "gray, steeplecrowned hats," to give the reader a feeling a gloom and sadness. Among these dark, sad images Hawthorne interjects the wild red rose. As Hawthorne puts it, "to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow" (McMichael, 1033). The prison is symbolic of moral evil which would be sin and the cemetery is a symbol of natural evil which would be death. It is commonly agreed that the colors are used extensivly in The Scarlet Letter as symbols. This is illustrated by the scene by the prison door, but the use and importance of the symbol grows as the book moves along. Pearl, is often identified with the color red, which Waggoner identifies as evil. Pearl is not an evil child in the true sense of the word, but she is a reflection of her parent's immorality and their love. The color red, along with images of bright glow show Pearl to be the product of a moment of passion between Hester and Dimmesdale. Just like the red rose at the start of the story, Pearl is meant to relieve the sorrow and misery. The most famous symbol is of course the scarlet letter itself. Called, "The Elaborate Sign," by Waggoner, the letter A exhibits itself a number of times and in a number of ways throughout the story. The A may appear on Dimmesdale's chest, it appears as Pearl, in the sky as a huge letter formed by a comet; in the mirror at the Governor's mansion; and on Hester's tombstone (McMichael 1150). The letter itself is red, which at first glance would seem to confirm Mr. Waggoner's theory that red in the story is a representation of evil. A case can be made, however, that even in the letter A that red is symbolic of hope and spirit.

Aligning Elementary School to Middle School Curriculum Essay

There has been an upsurge in curriculum alignment actions among educational institutions in an attempt to reinforce the efficiency and effectiveness of instructions and assessment programs (Marsh & Willis, 2003). The need to eliminate the differences in both learning and teaching has compelled leaders in educational settings to examine the concepts and skills taught in educational institutions (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Also, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program of 2002 justifies the significance of curriculum alignment activities (Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006). In curriculum development, there are three essential areas that need great considerations. One, the curriculum document needs to â€Å"give direction, focus, and accountability in the learning environment. (Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006). Two, the curriculum document should be revised on a regular basis by at least two educational leaders and three; student outcomes that recognize what the learners acquire prior to graduation should align with the standards set by the state. According to Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, (2006) many educational institutions have not yet integrated successfully the essentials standards within their curriculum nor maintained a written document to guide instruction. Again, the important role of leaders in educational setting to develop and implement curriculum is evident with the alignment of taught, written and tested curriculum. Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006) also affirms that the lack of curriculum alignment can result to lower achievement where educators teach contents that is not part of the curriculum document and nor is it part of assessment material. This dissertation will analyze the curriculum articulation and alignment between elementary school and middle school social studies, specifically, fourth and seventh grade. Inclusive of this dissertation will be a plan to improve curriculum articulation and alignment between elementary school and middle school social studies as well as improve the academic progression of student and the consistency of the curriculum. Summary of Original Analysis The curriculum for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is a standards-based design that lays emphasis on the student’s ability. The curriculum is divided by subject, grade level and standard. It explains the core contents for each subject with proficiency descriptors. The curriculum document is relevant to the mission of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction as well as the objectives for the subjects. The Social Studies curriculum document for North Dakota Department of Public Instruction has five major themes for both elementary school and middle school as well as benchmark expectations in each category. The main ideas and academic expectations are the same for both schools. The design of subject matter for adjoining educational stages includes concepts, skills, understandings, and the core content useful in assessment. The curriculum documents of North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for the elementary and middle school comprise vertical alignment between the adjoining educational levels. The