Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ethics and moral character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and moral character - Essay Example As a business man his primary motive was never to amass maximum profit. On the other hand, he held that â€Å"it is the function of business to produce for consumption and not for money and speculation† (Johannes 7). Thus, he was never moved by the money motive and he brought about revolutionary changes in the twentieth century American industrial culture through such radical measures as the introduction of high wages, lower prices and increased buying power. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Ford’s business ethics was his strong belief that business should not be solely aimed at making profit. On the other hand, he held that one should maintain business ethics in all his/her enterprises keeping in mind the demands and needs of individuals and society. Once Henry Ford himself stated that â€Å"for a long time people believed that the only purpose of industry is to make a profit. They are wrong. Its purpose is to serve the general welfare† (Ciulla 31). Similarly, good business leaders should not be egocentric; they should not be moved by ego but by reason. Henry Ford was a genuine and brilliant leader who was never overtly flattered by success but who always welcomed legitimate contributions from others.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adults - Essay Example He says that aphasia is a disorder that results from damage of parts of the brain that are coordinating language. He further adds that it affects both the young children and adults but emphasizes that it is very common among the older adults. The SLP tells me that aphasia is caused by the damage of the dominant part of the brain that controls most aspects of language. He says that the part of brain that is damaged by aphasia is the left hemisphere. After the brief explanation from the SLP, I went further to interview him about Sarah whom he met earlier having aphasia disorder. According to the SLP, Sarah, 29 years old had aphasia disorder. Before doing anything to her, he welcomed her to sit on a chair at his therapy room. The room was private hence there was no interruption from outside. Then, the SLP explains that he tried to create a rapport with Sarah asking her three general questions about her home, the current activities and her wellbeing. First, the speech-language pathologists established an ongoing relationship with Sarah and her family to provide security and reassurance through good rapport and trust. He adds that Sarah understood and communicated in English very well and that was the language used during their interaction. Just before the SLP could begin his therapy on Sarah, he assured her of the confidentiality of her therapy session and requested her to feel free to respond to his questions regarding her health. The SLP told Sarah that he uses codes in his therapy work to keep the secrets of her work. He also used codes to represent the wo rds expressed by Sarah. In their interaction, the SLP used memos to ensure that the emerging theories supported Sarah’s views about her condition. At the time of coding, the SLP made the memos regarding the relationship between codes. Coding involved the identification of codes using phrases, sentences, and words from their interaction

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Ethical Issues in Addiction Counselling

Ethical Issues in Addiction Counselling Ethical Issues in Addiction Counseling Although counselors and psychologists remain focused in their professional ethics by following ethical standards which are similar; this is not the case in addiction counseling because counselors encounter different situations due to the nature of their counselees. O deal with this challenge is therefore imperative for the counselors to work towards realizing their ethical standards based on ethical standards of the counseling profession (Scott 2000). There are six unique ethical issues to be analyzed fully. The addiction treatment is not therapeutic as many processes psychology for it tends to be base more on faith than the scientific approach. The research being undertaken currently suggests that there is more research on the field of addiction and scientists have almost come into conclusion that addiction is a brain disease. Chemicals and their exposure to the brain is the main cause of addiction. Scott goes further to argue that drunkards recovering from alcoholism are not normal enough since the alcohol affects cognitive reasoning. However, the main problem is that many psychologists are known not to link alcoholism with clinical research to determine the interrelationship. This argument has elements of truth in tit because you can find that the practitioner rarely you will find them in touch with the research hence link is vital to addictive counselors and counselees. The greatest enemy to the promotion of integrated approach in harmonizing theory, research and clinical practice is tradition. Many practitioners think they know much from their experience and they hold on to the past ways of doing it. This is a clear indication of ignorance. For those who can not work within the disease model are advised to change to other forms of rehabilitation to safeguard many drug dependent from leaving the counseling censure. The addicts whom refuse to follow the classic disease model are said to be in denial or even adamant to change. Instead of forcing clients, to w ays that they do not like the counselors should be open minded and use the available methods. Hence, imperative to be open to look at the treatment model and whether it works or not and device new ways.Another very important point that affects Counseling addictions is the failure for professionals to agree on who is fit to handle these cases. Since this research is more complicated it requires advanced training which lacks with many addict counselors. The idea of uniformity rather than individualized training aimed at tackling the problems as per addict.Moreover there is questionable propensity of group work or team work. Since the professionals are not enough in this field then groups like Alcoholics Anonymous have come to aid their fellow alcoholics and they offer group approach counseling. With their dark past many of these addicts could have cognitive impairment because of using drugs and may develop antisocial behavior hence will not be in position to fit in the group discussio n. Furthermore, there is confidentiality and the federal laws are tougher on addictive law than the states this is made to encourage addicts to feel free to go for counseling without fear of being apprehended..In addition there should be clear cut demarcation between who gives the go ahead for counseling. Although, many of these decisions are made by people who are not sound it is advisable for the government to avoid forcing addicts to counseling like the law that incase you are caught driving and drunk you attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Incase the counselor finds the customer is not responsive it is the ethical responsibility of the counselor to stop the process otherwise there is no need to squander the customers money without results.In conclusion this article is scholarly because it has addressed paramount ethical issues affecting addiction counseling and the way forward. Ethics in Substance abuse Rehabilitation Most substance abuse practitioners are persons that are in recovery which means that this practitioners may have limited training in ethics thus they may encounter problems while trying to recognizing ethical dilemmas while in practice. This field lacks a framework within which it works consistently. In the past ethical problems in substance abuse were resolved using professional codes of practice of other fields e.g. medicine. However practitioners often feel that ethics is more of a personal issue thus organizations have been helping support practitioners sense of mortality and professional behavior through laws, regulations etc. Practitioners come from various training backgrounds which in turn affects their ethical background Howeverarticulate ethics and values can help improve and guide professional conduct.A clear set of standards and ethical framework may help practitioners clarify case management decisions and increase their competence in serving the clients because without a clear set of ethical standards for practice counselors may feel the pressure to comply with particular set of beliefs, causes etc. However a major setback undermining the achievement of good conduct is that many therapists are refusing to be part of any comprehensive program evaluation.The main aim of code of ethics according to Kerry in code of ethics is to; protect the health of the client by laying down standards of quality, provide guidance for professional behavior and also to protect and promote the professional identity and integrity of a profession. Ethical principles of rehabilitation counseling include; Autonomy which refers to independence, freedom and the capacity for self governance. States that the client should have autonomous voice in his/her treatment enabling him/her to make decisions. Beneficence which is an ethical principal that emphasizes an obligation to promote client welfare. Clients interests should be above the counselors. Non munificence refers to acting in a manner that does not harm the client. Rehabilitation counseling should function within the limits of the counselors role, training and technical competence and only on positions for which counselors are professionally qualified. Justice principle requires practitioners to treat clients fairly e.g. in the allocation of monies, resources and time. Also in the charging of professional service.Fidelity principle focuses on loyalty and honesty in professional relationships between councilors and clients, colleagues among others. It includes protection of clients personal information. Ethical dilemma exists when two or more ethical principle values come into conflict and suggest opposing courses of action..In conclusion findings of this article are scholarly in that they clearly show that substance abuse treatment field is rapidly changing. Treatment facilities are attempting to individualize therapy to meet the needs of a diverse clientele by increasing the menu of treatment option s, while more and more counselors are entering the field with less mentoring and limited training in ethics. Ethical practitioners are becoming more and more aware of the contextual forces in the profession that influences their ethical practices. Confidentiality in Substance Abuse Counseling Confidentiality has been defined in The Social Work Dictionary as: A principle of ethics according to which the social worker or other professional may not disclose information about a client without the clients consent. This information includes the identity of the client, content of overt verbalizations, professional opinions about the client, and material from the records. In specific circumstances, social workers and other professionals may be compelled by law to reveal to designated authorities some information (such as threats of violence, commission of crimes, and suspected child abuse) that would be relevant to legal judgments.In the 1996 revision, confidentiality is highlighted in three specific areas of practice: with clients, with colleagues, and in research. In Section 1.07 of the current Social Work Code of Ethics eighteen different categories of responsibility social workers have towards their clients confidentiality are outlined .The fact that there are eighteen provis ions, more than any other area in the code, demonstrates the importance of confidentiality to the profession of social work. These points specifically address what is considered confidential material, with whom and when that material can be released, and when and how this information should be explained to clients. Specific highlights include: Social workers have permission to disclose information only with the proper consent of the client. Social workers should inform clients about confidentiality, and when and to whom disclosure is appropriate. Social workers cannot disclose information to third party payers without consent of the client. Social workers should not discuss confidential information unless privacy can be assured. Confidentiality should be maintained in a technological office that includes computers, faxes, and cellular phones.Exceptions to confidentiality; there are times in the course of the client-worker relationship that the client may voluntarily rescind confiden tiality. There are other times where confidentiality is not legally binding on the social worker. These circumstances relate to safety of the client or others. Important issues related to confidentiality include client consent, duty to warn, and privileged communication. Consent. There are many times where it would be beneficial for a social worker to talk to others who are involved in the clients life. This might focus on obtaining third party reimbursement, additional history, collateral collaboration, court testimony or sharing information with other service providers. With managed care, clients generally want reassurance that their sessions will be covered, but that only the minimum amount of information is provided to the insurance company (Corcoran Winslade, 1994). Therefore, clients often allow social workers to release information to insurance providers, including diagnosis and treatment plans, but rely on workers to not divulge every aspect of their drug and/or alcohol use .A second occasion when a social worker may seek a clients consent is in pursuing additional history from collateral sources or corroboration of information. This will occur primarily during initial assessment; however, it might take place later during the treatment process. For instance,when a client is admitted to a psychiatric unit, there may be a need for additional information such as family history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse, the precipitating event, or the clients current living arrangements. Such additional information, usually provided by a family member, may be beneficial in making an assessment and verifying a clients information. Findings of confidentiality in substance abuse counseling are scholarly in that it shows how applying the standard confidentiality rules for basic social work practice is not adequate or acceptable when working with substance abusing clients and may well cause legal and ethical difficulties. Comparison is most exhibited in the a bove articles mostly in the way of addressing practitioners know how which is clearly a hindrance in effective counseling. All articles observe reluctance on part of therapists in observing ethics code. Also all three articles address ethical issues in counseling. Furthermore all articles observe the importance of practitioners to observe code of ethics. All three articles support each other.Information in all the articles can be synthesized in terms of observing substance councelling which is discussed in all the articles. This can address all issues brought forward in addiction councelling. By broadly talking about ethical issues in substance addiction councelling, this will address all concerns.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Interplay between Emotion and Reason Essay -- Psychology Essays

