Veteran Mental Illness and System Justification Theory

Veteran Mental Illness and System Justification Theory Rates of mental illness are rising among Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This social problem has had significant consequences, such as spikes in homelessness, unemployment and suicides in this population. Many argue there are too many barriers to mental health treatment in a society that stigmatizes mental illness and undervalues mental health care. Research supports this assertion, particularly within the Veteran population (Greene-Shortridge, Britt, Castro, 2007). System justification theory offers an explanation for why society stigmatizes mental illness in spite of the devastating consequences of treatment underutilization. As noted previously, system justification†¦show more content†¦It also cannot explain why society does not blame Veterans for their mental health problems. One possibility is that Veterans, even those with mental illness, are considered to be an advantaged group. Therefore, their suffering challenges the status quo and requires intervention. However, this argument is weak because it cannot explain why Veterans are stigmatized at all. Finally, the theory presumes that society values the status quo, so it cannot explain why a society might embroil itself in a long war. Veteran Mental Illness and Social Conflict Theory Most argue that rising rates of Veteran mental illness are a result of treatment access issues. As noted above, stigma around mental illness not only leads society to underfund mental health care, but it also prevents the mentally ill from seeking treatment. However, others have argued that stigma merely exacerbates a problem that is caused by something much larger: war itself. Jones (2013) maintains that war permanently changes those it touches, including soldiers and civilians. She suggests the mental health crisis among returning Veterans should be attributed to the lasting effects of combat exposure. War is easily explained through the lens of social conflict theory, a sociological theory that suggests society tends toward conflict because it is made up of groups with competing interests and unequal resources. The theory proposes that aShow MoreRelatedThe Advancement Of Medicine And Technology1599 Words   |  7 Pagesthat live w ith horrifying illnesses, death does not always seem to be the worst idea. Depression and other mental illnesses are known to drive victims into high stress situations and eventually suicide. Over 30,000 people in the United States die annually because of suicide, and considering ninety percent of those deaths have direct ties to mental illness; research must be done to fight mental diseases (NIH). Although first developed in 1938, electroconvulsive therapy remained too dangerous for scientistsRead MorePersonal Experience Of Science2166 Words   |  9 Pagesa sense that there was something more to be had than the rational present. Such complexity bred a wish for simpler solutions, smaller havens and understandable solutions (Brehm et al., ibid). And there began the long flight from rationalism, from theory into pragmatics (Omer Dar, 1992, cited in Dar, Serlin, Omer, 1994) where personal experience and feelings took center stage and evidence took the rear. My personal attitudes towards science echoed in many ways that process above, beginning byRead MoreCase110038 Words   |  41 Pagescuts to the budget and, in addition, reassess their long-term organizational strategy. One study analyzed the costs and benefits of different Pine Street programs; the other analyzed the length of stay for each newcomer to the Pine Street shelter system over a year-long period. Both studies were useful, Downie said, but data from the latter would prove life-altering for the 40-year-old homeless shelter, locally famous for its willingness to take in the most difficult and impaired segment of the   city’sRead MoreCorrectional Administration Reviewer18383 Words   |  74 Pagesis inflicted by the group in its corporate capacity upon one who is regarded as a member of the same group. b. Punishment involves pain or suffering produced by designed and justified by some value that the suffering is assumed to have. ï  ½ THEORIES OF JUSTIFICATION OF PENALTIES: 1. Prevention. The state must punish the criminal to prevent or suppress the danger to the state arising from the criminal acts of the offender. 2. Self-defense. The state has the right to punish the criminal as a measure ofRead MorePros and Cons of Us Healthcare System10039 Words   |  41 PagesHealth Care System October 19, 2012 Table of Contents I. Problem/Issue Statement 5 II. Literature Review 6 III. Problem Analysis 22 A. Government involvement 22 B. Coverage and Access 24 C. Wait times 24 D. Price of health care 25 E. Medical professionals 26 F. Drugs 27 G. Technology 28 H. Malpractice Litigation 28 I. Health Care Outcome 29 IV. Solutions and Implementation 29 V. Justification 31 VI. References 35 Executive Summary In this paper, the USA healthcare system is beingRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesCourier/Kendallville. The cover was printed by Courier/Kendallville. This book is printed on acid free paper. Copyright  © 2010, 2007, 2005, 2002 John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permissionRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagespublishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproductio n, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions DepartmentRead MoreOverview of Hrm93778 Words   |  376 Pagesand selection) †¢ Human resource development †¢ Compensation and benefits †¢ Safety and health †¢ Employee and labor relations †¢ Records maintaining, etc. †¢ HR research (providing a HR information base, designing and implementing employee communication system). †¢ Interrelationship of HR functions. A. What is human resource management? As we said that HRM is the management of people working in an organization, it is a subject related to human. For simplicity, we can say that it is the management of humansRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesexperts do say that stream water will be safe if you boil it for a minute or two. Giardia is caused by protozoa which can’t live for long at high temperature. Other micro-organisms can survive this heating, but they usually won’t cause any human illness. The reason people use water-purification tablets instead of boiling is for convenience; using the tablets avoids all the extra time for the water to boil and then later to cool to drinking temperature. Now lets turn to the principles of logicalRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesII—MEDICARE BENEFICIARY IMPROVEMENTS Subtitle A—Improving and Simplifying Financial Assistance for Low Income Medicare Beneficiaries Subtitle B—Reducing Health Disparities Subtitle C—Miscellaneous Improvements TITLE III—PROMOTING PRIMARY CARE, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, AND COORDINATED CARE TITLE IV—QUALITY Subtitle A—Comparative Effectiveness Research Subtitle B—Nursing Home Transparency Subtitle C—Quality Measurements Subtitle D—Physician Payments Sunshine Provision Subtitle E—Public Reporting

Pre Revolutionary War Attitudes Free Essays

By the 1750’s, Americans began to query their involvement with the British Empire by establishing their own identity and unity as Americans. The colonist began to see a strong display of British oppression. Taxes and the different Acts, such as the Intolerable Acts caused the colonists to believe that it would be better if they were separated from their mother country. We will write a custom essay sample on Pre Revolutionary War Attitudes or any similar topic only for you Order Now Colonists also felt that some of their rights and liberties were being taken away by the British Empire. By the eve of the revolution colonist had a sense of identity of an American. America became the melting pot of the world. Colonist began to think of themselves as a new race of men (Document H). Colonist slowly dismissed their ancient dispositions and demeanor and accommodated new ones (Document H). With a natural barrier (the ocean) between Great Britain and America, colonist started to think of the colonies as a separate nation (Document B). The ocean caused the colonist to believe that they were separated from the mother land for a reason (Document B). They believed that the ocean was there to prevent the colonies from blending with Great Britain (Document B). Since colonists were separated from Great Britain they considered having their own congress (Document D). The colonist would rather have three thousand people who is living near them and who can see the problems they are facing govern them rather than have one person govern them that isn’t there and doesn’t know what’s going on in the area the colonist are located at (Document D). Another act of identity is show in 1774 and 1775 (Document G). During those years Boston wasn’t relying on Great Britain to provide them with donations of goods, such as food, animals, or money (Document G). This illustrates that the colonies don’t need to confide on Great Britain and they can depend on the other colonies alternatively. Throughout these events it is evident that the colonists are displaying a sense of identity. Before the revolution, the colonist displayed many acts of unity. In 1754, a picture of a cut up snake was posted in the Pennsylvania Gazette (Document A). Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"If not united to form a whole snake, then the snake cannot survive†. The picture displayed that if the colonies do not come together as one united nation, it is possible that the different colonies could perish (Document A). This picture could have motivated the colonies to act as one nation. In 1774, it was said that a very small corrupted Junto, a self appointed committee in New York acknowledged the idea that all of North America was united (Document C). The Junto also acknowledged that North America was determined to defend their rights and liberties endlessly against Great Britain (Document C). On July 6, 1775, the representatives of the United Colonies of North America met in Congress at Philadelphia to talk about going to war (Document E). Colonists were daring to start rebellions and resist their authority to preserve their liberties (Document E). The representatives were under the impression that all the colonist had the same state of mind. They thought that they would rather die as freemen rather than like slaves (Document E). Another unifying act of the colonies was when many of the colonies donated food, animals, money, and etc to Boston in 1774 and 1775 (Document G). The colonies donated goods due to the Intolerable Acts, when the British closed the Boston ports. This illustrates that the colonist were willing to come and work together to help other colonies in need. Throughout these events it is evident that the colonists are displaying a sense of unity. Throughout history there has been many acts of Americans developing a sense of identity and unifying as one nation. Americans were very devoted to making sure they were not taken advantage of by Great Britain. Although Americans had to fight for their independence and their liberties they were able to push and break free from the British Empire. How to cite Pre Revolutionary War Attitudes, Essay examples

