Rape and sexual assault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rape and sexual assault - Essay Example In this paper I would like to examine what is actually meant by sexual assault. I will then study the statistics and finally the law that covers the sexual assault. The CCR website (1997) defines sexual assault as a physical or verbal act that threatens a person’s trust and safety and is sexual in nature. In a sexual assault the victims, either a girl or a boy, indulge into a sexual activity either forcefully or through deceit. Teenagers are more vulnerable to this act. This is the reason for which a number of cases related to adolescent molestation by a relative or a date make the headlines in the newspapers. Sexual assault often leads to other problems in teenagers as well which may include delinquent behavior, school problems, refusal to accept the authority and eating problems. Sexual assault by an acquaintance is the most common category of the assault. The acquaintance may be a close friend, a date, employer, colleague or a relative. In this category it is always the male who perpetrates the female. It is always the perpetrator, who is responsible for the act regardless of the fact what the victim was wearing or if she expressed her disapproval for the act or not. The CCR website (1997) puts 100% responsibility on the perpetrator. Rape is defined as an act of violence where sex is used as a weapon. In most of the cases the rapists fancy their own myths which they believe justify their act. Most of the rapists are of the view that if they spend money on a woman she becomes their rightful property. Others believe that women find it difficult to accept the offer for sex. Therefore they mean yes when they say no. Some others believe that women love to be aggressively pursued by the males (CCR website, 1997). The CA Code (n.d.) explains unlawful sexual intercourse as a sexual activity where the perpetrator indulges in sexual activity with a person other than the spouse and with a person less than eighteen years of

Macbet Act II Scene II Essay Example for Free

Macbet Act II Scene II Essay This scene was one of the most significant, as it the scene where Macbeth murders Duncan, but feels remorse and guilt afterwards. The murder is not shown so that it is left to the audiences imagination. Also, to signify that the murder has taken place, an owl shrieks. This was thought to be a sign of a bad omen, and it suggests that it is upsetting the natural balance of things (at that time people believed that everything had a natural order and to change this would change other things), as even the natural world knows that Duncan has been murdered. Shakespeare creates tension by setting the scene at night so that when Macbeth returned, Lady Macbeth did not know who it was at first and for a moment she thinks that Macbeth had not succeeded in killing Duncan and the attendants had woken up, and she says; thattempt and not the deed confounds us meaning that if Macbeth only tried to murder Duncan and did not succeed then they would be ruined. Macbeths character so far is shown as noble and loyal, as in act 1 scene 2 Macbeth is talked about as being; A good and hardy soldier (line 4). In reward for his greatness, Duncan awards Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor (as the witches predicted). Macbeth does have some ambition, because when the witches tell him he is going to be king, he wants to speak more to Banquo about it. However, in his letter to Lady Macbeth, he says; Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it meaning that he would like to be king but not attain it by bad deeds. Lady Macbeths thoughts are that she wants Duncan to be killed. She calls on evil spirits to give her the strength to do it; Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to toe topfull of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, stop thaccess and passage to remorse (Act 1 scene 5, lines 39-43) which means evil spirits- make me as strong willed as a man and fill me with cruelty, and make me have no remorse. The setting of act 2 scene 2 is Macbeths castle. This is shown as quit an eerie setting, as you can hear noises from the outside, and it very dark. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are on stage. In lines 1-8, Lady Macbeth is feeling bold, from line 1; That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold. She comments on how she had drugged the attendants, and she says in lines 7-8; That death and nature do contend about them, whether they live, or die. This shows that she is not really concerned whether they live or die. However, in line 9 she begins to worry that they have been caught, and also says; Had he [Duncan] not resembled my father as he slept, I had donet, showing that she is not completely evil, as she could not murder Duncan as he resembled her father. At the end of the scene she becomes strong, as she takes the daggers from Macbeth (as he brought them back) and goes and puts them back. Macbeths mood is that of distress and remorse. This is shown by the fact that he accidentally brings back the daggers when he was supposed to place the by the attendants. This creates dramatic tension, as this would incriminate Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At he end of the scene, Macbeth feels he cant live with himself, and says in line 76; To know my deed, twere best not know my self meaning that if he is to acknowledge what he has done, he must assume a new identity, as a murderer, and forget who he really is. Dialogue on and off the stage is that of death. Lady Macbeth tries to reassure Macbeth that he has he has done the right thing, as he is very disturbed about what he has done. The dialogue also shows how the outside and natural world is reacting to what has been done; the owl hooting, the crickets crying, the knocking and also when someone laughed in their sleep and one cried Murder! (Line 25) The effect of these noises reflects the beliefs of that time that to change the natural order of things (how things naturally turn out) is to affect everything. It creates tension by suggesting that the outside world will find out and Macbeth will be punished. The audiences response is that they feel that something supernatural is happening, due to the noises, and to the images Macbeth sees and sounds he hears, like the voice he hears (lines 44-46) saying he will sleep no more. When Macbeth first appears on the scene, his first words are (line 14); I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise? The words I have done the deed suggest that he cannot bring himself to admit what he has done. The words didst thou not hear a noise? suggest that he expected to be caught, and that someone would have heard and come after him. His conversation with Lady Macbeth is that he is in some way shocked about what has happened. He says what he heard, and in lines 38-39, and 33-34, Lady Macbeth talks to him but he doesnt hear her as he is too deep in his own thoughts. Macbeth uses short, sharp sentences; like when?As I descended?Hark, who lies ithsecond chamber?This is a sorry sight (lines 17, 19, 21 and 23), because he is repeating what happened, and he is very distraught about what he has done. This effects the audience by creating tension, as Macbeth seems to have gone mad. In lines 29-36 Macbeth says how he could not pronounce Amen after someone cried God bless us. This shows that Macbeth does not feel he deserves Gods blessings, as he is too evil. In lines 38-46, Macbeth says that he heard a voice saying that he had murdered sleep. This shows his guilt that he will never be able to sleep again, and his remorse, as he shall never have peace from what he has done. Lady Macbeths reaction is to tell him not to keep thinking about these thoughts, and to reassure him. She is aware that they must put the daggers back, so at this point she has no guilt or remorse. When Macbeth comes back after murdering Duncan, he is carrying the daggers he used. This suggests to the audience that he is not in a proper frame of mind, and is still shocked by what he has done. It also suggests that he is not in control. Lady Macbeth had told him to leave them by the attendants to incriminate them. When he comes back, Lady Macbeth tells him to go and put them, back, but when he wont, she does it. This shows that she does not mind blaming innocent people. The audiences reaction is that she is very much in control, and knows what both of them must do. Macbeth will not go back because he says; Ill go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; look ont again, I dare not. This reveals his guilt because he can hardly comprehend that he has done something so awful. This also shows his conscience, as he says I dare not, showing he does not know what his reaction would be, so knows he is not in control of himself. When Macbeth returns, his hands are red with Duncans blood. Once Lady Macbeth puts the daggers back, her hands are also red. Macbeth says in lines 63-65; Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine. This means that he feels that all the seas in the world could not ash the blood off his hands, and that instead his hands would turn all the oceans red, and