Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolution

The Battle of Cowpens was fought Jan. 17, 1781  during the American Revolution and saw American forces win one of their most tactically decisive victories of the conflict. In late 1780, British commander Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis sought to conquer the Carolinas and destroy Major General Nathanael Greenes small American army in the region. As he retreated north Greene directed Brigadier General Daniel Morgan to a take a force west to raise morale in the region and find supplies. Pursued by the aggressive  Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, Morgan made a stand in a pasture area known as the Cowpens. Correctly assessing his opponents reckless nature, Morgans men conducted a double envelopment of the British and effectively destroyed Tarletons command. Background After taking command of the battered American army in the South, Major General Greene divided his forces in December 1780. While Greene led one wing of the army towards supplies at Cheraw, South Carolina, the other, commanded by Brigadier General Morgan, moved to locate additional supplies for the army and stir up support in the backcountry. Aware the Greene had split his forces, Lieutenant General Cornwallis dispatched an 1,100-man force under Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton to destroy Morgans command. A bold leader, Tarleton was notorious for atrocities committed by his men at earlier engagements including the Battle of Waxhaws.   Riding out with a mixed force of cavalry and infantry, Tarleton pursued Morgan into northwestern South Carolina. A veteran of the wars early Canadian campaigns and a hero of the Battle of Saratoga, Morgan was a gifted leader who knew how to obtain the best from his men. Rallying his command in a pastureland known as the Cowpens, Morgan devised a cunning plan to defeat Tarleton. Possessing a varied force of Continentals, militia, and cavalry, Morgan chose Cowpens as it was between the Broad and Pacolet Rivers which cut off his lines of retreat. Armies & Commanders AmericanBrigadier General Daniel Morgan1,000 menBritishLieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton1,100 men Morgans Plan While opposite to traditional military thinking, the Morgan knew his militia would fight harder and be less inclined to flee if their lines of retreat were removed. For the battle, Morgan placed his reliable Continental infantry, led by Colonel John Eager Howard, on the slope of a hill. This position was between a ravine and a stream which would prevent Tarleton from moving around his flanks. In front of the Continentals, Morgan formed a line of militia under Colonel Andrew Pickens. Forward of these two lines was a select group of 150 skirmishers. Lieutenant Colonel William Washingtons cavalry (around 110 men) was placed out of sight behind the hill. Morgans plan for the battle called for the skirmishers to engage Tarletons men before falling back. Knowing that the militia was unreliable in combat, he asked that they fire two volleys before retreating behind the hill. Having been engaged by the first two lines, Tarleton would be forced to attack uphill against Howards veteran troops. Once Tarleton was sufficiently weakened, the Americans would switch over to the attack. Tarleton Attacks Breaking camp at 2:00 AM on January 17, Tarleton pressed on to the Cowpens. Spotting Morgans troops, he immediately formed his men for battle despite the fact they had received little food or sleep in the preceding two days. Placing his infantry in the center, with cavalry on the flanks, Tarleton ordered his men forward with a force of dragoons in lead.  Encountering the American skirmishers, the dragoons took casualties and withdrew. Pushing forward his infantry, Tarleton continued  taking losses but was able to force the skirmishers back. Retreating as planned, the skirmishers kept firing as they withdrew. Pressing on, the British engaged Pickens militia who fired their two volleys and promptly fell back around the hill. Believing the Americans were in full retreat, Tarleton ordered his men forward against the Continentals. Morgans Victory Ordering the 71st Highlanders to attack the American right, Tarleton sought to sweep the Americans from the field. Seeing this movement, Howard directed a force of Virginia militia supporting his Continentals to turn to meet the attack. Misunderstanding the order, the militia instead began withdrawing. Driving forward to exploit this, the British broke formation and then were stunned when the militia promptly stopped, turned, and opened fire on them. Unleashing a devastating volley at a range of about thirty yards, the Americans brought Tarletons advance to a halt. Their volley complete, Howards line drew bayonets and charged the British supported by rifle fire from Virginia and Georgia militia. Their advance stopped,the British were stunned when Washingtons cavalry rode round the hill and struck their right flank.While this was occurring, Pickens militia reentered the fray from the left, completing a 360-degree march around the hill. Caught in a classic double envelopment and stunned by their circumstances, nearly half of Tarletons command ceased fighting and fell to the ground. With his right and center collapsing, Tarleton gathered his cavalry reserve, his British Legion, and rode into the fray against the American horsemen. Unable to have any effect, he began withdrawing with what forces he could gather. During this effort, he was personally attacked by Washington. As the two fought, Washingtons orderly saved his life when a British dragoon moved to strike him. Following this incident, Tarleton shot Washingtons horse from under him and fled the field. Aftermath Coupled with the victory at Kings Mountain three months before, the Battle of Cowpens aided in blunting the British initiative in the South and regaining some momentum for the Patriot cause. In addition, Morgans triumph effectively removed a small British army from the field and relieved pressure on Greenes command. In the fighting, Morgans command sustained between 120 to 170 casualties, while Tarleton suffered approximately 300 to 400 dead and wounded, as well as around 600 captured. Though the Battle of Cowpens was relatively small in regard to numbers involved, it played a key role in the conflict as it deprived the British of desperately needed troops and altered Cornwallis future plans. Rather continuing efforts to pacify South Carolina, the British commander instead focused his efforts on pursuing Greene. This resulted in a costly victory at Guilford Court House in March, and his ultimate withdraw to Yorktown where his army was captured that October.

The Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare - 1777 Words

causes them to become silent. is Father. Horatio and Marcellus, both learn the truth The Tragedy of Hamlet is one of the most confounding works ever written in the English language. William Shakespeare, written in many different nuances with this play. There are multiple perspectives to analyze Hamlet from; there is death, mental illness, revenge, a catastrophic ending to the play. The purpose of this assignment to examine the role of Hamlet’s emotional stability and how he handles ethical dilemmas with certain characters in the play. Hamlet is not mentally ill; but is going through a dramatic event. This play can show how humans react to death and violence. The Ghost first appears before Barnardo and Francisco, in the first act. They†¦show more content†¦Hamlet and Fortinbras are parallel to each other in their lively hood positions; but Fortinbras, is not as angry as Hamlet. Hamlet is very uncomfortable that his Mother, Gertrude is in a relationship with Claudius, his Uncle. This is where the conflict begins within the play. Everyone believes that Hamlet, is madly in love with Ophelia and that is the reason for his instability. Hamlet broods to himself in the first act about his Mother’s relationship with his Uncle. ‘ O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourn’d longer-married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules. Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left flushing in her galled eyes, She married-O most wicked speed.’(Hamlet.1.2 150-156) Hamlet is devastated over his family’s incest. This is a problem, that his family tries to ignore; but it is a problem, that forces them all to confront it, The fight between Hamlet and Laertes is the main conflict in the play. Hamlet murders Laertes’s Father, Polonius. Hamlet confronts his Mother, after he had a play preformed, where a Queen murdered a King, in front of Claudius and Gertrude while they are watching . Polonius, the consul to the King is speaking, to the Queen, before Hamlet enters, when Hamlet confronts his Mother. Polonius is hiding, the closet. Hamlet draws his sword and kills Polonius. Hamlet thought it was Claudius, who was the one who was hiding inShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1427 Words   |  6 PagesWhy has Hamlet’s rage led him to a death that was destined to happen? Simple, his absolute motive was to seek revenge for the death of his father, who was once the King of Denmark. In this tragedy, Hamlet wanted to put on this image of an insane man. This would mislead the people around him from his intentions of killing King Claudius, who is strangely his uncle and â€Å"father† simultaneously. Claudius takes the throne for Denmark after pouring poison down King Hamlet’s ear without leaving any evidenceRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1483 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet is a misfortunate play that exhibits Prince Hamlet’s internal and external conflicts which show the ultimate purpose of the story. Revenge is perhaps the greatest theme in Hamlet, and is shown by the conflicts Prince Hamlet has with his family, friends, and a girlfriend as well as within his self. The anguish Hamlet feels towards his new father and his mother is magnified by the discovery that they were both involved in his father, the king’s, murder. ThisRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1131 Words   |  5 PagesTragedy, according to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, tragedy is no short supply. Shakespeare takes the reader on a journey of epic proportions through the struggles and conflicts, internal andRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1543 Words   |  7 Pagesplay, The Tragedy of Hamlet, seems to have a domino effect. As Hamlet tries to get his revenge, he brings ruin upon the kingdom. Hamlet is self-doubtful; he doubts himself to a point where he does not know what is true in his life. He constantly contradicts himself, causing many people, whose death was unintended, to die. In Williams Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, in order to portray Hamlet’s tragedy, Shakespeare uses soliloquies, metaphors, symbolism, and anti-thesis. Shakespeare utilizesRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare Essay822 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1604, William Shakespeare finished one of the most famous plays of revenge in English history. This play has left a plethora of questions, most left unanswered even after the hundreds of scholars who have analyzed it. The complexity and multiple facades of the characters, the use of many themes, and the symbols in this play have been construed into a delicate tale; Shakespeare purposely left out many details in order to shroud this piece in mystery. In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare s vagueRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare2594 Words   |  11 PagesJulian A tragedy is a dramatic work that is about a character whose tragic flaw leads to his downfall and to the demise of many of the other characters. William Shakespeare was a playwright during the Elizabethan Era who was made famous for his literary works of tragedies, comedies and sonnets. One of Shakespeare?s most renowned tragedies is Hamlet. In this classic tragedy the protagonist, Hamlet, pursues revenge and seeks justice against the antagonist, Claudius, for the murder of King Hamlet. As aRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 Pages How certain can one be that they will see tomorrow? How certain can one be that they will see the next second? In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, all of the characters face uncertainty at some point in the story. The character of Hamlet is, for lack of a better term, a laggard; he procrastinates like no other, making him an uncertain character in his entirety. His most famous line is â€Å"To be , or not to be? That is the question.† The entire scene is about Hamlet’s uncertainty about suicideRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare Essay1334 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Hamlet, each character stands out in unique ways. Madness is one of the crucial themes as Shakespeare depicts the chaotic turbulence in the Hamlet family and the court of Denmark. Though she is generally read as a minor character, Ophelia’s madness reveals the struggle of the female character that attempts to have a voice of her own. Ophelia’s life certainly seems tragic based on Aristotle s definition of tragedy, which says that â€Å"A tragedy is the imitationRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare Essay1829 Words   |  8 PagesThe tragedy of Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is one of the best tragedies ever written. The term hamartia, coined by the philosopher Aristotle in his writing Poetics, can be d efined as â€Å"tragic flow,† to miss the mark â€Å"leading to a mistake† (American Heritage Dictionary). Aristotle points out that: tragedy is an imitation not only of a complete action, but of events inspiring fear or pity as well as the tragic hero must not be an utter villain or a perfect man, but he must be, then: theRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1931 Words   |  8 Pages William Shakespeare is an English Poet known for his famous dramatized writings. Shakespeare was born in the United Kingdom in April. Here are some of his legendary texts: â€Å"Macbeth†, â€Å"Julius Caesar†, and â€Å"Hamlet†. â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet† was written during the sixteenth century and was performed in 1609. Shakespeare writes this tragedy to reveal the roles of women during the Middle Ages. 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Theme in Lenses free essay sample

