Do we have a moral obligation to vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Do we have a moral obligation to vote - Essay Example Based on the idea of individual morality, an act can be defined as rational if its expected costs do not exceed its expected benefits as defined by the individual making the decision. The expected costs of voting would include travel expenses as well as time spent researching the candidates and updating a voter’s registration card. It can be deduced then that the expected costs of voting are quite small. The outcome of having voted could result in the winning of either the candidate one has voted for or another candidate altogether. It is easy to decide not to vote as one single vote is almost irrelevant compared to millions of other votes; but if everyone adopted this viewpoint then no one would vote and we might end up living in a dictatorship form of government where the people have no say at all. So, it can be said that voting may cost an individual (even though the cost is rather miniscule) more then the expected benefit, as the individual can argue that their vote will n ever make a difference among all the other votes but the cost though small, is certain. This however, is from an individual’s perspective as opposed to looking at a group of people or the entire country. It may be theoretically irrational for an individual to waste time and money voting as the outcome of the election will not balance on their vote, but the individual votes of a group of people suddenly becomes rational as the cost remains small to each individual but the election outcome in the group’s favor will be beneficial. From a consequentiality’s perspective, the goal is to act in the most moral way to bring about positive consequences for a group as a whole. This clearly means that voting is certainly the moral thing to do for the majority and outweighs the minimal costs to individuals. Critically speaking however, it can also be said that moral responsibility is attached to individuals and their actions so seeking the best possible outcome should also

Mayan Family Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mayan Family Structure - Essay Example The Mayan dialect comprises 69 languages within five sub-families of Ch'ol-Tzotzil, Huastecan, Yucatecan, Chujean-Kanjobal, and Quichean-Memean sects. At the height of their prosperity they lived in cities that actually used to be religious centers and open country-sides. Their administrative system was effective and resourceful although their social and religious practices were sometimes brutal. (Mayan Family) The Mayan community is spread far and wide in pockets of different countries like Mexico, Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Chiapas, Gautemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. However, they are distinct from each other in their unique way they dress and communicate. The Mayan language is spoken as the first language in some communities whereas Spanish is the first language with others. The Mayan family structure today is just about like any other regular family structure in the world. They work, play, study, live together and plan their lives as a family unit and for their descendants. They live in their own countries and proudly hold on to their native tongue although a lot of them also speak Spanish, the language commonly spoke in majority of the people in the region. However, as a community, they are backward and still need help to improve their lot in education and business. They have a rich culture and tradition to speak of. They have wonderful history and heritage to share with people from all over the globe. They have rich natural sources and abilities to compare and compete with the best in the world, and brilliant ideas and hopes to join the rest of the human community in the race for better standards of living for themselves and others. (History of the Mayan Agency) Family Structure of the ancient times Specific information about the family structure as a unit is not forthcoming probably because the Mayan language family itself is divided into five sub-families. These sub-families are dispersed in different countries in South America, viz. Gautemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and South Mexico. The largest populations are found in Mexico in the states of Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Chiapas. The culture and social life of the Mayan harks back to ancient times as far back as 1500 BC. It was a prosperous and militant civilization that observed religious rituals on barbaric lines and depended on thriving economy. There was a big gap in the way of living between the ruling class and the common man. The king, his family, courtiers, priests, palace guard and servants enjoyed a better standard of living in comparison to the society at large. The Mayans practiced caste system rigidly. There was no way anyone could move over from a lower caste to upper caste or from one caste to another. The caste system much like other social and economic practices was inherited and passed on to the next generation without question. Nonetheless, the higher castes enjoyed the privilege of moving down the ladder. No one stopped the royal class from mixing with their less privileged citizens if it suited their position or tastes. There is nothing to show that such alliances were consigned to the flames or death squad. Also besides sacrificial

Saint Andrew The Apostle Theology Religion Essay

Saint Andrew The Apostle Theology Religion Essay Saint Andrew the Apostle is known by all of Christianity as one of Jesus closest friends. Saint Andrews symbol is shown all over the world in Europe, Scotland, and even in United States history. Saint Andrew the Apostle is the patron saint of Scotland with an interesting story behind it. Saint Andrew the Apostle is also known as the first apostle, so his life was tough and very interesting to think about (Jones). No one knows when Saint Andrew was born, but it was in the early first century A.D. Saint Andrew died in the mid-first century A.D. Saint Andrews feast day is November 30 (Jones). Saint Andrew was crucified on a saltire cross or X shaped cross, and is considered a martyr. Saint Andrew was the first of the twelve Apostles, and his brother was Peter. His trade was a fisherman (Hoever 483). Also, because Saint Andrew was the first Apostle, his feast day is placed on, or the closest date to, the first Sunday of advent and the new church year (Kiefer). Saint Andrew is not mentioned a lot in the book, Acts of the Apostles, because he was mostly gone, travelling and spreading the good news to the world at the time (Roberts). Saint Andrew was a follower of Saint John the Baptist and younger brother of Saint Peter. When John said, Behold the Lamb of God, Andrew immediately knew what he meant and left everything to follow Jesus (Roberts). Saint Andrew was there when Jesus fed five-thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish. In fact he was the one who brought the boy with the food to Jesus. Saint Andrew also spoke Greek, so he translated Greek peoples words who wanted to talk to Jesus (Kiefer). It has been said that after Jesus death, Saint Andrew preached in Asia Minor. When Saint Andrew was to be crucified in Patras, Greece, he begged to be crucified in a different position than Jesus. He felt that he was unworthy to die the same way as Jesus did (Hoever 483). Saint Andrew is the patron saint of many things. Saint Andrew is the patron saint against fever, against gout, against neck pain, against sore throats, and against whooping cough. He is also the patron saint of   anglers, boatmen, butchers, farm workers, fish dealers, fish mongers, fishermen, happy marriages, maidens, mariners, miners, old maids, pregnant women, sail makers, sailors, single lay women, singers, spinsters, textile workers, unmarried women, water carriers, women who wish to become mothers, Knights of the Golden Fleece, Spanish armed forces, University of Patras, Austria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Bithynia, Asia Minor, five cities in Belgium, four cities in England, five cities in France, sixteen cities in Germany, Achaia/  Greece, Patras/  Greece, twelve cities in Italy, Luqa/ Malta, Hattem/  Netherlands, Manila/  Philippines, Saint Andrews/  Scotland, Encinasola,  Huelva/  Spain, and San Andreas/  Cali fornia (Jones). After Saint Andrews death when Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, became the emperor around the year 308, he ordered for Saint Andrews remains to be put in a church in Constantinople. Saint Regulus, the person bringing Saint Andrews remains to Rome, was told by an angel to take his remains north, far away from Rome. He ended up creating the settlement of Saint Andrew in what is today known as parts of Scotland and Russia. Saint Andrews remains are currently residing in a church in Patras, Greece. Saint Andrew was actually never canonized! Canonization never existed until the twelfth century A.D. (Jones). There was also a gospel of Andrew written, but it was denied to be recognized by the church and was lost (Ferguson 50). Saint Andrew has not been known for a specific miracle, but Pictish King Angus prayed to the saints to help him in a battle that he would probably not win. He looked into the blue sky and saw a white saltire or X in the sky as he went into battle, and came out as the victor. Later King Angus made Saint Andrew the patron Saint of Scotland. Saint Andrew has been known to help maidens find their husbands if you pray to him on his feast day, November 30. Also Saint Andrew has been known to repair your voice to help singers (Jones). The saltire is Saint Andrews symbol; it is a diagonal X. This is Saint Andrews symbol because he died on the cross in this position. The saltire can be found all over the world. It can be found in Scotlands current flag showing what King Angus saw. You can find it in Great Britains flag under the cross. You can find it in an American Social Studies textbook. The Confederate flag purposely put it there in honor of Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick! The saltire is all over the world, you just have to find it (Kiefer). There are many reasons why I chose Saint Andrew the Apostle. One of the reasons I chose Saint Andrew the Apostle is because we have the same name and I thought that was kind of cool. I also chose Saint Andrew the Apostle because I knew I could find information on him and I knew that he was one of Jesus closest friends. I also thought that it was cool that he died on a saltire, not a cross. Another reason I chose St. Andrew the Apostle is that he died for his faith. I love how much faith he had in Jesus, and even when he died, he died loving Jesus and God. I do wish that I could have the strength and love for God as much as he did. This is why I love Saint Andrew the Apostle and admire him so much. I hope that after you read this essay, if or when you see Scotlands flag youll know Saint Andrew is the reason for the flags pattern.

State of War :: essays research papers

Our Current State Of War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A â€Å"State of War† is a period when two nations, parties, or even individuals are in open and armed conflict with each other. But how does this come about, and how would John Locke and President George W. Bush feel about how it is that a state of war originates? What actions must take place for war to exist? Is there a period of time that must be spent deliberating the possibility of entering into a state of war to determine its necessity? Is there even a choice in the mater, or is it born in all of human kind as a sort of character trait, which must at times be expressed. If a state of war is inevitable, should the support of others be established, and at what moment in this conflict does it become apparent that a state of war has just been entered into? Is this idea of â€Å"State of War† similar or different when comparing the writing of John Locke, with the actions of President Bush? To understand how it is that a state of war comes about we must know what it is. John Locke defines a state of war saying, â€Å"I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction†¦and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him.† (Ch 3 sec. 16, â€Å"Two Treatises of Government†) This gives a reasonable idea about what war is, when it is necessary to enter into a state of war, and how it is that it can be entered into. Locke is saying that war is a response to a threat. A threat can be a physical attack, or a verbal declaration to harm. The attack, or evidence of intent to harm is then reason enough for a state or war to be declared. With this understood and given the current state of war between Iraq and the United States can it be said, based on Locke’s statement, that George W. Bush had reason enough to enter into a state of war with Iraq? In a speech made to the American Enterprise Institute President Bush said, â€Å"In Iraq a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world – and we will not allow it.† The development of these weapons could be interpreted as a threat, and a threat against the civilized world would justify an interest in a state of war.