The Interplay between Emotion and Reason "And this is of course the difficult job, is it not: to move the spirit from it's nowhere pedestal to a somewhere place, while preserving its dignity and importance." I cry. There is pressure behind my eyes, my skin turns blotchy and my lips tremble, and mucus clogs my airways, making it difficult to breath. I hate crying in front of others: not because I want to hide how upset I am, but because the second that most people perceive my emotional state as fragile, they assume my reasoning and mental functions are also not sound. The outward expression of an inward instability is something we save for those who we know and trust best. They do not view our emotionality as a weakness, they already know us to be strong. Crying is represented in our culture as a lack of control. When upset, the "ideal" is to keep a cool head (and a poker face), not allowing emotions to enter into the decision making process. However, I submit that without our emotional base, rationality would have no reason or foundation upon which to operate. A multitude of opinions are found on the subject: are emotions more a function of the heart or of the head? According to Antonio Damasio (1), emotions and feelings are an integral part of all thought; yet we as humans spend much of our time attempting to disregard and hide them. In the view of source (2), experience is the result of integration of cognition and feelings. In either view, it remains indisputable that emotions are not what we typically make them out to be: the unwanted step-sister of our cultural sweetheart reason. Reason in our culture denotes intelligence, cognition, and control. Emotions seems such a "scary" concept to our collective m... ...tenderness, and luster gone. Is this also reflective of some human insecurity? Not until we can bridge the illusioned gap between our emotions and our cognition can we understand fully the relationship between our brain and our behavior. References 1) A.R. Damasio, Descartes' Error, 1994 2) Thinking, Emotions, and the Brain http://www.drweitz.com/scientific/brain.htm 3) From Neurobiology to Psychopathology: Integrating Cognition and Emotion, on the NIMH website http://www.nimh.nih.gov/diva/neuropsych.cfm 4) Laughing out Loud to Good Health. http://library.thinkquest.org/25500/index2.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0416 5) William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914. , on the bartleby website. http://www.bartleby.com/70/2041.html 6 Theories of Emotion--Understanding our own Emotional Experience. http://www.bartleby.com/70/2041.html

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Caught Red-Handed Essay

I couldn’t remember where I was. As I came back to sense I found myself lying in an old attic. Everywhere was darkness and silence. The attic had only three holes in the top which provided me with a ray of light. My head was bursting with pain as if someone had banged on my head with a thick wooden stick. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what went wrong and how I came here. I remember, it was twelve o’clock at night when I decided to start my work and that time my target was the rich man’s house of the city, Dr. Andrew. I used to work with Dr. Andrew as his assistant. As I stepped toward he door an ominous black cat crossed my way which I hardly paid attention to. Everyone was sleeping and the lights were switched off. I managed to crept through the passage toward the main locker which was located in the child’s bed room. The little girl was playing with her dol. I hold the mouth of the girl from behind with a napkin which contained chloroform. With a blink of an eye the girl fainted. I was Dr. Andrew’s only assistant whom I worked with for about more than ten years. I used to work with him in the daylight and at night it was my profession to steal which I ended up badly. Gradually I opened the locker and my eyes popped out by seeing the bundle of currency notes. I filled my bag with all ten bundles except one as a formality. I looked at the window and decided to make my escape through it but somehow my hand stroke with a vase and it fall down with a loud noise. I hurriedly jumped through the window and ran as fast as I could. As I reached half of my way towards the gate someone banged o my head hardly and I fell down. For the first and the last time I was caught red-handed. I heard the hooting of the owl and gradually fainted. I heard some footstep coming near the door of the attic and I opened my eyes. My stomach churned into fear as I saw Dr. Andrew entered the attic with cops.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Detailed Speech Outline

This page explains how to make a detailed outline of a speech. It should be remembered that depending on the type of speech, the outline may vary. However, if you base your speeches on this outline you should be able to make a successful speech. In order to make a detailed and useful outline you must understand the structure of a speech. The basic structure of a speech and how to make a simple outline has been explained on another page. On that page it was shown that there are three main parts to a speech; The Introduction, The Body, and The Conclusion. These three parts can be further broken down.The structure of these three main parts can be seen in the outline below. A presentation outline is a way to organize your material logically and clearly. You should make an outline before you start to write a speech. In fact the writing of a speech comes towards the end of the speech creation process (see '11 Steps to Creating a Speech'). By using a presentation outline, you can â€Å"see † your speech and determine where you need to add or revise information. It provides the structure for the introduction, body, and conclusion of your speech. In addition, it can serve as your speaking script.This outline consists of Four parts; The Header, The Introduction, The Body, and The Conclusion. Before you start writing your speech you should make an outline using these 4 headings and their sub headings. 1. Header Topic Decide on your topic. Audience Analyze your audience. What do they already know about your topic? Are they interested in the topic? Refine and limit topic Based on your analysis of the audience you may need to slightly change you topic, by either changing the focus, or the scale of the topic. Purpose Statement Write down a clear statement of what it is you intend to achieve.What is the purpose of your speech. For example; The purpose of this speech is to inform the audience how to travel in Japan without spending to much money. Organizational Method or Pattern There is no single way to organize a speech. The pattern you will select will be determined by the information you have and the specific purpose you want to achieve. There are six basic patterns for organizing a speech: Logical or topical Chronological Spatial Classification Problem-Solution Cause-effect Once you have completed these five parts of the ‘Header', you are then ready to start planning the speech itself. . Introduction Greeting and Attention getter How will you greet the audience? How will you get the audience's attention? Think of a sentence that will make the audience sit up and listen. Thesis Statement The ‘purpose statement' is where you simply state what your goal is. However, it is not possible to use this in the speech. You need to convert it to a ‘thesis statement'. A thesis statement is one sentence in the introduction in which you declare your purpose and topic. For example, a thesis statement of the above purpose statement would be; à ¢â‚¬ËœTraveling in Japan need not be an extravagance. Credibility If the audience do not know who you are, you will not only need to introduce yourself, but you will also need to ‘establish your credibility'. This means you will have to explain to the audience why you are ‘qualified' to speak about the subject. Outline of main the points – overview What are your main points? Why? Tell your audience why you think your presentation will be useful to them. 3. The body Transition Think of a sentence that will make it clear to the audience that you have finished the introduction, and are now about to start the body of the speech.Main points and ideas Main ideas Supporting ideas Details & Examples Visuals Write your main points and ideas hereWhat ideas will you tell the audience to support your main points? What details or examples do you have? Will you have any visuals to help explain your points? main ideas = sub-topics supporting ideas = sub-sub topics evidence = det ails and examples 4. The conclusion Transition Think of a sentence that will make it clear to the audience that you have finished the body and are now coming to the end of the speech. Restatement of main pointsSummarize your main ideas and think of which piece of information you really want the audience to remember. Closer Think of a final sentence to help the audience remember your speech. Note that the presentation outline is not a word-for-word script for the speech but an outline of ideas to serve as an organizational and presentation tool for the speaker. Once you have finished the outline you are then ready to start writing. Copy this into a word processor document, and use the headings to make your own outline for your demonstration speech.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Example

Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Example Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Multiculturalism in Germany Essay Multiculturalism is the presence of many cultures in one place by having same political rights as other citizens regardless of their differences in private lives. In a multicultural society, the citizens must embrace immigrants who have different values, beliefs and religions. Besides, the government must accept immigrants as their own citizens and they must give political rights as well as civil and social rights. Thus, the integration of distinct cultures can be completed and ultimately it can be seen that multiculturalism works in this country. However, multiculturalism does not work in every place and Germany which is one of these places. The reasons of the failure of multiculturalism in Germany are the restricted political rights for immigrants by government, integration problems between Turks and Germans and also cultural changes in second and third generations. This essay examines the history of Turks in Germany and the reasons why multiculturalism does not work in Germany also it briefly provides some suggestions in order to achieve multicultural success in a society. The migration of Turks to Germany in 1961 was the fundamental turning point for multicultural society in Germany. Turks who are the largest minority group, nearly 2. 4 million, migrated to Germany due to the recruitment of labor by German government in order to strengthen their industry. (Hochmuth, 2006) After the defeat in WW2, German economy collapsed and they need workers from other countries because there were more available jobs than their unemployed people. Therefore, the agreement with Turkey was made by the German government. According to this agreement, Turkish workers had to stay in Germany at least 2 years because Germany wanted to guarantee the attendance of foreign workers. However, this period was extended because of the wishes of two sides. The German government did not want to lose skilled workers because training new workers would take a long time. Also, Turkish immigrants did not want to come back to Turkey because they did not have enough money to start new business in their motherland; therefore they wanted to earn more. In addition, they brought their families to Germany from Turkey. Their children who are the members of second generation of Turks were born there, and families did not want to interrupt their education. (Hochmuth, 2006) In 1973, Germany stopped the recruitment of labor from other countries. After that year, Turks preferred to stay in Germany permanently because they thought that if they came back to their motherland, the Turkish government would not allowed them to return to Germany again. Hochmuth, 2006) Since 1973, nobody has migrated to Germany as a worker, but the population of Turks in Germany continued to increase through births and now the third generation of Turks is residing in Germany too. The first reason why multiculturalism does not work in Germany is the restricted political rights for immigrants. Multiculturalism supposed that there is not any inequality between people whether they are immigrant. However, immigrants had to struggle with the lengthy and difficult proces s of having political rights in Germany because the government did not give them political rights without acquiring German citizenship. Citizens of other nations cannot vote in Germany even if they have lived there for 20 or 30 years. (Powell, 1995) In Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany’s constitution separates the rights into two as general and reserved. General rights are approved for all individuals in the country. These rights consist of liberty of person, freedom of expression and freedom of conscience. (Kaya, 2002) However, reserved rights are valid exclusively for German citizens. These rights include political rights, freedom of movement, freedom of association, and freedom of occupation. The separation of rights is determined with respect to people’s ethnic origin. Therefore, it can be seen as tragically associated with Nazi’s policy which is based on ethnic nationalism. (Kaya, 2002) If Turks want to acquire political rights, they must acquire German citizenship first. There are some ways of acquiring German citizenship. According to Article 116 of the Basic Law, Turkish people have to live in Germany at least 15 years for naturalization but this effort is not enough to be naturalized. They also have to accept to renounce their previous citizenship. Therefore, the requirement of relinquishing Turkish nationality blocked the integration of different cultures in Germany. In addition, until the new law in January 2000, which contained some modifications, children who were born and raised in Germany could not automatically have German citizenship. In order to acquire citizenship, foreigners between the ages of 16 and 23 are required to be resident for more than 8 years, attend school for at least 6 years and have not been convicted of serious offences. (Kaya, 2002) After the new law, the rules of naturalization had little changes. According to the new law, children who are born in Germany can acquire German citizenship at birth if one of their parents have lived lawfully in Germany for at least 8 years, holds entitlement to residence or has an unlimited residence permit for at least 3 years. (Kaya, 2002) There is however a problem about their dual citizenship because they have to choose one of their nationalities within five years between 18 and 23. This application which is prepared by the German government seems to be in contradiction with the essential principles of multiculturalism. The German government constrains Turks to renounce their Turkish citizenship and this damages their cultures too because unless Turks are Turkish citizen anymore, they become distant from their culture which is belong to Turkey. Therefore, it is hard to say that multiculturalism works in Germany. The second reason for the failure of multiculturalism in Germany is the integration problems between Turks and Germans. Turks in Germany are seen as foreigners and migrants by the Germans although Turks search for equality and they wanted to contribute as a part of the German society. Therefore, discrimination is one of the main problems why Turks cannot integrate with the German society. Although Turks have same the civil and social rights as the Germans, their jobs are less prestigious with respect to the German’s. Also, they work for less payment and their profits are identically lower than the German’s. (Powell, 1995) In addition, their education is not adequate for better jobs. Hence, they have to work as blue-collar workers who generally work on manufacturing and mining while Germans work as white-collar workers related to management because blue-collar workers do not require high education. In 1970’s, there were more jobs for unskilled and semiskilled workers like Turks. However, the rate of unemployment among Turks increased since 1980’s because job opportunities in manufacturing industry declined in Germany and education became more important for jobs. (Ozcan, 2004) Turks are not capable of solving the problems which are associated with discrimination in job, lack of employment and fewer educational opportunities. (Powell, 1995) This situation makes the integration of Germans and Turks more difficult. Under these conditions, Turks do not feel accepted by society therefore they also do not want to be accepted. (Hochmuth, 2006) They begin to develop strong ethnic structures and maintain ethnic boundaries hence the integration of these two distinct cultures become more troublesome. The last reason which supports the argument that multiculturalism does not work in Germany is cultural changes in second and third generations of Turks who lived in Germany. In contrast to their parents, the 2nd and 3rd generations speak German better than Turkish. Although their roots were in Turkey, they learn Turkish as a foreign language. (Waldhoff Tan, 1996) This is the indication of the existence of assimilation between two cultures because they are starting to lose their connections with their real homeland. In addition, when they use Turkish, they mix it with a German accent, dialect or words. However, the usage of both languages can cause understanding problem for an outsider. They also use some German words such as Tschu? , which means bye in English, when they speak Turkish and they mixed German and Turkish sentences such as ‘Urlaub ald? ’ which means having holiday in English. This type of blending violates the rules of both languages in terms of the semantics, phonetics and syntax. Also, it damages the characteristics of languages. Their music is another field which is affected by cultural struggle. They create their own cultural synthesis by blending two different cultures. For instance, they mix break-dance and Turk ish folk dance. Thus, they show that the ambivalence which they had because they are sandwiched between upholding tradition and assimilation. Waldhoff Tan, 1996) Due to these confusions between Turkish and German culture, it is clear that multiculturalism does not work in Germany because it is based on the respect to different cultures but in Germany, Turks suffer to protect their culture from German effects. Therefore, the diversity of culture can be reduced and the imagination of multiculturalism can end for ever. Multiculturalism is an integration process which is so difficult to work in any place. It supposed that the cultures can be consistent, unified and tructured in a place. (Kaya, 2002) However, multiculturalism is not a melting pot which absorbs cultures. It always supports the diversity of cultures in one place. Through multiculturalism, people can expand their horizons by comparing different cultures and they can make judgments upon their lifestyle, belief and values. ( Malik, 2002) In order to allow multiculturalism to work properly, first of all discrimination among people should be stopped because if people learn to live together peacefully and equally, multiculturalism can work. Also, the governments should take some responsibilities about this issue. They should protect the immigrants’ rights and struggle with problems of immigrants such as education and job. In addition, they should promote integration by means of counseling and language. (Powell, 1995) Xenophobia is other important obstacle for multiculturalism. The organizations, festivals, seminars should be arranged among immigrants and citizens in order to get rid of this fear. If these suggestions are applied, multiculturalism can work and thus the world can become more tolerable and peaceful place. REFERENCES Hochmuth, H. (2006). Turks in Germany. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from turkishweekly. net/articles. php? id=146 Kaya, A. (2002). The hyphenated Germans: German-Turks. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from tusiad. us/content/uploaded/pw11Hyphenated_Germans. pdf Malik, K. (2002). Against multiculturalism. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from kenanmalik. com/essays/against_mc. html Ozcan, V. 2004). Turks in Germany: aspects of their socio-economic integration. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ces. boun. edu. tr/papers/feb/veysel_ozcan. pdf Powell, E. V. (1995). Notes from Hamburg: immigrants challenge Germanys social net. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ssa. uchicago. edu/publications/advforum/v2n3/advocates2. 3. 12. html Waldhoff, H. P. , Tan, D. (1996). Turkish everyday culture in Germany and its prospects. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from ish. uni-hannover. de/Dateien/staff/hw/turkish_hw. html

Monday, October 21, 2019

Using Caer, the Spanish Verb for Falling

Using Caer, the Spanish Verb for Falling The Spanish verb caer usually carries the idea of to fall and can be used in a variety of situations. While many of its uses can be translated using the English verb fall, a few cannot. Using Caer for To Fall and To Fall Over Here are some examples of everyday usage where caer is straightforwardly used for to fall or to fall over: El avià ³n cayà ³ en el ocà ©ano. (The plane fell into the ocean.)Si del cielo te caen limones, aprende a hacer limonada. (If lemons fall to you from the sky, learn to make lemonade.)Los barcos cayeron por las cataratas del Nigara. (The boats dropped over Niagara Falls.)El joven sufrià ³ un grave accidente al caer desde el tejado de la fbrica. (The youth had a serious accident when he fell from the factorys roof.)El coche cayà ³ por el barranco por causas que se desconocen. (The car fell over the cliff for unknown reasons.)El tanque se cayà ³ de un puente. (The tank fell off a bridge.) The same meaning can be applied figuratively: Exportaciones colombianas cayeron en 18,7 por ciento. (Colombian exports fell 18.7 percent.)El turismo en Bolivia cayà ³ por la gripe. (Bolivian tourism declined because of the flu.) Caer can also be used when speaking of weather: Las lluvias fuertes y prolongadas cayeron sobre Cuenca. (The strong and long-lasting rains fell on   Cuenca.)La extraordinaria belleza de la nieve que caà ­a le provocaba ms alegrà ­a. (The extraordinary beauty of the snow that fell made him more joyful.)Rompiendo un record, la temperatura cayà ³ 43 grados en tan solo una semana. (Breaking a record, the temperature fell 43 degrees in only a week.)   Using Caer for To Succumb Caer is frequently used to indicate the idea of succumbing or being overtaken by a force of some sort, or to fall into an error. The translation can vary with the context. La cantante confesà ³ que cayà ³ en la anorexia y la bulimia. (The singer admitted that she sank into anorexia and bulimia.)Caà ­ en la tentacià ³n de ser infiel. (I succumbed to the temptation of being unfaithful.)El hombre cayà ³ en la trampa del FBI. (The man fell into the FBIs trap.)No caigas en el error de prometer lo que no puedes conseguir. (Dont make the mistake of making promises you cannot keep.)Parà ­s cayà ³ bajo los tanques nazis. (Paris fell to the Nazi tanks.)Tras padecer un cncer, caà ­ en depresià ³n. (After suffering from cancer, I fell into depression.) Using Caer With Dates Caer can be used to mean that something falls on a particular date. It is used mostly commonly with days of the week. Este aà ±o mi cumpleaà ±os cae en jueves. (This year my birthday falls on a Thursday.)Si el dà ­a 30 de abril cae en domingo la fiesta se traslada al dà ­a 29. (If April 30th falls on a Sunday, the festival is moved to the 29th.) Using Caer To Indicate Compatibility Caer can be used with an indirect-object pronoun to suggest the idea of to get along with or to be OK with. The translation varies with context; often, a translation of to like or dislike will do. Me caen bien tus amigos. (I like your friends. Or, I get along with your friends.)Esto no va a caer muy bien a los otros equipos. (The other teams arent going to be pleased with this.)No me cayà ³ bien la decisià ³n. (I didnt like the decision. Or, the decision wasnt fine with me.)Ese desodorante le cae mal a mi piel. (That deodorant bothers my skin.) ¿Que profesores te caà ­an mejor? (Which teachers did you like best?)Me cayà ³ mal la comida. (The meal disagreed with me.) Conjugation of Caer Caer is conjugated irregularly. Irregular forms are shown in boldface below. Translations given are those most commonly used. Gerund:: cayendo (falling) Past participle: caà ­do (fallen) Present indicative:  caigo, tà º caes, el/ella/usted cae, nosotros/nosotras caemos, vosotros/vosotras caà ©is, ellos/ellas/ustedes caen (I fall, you fall, he/she falls, etc.) Preterite: yo caà ­, tà º caà ­ste, el/ella/usted cayà ³, nosotros/nosotras caà ­mos, vosotros/vosotras caà ­steis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cayeron (I fell, you fell, etc.) Present subjunctive: que caiga, que tà º caigas, que el/ella/usted caiga, que nosotros/nosotras caigamos, que vosotros/vosotras cagis, que ellos/ellas/ustedes caigan (that I fall, that you fall, etc.) Imperfect subjunctive: que yo cayera/cayese, que tà º cayeras/cayeses, que el/ella/usted cayera/cayese, que nosotros/nosotras cayà ©ramos/cayà ©semos, que vosotros/vosotras cayerais/cayeseis, que ellos/ellas/ustedes cayeran/cayesen (that I fell, that you fell, etc.) Affirmative imperative: cae tà º, caiga usted, caigamos nosotros, caed vosotros/vosotras, caigan ustedes (you fall, you fall, let us fall, etc.) Negative imperative: no caigas tà º, no caiga usted, no caigamos nosotros/nosotras, no cagis vosotros/vosotras, no caigan ustedes (dont you fall, dont you fall, let us fall, etc.)