also that it will never wash off the blood stain on his conscience, so he feels that he will never be as innocent as he was before the murder. Lady Macbeth says in lines 67-68; My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white. The words my hands are of your colour mean that her hands are red, but also that she is now as guilty of the murder as Macbeth is. The words but I shame to wear a heart so white means that she is criticising her husband, by saying that she would not want to be so cold and heartless. The washing of the hands is significant later because Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and washes her hands in her sleep. Macbeths feelings are of extreme guilt and in line 62 he says; What hands are here? Ha: they pluck out mine eyes. This means that he wishes he did not have any eyes so he did not have to see the blood of the man he murdered. At the end of the scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hear knocking. Lady Macbeth does not show any guilt or conscience, as she is only concerned with them getting back to their rooms to not seem suspicious and to get rid of the blood on their hands. Macbeth says how he cannot carry on if he does not forget who he is as he has a bas conscience, and in line 77 he says; Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst. This shows that he wishes Duncan was still alive, so feels guilty about him being dead. The audiences reaction is that they feel slightly sorry for Macbeth, as he was pressured into the murder by Lady Macbeth and know has to live with his guilt. This scene is the turning point of the play, because it is the point of no return; after Duncan is murdered there is no way Macbeth can go back. It is also the start of Macbeths journey from good to evil. At this point his guilt is at its highest, and later he is a bloody tyrant. This is because Lady Macbeth reassures him that once this is done everything will be fine, so he kills because he feels he has to, but later he kills because he is angry (act 4 scene 2). Lady Macbeth also changes. In the beginning, she is in control and has no conscience, but in the end, she is so out of control and so guilty that she kills herself. Her change is also shown by her speech, as in act 2, scene 2, line 70, she says; a little water clears us of this deed, whereas in act 5, scene 1, lines 44-45, she says: all the perfumes in Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Also, she begins to sleepwalk and acts out washing her hands. Finally, in act 5, scene 9, lines 37-38, Malcolm says about Lady Macbeth; by self and violent hands took off her life. This has a double meaning for the audience, as it means Lady Macbeth killed herself, but it could also be interpreted and by her violence and her guilt (of her blood-stained hands) she killed her soul. The ending of act 2 scene 2 creates dramatic tension by ending with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both in different frames of mind; Lady Macbeth making sure they dont get caught and Macbeth lost in thought and guilty over what he has done.

Advantages And Limitations Of Topical Negative Pressure Therapy

Advantages And Limitations Of Topical Negative Pressure Therapy Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a new method used for improving wound healing. It influences granulation formation, bacterial colonization, and increasing wound blood flow. Although this method has been used explosively for wound healing, its influences are not cleared enough. So the main aim of this review article is to weight up the benefits and problems associated with this method. Method: An electronic search was done via Pubmed, Embase and ISI web of knowledge data from 1960 to 2010. The abstracts and titles of each paper were analysed and selected according to especial parameters. Result: The results of the relevant literature were characterized based on the benefits and problems associated with use of this method. Discussion: Direct comparison of NPWT with other available method is difficult. Although there are some research to support the effectiveness of using this new method on wound healing, more controlled clinical trials are needed to defiantly prove that the NPWT is less expensive and more effective wound care modality. A wound is defined as a break in the skin which is usually caused by cuts or scraps. The selection of the treatment methods depends upon the severity of the wounds (how serious they are). Healing is a response of the injury that sets into motion a sequence of events. There are classically four stages associated with wound healing which include: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling (Hart, 2002, Stephens and Thomas, 2002, OKane, 2002). Many factors can interact with one or more phases of wound healing process which can facilitate or decrease its rate, such as local and systematic factors. Local factors are those which directly influence characteristics of wound itself, while systematic factors consists of those which related to state of individuals and their abilities regarding wound healing. Some systematic factors include infection, age and sex hormones, stress, diabetic, obesity, medication, alcoholism, smoking and nutrition and using some treatment method such a s Topical wound healing (Guo and DiPietro, 2010, Ranzato, 2009, Urschel et al, 1988, Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Kirby, 2007). The effects of some factors such as oxygenation, infection, age, stress, medication, obesity, nutrition are well described in the literature and were investigated by many researchers(Guo and DiPietro, 2010, Shepherd et al, 2006, Lioupis, 2005). However, using some parameters such as topical negative pressure therapy (TNPT) is new method for wound healing (Miryam et al, 1999, Kirby, 2007). Pressure is one important parameter which can influence wound healing. In one side, it can decrease the speed of healing as produce skin ulcers in some patients suffering from stroke and spinal cord injury and those who need to be in bed for a long time. In other side, it can be used to facilitate the wound healing process, especially in chronic wound (Miryam et al, 1999, Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Evans and Land, 2001). In contrast to other available methods, this procedure is a little bit new so the main aim of this review article was to review the relevant literature regarding TNPT and its influ ences on wound healing. Moreover, it was aimed to show the positive and the side effects of using this method. Method: An electronic search was done via the Pubmed, Embase and ISI web of knowledge data from 1960 to 2010. The abstracts and titles of each individual study were assessed by author. A first selection of relevant literature article was done based on weather the title and abstract addressed the research question of interest. Figure 1 shows the stages which were selected in this review process. The second selection of the articles was done according to the following criteria: experiment practice published in English addressing using this method on wound healing Figure 1: The stages which were selected in this research study The results of the various research studies were characterized based on mechanism of action, the instrument used and the benefits and problems associated with the use of this method. Result: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is also known as Tropic Negative Pressure (TNP) used as a non pharmacological treatment for chronic and actuate wounds, such as pressure ulcers, diabetic wounds, abdominal and trauma wounds (Argenta and Morykwas, 1997, Evans and Land, 2001, Kirby, 2007, Miryam et al, 1999). What is NPWT? This method of treatment based on this idea to turn the open wound into a close one. Moreover, it is possible to remove the excess fluid from the wound. Although, this method has been used exclusively in UK since 1995, the idea behind this method is not new. For nearly more than 50 years suction drainage has been used. It has been reported that continues suction, negative pressure drainage serve as an excellent atmospheric bandage in subcutaneous surgical procedure and help to increase the speed of wound healing. The concept was based on mechanics of physics. The application of controlled subatomospheric pressure causes mechanical stress to the tissues. The new vessels are constructed with in the tissue and the wound is drawn closed. It should be noted that the degree of pressure to the wound tissue is small, but when all areas of the wound work togheter in an efford to close toward the centre point, the effects of negative pressure become impressive and results in quicker healing an d resolution. This system consists of non adherent, porous wound dressing (polyurethane foam or gauze dress) and a drainage system which are attached to each others by use of a transparent film. The foam is connected to a VAC vacuum pump through an evacuation tube. The suction guarantee a continues vacuum in the polyurethane foam producing a high contact zone in wound foam interface. It is required to change the foam every 2 days. The system is commercially available in UK since 1995 and has been used significantly for wound