Amusement Parks Essay

At Six Flags on Friday July 19, 2013 a woman was riding the Texas Giant rollercoaster when she fell out of her restraints. Carmen Brown, a witness, says that the woman had asked the staff to check her restraints shortly before the ride was starting. The gentleman that she had asked asked the woman if she heard the restraints click, the woman responded saying it didn’t sound like everyone else’s. The gentleman then, nonchalantly, told her that as long as it clicked it was okay. Nothing else was ever done to ensure the woman’s restraints were secure. Some witnesses have reported that as the rollercoaster was making a turn the woman was thrown out. The name of the victim and any further information has not been released. It is suspected that the woman was with her son. When the train had returned from the ride, it was reported that two people were shouting, one was screaming â€Å"My mom† â€Å"My mom†. The rollercoaster staff parked the train far enough away from the platform so no one was allowed get off of the train. www.dallasnews.com Due to the traumatic experience and people fearing the safety of the rides at Six Flags, the company will probably lose a good portion of money because people will not want or continue going to their park. This accident has caused an unexpected economic change in not only Six Flags but in all other amusement parks as well. Society will now have this negative view on amusement parks which means, for a little while at least, they will not want to go to the parks. This will cause the parks income to decline which can be very bad for the company, especially for Six Flags, who declared bankruptcy in 2009. When society loses trust in something they will usually pull back their economic support, leaving companies with fewer customers. It is important that companies and organizations remember that they have to keep the customer happy and safe. If not they will no longer have any customers. The majority of the people that witnessed the tragic event of the woman falling to her death due to a mechanical issue will probably no longer return to the park and they will likely have a large influence on their friends and family to not trust the park as well.

A Cultural Criticism Of Kite Runner by Khaled Hoesseini Essay

How high could a kite fly?: a cultural criticism of Kite Runner by Khaled Hoesseini   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a saying that cultural contacts sometimes bring the worst of two cultures. It could be true but it also an illusion because of unchanging thinking on the relationship between people.   And culture is all about relationship of people. What happens when people from different ethnic background and religions are caught up in cascading events in a changing world? What if the culture which binds or more accurate divides people is essentially ancient and has remain unchanged through the years, generation after, generation.   And what happens if the â€Å"now’s† world politics suddenly has suddenly broken the spell and subjected people to reality. This is the basic motif or thematic thread of the Kite Runner. See more: Foot Binding In China essay A novel set in Afghanistan, an ancient land, of ancient culture in the the 1960s up the 1980s when the Taliban came into power in Afghanistan, the Kite Runner chronicles a strange friendship between two people from different ethnicity, religion and socio-economic status. It is a study of contrasts as told by the main character Amir. To understand Amir and the characters set in a mosaic of contrasting and sometimes sharp contrast is to understand the cultural milieu of the ancient culture of Afghanistan based on Islam. This is no easy thing to do because of the matter of point of view. In the case of the Kite Runner or perhaps in any narrative, there are two point of views.   The point of view of the author and the point of â€Å"culture† as to the events and characters being described by the author. In the Kite Runner, the point of view is definitely modern – the narrative is excellent as shown by the superb weaving of the textual logic and the plot contemporary. The plot and characters As told by Amir, the story revolves around his friendship with Hassan the son of Amir’s father’s servant. It tells a story of betrayal, redemption and finally escape to freedom. Amir is Pashtoon and Hassan is Hazara. Pashtoon and Hazara are two of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan. From the novel, it appeared that the Hazara is discriminated upon or looked down on as revealed in the the following passage when Amir and Hassan are growing up:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One day, we were walking from my father’s house to Cinema Zainab for a new Iranian  movie, taking the shortcut through the military barracks near Istiqlal Middle School-Baba  had forbidden us to take that shortcut, but he was in Pakistan with Rahim Khan at the time.  We hopped the fence that surrounded the barracks, skipped over a little creek, and broke into  the open dirt field where old, abandoned tanks collected dust. A group of soldiers huddled  in the shade of one of those tanks, smoking cigarettes and playing cards. One of them saw  us, elbowed the guy next to him, and called Hassan.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hey, you!† he said. â€Å"I know you.†Ã‚  We had never seen him before. He was a squatty man with a shaved head and black stubble  on his face. The way he grinned at us, leered, scared me. â€Å"Just keep walking,† I muttered to Hassan. (Kite Runner, p 6-7)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"You! The Hazara! Look at me when I’m talking to you!† the soldier barked He handed  his cigarette to the guy next to him, made a circle with the thumb and index finger of one  hand. Poked the middle finger of his other hand through the circle. Poked it in and out.  In and out. â€Å"I knew your mother, did you know that? I knew her real good. I took her from behind by that creek over there.†Ã‚  The soldiers laughed. One of them made a squealing sound. I told Hassan to keep walking,  keep walking.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What a tight little sugary cunt she had!† (Kite Runner, p 6-7) This passage revealed a lot on the circumstances surrounding the two friends. Hassan was called by a soldier, â€Å"Hazara† and specifically pointed at Hassan just to taunt him, telling him that his mother is prostitute. From this passage, the two lads are simply out to watch an Iranian movie partaking of what little leisure their culture has to offer when they are confronted by the soldiers.   It is understandable that Amir could not defend his friend and hence he took evasive action.   It also showed the meek character of Hassan. The characterization of Amir and Hassan is set early in the novel. The circumstances of their births are telling of the subjugation and desperation of an ethnic group. The contrast is revealed in this passage:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was in that small shack that Hassan’s mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964. While his mother hemorrhaged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born. Lost her to a fate most Afghans considered far worse than death. She ran off with a clan of traveling singers and dancer. (Kite Runner, p 6-7)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both Amir and Hassan lost their mothers upon birth with Amir’s mother dying of hemorrhage giving birth while Hassan was born with not much problem as implied by the quick recovery of his mother. But she ran away apparently not wanting the responsibility of raising a child. This passage is revealing of the harsh reality of Hazara woman and how harsh her reaction could be as depicted in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"the moment Sanaubar had given birth to Hassan. It had been a simple enough affair. No obstetricians, no anesthesiologists, no fancy monitoring devices. Just Sanaubar lying on a stained, naked mattress with Ali and a midwife helping her. She hadn’t needed much help at all, because, even in birth, Hassan was true to his nature: He was incapable of hurting anyone. A few grunts, a couple of pushes, and out came Hassan. Out he came smiling. As confided to a neighbor’s servant by the garrulous midwife, who had then in turn told anyone who would listen, Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali’s arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter. â€Å"There,† she had said. â€Å"Now you have your own idiot child to do all your smiling for you!† She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later, she was gone.† (Kite Runner, p 9-10)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This early in the novel, how the characters would develop has already been foretold. The novel’s author, included the phrase â€Å"true his nature, incapable of hurting anyone† in referring to Hassan. A gentle soul, helpless and innocent amid the torrid racial, economic and political cauldron that is Afghanistan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethnic intolerance is a pervading theme in Kite Runner and there are many scenes showing this. In another passage, Hassan was taunted and called him â€Å"flat-nosed† referring to the physical features of Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is interesting to point out, that this tale is in the point of view of Amir, a Pashtoon, an ethnic group which Amir found out later that his people have subjugated the Hazaras. This is the turning point of Amir’s understanding of Hassan and critical to the development of the novel and Amir’s actions much later in the book. The passage reflects the contrast between Amir and Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Then one  day, I was in Baba’s study, looking through his stuff, when I found one of my mother’s old  history books. It was written by an Iranian named Khorami. I blew the dust off it, sneaked it  into bed with me that night, and was stunned to find an entire chapter on Hazara history. An  entire chapter dedicated to Hassan’s people! In it, I read that my people, the Pashtoons, had  persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the  Pashtoons in the nineteenth century, but the Pashtoons had â€Å"quelled them with unspeakable  violence.  (Kite Runner, p 9) This is no easy revelation to a child. Difficult to grasp the extent of racial tension and subjugation, of a horrendous history separating him from a childhood friend, almost a bond brother if not a loyal servant. This as mentioned earlier is the difficult part. Is Amir, undergoing a change as a benevolent master or into egalitarian person? The climactic culmination of the this relationship is portrayed in the kite contest wherein Hassan is the kite runner of Amir. Take note that the relationship of master-servant did not change so are the dreams of children. Winning contests or making a name to make someone happy. In this case, Amir wants to impress his father so he joined the contest. In one part of the novel is this passage showing that the relationship is still is master and servant. This is important in the understanding the construct of the Kite Runner. Finally, I had my kite in hand. I wrapped the loose string that had collected at my feet around the spool, shook a few more hands, and trotted home. When I reached the wroughtiron gates, Ali was waiting on the other side. He stuck his hand through the bars. â€Å"Congratulations,† he said. 1 gave him my kite and spool, shook his hand. â€Å"Tashakor, Ali jan.† â€Å"I was praying for you the whole time.† â€Å"Then keep praying. We’re not done yet.† (Kite Runner, p 67)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ali, here is the father of Hassan, note Amir’s dialogue: â€Å"I gave him my kite and spool, shook his hand.† It is plainly, a lad in confidence talking to a servant, as if saying, here take care of this will you? Like what Batman would have done with Alfred after a caper. â€Å"Here Alfred, take care of my boomerang will you?† The following passage shows the blissful innocence in triumph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I hurried back to the street. I didn’t ask Ali about Baba. I didn’t want to see him yet. In my head, I had it all planned: I’d make a grand entrance, a hero, prized trophy in my bloodied hands. Heads would turn and eyes would lock†¦ Then the old warrior would walk to the young one, embrace   him, acknowledge his Worthiness. (Kite Runner, p 67)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The prize trophy being referred here is a blue kit which Amir won. Hassan is tasked to recover the prize in a kite war. But succeeding events in an otherwise happy occasion of winning which Amir wanted to share with Hassan is not allowed by the author and the illusion of a champion in kiting as clashed with reality is painted squarely by Hosseini when Hassan was violated by Assef, the nemesis of Amir who would figure as the dark symbol of the grim world of Afghanistan at the rise of the Talibans in the 80’s. The sexual violation or rape of Hassan, perhaps symbolizes the subjugation by use of powerful force over another. In one scene, perhaps to zero in on a contradiction in Afghan culture, Hosseini weaved this passage describing Amir as he looks for Hassan shortly after the kite contest and shortly before witnessing the violation of Hassan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By the time I reached the marketplace a few blocks away, from the Haji Yaghoub Mosque, the mullahbellowed azan, calling for the faithful to unroll their rugs and bow their heads west in prayer. Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers. Even when we were out playing, he’d excuse himself, draw water from the well in the yard, wash up, and disappear into the hut. He’d come out a few minutes later, smiling, find me sitting against the wall or perched on a tree. He was going to miss prayer tonight, though, because of me. (Kite Runner, p 68)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Here in this passage, Hassan is picture as a devotee of Haj Yaghoub Mosque, religious, true to his faith innocent. A simple child devoted to a friend performing for him the task of a kite runner. He performed his task and recovered the blue kite of Amir but was intercepted by Assef.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amir saw the whole episode but did nothing.   Here is a symbolic twist in the novel.   The incapacity of Amir to act to protect not only Hassan but himself. As we noted earlier, Amir is both a master and a friend of Hassan in terms of relationships, cultural and personal. As a master, he backed down to the superior force of Assef and friends, he knows he could not win so he whimpers just watching. As a friend, he suffered internally at the sight of the violation.   The illusion of triumph in the kite contest shattered. When kites are let loose The resolution of the tale of ethnic strife Kite Runner is framed by the author in the succeeding generation. It would be the redemption of Amir, when he rescued Hassan’s child who was taken captive by Assef who became a Taliban official. Amir was able to escape to California with his wife and Hassan’s child. Hassan was revealed to have been killed by the Taliban. As far as handling the themes of conflict and its resolution, the Kite Runner showed us symbolically, how change is almost impossible in an ancient setting.   It would take perhaps generation after generation to a society more tolerant of each other’s differences.   The novel is rich in symbols. The kite is highly symbolic, there is a thread that keeps it afloat, there is the wind. Cutting loose has significant meaning as when Amir decides to escape to California. The kite of Amir has crossed the continents, from the ancient to the modern or post modern California. We are then left with one question, authenticity. It is not the objective of this paper to analyze what is Afghan culture and conflicts which tearing the country apart in flare ups of violence, we could only view the novel as woven by the author. Though in many ways, ethnic or racial discrimination has been a plague of mankind, and even stable techno-scientific economies has their share of racial disharmony and bigotry. Apartheid was just recently abolished in South Africa and there are racial and ethnic strifes in Eastern Europe. What Kite Runner did is to open our eyes to such problems and maybe in the future, youthful dreams would come true. Reference Hosseini, Khaled,   Kite Runner http://rahapen.org/RAHA_Literary_criticism_safar_hanifi2.htm (1 of 8)5/6/2006 1:30:29 PM RAHA PEN: A quick glance on Novel† The Kite Runnner† WIKEPEDIA.com