Palpitation Traditional And Modern Medicine -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Palpitation Traditional And Modern Medicine? Answer: Introduction Chemotherapy is the treatment that involves medication and combination of medications for treating cancer, whose mechanism of action prevents the abnormal cell growth by inhibiting the microtubule function, DNA synthesis and protein function (von Minckwitz et al., 2012). The cytotoxic chemotherapy can be cell dependant, arresting the growth of the cancer cells at the specific phases of the cell cycle. There are several therapies that target the pathway such as the Alkylating agents, Anti-metabolites, Anti-microtubule agents, antitumor antibiotics and Topoisomerase II inhibitors (von Minckwitz et al., 2012). The chemotherapy given after the radiation or the surgery is called the adjuvant chemotherapy, it destroys any cancer cells left in the body after the surgery and the chemotherapy applied before the surgery is known as the neo-adjuvant therapy. In this therapy the tumor is shrinked for making removing it easily surgically(von Minckwitz et al., 2012). Palpitation Palpitation is the rapid, strong and irregular heartbeat caused due to stress, exercise, medications, strong emotional responses, anxiety, panic attacks, and hormonal changes. Heart palpitation can be a sign of clinical problems like hypothyroidism, arrhythmia, tachycardia, bradycardia and irregular heart rhythm. Palpitation may lead to cardiac arrest, stroke, and heart failure (Ershadifar et al., 2014). Percussion It is an assessment technique that produces sound by the physician tapping on the chest wall of the patient. Tapping on the wall of the patient's chest can produce sounds based on the amount of air present in the lungs. It is mainly done for determining the size, borders and the consistency of the body organs, the absence or the presence of fluid in body areas (Osadnik et al., 2012). References Ershadifar, T., Minaiee, B., Gharooni, M., Isfahani, M. M., Nasrabadi, A. N., Nazem, E., ... Saleh, D. K. (2014). Heart palpitation from traditional and modern medicine perspectives. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 16(2). Osadnik, C. R., McDonald, C. F., Jones, A. P., Holland, A. E. (2012). Airway clearance techniques for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3. Scher, H. I., Fizazi, K., Saad, F., Taplin, M. E., Sternberg, C. N., Miller, K., ... Armstrong, A. J. (2012). Increased survival with enzalutamide in prostate cancer after chemotherapy. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(13), 1187-1197. von Minckwitz, G., Untch, M., Blohmer, J. U., Costa, S. D., Eidtmann, H., Fasching, P. A., ... Jackisch, C. (2012). Definition and impact of pathologic complete response on prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in various intrinsic breast cancer subtypes. Journal of clinical oncology, 30(15), 1796-1804.

The Effectiveness of Loyalty Programs

A loyalty program is a specific marketing strategy which is used within the global market to attract more profitable customers and enhance the level of the organization’s income. Organizations usually offer reward cards or loyalty cards, flyers, and discounts in order to establish the long-term relations with loyal customers.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Effectiveness of Loyalty Programs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Loyalty programs are oriented toward the stimulation of the customer’s buying behavior with the help of the rewards and bonuses proposed (Dekay, Toh, Raven, 2009). From this point, the loyalty program is one of the oldest marketing strategies which are used in the global economy during a long period of time. History of Loyalty Programs The first usages of loyalty programs are associated with the development of strategic management principles within organizations. That is w hy, loyalty programs are directly connected with loyalty marketing. The noticeable start of using the principles of loyalty within the hospitality industry is typical for the 1980s with the further intensive development of the tendency in the 1990s. However, the aspects of the modern loyalty programs are also characteristic for the marketing in the 18th – 19th centuries when the first premiums and prizes were proposed to affect the customers’ loyalty (Yi Jeon, 2003). Premiums as the most typical forms of the loyalty programs were used in the business environment also along with prizes, trading stamps, discounts, and box tops. If premiums can provide significant discounts for customers in order to guarantee their next usage of the product or service, prizes are the small gifts which evoke the target audience’s interest in buying this or that product or using the definite service. According to Voss and Seiders, there are many possible variants of prizes that reta ilers use to create the customer loyalty. During the first stages of the marketing development, cigarette cards and other trading cards were proposed to customers in order to create the loyal relations and make them purchase the certain product. During different periods, the modern food packaging and other prize strategies were proposed to attract customers (Voss Seiders, 2003).Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hospitality industry is one of the most competitive industries in the word. That is why the usage of the loyalty programs can be observed within the market since the early 1980s. To win within the highly competitive market, hotels are inclined to use different loyalty programs and combine them with references to the group of customers. The typical feature of using the loyalty programs in the hospitality industry is the focus on attracting new customers (Berman, 2006). That is why, much attention is paid to the development of loyalty strategies which are used to work with customers when they utilize the services of the hotel for the first time (Yi Jeon, 2003). As a result, the system of bonuses and rewards is constantly developed in the hotel chains globally. During the 1990s, the strategy of direct mailing was worked out in order to strengthen the current relations with customers and contribute to creating the group of the profitable customers. Thus, the customers who are involved in the loyalty programs are the profitable customers, and hotel managers pay much attention to working with these clients in order to increase the profits and guarantee the further returns. To respond to the changes in the business environment and enhance the quality performance among individuals, the principles of direct marketing and direct mailing were developed. The next stages were the usage of the mail order catalogue and the involvement of the media in t he direct marketing (Berman, 2006). The evolution of premiums and prizes and the contributions of the pioneers of direct marketing have led to the establishment of the modern loyalty programs used by organizations within the hospitality industry to attract potential customers and maintain the existing profitable clients. The introduction of present modern loyalty programs such as card linked offers, consolidated loyalty programs, and frequent flyers is based on the achievements within the market and analysis of the most effective strategies to stimulate the customers’ loyalty (Yi Jeon, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Effectiveness of Loyalty Programs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Effectiveness of Loyalty Programs Business organizations are traditionally oriented to the profit maximization. However, organizations cannot maximize profits without focusing on the intense competition with other companies within the industry. From this perspective, the usage of loyalty programs as a marketing strategy is important for companies to accentuate the definite advantages of the company, to help customers distinguish between different representatives of the same industry, and to make choice which is beneficial for the certain company. Thus, hotels are inclined to propose various loyalty programs in order to attract the definite social categories and improve the customers’ brand loyalty. Many researchers are inclined to agree that loyalty programs are the necessary and effective strategies to be implemented in the hospitality industry because they are the successful variant to draw the customers’ attention to the positive features and emphasize the real advantages for them (Dekay, Toh, Raven, 2009). The accents on the advantages in the form of rewards and discounts for customers are the direct way to contribute to the customer loyalty in relation to the defini te hotel and increase the company’s profits basing on the long-term relations. The loyalty programs which are effective to establish the profitable relations with customers can be divided into several types. A loyalty program with a saving feature enables customers to receive rewards after spending a certain amount of money while using the hotel services. The organization can use this program to create customer loyalty and increase purchases (Berman, 2006). Thu, the program encourages the constant use of a loyalty card. Furthermore, this method supports the customer awareness of the services provided. The program also enables an organization to determine the product preferences and focus on the customer relationship status with the company.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hotels and other organizations within the hospitality market offer price promotions to customers on definite products and services. This feature can provoke the customer buying behavior and make several customers join the loyalty program provided by a company in order to become members and enjoy the proposed and promoted benefits. These programs can enhance the customer loyalty directly. Moreover, this strategy enables an organization to obtain and pay attention to specific personal responses (Bolton, Lemon, Verhoef, 2004). Direct mailing is also an effective marketing strategy used by hotels in order to address the needs of customers at the personal level with concentrating on their personal expectations. This is a method that an organization can use as a personal treatment for customers, and it can enhance the personal customer loyalty. Receiving the individual response, the company can improve services and the provision of products with references to the customers’ desire s and expectations. Factors that Attract People to Loyalty Programs and Staying at Hotels during a Longer Period of Time The factors which can attract people to loyalty programs and affect their customer loyalty are associated with the types of the programs proposed. Those loyalty programs that are based on savings enable customers to save for the future use of this definite service or product. This proposition is interesting for those clients who have to use the hotels services in the definite region frequently or during a long period of time. Moreover, these loyalty programs attract customers to the respective organizations and famous hotel chains because they can redeem their points and use them to purchase. However, the saving culture is an aspect that the most consumers evaluate, but they can find it difficult to practice, and the detailed loyalty programs proposed in hotels provide customers with the opportunity to use all the benefits of the program fully (Bolton, Lemon, Ver hoef, 2004). Thus, consumers are able to save their money by joining loyalty programs. Loyalty programs which are associated with promotions can be based on the propositions of the lower prices or discounts to use definite services. Customers are mainly inclined to buying affordable, but high-quality products (McCall Voorhees, 2010). Reduced prices and discounts can increase the purchasing power of consumers and stimulate their general buying behavior. Promotions are easily accessible to consumers under loyalty programs provided by hotels (Bolton, Lemon, Verhoef, 2004). Furthermore, it is advantageous for the hotel when the concern and preferences of individual consumers are addressed by organizations basing on the response which they receive (Wansink, 2003). This strategy also enables an organization to pay more attention to the comfort and interests of the clients. As a result, observing the positive attitude and a range of rewards provided, customers can decide to spend more ti me in a hotel or choose this hotel during the next journeys. Moreover, the individuals should have the opportunity to contact companies and hotels directly, if they are subscribed to the definite loyalty program. The customer’s interest in the services increases (Bolton, Lemon, Verhoef, 2004). Thus, individuals are attracted to the loyalty programs because this enables them to communicate their concerns directly to an organization and receive the feedback directly from the company. When customers are provided with a large set of loyalty rewards which are connected with the definite terms they can be oriented to use more guaranteed services at a time. Moreover, customers are often provided with the greater discounts proposed for the next comings and for the further usage of the hotel’s services (Wansink, 2003). This situation makes customers choose the definite hotel and stay there to use all the proposed benefits which are stated in relation to the developed loyalty p rograms. Challenges that Hospitality Industry Faces in Relation to Loyalty Programs The loyalty programs can be used ineffectively in relation to certain industries due to the nature of business, products, and services offered by companies. There are several challenges that organizations in the hospitality industry face in the process of developing and implementing a loyalty program to establish the customer loyalty and stimulate the buying behavior. The most common challenges are the irregular patterns of demand, the dynamic nature of the industry, and the lack of an appropriate program, the imbalance between the costs and outcomes of the loyalty program used (Wansink, 2003). The hospitality industry can face a challenge of the irregular demand pattern depending on the season factor or the region of the hotel’s location. It is rather difficult to establish an effective loyalty program due to the irregular demand patterns and the seasonal character of business. Providing the definite rewards and bonuses for customers, the hotel managers should take into consideration the fact of the season when the proposed rewards or premiums can be used. Wansink states that it is rather difficult to develop the effective loyalty program, concentrating on its possible outcomes from all the perspectives (Wansink, 2003). Thus, the dynamic nature and highly competitive atmosphere of the industry makes hotel managers create more effective loyalty programs which can satisfy the needs of the majority of clients and which can attract new customers. The focus on the loyal and profitable customers remains unchanged for the hospitality industry without references to the season or the industry tendencies. Moreover, considering the irregular demand patterns, organizations in the hospitality industry are not able to decide on an appropriate loyalty program to adopt. According to Berman, this situation often leads to changes in programs, therefore, confusing consumers (Berman, 2006) . The nature of services in the industry makes it difficult for organizations to develop effective loyalty programs also because costs of the loyalty programs are often higher than the real results. Some loyalty programs are highly costly, but they are not effective enough to attarct more customers (Berman, 2006). References Berman, B. (2006). Developing an effective customer loyalty program. California Management Review, 49(1), 123-148. Bolton, R. N., Lemon, K. N., Verhoef, P. C. (2004). The theoretical underpinnings of customer asset management: A framework and propositions for future research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32(3), 1-20. Dekay, F., Toh, R., Raven, P. (2009). Loyalty programs: Airlines outdo hotels. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 50(3), 371-390. McCall, M., Voorhees, C. (2010). The drivers of loyalty program success: An organizational framework and research agenda. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 35(1), 35-52. Voss, G. B., Seiders, K. (2003). Explo ring the effects of retail sector and firm characteristics on retail price promotion strategy. Journal of Retailing, 79(2), 37-52. Wansink, B. (2003). Developing a cost-effective brand loyalty program. Journal of Advertising Research, 43(3), 301-309. Yi, Y., Jeon, H. (2003). Effects of loyalty programs on value perception, program loyalty and brand loyalty. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(3), 229-240. This proposal on The Effectiveness of Loyalty Programs was written and submitted by user Al1a to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on By Your Side