healing. Figure 2 shows various components of this system. Figure 2: The NPWT system used for improving wound healing ( adapted from (Miryam et al, 1999) with permission NPWT has three forms which differ based on the type of dress used, such as Bio Dome, gauze and foam. The polyurethane foam was used first by Morkey and Argenta in 1997. It has been reported that the foam can be easily cut according to the wound size, especially those which has a regular contour and used when better granulation formation and wound contraction is a desirable goals. However, gauze can be used for sensitive and irregular wounds. The type of selected foam is based on the type of wound as is mentioned in table 1. The foam is placed into the defect and the area is covered with adhesive drape. The suction generate a continues vacuum in the foam, producing a high contact zone in wound foam interface so a vacuum seal is achieved. It should be mentioned that the negative pressure applied on the wound is 125 mm HG below ambient that is transmitted to the wound in a controlled manner. The selected pressure in this system is based on especial guidelines as shown in table 2. Wound Description Poly- urethane (black foam) Polyvinyl- alcohol (soft foam) Both Either Deep, acute wounds with moderate granulation tissue growth X X Deep wounds with extremely rapid growth in granulation tissue Deep pressure ulcers X Superficial wounds X Postgraft therapy X Fresh grafts X Compromised flaps X Tunneling/sinus tracts/undermining X Diabetic ulcers X Dry wounds X X Deep trauma wounds X Superficial trauma wounds Table 1: The types of the foam used in NPWT system Wound Type Target Pressure Poly-urethane Target Pressure Polyvinyl- alcohol Acute/traumatic wound 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Surgical wound dehiscence 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Meshed graft 75-125 mm Hg 125 mm Hg Pressure ulcer 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Chronic ulcer (diabetic/arterial vascular) 50-75 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Fresh flap 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Compromised flap 125 mm Hg 125-175 mm Hg Table 2: The selected negative pressure used in NPWT based on the type of foam used Evidences regarding NPWT: There are some evidences regarding the positive effects of using NPWT on wound healing. The main advantages of this treatment method include: provision of moist wound healing environment removal of the fluids and infection material which help the wound to heal speedy assisted profusion decreased bacterial colonisation enhance formation of granulation tissue rapid cell division increased blood flow increased number of active fibroblasts and macrophages enhance epidermal cell formation decreased harmful chronic wound fluid reduced the number of dressing changes and decrease damage to underlined tissue provision of mechanical approximation of wound edges promotion of viscoelastic flow due to tissue stretch limitation of zone of injury after orthopaedic trauma splinting effect Indication and contraindication of using NPWT: The foot and drug administration (FDA) approved this method for treatment of non healing wounds. Then it has been extended to include chronic, acute, and traumatic and sub acute wounds, flaps and grafts. In the United State of America the following contraindications have been considered in this regard: wound with necrotic tissue untreated osteomyelities fistulas to organs or body cavities placement directly over exposed veins and arteries malignancy within wound What are the problems associated with NPWT: The following problems have been mentioned in the literature regarding NPWT: patients may experience discomfort or pain when the foam dressing is changed topical skin problem may arise during use overgrowth of geast or Candida infection skin stripping and sub epidermal granulation foam removal frequently results in trauma to wound in the form of minor capillary and granulation tissue disruption achieving and maintaining a vacuum seal can be difficult at times staff must be well trained and educated Discussion: There are over 325 publications on NPWT wound healing method, including 15 randomized clinical trials. However, it can not be concluded strongly that the system results in faster wound healing than other conventional methods or provides cost effective despite much greater material cost. It has been reported that using this method enhances bacterial clearance which improves the speed of wound healing. When microorganisms enter to wound, consume the nutrition and oxygen which otherwise directed toward tissue repair. When the amount of wound infection decreases (reducing bacterial loads) the healing capacity improves (the blood used for wound repairing). However, in the research undertaking by.. on 25 patients reviewed respectively, it was found that using this method dose not have any effects on bacterial clearance. Moreover, bacterial colonization increases significantly with this therapy and remains in the range of. Improvement in Granulation tissue formation was another advantage mentioned in using this method for wound healing. Granulation is a small blood useless and connective tissue in the base of the wound. A well granulation wound provides an optimal bed for epidermal migration and for skin grafts as a newly formed capillary incorporate the transplanted skin. Studies have shown that granulation tissue formation is enhanced by negative pressure by virtue of interstitial fluid resolution and resulting increase in circulation. In the research done by .. on 162 patients it was shown that NPWT improves the proportion and rate of wound healing after partial foot amputation in patients with diabetics. Nearly 56% of the patients using this method achieved a comparable closure during 16 weeks assessments compared with 39% in control group. In the other research done by Blume et al (2008) the safety and clinical efficiency of this new method was compared with Advanced Moist Wound Therapy (AMWT) to treat foot ulcers in diabetic patients on 342 patients. It was found that a greater proportion of foot ulcers achieved by this method in contrast to other method (43.2% compared to 28.9%). The time of therapy was the other considered parameter in this research. The time of therapy was a little bit less in this method. Regarding the safety of the two methods there was no significant difference. Morie et al carried out a literature review based research regarding the effectiveness of this method. They mentioned that although many controlled and non randomized studies describing the effectiveness of this new method, few prospective randomized control trials have been published. They claimed that the researches in this field have lots of problems such as: small sample size, variable outcome measure across studies, significant methodological problems. So it is not possible to have a strong conclusion regarding the effects of this method in contrast to other methods. They suggest that other research must be done regarding the effect of this method on healing, cost of care, patient pain and quality of life in contrast to other methods. Gregor et al have undertaken another literature review regarding the effect of using this method. They also concluded that although there seems to be some evidences regarding the effects of this method on wound healing outcome as a main outcome, they are insufficient to clearly prove an additional clinical benefit of this method. Cost consideration: wound care is an expensive endeavour. The range of pressure ulcers which is one of the main complication of being in bed for a long time is between 2000 and 70,000 per wound. NPWT decreases the cost regarding wound healing through a decrease in the number of dressing changes required. Moreover, the supervisory role of the trained nurses would be decrease to perform dressing change. According to the results of a research the long term cost of NPWT was lower and output was better when compared with standard wound care method. In another research study it was shown that the cost of wound healing was decreased by 38% in contrast to other method, as the healing occur by 61% faster than using gauze dressing method. Conclusion: The review of the relevant literature stated that the available evidences can not be used to determine a significant therapeutic distinction of NPWT method in contrast to other methods. There are over 325 publications on this method however only 15 randomized clinical trials compare the new method with other available methods. It is concluded that the available research studies can not support the effectiveness of this method on wound healing. It should be mentioned that direct comparison of NPWT to a particular type of dressing would be difficult as it is unlikely that a single dressing type would be appropriate through out entire healing process. As there is not enough research which directly focus on the effects of this method on wound healing, and safety according to wound type, the author of this article represent a need for a large high quality randomized studies. Moreover, it is recommended to evaluate the effects of this method based on the used components.