Top 5 Less Crowded Sites to Look For Retail Jobs

Top 5 Less Crowded Sites to Look For Retail Jobs You’re looking for a job in retail and it seems that all the usual job search sites are teeming with applicants. You want to find somewhere less crowded and more focused where you can search and apply in peace for your very specific skill set. Try searching off the beaten path for your next retail job- you’ll find employers who aren’t getting absolutely inundated with responses, and you might just find your next job! 1.  All Retail JobsThis site is free, lists from over 12,000 retail employers and recruiters, and lists both management and hourly job openings. You can save search specifications and set up email notifications that match your profile.2. Work In RetailThis site can also send you real-time job recommendations as they are posted. It’s free and focuses on retail- with job postings at any level.3. Retail Careers NowThis site is free, lets you set up an account/alerts, upload your resume, and do market and salary research. Good for both browsing and searching, it highlights â€Å"featured† jobs and employers.4. Retail CrossingThis free site boasts that it’s the â€Å"largest collection of retail jobs on earth.† It displays how many new jobs were posted by week and how many total jobs are currently available to search, and lets you preview your search by job type. You can also upload your resume and get some good general retail career information by browsing through.5. Retail Jobs WebAnother free site, much like the others, this one  very easily lets you search not only by position type but also by industry, or state, or full-time/part-time. You can even search by company, if you already have one in mind.

Letters in the color purple analysis Essay Example

Letters in the color purple analysis Essay Example Letters in the color purple analysis Paper Letters in the color purple analysis Paper the ardour love and passion Shug and Celie will share nor any of the major happenings that are to be the most reminiscent components of the novel. The epistolary, or letter-writing, form of The Color Purple used by Walker is more or less like a diary, since Celie tells her story through private letters that she writes to God. Therefore this allows cellie to express everything that happens and everything she feels with complete candor and honesty. As a victim of an abusive life Celie is forced to live a life of complete disfranchisement and so these letters allow her feelings to be expressed without filtering . Walkers use of Celies own voice allow Walker to describe the life of black women in the south in a sympathetic and realistic way. Unlike how a historian might explain these living conditions which is in an overly antiseptic and overly -analytical way, Celies letters offers a first-person view of these conditions of sexism, incest, and racism. Her words might seem a little senseless and stripped off excess emotion but still seem to reach the readers hearts  we seem to believe that Celie has been numbed and cannot feel the pain the way it should be felt. my mama dead. She die screaming and cussing. She scream at me she cuss at me I think Walker was very successful at this since the reader is left with a multitude of emotions and feelings after reading every letter and being continuously true and corporeal from the beginning to the end.

Autobiographical Sketch of the Political Career Of John F. Kennedy

Virtually all of my early life revolved around politics, and both my older brother and I understood we were meant for high office. My father, Joseph P. Kennedy often said that his son would be America’s first Catholic president. He would prove to be prophetic. After the war, in 1946, I conducted my first campaign for congress (jfk library n.d.), enlisting the help of my sisters, my mother and my popular grandfather, going door-to-door on crutches as I recovered from my war wounds. I was elected on my first try. My goal from the beginning was the presidency of the United States and I used my family’s money and political connections toward that end. I first had to have a national platform and I chose to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. I was elected in 1953 and immediately began my assault on the next obstacle. In 1956 I broke a tradition of the Democratic Party by actively seeking the nomination for vice-present on the ticket headed by Adlai Stevenson (White House.gov n.d.). My brother Robert once joked that that I have been saved from that mistake by being denied the nomination, as Stevenson lost to the sitting president, Dwight Eisenhower, in a landslide. Still this honed my political skills and allowed me to build a national base for my assault on the presidential nomination in four years. In 1960 I was elected 35th president of the United States in the closest election ever conducted, narrowly beating out the sitting vice-president, Richard Nixon (ibid). On November 22 of 1963 I made an ill-fated trip to Texas to mend some political fences within the party. I over-rode the advice of my security detail, which wanted me to ride in a limo with a bulletproof canopy. I wanted the crowd to have a better view of my wife and me as we drove past them on the narrow streets of Dallas on a beautiful sunny day.   As we were clear of the downtown canyon shots rang out and I was assassinated as my wife and a cheering crowd looked on in horror. I was the youngest man ever elected president and the youngest man to die in office. Works Cited John F. Kennedy Library and Museum     Biographies and Profiles: Kenneth P. O’Donnell   Retrieved 3-2-08 from: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Biographies+and+Profiles/Profiles/Kenneth+P.+ODonnell.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The White House  Ã‚   John Kennedy   Retrieved 3-2-08 from: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jk35.html Autobiographical Sketch of the Political Career Of John F. Kennedy Virtually all of my early life revolved around politics, and both my older brother and I understood we were meant for high office. My father, Joseph P. Kennedy often said that his son would be America’s first Catholic president. He would prove to be prophetic. After the war, in 1946, I conducted my first campaign for congress (jfk library n.d.), enlisting the help of my sisters, my mother and my popular grandfather, going door-to-door on crutches as I recovered from my war wounds. I was elected on my first try. My goal from the beginning was the presidency of the United States and I used my family’s money and political connections toward that end. I first had to have a national platform and I chose to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. I was elected in 1953 and immediately began my assault on the next obstacle. In 1956 I broke a tradition of the Democratic Party by actively seeking the nomination for vice-present on the ticket headed by Adlai Stevenson (White House.gov n.d.). My brother Robert once joked that that I have been saved from that mistake by being denied the nomination, as Stevenson lost to the sitting president, Dwight Eisenhower, in a landslide. Still this honed my political skills and allowed me to build a national base for my assault on the presidential nomination in four years. In 1960 I was elected 35th president of the United States in the closest election ever conducted, narrowly beating out the sitting vice-president, Richard Nixon (ibid). On November 22 of 1963 I made an ill-fated trip to Texas to mend some political fences within the party. I over-rode the advice of my security detail, which wanted me to ride in a limo with a bulletproof canopy. I wanted the crowd to have a better view of my wife and me as we drove past them on the narrow streets of Dallas on a beautiful sunny day.   As we were clear of the downtown canyon shots rang out and I was assassinated as my wife and a cheering crowd looked on in horror. I was the youngest man ever elected president and the youngest man to die in office. Works Cited John F. Kennedy Library and Museum     Biographies and Profiles: Kenneth P. O’Donnell   Retrieved 3-2-08 from: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Biographies+and+Profiles/Profiles/Kenneth+P.+ODonnell.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The White House  Ã‚   John Kennedy   Retrieved 3-2-08 from: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jk35.html