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Pell Grant Eligibility and Requirements Do You Qualify

Pell Grant Eligibility and Requirements Do You Qualify SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Pell Grants are awarded by the federal US government to help students pay for college or vocational school.Figuring out whether you're eligible can be confusing, but this post will guide you through all the eligibility requirements you should knowabout if you want to apply for a federal Pell Grant. If you need a basic intro to what the Pell Grant is, check out our overview guide. Students are automatically considered for the Pell Grant when they submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. You can learn more about submission here. In this post, we'll cover the following: How to figure out whether you're eligiblefor federal student aid What the Pell Grant income limits are How to figure out whether you're eligible for the Pell Grant specifically Pell Grant award maximums What you can do to increase your chances of getting the Pell Grant What Are the Federal Student Aid Requirements? Because the Pell Grant is a federal aid program, you need to meet basic eligibility for federal student aid in order to be considered for the Pell.There are a lot of complicated-seeming requirements, so we put together two lists that describeeverything you need before applying for aid. You need to check off every item on List #1 and one item on List #2. List #1 In order to be eligible for all federal aid, including the Pell Grant, you must meet all the following eligibility criteria: Eligibility Requirement Do you meet this criterion? Have a high school diploma, GED, or approved homeschool education Be enrolled or accepted to enroll in an eligible degree/certificate program You can check with your school/program’s financial aid office if you want to confirm eligibility Be registered with Selective Service,if you are male and 18-25 years old If applicable,register on the SS website Have a valid Social Security Number (unless you’re from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or Republic of Palau) Sign statements on the FAFSA stating that (1) you’re not in default and do not owe refund money on a federal student loan, and (2) you’ll only use federal aid money to help pay for your education Access the FAFSA Maintain "satisfactory" progress in school If you’re concerned about your academic performance or have questions about what is considered "satisfactory," set up a meeting with your dean or other school administrator List #2 In addition to the items listed above, you must be able to check ONEof the following: Be a US citizen or US national Have a green card Have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) Have battered immigrant status Have a T-Visa These are all the requirements necessary to apply for federal financial aid.If you didn't have any issues with the items listed above, you're on the right track! Want to build the best possible college application and financial aid package? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Making sure you meet these requirements is a hassle, but it's worth it for free money, right? What Are the Pell Grant Requirements? There are a few eligibility requirements specific to the Pell Grant that you need to meet on top of the federal requirements we just discussed. Let's start by answering an important question: what are the Pell Grant income limits? The Pell Grant is meant primarily for low-income students who have not already received a post-secondary degree.There are some exceptions to this, but they're rare. For the purpose of this post, I'll be focusing onfuture and current college students. In a nutshell, to be considered eligible for the Pell Grant, you: Mustdemonstrate enough financial need (we'll get to the details of this shortly) Cannot already have a bachelor's or professional degree Easy enough, right? In the next section, I'll explain exactly what I mean when I say you need to demonstrate "enough financial need." What Are the Financial Need Requirements? This seems like a simple question, but the answer is actually somewhat complicated. Before I can answer this question, I need to briefly explain what financial information is considered important, and why. The Department of Education- the government department in charge of federal financial aid- takes a lot of factors into consideration when determiningwhether to award the Pell Grant. Put simply, the greater your family's financial need is, the greater the likelihood that you'll be awarded the grant. There's more to determining financial need than just looking at how much your parents make, however; your family's expenses are alsotaken into account. Lower income + more expenses = greater need. Allow me tobreak down what counts as income and what counts as an expense: Income: Your own personal income (if any) Your parents' income Assets belonging to you or your parents (e.g., savings or things they could own, such as a house) Expense: Number of people living in your household (more people = more expense) Number of family members (not including parents) who are attending college Your school's Cost of Attendance, or CoA- that is,how much you have to pay in tuition, room, board, and other expenses for one year Now that we've gotten through that information, I can better explain how your family's unique financial situation is analyzed when you're considered for a Pell Grant. All the above factors- income and expenses- are used to calculate yet another number called an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). If your EFC is at or below $5,140 for the 2019-20 academic year, you will be eligible to receive the Pell Grant. Each family's financial situation is different, and there's no one income cutoff that makes a student eligible or ineligible to receive the Pell. With that being said, here are some important facts to note: Most Pell Grants are awarded to students whose families make less than $30,000 annually Some Pell Grants are awarded to students whose families make $30,000-$60,000 annually It's possible but rare for students to be awarded the grant if their families make more than $60,000 annually What Are the Requirements After You Get Your Pell Grant? Do You Ever Need to Repay Pell Grants? After you have met the requirements for both FAFSA and the Pell Grant, and have been awarded your Pell Grant, it's pretty easy to remain eligible for the grant. All you need to do is stay in school. However, if you drop out of school while you're receiving a Pell Grant or change from full-time student status to part-time student status, you might be required to repay all or part of your Pell Grant for that year or semester. If your school determines that you need to repay your Pell Grant, they'll send you a notice informing you of how much you owe and when you'll need to pay it by. You'll typically have 45 days to either pay the amount in full or set up a payment plan. You might have to focus a little more than you'd like on the family finances. How Much Money Can You Get From a Pell Grant? For 2019-2020, the maximum Pell Grant award is $6,195.Factors such as the amount of your Expected Family Contribution and enrollment status (full-time vs part-time) will affect how much money you can get. You can learn more about calculating your EFC with our Pell Grant Calculatorguide. What If You Don't Qualify for a Pell Grant? If you're above the Pell Grant income limits, there's not much you can do to change your family's financial situation, which is the maincriterionused when you apply for a Pell Grant. There are certain factors under your control that might affect your eligibility. Here are some potential eligibility issues and solutions: If you don't have a high school diploma but would like to attend college, you can get a GED to meet federal financial aid requirements. Make sure you apply to and enroll in colleges or vocational programs that participate in the Pell Grant program. If you're unsure whether a school is involved in the program, you can check with that school's financial aid office. If you're not eligible for financial aid because you're in default on a federal student loan, focus on paying back that debt before applying for more federal aid. Summary: How Pell Grant Eligibility Works The Pell Grant is anannual award given out by the federal government to students who need help paying for college.If you apply for FAFSA, you'll be automatically considered for a Pell Grant. To meet the Pell Grant requirements, you'll need to meet all the federal eligibility requirements for financial aid and provethat your expected family contribution is at or below $5,140 for the 2019-2020 school year. Currently, the maximum Pell Grant award is $6,195. Once you receivea Pell Grant, you don't need to pay it back, unless you drop out of school or change from full-time to part-time student status, in which case you'll need to repay all or part of your Pell Grant. What's Next? If you're already looking at how to get a Pell Grant, you might already know about the program. If not, you can read about everything you need to know in our in-depthPell Grant guide. Are you still putting together your college applications? You might want to learn more about application strategy and versatility. For more information on getting into your top-choice schools, check out our step-by-step guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Marketing Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Dynamics - Essay Example This essay is developed in order to understand marketing dynamics of the green marketing and consumers. There are various consumer concerns which are impacting the decision making process and buying behaviour of consumers. Organisations need to understand these patterns in order to identify threats and opportunities and develop strategies according to that. There are various macro environmental factors which influence green consumer. These factors can be related to the infrastructure of the company, use and wastage of resources of the company, final product, recycle ness of the product and the work environment it has been providing to its employees. The case study in the paper analyses the Hewlett Packard efforts for the environmental and green marketing has created value for Hewlett Packard, industry and society as a whole. The efforts of Hewlett Packard company have been taken well by the stakeholder communities. It has been able to create a sustainable brand value through this. It took initiatives and efforts to gain attention of competitors and policy makers for the environmental friendly concerns. It is summed up that all its efforts have been focused toward its final consumer. The researcher also states that the focus of consumers has been toward the environmental and eco-sensitive factors as well along with the product and value a company offers for the price consumer is paying. The number of customers and consumer are increasing who are more aware and concerned about the environment.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Compare - Essay Example The arguments between the two are not good for their relationship because it creates tension between them. Gin and the boyfriend finally break up since they cannot agree about the drowned woman and the satisfaction of the desires of the boyfriend. The author drives the story by making the characters negotiate their desires leading to a continuation of the romantic story. The boyfriend finally discovers that the relationship is no more since they cannot come to a mutual understanding and they part ways because no one can satisfy their desires in the relationship (Dybek, 174). The author uses negotiation to create and resolve tension in the story of the young lovers. Gin and the boyfriend failed to sort out their issues concerning the drowned woman found by the police and that led to the end of their relationship. In the story, â€Å"Smiling Daddy† by Mary Gaitskill, there is Stew, the daddy and kitty, the daughter who is having a bad relationship since the daughter is a lesbian and the father does not agree with her sexual preference. Tension manifests when the daughter writes about the dad, and he becomes anxious when he is unable to get transportation to the store to buy the magazine written by the daughter. (Gaitskill, 222). The daughter’s desire is for the father to accept the way she is, but the father is in denial about the daughter’s way of life. The father views the daughter as bad tempered and sulky that makes him upset that the daughter has written the article. He is concerned with how the town will view him. Stew thinks more about how other people thinks about him than his relationship with his daughter and that is the reason he disowns the daughter and tells her not to return. There is a negotiation between the desires of the father and daughter. They fail to come to a consensus that will enable them have a happy