Free Essays on By Your Side BY YOUR SIDE It hurts to know you’re hurting Because you’re so special in my heart The pain that you are feeling Is tearing me apart But know that love has a way Of easing all that’s wrong Together we can make it If we hold on and just be strong Know that you’re not alone In all your adversity For by your side through and through Is where I’ll always be...

Personal and Personally

Personal and Personally Personal and Personally Personal and Personally By Maeve Maddox Among the most popular words in common discourse these days are personal and personally. A web search for personal brings up more than 900 million hits. Overused crazy, with 274 million, doesn’t come close. Bloggers and commenters use personal and personally with abandon: In my personal opinion, the reading comprehension section is the most difficult to study for and to succeed in. I personally don’t know why she went out with him in the first place. I personally find myself to be quite hilarious. This is just my own personal opinion so I am sorry if I offended you. Various businesses offer customers â€Å"personal diets,† â€Å"personal checks,† and â€Å"personal financial plans.† Experts of this and that encourage people to develop â€Å"personal strengths† and â€Å"personal styles.† So, when are the words personal and personally called for, and when are they redundant or incorrect? 1. Personally is used correctly when a person does something that ordinarily would be done by a minion: Eric Holder Personally Signed warrant to search James Rosen’s emails. Danny Zarka is first in line to collect his PS3 in Sydney, which was handed to him personally by Sonys local managing director. 2. Personally is redundant when used to modify an action that requires the presence of the person doing it: My son shook hands personally with Tony Danza. (The speaker’s son had to be present to shake hands.) 3. The expressions â€Å"my personal opinion† and â€Å"I personally think† are not only redundant, they weaken whatever statement they relate to and do nothing to mitigate the person’s responsibility for the opinion. Note: The only time â€Å"I personally† makes sense is when the speaker has acted in contradiction of his own views. For example, â€Å"I voted to permit drilling, but I personally believe that fracking causes dangerous earth disturbances.† 4. The phrase â€Å"my own personal opinion† piles redundancy upon redundancy. The adjective personal means â€Å"individual, private, one’s own.† The adjective own means â€Å"possessed or owned by the person or thing indicated by the preceding noun, pronoun, or possessive adjective.† It is sufficient to say â€Å"in my opinion.† 5. Personal is sometimes used where the word personalized would be more appropriate. A â€Å"personal trainer† makes sense. In the context of â€Å"personal trainer,† â€Å"personal assistant,† or â€Å"personal maid,† the personal designates an employee attached to someone in a close or exclusive subordinate capacity. In the case of â€Å"personal diets,† â€Å"personal checks,† and â€Å"personal financial plans,† however, the sense is that the diets, checks, and financial plans will be designed to meet individual requirements, hence personalized: â€Å"Identifiable as belonging to a particular person or organization, especially by being marked with a name or set of initials. Also: designed or produced to meet individual requirements; customized. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing LightUsing the Active Voice to Strengthen Your WritingLetter Writing 101

Quality Management in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Quality Management in Business - Essay Example minimum errors in the operational procedures and improvising production services as per customers’ demand (Arab British Academy for Higher Education, n. d.). Specifically, in terms of hotels such as ‘The Rose and Crown’ that relies on customer service rather than selling products, errors can be of multiple forms. These can be providing the customers with inadequate levels of service or poor customer response time. All these forms of errors are normal in case of hospitality industry but the main concern lies on the management about how they deal with such issues and how fast they rectify them (Arab British Academy for Higher Education, n. d.). Quality, in terms of service in hotel industry is a process where the management team focuses on assessing the expectations of the customers for the services that they are offered with (AbuKhalifeh & Som, 2012). Customers’ expectations can be evaluated in terms of ‘reliability’, ‘assurance’ ‘responsiveness’ and ‘empathy’. In case of ‘The Rose and Crown’ hotel, the degrading quality of service towards customers can be stated as the cause of emerging major problems. Services provided by the hospitality organisations towards its customers can be segregated into multiple categories that together contribute towards the overall development of maintaining greater association with the customers (AbuKhalifeh & Som, 2012). Quality assurance and quality control are duly considered to be the subparts of total quality management (TQM). These two assessment tools provide both qualitative as well as quantitative data and thus play decisive roles in inspecting and assuring an organization’s quality service management. The data accumulated through these two processes eventually helps in developing and initiating strategies for improvising the quality of service and thus providing customer satisfaction (Shahin, n. d.). For bringing about improvement in ‘The Rose and Crown’ in terms of service, which is

Real Estate Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Real Estate Principles - Essay Example Ethics in real estate One of the greatest obstacles that affect the growth of real estate industry is lack of ethics. This is based on the fact that most of the real estate buyers are not aware of the intention and operations of the realtors. In their efforts to get adequate information regarding the problems facing the real estate industry, most governments involve real estate institutes. However, most of these institutes are made up of real estate agents who are focused at exploiting consumers in their efforts to maximize profits (William and Donald, 1995). To ensure ethics are upheld during the transaction between the realtors and the property owners or buyers, National Association of Realtors has specified code of ethics that all its members are under obligation to follow. This course has widened my knowledge on how to uphold ethics during my future assignment as a real estate agent when dealing with my clients, public as well as other members of National Association of Realtors. Duties to clients Articles 1 to 9 of the National Association of Realtors code of ethics, regulates the way the real agents relate with their clients (William and Donald, 1995). ... Duties to the public Articles 10 of the National Association of Realtors code of ethics forbids agents from discriminating their clients on the basis of color, sex, religion, race or nationality. Other key aspects that are dealt with by articles 10 to 14 depicts that agents should not provide services that they are not competent in, contacting a lawyer in cases the agency has no authority to practice law and avoiding misleading advertisements. Duties to other members National Association of Realtors code of ethics depicts that agents should not make untrue statements about their competitors. In addition, it forbids agents from transacting business with clients who are exclusively owned by other agents. Legal Aspects of Real Estate Based on the fact that real estate covers immovable properties, minerals, bushes, water among others, real estate and property law covers wide range of aspects. It is worth noting that different countries have put in place various regulation that seek to co ntrol the operations of agencies and transfer of property. As a result of the inconsistency of the property laws, initiating legal procedure has become a complex practice that calls for proper coordination among all the stakeholders. This course has exposed me to major issues that are covered by real estate and property laws include purchasing of property, landlord issues, transfer of movable and immovable property, settlements of claims, property development, foreclosures, land use and zoning, home loans among others. This section discusses major aspects of property and real estate law adopted by various countries. Property and Real Estate Law adopted by US Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Sections Real Property, Trust and Estate

White People and American Citizen Essay Example for Free

White People and American Citizen Essay The short story â€Å" How it Feels to be Colored Me† was written in year 1928 by Zora Neale Hurston who grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Zora grew up in an predominantly all black town. She had begun to realize the differences between blacks and whites at the beginning of her teens. Zora only had contact with the white people who passed through her town. These people who passed through Eatonville, Florida usually were going to Orlando or coming from Orlando, Florida. I believe the main reason why the story was written was to focus on the differences between black and white people. The short story â€Å" How it Feels to be Colored Me† was written in year 1928 by Zora Neale Hurston who grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Zora grew up in an predominantly all black town. She had begun to realize the differences between blacks and whites at the beginning of her teens. Zora only had contact with the white people who passed through her town. These people who passed through Eatonville, Florida usually were going to Orlando or coming from Orlando, Florida. I believe the main reason why the story was written was to focus on the differences between black and white people. When Zora Hurston states â€Å" I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong. † I believe she’s describing her feelings of being an American citizen and being colored. She does not have separate feelings of either. Zora seems to accept her identity for being colored and an American citizen. I think Zora is trying to achieve dignity/pride in America as an American. Zora doesn’t want to harp on the past Nor does she want the actions of others to affect her. Zora believes that she is an American citizen whether she’s black or white and everyone has the same rights. How It Feels to Be Colored Me Analysis by Terissa7.    N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 June 2014. . â€Å"How it Feels to Be Colored† The short story â€Å" How it Feels to be Colored Me† was written in year 1928 by Zora Neale Hurston who grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Zora grew up in an predominantly all black town. She had begun to realize the differences between blacks and whites at the beginning of her teens. Zora only had contact with the white people who passed through her town. These people who passed through Eatonville, Florida usually were going to Orlando or coming from Orlando, Florida. I believe the main reason why the story was written was to focus on the differences between black and white people. When Zora Hurston states â€Å" I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong. † I believe she’s describing her feelings of being an American citizen and being colored. She does not have separate feelings of either. Zora seems to accept her identity for being colored and an American citizen. I think Zora is trying to achieve dignity/pride in America as an American. Zora doesn’t want to harp on the past Nor does she want the actions of others to affect her. Zora believes that she is an American citizen whether she’s black or white and everyone has the same rights. How It Feels to Be Colored Me Analysis by Terissa7.