Theme in Lenses Imagine for a moment a world where there are no feelings or warmth, no smiles or tears. A world where people are no longer people, but pieces of metal. We would only see this world as dead, not beautiful. Leah Silverman’s Lenses foreshadows this imaginary world as our future. The message that the way we are made, as unique individuals, is the most beautiful is conveyed through the main character Corinne’s thoughts, emotions and viewpoint. The author uses Corinne’s thoughts to support the message. An example of this can be found on page 2 where Corinne thought â€Å"but her new eyes will not be brown, and they will not shine with her laughter†. Corinne believed that the grey mechanical eyes simply couldn’t compare to her friend Grusha’s real eyes that â€Å"hold you when you look into them†. Another example is the use of personifications in the story. We will write a custom essay sample on Theme in Lenses or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Corrine described Grusha’s eyes as eyes that danced, flashed and shined; just as how she would describe living, breathing people. This emphasizes how the eyes contribute to the individuality and beauty of a person, and the fact that nothing can replace them. Corinne’s thoughts led to her distressed emotions on the up-coming surgery to replace Grusha’s eyes. The reason for her distress reinforces the message because the source of that distress does not come form the fear of an unsuccessful surgery, but the idea that her friend will no longer possess real eyes. Corinne loved Grusha’s brown eyes that told a story. She felt that it would be easier to â€Å"carve her own heart out of her chest† than to replace Grusha’s eyes. She also felt extremely guilty about taking ways Grusha’s eyes because she believed that by taking away those eyes, she would also take away a part of Grusha that made her unique: a part of Grusha’s soul. Although Grusha was the one that would ultimately lose her eyes, the author chose to write the story not in her perspective but in her friend Corinne’s. This is another way the author used to express and emphasize the message. Due to the fact that Grusha needed well-functioning eyes for her profession and her sight, she does not have much of a choice. She may not have wanted to replace her eyes, but there wasn’t any room for compromises. By writing the story in Corinne’s point of view, the author is able to introduce a truer feeling of sadness and loss. Another reason is the fact that people tend to overlook certain details about themselves, such as the feelings their eyes convey. By using Corinne’s voice, the author emphasizes the aliveness of Grusha’s eyes. A world made of pieces of metal is only filled with emptiness and loneliness. There is no hatred and sadness, but there is no happiness and love either. It may be a perfect world in people’s eyes, but it will never truly be beautiful. By creatively using the main character’s thoughts, emotions and viewpoint, Leah Silverman clearly conveys the message that nothing is more beautiful than the way we are made as unique individuals.

The Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb Essays - Japan,

The Decision To Drop The Atomic Bomb Maria Tidwell World Cultures III Professor Longfellow 26 November 2000 The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb On August 6th 1945, the world changed forever. The United States dropped the first Atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The surviving witness Miyoko Watanabe describes her experience: I came out of the front door?an intense yellow, orange and white light overwhelmed me? the light was thousands of times brighter than a magnesium flash gun?I went inside to hide?There were strange sounds, crashing noises and jolts, and I kept no track of the time?I locked back to see how my mom was. She looked worse then a devilish witch. (47) The heat was intolerable; everywhere Miyoko looked there were wounded and dying people, bleeding from all over their bodies like her mom. Miyoko continues, Those who fled from one or one and a half kilometer from the hypocenter really did have to step over bodies and shake off hands grasping their legs for help. When someone caught hold of their shoes they just had to leave their precious shoes and flee ? otherwise they wouldn't survive(49). A friend of Miyoko told her that he had to leave his sister to die in the flames to save his life. That day, according to the Japan Times, 140,000 died as a direct result of the bombing. Later the total number of victims claimed in Hiroshima City came to 217,137. There is one question that comes to my mind reading these terrible stories from the victims of Hiroshima; was this necessary? Scholars have discussed the question for more than half a century. However, they all agree that the answer to this question does not make the use of atomic weapons seem less awesome or less awful, but it merely throw different light on it. The main argument defending the decision to drop the bomb is that it was necessary to end the war. Richard B. Frank in his book, Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire defends the American decision. Relying on a host of original documentary sources, most notably the Japanese messages that were intercepted and decoded by the American forces, he presents a researched work that attempts to explain what might have happened if the bombs had not been dropped. The reader is left with the unshakable conclusion that the use of the bomb was a necessary evil--that the government of Japan was not ready to surrender, and even after the bombing of Hiroshima, the decision was to fight on. However, the conclusion of his book is that the bombing of Nagasaki (though nowhere near as damaging as the bombing of Hiroshima) persuaded the Japanese cabinet that the bomb was not a one off event, and that they faced certain destruction if they didn't sue for peace. According to Frank, Most American strategists believed that the war with Japan would be a ?long drown out operation' with Japan's fanatical resistance extracting mounting casualties the closer the American forces drew to the Home Islands (21). To understand this position, it is necessary to take a closer look at the American experience with the Japanese, during the war. The Japanese were known by their culture of no surrender; they would rather die than surrender. Particularly, in the Japanese military forces this tradition was prominent. Frank continues with a terrible example of this, The first intimations that the Japanese would literally choose death over surrender?and not merely an elite warrior caste but the rank and file?came in August 1942 at Guadalcanal. Two small Imperial Navy island garrisons fought to virtual extinction. Major general Alexander Archer Vandegrift, the Marine commander wrote: I have never heard or read of this kind of fighting. These people refuse to surrender. The wounded wait until men come up to examine them?and blow themselves and the other fellow to pieces with a hand grenade(28). Another example, maybe as shocking, happened at the island of Saipan; nearly 30,000 Japanese soldiers fought to the death, only 921 (3 percent) were taken prisoner. On this Island there were 20,000 civilians. Only 10,258 surrendered; the rest chose death. In a carnival of death that shocked even battle-hardened Marines, whole families waded into the sea to drown together or