Textual analysis of the man in the gray flannel suit by sloan wilson Essay

Textual analysis of the man in the gray flannel suit by sloan wilson (american dream theme) - Essay Example The center of this novel revolves around the theme of an American Dream. The novel talks of every United States citizen’s need to win happiness by satisfying their material wants. This is despite the concept written by James Adams, America is the land in which life should be fuller and richer for everyone, depending on their ability and achievement (1931). The Rath family is very unsatisfied with their ordinary lives, referring to it as â€Å"a thousand petty shabinesses.† When Tom returns his wife Betsy wants a better life and future. She wants her husband to be the person he was before the war, a driven and ambitious individual. Her frustration in evident in her annoyance at mundane trivialities of life â€Å"Barbaras got the chicken pox and the washing machine broke down.† Despite serving his country, Tom Rath finds himself unsuccessful as far as the real world is concerned. His Harvard degree is of little consequence as his education is shunned. To keep his wife happy he applies for a job. Tom’s heart is not in what he does. He seems to have no drive to succeed in the material world. When applying for this new job the evident lack of desire is evident in his half-hearted â€Å"it certainly sounds interesting.† All of this changes once Tom works in his new company. The American dream forces him to become part of the rat-race that seeks satisfaction through money. The irony of this idea becomes evident when Tom Rath applies for his job for a public relations position. Rath admits that he knows nothing about the job but this idea is ignored by the employer who claims â€Å"Who does? Youve got a clean shirt and you bathe everyday. Thats all there is to it.† This shows how skills are of no consequence in this life. It is only about presentation and how quickly that helps achieve the material goal. Soon money seems to be the only thing on Tom’s mind. He keeps repeating it to himself â€Å"The important thing is to make money† and â€Å"Money, I need

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Company E-Business Comparison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company E-Business Comparison - Research Paper Example E-procurement refers to the business activities that employ the internet. This process requires the utilization of electronic applications. Effective e-procurement systems link companies with their business partners. The most significant link is to suppliers and hence fosters possible negotiations on costs and takes care of any issues arising from transactions. An effective e-procurement system should be able to evaluate prices and result in an optimum output from the supplier (Chorafas, 2001). Company B will benefit from the application of this procurement process as it ensures organization of data for the company thus data required can be easily retrieved. This simplifies the process of coming up with decisions for the company. In addition, these processes occur as prepared copies that are filled in a similar way hence ensuring uniformity of data collection within the company. In addition, the uniformity plays a crucial role in monitoring and keeping track of business transactions. Effective application of this model will also help to avoid the cost of inventory for company B (Chorafas, 2001).   On the contrary, there are various challenges that Company B will experience. It requires the input of time, manpower and money to implement effectively and hence a deficiency of either of these parameters will lead to a collapse of Company B. Moreover, the results may manifest after a long time and hence patient should be observed by company B so as to realize the input of the resources utilized and this can be frustrating (Chorafas, 2001).  ... In overall, implementation of this process will make company B more competitive as it gives it a cutting edge above company A as it attracts a bigger share of the market (Chorafas, 2001). Though the implementation of this process is of benefit, there are a variety of challenges that it possesses. To begin with, this process requires the input of professionals so as to execute efficiently. Moreover, the development of complex networks may impair the proper functioning of the system since some may be neglected and render the whole system ineffective. Therefore, the functioning of an effective customer relation management system is advantageous. However, it should be operated by skilled personnel for effectiveness (Chorafas, 2001). Sell Chain Management Sell chain management refers to the processes involved in ensuring secure and timely delivery of products to the client. It promotes flexibility in the production process and leads to outsourcing of products and services. This means that there is delegation of managerial responsibilities during service delivery and, hence multiple companies are involved in the process of product delivery to the customer (Zigiaris, 2000). The implementation of effective sell chain management systems within a company is crucial so as to compete effectively with the concept of a diverse market following globalisation. Company B, which employs the sell chain management process will benefit by reaching a larger and diverse market while sharing managerial responsibilities with the other players within the network. This will foster efficiency within each player and hence the overall output from Company B will be better than company A due to the effect of specialisation employed (Zigiaris, 2000).

Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foreign Policy - Essay Example Freedom is an imperative ideal in the Western culture and governance based on democratic principles upholds the aspect to the latter. The NSC 68 describes the value as a correlation of individuals or parties which is devoid of repression or intimidation; the lack of disabling rules for a certain group or person and the establishment of enabling environment; or the lack of lived situations of coercion, for example political coercion in the United States society. Whereas political liberty is usually misunderstood to mean the liberty from irrational external repression, it may also be used to connote the free enjoyment of rights, liberal aptitudes and likelihood of development, and the enjoyment of social rights. The idea can also encompass liberty from limitations on political activities or expression (Jong-Han 255-287). Equity Although inequality cannot be eliminated completely, all the members of the society should be treated the same way, before the law and by administration authorities. Nevertheless, in practice, persons with more economic muscle and education are likely to be better placed in political circles, thus often influence civil society. As a matter of fact, there may be an evenhanded political mechanism with hardly any significant levels of involvement, so long as all demographic segments and social divisions uniformly took part in the building of a society (Jong-Han 255-287). Then those who take part in the process would properly represent a section of the entire community. In view this, equity can influence the foreign policy of the United States by enhancing political justness in other countries where the federal government feels equity is hardly practiced, by increasing the population of individuals who take part in political activities and empowering civil society. When the United States encourages more people to take their destiny and the destiny of the country into their own hands through programs such as more awareness campaigns, underprivileged communities and the less educated achieve more say. Diversity According to Jong-Han (255-287), diversity is the expression used to explain political entities with participants who hold recognizable disparity in their lifestyles. It is notable that the expression implies the disparities in racial or tribal categories, age, sex, spiritual inclination, ideology, physical capacities, socioeconomic status, sexual inclination, gender identity, education, mental status, physical capacities, genetic qualities, behavior, elegance, or other recognizable attributes. In gauging human multiplicity, a variation index gauges the likelihood that any two neighbors, picked randomly, would have varied ethnic backgrounds. Diversity in this wisdom can influence the nature of United States foreign policy based on the need for a cultivation of tolerant societies which supports the different communities regardless of their unique inclinations or qualities. For instance, the country can urge other states to adopt gay legislations in order to guarantee the community of a place in the society and enhance their integration into the society (Wright 76-104) American foreign policy The United States foreign policy revolves around the manner in which the country relates with other states and establishes thresholds of correlation for its institutions, business organizations and citizens in particular. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union around 1990, the United States foreign policy became highly influential across the world, because the former was already a pale shadow of its former self, with only disparate nations to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Critique of Thomas Friedman's Article It's a Flat World, After All Term Paper

Critique of Thomas Friedman's Article It's a Flat World, After All - Term Paper Example The author started the article with the explanation of the various globalisation eras. According to the author, globalization has been categorized into three phases. The first period of globalization was from 1492 to 1800. During this period, globalization of world resources helped in shrinking the world from large to medium size (Headrick, 2000). The second phase of globalization was from 1800 to 2000 where the world shrunk from medium to small, as a result of globalization of labour and market forces. The third phase of globalization which started from 2000 has seen a drastic shift in the driving forces. It is a comprehensive mix where not only the big players but smaller enterprises are also influencing the globalisation process (Webster, 2005). Most of the parts of first and second globalisations were motivated by American and European economies and countries. But in case of third globalisation phase, it is mostly influenced by individuals and diversified businesses. When the aut hor is saying that the world is flat, he signifies that innovation can take place without emigration. The author has sarcastically explained the idea of cross-cultural businesses and the emergence of new IT hubs such as India. The first part of the article is an eye-opener. It clearly explains the current situation where the Americans and other western countries are no longer the only influencing forces. Today, the western countries are competing with the eastern counterparts. Earlier, even after having required skills and knowledge, employees and workers from developing countries were left out in terms of proper opportunities. With the advent of globalisation, the scenario has changed and so are the available options. In the second phase, the author describes the various forces that helped in flattening the world. In the year 1989 the Berlin Wall came down. According to author and many other eminent writes, this was the first mark of globalisation (Gang, Rivera-Batiz and Yun, 2010) . As the fall of the Berlin wall symbolised economic freedom for Germany in the year 1995, Netscape was announced public.  

Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foreign Policy - Essay Example Freedom is an imperative ideal in the Western culture and governance based on democratic principles upholds the aspect to the latter. The NSC 68 describes the value as a correlation of individuals or parties which is devoid of repression or intimidation; the lack of disabling rules for a certain group or person and the establishment of enabling environment; or the lack of lived situations of coercion, for example political coercion in the United States society. Whereas political liberty is usually misunderstood to mean the liberty from irrational external repression, it may also be used to connote the free enjoyment of rights, liberal aptitudes and likelihood of development, and the enjoyment of social rights. The idea can also encompass liberty from limitations on political activities or expression (Jong-Han 255-287). Equity Although inequality cannot be eliminated completely, all the members of the society should be treated the same way, before the law and by administration authorities. Nevertheless, in practice, persons with more economic muscle and education are likely to be better placed in political circles, thus often influence civil society. As a matter of fact, there may be an evenhanded political mechanism with hardly any significant levels of involvement, so long as all demographic segments and social divisions uniformly took part in the building of a society (Jong-Han 255-287). Then those who take part in the process would properly represent a section of the entire community. In view this, equity can influence the foreign policy of the United States by enhancing political justness in other countries where the federal government feels equity is hardly practiced, by increasing the population of individuals who take part in political activities and empowering civil society. When the United States encourages more people to take their destiny and the destiny of the country into their own hands through programs such as more awareness campaigns, underprivileged communities and the less educated achieve more say. Diversity According to Jong-Han (255-287), diversity is the expression used to explain political entities with participants who hold recognizable disparity in their lifestyles. It is notable that the expression implies the disparities in racial or tribal categories, age, sex, spiritual inclination, ideology, physical capacities, socioeconomic status, sexual inclination, gender identity, education, mental status, physical capacities, genetic qualities, behavior, elegance, or other recognizable attributes. In gauging human multiplicity, a variation index gauges the likelihood that any two neighbors, picked randomly, would have varied ethnic backgrounds. Diversity in this wisdom can influence the nature of United States foreign policy based on the need for a cultivation of tolerant societies which supports the different communities regardless of their unique inclinations or qualities. For instance, the country can urge other states to adopt gay legislations in order to guarantee the community of a place in the society and enhance their integration into the society (Wright 76-104) American foreign policy The United States foreign policy revolves around the manner in which the country relates with other states and establishes thresholds of correlation for its institutions, business organizations and citizens in particular. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union around 1990, the United States foreign policy became highly influential across the world, because the former was already a pale shadow of its former self, with only disparate nations to