Essay --

Introduction Apart we know, dividend payments had been conducted over 300 years ago and yet, it is still continue acceptable until now (Frankfurter, Wood, & Wansley, 2003). In the 19th century, the dividend had become a kind of symbolic liquidations. However, dividend policy is contradicting because the view of each researcher is different. According to Black (1976), he ever stated that â€Å"the harder we look at the dividend picture, the more it seems like a puzzle, with pieces that just don’t fit together†. From this statement, we can truly make an assumption that the researchers’ arguments on it never stop as the understanding from each of the researchers is different and it is still questionable among financial field. Plenty of answer show that why dividend policy should be made. However, many empirical studies have shown that the result is not standardized and yet, it is different as each of the researchers has their own opinion on it. But, it is undeniable that the div idend payments have become symbolic liquidations solely determined by the directors. The companies pay dividends i...

Landslide Limousine Performance management plan Essay

Stonefield is starting up a new limousine business with 25 employee, located in Austin, Texas. The performance management plan is the starting point or a map for the company to identify and achieve the desire outcome they want for their employees and their customer. The company wants to maximize its goal through its performance management plan. the performance framework alone with the strategies of the business will developed an organizational performance philosophy, performed job analyses to identify necessary skills needed by employees, identified methods for measuring employee’s skills, developed a process for addressing skill gaps, and developed an approach for delivering effective performance feedback to employees. Performance management plan should always be use as a tool for a business to run smooth. The performance management framework with the strategies of the business According to Cascio (2013), at a general level, the broad process of performance management require s that you do three things well: define performance, facilitate performance, and encourage performance. The managers at Landslide must ensure that each and every employee know what is expected of them. They must have goals that are sustainable. The goals that are set must â€Å"make the company successful† (Cascio 2013). Managers must facilitate performance by eliminating roadblocks. They must provide all the right resources, tools and training. With that being said they must also hire the right employees in other words hire the right fit. You can’t have an employee with a bad driving record driving for a limo service, so you have do a background check just one example. Every employee like the last one, encourage performance, managers should always encourage employees in some kind of way, show them how they are appreciated. According to Cascio (2013), don’t bother offering rewards that nobody cares about, like a gift certificate to see a fortune teller. If  you are good to your employees they will be good to you. Show them you care. Organizational performance philosophy The philosophy of Landslide Limousine will be to utilize the max efficiency and the effectiveness of each employee’s performance; and furthermore to facilitate communication between the employees and their supervisors, according to University of California, Berkeley (2014), employees at all levels are responsible for actively communicating with their supervisors about their performance, taking an active role in planning their development, being accountable for their actions, and continually striving for excellence in their performance. Supervisors are responsible for training and making sure that the employees have the right tools to carry out the mission or job. They have to make sure the job is done right. They have to make sure the customer are taking care of. The job analysis process to identify necessary skills needed by employees According to Cascio (2013), Performance standards translate job requirements into levels of acceptable or unacceptable employee behavior. Job analysis identifies what is to be done. Job analysis information can be gathered in a variety of ways, Landslide Limousine will be using all combinations of method. The observation is one method which is limited to only so many jobs. The interview method is gathering information which requires an interview with every employee. This should be easy to do since he is starting off with only 25 employees. The interview method should focus on how the employees is performing each job. The major duties of the position. Are there is job’s physical demands. This method can be time very consuming but it will help Landslide Limousine identify necessary skills needed by employees. The last method is the Questionnaires. This method is widely used it tells management where training is needed, what is going right, what is wrong and what need improving. It can be a very detail long and complicated process. Methods used for measuring the employee’s skills I would recommend Landslide use the Behavior-oriented rating methods and results-oriented rating method for measuring the employee’s skills. Managers should conduct ride-a-long with each driver to observe their behavior and to rate their skills against others. The manager should document the  observation. Mangers should always provide feedback in a timely manner. It should be taken to improve employee performance. According to Cascio (2013), behavior-oriented rating methods focus on employee behaviors, either by comparing the performance of employees to that of other employees or by evaluating each employee in terms of performance standards without reference to others. The results-oriented rating method is another great method to use. The company needs to have a way to do customer survey. Customer service is one of the most important skills that should be measured constantly. According to Cascio (2013), results-oriented rating methods place primary emphasis on what an employee produces; dollar volume of sales, number of units produced, and number of wins during a baseball season are examples. In other word a limo driver will be rated on how well his/her skills are with customer service. They are being rating and measured at all times. Process for addressing skill gaps When addressing skill gaps it should be communicated on a daily basic but in a more formal way during the Performance evaluation. It should identify the areas that need improvement, a performance improvement plan (PIP) can be put in place. This is the opportunity for an employee that do not have all the skill to succeed to receive the appropriate training that he/she did or didn’t have. When addressing area for improvement communication is the key between managers and employees. Approach for delivering effective performance feedback According to Cascio (2013), before giving feedback, getting training in performance appraisal interviewing, planning to use a problem-solving approach rather than â€Å"tell -and-sell,† and encouraging subordinates to prepare for performance-feedback interviews, is important. Also, while giving feedback, each manager should be encouraging subordinates to participate by being specific, being an active listener, setting mutually agreeable goals for future improvements, avoiding destructive criticism, and judging performance and not personality and mannerisms. Lastly, after the feedback is communicated, each manager should periodically assess progress toward goals and make organizational rewards contingent on performance. If Landslide Limousine needs to make sure they that provide these before,  during, and after feedback activities, these activities can help better the performance of each and every person that Landslide employ. Conclusion Having a good Performance plan before starting business is always a great beginning. You need a stepping stone to hire the right employee and to put the right people in the place. Providing them with the right tools make for a successfully business and satisfied customer. References Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources (9th Ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw- Hill Companies, Inc. University of Berkley. (2014). Berkley HR. Retrieved from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/about/philosophy/performance-management What is Human Resource? (2015). Retrieved from http://www.whatishumanresource.com/job-analysis-methods

Little Mermaid Essay

Jackeline Elizabeth Chang Chang 1 Ms. Carr EMS30 24TH, March, 2010 The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid is a film made in November, 17th, 1989. It was written by John Musker and Ron Clements. This is the story of a mermaid named Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton, who is dissatisfied with life in the sea. She longs to be with the humans above the surface. She dreams of going on land. She is often caught in arguments with her father over those â€Å"barbaric fish-eaters†. Her father also forbids her to go on land. She goes to meet Ursula, the Sea Witch, to strike a deal, but Ursula has bigger plans for this mermaid and her father. Ariel is the type of girl that wants everything to go her way. She does everything she pleases. In the movie Ariel portrays a character that symbolizes a normal teen. Disobedient, demanding, will powered and very independent. She is 16 years and wants to follow her dreams no matter what anyone says. Ariel as a princess of her father, King Triton, must act and behave like one. King Triton is very controlling and have many arguments with her. As king he demands and expects good from everyone, especially his daughters, including Ariel. He wants Ariel not to go to the surface because it’s dangerous and doesn’t want her to be involved with humans. Knowing Ariel she disobeys and goes anyways. Here we see that Ariel is doing what she wants. Demonstrating her will power. Ariel is not alone when she goes on her adventures above the waters, she has her best friend Flounder, he is a yellow and blue Chang 2 coloured fish. He is seen to be younger. As a male character, Flounder scares easily and is prone to panicking under stressful situations, but when Ariel is in trouble he comes through for her without hesitation. After an initial argument over Ariel over her latest trip to the surface, Triton orders his loyal servant, Sebastian, to keep an eye on her. Sebastian is a crab, he is known for his Caribbean accent. He follows Ariel and tries to keep her out of trouble. He tries his best to watch for Ariel, and helps her in anyway he can. He is very loyal and honest and wants to please the King. Ursula is another character in the movie, she is an octopus person sea witch who â€Å"helps† unfortunate mermaids to achieve her own goals. Her appearance is of an obese purple-skinned, white-haired female human with a facial mole, but from the waist down she has six black tentacles. She is very cruel and dominant. Ursula commands her minions, the twin moray eels, to watch Ariel, who might be â€Å"the key to Triton's undoing†. Ursula forms her plan to seize power around Ariel's forbidden love for the human Prince Eric. Ariel has many journeys in this movie. From finding human treasures to falling in love with a human prince. In disobeying her father to going up the surface she finds her true love. All of a sudden a storm hits, everyone manages to escape to the lifeboat except for Eric, who swims back to save his dog, Max. In the process he almost drowns, but he is saved by Ariel. She drags him to shore and sings to him, but before he can regain consciousness fully, Max and Grimsby arrive, forcing Ariel to dive underwater. Ariel wants to meet him again and be with him. At that time, Sebastian and Flounder were with Chang 3 her when she was with Prince Eric. Sebastian tries to do the job given to him, and is horrified when Ariel saves the life of and falls in love with a human. Sebastian accidentally lets this information slip to King Triton, who confronts Ariel. King Triton is furious with Ariel and destroys all her human treasure that she has kept in her secret place. Ariel is hurt and angry. She goes on another journey where Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s minion’s, persuade Ariel to go to Ursula's lair, claiming that the sea witch is the only one who can solve her problem. Ariel knowing she is not allowed to talk or even be with her because she was banished from Atlantica. Goes with them and agrees with Ursula’s plan. She is being disobedient and doing what she pleases. Ursula plan is to take her voice and she will give her human legs. She has to kiss Eric within 3 days, or else she belongs, her soul, to Ursula. She has Ariel sign a contract to have proof that Ariel made a deal with her. What Ariel doesn’t know is that she never kiss Eric because Ursula has planned it like that. So she can have the Triton’s power. Ariel soon learns Ursula whole plan in tricking her, but it’s too late, she can’t do a thing. Ariel puts her father and even Eric’s life in danger. She put the whole sea life in danger. When you do anything wrong and be disobedient , there are always consequences, no matter what, This what Ariel got for being disobedient in going up to the surface. At the end, of course Ursula loses her powers and King Triton gains back his power. He see’s what Eric, a human, has done. He knows that he was wrong about all humans, and gains respect for Ariel. With the approval of her father she does marry Eric and everyone is happy. King Triton has learned that Ariel was right about humans, and that Ariel is very independent. He has Chang 4 changed his views about humans and his daughter. Ariel has know followed her dreams, even though it almost cost her life and father‘s, to marry her true love, a human, prince Eric. Even tough her adventures and journeys has caused trouble, at the end it all came out good. She marry’s Eric, She has made friends with Sebastian, and has gained her respect and trust with her father again. The social values that are described in this movie are gender values. There is that stereotype of a princess, Ariel, always ending up marrying their true love. This is what happened. Ariel marry’s Eric. Ariel also portrays a stereotype of a typical teen, she disobeys, independent and has will power. Most teens resemble her personality. Another stereotype is the villain. There always has to be an antagonist in the movie. The villain gains and has power at one point, and they even go through with their plan, but at the end they always end up losing, or dieing. In this case, this is what happened to Ursula. Lastly, a demanding or controlling person is always portrayed, in this case that would be King Triton. He looks out for Ariel and wants things to go his ways. Men are always demanding, and they want the will power. A father always, no matter what, looks out for his daughter, and this is what King Triton portrays. In conclusion, The little Mermaid created by John Musker and Ron Clements was a good movie indeed. It demonstrates how love has power, even for a mermaid. Journeys and adventures have purposes, even though they get you into trouble. Ariel followed her dreams of her heart. She disobeyed her father many times, made a deal with Ursula the Chang 5 sea witch, put her father, Eric and even the whole sea in jeopardy. All for the cause of true love. She marry’s her Prince and gains respect from the whole sea. All because Ariel was a will powered, independent and demanding teenage girl.