A critical review of the literature on the nursing management of type

A critical of the on the nursing management of type 2 adult diabetec patients - Literature review Example This research paper will aim to review the literature on the use of nursing interventions to improve compliance It is argued that for the better management of diabetes and for the eradication of non-compliance behaviour, effective nursing intervention can be resourceful. A literature review was therefore conducted on the compliance of patients with diabetes type 2 and the role of nursing interventions in improving compliance. The databases searched were CINAHL, British Nursing Index, ASSIA and The Cochrane Library. The results showed three main themes which have been discussed in the paper. The themes have been analyzed in the context of the research topic and implications for clinical practice have been highlighted. The studies are both qualitative as well as quantitative and have used several study designs such as randomized control trials, reviews, systematic literature review and correlational studies. The nursing-led interventions have not been studied taking a large sample and the study designs are at times not very reliable. This necessitates more researches to be done to reinforce the results of the previous studies. On a general note, the studies have suggested that nursing interventions aimed at providing more education, awareness and advice to the patients have positive effects on encouraging self-care and increasing compliance to control regimes. More researches need to be done on larger samples so that the results can be generalized to the entire population. The study helps to identify that implications for health care professionals from various departments exist; interprofessional team work from nurses, general practitioners, volunteers and social workers can collectively be focused on the better implementation of interventions and empowering diabetic patients. Keywords: â€Å"compliance†, â€Å"diabetes type 2†, â€Å"nursing interventions† 1. Introduction Diabetes is taken from the Greek verb diabainein, meaning to stand wit h the legs open as one does in urination. Diabetes is a fast-growing disease and is characteristic of polyruria. There are two main types of diabetes i.e. diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus is related to the hyperglycemia or intolerance to glucose in contrast to diabetes insipidus which occurs because of the lack of production of anti-diuretic hormone. Type 2 diabetes is a subclass of diabetes mellitus with typical symptoms of hyperglycemia due to insulin resistance and/or insulin deficiency (King & Brucker 2009). It is noted that obesity and diabetes type 2 have a strong correlation. According to Joslin and Kahn (2005) obesity worsens the insulin resistance and patients with diabetes type 2 develop an increased risk for a range of diseases such as macrovascular and microvascular problems. This paper aims to highlight nursing management practices with respect to the care of patients with type 2 diabetes. Nursing management entails the â€Å"use of personnel , supplies, equipment, clinical knowledge, and skills to give nursing care to clients within varying environments† (Roussel & Swansburg 2006). Nursing management brings together a number of principles such as planning, effective use of time, decision-making, formulation of goals, organization, leadership and working as knowledge workers. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and patients typically have a large store of abdominal fat (Plotnick & Henderson 1998). Diabetes is growing rapidly in the UK with more than 2.6 million people diagnosed with the condition in 2009. It was also documented that in 2009, there were a further 0.5 million people who had type 2 diabetes but were not aware of it (Diabetes UK 2009). There are several treatment options available to patients, of which weight reduction and administration of oral agents are proven to be effective. Aschenbrenner and Venable (2008) assert

Global Strategic Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Global Strategic Managment - Essay Example The paper will also seek to analyse the key elements of the strategies taken by Kodak in order to develop the business. Global Strategic Management With the rapidity of globalisation, organisations operating in international market cannot delay till the local marketplace becomes unappealing or unbeneficial; rather they need to make proactive movements to capture the advantages of global market. Even organisations which do not operate globally, framing and applying a strategy which focuses exclusively on the local competitors and local customers, cannot assure the maintenance of strategic competitiveness in future. Shifting from local to global strategy is a challenging task and generates various difficulties. The major problem in implementing global strategy is to develop one exclusive approach which can be used throughout the international business and can keep flexibility to adjust in the local business environment (Mellahi & et. al., 2012). Drivers for Global Strategy The extent t o which a multinational company adopts the global strategy is regulated by three major aspects which are ‘macro globalising drivers’, external drivers and internal drivers. The macro globalising driver has a general influence and is not specific to particular businesses or organisations. The external globalising driver controls the internationality of an organisation, industry, or market. Ultimately, the internal drivers determine how an organisation responds with the international business environment. The combination of these drivers can be unique for every organisation (Mellahi & et. al., 2012). Macro Globalising Drivers In theory, there are two major macro globalising drivers which are globalisation and information communication... This paper approves that industry globalism is generally determined by the global marketing context. In industry globalism, the strategic performance of organisations relies on the global competitive framework inside an industry. The photographic industry is labelled as moderate level of industry globalism where there are few interdependencies between markets, consumers and dealers. This kind of industry is subjugated by several multinational organisations. This essay makes a conclusion that globalisation or localisation is a significant business decision that multinational organisations are facing nowadays in order to gain competitive advantage. Standardisation and localisation have their own benefits and importance for multinational organisations. With respect to Kodak, it had transformed its business operations through adopting digital growth strategy. Several drivers had played vital parts in the globalisation and localisation for Kodak such as technology, market, competition and cost. With the successful blending of different strategic elements such as new product development, marketing activities, acquisition, and cost control, Kodak is attempting to maintain its position in the digital photographic industry. Kodak was very slow to react to the trend of globalisation and thus was late to adopt the digital technology. The increasing trend of globalisation has made Kodak to globalise the business operations and adjust with the local business environments in order to compete with the strong competitors in the market.

Do Violent Video games encourage violent behavior Essay

Do Violent Video games encourage violent behavior - Essay Example However, what matters most is the thought that this can have significant impact on the child’s perspective about the reality. This has important impact on how the child will significantly understand the right from wrong set by the society. As stated earlier, those children exposed to violent games have the tendency to acquire violent behavior. This makes sense because in the first place, the bottom line impact of online violent games is said to be highly associated with children’s violent behavior. In order to understand this further, it is important to understand children’s behavior and his environment in detail. Children’s behavior and environmental influence Children’s behavior is susceptible to various influences in the environment. For instance, adult behaviors can be adapted by them. In fact, part of a children’s development of their behavior is highly influenced by the environment. In a family, parents are important persons in the live s of children because they tend to influence them. This is a clear illustration how an individual is being influenced by his immediate environment. However, children are not only influenced by their direct environment such as their family, they also acquire them from what they observed from their day to day interaction with other people, friends and media. This clearly emphasizes that there should be a significant impact on playing and watching violent video games among children. On the other hand, this belief was challenged at first due to methodological research issue concerning on the investigation of the association of children’s behavior and violent video games (Griffiths 203). This methodology includes observation of children’s free play. Eventually, the research method has significant limitations... Children’s behavior is susceptible to various influences in the environment. For instance, adult behaviors can be adapted by them. In fact, part of a children’s development of their behavior is highly influenced by the environment. In a family, parents are important persons in the lives of children because they tend to influence them. This is a clear illustration how an individual is being influenced by his immediate environment. However, children are not only influenced by their direct environment such as their family, they also acquire them from what they observed from their day to day interaction with other people, friends and media. This clearly emphasizes that there should be a significant impact on playing and watching violent video games among children. Â  On the other hand, this belief was challenged at first due to methodological research issue concerning on the investigation of the association of children’s behavior and violent video games (Griffiths 2 03). This methodology includes observation of children’s free play. Eventually, the research method has significant limitations or drawbacks that will eventually lead to a questionable result of the study. However, as research on the association of children’s behavior and violent video games increase over time, significant methodologies emerged to justify more reliable results (Konijn, Bijvank & Bushman 1038; Funk 387; Anderson et al. 151). These studies clearly emphasize a strong association of children’s environment and their behavior.

The performance of Saudi Aramco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The performance of Saudi Aramco - Essay Example Analysis of Saudi Aramco Against Major Performance Structures Abdullah Adnan Algamdi, 220078861 MM324, Organisational Leadership and Performance Length: 2,563 Dr. ... The research therefore employs the model prescribed by Hillgren & Morse to analyse the internal systems and structures of Saudi Aramco that enables the company to maintain its current capacity of producing 12 million barrels of petroleum (Saudi Aramco Annual Report, 2010 p6) each day and also refine, transport and market a similar volume of oil each day. The paper draws on information from the Saudi Aramco website accessed on the date of completing the paper. The main source of information for the analysis was taken from the Saudi Aramco Annual Report of 2010 which is available on the Saudi Aramco website. Research Question: What elements of high performance as prescribed by Hillgren & Morse are employed by Saudi Aramco to maintained sustained high performance in their operations and strategy? 2- Hillgren & Morse Model Hillgren & Morse (1998 p2) identify that there are some common elements of high performance businesses. In other words, they appear to have identified some common stru ctures and systems that exist universally in consistently high performing businesses. These structures, according to them are responsible for the generation of high results and the sustained generation of high performance year after year. In defining high performance, the areas of high performance they identified were â€Å"financial results, employee morale and customer care & satisfaction† (Hillgren & Morse, 1998: 2). This shows that in order to attain positive financial results and other stakeholder needs, particularly the needs of employees and customers, the structures they identified in their studies will have to be employed to ensure that optimum results are attained and maintained

International business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International business strategy - Essay Example However, Anthony Salim and his executive leadership group believe that being flexible to these unpredictable and changing dynamics of international culture and business competition is the key to success. Bartlett, Ghoshal & Beamish (2008) identify the concept of the coordinated federation, which is essentially a conglomeration of pre-existing core principles that have found business success at the headquartered centre of the company and then distributed equally across international boundaries. The Salim Group takes the advice of Bartlett et al. in not taking this rather unproductive distribution of core principles and then forcing them throughout the transnational environment and the business’ multiple industries. Instead, Salim advises on being adaptable to changing market conditions. This flexibility is a success factor to be more responsive to the external market environment. For example, the Salim Group faced public backlash with perceived corruption from the Indonesian go vernment between the Salim Group about its investment banking practices (Dieleman, 2006) for divesting 107 different assets to the Indonesian government. ... Though this is only one scenario that occurred with the Salim Group, it indicates that regional government and other influencing bodies in the regulatory environment continue to change the internal dynamics of how the business is operated and/or divested. This is why Salim continues to travel, personally, to different regions of the world to gain an understanding of what is driving governmental forces or cultural forces in key growth markets or existing markets so that the business can be structured accordingly or new strategies developed based on primary data research analysis. This type of flexibility by taking a proactive stand to leadership and research is a key success dynamic. Since more than one legal basis for operations drives this transnational company, such flexibility is a predictor of future success by fully understanding the forces that will impede business success or improve its competitive or public relations position. Anthony Salim is also open to being approached by new investors from multiple regions of the world in order to seize opportunities to expand the business or put it into a better financial position over the long-run. Salim fully recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of the firm, such as his indication that the group is not fluent in technological prowess, thus not having an attitude of superiority in any one division that might not be supported by actual business realities. Salim relies on synergies produced from acquired businesses or other strategic activities involving a secondary business and allows the firm to capitalize on these strengths through acquisition. In many ways, the case study reinforces that Anthony Salim is more focused on consumer relationship management and the marketing principles for