Future of International Business in the UAE Essay Example

Future of International Business in the UAE Essay Example Future of International Business in the UAE Essay Future of International Business in the UAE Essay Future of International Business in the UAE Name: Course: Date: : Future of International Business in the UAE A. Introduction and General Theory Europcar is a multinational company that deals with car rentals. Eurazeo, an investment company in France owns Europcar. The automobile manufacturer Volkswagen that was based in Germany initially owned Europcar. However, since it was not as profitable as they had anticipated it to be, the Volkswagen group decided to sell it off. Volkswagen founded the company first in Paris in 1949. Presently, the company’s headquarters are in France, particularly in Saint Quentin en Yvelines at Immeuble Les Quadrants. This occurred in 2006 after the sale of the company was finalized. The company owns approximately 200, 000 vehicles and is based in over 150 countries all over the world. It also boasts of having branches in over 2800 locations in the said 150 countries. Europcar is mostly located in Europe, Africa, Middle East, North America and the Caribbean Islands. However, as much as the company is a well-known multinational, the brand is most common in European countries like France, The United Kingdom and Germany. These are Europcar’s major markets in the case of corporate and leisure rental services. The car rental field is a severely competitive field but Europcar ahs been able to withstand this competition and remain the most popular brand in a majority of the European countries. In order to strengthen the company further, they decided to purchase another car rental company, Vanguard EMEA in 2007. Vanguard was the operator of two companies, Alamo Rent a Car and National car rental. These companies were doing well in Europe and North America. Purchase of Vanguard enabled Europcar to penetrate the North American market. As a result, the company grew tremendously and made huge profits. Europcar’s logo is the company name set in a green background and is used in all the branches that they have all over the world. Its vision is to become the best car rental company by offering impeccable services to their customers. The mission of the company is to offer services of the highest quality with the use of the latest technology, which are in line with the international standards. The company has an intricate organizational structure, which enables it to perform extremely well. A board of directors, who are the overall decision makers of the company, heads Europcar. The company also has managers in the several departments who oversee the company on a day-to day basis. This structure of leadership is emulated in each of the branches that Europcar has all over the world. Nonetheless, the company has only one board of directors who oversee the company’s progress. Europcar’s main target market is the tourists. This is because, as they tour the different areas, they require cars and they cannot travel with their own. In addition to this, the company also targets corporate societies and the citizens of the country in question as well. B. Introduction to firm Europcar is a company that specializes in car rental services. It is widespread with over 2800 locations in about 150 countries all over the world. The company owns over 200, 000 fleets of cars of different makes and brands. All these cars are offered to their customers who may rent them for any period. Renting of the company cars maybe done physically in which case the customer visits one of their offices or of by the use of the internet whereby the customers paces their request online. The majority of their customers are from European countries like France and Germany. Business history: Europcar was started in 1949 by the Volkswagen group but was later sold to Eurazeo in 2006. Eurazeo have been in control of the company since then and the company had improved significantly. The company’s headquarters are based in France but it has location in about 150 other countries worldwide. The majority of the customers of the company are from European countries like Germany and France. For this reason, Europe is its main market. The company also purchased another car rental company in 2007. They did this in order to strengthen their hold in the North American region. The company they purchased was Vanguard EMEA whose main target market was North American countries. The company is aimed at providing only the best services to their customers all over the world. Europcar uses all the recommended technologies to ensure that it meets the international standards of quality. For this reason, Europcar has become one of the most popular car rental services. SWOT Analysis of the company Strengths: The kind of services that the company provides is if high quality and this makes their customers content. Therefore, customer loyalty is created since the customers appreciate the services offered to them. Finally, the pricing of their cars is very reasonable, which has been another reason for their growth. Weaknesses: The Company is mainly based in Europe and this has limited the number of customers that they have. Sudden changes in the management of the company affected the revenues of the company in 2011. Opportunities: The Company identified the opportunity in the market in UAE, which would ensure increased profits for the company. For this reason, they have targeted several cities in the region such as Dubai. Threats: Other car rental firms worldwide have been a threat to the success of the company. For instance, in Dubai, firms like Avis and Hertz have been a great competition for Europcar. In order to counter such firms Europcar may embark on serious campaign strategies or offer services that are more favorable to their customers in the region. Some key leaders in the company a) The Chairman of the board of Directors: Jean-Charles Pauze His main role is to act as an advisor to other senior members of the company. This is because he has a lot of experience in the service industry b) The Chief Executive Officer: Roland Keppler He was appointed CEO because of his vast expertise as evidenced in all the other prominent positions that he held in the other companies he worked for. c) The Chief Operating Officer: Rafael Girona Girona was selected COO in 2006 immediately after Eurazeo bought the company from the Volkswagen group. His prowess in management has enabled him to supervise the company operations effectively d) The Chief Financial Officer: Caroline Parot Parot joined the company in 2011 and due to her competence; Europcar has enjoyed a momentous increase in profits. C. Global Scenario and Business State of the firm Europcar is already a multinational company with branches in several components including Asia and Africa. However, their most defined target market is in the European countries. In a bid to diversify their target market, they formulated a three-year plan aimed at penetrating other markets. The plan was dubbed the ‘transformation plan.’ This plan was created in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2013. Major aspects that will be addressed in the strategic plan include price competitiveness, brand positioning, internal and organic growth. Europcar intended to extend its branches to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).They aimed to expand into this region since its level of growth ha been impressive over the past few years. UAE has become one of the most popular sites for investors. This is because of the friendly policies and the stable economic growth that the region has (Singh, 2008). Europcar has established branches in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Abu Dhabi just to mention a few. The launch of these subsidiaries has enabled Europcar to gain recognition from the Middle Eastern market (Europcar Group, 2010). This is because it has provided the citizens of this region with services of high quality and it has become the most admired company in the region. In Dubai, for example the company has made enormous profits since its inception. This is probably because Dubai is a well-known tourist attraction. For this reason, the use of rental cars is common amongst the tourists who visit the area. Penetration of the Middle Eastern Market has been a noteworthy achievement for Europcar. This is because it will be easier for them to invest in the region since they are already recognized in the region. If they were not known in the region, it would prove impossible to invest in the region and if they did, they may have lost a lot of money since they would not have known much about the economy of the region. However, the entry into the Dubai market has not been easy since the existing firms posed a lot of competition. Car rental companies like Avis and Hertz are examples of the major competitions that the company has faced in Dubai. . Avis is a company based in the UAE. It was a major competition because it also provided its customers with high quality vehicles, which were all well serviced, and at affordable rates. Hertz is also another chief competition mainly because it has forged connections with institutions like airports in Dubai. Due to the existing competition, Europcar had to advertise more and offer more competitive prices in a bid to attract more customers. D. Analytical approach To prove the level of growth that the company has achieved, it is imperative to include analytical proof to substantiate the claims. The data to be used will be with respect to the 2011 annual report. (The values provided are in millions of ?) Financial statement of Europcar in 2011 201020102011Revenue1. 973.11,975.91.962.2Fleet holding costs491.9492.3499.9Other Income14.414.218.0Net financing costs241.6241.8228.7Result before Tax125.6125.583.2Profit/loss for the period128.4128.272.2 This financial statement provides a comparative analysis of the company’s performance in 2010 and 2011. The total revenue obtained in 2011 is slightly lower than the 2010 value. This may be attributed to the changes in leadership that occurred in the company in the course of the year. However, several important improvements can be noted in the data above. The operating expenses in 2011 are lower than in 2010. This is an improvement since it enables the company to increase their profit margins. In addition to this, the company’s income from other sources of revenue increases by over three million pounds. For this reason, even if the overall revenue of the company is lower than the one recorded in 2010, is has undergone several improvements that are most likely to show in the financial report at the end of 2012 (Dreyfack Europcar, 2011). E, Competitive strength in international markets For a company to be successful in international markets, they have to obtain competitive strength over their competitors. This will enable them to influence the market trends to their benefit and as a result make more profits. Creation of competitive strength in the market is viewed as a very good market strategy. It is assumed that a company should do well if they have techniques like leveraging their domestic positions and establishing a niche in the international market (Fifield, 2007). Conversely, this is only beneficial in the first stages, in order to succeed in the new market; the company has to go a step further. Techniques that the company may use include strategic flexibility and effective building of the company position of the new and foreign market. Strategic flexibility refers to the ability of a firm to adapt to different situations that may arise in the company. This will ensure that sudden changes in the market will not have a great impact on the company in question. In an international market, this is very important since the company is not sure of what may happen. Market presence and position refers to making an indelible mark on the new market. This may be achieved by the introduction of a new product of very high services. If this is done, the company will have a tremendous effect on the economy and market trends (Bradley, 2005). If these techniques are implemented, the company will be able to gain competitive strength in the international market.