concepts, skills and understandings become more complicated amid the two educational levels. Therefore, learners should understand the concepts and skills of the elementary school before learning the concepts and skills of middle school. The concentration of the elementary school is narrower than that of middle school. The curriculum documents of both elementary and middle school do not exhibit horizontal alignment. Improvement of curriculum alignment, student progression and curriculum consistency Curriculum alignment is necessary to guarantee harmony between the curriculum’s intentions and the instruction of the curriculum by testing what is taught. In effect, there is little or no space left for differences in curriculum implementation. The educational leaders thereafter, assess educators by the degree in which the learners meet the set standards through standardized examination (Marsh & Willis, 2003). The vertical alignment links subjects that express a relationship and a particular order and then match the curriculum to the particular order. In this, students will gain vital knowledge prior to the next subject. The alignment aids in material reinforcement and offers teachers knowledge in relation to students’ ability. In addition, Melvin (2007 notes that vertical alignment enhances learning for students as well as communication between teachers at various educational levels. Horizontal alignment transversely brings together curriculum objectives between subjects. Horizontal alignment benefits learners in that learning transmits to new situation where students realize the significance of the knowledge gained (Wraga, 1999). The social studies curriculum within the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction between elementary and middle school, puts emphasis on standards and outlines objectives needed by students to learn. So as to improve curriculum alignment, it is necessary for curriculum at adjoining educational levels to lay emphasis on these objectives at every appropriate occurrence but not only within a particular grade. Glatthorns (1999) suggests it is important that the curriculum contain objectives for constant development, which can center on learning as well as testing when probable. Again, the curriculum should include enhancement units for all learners. Educators can then assess the standards and align the taught, written and tested curriculum. By gathering the acknowledged state standards and applying resourcefulness, tutors can develop unit which, will be interesting to the students. Teachers’ flexibility can also be put in play where the curriculum can be adjusted to meet the requirements and capability of the learners. In this strategy, educators align the written curriculum with the tested curriculum and the taught curriculum with the written one. As they implement the curriculum, In addition, teachers can include objectives for ongoing development and enhancement units. This process will allow learners to achieve high grades on tests while the ongoing students will have units of study that are comprehensive and thus will get their interest (Glatthorn, 1999). The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction maintains a standards-based curriculum that contains list of fundamental details and abilities at the lower end of Bloom’s Taxonomy, with no intention for connecting the fundamental details into more important outcomes of learning. Marsh and Willis (2003) contends that the progression that has been mandated by state would then be trussed by practical and fundamental knowledge with minimal consideration of lasting learning competency that is necessary to life as well as other areas of learning. A curriculum that lays out the necessity to address all students and concentrates on cognition development at a higher-level whilst keeping the standards-based curriculum is the most suitable to put into practice for the two adjoining educational stages (Wraga, 1999). A combined curriculum that is integrated, inclusive and student centered with holistic and multicultural aspects will enhance curriculum alignment both horizontally and vertically. In addition, this kind of curriculum will enhance learners’ academic progression and assist in curriculum consistency. Wraga (1999) admits that the standards-based curriculum must contain curriculum alignment of a larger curriculum that ensures lifelong learning. A curriculum that contains intrapersonal improvement encourages the learners to discuss learning and associate in relation to the learners’ life. Teaching and nurturing social skills through the curriculum allows cooperation of learners with other individuals, builds conflict resolution skills, and assists in team building. The curriculum within the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction shall integrate multicultural aspect so as to align the curriculum with the today’s society. Learners will get to value diverse culture and as a result develop communication among cultures. An all grade inclusive curriculum