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Environmental History Essay Example for Free

Environmental History Essay During the last ice age, around 13,500 years ago, a number of people from other continents came to North America to find food. They have been able to walk across the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia and Alaska. This was likely possible because during that period the sea level were lower that it is today. The melting of the glaciers has cleared some passage for the Alaskan to spread and colonize areas throughout South America within the period of 1,000 years. In their conquest, these people had a major impact on the ecology and wildlife to which they have been destined. Studies on the archeological findings stated that prior to the coming of the early North Americans, the lands were covered with lush vegetation and large species of mammals and birds. The herbivores even included 3 species of elephants such as the woolly elephants, the giant mammoths and the mastodons. Such animals which are common were giant animals like bison, ground sloths, armadillos, beaver and tortoises. Giant predators also are preying on different herbivores. Such predators were the cheetahs, saber-toothed tigers, lions and giant wolves. Most of these large predators have migrated from the boreal forests of Canada to live in the forest of North America. Animal remains of these unimaginable sizes and power of these animals have been found but where and why these species have vanished is a questionable issue. Tim Flannery’s book The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples concluded that during the coming of the early North Americans there was what he call the Pleistocene Overkill. He hypothesized that during the colonization of humans and reaching far across the continents, they almost wiped out large herbivores through hunting. Large animals were more noticeable thus making them prime targets. Their low reproductive rates cannot compensate for the losses because of frequent hunting. When these animals became extinct, their predators became extinct as well. The extinction of the predators made an impact in the extinction of large scavenger birds. Only animals which can prey on and frequent the oceans did not suffer high extinction rates during this time. (Moyle Orland, 2004). There are also evidences that the early North American people has manipulated their surroundings and that they have modified their environment as based on observation of settlers from Europe. The settlers have documented that Indians shaped their environment through the use of fire especially during the late summer to minimize the valley’s underbrush and reduce the number of trees. This is to facilitate hunting and do their gathering. While the American Indians are moving across seasonally while using fire for easy game hunting, the European settlers made themselves fences and farmhouses as well and bringing with them domesticated animals and crops. The Europeans however, have influenced some of the Indians to properly control or stop the use of fire and introduced to them the proper use of land use and establishing properties and boundaries for their domain (Northwest, 1998). Eyewitness accounts from the early European explorers, trappers, soldiers and missionaries affirmed that prior to their settlement the wilderness were not pristine but rather the product of remains of thousands of years of usage and management by Native Americans. The Native Americans’ management also has consequences on their ecosystems and one example is the extinction of most large mammal species in North America between 10,800 and 10,000 years ago. This is probably the result of hunting practices of Paleo-Indians as previously mentioned and with the effect of rapid environmental changes. Once again the setting of fires for hunting, land clearance, warfare and signaling as well as forest fires contributed to the degradation of forest and ecology in the pre-modern American era (Bonnicksen, 2000). Based from The Ecological Indian: Myth and History by Shepard Krech III, the Paleo-Indians had a great role in the extinction of animal species in North America. Krech believe that Paleo-Indians played great role in the Pleistocene extinctions about 11,000 years ago when many indigenous animal species in North America vanished. Severe climate changes however were also contributory to the extinctions of such animals. Krech uphold that there was actually human intervention in the exploitation and extinction of animals in that period because of two important evidence. Such were the findings of Paleo-Indian artifacts with the remains of extinct animals and the fact that there was already the extinction of animals before the arrival of European settlers in North America. Notably, the use of fire by the North American Indians was widespread as an important method for their subsistence. Fire is also used for communication, aggression and travel. Notably, vast tracts of forest lands were burned so that animals may move out and go to a place where they could be easily hunted. These aboriginals thus destroyed the habitats of elk, deer, buffaloes, wolves and beaver thus killing them for their meat and fur (Orton, 1999). At the time of the arrival of the Europeans, many Indians were already farmers. Farmers in the East and Southwest were raising corns, beans, pumpkins and squash which are necessary for their subsistence because five thousand years ago, agriculture was already a practice in America. By 1500, millions of acres of were already cleared and planted crops by the indigenous people. Furthermore, there was a constant set of fire to more hundreds of millions of acres to improve game habitat, clearance for travel, reduce insect pests and to enhance conditions to grow berries. Vast areas of forest landscape in the West and East and park-like open spaces are usually smoking with low-intensity fires. Even in New England, Indians burn their woods twice in a year. The frequent burning of forest has created wide open grasslands which were formerly forests. Such indication of human disturbances and alteration in the ecological system were the proliferation of game animals such as the wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, ruffled grouse and other species commonly live only on forest edges and openings. By the end of the early 1600s, bison were roaming the prairies in the south and reached as far as Far East (Maccleery, 1999). The migration of early European settlers to North America, however, has introduced the barter and trade practices with the Native Americans. One of the most earliest and important industries in that period was the fur trade. The fur trade industry has played a great factor in the development of America and Canada for more than three centuries. The trade began in the 1500’s as an exchange of goods between Indians and Europeans and other tools and weapons as well. The Beaver fur was the most valuable of all the furs being traded. The earliest traders of furs in North America were the French explorers and fishermen who came to a place which is now Eastern Canada. With the scarcity of fur-bearing animals particularly the beavers, North Americans and Eskimos set traps as far as Canada. British and French empires were set in America because of fur trade in the early 1600’s. The prospect of wealth with this venture has brought Europeans to the New World thus the establishment of many trading posts in the wilderness. As settlements grew, states were established and later became such major cities as Detroit, New Orleans, and St. Louis. While in Canada, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec and Winnipeg were also established. Because of its promising wealth venture, the fur trade has created a conflict between France and Great Britain in the American land. There were rivalries over trading and alliances between Indian tribes and other traders. Hostilities however, were shown by other Indians toward white settlers because the settlers prevented the Indians from clearing the forest with burning thus preventing the production of fur-bearing animals. With such disproportionate conflict, border between the United States and Canada were formed. But in the 1700’s, the fur trade started to decline in the Eastern United States as a result from the clearing of large tracts of lands for settlement. As the clearings grew wider, fur-bearing animals increasingly became scarce as well which hurt the trade in the Western America and Western Canada. Silk was found to be an alternative for clothing and accessories when fur-trading was stopped by 1870’s (Stuart, 2007). In conclusion to this, as stated by Shephard Krech III on his Reflections on Conservation, Sustainability, and Environmentalism in Indigenous North America, he has his own debate if really the old North Americans are environmentalists, ecologists or conservationist. As he has mentioned other facts rather than being in assuring, enough evidence must be drawn to come up with more solid proof that indeed they were. However, there is more information and evidence that showed generally, they have not been properly treated their environment in the proper perspective because what they all need in that period was to survive in the midst of a dark and forested land. The American Indians of today, however, are one of the most visible groups in rallying for the preservation of their land, their domain and their culture as well.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages Introduction The electronic highway of information that is girdling the world has brought an end to the Gutenberg era. Transition from a â€Å"stones throw away† world to a â€Å"click away† world has changed the way we live, interact, socialize and work. It has also changed the way we perceive culture, people, processes, objects i.e. life in short. The high speed network fabric has rendered geographical boundaries irrelevant. A few years back it may have sounded like an idea by Slartibartfast from the legendary planet of Margarathea(from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) but with the advent of technological platforms this aint a far-fetched idea any longer but is the reality of the present times. It all began with the technological outburst which led to the availability of various platforms that helped to efficiently maximize the transfer of information. The degree of separation between the company and the consumer has reduced considerably. Branding Redefined Branding is no longer the privilege of the larger conglomerates or the big pockets. With the advent of technology and the significant reduction in the costs associated with branding, smaller companies that are taking branding seriously have cropped up like mushrooms. The competition is much tougher and there is this race of owning properties both online and real to cut out the competition. In the context of sports we can take the example of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the largest sport event in India this year. So there would be sponsors for IPL who would demand exclusivity. This is applicable across industry sectors- say a sponsor of something like MTV Roadies who would end up owning the content rights of the show- just to kick competition out of the advertising sphere for the show. The questions that loom large are â€Å"Has the traditional media died?† or â€Å"Has it just reduced to a mere supporting media?† or â€Å"Have the rules of the game changed?† or â€Å"Is it a new game altogether?† Brand experience is both emotional and functional. It is not only a promise that a company makes, or an assurance to the quality of the product as mentioned by Aaker(1991) but it also has a psychological role to play. They make you feel good about yourself or are an expression of yourself. They also fulfil social needs like a sense of affiliation or belongingness to a community or a group of people who think alike. The very fact that names like Arsenal, Manchester United of the English Premier League (EPL) are household names in a country like India where nothing but Cricket sells, shows the growth of sports branding. This phenomenon has been more evident in the recent past all because of the media convergence (Kerr,2008). There are fan communities where people can discuss their teams, interact with people with similar sentiments, vent their anger when a player does not perform and share their grief when their team loses. The arrival of sport channels has provided a medium to the broadcasters to telecast all kinds of sports and not just cricket. There is as much of motor sports, basketball, tennis and football as there is cricket. The question that pops up next is, what is the brand? Is it the player, the club or is it Football the game itself? If yes, how has a little white ball and a green field inspired the most successful brand principles that has led to true brand management? The concept of a sport being a brand may sound a little ridiculous at first, but the figures dont lie. A Brand Finance survey conducted in 2005 revealed that Manchester United had a brand value of  £197m, Liverpool a value of 156m, Chelsea  £137m and Arsenal a brand value of  £115mn. Indian Premier League (IPL) The Sport Renaissance in India India has two primary religions Bollywood and Cricket. The only differentiating factor that sets sports entertainment apart from the rest is the passion that it commands and the real time execution. The cricket economy world over is 1bn USD to which India contributes to more than 60%. This includes revenues from