Conformity Essay

Conformity Essay Conformity Essay Conformity Essay: Blind Conformity Conformity essay is usually a short paper written from the personal point of view of the author. These essays become a major part of formal education. Essay writing helps students to improve their writing skills. Conformity Essay: Tips Before starting writing do some thinking. Decide what topic you are interested most of all. Think what you want to tell the reader with your essay: whether you want to persuade him or just to describe some subject. Give yourself plenty of time to write. Do not be hard on yourself when you first sit down to write. Once you have your ideas down on paper, give it to some trusted readers. To make other people rethink and rewrite your essay is not the idea: The point is to ask questions that will push you to think more broadly. Check out a writing manual for guidance. Your essay should not have any grammatical or spelling errors, compelling and insightful. Conformity Essay Example: Blind Conformity In our world, it is often difficult to adapt to one specific type of lifestyle. Our way of living may consist a look, a way of thinking; a religion that does not conform to whatever is a norm or the accepted at a given time. When it is the case, we can feel forced to change, so here we are sensitive to the blind conformity. Blind conformity is like a molding of us. It is what is said to be normal in society not using our differences to develop us as humans. Blind conformity causes us to disregard our strongest beliefs that should be the most powerful driving forces in all of our lives. In todays world television and other media show certain lifestyles, ideas and then the public automatically conforms. However, it is extremely important for us to be taught from an early age to be proud of who we are. Who can say that coarse hair is prettier than soft hair? Who can say that being skinny is prettier than fat? Who can say that white is better than black or black is better than white? Defeating insecurity knows that there is no better one in these situations, but that they are simply differences. Conformity Essay: Writing Help If you have any difficulties in your essay writing, you feel it too stressful to deal with all your assignments or you simply do not have time to make researches and brainstorming for ideas, you are welcome to become our customer. Our professional writers will take off your shoulders this worries. It is so easy and convenient! Read also: Term Paper Help Reconstruction Term Paper Non-Plagiarized Term Papers Need Help Writing a Paper Long Term Paper 10 Pages

America Must Drill for Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

America has to drill oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Sanctuary Drilling oil in the arctic wildlife sanctuary is a very controversial topic. On the other hand, although There are people who want to drilling oil in order to help our economy, on the other hand, environmental protection advocates and Alaska Natives do not want to destroy their land. Our economy needs help; oil prices continue to rise, natural gas prices reach a record level, and the US is too dependent on foreign trade. Alaska drilling oil will solve these problems. In the United States, for the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) You will need to carry out oil drilling drug addicts, is the best solution for the drug addicts, it is to make to slowly withdraw the drug. At the same time America can see dependence on oil. The United States, reduce slowly overwhelming dependence on foreign oil, in order to help find another process of large-scale energy, we need a different oil sources. - The Arctic Circle is a paradise of sno w with diverse species and beautiful scenery. Also, it is caused by oil of 13% to 25% of undiscovered crude worldwide, about 90 billion barrels average on average (Gerkens, 2014). In particular, Alaska is one of the largest oil sources in the United States. It is believed to be more than 411.2 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas under barren land and ice water. Oil drilling the United States in Alaska Wildlife Refuge is located in the northern part of northern Alaska, boasts 19 million acres of wide, rejected the oil business plan, is necessary to protect the Arctic Wildlife Refuge forever Yes. . National Wildlife System Arctic evacuation centers have always been considered an unparalleled place of natural beauty and ecologically important. It is a controversial topic to establish an Arctic shelter and protect the offshore oil wells as oil leaks may cause huge damage to the environment. In countries where oil can be extracted from the ocean, in addition to reducing dependence on external oils, economic benefits can be gained. Offshore drilling is a major benefit for these countries, but there is no conflict, but the environmental impact of the outflow affects the economic well-being of neighboring residents. Drilling oil from the Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Sanctuary (ANWR) is a serious problem for environmentalists and the future of the United States. Whether Arctic National Wildlife Sanctuary should start oil extraction. In this article I will explain whether to allow oil extraction to the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. This also shows the environmental impact and I will present a critical analysis of the current excavation problem. - Preparation of the feasibility study of Kansas central protuberance for the intended use in a random decision tree analysis of a new drilling program. Operating Company Texas Midland Note - A brief description of the TTU Seal in the background My Master Project Includes Kansas Central Propen sity Exploration Program Feasibility Study

Sociology Written Review - 1000 words - Materials Provided (PART 2) Essay

Sociology Written Review - 1000 words - Materials Provided (PART 2) - Essay Example This review however is limited by the fact that the chapter is merely a small part of the author’s entire book and many of the points and issues taken refer to some other parts or chapters of the book. Nevertheless, Pusey is more than emphatic on the debilitating effect of orchestrated economic reforms on the Australian community life. The fundamental premise of the author in this chapter is, as previously stated, that the economic reforms being undertaken by the Australian government is not good because instead of making these reforms suit the needs of the Australians, it is the people who bear the brunt of the effects of these reforms. This is ultimately bad because it tends to weaken the very foundation of society which is community life. To illustrate his point, Pusey utilised the different impressions and experiences of 400 middle class Australians (hence, the title The Experience of Middle Australians) of several aspects of modern Australian life like membership in voluntary organisations, crimes, the Australian social and economic structures, the media and institutions and people they give their trust to. The control group of 400 middle class Australians, according to the data gathered by Pusey, constituted highly mobile individuals, who have moved around most of their lives, due to labour markets which necessitated frequent relocation of homes. Pusey interpreted this as causing the dissolution of â€Å"associational density† which characterises communities. This is certainly true especially if one’s concept of community is that of a communal association of old and long-time friends, neighbors and associates. However, the opportunity of meeting and associating with new neighbors and striking new acquaintances can be viewed from a positive perspective. This allows a person to broaden his perspectives and besides, if individuals are open to association with other individuals

What do you understand by the notion of a learning community Essay

What do you understand by the notion of a learning community Critically examine how learning communities facilitate effective learning - Essay Example In this essay, the various views and their effectiveness is also explored with relation to Dynamic Community Learning and different views from various studies relating to psychology, cognitive learning and teaching by different authors. It is observed that community learning as a tool for learning is gaining popularity and the various advantages in a complex and innovative environments at both the educational institutions and the modern workplace can gain immensely from this approach. While Instructional Design focuses on the learning, the Dynamic Community Learning approach focuses on the self-paced learner needs. Different books and journals have been studied to understand the use and effectiveness of dynamic learning communities in educational institutions as well as corporate workplaces. To learn a particular skill or research a particular topic of interest, the concept of learning communities has enabled an understanding of the complex process of contextual and situational learning. As against the traditional learning method of instructional design learning where learning is dependant on the effectiveness of teaching by the instructor, dynamic learning offers a range advantages that are found to be more in favour of the complex contexts that learning has to be based to arrive at unique and innovative solutions. The positive and negative aspects of dynamic learning communities and their approaches towards effective learning are observed by studying the various observations by Psychologists, Educators and other authors. According to Carnell and Lodge, it is observed that in community learni ng the various multi-dimensional needs of the learners are considered and catered to, for effectiveness in the learning outcome. Learning itself is dependant on the problem context, and the problem, approach and the outcome change within