which is also adaptive is valuable to all learners; it will offer equal learning opportunities to students with disabilities as well as allow all students to embrace diversity among individuals. A student-centered curriculum focuses on the learners but not the curriculum materials, content to be covered or written goals. When there is implementation of a standards-based curriculum in association with a combined curriculum and high-stakes testing, students are assured of quality education. Layton & Lock (2007) asserts that student assessments are vital and in an effort to assist in academic progression of student educators should build tests that assess student learning correctly and adjust tests for the at-risk learners. Educators can unearth better ways of evaluating test results so as to identify learning needs of students and revise instruction. In addition this plan integrates authentic assessment. Authentic assessment demands the relevance and integration of skills vital to solve complicated problems and allows enhanced substantiation of the students’ ability to prosper in all situations. Learners have a chance to explain themselves allowing teachers to better understand the learning process and get instant feedback for learners. Furthermore, the application of authentic assessment sets up teacher collaboration and collegiality as well as expands the reflection and inquiry by the teacher. Conclusion Curriculum alignment involves matching a curriculum’s content to the use of tests so as to assess the learning of student (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Curriculum alignment calls for educational institutions to ensure consistence in the objectives, guides, textbooks, and tests that make up the curriculum (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Leaders in educational settings determine academic achievement through standard testing as a means to find out what happens in schools. Institutions of education emphasize effectiveness through increasing academic achievement where they term decline in academic achievement as a problem in the quality of the curriculum. Thus, aligning the intended curriculum with the taught curriculum seems to resolve this problem (Marsh & Willis, 2003). By integrating the previous aspects into the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction curriculum, a more significant learning experience can be achieved by both educators and students. Lastly, curriculum alignment will be seen, student academic progression as well as curriculum consistency will improve (Marsh & Willis, 2003). References Alexson, R. G. & Kemnitz, C. P. (2004): Curriculum articulation and transitioning student success: Where are we going wrong and what lessons have we learned? Educational Research Quarterly, Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals database. Accessed on September 26, 2007 Biessman, J. B. (2006): An examination of curriculum articulation in Wisconsin high school and post-secondary introductory biology courses. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. Accessed on September 25, 2007. Carnoy, M. (2005): Have state accountability and high-stakes test influenced student progression rates in high school? Educational Measurement, Issues and Practice, 24. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 26, 2007. Clarke, N. A. , Kayona, F. , Stow, S. , Ruebling (2006): Developing standards-based curricula and assessments: Lessons learned from the field. Retrieved from EBSCO host database. Accessed on September 26, 2007, Cumming, J. J. & Maxwell, G. S. (1999): Contextualizing authentic assessment. Assessment in Education, 6. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 26, 2007 Hodgkinson, H. (2000). Educational demographics: What teachers should know. Educational Leadership. John, B. (2003): Curriculum audits: achieving alignment for student success. Education Today. Retrieved from CBCA Complete database. Accessed on September 26, 2007. Odden, A. (2000): The costs of sustaining educational change through comprehensive school reform. Ornstein, A. C. & Levine, D. U. (1990): School effectiveness and reform: Guidelines for action. Porter, A. C. (2005): Getting the Content of Instruction Right. Retrieved from CBCA Complete database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Layton, C. A. & Lock, R. H. (2007): Use authentic assessment techniques to fulfill the promise of no child left behind. Intervention in School and Clinic. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Marsh, C. J. , & Willis, G. (2003): Curriculum: Alternative approaches, ongoing issues, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Wraga, W. G. (1999). The educational and political implications of curriculum alignment and standards-based reform. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Young, M. L. (2004): High-stakes assessment and school accountability: A multicase study describing and comparing the best practices of five K–6 elementary schools that have demonstrated significant increases in student achievement as measured by the norm-referenced SAT-9 assessment and the Academic Performance Index of California. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. Accessed on September 25, 2007