How Sociologists Define Social Control

How Sociologists Define Social Control Social control, within sociology, refers to the many ways in which our behavior, thoughts, and appearance are regulated by the norms, rules, laws, and social structures of society. Social control is a necessary component of social order, for society could not exist without it. Overview of the Concept Social control is achieved through a variety of means, including through social norms, rules, laws, and social, economic, and institutional structures. In fact, there would be no  society without social control, because society cannot function without an agreed upon and enforced social order that makes daily life and a complex division of labor possible. Without it, chaos and confusion would reign. The primary way through which social order is produced is through the ongoing, lifelong process of socialization that each person experiences. Through this process, we are taught from birth the norms, rules, and behavioral and interactional expectations that are common to our family, peer groups, community, and greater society. Socialization teaches us how to think and behave in accepted ways, and in doing so, effectively controls us our participation in society. The physical organization of society is also a part of social control. For example, paved streets and traffic signals control, at least in theory, the behavior of people when they drive vehicles. Sidewalks and crosswalks control foot traffic, for the most part, and aisles in grocery stores control how we move through the space. When we fail to conform to norms, rules, and social expectations, we suffer sanctions that remind us of their social importance, and that serve to control our behavior. These sanctions take many forms, from confused and disapproving looks to conversations with family, peers, and authority figures, to social ostracization, among others. The Two Types of Social Control Social control tends to take one of two different forms: informal or formal. Informal social control refers to our  conformity to the norms and values of the society, and adoption of a particular belief system, which we learn through the process of socialization. This form of social control is enforced by family, primary caregivers, peers, other authority figures like coaches and teachers, and by colleagues. EyesWideOpen/Getty Images Informal social control is enforced by rewards and sanctions. Reward often takes the form of praise or compliments, but also takes other common forms, like high marks on school work, promotions at work, and social popularity. Sanctions used to enforce informal social control, like those discussed above, tend to be social in form and consist mainly in communication or lack thereof, but can also take the form of the ending of a relationship, teasing or ridicule, poor marks in school, or being fired from work, among others. Formal social control is that which is produced and enforced by the state (government) and representatives of the state that enforce its laws like police, military, and other city, state, and federal agencies. In many cases, a simple police presence is enough to create formal social control. In others, police might intervene in a situation that involves unlawful or dangerous behavior in order to stop itto arrest literally means to stopin order to ensure that social control is maintained.   Alex Livesey/Getty Images Other government agencies enforce formal social control as well, like those that regulate which substances or foods can be legally sold, and those that enforce building codes, among others. It is up to formal bodies like the judiciary and the penal system to dole out sanctions when someone fails to comply with the laws that define formal social control. Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

German paper 3+4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

German paper 3+4 - Essay Example He was consistent with conventional history when he said that after the US joined the war, Germany was defeated. But what conventional history did not say, which he said was that the Germans blamed Zionist Jews for the entry of the US, thus their defeat (Freedman, par.24). This he said was the root of German discrimination against Jews which was indeed justified. If what he said was true, was conventional history then wrong in saying that the Germans at that time were envious of the economic success of Jews? Was it wrong in saying that the Germans were blaming their difficulties on the Jews because the Jews were in control of media and a lot of the industries then? As an aside, Freedman also said that â€Å"Jews happened to be maybe 98 percent of the Communists in Europe at that time† (Freedman, par. 26).† Unbelievable! To fight back, the Jews declared war on Germany (Daily Express, p.1). It called on Jews all over the world to boycott all products made in Germany. Germa ny depended a lot on its exports. By declaring economic and financial war, its aim was to hurt Germany economically, starve its people, and compel Germany â€Å"to end its campaign of violence† against Jews (Daily Express, par. 7).

Pollution and Lake Erie Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pollution and Lake Erie - Term Paper Example With increase in population a lot of things changed for this lake. This increase gave rise to pollution in the form of human waste, sawdust, agriculture chaff, oil etc. The forests around this lake were cut down in order to get wood for construction purposes. Around 1960s the whole outlook of the lake changed due to this pollution caused mainly by industrial waste and untreated sewage. Rivers that flowed into this lake were also much polluted. This problem became so serious that warnings were given to the residents against the contact with the water. All of this made life in this water impossible; hence, this lake was declared ‘dead’. Lake Erie is considered dead, as a consequence of eutrophication (Gilpin 1995). Lake Erie is one of the lakes in the world which has a very large dead zone. The area which lacks oxygen is called a dead zone. According to scientific researches done by scientists dead zone works in two distinct layers. There are two separate layers of water i n the lake; one is on the top and the other at the bottom. Temperatures in these two layers are mostly different except in the springtime where the temperature in both layers is the same. In summers, the water in the upper layer warms up and the bottom layer remains the same. This results in a significantly colder layer of water at the bottom of the lake. This difference in temperature between two layers is called thermocline. All the activities in the water takes place in the upper layer as all the sunlight and nutrients are present here. When the algae and animals present in the upper body die, they fall at the bottom and decomposition takes place. The process of decomposition uses up all the oxygen in these areas, hence, giving rise to dead zones. This problem is really bad in Lake Erie because the water here is not very deep and there is less oxygen in it so the oxygen is depleted very quickly. Scientists are making efforts to reduce this problem of oxygen depletion in Lake Erie . There are a lot of nutrients present in this lake and the sources of these nutrients are divided into two categories. These categories are called point sources and non point sources. Point sources are the sources through which the nutrients that are released into the water can be measured like wastewater treatment plants. On the other hand non point sources are the ones which cannot be measured for example agricultural runoff and the amount of fertilizers cannot be calculated accurately. It is still not possible to completely evaluate whether the dead zone is expanding or is recovering. It varies from year to year, according to the temperature. The great lakes national program office of USEPA is playing a vital role in repairing the Lake Erie. Surveys are conducted annually by these people to check the level, degree and occurrence of oxygen depletion in the lake basin. They also track the trend in which this occurs. These also check the phosphorus level in the water so that it doe s not exceed its level. Phosphorus changes water chemistry and can lead to changes in water oxygen levels that eventually impact aquatic plants and animals that feed off them (Davies & Mazurek 1998). The information gathered cannot be same for every year as weather is variable that changes every year so the level of oxygen and phosphorus varies each year. To do all this data is collected and EPA research is used. Side by side biological and geological surveys are also taken into consideration.

About Writing Informal Short Reports Essay Example for Free

About Writing Informal Short Reports Essay Short reports are usually informal reports. Generally, these reports serve current needs and tend to have a limited readership. They tend to be between one and five single-spaced pages (ten double-spaced). They also tend to express a first person point of view. They use a personal style — we and you and a familiar vocabulary that conveys informality. They are often formatted for internal and external use. Memo-Reports Most informal reports follow the memo or letter format and are referred to as memo-reports and letter-reports. Use the memo-report format when writing internal or external communications about routine operations and familiar subject matter. Use it to inform colleagues about recent experiences — field trips, meetings, and seminars, and to report on achievements. Write a memo-report when you want to file a record of a decision, a transaction, a meeting, or a proposal. Any subject that needs documentation can be developed as a memo-report: new procedures and policies, background information for sales staff, new marketing strategies, and so on. See more:  First Poem for You Essay Since the subject matter is either routine or familiar or your readers, the one-line reference in the memo heading serves as the introduction. Arrange points for impact The standard of the memo-report are shown below in a conventional arrangement. †¢ Memo heading: To, From, Date, Subject. †¢ Source of the assignment: identification of the department head or superior who suggested or authorized the report (normally the person to whom you address your memo-report). †¢ Statement of the problem: a discussion of the background or status of the subject, a summary of the consequences of not taking action, and a reference to the scope and purpose of the report. †¢ Main points: introduced by headings. †¢ Summary and conclusions. Letter-Reports Any informal report can be developed in the letter-report format: a report on estimates for repairs or services, proposals for supplying a service or product, and updates on achievements, and so on. Arrange points for impact The standard parts of letter-reports are shown below in a conventional arrangement. †¢ Inside address †¢ Salutation †¢ Source the assignment †¢ Statement of the problem †¢ Main points †¢ Recommendations †¢ Complimentary close