A Foolish American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

A Foolish American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy Loman is responsible for his own downfall.   Willy finds his own hero and tries to become the hero in his own existence.   Willy tries to become a very successful businessman, at the start of his career he thinks that no one can tell him what to.   Willy is not good with people, he is good with his hands, he is not a good salesman and he chooses the wrong career.   Willy often makes up stories or changes the stories he knows because he cannot face the truth of his life that he has not accomplished as much as he has planned.   Willy's downfall is his own doing which is brought about by his unrealistic dreams, his pride, his career choice and his failure to manage life's problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy, at a young age, noticed an old salesman who worked at an age of 80 and made a lot of money. The old salesman took orders from no one, he made his own orders and everyone did as the old man said.   When the old salesman, Dave Singleman dies, all the buyers came to his funeral. All the people Dave ever knew came.   There were thousands mourning his death.   From that point, Willy Loman found an awesome dream which he followed the rest of his life.   Willy became a salesman.   Willy is the most unqualified salesman ever!   He never sold a thing.   Willy stops seeing the truth at one point of his life and he relies on his own lies to numb his pain. The pain of knowing he cannot and wont be able to become Dave Singleman.   He is Willy Loman, who is good at fixing the house.   He is not cut out for travelling from city to city and selling goods to people he has never met before.   Willy dramatically dies living out his dream, the dream that never suited Willy Loman.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy does not allow people to tell him what to do.   He believes that he cannot be bossed around and that he is too important to fall under anyone's authority but his own.   Willy teaches Biff and Happy not to take orders from anyone.   He thinks this will make Biff, Happy and himself

Body and gender representation Essay

The general public is also the intended audience for this movie. Here, woman is represented as a jobless, single mother, a situation that many women in society find themselves in. Out of desperation, Brokovich presses her lawyer to give her a job in his firm and was given a clerical position. However, she was not treated with seriousness because she did not conform to the dress and manners required of an office employee. In the course of her work, she came across information about a company depositing toxic chemicals that polluted the local water supply. She takes an active role in building a case against the company. Gender representation is consistent with cultural norms in that women are mothers whose role is to nurture their children. However, the strength, assertiveness, intelligence, efforts to control and direct life and active involvement in social issues portrayed by Brokovich departs from cultural norms which dictate that women be passive, dependent or should focus their time on domestic affairs. This female representation is very positive. Les Miserables (1998) An adaptation of the French classic novel, the movie is again for general patronage. In line with the novel, the film portrays an ex-convict Jean Valjean who commits crime but soon establishes a new life under a new identity. He builds a business employing the poor and disadvantaged and upon the dying wishes of a prostitute whom he defended from unjust imprisonment and whom he took care of while sick, raises her daughter as his own. He does everything to ensure her safety, education, home, social standing and financial security. Gender representation in this film is positive. Male representation moves away from the cultural norm of detached and not domestically inclined father. Here, Valjean takes on the nurturing role, selfless with a strong stance against the oppression of both women and men. However, this was not carried out in the traditional manner of knight in shining armor or as a male holding a position of power but rather as a struggling person helping his fellow poor. The representation of women was through Fantine, an unwed mother whom poverty forced into prostitution and her daughter who was enslaved and abused by the family to whom she was initially entrusted. The woman in this family was particularly cruel. This portrayal of women as traditionally helpless, discriminated and taken advantage of but who can also take on the role of oppressor provides a realistic view of the variety of roles that women take on in society. Pictures 1. This photo in a magazine’s swim suit edition portrays femininity in terms of physical beauty. This is defined as flawless hair, clear skin with an excellent tone, slimness and curves. This representation is consistent with society and male’s standard of femininity and beauty to which a woman’s worth may be judged. Because women’s bodies are different and the average woman does not look like her at all, its impact on women is negative. It leads them to become dissatisfied with their bodies which results in a poor body image and low self-esteem. It also reinforces women’s gender roles of preoccupation with beauty. In regarding themselves as defective and in cultivating the desire to attain the model’s looks and body, women will spend much time, effort and money. The target audience of the magazine includes teen-agers and young women who are potential buyers of the product being advertised. 2. The strong, muscular and aggressive stance of the male in this photo, which appeared in a magazine for women, represents current cultural norms regarding masculinity which encompasses male gender roles of taking the active part, dominant, capable and powerful. It reflects traditional views that men cannot be soft, weak, puny or vulnerable. Men are affected negatively by this representation because it also establishes a standard that they have to conform to. It establishes that these physical characteristics are what women would find appealing but like women, men are also different. Hence, those men who do not possess the physical attributes portrayed by this model will feel insecure and would also attempt to build their physique and the matching attitude. 3. The intended audience for this picture is also women. Aside from portraying femininity in terms of beauty, femininity is also represented as youth and sensuality. The dress, the body parts revealed and position of the model are both sexy and seductive. It reflects the traditional view of women as sex objects and their role as a source of male sexual fantasy and satisfaction. Similarly, this representation is negative because it implies that in order to be desired by men, women have to have the proper physical attributes of breasts, legs and buttocks such as portrayed. It impacts most especially on the self-esteem of older women since age diminishes the physical characteristics perceived as desirable. Wrinkles, age spots and decreasing muscle tone, which occur within the normal course of an older woman’s life, are now regarded as their adversary.