Letters Home

Kristin Strickland History 370 Book Essay March 21, 2013 Letters from Vietnam I found that trying to find a book to read about the Vietnam War was rather difficult because there are so many of them out there. I chose Letters from Vietnam edited by Bill Adler because it was a point of view from many soldiers in the war and they were what they were truly feeling at the time. It is not one point of view when you read this many letters and a little background on each of the authors, but there are many points of views, feelings and emotions to help us better understand what they were going through emotionally and physically while overseas.When I first opened the book to the introduction section I was not sure what I was going to find because a lot of times they filter what is out there for us to read or stick to one scheme. This book has went any should us how many of the people felt and under different schemes. I know that Dr. Lofthus always says, â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand wor ds†, while in class but reading someone else’s words is worth much more and when done correctly you can feel what they were feeling when they wrote them.One of the first letters that I read that really stuck out and made me understand that they had to define things to their families and explain what some terms and other things were that maybe they were hearing from the news stations, was a letter written by First Lieutenant James Michener. He wrote the letter in the book while he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam from 1966-1967. The letter was dated November 17, 1966 from Tuy Hoa, Vietnam and he starts by explaining the reason that he hasn’t written in a while is because he was away from his base for over a week.He goes on to say, â€Å"We were there to furnish air support to units of the IV (Fourth) Infantry Division (â€Å"Ivy Division†) and the 101st Airborne Division (â€Å"Screaming Eagles†). These units were making a general sweep of an area about one hundred miles square. They were looking for Victor Charlie (â€Å"VC†) – that’s what we call him. † While First Lieutenant Michener was writing letters to his family he explained many things about what he was seeing to having his helicopter hit with a bullet. You could tell from his letters that he was fighting for what he believes in. In the chapter titled â€Å"Reflection†, Sgt.David Glading writes a letter home to his girlfriend. He goes on to write, â€Å"It’s a beautiful night, moons out, stars, and no clouds, ya don’t even need a flashlight. I had just finished reading the paper and found a poem, so I’m sending it along. You know, you hear and read about all the things that go on over here, but don’t really understand or believe them until you see it. I’ve seen old men beat women, girls, little boy, and young men, I’ve seen the dead and wounded, and I’ve seen little children cry when their fathers are taken away. † I could not imagine writing a letter like that back home to a loved one.It would be hard to tell them the things that I have seen or how I was feeling. I would want to lie so that they thought I was ok and that everything was fine, but many of these letters if not all can be read and not give families the reassurance that they need. I want to end by saying that I received many letters and emails from my husband while he was in Iraq. He never once let on if anything was wrong. He always asked about our kids or how I was doing. He would tell me when he wanted a new picture or socks, but he never let on as to what he saw until after he was home.He would always reassure me that things were fine when the news would say something else, or when one of our aircraft from the base crashed he would call and tell me he was fine. I am not sure how I would handle a letter like these if they were sent to me. I did not live through that era, but I am sure that it helped them get the things off their chests and out of their minds so that they could continue what they were doing and not have all that accumulated inside. It is good to get it out and now we have all of these wonderful letters to give us an idea and understanding of what they all faced during the Vietnam Era.

Managing Change: Important for Business Organizations