Biogram Of Nathaniel Hawthorn, How His Life Relates To Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

BIOGRAM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The man Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author of the nineteenth century, was born in 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. It was there that he lived a poverty-stricken childhood without the financial support of a father, because he had passed away in 1808. Hawthorne was raised strictly Puritan, his great-grandfather had even been one of the judges in the Puritan witchcraft trials during the 1600s. This and Hawthorne’s destitute upbringing advanced his understanding of human nature and distress felt by social, religious, and economic inequities. Hawthorne was a private individual who fancied solitude with family friends. He was also very devoted to his craft of writing. Hawthorne observed the decay of Puritanism with opposition; believing that is was a man’s responsibility to pursue the highest truth and possessed a strong moral sense. These aspects of Hawthorne’s philosophy are what drove him to write about and even become a part of an experiment in social reform, in a utopian colony at Brook Farm. He believed that the Puritans’ obsession with original sin and their ironhandedness undermined instead of reinforced virtue. As a technician, Hawthorne’s style in literature was abundantly allegorical, using the characters and plot to acquire a connection and to show a moral lesson. His definition of romanticism was writing to show truths, which need not relate to history or reality. Human frailty and sorrow were the romantic topics, which Hawthorne focused on most, using them to finesse his characters and setting to exalt good and illustrate the horrors of immorality. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s experiences as a man, incite as a philosopher and skill as a technician can be seen when reading The Scarlet Letter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The man, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s religious background, seclusion from society, and devotion to his craft can be related to his novel The Scarlet Letter. His religious upbringing as a Puritan is what gave him the knowledge to write about Boston’s Puritan society in his novel. Hawthorne’s great-grandfather, who one of the judges at the Puritan witchcraft trials, was like the magistrates of The Scarlet Letter that attempted to make a society that would be a â€Å"Utopia of human virtue and happiness†. A further parallel found between Hawthorne’s life and the novel is the element of seclusion found in each. Hawthorne secluded himself from society with his few family members and close friends. In the same way Hester Prynne was secluded from society in her â€Å"little, lonesome dwelling† that â€Å"stood on the shore, looking across a basin of the sea at the forest-covered hills toward the west† out of the circle of the to wn.

An Ecological Theory Applied to Aging Essay

Ecological theories of human development consider the complex interactions between humans and their changing social and physical environments. Every member of society experiences these interactions in a different manner, depending on factors such as the amount of resources available to them or the interconnectedness of their support system at birth. As people age and as the macrosystem itself changes in response to events, people within the system shift to occupy different positions in society. People’s psychological reactions to their evolving statuses reflect the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of experiences. At each juncture within people’s lives, their statuses are subject to norms and rules belonging to society. Understood from the vantage of Bronfenbrenner’s ecolological systems approach, initial transactions in a person’s life are the result of direct interrelationships between the infant and members of the microsystem (church, family, peers, school, neighborhood, play area, and health services). Microsystems, in turn, are shaped by a host of higher-up systems, which are also acting on each other at the same time. When the children in Bronfenbrenner’s model mature into adulthood, they are likely to occupy new roles within the macrosystem. These acquired roles may be transient because familial roles, career placement, financial status and other factors may vary throughout people’s lifetimes. Age, however, is one factor that invariably affects people’s lives, and society – to a large part – determines the extent of that effect. Deep-rooted in the mentality of members of a system are beliefs about which members are suited to which roles. If a society assigns a value to the knowledge gained through a lifetime of experience, then people in late adulthood and beyond will perceive themselves as vital. Alternatively, if a society chooses not to recognize that elders have an important contribution to make in society, then the elders of that society may internalize those beliefs and feel valueless. In the United States, common stereotypes of the elderly are that they are poorly able to meet the physical and mental demands of performing routine tasks. However, as medical science improves, people are living into their  hundreds and remaining active. In addition, various forms of martial arts are practiced to enhance balance, coordination, and flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, body, and elevates mood levels. Because of a heightened awareness of the positive effects of keeping a healthy diet and exercising regularly, in many cases, people can continue to function physically and mentally at high levels. An ecological theory of human development would recognize recent changes, such as increased longevity and improved functionality, as the catalyst for the development of new late adulthood roles and altered definitions of late adulthood. Cognitive development throughout the lifespan, or fluid intelligence, is valued above accumulated stores of intelligence, or crystallized intelligence, in some ecological systems. In a system that seeks ways of applying the wisdom of age, mentors and apprentices benefit from the transference of knowledge and perspective. In agriculture-based communities, where apprenticeships are integral to the continuity of life, members view hastiness and rapid decision-making as immature qualities; whereas, forethought and the ability to absorb the totality of a situation are the attributes of old age. In certain Black African societies, elders in the community are regarded as founts of knowledge. In traditional Latin societies, it is believed that older members of society possess inner-strength and can pass that quality along to younger generations. Individuals in these societies depend on their elderly and base many of their personal, social, and job-related decisions on the utterances of elder s in the community. In technology-based societies, crystallized intelligence is undervalued because adaptation is seen as more important to the sustenance of economic development. Those who fall behind in terms of technological instrumentality and rapid response rate are perceived as slow instead of as thoughtful. Furthermore, the uniform sentence order and grammar of English restricts the range of expression available to many elderly people. In a macrosystem in which speed and the delivery are prized more than the content of the message, senior citizens and their contributions are marginalized. The effect is that society’s message to seniors – that they are slow and  ineffectual – becomes an internalized belief of everyone in society. In many other cultures, such as Arab ones, the treatment of aged people in society seems to be the reverse of how older people are treated in the U.S. In these countries, the religion and culture serve as the rational basis for assigning seniors authority in deciding on household matters. It is expected in traditional societies that the young provide care for and honor their aging family members. In societies with Confucian based ideologies, such as Korea, the hierarchy of respect is based on age, with the eldest members of society receiving the most esteem. The exosystem in these societies is tipped in the direction of considering the importance of elders and their influence. All microsystems, mesosystems, and individuals tap into this human resource because the macrosystems endorse the idea that the elderly in society are indispensable. Microsystems in many countries are successful at integrating the services that seniors provide into the caregiving structure. In many Asian and African societies, grandparents live in the same house as parents and children. Whereas the commonly held belief in the U.S. is that grandparents’ excessive indulging of their grandchildren may negatively affect children’s personalities and achievement in school, it has been found that in China educated grandparents have a positive effect on their grandchildren’s academic performance. In the U.S., grandparents may play an important role in parenting children in single-parent headed homes. Additionally, parents look forward to becoming grandparents, and a study conducted by Brubaker showed that 80% of grandparents were happy with their grandparenting roles. Just as these eager parents delight in assuming new roles as grandparents in life, so are there many things to look forward to as one approaches late adulthood. Dependi ng on the macrosystem one is part of aging can be perceived as a positive or negative prospect. The extent to which a macrosystem views the importance and necessity of caring for aged ones can dictate the quality of life for seniors, particularly for those who are afflicted by poor physical health or forms dementia brought on and exacerbated by old age. In the US, middle-aged  adults find themselves â€Å"sandwiched† between caring for their children and their parents. The financial and emotional burden put on these middle-aged adults further begs a solution to the need for a better system of caring for the elderly. The issues seem especially pressing in industrialized nations, where traditional ideas about caring for older family members are either nonexistent or eroding. In China, a nation in the midst of industrialization, as rural-to-urban shift increases, parents and grandparents are being left behind. In Latin cultures, filial bonds and intergenerational teaching are perpetuated by a macrosystem that espouses religious belief and traditional norms. In countries trying to balance industrialization and tradition, managing care for aging populations presents a problem, especially in countries such as Italy and Japan, where the declining birthrate presents a challenge for this generation of youths An individual’s microsystem system shapes the pattern of interactions to follow for the rest of that person’s life, Shifts in familial status, shifts in occupational status, issues related specifically to aging, external events, and the set of values and beliefs embodied by the macrosystem all contribute to the quality of people’s perceived well being. Senior citizens’ well-being is often related to the quality of their interactions within their microsystems. Depending on the structure of the macrosystem and sometimes on the individual’s accessibility to resources, social support systems may consist of children and grandchildren of the individual, other elderly members of the community, or community members of all ages who seek the guidance of elders. Ecological systems theories provide a framework for identifying the elements of the system and within the individual that account for reasons why individuals behave and think the way they do. Shortcomings in the systems, such as with the treatment of elders, are apparent when macrosystems are compared side by side. This society’s values and beliefs will have to accommodate more positive associations with old age before the majority of elders can enjoy meaningful, productive, and satisfying lives.