Critically compare and contrast Karl Marx's attack on capitalism with Essay

Critically compare and contrast Karl Marx's attack on capitalism with Susan Mendus's attack on individualism. How would Ward Churchill evaluate their arguments - Essay Example n a similar way, Susan Mendus also rejects individualism on the basis that â€Å"the language of domination and subordination is a central factor to individualism†. She also argues for equality between men and women, believing that individualism does not generate equality (Mendes 1993). She equates the individualists to the bourgeois, who elevate themselves at the expense of others. Marx states that a person’s spirituality is the labor power he has. He argues that a case of alienation develops when man is deprived of the opportunity to exercise this labor power. He believes that religion is the â€Å"opium of the masses† and states that religion is the response of the oppressed person, trying to find heart in a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions (Marx 1970). He views religion as the means by which people try to deal with social inequalities. Mendus on the other hand, believes that religion is brainwashing to make people believe in certain things, but merely because they espouse such beliefs, it does not necessarily indicate that they are true. She believes that applying moral rules to love and relationships is basically flawed.(Mendus 1996). While Marx believes religion is purely palliative and does not achieve anything constructive, Mendus on the other hand states that individualism cannot serve the cause of religion or the commo n good. Ward Churchill launches an attack on the â€Å"pious† Christians of America who have been at the forefront of their leaders’ war initiatives, unleashing death and destruction upon the less fortunate world. (Churchill 2001). He would perhaps agree with Marx, who viewed religion as the opium that drugs the majority, so that they can be led to their slaughter. Similarly, religion is also functioning as the opium that dulls the individual American’s ability to think clearly and rationally about the concepts of equality and justice among people. Marx’s views on the power of the proleterait are relevant here,

Coca Colas Corporate Communication Strategy

Coca Colas Corporate Communication Strategy 1. INTRODUCTION Communication is the medium through which companies both large and small access the vital resources they need to operate (van Riel 1995). Without effective and integrated communication systems an organization will be unable to develop an appropriate structure for its corporate communication strategy. Given that its corporate communication entails selectively communicating the organizations views and objectives to its stakeholders (whom it relies on for the success of its business), it can therefore be described as a key management strategy. This report will critically assess Coca Colas Corporate Communication strategy through the evaluation of communication frameworks and models. It will look at the internal structure of Coca-Colas organization and how the company utilises corporate communication strategies to both epitomize their corporate identity to stakeholders and improve their reputation. It also looks at the corporate ethics and culture of the company and the impact of Corporate Communication management on the organisation 1.1 Background Information The Coca-Cola Company: Coca-Cola was invented on May 8, 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John Stith Pemberton. It was first offered as a fountain beverage by mixing Coca-Cola syrup with carbonated water. Coca-Cola was then patented in 1887, when another Atlanta pharmacist and businessman, Asa Candler bought the formula for Coca Cola from inventor John Pemberton for $2,300. It was registered as a trademark in 1893 and by 1895 it was being sold in every state and territory in the United States. By the late 1890s, Coca Cola was one of Americas most popular fountain drinks, largely due to Candlers aggressive marketing of the product. With Asa Candler, now at the helm, the Coca Cola Company increased syrup sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900. In 1899, The Coca-Cola Company began franchised bottling operations in the United States. Today the Coca-Cola Company operates in more than 200 countries and markets nearly 500 brands and 3,000 beverage products. The company employs over 92,400 associates worldwide and has a consumer serving (per day) of nearly 1.6 billion, with a net operating revenue of over $31.9billion (as of December 31, 2008). Throughout the world today, no other product is as immediately recognizable by its brand as Coca-Cola. (www.thecoca-colacompany.com.html, 2009) 2. CORPORATE COMMUNICATION ‘Corporate refers to complete, entire or total entities of the organization, while ‘communication means to impart, share or make common. Therefore, ‘corporate communication can be defined as a total communication of the organization or integrating different messages of organizations under one banner (Christensen et al. 2007). Van Riel and C. Fombrun (2006, p.25), cite Jacksons (1987) definition of corporate communication as ‘the total communication activity generated by a company to achieve its planned objectives. That total communication represents all the different forms of communication that is occurring within the organization, including marketing, managerial and organizational interaction. An organisation such as Coca-Colas corporate communication strategy plays an important role in aiding stakeholders understanding of the organization and communicating the organizations identity. Corporate communication within an organization is essential for the implementation of strategic objectives, build brand and reputation and thereby create economic value. It is therefore a set of activities involved in managing and orchestrating all internal and external communications aimed at creating favourable starting points with stakeholders on whom the companies depend (Fombrun and van Riel 2006). Freemans (1984, p. 46) stakeholder approach defines stakeholders as: â€Å"any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the firms objectives.† The stakeholders of The Coca-Cola Company (see Figure 3 below), include: consumers, customers, suppliers, employees, government and regulators, NGOs The local communities Strong centralized functions with direct connection to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the best way for a company to ensure the success of its corporate communication function. (Argenti, 1998). This was evident in Coca-Cola Company, under the leadership of the former CEO Douglas Ivester whose highly formalized, centralized organizational structure, with clear hierarchy of authority and a mechanistic management process has helped maintain control and drive aggressive marketing and expansion plans. This management structure was criticized by the external communities, claiming that the companys perspective was too global and ignored the local communities. Under the direction of the companys new CEO, Coca-Cola began decentralizing some of its activities in order to become more localized. Increased horizontal communication is now occurring within the organization. Sutherland and Canwell (2004, p.130) define horizontal communication as â€Å"informal communication between peers or colleagues on the same level of the organizational structure†. Coke immediately began realizing economies of scale and scope, as well as low-cost production from a globalization strategy that enables product design, manufacturing and marketing to be standardized throughout the world. Corporate communication if strategically implemented within an organisation helps build favourable corporate reputation, which in turn is influenced by corporate identity, behaviour, symbolism and has an impact on organizational performance (van Riel and Balmer, 1997). According to Argenti (1998) corporate communication model below (Figure 2), an organization communicates to its stakeholders through messages and images, who then respond by associating themselves with that particular organization. It affects the perceptions of stakeholders about the organizations prospects and so influences the resources that would be available to them (Fombrun and van Riel, 2006). Image, Identity and Reputation, Crisis Management, Community Relations and Corporate Ethics, Employee Relations and Human Resource Management (HRM) are all essential functions of an organization that depend on effective corporate communication to be successfully implemented. 2.1 Image, identity and reputation Corporate identity is the reality and uniqueness of an organization, which is integrally related to its external and internal image and reputation according to Gray and Balmer (1998), and is a means to achieve a competitive advantage (Schmidt, 1995), while the ‘Image of a company is the reflection of the organizations reality. It is the corporation as seen through the eyes of its stakeholders (Argenti, 1998). Corporate image has 3 dimensions: Relational dimension relationship the company has with the government, the local community and its employees; Management dimension – what the corporate goals, decision-making processes, knowledge management and understanding of company objectives; Product dimension – product endorsement and support, competitive advantage and promotional distinctiveness. Coca-Colas corporate communication strategy within the company includes conducting stakeholder analysis to understand their individual stakeholders needs and attitudes. This involved a series of focus groups with consumers aged 18 and over and with employees of the Coca-Cola Company. It also included interviews with customers, non-governmental organizations and the media. The consistent use of the colours red and white, the lettering and the model-wave over time is an integral part of the companys corporate visual identity and is important to all stakeholder groups. If managed effectively corporate reputation can be a valuable asset that makes an organization more resilient in todays competitive environment. â€Å"Corporate reputation is influenced by the way in which the company projects its image via behaviour, communication and symbolism† (Gotsi and Wilson, 2001, p. 30).It is a ‘multi-stakeholder construct that can be used to measure how effective an organizations communication system is (Fombrun and van Riel, 2006). When information that stakeholders need to make a decision about a company is insufficient, they will sometimes turn to the reputation of that company to seal the decision. 2.2 Crisis management and culture According to Jones (2000), a good reputation acts as a buffer to companies in times of crisis. After over 200 people, including school children reported feeling unwell in 1999; Coca-Cola was forced to issue recall of its soft drinks in countries in Western Europe including Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Taylor, 2000). Taylor (2000) explained in his case study that a companys public relations and communication strategy should be executed on a global scale. He did this using Hofstedes (1980) theory of cultural dimension, which explained how values are influenced by culture in differing nations. Taylor (2000) proposed that in countries with high uncertainty avoidance and high power distance, citizens reacted more strongly to this tainting crisis, by forcing the government to place bans on the sale of Coca-Cola related products, while the governments of countries with low uncertainty avoidance and low power distance did not really react to the crisis. Culture management was also needed to accurately understand the environment they were embarking on. Cultureconsists in those patterns relative to behaviour and the products of human action which may be inherited, that is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes (Parson, 1949 p. 8). Under the guidance of the new CEO, the company adopted a think local, act local approach to marketing, which highlighted the importance of addressing the cultural needs of customers in the local market. Daft maintained the view that although Coca-Cola is a global brand, customers do not drink Coca-Cola globally. As a result, Coca-Cola has been adopting a localized strategy in marketing, advertising, and public relations by carrying out extensive stakeholder analysis as seen in Figure 3. The company also adopted a risk management approach that includes financial, operational, social, environmental and ethical considerations and are of the view that by identifying these risks and the potential consequences they could have on the business, they can proactively focus on these areas and identify ways to more effectively manage their impact on their operations. 2.3 Community relations and corporate ethics Coca-Cola is now working to become a model citizen by reaching out to local communities and getting involved in civic and charitable activities. Like reputation, corporate ethics and relationship with the external stakeholders is very important for building a positive image. Coca-Colas social responsibility and corporate ethics helps build company integrity. In 1960, Keith Davis suggested that corporate social responsibility refers to business decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest. Stakeholder management is important here as it reconciles the companys objectives with the claims and expectations being made by them of various stakeholder groups. 2.4 Employee relations and Human Resource Management Human Resource Management (HRM) is one of the most important forms of management within an organization and effective communication is essential for HRM to be successful. HRM is as defined by Bratton and Gold (1999): that part of the management process that specializes in the management of people in work organizations. HRM emphasizes that employees are critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, that human resources practices need to be integrated with the corporate strategy, and that human resource specialists help organizational controllers to meet both efficiency and equity objectives. The Coca-Cola Company links employee (internal) communications and employee relations and believe that they are integral components needed for the success of the organization. Employee Relations, according to Heery and Noon (2001), involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation, and morale. Essentially, Employee Relations is concerned with preventing and resolving problems involving individuals, which arise out of or affect work situations. The employees are the most valued internal stakeholders, as they communicate the product to the companys external stakeholders. Internal Corporate Communication falls under the organizational management department, as seen in van Riel (1995) model of integrated corporate communication. It is defined, according to Welch and Jackson (2007) as communication between an organisations strategic managers and its internal stakeholders, [in the case of Coca-Cola, its employees] designed to promote commitment to the organisation; a sense of belonging to it; awareness of its changing environment and understanding of its evolving aims. The Coca-Cola Company follows a similar structure regarding internal communication as depicted in Welch and Jacksons (2007) model (Figure 2). Within the company, corporate messages relayed directly to employees aid in reinforcing employee commitment towards the overall organizational objectives. On the same level, direct communication between managers and their employees helps create a sense of belonging to the organization. This sense of belonging then motivates employees to promote awareness and understanding of the corporate brand to the external stakeholders. Guest (1990), in his approach to strategic HRM draws on the Harvard model (proposed by Beer et al., 1984), which was associated with the softer side HRM and the Michigan model (proposed by Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna, 1984), which proposes the hard HRM approach. Hard HRM see human â€Å"resources† as mainly a factor of production, an expense of doing business rather than the only resource capable of turning inanimate factors of production in to wealth. In contrast, soft HRM places an emphasis on human side of things. The soft model focuses on treating employees as valued assets and a source of competitive advantage through their commitment, adaptability and high quality skill and performance (Legge, 1995). The Coca-Cola Company incorporates both ‘hard HRM and ‘soft HRM within their organization reflected in the ‘Choice Model adapted by Analoui (2002, p. 30). This model depicts a more holistic approach to HRM as seen in Figure 5 below. The Input Stage of HRM policies and frameworks This model represents the communication strategy with emphasis on HRM, being used by global organizations like Cola-Cola. It explains how the input stages of HRM policies are formulated at senior management levels based on the knowledge and information attained from internal, personal and external sources. These policies are then passed on to the functional and line management level where they are implemented, and finally ends at an output level that affects the individual, organisation and society bringing about, improved performance and effectiveness and quality of work life. This model proves effective as it takes into consideration the culture of the organization, as well as individual and stakeholders perception of the company and can be interpreted on an international basis for a company such as Coca-Cola. CONCLUSION This report critically reviews the corporate communication strategies being utilized within the Coca-Cola Company. It reflects on the nature, scope and focus of corporate communication, with emphasis on Human Resource Management and Employee Relations. It describes how corporate communication is essential for corporate image, identity and reputation to be understood by stakeholders. It explained how under the corporate communication strategy, Cola-Cola is able to formulate a more holistic approach to HR management, linking the needs of the internal stakeholders with those of its external stakeholders to achieve a more effective organization. Finally it concludes that company performance and efficiency is linked to the corporate communication strategy of an organization and how successful its implementation is. Bibliography Analoui, F (2002) The Changing Patterns of HRM. UK: Ashgate. Argenti, P.A. (1998) Corporate Communication. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Irwin McGraw-Hill. Beer, M. et al. (1984) Managing human assets. New York: The Free Press Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (1999) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: MacMillan Press. Christensen, L.T., Cornelissen, J.P. and Morsing, M. (2007) Corporate communications and its receptions: a comment on Llewellyn and Harrison. Human Relations Journal, Vol. 60 (4), p.653-661. Cornelissen, J.P. (2008) Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Davis, K. (1960) Can business afford to ignore its social responsibility? California Managements Review, Vol. 2 (3), p. 70-76. Freeman, R.E. (1984) Strategic Management: AStakeholder ApproachBoston, MA: Pitman Fombrun, C.J. and Riel, C.B.M. van (2006) Essentials of Corporate Communications: Implementing practices for effective reputation management. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at http://dawsonera.com [Accessed: 08 November 2009]. Fombrun, C.J et al. (1984) Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley Gotsi, M and Wilson, A. (2001) Corporate reputation: seeking a definition. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 6 (1), p. 24-30. Gray, E.R. and Balmer, J.M.T. (1998) Managing Corporate Image and Corporate Reputation. Long Range Planning. Vol. 31 (5), p. 685-692 Guest, D. E. (1990) Human resource management and the American dream. Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 27 (4), p. 377-397. Heery, E and Noon, M. (2001) A Dictionary of Human Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jones, M.H. (2000) Reputation as reservoir. Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 3(1), p. 21-29. Legge, K. (1995) Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities, Basingstoke: Macmillan. Oliver, S. (1997) Corporate Communication: Principles, Technique and Strategies. London: Kogan Page. Parson, T. (1949)Essays in Sociological Theory: pure and applied.New York: Free Press. Riel, C.B.M. van (1995) Principles of Corporate communication. London: Prentice Hall. Riel, C.B.M. van and Balmer, J.M.T. (1997) Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 (5), p.340-355. Schmidt, K. (1995) The Quest for Corporate Identity. London: Cassell Sutherland, J. and Canwell, D. (2004) Key Concepts in Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Taylor, M. (2000) Cultural variance as a challenge to global public relations: a case study of Coca-Cola tainting scare in Western Europe. Public Relations Review, Vol. 26, p. 277-293. Welch, M. and Jackson, P.R. (2007) Rethinking internal communication: a stakeholder approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 12(2) p. 177-198. http://www.cokecorporateresponsibility.co.uk/index.html (2009) [Online]. [Accessed: 27 October 2009] http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com.html (2009) [Online]. [Accessed: 15 October 2009]