â€Å"The ability to managing change Is an important factor for today's business organization to remain competitive and relevant† Critically analyze and discuss the above statement and in particular discussed the type of changes that an organization is subjected to and the effect of these changes to the organization.In addition, your discussion should include strategies in managing these changes Assessment Requirements Individual Type-written Report Maximum word length allowed is 3000 words The required content of the document produced Is required to be within specific axiom work lengths (In brackets) and to cover the specific areas as follows:- 1. A table of contents 2. A list of figures and/ or list of tables where appropriate 3. Executive Summary-( 10 marks -300 words) 4. Introduction -( 10 marks -300 words) 5.Literature Review-& Critical Analysis (60 marks -2100 words) 6. Conclusions- -( 10 7. References Presentation – 10 marks 8. Bibliography 9. Appendices if appro priate This assignment Is worth 50% of the final assessment of the module. Student is required to submit a type-written document in Microsoft Word format with Times New Roman font type, size 12 and line spacing of 1. 5. The Harvard Style of Referencing system is COMPULSORY. Necessary citations and references adopting the Harvard Referencing System.Students who have been found to have committed acts of Plagiarism are automatically considered to have failed the entire semester. If found to have breached the regulation for the second time, you will be asked to leave the course. Plagiarism involves taking someone else's words, thoughts, ideas or essays from online essay banks and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously. Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don't leave it lying around where your classmates can find it.Malaysian Qualifications Agency Learning Outcomes Module Learning Outcome After completing the module, the student s hould be able to: Advance a multidimensional understanding of the drivers of globalization Critically evaluate a range of normative questions in relation to the effects of globalization on the economy and organization Have insights into contingency factors of technological advancement and environmental uncertainty which influence the decision to globalize Notes on Plagiarism & Harvard Referencing Plagiarism Plagiarism is passing off the work of others as your own.This constitutes academic theft and is a serious matter which is penalized in assignment marking. Plagiarism is the submission of an item of assessment containing elements of work produced by another person(s) in such a way that it could be assumed to be the student's own work.Examples of plagiarism are: the verbatim copying of another person's work thou acknowledgement the close paraphrasing of another person's work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgement the unacknowled ged quotation of phrases from another person's close paraphrasing with occasional acknowledgement of the source may also be deemed to be plagiarism if the absence of quotation marks implies that the phraseology is the student's own.Plagiarisms work may belong to another student or be from a published source such as a book, report, Journal or material available on the internet. Harvard Referencing The structure of a citation under the Harvard referencing system is the author's surname, year of publication, and page number or range, in parentheses, as illustrated in the Smith example near the top of this article. The page number or page range is omitted if the entire work is cited. The author's surname is omitted if it appears in the text. Thus we may say: â€Å"Jones (2001) revolutionized the field of trauma surgery. Two or three authors are cited using â€Å"and† or â€Å"&†: (Deane, Smith, and Jones, 1991) or (Deane, Smith ; Jones, 1991). More than three authors are cited using et al. (Deane et al. 1992). An unknown date is cited as no date (Deane n. D. ). A reference to a reprint is cited with the original publication date in square brackets (Marx [1867] 1967, p. 90). If an author published two books in 2005, the year of the first (in the alphabetic order of the references) is cited and referenced as AAA, the second as Bibb. A citation is placed wherever appropriate in or after the sentence.If it is at the end of a sentence, it is placed before the period, but a citation for an entire block quote immediately follows the period at the end of the block since the citation is not an actual part of the quotation itself. Complete citations are provided in alphabetical order in a section following the text, usually designated as â€Å"Works cited† or â€Å"References. † The difference between a â€Å"works cited† or â€Å"references† list and a bibliography is that a bibliography may include works not directly cited in the text. All citations are in the same font as the main text. Examples Examples of book references are: Smith, J. (AAA).Dutch Citing Practices. The Hogue: Holland Research Foundation. Smith, J. (Bibb). Harvard Referencing. London: Jolly Good Publishing. In giving the city of publication, an internationally well-known city (such as London, The Hogue, or New York) is referenced as the city alone. If the city is not internationally well known, the country (or state and country if in the U. S. ) are given. An example of a Journal reference: Smith, John Maynard. â€Å"The origin of altruism,† Nature 393, 1998, up. 639-40. An example of a newspaper reference: Boycott, Owen. â€Å"Street Protest†, The Guardian, October 18, 2005, accessed February 7, 2006.