Questionnaire on fashion brands Essay

Factors Affecting Consumer Preference of International Brands over Local Brands Zeenat Ismail1âˆâ€", Sarah Masood2 and Zainab Mehmood Tawab2 1 Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration – Karachi 2 Students of Institute of Business Administration – Karachi Abstract: This study was conducted in order to determine the consumer preferences of global brands instead of local ones. It is also designed to find out the buying behavior patterns of young Pakistani consumers Consumer evaluates products based on information cues, which are intrinsic and extrinsic. A number of factors affect the consumer purchase decisions. The results suggest that most important factors that influence a consumer’s final decision are the price and quality of the product in question. Since the consumers usually associate the price of the brand with its quality, a brand priced too low is generally perceived as a low quality product. Similarly, a product priced too high may not be affordable by many. Other factors that have an impact on the consumer preferences are: consumer ethnocentrism, country of origin, social status, price relativity with the competing brands and family and friends. The research was conducted in Karachi and the samples selected included 200 people of age 16-24. The data collected for the research was through a questionnaire and was conducted in two popular shopping malls of the city and two universities since the target audience was largely the youth. Calculations were then analyzed and interpreted using a percentage of respondents and through frequency distribution tables and charts. Keywords: Consumer preference, International brands, Local brands 1. Introduction Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon that is leading the entire world towards becoming one market, a global village. Not only has the process of globalization aided immensely in the exchange of goods and services, information and knowledge through the reductions in international barriers, but it has also led the world into becoming a real single universal community comprising of people from different cultures, thus resulting in the shrinkage of the world. With the world becoming a single market, globalization has had a major contribution in enabling the organizations worldwide to step out of the restricted domestic markets and to set up their operations across the globe with confidence. This has largely led to a decline in the importance in national borders and a greater emphasis on what the consumers actually demand; be the consumers located in the very country in which the organization exists or an entirely different part of the world. Moreover, with the rapid increase in global competition, companies that strictly adhere to and cater to the needs of the local markets are finding themselves at a disadvantage and gradually loosing the competitive advantage that they so much strived to achieve. However, for some products and services â€Å"the tastes and preferences of consumers in different nations are beginning to converge on some global norm† (Holt 2002). From a consumer perspective, however, reactions to the prevalence of global brands seem to vary among the different customers. On the one hand, consumers seem to value and admire global brands and regard such brands as a status symbol. On the other hand, global brands are often criticized for threatening the local differences and imposing the western cultures on our society, leading to a loss of cultural identity. 2. Purpose of the study: âˆâ€" Email: zismail@iba.edu.pk Tel #:+92(333) 3775545 Fax #:+92(21) 38103008 54 This study is aimed at determining consumer preference of the youth of international brands instead of national or local brands in Pakistan. There are various factors which influence consumer purchase decision. Such as  Country of origin, price of the brand fashion, family and friends, brand name, availability, advertising campaigns, consumers’ ethnocentrism etc. The study is also designed to find out the buying behaviour patterns of the young Pakistani consumers, attitudes towards global and local brands and the preference for foreign brands. 3. Literature review Brands have been constantly reviewed and redefined in the marketing literature and there are numerous definitions for ‘brand’. A definition of a brand by The American Marketing Association (AMA) in the 1960s (Keller, 1998:2) is â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiate them from those of competitors.† For consumers, when deciding between brands which are in the marketplace will include brands as an element to determine the qualities of the product rather than employing their time to enhance their knowledge of the product in information searching activities. Therefore, consumers use brands as cues to make decisions to purchase or try products (Ger et al., 1993). 4. Quality Perceived quality is defined as the consumers’ judgment about an entity’s (service’s) overall excellence or superiority (Zeithaml, 1988 and Rowley, 1998). Research also indicates that consumers value global brands especially for their assumed high quality and prestigious image (e.g., Nguyen, Barrett and Miller 2005; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). An internationally well-established brand name can act as a â€Å"halo† constructs that effects quality beliefs (Han 1989). If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to the brand, since such quality is thought of as a prerequisite for international acceptance. 5. Country of origin The country of origin effect has been defined as â€Å"the positive and negative influence that a product’s country of manufacture may have on consumers’ decision making processes or subsequent behavior (Elliott and Cameron, 1994). 1991). Infact in the words of Nagashima (1970), COE can be defined as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the picture, the reputation, and the stereotype that businessmen and consumers attach to products or brands of a specific country. This image is created by such variables as representative products, national characteristics, economic and political background, history, and traditions†. The literature on country-of-origin effects is quite rich and covers the topic from different perspectives in different countries. Some studies have shown that country of origin also has symbolic and emotional meaning to consumes, and it plays an important role along with other attributes such as quality and reliability in shaping consumers attitudes toward products. Moreover, attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward brands and products will depend on categories, for instance, electronic goods from Italy may be perceived as a poor quality but Italian clothing would be perceive as fashionable and high quality (Bikey and Nes, 1982). This would be differently perceived with Japanese brands as Japanese electronic goods would be perceive with positive attitudes and Japanese clothing will be negatively perceived. 6. Price Researchers found out that once consumers perceive a price difference between local-owned and foreignowned brands, price dissimilarities begin to affect their preference for local-owned brands. Therefore, since price is also one of the most important extrinsic cues that consumers use when evaluating the product/brand (Hansen, 2005), we test the impact of price against consumer’s ethnocentric tendencies to determine at what point consumers are willing to forsake preference for local products for a greater price discount with foreignowned products. 7. Social status 55 Authors have stressed that consumers may prefer global brands because of associations of higher prestige (Schuiling & Kapferer, 2004; Shocker, Srivastava, & Rueckert, 1994; Steenkamp, et. al., 2003). Global brands may have a higher prestige than local brands due to their relative scarcity and higher price. Furthermore, global brands may also stand for cosmopolitanism. Some consumers prefer global brands because they enhance their selfimage as being cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and modern. Conversely, according to Ger (1999), local brands tend to be targeted and positioned based on a deep cultural understanding and therefore create â€Å"a sustainable unique value and offer the symbolism of authenticity and prestige†. Still, consumers have been found to have no intrinsic preference for global brands (De Mooij, 1998). 8. Friends and family Reference groups include groups or people whom one can look up for guidance and ask for opinion. These are important source of influencing the brand purchases. Reference group include friends and family who influence ones buying decisions due to special skills, knowledge, personality. If a friend had a bad experience with a product, it is more likely that one will refrain from buying it. However many studies found out that, knowledge that consumers obtain through direct personal experience will be perceived to be more trustworthy than information from other communications. This results in more strongly held beliefs (Swaminathan et al., 2001). 9. Research Questions The reasons for consumer preference of global brands over the local ones. The product attributes that are mostly considered by consumers when buying a brand. The demographic characteristic of consumers who buy foreign brands more frequently. 10. Research methodology This study is a descriptive study and more of a qualitative nature and was conducted to identify and analyze the reasons why consumers prefer international brands to national brands when purchasing consumer goods. The sample for this research included the 200 consumers whose ages ranged from 16-24 years from Karachi. Simple random sampling was used for this study. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The questionnaire included closed ended questions and Likert scale is used in most of the questions. These questionnaires were distributed to collect data from the students of  Institute of Business Administration itself as well as the students of Institute of Business Management. Apart from this, we also visited Park Towers shopping mall and The Forum, the two leading shopping malls in Karachi, with the aim of collecting data for our research from the shoppers there. 50 questionnaires were distributed to each of the universities and shopping malls in equal proportion to males and females. We mainly classified our population according to gender. Frequency distribution and bar charts have been used to evaluate the results. In addition to this, the means of different factors that influence consumers’ preferences of the local and global brands were used to determine which factors are considered the most by consumers when purchasing different brands. 11. Findings and Discussion 11.1. Question 1: Do you use international brands products? 56 According to the data collected, 72.5% of the people used international brands of which 60 were male and 85 were females. 18.5% of the people questioned claimed to use international brands occasionally, whereas, 9.1% of the people claimed not to use global brands at all. As indicated in the pie charts above,18.5% of the people who used the global brands sometimes included 28 males and 9 females, and those who did not use the global brands consisted of 12 males and 6 females. 11.2. Question 2 If an international brand and a national brand are priced same, would you prefer the international brand? The purpose of this question was to evaluate and discover how important a factor such as price is in determining whether the consumers would go for the domestic brand or stick to the global one if both the products were in  the same price range. The results found out that 76% of the consumers would go for the international brands whereas 24% would still purchase the domestic ones. 11.3. Question 3 Do you consider where a product is manufactured when purchasing it? F r e q u e n c y d i s Responses This question was asked to discover how much importance the youth lay on the country of origin as a factor when making a purchase. The results revealed far different results compared to what had been stated by the review of previous researches done. As indicated in the graph, the youth was found to be mailnly ignorant of the country in which the brand was manufactured. Majority of the consumers (76% males and 88% females) did not consider it as significant a factor as to affect his or her purchase decision. 11.4. Question 4 It is said that people buy international products so that they can be accepted in a particular social group. Do you agree? 57 The results to these two questions confirmed the general perception that exists in our society, that is, the global are purchased as a status symbol. The youth mainly bought foreign branded products to be able to fit in a particular social group. This occurs largely because peer pressure tends to be high at this age, and most of the people find themselves being victims of inferiority complexes. The results to the first of these questions indicated that on average 75% of the youth (71 males and 79 females) purchased the international and local brands as a status symbol. These results were further enhanced by the results to the next question, which showed that 72% of the males and 68% of the females did, infact, believe that the people purchased the international brands to be able to fit in a particular social group. The table above compares the means of the different factors in influencing consumer preferences of the global brands over the local ones. The means, expressed in percentages, indicates that amongst all the factors, the quality of the branded product was considered the most important factor in shaping the consumers’ purchase decision. The current trends and fashion were found to be just as important, but the price of the product was not found to be more important than the prevailing fashion and styles. The reason why 85% of the people decide to buy a particular brand was mainly because it was reflective of the ongoing fashion and there were only 5% people on average, who did not give importance to the ongoing fashion when purchasing a product. The results revealed that price was rated as the third most important factor in influencing consumer choice, whereas the quality of the product was considered the most significant, followed by the current trends and fashion. Mean number of people ( in percentages) Yes Sometimes 76% 16.5% Price of the product 4.5% 13.5% Country of origin 87.5% 7.5% Quality of the product 75% 15.5% Status symbol 85% 10% Current fashion and trends 64.5% 17.55% Family and friends 60% 20.5% Ethnocentrism No 7.5% 82% 5% 9.5% 5% 18% 19.5% Country of origin, as a factor in influencing consumers’ choice of the brand was hardly a significant factor, since 82% of the people, on, average claimed that they did not consider which country a product is manufactured in when making purchase decisions. Only 4.5% people, on average, claimed that they do consider the country of origin when purchasing a brand. The ethnocentrism factor was considered by 60% of the people questioned. This indicates that most of the people believed that as a Pakistani we should buy our local brands rather than giving preference to the global brands, however, this was what they believed to be the ideal scenario. In practice, our people, especially the females were found to be extremely prone to the global brands. According to our findings, 78% of the females were not willing to even substitute the global brand with a domestic if the foreign  brand is not available. The males, however, were not found to be that prone to the foreign brand. The results also show that status symbol is also perceived to be a major factor in shaping consumer purchase decisions. The above table reveals that 75% of the people linked the branded product with their social status when actually purchasing it. The table provides a summary and ratings of the factors influencing consumer preferences of the national or international brand. 12. References 58 [1] Balabanis, G., Diamantopoulos, A., Mueller, R. and Melewar, T.C. (2001), â€Å"The impact of Nationalism, patriotism and internationalism on consumer ethnocentric tendencies†, Journal of International Business Studies, Volume 32, pp. 157-75. [2] Batra, R., Ramaswamy, V., Alden, D.L., Steenkamp, J.-B.E.M., Ramachander, S., 2000. Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes in Developing Countries. Journal of Consumer Psychology 9 (2), 8395. [3] Bilkey, W.J. and Nes, E. (1982), â€Å"Country-of-origin effects on product evaluations†, Journal of International Business Studies, Volume 13, pp. 89-99. [4] Crawford, J. and Lamb, C. (1981), â€Å"Source preferences for imported products†, Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, Volume 17, Winter, pp. 28-33. [5] De Mooij, M. (2004). Consumer behavior and culture. Thousand Oaks: Sage. [6] Elliott, G.R. and Camoron, R.C. (1994), â€Å"Consumer perception of product quality and the country of origin effect†, Journal of International Marketing, Volume 2(2), pp. 49-62. [7] Han, C. M., 1989. Country Image: Country Image: Halo or Summary Construct? Journal of Marketing Research, 26(May), 222-229. [8] Hansen, T., 2005. Perspectives on consumer decision making: An integrated approach. Journal of Consumer Behaviour 4 (6), 420-437 [9] Heslop, L.A. and Papadopoulos, N. (1993), â€Å"‘But who knows where or when’: reflections on the images of countries and their products†, in Papadopoulos, L.A. and Heslop, N. (Eds), Product-Country Images: Impact and Role in International Marketing, International Business Press, New York, NY, pp. 39-75. [10] Heslop, L.A., Papadopolous, N. and Bourk, M. (1998), â€Å"An interregional and intercultural perspective on subcultural differences in product evaluations†, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Volume 15(2), pp. 113-127. [11] Keller, K., (1998), â€Å"Strategic Brand Management†, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. [12] Kinra, N. (2006), â€Å"The effect of country-of-origin on foreign brand names in the Indian market†, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Volume 24 (1), pp.15-30. [13] Lantz, G. and Loeb, S. (1996), â€Å"Country of origin and ethnocentrism: an analysis of Canadian and American preferences using social identity theory†, Advances in Consumer Research, Volume. 23, pp. 374-8. [14] Mazumdar, T., Papatla, P., 2000. An Investigation of Reference Price Segments. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) 37 (2), 246-258. [15] Nagashima, A. (1970), â€Å"A Comparison of Japanese and U.S. Attitudes Towards Foreign Products†, Journal of Marketing, Volume 34, January, pp. 68-74. [16] Netemeyer, R.G., Durvasula, S. and Lichtenstein, D.R. (1991), â€Å"A cross-national assessment of the reliability and validity of the CETSCALE†, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume 28, pp. 320-7. [17] Nguyen, T., Barrett, N., Miller, K., 2005. Perceived Brand Globalness: Antecedents and Out-come – The Case of Vietnamese Consumers. Proceedings of the 34th EMAC Conference, 24-27 Mai 2005, Università   Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan, Italy. [18] Shocker, A. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Ruekert, R. W. (1994): Challenges and opportunities facing brand management: an introduction to the special  issue. J. Marketing Res., 31(2), pp. 149-158. [19] Steenkamp, J-B., Batra, R., & Alden, D. L. (2003): How perceived brand globalness creates brand value. J. Int. Bus. Stud., 34, pp. 53-65. [20] Summer, W.G. (1906), Folkways: The Sociological Importance of usages, Manners, Customs, Mores and Morals. New York: Ginn & Co. [21] Wang, C.K. and Lamb, C.W. (1983), â€Å"The impact of selected environmental forces on consumers willingness to buy foreign products†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Volume 11(2), pp. 71-84. http://amcy5.com/projects/marketing/amcy20.htm