ticket sales, sponsorship, endorsements and broadcasting rights. In 2008 the remote wars in the households in India had struck a truce as all the members in the family were glued onto one thing -the IPL for their own different reasons. Be it the glamour, be it the sport, be it the uniqueness of the concept or be it the hype around the event, IPL redefined entertainment. The General Entertainment Channels (GECs) observed a huge dip in the Television Rating Points. Nothing had grabbed the attention of the masses the classes at such a scale ever before. Next year IPL struck again-grander and better. The GECs delayed the launch of new shows as they were sure they had nothing that could compete against the IPL. Such is the potential for the Sport Industry in India. The IPL 09 had rung the death knell of the whole arena of player management in India as small size sponsors signed the best of the players in the Indian team for a year at dead cheap prices. This fiasco happened due to the deals that the IPL Franchise had with these sponsors and the players were bound by it. This was the reason why we saw Master Blaster Sachin, Zaheer and Harbhajan promoting Luminous Invertors and Sehwaag advertising for Jetkings an equipment hardware manufacturer. Is it truly about club over country? The club format brought to the public light through the IPL has shattered the myth that sports in India is about national identity and patriotism? In the auction the highest bid jersey was not that of Tendulkar or Ganguly, it was Khans 11. It has given rise to a lot of questions What is it that makes a person support the Mumbai Indians or the Kolkatta Knight Riders? Is it Sachin, Sehwag, Shilpa or Shahrukh? Is it the success of the team or the strategy that they employ when at the field? The other areas of concern would be has this concept of IPL revolutionized the way sport is consumed in India? Will the spectators be interested in an IPL match over India vs Pakistan Test Match? The Moment of Truth in the IPL that made its success eminent was the fact that the crowd actually cheered when Sachin was bowled by Bret Lee. This is an indicator of the fact that sports in India is in the throes of evolution. People are open to accepting it as an entertainment option than a patriotic struggle. Literature Review What is Media Convergence? Britannica Encyclopaedia says, â€Å"Media Convergence is a phenomenon that involves the interlocking of computing and information technology companies, telecommunication networks and content providers from the various media platforms like magazines, newspapers, radio, television, films and the likes. It also says that Media Convergence is the confluence of the 3 Cs Communication, Content and Computing†. According to Henry Jenkins who is a highly respected media analyst and one of the foremost leading experts on the convergence culture paradigm, as well as, the DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and the Founder and Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT states that, â€Å"the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences is what constitutes media convergence†. It is not just the confluence of the traditional and the new digital media but it is also about the unpredictable ways of interaction and association of the consumers and producers of media. It is not solely technological but there is a huge gamut of socio- cultural paradigm shifts that have changed the way the consumer evaluates a product, makes his decision and his social interactions to seek information. It also includes the experience that the producer of the media makes the consumer go through (Viau, 2 001). The world is witnessing the new forms of media in which they have a larger control over the types of feeds they receive, the ease with which they can interact with not just the media but with the media provider as well. This has brought a whole new dimension of competition to the traditional media platforms. This has also led to a lack of dependence of the consumers on any particular media which in turn translates to lesser loyalty. Benefits of Media Convergence: The content creators can use the platform to generate customized content that is targeted at a specific group. This has also brought about a change in the dynamics of economy as distribution and cost structure is not the same in traditional media. It has brought about a sense of Post Modernism to the field of media consumption where the consumer is not an audience but is also a co creator. This has also brought about a change in the experience that a person goes through by consuming media. It has transcended the limitations of the traditional media. Negatives of Media Convergence: This has brought in a certain amount of unpredictability in the responses that a media would receive. With the audience being exposed to a plethora of media platforms it gets tough to understand what has had what kind of effect on the consumer. Media Convergence has brought about a shift in the control that the content creator had over its property. With the advent of blogs, mobiles and emails the consumers are exposed to large amount of unbranded content. This has led to an increase in the competition for consumers time and attention that the content creators face. Is Sport an Industry? Does industry necessarily comprise of a product or service? NO! It could be an offering that is neither of the two but is consumed by the people. Entertainment is an industry and so is religion. Thus Sport is an industry too which comprises of selling sports or selling through sports. Be it the events, leagues and the tickets to view these or the marketing of products through sports- which would include merchandize, licensing and sponsorship (Mason, 1999). The figure below represents a model of the Sport Industry Parallels can be drawn between Sports and a Consumer Product. Below is a representation of the value chain of the sports industry. Sport as a product can be consumed in different ways- playing, watching, reading or being entertained by it. The level of involvement of the consumers -fans in the sports jargon, differs for each of the way. â€Å"Football is a million dollar industry. The sport has a long heritage in UK and has the most prestigious premiership in the world and has attracted players from all four corners of the globe. Most importantly, football inspires passion and the big four, Chelsea Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool FC, are among the most valuable brands in the country†, says Ruth Mortimer- a sports marketing blog owner. What is a Sports Brand? What constitutes a sports brand is questionable. It depends on what the product is? Is the league a product or is it the clubs in the league that constitute the product (Goldman, 1989; Grauer, 1983; 1989; Gray, 1987)? It is argued that the league can be taken as a cartel of these entities i.e. the clubs. This would determine the marketing strategies for the league and the clubs. But whatever the case be both are brands in themselves. If football is the category EPL can be taken as the Umbrella Brand and the clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and the likes would constitute the sub brands. Even the players would be brands in their own respect. If Beckham is the brand then it is dedicated, suave and down to earth (Milligan, 2004). Manchester United stands for excitement and great entertainment all so because right from Cantona to Giggs to Rooney and Ronaldo, the club has stalwarts who are both excellent at the game and are trend setters in their own way. Hence there is a clearly identifiable brand proposition (Baeur et al, 2005). How are sport brands different from the product brands? NBA Franchise was the first to realize the potential of brand building and what organized marketing can do to fuel revenue generation. Andy Mulligan(2009), says, â€Å" Brands are often, somewhat lazily by some people, equated with pure commercialism and worse still with a kind of fluffy marketing that is about spin and not substance.† He is of the view that though Sport is a huge industry, managing teams is not in the least similar to managing a business. The very premise that a business is a tradable property sets it apart. A team is a repository of emotional associations that fans world over share and build. Hence sports team is not a business but it could definitely be a brand as its an identity and a promise that the consumers believe in and an experience that they live. The association of a spectator with a specific club is enhanced by the collaborative play of â€Å"local, national or emotional identifications† (Whannel, 1992, p. 199) or by the un-certainty of the outcome of the game (Clapson, 1992).The degree of association of the club and the spectator is so high that he develops a strong sense of affiliation with the club. He feels proud and celebrates the victories and is all gloomy over the losses. This phenomenon has been termed as Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG) (Cialdini et al., 1976). Media and Sports The globalization, the opening up of trade barriers, this era of media convergence, the popularity of the internet, and the ever increasing number of netizens has revolutionized the sports industry. The advancements in communication technology provide omniscient access to all kinds of leagues that a team plays in. This coupled with the 24X7 dedicated sport channels has opened up a whole new arena of entertainment. Today the English Premier League and Formula 1 are as popular in the Asia Pacific as they are in Europe. Earlier people used to watch just the league finals but now they have the option to follow their favourite teams irrespective of their geographic location and time. The qualifiers for the Champions League or the NASCAR have a sizeable number of viewers as does the grand finale. When Real Madrid signed the superstar David Beckham, the live telecast of the ceremony attracted more than 2 million eyeballs (Hatfield, 2003). Games of Houston Rockets had a viewership of over 30 million Chinese viewers who tuned in just to watch Yao Ming- their fellow citizen battle the National Basketball Associations (NBA) finest (Larmer, 2005). Manchester United has a huge fan base of close to 24 million in China alone which is more than the number of viewers in Britain. More than half a billion people tune in to watch the weekly games world over. (Datson, 2004). The popularity that these sports command has attracted the attention of sponsors and advertisers. The teams themselves have realized the large potential that the world of marketing has in store. They have capitalized on this opportunity and the audience sentiment by branding themselves. They have a prominent presence across the various levels, be it Below the Line or Above the Line. We have Team Anthems, Jerseys, Videos, Events, Parties, Posters- ALL OF IT! Manchester Uniteds branded licensed jerseys sell more in the USA as compared to all the other Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs combined. The number of hardcore fans has been approximated to a good 4 million in North America alone. Japanese tour groups spent US$500 million on just the tickets and souvenirs from the New York Yankees. All so to watch Hideki Matsui the outfielder from Japan. This was more than five times what the presence of Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle Mariners generated (Whiting, 2003). Internet statistics tell the same story. There are more satellite fans to the NBA. 40% of visitors to the website log on from outside the States and a humongous 20% of the licensed merchandise is sold overseas (Eisenberg et al., 2003). Global Sports Industry Recession When the whole world is in the throes of recession, sports is one industry sector that has not been as badly affected as the others and was quick enough to bounce back within a year. Loss of sponsorship, events being cancelled, biggies withdrawing from the arena; these are some of the development the sports industry has witnessed in the recent past. On one hand we have been witnessing things like Honda, Kawasaki and Subaru withdrawn from motorsport Manchester United lose  £56 million AIG shirt sponsorship US National Football League indicates it will cut workforce by 10% Tiger Woods loses five year $8 million endorsement contract with Buick Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games takes out additional $800 million loan to cover financial shortfall 2009 Indian Masters golf tournament cancelled Arena Football League in US cancelled for the season On the other hand the world witnessed the largest ever viewership and increasing advertising spend TV viewership increased to 1 million (97.4m to 98.4m); advertising investment up $20 million (from $186 million to $206 million) at the Super bowl 2009 Manchester City sold for  £200million+ in summer 2008 Premier League signs new live TV rights deal for  £1.78 billion, surpassing previous deal Badminton England signs record-breaking sponsorship deal with Yonex Manchester United and City will both sign lucrative, record-breaking shirt sponsorship deals if the rumors are to be believed Sports Scenario in India The Sports arena in India has been dominated by cricket for quite some time now. But with the converging media and the Westernization sports like soccer, basketball, motor racing have observed an increasing fan base. A look at the Audience and Viewership data from TAM is enough to prove this point. Cricket is followed by soccer, tennis and wrestling. The reason for the monopoly of cricket is simple. Cricket is the only