Evaluation of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Essay -- Deforestat

Nowadays deforestation is the one of the most destructive and controversial environmental issues. Deforestation is defined as cutting down, clearing away or burning trees or forests. Particularly tropical rainforests are the most destructed type of forests because of its location in developing countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India, central African countries and Brazil. Deforestation rate in those places is high enough to worry about, because of good economic potential of forests. As the result of causes such as agriculture land expansion, logging for timber, fire blazing and settling infrastructure there might be serious impacts in future, for instance, extinction of endemic species of animals and plants which will be feral, increase of greenhouse gas emissions which may lead to global warming and consecutive catastrophes, destruction of home for indigenous dwellers which is considered as violation of human rights. Some people can argue with this drawbacks telling that deforestation have more valuable benefits such as growth of economics, production of food and providing better opportunities for life for poor families. However, government of that countries and world organisations tries to stop deforestation proposing several solutions. Deforestation problem is especially acute in Brazilian Amazon, where its rate is much high comparing with other regions. This paper will rigorously describe causes and effects of deforestation, and evaluate possible solutions of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Tropical rainforests which is located between tropic of Capricorn and tropic of Cancer covered 12% of land surface few thousand years ago. However, today is it covers only 5% of planet. In spite of this small area, it is... ...ious environmental problem with some significant ecological consequences such as global warming and loss of rich biodiversity and with some economic benefits which are just temporary. These actions against nature must be stopped, and I am recommending that all of us, starting from simple people and ending with government must solve this problem together. Simple human can donate some money which is not sufficient at the moment, businessmen again can help with money, global organisations can provide volunteers and donated money and government can make huge investments, enforce more strict laws, cleared from corruption and try to strictly secure whole Amazon with strict punishments for criminals. In addition, there are recommendations of further research in improving agriculture and finding more sustainable nutrients which would allow using lands for longer period.