Abducted by a UFO: prevalence information affects young children’s false memories for an implausible event Essay

SUMMARY This study examined whether prevalence information promotes children’s false memories for an implausible event. Forty-four 7–8 and forty-seven 11–12 year old children heard a true narrative about their ï ¬ rst school day and a false narrative about either an implausible event (abducted by a UFO) or a plausible event (almost choking on a candy). Moreover, half of the children in each condition received prevalence information in the form of a false newspaper article while listening to the narratives. Across two interviews, children were asked to report everything they remembered about the events. In both age groups, plausible and implausible events were equally likely to give rise to false memories. Prevalence information increased the number of false memories in 7–8 year olds, but not in 11–12 year olds at Interview 1. Our ï ¬ ndings demonstrate that young children can easily develop false memories of a highly implausible event. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Both recent studies (e.g. Pezdek & Hodge, 1999; Strange, Sutherland, & Garry, 2006) and legal cases have demonstrated that children can develop memories of events that never happened, so-called false memories (Loftus, 2004). A well-known legal case is the ‘McMartin Preschool’ trial in which several teachers were accused of ritually abusing hundreds of children across a 10-year period (Garven, Wood, & Malpass, 2000; Garven, Wood, Malpass, & Shaw, 1998; Schreiber et al., 2006). Some of the children recalled extremely bizarre, implausible events such as ï ¬â€šying in helicopters to an isolated farm and watching horses being beaten with baseball bats. The charges against the teachers, however, were eventually dropped; videotapes of the investigative interviews indicated that the children were suggestively interrogated and many experts concluded that the children’s memories were almost certainly false. Controversial cases like the McMartin trial have inspired researchers to investigate how children develop false memories of implausible experiences (Pezdek & Hodge, 1999; Strange et al., 2006), yet the precise antecedents of implausible false memories are still ill-understood. The question we ask here is whether prevalence information—that is, details about the frequency of a false event—is a potential determinant of children’s implausible false memories. *Correspondence to: Henry Otgaar, Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. E-mail: henry.otgaar@psychology.unimaas.nl Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. H. Otgaar et al. What do we know about the role of prevalence information in the development of false memories? Mazzoni, Loftus, and Kirsch (2001) describe a three-step process that explains how false memories are formed. According to this model, three conditions must be satisï ¬ ed to create false memories. First, an event has to be considered plausible. Second, the event has to be evaluated as something that genuinely happened. Finally, images and thoughts about the event have to be mistaken as memory details. Consider, now, just the ï ¬ rst stage of Mazzoni et al.’s model (event plausibility) and how prevalence information might affect perceived plausibility. Recent experiments have shown that prevalence information enhances the perceived plausibility of implausible events (Hart & Schooler, 2006; Mazzoni et al., 2001; Pezdek, Blandon-Gitlin, Hart, & Schooler, 2006; Scoboria, Mazzoni, Kirsch, & Jimenez, 2006). Mazzoni et al. (2001) asked undergraduates to read false newspaper articles describing demonic possession. The articles implied, among other things (i.e. a description of what happens in a typical possession experience), that possessions were more common than people previously thought and after reading the articles participants were more likely to believe they had witnessed a demonic possession in the past. Other studies investigating the role of prevalence information in eliciting false beliefs have produced similar striking effects (Hart & Schooler, 2006; Mazzoni et al., 2001; Pezdek et al., 2006; Scoboria et al., 2006). What we do not know, however, is whether prevalence information inï ¬â€šuences the development of false memories (stage 3 of Mazzoni et al.’s model) and not just false beliefs per se. This is an important issue in the false memory literature because several authors have argued that memories and beliefs, although related, are deï ¬ nitely not the same (Scoboria, Mazzoni, Kirsch, & Relyea, 2004; Smeets, Merckelbach, Horselenberg, & Jelicic, 2005). Moreover, the effect of prevalence information has only ever been tested on adults’ beliefs. To date, no study has examined whether prevalence information affects the generation of children’s false memories. What do we know about event plausibility in the development of children’s false memories? In short, research has produced interesting but varied results. Early studies showed that children were more likely to create false memories of plausible than implausible events (Pezdek & Hodge, 1999; Pezdek, Finger, & Hodge, 1997), and researchers suggested that it may be difï ¬ cult to implant false memories of an implausible event (i.e. receiving a rectal enema). In contrast, one recent study shows that children will falsely recall both plausible and implausible events to a similar extent (Strange et al., 2006). Three different explanations might account for these mixed ï ¬ ndings. First, Strange et al. presented children with a doctored photograph of the false event whereas Pezdek and colleagues used false descriptions. Doctored photographs might be considered an extreme form of evidence -one that is very difï ¬ cult for children to refute. It is probable, then, that the doctored photographs skewed the children’s plausibility judgments which in   turn caused them to develop false memories for the plausible and implausible event at a similar rate. Second, Strange et al. compared false events that were either plausible or implausible whereas Pezdek and colleagues (1997, 1999) contrasted false events that differed in terms of script knowledge (i.e. description of what typically occurs in an event). Speciï ¬ cally, they compared a high script knowledge event (i.e. lost in a shopping mall) with a low script knowledge event (i.e. receiving a rectal enema). However, the exact relation between script knowledge and plausibility is not clear (Scoboria et al., 2004). Third, the two false events used in Strange et al.’s and Pezdek et al.’s studies differed with respect to valence. Strange et al.’s events were positive (i.e. taking a hot air balloon ride and drinking a cup of tea with Prince Charles), whereas Pezdek and colleagues implanted false negative events in Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. children’s memory (i.e. lost in a shopping mall and receiving a rectal enema). Studies have shown that valence affects the development of children’s false memories (Ceci, Loftus, Leichtman, & Bruck, 1994; Howe, 2007). Since plausibility, valence and script knowledge seem to play a role in the development of false memories, the false events used in the current study were matched on these factors. To examine whether prevalence information can lead children to develop full-blown false memories of plausible and implausible events, and to examine developmental differences in the development of false memories, we adapted the false narrative procedure (e.g. Garry & Wade, 2005; Loftus & Pickrell, 1995; Pezdek & Hodge, 1999; Pezdek et al., 1997), and exposed some 7–8 year old children and some 11–12 year old children to one true description