sport where India has made a mark in the International arena and which still holds hope for Indians to win over others. This has provided it the status of religion in India. The other popular sports would include Soccer, Tennis and Motor Sports as revealed by a TAM report. This marks the herald of a whole new era of sports entertainment and marketing. Below is an overview of the size of the sports industry in India IPL- The Story so Far India has two religions Bollywood and Cricket and the whole country was awestruck when the two joined hands. IPL is all about glamour, excitement and passion. It works on a franchise model where each of team is owned by an industrialist, a celebrity or is a joint venture. There was an auction to own the clubs and then there was an auction to make the team and select the players. This was the golden time for the Cricket Board in India as it made a lot of profits. Franchise rights were tendered with a reserve price of USD 50mn for 10 yrs. The owners get a percentage of the revenue that the team earns and has other streams like merchandising to mint money from too. The primary difference between the IPL and the English Premier League was the fact that in IPL there was a cap on the amount of money that could be spent in building a team. Unlike EPL where the teams that are backed by the deeper pockets manage to buy the best of the players and end up winning the tournaments and the others are a t a competitive disadvantage. Apart from this sponsorship on Television and the ground constitutes a huge chunk of the revenues that the board and the team earn. The IPL website had 50mn page views in the first week and had received 530,000 column cm of stuff written about it in the newspapers in the Season 1. The opening match in Delhi had a Television Rating Point(TRP) of 7.19 which was the highest for any event in India ever. It had a TRP of 6.7 amongst women which is a considerable number considering the fact that Indian women are generally not much into watching sports. Thus we see that it aint just a mere entertainment option but is an industry in itself. The Need Gap The clubs are no longer just teams whose players lend it its brand value. There is a huge industry of sports merchandize, events and the likes that thrives on this its a culture in itself. Keeping this in mind I plan to study formats like the EPL and NBA which are brands in themselves and arrive at the factors that lead to the success of such brands. India as a nation provides huge potential to market these brands. It is not just the passion for the sport or the sentiment of belongingness to a particular nation that commands loyalty. There are several other factors that have converted sports clubs or teams into one of the most valued brands world over. Therefore there is a knowledge gap that exists. It is to study what these factors are and what are the things that affect these factors? Parallels can be drawn between the sports industry in India and in nations abroad which in turn would help marketing sports, teams and clubs as brands in a nation like India- which is a burgeoning economy and holds great prospects for such brands. Research Objectives To understand how sports branding has grown as an industry in the West, taking EPL, NBA, Formula 1 as a case study. To understand the consumer perception of sports as a brand in India by conducting a research amongst the audiences To understand how media convergence has led to the popularity and the cult like fan following of Western sports in India To analyze the Indian sports industry and devise a marketing strategy for building a sports brand in the Indian context Research Methodology Research Design A fan â€Å"represents an association from which the individual derives considerable emotional and value significance† (Madrigal, 1995, pp. 209-210). Thus it is not equivalent to being a spectator. Therefore to understand their behaviour and attitude statistical data about what they watch and how often do they watch does not help in the quest to understand what makes them a fan. Therefore the research methodology would be a mix of quantitative and qualitative as both have their own advantages and contributions to making this study more fruitful. Quantitative studies use the deductive logic to explain social facts (Horna, 1994, p. 121) and thus would help in understanding the behavioural component. This would help in understanding what the crowd constitutes of and what are the primary scalable attitudes exhibited by them. But this fails to explain the underlying reasons for such behaviour, things that differentiate a fan from a spectator. Thus, qualitative study becomes important too. Qualitative methods help in exploring the cognitive components. It also helps explaining the longitudinal behaviour of things rather than a mere snapshot of the present scenario which could be gauged from the quantitative. In depth interviews would be the preferred technique as we seek to understand the reasons why an individual behaves the way he does and not really the collective opinion of a group. The quantitative research can be carried out by administering a questionnaire online and in person. Some statistics can also be gathered from the various databases and research data available publicly. Sampling The research aims to understand how the emergence of media affected the attitude of the people towards Sports in general and the club culture in particular. It is conducted to understand what is it that makes them commit their loyalties to a particular team and how does this affect the economics of the industry. Only SEC A and B are considered based on the assumption that the SECs lower than this dont contribute much. Females have been considered as recent researches show that there are an increasing number of women who have started following sports and participating in it. Hence their opinion and perception could be a valuable contribution. Expected Contribution After studying the responses from the sample, the research would help arrive at answers to various questions regarding the future of the sports industry in India. Questions like where is the industry headed? What kind of sport would sell? How do the sports brands communicate to the people? How has the convergence of media affected their understanding of the sports industry? Apart from this it would help brand managers and sports consultants to design the branding strategies for the various sports brands so that they can sustain themselves in this highly competitive and unpredictable market. Secondary Research: Marketing of Professional Sports Professional sports started with the leagues specializing in one kind of sport which would run for a season and the league enjoyed a monopoly in the arena. But with the advent of infrastructural facilities and increased investments in the industry of sport management there are multiple leagues fighting for the share of eye and heart. They fight for consumers who have a plethora of other entertainment options to select from. Thus the competition in not limited to just the sports industry but is with the larger entertainment industry (Grauer, 1989). The one thing that makes professional sports appealing to the audiences is the uncertainty of the results. The adrenaline rush that the spectator experiences with every passing minute is dramatic and cannot be derived from staged content. â€Å"Like other forms of entertainment, sport offers a utopia, a world where everything is simple, dramatic and exciting, and euphoria is always a possibility Sport entertains, but can also frustrate, annoy and depress. But it is this very uncertainty that gives its unpredictable joys their characteristic intensity (Whannel,1992, p. 199)†. The intensity of appeal and engagement with the sport is further enhanced by the association that an individual has with the sport and if there are stakes that he has in the outcome. The concept of Basking in Reflected Glory(BRIG) talks about the highest degree of association where a fan is a loyal even if the team does not perform well(Cialdini, 1976). Initially the sports leagues were owned by individuals or entrepreneurs but with the growing popularity it has achieved the status of an industry and has been successful in attracting corporate and has taken a more formal structure than a mere source of entertainment. It is due to the involvement of these corporations outside the realm of professional sports management that has brought in newer revenue streams like merchandizing and sponsorships. This model of corporate ownership of a league or a club was started in the USA and was later adopted by the leagues in the continents of Europe and Australia. The biggest advantage of this is that the teams are backed by deep pockets and investment into a team is a part of the investment portfolio of the corporation and not the main business area. Companies like Blockbuster, Disney and Turner from the North American industry of entertainment and broadcasting have benefitted from their presence in professional sports (Cousens and Slack, 1996) . This has also helped Rupert Murdoch to extend his empire across the globe. This has also helped in attracting better players as the salaries are far better, improved facilities to train and huge advertising expenditures to build the fan base. The corporations are not buying into the uncertainty of the game by owning a team but are using the reputation of the team to fuel their interests. For example the treaty between FOX network and the National Football League was not really a profitable venture for the broadcast network as it had to overbid to acquire the rights but as Murdoch puts it, â€Å"it has made [FOX] a real network in the US†(Swift, 1995). Globalization of the Leagues â€Å"Professional sports leagues are now a part of the powerful recreation and entertainment sector of the economy. In addition, sports have â€Å"delocalised†; the global marketplace has made sports less attached to specific places, particularly those which have world-wide appeal, such as football and basketball (Euchner, 1993)†. Satellite TV and Internet has sped up the delocalization of professional sports by making the content available across the globe in real time. The total income of the â€Å"Big 5† football leagues in Europe in the year 2005-06 was  £12.6 billion ($18.54 billion) (Deloitte and Touche 2007), out of which the Barclays English Premier League(EPL) was the largest contributor, generating revenues as high as à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 billion. The most sought after customers of the industry would be the fans as they are loyal and facilitate generating the revenues required to rope in the best players and management. The media analysts refer the players, the clubs and the leagues as the â€Å"brand† (Globalisation of the league, Dr. Bridgewater, 2007). The brands in this industry are not same as the rest but there are strategies that remain the same. When a FMCG brand has to be made global, what companies generally do is start operations in the country where they would like to have a presence. Similarly, the leagues involve other nations or players that have a different nationality to increase the audience base which in turn would lead to building up the fan base which constitutes the target segment for the merchandise. For example the National Football League (NFL) in the USA announced the first competitive game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants in October 2007, more than a 50,000 tickets were sold within 3 days of the announcement. The buyers comprised of local and expatriate fans. This is representative of the fact that there is huge potential in this industry sector. The number of â€Å"E Loyals†- people who dont hold a season ticket or have been to watch a live match but support the game and the club as they have been exposed to it online or on TV- has been rising in the last few years. They are a segment that is as likely to buy the merchandise as a fan who is a regular at the stadium. Pennants, caps, shirts, flags, bands and other team branded articles are what have led to an increase in the revenues and facilitated penetration in other geographic markets (Cousens and Slack, 1996). English Premier League (EPL) -A Case Study English Premier League is a leading association of professional football clubs in the European Union. It has 20 clubs that play in the league every year and follows the system of relegation. Each of these clubs is a shareholder to the league. The EPL came into existence in 1992 when the First Division in the Football League decided to part ways from the Football League as it had struck a lucrative deal for television broadcast rights. It has the largest revenues in the football arena, close to a $4mn in 2007-08. It is perceived to be more glamorous, entertaining and action centred as compared to the rest of the European Leagues like the Serie A and La Liga in Spain. Premier League has undoubtedly grown to be a global brand. The global fan base of the leading international football brands such as Real Madrid and Manchester United runs in millions of British Pounds and â€Å"shows no sign of waning† (Deloitte â€Å"Football Money League†,2008) What is it that determines a persons identification with a club? A Research conducted in 2002 has identified 5 important factors that govern the association of fans with the team. These are primarily the support that the team gathers at the venue the management of the team the traditions, values, legacy that it entails the social entertainment factor i.e. the fan community that it h