Character Analysis of Aminata: Book of Negroes Essay

The Book of Negroes by Lawerence Hill started as a story of the capture of a West African girl and her journey to become a slave. Her traumatizing experience was written with a desperate tone that was achieved through the use of literary devices such as metaphors and alliteration. Emphasis was put on the conflict between Aminata and society which helped to develop her as a hopeful character. â€Å"We walked for many suns, growing slowly in members, lumbering forward until we were an entire town. Each time, people swarmed out to stare at us. Initially, I believed that the villagers were coming to save us. Surely they would oppose this outrage. But they only watched and sometimes brought out captors roasted meat in exchange for cowrie shells and chunks of salt. Some night when they had us lie down in fields, our captors paid village women to cook for us-yams, millet cakes, corn cakes, sometimes with a bubbling peppered sauce. We ate in small groups, crouching around a big calabash, spooning out the hot food with the curved fingers of our right hand. While we ate, our captors negotiated with local chiefs. Ever chief demanded payment for passage through his land. Every night, our captors bartered and bickered well into the evening. I tried to understand, in the hope of leaning something about where we were going and why† (p. 34, Hill). In this quotation, Aminata’s journey is described with a bleak and demoralizing tone. The journey of Aminata and her hostages lasted â€Å"for many suns† and wore down their hope for freedom and their faith in humanity. The hostages continued â€Å"lumbering forward† as â€Å"an entire town of kidnapped peoples,† with no hope of being saved. When â€Å"people swarmed out to stare at us †¦Ã‚  we initially believed that the villagers were coming to save us. † Eventually the captives realize that the people are only interested in making exchanges with their captors. This leaves the hostages with the forlorn realization that no one would make an attempt to liberate them. The captives were demoralized further when they â€Å"crouched around a big calabash, spooning out hot food with the curved fingers of our right hands. † As captives, the native West Africans were treated as less than human. Like animals, they were forced to gather around a bucket of food and eat without tools. The lack of respect and dignity given to the captives corrupted their sense of self-worth until there was little left but the instinct to survive. Literary devices are a key element in setting the tone of this novel. As the captives were continuing they were â€Å"slowly growing in number†¦ until we were an entire town of kidnapped people. † This metaphor emphasizes the number of prisoners the captors have taken hostage and that the group goes far beyond Aminata. It also emphasizes the amount of power the captors have other the captives. Even though the captives outnumber the captors, the captors are still capable of preventing any rebellion and power within the hostages. Another literary device that highlights the hopeless situation of the captives is parallel structure. On their journey they â€Å"passed village after village, and town after town. † The us of parallel structure creates a sense that the journey of the slaves is perpetual and induces the feeling that the slaves are stuck on a ceaseless journey. This also contributes to the hopeless mood of the novel; with no end in sight the slaves find little to look forward to. Although the captives lose hope in their future, Aminata manages to keep a part of herself hopeful and this is essential to her characterization. Aminata knows that there is a very small chance of escaping, but she also knows that if she has more knowledge of the captor’s plans, she has a better chance at freedom: â€Å"Every night I heard the captors barter and bicker well into the evening. I tried to understand, in the hope of learning something about where they were going, and why. † This also demonstrates her thirst for knowledge. Growing up Aminata strived to learn reading and writing and any other skills she could. She does not let go of this part of herself even in her futile situation. As well as being hopeful and clever, Aminata proves to be innocent and naive. While travelling through villages she believes â€Å"the villagers were coming to save us. Surely they would oppose this outrage. † But Aminata eventually realises that the villagers are not interested in freeing the captives. The only concern the villagers have is to make deals with the captors. Her ideals, that the people of her country would band together to bring a stop to their exploitation, are crushed and strips her of her innocence on her journey to slavery. Aminata finds herself in many conflicts with many different elements. One example is the conflict between her and society. Society viewed Aminata and her fellow prisoners as less than human and with little value. The slaves were treated like animals, â€Å"people swarmed out to stare at us†. They are seen as another species and not as people with intelligence and skills. But contrary to the beliefs of the society, Aminata is an intelligent and skillful girl whose thirst for knowledge is never put to rest. She continues to try â€Å"to understand the chiefs, in the hope of learning something. † She also knows how to read and write which is considered extremely valuable in her culture. But because society views slaves as non humans who are not capable of being intellectual, Aminata’s capabilities are not seen by others and she is continual seen as an inferior. The Book of Negroes tells a story about the degrading experience many had to go through because they were seen as inferior. This degradation is apparent through the demoralizing and bleak tone. But Aminata manages to keep hope and a clear head and provide a beacon for herself and others around her. She continues to expand her horizon of knowledge and aspire to better herself. Although she is faced against the power or society, Aminata holds strong to herself and carries on. Her story is told with the use of literary devices such as parallel structure and metaphors to emphasize the desperation and inadequacy of her journey. She manages to look past all the horrors that surround her and hope for a better future, and perhaps with her strong will and knowledge she will achieve this someday.

Brazilian Independence

Brazilian Independence A critical review of â€Å"The Cambridge History of Latin America (From Idependence to c. 1870), By Leslie Bethell In this paper I will explain and highlight main arguments of Brazilian independence according to Leslie Bethell. The Brazilian independence was certainly not as violent as in the other Latin American countries and the independence was a final product of many events and influences.I will go through the economic situation Brazil was facing in terms of export and imports, followed by the installment of Portuguese Dom Joao in Rio de Janeiro, because of the Napoleon wars going on in Europe at the time and finally concluding on what finally gave Brazil independence in 1822. Economically, Brazil was major compared to its colonizer, Portugal. Brazil had the population the area and the natural resources to become a success, which they definitely was, but with a Portuguese exploitation of exports and population.Portugal was highly dependent on Brazilian exp orts and had a hard time providing Brazil with manufactured goods, an element Britain had a major role in. Brazil exported and still exports massive amounts of sugar to Portugal and later on, coffee and cotton became an important export, not to forget gold from Minas Gerais. It was basically hard for Portugal to justify the occupation of this new land of opportunities. The creation of a national identity that would help Brazilians to gain independence was definitely an important factor to the process.Some claim that the victory over the Dutch in 1654 was a major input and inspiration for the Brazilians. The Brazilian education and information system was although not on Brazilian territory and the minority of people that could afford it went to Europe for university. The economic, political and intellectual situation, led to massive criticisms due to the mercantile systems, its restrictions on trade, the heavy duty taxation on Brazil and also the high prices on manufactured goods wer e up for a beating.The reason why Portugal was able to hold on to Brazil was not because of military power and high oppressiveness as seen in other Latin American countries under Spanish rule, but because of the Portuguese crown Dom Joao and Portugals supply of stability in Brazil. The dissatisfaction should although not be exaggerated – the locals where in comparison much more involved with the formation and implementation of legislation just to mention one and Portuguese settlement had happened gradual, so prominent landowners were most likely first generation Brazilians, giving less incentives for rebellion and riots.All in all, Brazilians were better off than the other colonized countries in Latin America. Napoleon wars and moving Dom Joao With the Napoleon wars going on in Europe and many countries giving up their colonies, Brazil was kept in Portuguese hands. The Portuguese leader Dom Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, saw early on that Brazilian independence was just a matter of time. Therefore he suggested that regent Dom Joao should give up his residence in Portugal and move the apparatus to Brazil as a final option instead of being taken over by Napoleon.On August 12th 1807 Napoleon issued an ultimatum to the Portuguese foreign minister, he could either; close the ports to British ships, imprison all English residents and confiscate their property or face a French invasion. Britain backed the idea of leaving Portugal up and offered protection. For a while, Dom Joao tried to adopt anti-British policies, but already in November he learned that Generel Junot was marching on to Portugal with 23. 000 men. After the French troops entering Portugal Dom Joao made the decision of leaving Portugal.In late November the regent and an apparatus of 10-15. 000 people left for Brazil accompanied with British ships. The moving of the regent to Rio de Janeiro was a huge step for Brazil and their way to independence and the relationship between Portugal and Brazil was b etter than ever. The establishment of government in Rio de Janeiro ended the monopoly for Lisbon as an actor on exports and imports. Portugal no longer controlled Brazilian products and trade and Britain was the only country allowed to trade with Brazil until the ending of the Napoleon wars.The effects of having the regent in Rio de Janeiro, were great for Brazil. In 1808 the first printing press was published in Rio de Janeiro, furthermore books were released, libraries opened and probably most important; schools were opened which definitely contributed to the political awareness and intelligence. As a sum up on the movement, Brazil was now governed from Rio de Janeiro instead of Lisbon, and the relationship with Portugal was never really re-established. Later, after the liberation of Portugal, Dom Joao was expected back in Lisbon and British ships were sent to accompany they journey.Although Dom Joao had other plans and decided to stay and later on raising the Brazil to the status of Kingdom – thereby being equal to Portugal legally. In response to the decreasing colonial power a liberal-nationalsts opposition raised in Oporto and the Junta Provosoria was proposing a new constitution where the Cortes was to be elected for the Portuguese world. It became clear that the Portuguese intentions with Brazil were only to recapture Brazil and make it serve Portuguese interests. In general all the Portuguese attempts to lower the new status of Brazil and it’s political and economical opportunities were not successful.Trying to re-impose the heavy taxation and tariffs on Brazil only gave the Brazilians and even bigger incentive to gain independence. Independence Dom Pedro (son of Dom Joao) was the one to lead the process of cutting all cooperation with Portugal since the elites of Brazil came to the conclusion that it was not an option to keep doing so. This resulted in a combined elite front of Brazilian politicians, no matter political ideologies, to b attle the Cortes and they all swore allegiance to Dom Pedro.Brazilian politicians gained more and more confidence and in 1822 Dom Pedro received the last dispatches from Portugal revoking his decrees, charging his ministers with treason and demanding him back to Lisbon, he declared; â€Å"I proclaim Brazil forevermore separated from Portugal†. It although took some time to expel the last Portuguese men from Brazil. The Portuguese army ended up in Salvador, Bahia after being expelled from Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian army was huge in terms of numbers but were not strong enough to overtake the Portuguese that consisted of 2. 00 regular troops and a 1. 500 men militia. The Portuguese had a major naval squadron stationed in Bahia, and therefore being in total control over the sea. Therefore Dom Pedro asked for the assistance of Lord Cochrane, a super successful frigate captain who had already played a major role in the independence of Chile in 1818. In 1823 Cochrane gathered a 9 ship Brazilian naval squadron for the blockade of Bahia and it was probably more reputation than actual force that made the Portuguese evacuate Bahia on June 2nd. The last Portuguese troops leftBrazil in March 1824 and Cochrane afterwards went to Rio de Janeiro to receive the title of Marques de Maranhao. Conclusion: The Brazilian independence was as mentioned earlier a pallet of many events and actors influencing the Brazilian population as well as the Portuguese. Brazilian demography and population size was important, not to mention the British, who played a large role all the way as an external actor. The moving of the regent to Rio de Janeiro and the Cortes helpless attempt to regain the former status of Brazil was definitely another factor influencing.Portugal as a nation was a declining European economy with trade deficits without Brazil. Also Brazil was not ruled by Portugal in the military way, and Portugal was only supplying the social stability in terms of a legal system. Therefore it makes no sense in itself for why Brazil should be ruled by a minor state compared to them selves. In my opinion the movement of the regent was one of the major events leading a much more joint operation and giving the Brazilians the local identity that led them to finally gaining independence in 1822.