Luxury Market in China Essay

China is positioned to become the world’s largest luxury market in five years and a study by Datamonitor reported China’s luxury goods market was worth $9. 4billion by the end of 2009, which accounted for 27. 5% of the world’s luxury goods market. [1] They also predict that by 2015, China’s market will be valued at $14. 6billion. The main driver of this growth in the luxury gods market is the extreme wealth creation that China has experiences in the past ten years as its GDP has grown 10% annually on average, which is three times more than the global GDP. Investment Week quotes a recent World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch Cap Gemini stating that there are 477,000 Chinese millionaires and China is also leading the world with the number of billionaires (Investment week. [2]) The combination of the staggering growth of the Chinese economy creating such great private wealth and the political and social evolution China has gone through over the last 30 years has created a tidal wave of opportunity for luxury retailers. Politically, China has gone through many changes over the last thirty years that has primed the economy and citizens for a surge in individualism and the pride in the ability to afford and purchase luxury goods. In 1976 Mao Zedong passed away and in 1979 the One Child Policy was introduced and applied by China’s new leader, Deng Xiaoping. China’s population was growing at an alarming rate and in order to curb this growth rate, Chinese were limited to having one child per household. Fast-forward thirty years and these only children, who have been raised by 6 parents, has created a â€Å"little emperor† mentality where their every desire it met, and is recently being satiated by Western goods. They now have buying power and they are spending it on high priced goods. The choices and options available today are a stark contrast to the limitations their parents experienced thirty years prior in a vastly different political time. Socially, China has always been a country deeply embedded in traditions such as gift giving, saving face and the respect for the hierarchal society. These traditions all stem from â€Å"guanxi,† the all-important notion of relationships, which is what drives business and social status. The culture of relationships is paramount for being successful in China so the combination of mass wealth and the traditions all surrounding Guanxi has attributed to the exponential growth of the luxury market in China. Although the Chinese have been known to be a culture of saving, the tides have shifted and the 20-30 something’s have created a society of excessive spending due to extravagant purchases to support their new tastes as well as these traditions. The new breed of buyers are young and are embracing their freedom to purchase in their capitalistic society, which is a far cry from their parents socialist upbringing. Therefore both social and political changes have created this perfect storm of excess, which is fueling the luxury good market in China and for many years to come. Mao Zedong, the leader of China from 1949 until his death in 1976 is still regarded as a controversial figure but his rule and communist policies molded the beliefs of many parents and grandparents living in China today. Under Mao’s rule there was no individualism and consumption was controlled. Mao is regarded as a great leader in China as he is thought to have laid the groundwork for China becoming the great power that it is today as a result of his leadership of the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. While he did create the building blocks for present day China, he has been compared to communist leaders like Hitler and Stalin. He urged citizens to reject capitalism and even at one point â€Å"proposed the Socialist Education Movement (SEM) in an attempt to educate the peasants to resist the temptations of feudalism and the sprouts of capitalism that he saw re-emerging in the countryside. †[3] The citizens living in these times are now parents and while their lifestyles are very conservative, they are raising children in a very different political environment. Their children didn’t have a communist ruler and therefore have different views on modesty and consumption. While there is still a strict focus on studying and discipline, the focus on success and showing that you are successful has been morphed into an obsession with Western brands showing pride in ones accomplishments. Even as young children the Western culture is quite alluring, with children asking to be rewarded for good grades by going to McDonalds as we were told by one of the speakers. Today in China, people are who they wear. Even as Nicole from LVMH mentioned, the Chinese are obsessed with showing that they are wearing designer brands that you will see some wearing clothes and sunglasses with the tags still on them to show who the designer is. These â€Å"nouveau riche† are the products of parents who didn’t have any choices and now they are embarrassing their freedom to chose. Forbes reported â€Å"the average Chinese luxury consumer will spend roughly 11% of her income on luxury handbags along. †[4] They also go on to say that these consumers are â€Å"highly educated and highly motivated to identify products that will complement his or her individuality and rising power. †4 Parents of these kids weren’t allowed to have individuality, but now their children are not only wanting it but also seeking it with huge spending power. Spending 