New York Wicks Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New York Wicks Law - Essay Example Studies have shown that the impact of Wicks Law has been to increase the cost of construction by an average of ten percent. Along with this come delays and hassles for coordinating the sub contracting work and all in all Wicks Law acts as a deterrent for school construction work besides the cost over runs. Again, estimates are that ten percent of the $3.7 billion spent on public school construction was on account of the cost over runs due to Wicks Law and this wasted money could have been utilized for education programs. That there is truth in these assertions can be seen from the fact that the authorities from time to time have considered ways of doing away with Wicks Law and have provided exemptions to it. Opposition especially from the sub-contractors have made the authorities shy away from the abolition of Wicks Law and look for ways and means to amend the Law such that there is a reduction of its impact on construction. The sub contractors themselves are quietly accepting that W icks Law is out dated and preparing themselves for the changes that can be expected in the near future, with even the possibility of the abolition of Wicks Law. (Phillips, Mathew. â€Å"Wicks Law at last may be ripe for repeal this year†). Reforms: The abolition of Wicks Law in no way suggests that the rationale was wrong and it only needs to be changed in tune with the changing times. That there should be a separation of the sub-contracting work still remains a requirement, but it should not be mandated, that separate contracts be awarded for the work.

International business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International business strategy - Essay Example However, Anthony Salim and his executive leadership group believe that being flexible to these unpredictable and changing dynamics of international culture and business competition is the key to success. Bartlett, Ghoshal & Beamish (2008) identify the concept of the coordinated federation, which is essentially a conglomeration of pre-existing core principles that have found business success at the headquartered centre of the company and then distributed equally across international boundaries. The Salim Group takes the advice of Bartlett et al. in not taking this rather unproductive distribution of core principles and then forcing them throughout the transnational environment and the business’ multiple industries. Instead, Salim advises on being adaptable to changing market conditions. This flexibility is a success factor to be more responsive to the external market environment. For example, the Salim Group faced public backlash with perceived corruption from the Indonesian go vernment between the Salim Group about its investment banking practices (Dieleman, 2006) for divesting 107 different assets to the Indonesian government. ... Though this is only one scenario that occurred with the Salim Group, it indicates that regional government and other influencing bodies in the regulatory environment continue to change the internal dynamics of how the business is operated and/or divested. This is why Salim continues to travel, personally, to different regions of the world to gain an understanding of what is driving governmental forces or cultural forces in key growth markets or existing markets so that the business can be structured accordingly or new strategies developed based on primary data research analysis. This type of flexibility by taking a proactive stand to leadership and research is a key success dynamic. Since more than one legal basis for operations drives this transnational company, such flexibility is a predictor of future success by fully understanding the forces that will impede business success or improve its competitive or public relations position. Anthony Salim is also open to being approached by new investors from multiple regions of the world in order to seize opportunities to expand the business or put it into a better financial position over the long-run. Salim fully recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of the firm, such as his indication that the group is not fluent in technological prowess, thus not having an attitude of superiority in any one division that might not be supported by actual business realities. Salim relies on synergies produced from acquired businesses or other strategic activities involving a secondary business and allows the firm to capitalize on these strengths through acquisition. In many ways, the case study reinforces that Anthony Salim is more focused on consumer relationship management and the marketing principles for

Vanity Fair & Male Vanity Essay Example for Free

Vanity Fair Male Vanity Essay Through the course of history as gender relates to either sex, the flamboyance of either gender is dependent upon culture. The male birds of the Amazon are typically more colorful than their female counterparts, and their mating dance is very unique in its structure, and the female for her part does not have to ‘go through the loops’ of such ritual as the male does. This is true for other animals as well from the battle of rams to the dolphin fights in the ocean; the importance of strength and beauty has dominated the sexual history of animals. This is also true for the human race, and in no other culture and time in history as in the Victorian culture is the human male more ‘colorful’ than the female. The idea of vanity as it is expressed in Vanity Fair will be explored throughout this essay. William Makepeace Thackeray explores this concept in his characters and how vanity, or the ‘color’ of the male gender in the Victorian culture, is the motif of everyday living for such protagonists. This idea will be presented in this essay will textual support from Vanity Fair as well as Laura George’s article The Emergence of the Dandy and Russell A. Fraser’s Pernicious Casuistry: A Study of Character in Vanity Fair. Throughout the course of the novel, Thackeray employs the recurrent theme of the â€Å"dandy† or as George states, â€Å"†¦sparks, fops, beaux, swells, coxcombs, popinjays, macaroni, butterflies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (George 2), a term that can be used to describe â€Å"men who aspire to be genteel. † The dandy was envisioned by a man who went by the name of George Beau Brummell, as George states, â€Å"†¦Brummell frequently represented all that was abjected by modern masculinity: love of fashion, of fabric, of the shape and cut of one’s clothes. Brummell himself bore a complex relationship to the emerging regime of masculine fashionable austerity† (George 1). By focusing upon this concept of the dandy and the effects it can have upon an individual’s personality, Thackeray decides to focus upon his male characters, Joseph Sedley and George Osborne, in particular. While the other characters within the novel are capable of accepting whatever amount of dandyism they might have, it is these two characters that remain transfixed upon their ability to maintain being dandy, which ultimately lead them to their unfortunate deaths. They were too consumed with thoughts about appearance both physically and socially to the extent it affected their ability to function in the world of â€Å"Vanity Fair†. In other words, these characters are seen being prime examples of how Thackeray’s novel is concerned with how each â€Å"character’s presentation will determine their success or failure†. Soon after Thackeray introduces his readers to the world of Vanity Far, the reader learns too quickly that these characters belonging to the middle class aspire to be part of the aristocracy hence the role of the dandy coming into play. It has often been said that the â€Å"aristocratic dandies, is at once a unique person- the model of dandyhood for all time- an embodiment of a common middle-class fantasy of aristocratic distinction† ( Cole, 137), which is why we see many of Thackeray’s characters constantly finding opportunities to better themselves, and their rank in society. Sir Rawdon Crawley, for example, was the one of few characters belonging to the aristocracy and was happily willing to give it up when he married Miss Rebecca Sharp. In the passage, â€Å"By these attentions, the veteran rake, Rawdon Crawley, found himself coveted into a very happy submissive married man† (191) indicates that while Joseph Sedley and George Osborne would be unhappy had they lost their rank in society, Thackeray illustrates at how some people are content with the simpler things in life, things not involving money. The dandy or in the case of Vanity Fair, Sedly and Osborne were distracted by other things in life, despite their apparent unimportance to livelihood and more to do with ambiance, as George states of the dandy (and as it illustrates the dandy’s vanity in Thackeray’s novel); There are traces of the man of fashion as ‘thing’ usage earlier, but the habit seems to coalesce around the time of the Restoration, and for good reason. Throughout the tumultuous seventeenth century, the relations between masculinity and fashion were violently contested, as the various Stuart courts were accused of conspicuous consumption, luxury, and effeminacy (along with a regrettable tendency to belive in their own divine rights); as Puritans pointed to the theological meanings of clothes; as domestic texatile manufactourers (as opposed to traders) sought an economic voice; and as the stakes and status of imported fabrics changed. It was in this context, as David Kuchta has argues, that Charles II adopted the three piece suit as the new sartorial model for masculinity (George 4) Joseph Sedley is the epitome of a dandy in Thackeray’s novel, and he illustrates of each of these points made by George. It seems that the gaining of wealth is the main preoccupation of the characters in Thackeray’s novel, and it was with the dandy that this wealth was displayed best to the public. Joseph Sedley’s nickname in the novel is ‘Waterloo Sedley’ because of his uncanny obsession with the Duke of Wellington. It seems that throughout the novel, Joseph Sedley, attaches himself to nobility purely on the grounds of their nobility as he relates himself with Lord Tapeworm despite his impecunious state merely because he is a lord. Joseph Sedley pays extra attention to his appearance, more so than the pages describing the women getting prepared to go out. In all, the essence of a dandy is one whose ego is larger than his humility and this is exceedingly true for Joseph Sedley as he does not concern himself with other’s judgments (except if they are noble) and eats and drinks and parties in a constant orgy around London (when he is in London). He does not like military life and is said to quaver at the sound of a canon at one point in the novel. Joseph Sedley fears any authority figure who could cut him down in front of nobility (such as his father) and he only pays attention to his own appearance and not to any politics, or other socially engaging conversation. Also, Joseph Sedley’s egoism is so large and his dandy state corresponds to this that he does not change throughout the course of the novel. Joseph Sedley believes that his state of being is appropriate and he is happy being who and what he is to care to change. It is through this fault of being a dandy and having such a large ego and such a selfish personality that Becky is able to ensnare him into marriage. With Rawdon Crawley’s rejection of the aristocratic ideal, Thackeray uses this to portray the idea of the dandy being solely a middle-class virtue. It appears that this â€Å" flamboyant aristocratic model of the eighteenth century was gradually rejected and supplanted by a restored and virtuous† (Reed) high class, which is why characters like Lord Steyne can still be considered dandy without sacrificing their own ideals; even though, he tries to exude his fantasies of Rebecca. Again, none of his actions can be compared to those of George Osborne. For example, when Dobbin publicly embarrasses George about the lack of affection he has towards his fiancee Amelia, George decides to prove his affections by purchasing a gift for his dear Amelia. Although George’s act of kindness is provoked as a gesture to prove his feelings for Amelia to the ever judgmental William Dobbin, he still decides to pursue what Thackeray displays as being a mockery of the middle-class gentleman. A true gentleman would not need to borrow money from his friend as George is seen doing when deciding to buy Amelia’s gift, to a man he is already trying to prove himself. George’s inability to conjure up the sufficient funds indicates his lack of knowledge of what it means to be dandy. In order to truly exude the essence of being a dandy, the use of flamboyance displayed in clothing as well as a countenounce of style must be utilized, which it seems George lacks as his countenance is spurred by jealousy and a certain essence of revenge and a little pride in his buying Amelia a gift, not as a dandy would buy a gift for the purpose of sharing their flamboyance but more to prove another man wrong, which is more ‘white-collar’ than noble (as the nobility in the definition of the dandy was the main element in society they wanted to portray). Here it seems that George, in the analogy of the animal kingdom and the male having to display his power and beauty in order to waylay other men from taking his choice in female, George is truly playing the part of the dominant male. Thus, his definition of a dandy may be split in half. His actions speak towards being too masculine and paying too much attention to the jealousy and revenge and pride in his nature on how much he loves his girl, while the other part of him is paying strict attention to his dandy nature in him buying her a gift in order to win her affections, thus ‘dancing’ for her. However it is in his intentions with the gift that George can most decidedly not be a dandy. In order to have a true lack of definition of a dandy to apply to George Osborne, a more thorough review of the main definition of a dandy is needed, as George writes, Anxieties about young sparks selling land in order to waste money on the transitory notions of fashion date at least to the Renaissance, but in the wake of the Puritan Commonwealth and in the midst of concern about Stuart affiliations with the French court, the political stakes of fashionable choices seemed particularly stark†¦Addison and Steel were particularly annoyed by the fops who troubled boundaries they were working to stabilize. That is, as fashionable consumption enriched manufacturers and shopkeepers at the expense of the aristocracy, Addison and Steele sough tot portray fashion itself as feminine in particular ways: as prone to ungovernable appetites, unreasonable fancies, and as generally wasting in its seductive powers. Men who gave into its allure risked becoming feminine, or risked losing their humanity altogether. The figure of the Romantic –era dandy, then, addressed old concerns, stirred up old fears, and challenged strongly defended distinctions between masculinity and fashion (George 5). According then to this statement, George’s obsession with proving himself to his fellow male friends would put him the category of half a dandy as he does not display all of the necessary traits that being a true dandy entails. However, it is his vanity that truly defines George’s personality. His vanity on how he will appear to his friends is what initiates his gift-giving and thus, it is vanity that is the main propellant to this character’s impetus on most of his actions in the course of the novel. His vanity in his own ego just like Sedley’s drives this character forward in Thackeray’s work, and it is vanity which engulfs him in relationship with Amelia. By failing to exhibit many of the traits of what defines a gentleman throughout the novel, George is seen trying to hold on to this idea of being a dandy, a trait he obviously lacks. It is in his pursuits that Thackeray appears to be a making a mockery of George and what he believes makes him superior to his much hated rival, Rebecca. However, the two of them are very much alike, each character is seen as taking advantage of each opportunity to better their position in society, and it is their pursuits that Thackeray allows the English class system to shine through in his novel. For instance, when Rebecca is seen writing a letter to her beloved Amelia about her first encounter with Rawdon Crawley where she writes â€Å"Your Indian Muslin and your pink silk, dearest Amelia, are said to become me very well. They are a good deal worn now; but you know, we poor girls cannot afford des fraiches toilettes† (Thackeray 115), Thackeray has her ending the letter with the story of her scarf. This scarf does not represent a gift, but a class distinction. He wants to remind his audience of the different privileges available to the middle class, and it is through the use of the dandy that his message is conveyed. In Rebecca’s position as a â€Å"penniless governess† her only exposure to anything Indian would be this scarf that Amelia herself did not want. This scarf appears to be Amelia indirectly displaying her thoughts of the lower class believing them to only be worthy of her trash—or it could also be her tactless manner and her own inability to see beyond the scope of her own world and thus her giving this as a gift is her ignorance being displayed in Thackeray’s novel and how privileged women are not always the smartest despite their positions. Interestingly, Rebecca took it as an act of kindness, and as something of value. It appears that by her taking advantage of the scarf it is her way of holding on to some piece of the middle class, her wearing of the garment is a way to fool people of the reality of her situation. Despite her tactless manner, it seems that Amelia is one of the only redeeming character’s in Vanity Fair, again this may be attributed to her ignorance, as Fraser writes