and one false description of past experiences. Previous studies have shown that these age groups differ developmentally with respect to suggestibility and false memory formation (e.g. Ceci, Ross, & Toglia, 1987). The true description described the child’s ï ¬ rst day at school. The false description was either plausible and described almost choking on a candy, or implausible and described being abducted by a UFO. Half of the children in each group also received prevalence information in the form of a newspaper article. The article suggested that the target false event was much more common than the children probably thought. Our predictions were straightforward: based on the prevalence literature with adults, we predicted that children who heard false prevalence information would be more likely to report false memories than children without false prevalence information. With respect to the role of event plausibility, two predictions can be formulated. Based on studies by Pezdek and colleagues (1997, 1999), we would predict that regardless of prevalence information, plausible events would elicit more false memories than implausible events. However, based on a recent study by Strange et al. (2006), we would expect that plausible and implausible events are equally likely to elicit false memories. Finally, because younger children are more suggestible than older children (for an overview see Bruck & Ceci, 1999), we expected that younger children would be more likely to develop false memories than older children. METHOD Participants The study involved 91 primary school children (48 girls) from two different age groups (n  ¼ 44, 7–8 year olds, M  ¼ 7.68 years, SD  ¼ 0.52; n  ¼ 47, 11–12 year olds, M  ¼ 11.64 years, SD  ¼ 0.53). Children participated after parents and teachers had given informed consent. All children received a small gift in return for their participation. The study was approved by the standing ethical committee of the Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University. Materials True narratives True narratives described children’s ï ¬ rst day at school. This event was chosen because it was a unique event that had happened to all children at age 4. Children’s parents were contacted by telephone to obtain the following personal details about each child’s ï ¬ rst school day: the family members or friends who escorted the child to school, and the teacher’s and school’s name. These details were incorporated in the true narratives. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. An example of a true narrative was: Your mother told me that when you were 4 years old, you went for the ï ¬ rst time to the elementary school. The name of the elementary school was Springer and it was located in Maastricht. The name of your teacher was Tom. Your mother took you to school. False narratives False events were selected from a pilot study. In that study, 49 children (M  ¼ 8.02 years, SD  ¼ 1.20, range 6–101) rated the plausibility and valence of 29 events on child-friendly 7-point Smiley scales (anchors:  ¼ implausible/negative,  ¼ plausible/positive) with bigger smiley faces referring to more plausible/more positive events. Speciï ¬ cally, children had to indicate how likely the events were to happen to them (e.g. ‘How likely is it that you almost choke on a candy’?; i.e. personal plausibility; Scoboria et al., 2004) and how pleasant the events were for them (e.g., ‘How pleasant is it that you almost choke on a candy’?). To ensure that they understood the events, all children rated two practice items. Furthermore, 19 children (M  ¼ 8.74 years, SD  ¼ 1.05, range 7–10) were instructed to report everything they knew about each event and the total number of idea units served as our measure of children’s script-knowledge about the events (Scoboria et al., 2004). Based on their ratings, we selected two events, almost choked on a candy and abducted by a UFO. These events were equal in terms of valence (Mchoking  ¼ 1.65, SDchoking  ¼ 1.48, MUFO  ¼ 1.94, SDUFO  ¼ 1.98, t(47) < 1, n.s.) and script knowledge (Mchoking  ¼ 1.11, SDchoking  ¼ 0.99, MUFO  ¼ 0.74, SDUFO  ¼ 1.05, t(18)  ¼ 1.20, n.s.), but differed in terms of plausibility with mean plausibility ratings being higher for the choking event (M  ¼ 5.86, SD  ¼ 2.02) than for the UFO event (M  ¼ 1.63, SD  ¼ 1.75, t(47)  ¼ 10.07, p < .001). Age did not correlate with plausibility, valence and script knowledge for the two events ( ps > .05). Children’s parents conï ¬ rmed that their child had never experienced the false events. The false narratives were: Almost choked on a candy: Your mother told me that you were at a birthday party when you were 4 years old. At this party you received a bag of candies. When you were at home again, you were allowed to have one candy. Your mother saw that you turned blue and she panicked. Then she hit you on the back and the candy came out. Abducted by a UFO: Your mother told me that when you were 4 years old, you were abducted by a UFO. This happened when you were alone outside. You mother was inside the house. Then she suddenly saw through the window that a UFO took you. False newspaper articles For the true and false events a newspaper article was fabricated describing that the event took place quite frequently when participants were age 4. These false newspaper articles were similar in appearance to a local newspaper. Moreover, to personalize the newspaper articles, we included the children’s hometown in the articles. The newspaper articles were 1 Because the age range of our pilot sample did not completely overlap with the age groups of our study, we conducted a 2 (pilot group: younger vs. older children)  2 (event: UFO vs. choking) ANOVA with the latter factor being a within subject factor to examine the effect of age on plausibility judgments. No signiï ¬ cant interaction emerged ( p > .05) indicating that age did not have an impact on the plausibility ratings of our two events. Therefore, the plausibility ratings of our pilot sample can be extended to the older group of our study were randomly assigned to the plausible or implausible event and to the prevalence or no prevalence information condition. Each child was interviewed individually twice over seven days. All interviews were audio taped and transcribed. During the interviews, one true narrative and one false narrative were read aloud, with the latter always being presented in the second position. The procedure of the interviews was similar to that used by Wade, Garry, Read, and Lindsay (2002). At the start of Interview 1, children were told that we were interested in their memories for events that had happened when they were 4 years old. Children were instructed to report everything they remembered about the events. In the prevalence information condition, they were told that to help them remember the events they would be provided with a newspaper article. Subsequently, the interviewer read out the article to the child. Children who did not describe details of the target event were told that ‘many people can’t recall certain events because they haven’t thought about them for such a long time. Please concentrate and try again’. If they still did not recall any details, the interviewer made use of context reinstatement and guided imagery. The purpose of these retrieval techniques was to take the children mentally back to the scene of the event. Speciï ¬ cally, children were told to close their eyes and they were asked to think about their feelings, who was with them, and about the time of the year. After this, children were asked again to recall any details about the event. If they still did not come up with details, the next narrative was presented or the interview was stopped. At the end of Interview 1, children were asked to think about the events every day until the next interview and they were instructed not to talk with others about the events. Parents were asked not to discuss these events with their children. Interview 2 was similar to Interview 1. At the end of Interview 2, they were debriefed using ethical guidelines for false memory research with children (Goodman, Quas, & Redlich, 1998). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION An extensive number of children were extremely surprised during the debrieï ¬ ng when they were told that the false event did not happen to them. For example, one 8-year old child responded ‘It really did happen’ where another one said ‘I really can remember seeing the UFO’. After the debrieï ¬ ng, 39% (n  ¼ 13) of the children remained absolutely conï ¬ dent that they experienced the false events. We debriefed these children until they understood the events were false. Together, these ï ¬ ndings suggest that the false memories in this study were not the result of children falsely assenting or trying to please the interviewer. True events True memories were categorized as either remembered or not remembered. To be categorized as remembered, children had to report at least two of the three personal details correctly. Children’s true recall was near ceiling. They remembered 88 (97%) events at Interview 1 and 89 (98%) events during Interview 2, x2(1)  ¼ .07, n.s. False events For the false events, two independent judges classiï ¬ ed each memory report as no false memory, images but not memories or false memory according to criteria used by Lindsay, Hagen, Read, Wade, and Garry (2004). If a child attempted to recall the false event, but did Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Appl. Cognit. Psychol. 23: 115–125 (2009) DOI: 10.1002/acp Prevalence information, plausibility, and children’s false memories not have any memory of the event or did not report any details that were beyond the false description, the report was categorized as no false memory. A report was judged as an image when children speculated about details and described images related to the false events. For example, one child reported: ‘I think I almost choked on a candy on the birthday of Mauk. I am not sure. It was not a pleasant feeling’. To be classiï ¬ ed as a false memory, children had to indicate that they remembered the event and provide details beyond those mentioned in the narrative, but related to the narrative. To give an example of a detail, one child stated that he remembered being taken to the UFO through a blue beam of light. If children stated that they thought the event and/or certain details could have happened, then this was not scored as a false memory. Furthermore, to minimize the effect of demand characteristics, direct responses to interviewer prompts were not classiï ¬ ed as a false memory. The following dialogue from Interview 2 illustrates a child’s false memory of the UFO abduction. Child: ‘I saw cameras and ï ¬â€šashes and some people in the UFO’. Interviewer: ‘How many people did you see’? Child: ‘Approximately nine or ten’. Interviewer: ‘What kind of people’? Child: ‘People like me, children’. Interviewer: ‘What else did you see’? Child: ‘I saw some people and also some blue/green puppets were passing’. Inter-rater agreement for classiï ¬ cation of the memory reports was high; k  ¼ 0.92 for Interview 1 and k  ¼ 0.94 for Interview 2. Collapsing across the conditions, at Interview 1, 33% (n  ¼ 30) of the children developed a false memory. Thirty per cent (n  ¼ 9) of these children assented to the false events immediately, that is prior to guided imagery and context reinstatement. Thirty-six per cent of the children (n  ¼ 33), with 67% (n  ¼ 20) immediately assenting, ‘remembered’ the false events at Interview 2, x2(1)  ¼ 26.61, p < .001, Cramer’s V  ¼ 0.54. Some of the children who rejected the false events at Interview 2 indicated, despite the explicit instruction at Interview 1, that they had discussed the false events with their parents. The increase in false memories over time is in line with previous studies with adults and children (e.g. Lindsay et al., 2004; Strange et al., 2006; Wade et al., 2002). Furthermore, 10% (n  ¼ 9) of the children were classiï ¬ ed as having an image of the false events at Interview 1. At Interview 2, this percentage decreased to 7% (n  ¼ 6), x2(1)  ¼ 58.53, p < .001, Cramer’s V  ¼ 0.80. Recall that the primary question in this study was whether prevalence information boosts the likelihood of plausible and implausible false memories. Table 1 shows the percentage and number of children who reported false memories as a function of interview and condition. To examine the role of age, event type, and prevalence information in the development of false memories, we conducted a logistic regression analysis with the dependent variable being false memory (0  ¼ no false memory/images, 1  ¼ false memory). In this analysis, we only focused on ‘genuine’ false memories and did not collapse across false memories and images. Although non-parametric methods, such as logistic regression, often lack the statistical power to detect interactions (Sawilowsky, 1990), there are four important points to note about these data. First, the only signiï ¬ cant interaction found was an Age  Prevalence information interaction at Interview 1. Prevalence information enhanced the development of 7–8 year old children’s false memories but not 11–12 year old children’s false memories, and this effect occurred at Interview 1 (B  ¼ 2.16, SE  ¼ 0.96, Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abortion Essays - Fertility, RTT, Abortion, Human Reproduction

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Bill Gates1 essays

Bill Gates1 essays Bill Gates? When most people hear that name they think of money, power, and computers. These thoughts arent necessarily incorrect, but rather insufficient. Sure, Bill Gates has money, thirty-two billion and growing to be exact, and yes he has power, being the CEO of Microsoft as well as the wealthiest man in the country. But people cant look through their jealousy and envy to see what Mr. Gates actually stands for. He has influences the way businesses, schools, and organizations operate, with the creations his programs, and operating systems (Windows). As well Bill along with his wife, Melinda; have spent numerous hours in press conferences and funding campaigns. Together they have founded educational charity organizations. Nevertheless, hard work and dedication led him to his wealthy state, and positive effects. Bill, his full name: William H. Gates III, was born on October 28, 1955, and grew up in Seattle Washington. His father, William H. Gates II, was a prominent lawyer and was rather wealthy. His mother, Mary Gates was a schoolteacher, and served on many charitable boards, and also, was chairwoman of United Way International. Bill showed a lot of talent for math and logic. Bill Gates accomplishments began when he was at the age of 13. His father enrolled him in the private Lakeside school. This is where his career in personal computer software started. Having an interest in computers was extremely rare, especially for a young teenage boy. For computers back then were still the size of a room, and only run by sophisticated scientists. Bill met Paul Allen, a fellow classmate with an interest in computers also. These two along with others formed a group called the Lakeside Programmers. Paul and Bill became very close friends, as well as programmers. They created a scheduling program for the school. This aided the administration in filling slots for classes each semester. Then a coup...