11% of your income on a luxury bag shows the emotional and mental bond to these luxury items. In the US simply to qualify for a loan for a mortgage, your total debt can’t be more than 45% of your income. To think that a quarter of that goes towards handbags alone not even included likely purchases like luxury cars, wines etc makes me think if this type of spending is going to be sustainable for the Chinese market. In China, there were many nice cars, but I didn’t think that perhaps these people are driving cars they can’t afford. I am used to the United States where living on credit is a way of life, but this takes it to a whole new level. The millionaires are able to afford this, but if a middle class person is spending such a high percentage of her income on something like handbags, its going to create an economy where nobody can afford to buy a house and retirement is never attainable. One of the Bentley students that sat with us at lunch mentioned that she wanted to buy a house but that she couldn’t without her parent’s financial support due to the 50%-70% down payment required. She and most young people are lucky that their parents have saved and will be able to help them, but for those in the younger generation who aren’t saving won’t be able to help their kids and there might be a whole future generation who can never afford to own property. These younger generations parents grew up in a communist and socialist society, where there isn’t the ability to care about status, but status and luxury has now become the currency in China. The millionaires in China are younger with an average age of 39. [5] These young millionaires enjoy showing their status with nice things from great bottles of wine, cars to handbags. They are achieving success and are looking to reward themselves with nice things, which also shows status among their peers. A report on the watch market, mentioned that men â€Å"need a watch of a certain quality to be part of the social circle. †[6] The need to show status and create a sense of belonging in a social group has become so apparent that retailers are taking notice and even creating products specifically for the Chinese buyer. Mercedes Benz is even making a car with a longer wheelbase for the Chinese businessmen who are chauffeured around and need to have more room in the back which is a big difference from the rest of the world where carmakers are creating smaller cars that consume less energy and are more economical. [7] The retailers and manufacturers of world are taking note that the new Chinese buyer is very different from their parents given all of the political changes of the past few decades. While the political changes are one factor in the shift of buying trends, policy has also been a great factor and one specifically is the One Child Policy, which was introduced in 1979. This policy has created what many call, the â€Å"Little Emperor† society as a result of one child being raised by 6 parents (on immediate and two sets of grandparents. ) These children have grown up being catered to and supported by six people and now their wants and needs are changing, as they get older. Where as their parents likely gave them the best they could afford, these 20 and 30 something’s are becoming obsessed with Western brands, which cost a premium. Even with a 30% import tax, individuals who grew up getting what they wanted are buying these Western luxury brands, at times spending their entire months salary on a handbag. Although their parents had a culture of saving, this new generation tastes for highly taxed Western goods to show status has greatly changed this cultural norm. For this generation to keep up with their friend, they have forgone the notion of saving in replacement of a life full of luxury goods with no savings. I spoke to Mico about this on the bus and she mentioned that her friends spend all of their money on luxury goods and there’s now a saying in Chinese that means that you spend all of your money that you make that month. She mentioned that buying fakes is a faux pas and that they only buy the real things, which is what leads to them spending all of their money. She noted that this was very different from the upbringing of her parents who were brought up saving almost 40% of their money. In the popular market that we went to in Shanghai, there were almost no Chinese in there and when we asked Mico if she went to the market to get knockoffs, she said that knockoffs’ were â€Å"so three years ago. † It quickly became apparent why That is there where Chinese people in the markets; they are in the real stores buying the real thing. In the streets it was quite apparent that everyone had designer bags and clothing on, but this was mainly in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou. In Xi’an there was still a feeling of communism, everything was still grey and there weren’t many people sporting their designer clothes. The opportunity right now is in the 1s tier cities and many retailers are trying to expand to the 2nd and 3rd tier cities. The opportunity in China purely based on the enormous populations in these cities. The first focus for the retailers were the tier 1 cities and now the 2nd and 3rd tier cities will be paramount for companies to sustain this continued growth. While political changes have made way for the change in buying and spending trends of young Chinese buyers, tradition has maintained an important part of the culture across all generations of Chinese and the luxury market surge has been