Gender Stereotypes In Advertising Campaigns

Gender Stereotypes In Advertising Campaigns The role of women is more stereotypical than that of the men in the promotional campaigns, and the power of women are inferior to the man especially in the TV advertisements. According to the research on adverts researchers have been done before, the results usually fall into the following categories including: (1) Women being linked with sexual meanings. (2) Women being viewed less powerful than men. (3) Women being thought to be obliged to dominate the housework. (4) Women being believed to comply with their male partners. Over 30 years ago it was argued that advertising placed women into subordinate roles and that the male voice was authoritative (Lewin-Jones, J, Mitra, B. 2009), which is supported by a number of researches. Ferguson, Kreshel and Tinkham (1990) suggested that woman have long been viewed as sexual objects in the advertisements. Dilevko and Harris (1997) stated that in the journals advertisements they researched, females activities are more restrained than males, and men are more likely to gain fame and to be connected with a promising future. Meanwhile, Sexton and Haberman (1974) illustrated that the images of women reflected in advertisements is narrow. All they have to do is to dress up, stand still and being watched. In addition, advertisements also help to cultivate social roles and responsibilities of men and women respectively, in particularly the later ones. The image of women constructed by some established magazines are mostly in conventional occupations and working women profiled in these magazines tend to express themselves by lacking power in their jobs (Ruggiero and Weston, 1985). Simultaneously, Bartsch, Burnett, Diller and Rankin-Williams (2000) argued that Gender bias still exist as females are underrepresented as product representatives for domestic products and males are overrepresented as representatives for non-domestic products. Briefly speaking, these studies show that in the advertisements, women are more inclined to the jobs and titles of housewives while men are more likely to domain in the working field. Moreover, an interesting point has been found out in several of the researches, i.e., in the advertisements, the voice of the spokesmen/spokeswomen can affect the acceptance of the products, which also reflects gender stereotypes. Peirce and McBride (1999) stated that in the commercial advertisements they have studied, more males are used as spokes-characters, and more male spokes-characters are remembered than the female spokes-characters. Media, especially the commercial advertisements of promotional campaigns, do have some strong influence on the construction and cultivation of gender stereotypes, because it helps to reinforce the different roles of man and women in the society and it repeats and retells every day through various channels such as newspapers, radio, bulletin board and TV. In those ads, men are strong and powerful, and they are supposed to save the world, while women are weak and sentimental, and they are set to worship their male heroes. Men should be working outside whilst women should clean the house. Although it is hard to tell whether ads have been affected by the culture or vice versa, it is true that advertisement, as a part of culture itself, do make a difference in constructing gender stereotypes. In fact, gender stereotypes that outstand in the advertisements are not rare. For example, the Mercedes-Benz S Class 8 airbags advertisements. In that advertisement, a woman showing only her breast was being copied four times so that it made eight breasts in one dimension, which compared the breasts as the airbags to symbolise safety and reliability. It is true, to some extent, that this ad is creative enough to stimulate the male audience and to call on their emotional appeals which can turn into actions of buying in the end, but it also used female image, or sexual image specifically, to persuade their targets. As said by Diane Barthel (1988), the beauty rolethe importance of appearing attractive in public, of maintaining standards, of encouraging male attentionbecomes a central preoccupation for girls and mains a concern for women for much of their lives, if not all their lives. Another typical status quo that represents gender stereotypes in the advertising campaigns can be found in one of the channels from Chinese Central Television, namely CCTV5, which is focused on sports news. And it has been years since this channel only broadcast advertisements on mens sports wear, suits, wines, luxury watches and cars. In that channel, ads are made for the males to notice and watch, as are sports programs. If a female audience is watching this channel, she might get a confusing impression that she is not supposed to watch it. Men are born to be sport-oriented, and women are too weak to do intensive exercises. This is blatantly shown in the advertisements that the companies do not even bother to take their female customers into account when it comes to the field of sports and sports competitions. As a matter of fact, this phenomenon has already been studied and by some researchers, and they come up with the conclusion that advertisers made no attempt to appeal female sports market as a separate segments. (Shani, Sandler, and Long, 1992 ) Based on the researches and the examples listed above, it is likely to draw a conclusion that gender role portrayals in ads has been and is still going to be stereotypical for a long period of time(Ivy Backlund, 1994 , as cited by Brasted, M 2010). There might be some new ads showing that females are gaining their own power and are stronger than they used to be, but the mainstream of the promotional campaigns in the market nowadays are still emphasising on the different roles that man and women plays respectively, or on the point that women should stay home and maintaining attractive to men. However, one thing people can not deny is that, the ads producers get their ideas and thoughts from the cultures they have long been lived in, which in return affect the culture itself by influencing the audience who grow up there as well. People can not avoid from the gender stereotype thoroughly because it roots in their lives, but people do can avoid imposing on it by realising the potential effect it will have on them.