The Connection Between Gun Control Legislation and Gun Crime

The Connection Between Gun Control Legislation and Gun Crime In the aftermath of the June 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, a debate has again turned to whether gun control legislation actually works to reduce gun-related violence. Over the years studies have produced mixed results, which fuels the debate, providing science-based arguments on both sides. However, researchers at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health have now settled the debate by conducting a massive international review of studies published all the way back to 1950. They found that gun control laws are in fact associated with lower rates of gun-related violence in most countries. About the Study The study, titled  What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries? was published in  Epidemiologic Reviews  in February 2016. Lead by Dr. Julian Santaella-Tenorio, a team of researchers examined the findings from 130 studies from 10 countries published between 1950 and 2014. The studies reviewed were all conducted to examine the connection  between gun laws and gun-related homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries and deaths. The laws in question covered a range of issues related to citizen access to guns. They included laws that govern the use of guns, like the right to carry and stand your ground laws; the sale of guns, including background checks and waiting periods; ownership restrictions, like bans on purchasing for persons with a felony record or documented mental condition; storage-related laws designed to prevent child access in the home; and laws that regulate access to certain guns like automatic and semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. The studies reviewed included numerous other laws within these categories, ​which are listed in full in the report. The Convincing and Consistent Evidence While the researchers did find some conflicting findings within their review, they found enough convincing and consistent evidence across various locations to conclude that laws that restrict access to and govern the use of guns are  associated with reductions in gun-related deaths, lower rates of intimate partner homicide, and reductions in unintentional gun-related deaths of children. The researchers, however, emphasize that their findings from the review of these 130 studies do not prove causality between gun control legislation and reduced rates of gun violence. Rather, the findings point to an association or correlation between the two variables. Santaella-Tenorio summed this up for Columbia Universitys online news outlet, saying,  In most countries, we saw evidence of the reduction in the firearm death rates after the enactment of firearm legislation.† A Look at Other Nations   Honing in on specifics, the study found  laws that target multiple aspects of gun control reduced gun-related deaths in some countries. They highlight the well-known clear evidence from Australia that followed the passage of the countrys 1996 National Firearm Agreement. Studies that have examined rates of gun violence following the passage of this legislative package found that it led to a decline in gun-related deaths, gun-related suicides, and mass shootings. The researchers point out that similar studies found similar results in other nations. Studies of Targeted Laws   Focusing on studies of more targeted laws, the researchers found that in some cases, restrictions on purchasing, access, and use of guns are associated with reduced gun-related deaths. Studies from the U.S. show that when background checks include restraining orders, fewer women are killed by current or former romantic partners through the use of guns. Further, some studies from the U.S. show that laws that require background checks to include local mental health facility records are associated with fewer gun-related suicides. Studies of Legislation in Place The review also found that studies that focused on legislation that relaxes gun laws, like stand your ground and right to carry laws, and the repeal of existing laws leads  to an increase in gun-related homicides. So, contrary to the belief of the NRA and many others in the U.S., the right to carry laws do not reduce gun violence. Theres never been more compelling evidence that legislative control of our access to and use of guns is a benefit to society.

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Sample Of Childrens Imaginative Children And Young People Essay

Sample Of Childrens Imaginative Children And Young People Essay This paper will focus on an observation which demonstrates a childrens use of imagination and pretence. This sample of play displays evidence of Harry, Jenny, Katie and Lucys use of pretence, role play and symbolic play, of which the main focus of this commentary will be role play and symbolic play. Children are able to detach themselves from reality during pretend play and at the same time get closer to reality (Wood Attfield, 2005). They create roles, use symbols, and redefine objects, shared meanings, transferring real world knowledge skills and understanding from areas of their lives. In pretend fantasy play children become whatever they choose to be in this case mum, dad and child. According to Corsaro (2003) children often become roles that exist in society and through the childrens shared knowledge of the adult world they are able to transform themselves. Harry, Jenny, Katie and Lucy are able to transform themselves in to roles of parents and child due to the knowledge they have gained through their own experience (9, 12). These children are able to draw upon their existing knowledge of their parents behaviour and actions which Piaget (1962) would refer to as schema (building blocks of knowledge). According to Corsaro (2003) dramatic role-play assists childrens social and emotional development and he states that many have seen role play as an imitation of adults. Corsaro continues to expresses that children do not just imitate adults in their play they take on the power and control of an adult through imaginative play. This can then be used in the future when t hey will be in charge of themselves and others. Harry and Jenny display this when stepping into the role of parents they experiment and imagine what it feels like to have power as a parent. A very significant theme throughout this observation is symbolic play and is seen frequently firstly when the children use play dough to represent cakes (3, 5, 7, 13, 14,), a box to represent an oven (6, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25) and later when Harry uses a building block as a telephone (30). According to Garvey (1990) objects operate and link the child with their environment and as a child matures their use of objects in pretence become more appropriate. Objects become more realistic and understandable to adults. Referring back to Garvey this is when play scenarios becomes more comprehensive. These children all transform objects to take new form to serve as a purpose to continue the play and it is very obvious to the adult eye what these objects represent when the play theme is known or observed. These children (with the exception of one who generally copied her peers) have learnt to make-believe and are using less realistic objects, they become more inventive and more imagina tive, skilled pretenders where they have transformed a cardboard box into an oven (Garvey, 1990). Harry speaks to an imaginary person on his imaginary telephone pausing allowing time for a response this was very realistic, he developed the theme of having to go to work after ending the telephone conversation. According to Garvey (1990) children use roles and identities not just to the participants but also to imaginary ones and objects are changed and invented as they are needed and in order to engaged in make believe. Singer Singer (2007) express that symbolic play enables children to have a clear sense of what is real and what is not real or fantasy. Jenny had the ability to switch between reality and pretence when using the phrase Lets pretend. Jenny initiates the play theme to Lucy and Katie. (1). It is obvious that Jenny has made cakes with her mother on many occasions (7) referring to Bruce (2011) Jenny is using her imagination in a play situation and rearranging past experience in new ways. It appears that Lucy seems to be confused by her suggestion by voicing her concerns how (2). Jenny demonstrates to Lucy what she wants her to do by cutting the play dough into moon shapes (5). Lucy is now able to visualise that the play dough will now change form and become cakes even though they are not actually real cakes. Vygotksy (1978: 86) states that when peers interact they can support less component peers in developing skills this is known as the Zone of Proximal Development (1978: 86). In this case Lucy is in the zone of proximal development and through peer support she can now successfully understand that the play dough is going to represent a cake. Jenny as a more knowledgeable peer in terms of being older has more experie nce, so she was able to support and instruct Lucy. They are in the play room they have no ingredients, no oven and no obvious cooking utensils. There were no realistic objects for Lucy to use to make cakes. Lucys maturity level is not as advanced as the others and she finds herself in new situations which contradict her existing schemas, the existing schema must be accommodated in order for the new information to fit, fantasy play can help children make sense and test these ideas through assimilation (Piaget, 1962 Kitson, 2005). Lucy being the youngest participant Fenson, Kearsley and Zelazo (1976 cited in Smith, 2010) state that younger children depend on more realistic objects during pretend play Lucy has not yet reached the stage they refer to as decontextualization where children have the ability to use less realistic substitute objects. This observation has highlighted the importance of pretend/fantasy play for children to be able to express themselves as well as enjoy this valuable time. Observations of this type of play provides valuable insights in to childrens social worlds, however within a pre-school setting this type of free play could be very difficult due to observe due to the amount of children within a pre-school class. In this type of small setting (in a child minders home) this task is easier to carry out and can provide important information about a childs likes/dislikes, what makes them happy/sad and possible anxieties they may have but most importantly where they are developmentally. Freud (1961 cited in Moyles, 2005) states that children display their inner selves through fantasy play. What I observed on this particular occasion was the children were left to their own devices without much supervision or interaction from their child minder. I can only assume this was due to my presence. The question is does adult intervention enhance childrens development? Hutt et al (1989) agree that adult interventions or participation is essential when attempting to improve cognitive development. Smith and Syddall (1978, cited in Hutt et al, 1989: 171) continue to suggest that daily adult interactions in childrens play particular pre-school children can change their performance on tests of cognitive ability. In the case of Lucy struggling to fit in to the play theme at the beginning due to a lack of understanding could have been an opportunity for her child minder to get involved with the play and support her through this (although Jenny did step in to help and the play continued) having an adult take part in these types of social-role play situations could according to Moyles H eathcote (1989, 1984, cited in Kitson, 2005) can stimulate and deepen a childs play experiences and adults can then create learning areas to suit a childs needs. Also referring to Tina Bruce (1997) children are able to benefit when directed than if left to ordinary development. To further support the idea that adult direction supports childrens development, Kitson (cited in Moyles 2005) states effective adult interventions can assist children create new forms of play themes, dilemmas and support children in extending their learning this can be done by not telling children what to do but offering them alternatives to explore. However Brostrom (1997) thinks that play should be free from force of an adult and this can stop child from playing. So rather than forcing play they should observe it more, create more stimulating activities to support it whilst providing materials to initiate more creative play to support childrens learning. Other things to consider are adults involving themselves more with childrens play without dominating the play but sensitively entering childrens worlds and respect the dynamics or the play themes. As the childrens play was ended suddenly Singer and Singer (2007) importantly state that children need time, space and simple materials to engage in pretend play Bib S.J, Hutt, Tyler, C. Hutt Christopherson (1989) Play, Exploration and Learning Smith, Peter, K (date) Children and Play: Understanding Childrens Worlds Bergen, D, (2002) The Role of Pretend Play in Childrens Cognitive Development Volume 4 Number 1 Moyles, J (2005) the excellence of Play 2nd ed chapter 8 Fantasy Play and the case for adult intervention by Neil Kitson Open uni press Berkshire Vygotsky, L. S. (1978).  Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Tina Bruce (2011) Learning through Play 2nd ed London Hodder Tina Bruce (1997) Helping young children to play