fueled by these traditions. Guanxi, the focus on relationships as part of the Chinese culture has many components, one of which is the value of gift giving as a sign of respect. Gift giving is a huge part of Chinese culture, most prominent around the Chinese New Year, but a very large part of life socially and professionally year round. According to the authors of the book â€Å"The Cult of the Luxury Brand,† â€Å"quanxi†¦is the single biggest factor spurring the growth of luxe in China. †[8] When you give a gift to someone in China, it means you are thanking him or her for helping you but also solidifies your â€Å"guanxi† with them and continues the future relationship. Luxury items are now raising the bar in gift giving as recipients truly appreciate the luxury gifts and merchants have reported â€Å"frantic levels of spending† 8 all at once by shoppers who are looking to purchase gifts for their business partners and friends. The culture of saving face plays into this as well since the more luxurious the gift, the better. If you are looking to show great gratitude and â€Å"save face† then you will purchase a luxury item as a gift. In business face is extremely important so even Western brands are also learning this culture of gift giving, as they know the importance of partners in their business so they are making sure to take care of them by giving great gifts. In addition to the culture of gift giving that has fueled the luxury market growth, the culture of hierarchal respect has also attributed to this. Many Chinese of the younger generation believe that luxury products â€Å"mark where you have traveled up to but they also give you permission to continue succeeding. †[9] In a culture where you are competing with so many people and success is so important, it’s easy to see how luxury products represent achieving a certain social status and also denotes the fact that you will stay in that status. As Nicole from LVMH was speaking to us she noted that there are usually 40-50 students in each classroom. Students from an early age learn to be one in a large crowd, but as they get older and look to prove to the world what they have accomplished, and they use designer goods to reflect their status. The irony of this is that one would think that after growing up being one in a crowd, one would think that they would want to show status and individuality, but the items they purchase to show their status is exactly what their peers have chosen, which is likely a Louis Vuitton handbag. For instance, although it was quite conducive to the weather, when we were in China, every single person had Ugg boots on. In the US while Ugg is a popular brand, there are many more brands being worn, as there are many more tastes expressed by individuals. It was very interesting to see that there was a proliferation of a small number of brands, namely Louis Vuitton, as I came to quickly realize that the Chinese want to wear brands that are recognizable. While they are moving towards a more individualistic society, their tendency to be one of a group is still quite prominent. They do value the luxury brands to show status, but their need to be part of a group, albeit a high status group, is still quite unmistakable in the sea of Gucci and Louis Vuitton purses that were worn like a badge of honor by the women of China. The trip to China was quite eye-opening form the perspective of a Westerner who is used to a more modest lifestyle with an abundance of variety. The flashy cars and purses were immediately apparent from Beijing through Shanghai, but as I sit here thinking about the political and social changes that China has gone through in the past few decades, I only with I was smart enough to somehow capitalize on this. China is a fascinating country to visit given its great history and culture that is evident today, but it’s also great to have visited a country that is still going through many changes and evolving at such a rapid rate. While the rest of the world is clearly evolving, China is doing so at an exponentially quicker rate than most and that was quite clear with the sea of cranes in every city putting up buildings everywhere. I do believe that culture will always be a part of the Chinese people and lifestyle, but it will be interesting to see when this locomotive of luxury obsession begins to ebb or if China will meet its own credit crunch in the coming years given the drastic change in spending habits that the younger generations have adopted. [1] â€Å"Chinese appetite for premium products growing despite slowing economic activity. † Datamonitor July 20010, English ed. : 16. Print. [2] Andrea Gerst and Scilla Huang Sun, â€Å"China’s passion for luxury goods increases,† Investment Week, September 6, 2010. [3] â€Å"Cultural China,†http://history. cultural-china. com/en/46H9449H13452. html [4] Evelyn Rusli, â€Å"What Chinese Shoppers Want,† Forbes, March 8, 2010. [5] Andrea Gerst and Scilla Huang Sun, â€Å"China’s passion for luxury goods increases,† Investment Week, September 6, 2010. [6] Florent Bondoux, â€Å"Luxury watches find booming market in China,† Media, September 10, 2009, 17. [7] â€Å"Lengthened Mercedes-Benz E-Class to hit Chinese shores† http://www. benzinsider. com/2010/04/lengthened-mercedes-benz-e-class-to-hit-chinese-shores/ [8] â€Å"China Luxury,† http://app1. hkicpa. org. hk/APLUS/0710/p24_29. pdf [9] â€Å"Is China’s Luxury Goods Market a ‘Pot of Gold’ for Marketers? † Knowledge at Wharton, assessed July 27, 2007, http://english. cri. cn/2946/2007/07/27/199@254317. htm.