The Life and Literary Work of Kate Chopin Essay example -- Biography B

The Life and Literary Work of Kate Chopin Courageous . . . daring . . . innovative . . . all aptly describe Kate Chopin, American short story writer, novelist, poet, and essayist. Timeless classics, Kate Chopin’s works of the late nineteenth century remain rare jewels and priceless gifts to the literary world today. Born Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, Chopin was the daughter of a prominent Irish merchant and an aristocratic French-Creole mother. Chopin’s roots in, and familiarity with, two distinctly different cultures were important on both a personal and creative level throughout her life. As a member of a slave-owning family and an elite social circle, Chopin was exposed to people of diverse color and background, many of whom provided the basis for her later writings. Kate Chopin was one of five children; and the only one to survive past the age of twenty-five. Chopin’s father was killed in a train accident when Chopin was only four years old, leaving her to be reared under the strong maternal influences of her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. These determined women and life’s harsh losses taught Chopin valuable lessons of strength and independence. Kate Chopin’s formal education began when she was five years old at Sacred Heart Academy, a catholic school, and she graduated at seventeen. She had been an honor student, was widely read, and spoke two languages fluently. Upon graduation, Chopin entered the social life of St. Louis, and was noted to be "one of the acknowledged belles of St. Louis, a favorite not only for her beauty, but also for her amiability of character and her cleverness" (Seyersted 23). By this time, she loved (and was accomplished at) reading, music, and wr... ...sity Press, 1971. Kunitz, Stanley J. & Howard Haycroft, eds. American Authors 1600-1900, A Biographical Dictionary of American Literature. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1938. Magill, Frank M. Great Lives From History, American Women Series II. Pasadena: Salena Press, 1995. Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 6: American Naturalism: Kate Chopin (1851-1904)." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature A Research and Reference Guide. WWW URL: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/chopin.html (May 28, 1998). Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin, A Critical Biography. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1980. Toth, Emily. "A New Biographical Approach." Approaches to Teaching Chopin’s The Awakening. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1988. Voetteler, Thomas, ed. Short Story Criticism. Volume 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991, 63-65.

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers

Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a plan made to end discrimination by guaranteeing minorities will be hired. The United States uses this practice to hire, but the qualifications of such people are occasionally overlooked. Many people believe that affirmative action is a very effective plan. The other people who oppose such action include people of various minorities, as well as many others who have been wronged by the plan. We live in a small town where there are very few minorities but in the big cities, it’s a very big deal. In several cases, this plan causes minorities to be thought of as being under qualified when hired and it also causes a new minority, the white male. Our government needs to acknowledge the fact that affirmative action is not putting an end to discrimination. This plan has succeeded in creating new minorities and more reasons for discrimination. Affirmative action frequently causes qualified employees to be looked down upon because some believe them to be "affirmative action hires." My boss at work is a woman and as a result I have encountered many discriminatory comments pertaining to her position. The first remark I usually receive suggestions that she was hired for her position solely based on gender. You might have also encountered a negative remark about a woman in your family such as: "Well, being a woman probably didn't hurt her resume." My boss is very good at her manager job yet most males look down upon her as being hired because of affirmative action. This type of criticism is received by many minorities holding good jobs, whether they are qualified or not. William Reynolds, assistant attorney general in the civil rights division states, â€Å"In many cases, affirmative action takes away from legitimate minority success. People look at the black banker downtown who has made it on his own and s ay, ‘He got his job because of affirmative action.’† People of any race or gender should be able to hold a job where their colleagues respect them as their peers, not as "affirmative-action hires". It seems that minorities are accepted to a certain extent, until they become someone's boss or superior. Affirmative action insists that the employer must avoid the kind of unnecessary escalation of criteria for selection and promotion which has sometimes been used to keep certain classes of people from entering the mainstream of our economic life. Affirmative Action :: essays research papers Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a plan made to end discrimination by guaranteeing minorities will be hired. The United States uses this practice to hire, but the qualifications of such people are occasionally overlooked. Many people believe that affirmative action is a very effective plan. The other people who oppose such action include people of various minorities, as well as many others who have been wronged by the plan. We live in a small town where there are very few minorities but in the big cities, it’s a very big deal. In several cases, this plan causes minorities to be thought of as being under qualified when hired and it also causes a new minority, the white male. Our government needs to acknowledge the fact that affirmative action is not putting an end to discrimination. This plan has succeeded in creating new minorities and more reasons for discrimination. Affirmative action frequently causes qualified employees to be looked down upon because some believe them to be "affirmative action hires." My boss at work is a woman and as a result I have encountered many discriminatory comments pertaining to her position. The first remark I usually receive suggestions that she was hired for her position solely based on gender. You might have also encountered a negative remark about a woman in your family such as: "Well, being a woman probably didn't hurt her resume." My boss is very good at her manager job yet most males look down upon her as being hired because of affirmative action. This type of criticism is received by many minorities holding good jobs, whether they are qualified or not. William Reynolds, assistant attorney general in the civil rights division states, â€Å"In many cases, affirmative action takes away from legitimate minority success. People look at the black banker downtown who has made it on his own and s ay, ‘He got his job because of affirmative action.’† People of any race or gender should be able to hold a job where their colleagues respect them as their peers, not as "affirmative-action hires". It seems that minorities are accepted to a certain extent, until they become someone's boss or superior. Affirmative action insists that the employer must avoid the kind of unnecessary escalation of criteria for selection and promotion which has sometimes been used to keep certain classes of people from entering the mainstream of our economic life.

Establishing Business in Brazil Essay

In establishing business in Brazil, Under Armour has to study the country’s customs, traditions, language and cultural differences in order to start right. Learning these things will also help the company in its hiring and employing of local workers. Human Resource — one of the most important aspects of business is the workforce. To effectively deal with Brazilian employees, UA management should understand cultural differences that include: (customs/traditions) 1. business is a social event 2. Brazilians don’t buy on impulse 3. Brazilians are very conscious of rank and position 4. being late is socially acceptable Another important consideration that UA has to make is the hiring of local junior executives who could assist the company in the hiring and training of employees. Local executives would be very helpful and bridging the cultural gap between management and native workers. As an example, Chevron Corp., an American oil company has a successful operation in Brazil. It’s workforce is comprised of both foreign and local workers. Foreign workers come from the United States and other neighboring countries. Communication Communication is very important in any organization or corporation. More so when the natives of the country of operation speaks Portuguese. This language is used by all of the people in Brazil, and is considered a unifying factor. In order for Under Armour to handle local workers, it is necessary for the non-Brazilian managers to take up language classes. In the same manner, it is beneficial for the local workers to be enrolled in English classes. By being equipped with the right language skills, both managers and employees will be able to communicate effectively and lessen the chances of having conflicts because of miscommunication.

Ipad’s Integrated Marketing Communications Report

Table of Contents Introduction1 Apple’s Integrated Marketing Communications Programme for iPad. 2 Brand Positioning2 Target Audience3 Target market and segments4 Evaluation of the products’ Integrated Marketing Communications plan:4 Conclusion7 Recommendations7 Bibliography8 Introduction This report will discuss Apple’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Programme for their iPad product and how this is coordinated to communicate the iPad’s product positioning strategy.Apple’s iPad is a tablet computer adding a new genre to their mobile devices. The report will discuss the brand positioning and any recommendations for future IMC planning. Apple’s corporate headquarters are based in California in the US in the heart of the Hi-tech industry. They are global in terms of computer electronic consumable sales. Apple position themselves as a top of the range brand with pioneering innovations and consumer needs and wants in mind.Steve Jobs, for mer co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. , made a compelling positioning statement during his introduction of the iPad at a conference in January 2010, he stated that the iPad is â€Å"so much more intimate than a laptop, and it’s so much more capable than a smartphone with its gorgeous screen† (STONE, 2010). Apple is committed to remaining in the forefront of innovation and quality, and therefore will sustain their competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving market.This report will also highlight the importance of media for Apple’s brand and how Apple have used this to reach its’ target audience and increase brand awareness. It will also question if Apple is focusing on the Marketing Communications Mix or are they relying more on the desire of the ‘brand’? The theory behind IMC is to use all aspects of marketing communication such as Advertising, Public Relations, Direct marketing and Personal selling to attain and sustain long-term cu stomer relationships while strengthening brand awareness and increasing profits.Apple’s use and effectiveness of the IMC campaign and their success from it will be discussed further in this report along with what message Apple are trying to deliver in their advertising of the iPad. Apple’s Integrated Marketing Communications Programme for iPad. The Apple brand is instantly recognisable throughout the world due to the company’s positioning strategy of their product line by way of product features, quality and ease of use to name a few. Their leadership in innovation gives the brand competitive advantage and this has fed the want and desire for the brand by consumers.Therefore the iPad having the Apple brand already created a certain am The Apple brand is instantly recognisable throughout the world due to the company’s positioning strategy of their product line by way of product features, quality and ease of use to name a few. Their leadership in innovation gives the brand competitive advantage and this has fed the want and desire for the brand by consumers. Therefore the iPad having the Apple brand already created a certain am Apple is no different to most organisations for using promotional and advertising tools to gain customers’ interest and the desire for their products.However, their marketing on innovation and design of the iPad also catches the attention of new potential consumers. To many the technology was not totally new, but the concept was and Apple focussed on that. Previous products from Apple put their brand in the limelight and made any new product launch a much anticipated one. amount of reputation, awareness and prominence in the marketplace before it was even launched. So how is Apple’s Integrated Marketing Communications organised to communicate the iPad’s positioning strategy? Firstly, we should look at the brand positioning and how the iPad fits in.Brand Positioning Brands and the management of brands have become very important elements of culture and the economy. A brand can increase the product's perceived value and therefore brand management and the marketing techniques used are seen as vital to increase brand equity and the positioning of their products. Marketers see a brand as an implied promise of the level of quality consumers have come to expect from the brands’ products and that future products will meet those expectations. Apple is seen as an ‘iconic brand that delivers revolutionary, beautifully designed and incredibly profitable products. (Daye, 2012). The ‘Apple’ brand is in fact Number 1 in brand value according to Forbes, saying it is worth $87. 1 billion, up 52% from two years ago (Forbes, 2012). The master of the Apple brand was Steve Jobs who was an excellent brand marketer and core to what Apple is today. He saw the future for Apple which was going beyond computers, therefore his first step was to remove the word ‘Com puter’ from their logo. Doing this allowed the company to diversify and expand into the world of mobile devices and more. Doing this allowed the company to diversify and expand into the world of mobile devices and more.Just as the products are very important for competitiveness, the brand is too, and the Apple brand certainly has succeeded in building up a very valuable good: an instantly recognizable and universally respected brand. This makes it easier to promote and sell the iPad. In fact, some brands over time become cult brands: consumers become passionate about the brand and levels of loyalty go beyond reason (Roberts, 2004) and Apple has become a cult brand in some respects. As mentioned in Steve Jobs’ compelling positioning statement in the introduction, he made two important statements about the product.They were that the iPad was between two already highly successful mobile devices, the laptop and the smartphone, and very importantly that the iPad had competi tive advantages over each. Apple brand followers were instantly excited and could not wait for the release of the iPad so they could be the first to have it, whether they needed such a device or not! The iPad was a game-changer in the tech world when released in April of 2010 and some believe it may end the personal computer era such is the strength of the brand. Target AudienceThe iPad’s target audience is not as clear as one would think, it turns out that it is very broad. The initial thought on the iPad by the media was that it was just a big iPhone that could not be used for regular phone calls, so who would want something like that? Apple believed, like for the iPod, that the iPad was for everyone. They got this perception when a year after the iPod was released many consumers still believed the device was for ‘techies and celebrities’. The task, therefore, was to use communications to inform world audiences that the iPod (and now the iPad) was for everyone, not just a select few (Fill, 2009).The fact that many features and programs on the iPad were inherited from the iPod and iPhone it meant that users would be familiar with the devices’ capabilities and have the advantage of mobile computing too. The iPad had the potential to target music lovers of all ages and denominations, it was a learning tool for both students and professionals with the addition of thousands of applications (apps) available. The variety of apps could attract consumers who love to read, share photographs, stay in touch through forms of email, forums, virtual meetings, social media and Apples’ ‘Facetime’ to name a few.This made the iPads’ audience vast and diverse. Target market and segments Segmentation is necessary because a single product is unlikely to meet the needs of all customers in a mass market (Fill, 2009). This should be the case for most products, however the iPad is satisfying many needs and desires. For example, du e to the variety of applications available, the iPad becomes an educational tool, a recreational tool, a business tool and a communication tool, all of which the iPad was designed for. It is clear the device is equally good for home use as well as business for both genders.But the competitiveness of the product is strengthened by Apple’s award winning dedicated music store, iTunes, which delivers seamless downloading of not just music, but books and movies too, which widens the target market and covers several market segments. The need to communicate through channels such as social media, example is Facebook, and websites specifically designed for mobile devices such as iVillage for women, make the iPad a very attractive device as it is stylish, light weight and now trendy to own one.Consumers of all ages and backgrounds can potentially own one as the price of the base model is relatively acceptable in terms of technical devices is concerned. Because of the potential to incre ase productivity businesses are scrambling to purchase the iPad, students and colleges want them, and they are seen being used by news broadcasters and presenters not to mention government representatives. Apple do not appear to target markets like other companies do, they tend to target people.They use elements of IMC and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) to achieve and maintain customer loyalty and increase brand awareness. They managed to present complex technology in an easy, user friendly and fun way, a key to their success in many markets. Evaluation of the products’ Integrated Marketing Communications plan: Apple continued on the successes of previous products when launching their iPad product, using images and reminders of what those previous products have done for the world. Their marketing communications for the iPad very much focused on what the company has done and what they are best at.In the keynote presentation of the iPad, the company reminded us that in October 2001, Apple revolutionised the way people listen to music with the iPod, in April 2003 Apple revolutionised the way people buy music, videos and games with iTunes. In October 2007, they revolutionised the world of mobile communications with the iPhone, and now with the iPad, Apple will ‘revolutionise’ the world again. Steve Jobs’ enthusiastic description of the device during his Keynote in January 2010 makes the individual user feel that it was made for them, that they will â€Å"hold the internet in their hands and it is an incredible experience. Steve Jobs on many occasions has stated that he loves Apple products and their customers. This shows in the customer support Apple has invested in. The company internally is well briefed on how Apple wants to be perceived, again this shows in how secrecy shrouds products prior to their launch. Their communication mix is very much audience focused and always consistent. The message for iPad is clear, it is a device for the individual who could personalise it and bring it anywhere. Apples’ marketing objectives were quite simple for the iPad.Their approach has always been the same, but different to other organisations, their introduction was somewhat spectacular due to the fact that products prior to launch were always successfully kept a secret. This made Apple brand fans excited and other consumers intrigued. Apples’ marketing strategy is â€Å"It’s better to be simple† and it shows in their marketing communications as they keep their advertising minimalistic and product information in simple language. The main forms they use are social media, online advertising, presentation keynotes and sometimes viral marketing!Either way, the message is clear and simple; the product is exciting, fun and easy to use. This is unusual, as traditionally, technical products were always described by their systems’ statistics and technical terminology which the avera ge consumer does not understand. Brand awareness is increased because of the hype. The communication mix or marketing mix involves the implementation of a marketing plan consisting of: i) Promotion, ii) Product, iii) Price and iv) Place. The Apple brand is an incredibly strong brand hence ‘Promotion’ is mentioned first.Apple, surprisingly, do not spend as much on advertising as one would think. Media such as television and magazines are their main choice but what Apple did and did best were product launch press releases. As mentioned before, keynote presentations were what Apples’ former CEO was extraordinary at. And people who mattered most to promote and place the new product in the media through public relations press releases, were present at these presentations. Secrecy of a product generated interest and added to that the Apple brand which created hype, resulted in enthusiastic anticipation of the iPad launch.Commercials were simplistic but visually pleasin g and this enhanced the beauty and simplicity of the design and features of the iPad, exactly what Steve Jobs himself loved about Apple products. This is also mirrored in their shop designs featuring simple but sophisticated look just displaying the Apple products promoting their features. More recently, the iPad has been placed in most good computer electronic stores around the world and of course Apples’ own e-commerce website. It is now as easy to purchase the iPad as it is to buy shoes.The iPad, like other Apple products, is designed and manufactured to the highest standards as always maintained by the former CEO Steve Jobs. The Product is probably Apples’ most important ‘P’ in the communication mix as they believe they have the most a product can offer. â€Å"Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. † (Apple, 2004). The products and the brand will push the other ‘Ps’ of the mix for Apple.Price was not as important for Apple as their products. With their iPad they have competitive advantage with innovation, they also have control with materials, such as touch screens and flash memory to keep costs down over their competitors. Most electronic goods’ prices generally fall as the product nears the end of its PLC, (Product Life Cycle). Not so much with Apple products. Apple manages to get people hooked on their products from an early age. The iPad, like other Apple mobile devices, are very easy and fun to use and have the capability of adapting to the user by means of applications and personalisation.Therefore, as the user grows older the device can contain more ‘mature’ applications. For example, games and early learning apps can entertain children while music and movies are a must for adolescences, and productivity and new s may be important for adults. Today we cannot live without social networking and weather information! This is a very clever way of reaching a varied target audience that is not confined to gender, demographics, interests, or even age and Apple use ‘apps’ to promote the iPad.The effectiveness of the IMC campaign is hard to measure for the iPad as an individual Apple product, as much of the interest is down to the loyalty of the brand also. Critics will always point to the negatives, but there is without doubt, evidence to show the iPad is a huge success. Promoting the iPad to young users, for example, in schools and colleges and images of celebrities and peers using them means it generates the desire to own one. Apple can also lock the consumer into the brand by linking their products and services so that they continue to use the brand through life.Conclusion Their advertising and in-store presentation of the iPad gives the product a prestigious image, but the ability t o allow the consumer to try it or ‘play’ with it in their stores shows the confidence the company has for their products’ capabilities and quality, and that is what consumers inevitably pick up on. For effective marketing there needs to be effective communication of the information of the product. Apple does it well, but they do it simply and that seems to work. The desire they have generated for the consumer to want a fun and productive device is unquenchable.Apple may not follow all the rules of Integrated Marketing Communications, but they are careful in the planning of a product entry into the market. Secrecy, hype, presentations and image are key to their success it seems and the Apple brand remains powerful and resilient. Recommendations Apple as a company must be transparent to remain credible and sustainable in today’s business climate. This will also aid in the expansion into emerging markets. The success of the iPad has been a cornerstone for the company roven by sales of nearly 40 million iPads at the end of 2011, according to Forbes, and they expect 73 million in sales by the end of 2012. This can be over confident and risky as they lack new innovation since the iPad 2 launch. To continue growth into 2013 Apple’s marketing strategy will need to focus on brand positioning, promotion, customer service and estimate a competitive price of iPad with additional features linking to research and analysis of the environmental forces to compete in the global market. A continual S. W. O. T. analysis would benefit to understand the company’s position.Promotion development and strategies can be extremely effective if Apple continues to focus on its strategic human resource management and by making consistent attempts to remodel its marketing plan to continue successfully. Bibliography Apple, 2004. Apple Press Info. [Online] Available at: http://www. apple. com/pr/library/2004/01/08HP-and-Apple-Partner-to-Deliver-Digital- Music-Player-and-iTunes-to-HP-Customers. html [Accessed 27th March 2013]. Daye, D. , 2012. Weakness In The Apple Brand?. [Online] Available at: http://www. brandingstrategyinsider. com/2012/12/crunch-time-for-the-apple-brand. html#. US860jAqyCl [Accessed 28th Feb 2013].Fill, C. , 2009. Marketing Communications. Fifth Edition ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Forbes, 2012. Apple Tops List Of The World's Most Powerful Brands. [Online] Available at: http://www. forbes. com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/10/02/apple-tops-list-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-brands/ [Accessed 24th March 2013]. Roberts, K. , 2004. The Future Beyond Brands: Lovemarks. New York: Powerhouse Books. STONE, B. , 2010. New York Times. Inside Technology. [Online] Available at: http://www. nytimes. com/2010/01/28/technology/companies/28apple. html? _r=0 [Accessed 12 Feb 2013]. ——————————————–