The Influence of the 9/11 Tragedy On the Marketplace

The Influence of the 9/11 Tragedy On the Marketplace The Fundamentals of the Market In post 9/11 America, identity regarding gender, race, and class flipped completely, causing many members in contemporary American society to question themselves and their worth in the United States. In the novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid, readers are able to track the influence of the 9/11 tragedy into the marketplace, corporate America, and living life in general in America through his main character, Changez. Changez is a hardworking individual that experiences racial discrimination while participating in corporate Americas market fundamentals a tragic mix of being destined to fail, and racial inequality for those working in the field. The dehumanizing nature of post 9/11 America sends influential shivers down the spine of corporate America and bleeds into the work place for minorities through the way Changez interacts with his coworkers, regular citizens, and the market in general. When Changez reflects on what makes Underwood Samson so different and reveals American ideals and culture, he recalls a conversation with Sherman It was a testament to the systematic pragmatism call it professionalism that underpins your countrys success in so many fields (Hamid 36). While Changez understands the old adage of business is business, he still finds it hard to believe the stark differnce between Underwood Samson and when he was a student at Princeton, at Princeton, learning was imbued with an aura of creativity; at Underwood Samson, creativity was not excised it was still present and valued but it ceded its primacy to efficiency (Hamid 37). This instance of reflection by Changez reveals several things about Underwood Samson, not only the fact that it promotes a lifeless atmosphere and hires people who do not encompass a team attitude, but it is open about this. While they boast this hard knocks theory of working, they do so to devalue the life of Changez, and get a leg up against him. This establishes the mantra of corporate America even if you can help in some way, it is not about what you know, but who you know. Hamid writes, through the trials of Changez, this dehumanization of a minority in a post 9/11 setting. Hamid communicates these ideals through the way he is handled in the work place, with several interactions that are cringe worthy and generally unfortunate. In Peter Moreys article, The rules of he game have changed: Mohsin Hamids The Reluctant Fundamentalist and post-9/11 fiction, Morey recognizes the intent of Hamid while also appreciating and informing his own readers about what literature framed in this time period does not only for the sake of the novels plot, but for the community at large, and how writing about these injustices helps reconfigure the main tropes of corporate America. While Morey understands that the initial reaction for many of Hamids readers is to have an immense sense of nationalism when reacting to the tragedy of 9/11, he identifies this book as something that challenges that nationalism by exposing what really happens when speaking about minorities participating in corporate America. Morey also claims that the novel defamiliarizes our relation to literary projects of national identification (Morey 136), a tactic that allows Hamids readers to exit their comfort zone in order to feel what someone from the outside might feel. Hamids unreliable narrator also aids this literary strategy because it reaches out to Hamids main audience people living in America in this post 9/11 world. It makes it more understandable to view the re-institution of learning these fundamentals through the eyes of someone who does not approve of them, and is incredibly suspicious of them at the same time. Just as Changez is ready and willing to break down the American system of doing things, he certainly also is not afraid to speak up about it. Hamid adjusts his readers lens at the end of the novel to see Changez as someone to trusts, as opposed to the unreliable, ever-changing narrator we grew to know him as. Changez reflects later in the novel about his distrust with the American way, specifically referring to Americans and America using the word you (Hamid 168). This word choice sticks out because it is used to describe a nation that has theoretically given Changez so much, but in reality, it has chewed him up thoroughly and spat him out. This reflection from Changez addresses what he truly feels about the manifestation of corporate America into the modern society which he has had so much trouble with living, believing, and trusting it. He belittles America and labels America acting out the beliefs which he understands as myths of your own difference, assumptions of your own superiority (Hamid 168) by claiming Americans threw a tantrum for the rest of the world to clean up. Essentially, the way America handles change and indifference makes them less superior, and framing this theory through the lens of the work place allows readers to understand exactly what Changez sees about America. While his ideas are justified, he sees the corporate world, and almost exclusively the parts of American culture that exhibit the dire competitive nature of how America functions. In the environment he experiences, he obviously expects competition, but never to the point of public humiliation and dehumanization that comes to physical confrontation. One instance of Changez experiencing this was when he was when he finally decides he has had enough of Underwood Samson, and he decides to quit. As Changez leaves Jims office for the final time, he writes that almost non of the fellow employees even bother to look up from their work and see him out. He confesses that even Wainwright, the man he considered to be looking out for him, does not bother to show any real affection or love towards him. In fact, Changez feels violated even in his parting, thinking the others, if they bothered to look at me at all, did so with evident unease and, in some cases, a fear which would not have been ina ppropriate had I been convicted of plotting to kill them rather than of abandoning my post in mid-assignment (Hamid 160). This was the last straw for Changez, and the irony lies in these actions from his co-workers because while they put on a facade throughout the entirety of his employment at Underwood Samson, they pretend to be a team. They speak like they are working together for a common goal, however in reality, they break Changez down consistently throughout the novel both mentally and physically. While most of post 9/11 America, was busy mourning the loss of many lives in the tragic incidents, many people were preaching the importance of staying close together. The president at the time, George Bush, told people to remain close, and to remember what America consisted of brave, powerful, and strong people that cared deeply about their country and who belonged to it. However, as reflected by the actions of Underwood Samson, unity in a post 9/11 America is selective. Those whom you choose to unite with should be looking out for you, essentially, but besides the core people, there is no room for charity when it comes to corporate America. Unity, to the members of Underwood Samson, should only be used for your own benefit, instead of following the actual definition of the word, being inclusive. These fundamentals that have been unfortunately framed by 9/11 and the culture of America post 9/11 are designed to be inclusive, yet are incredibly discriminatory. The execution, as shown by the actions of the American characters in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, are fairly poor while exhibiting the Americans fatal flaw of caring too much about other people and their impending business. The interaction that Changez shares with his former co-workers is then also highlighted by the way he is forced to leave. The guards did not leave me until I was outside the building, and it was only then that I allowed myself to rub my eyes with the back of my hand, for they had been watering slightly (Hamid 160). Up until this point in the novel, explicit emotion responding to this American aggression has been difficult to capture from Changez. While we see his physical and mental response, readers have not seen him cry tears of frustration, disappointment, and pure anger. Here, readers are allowed into the world of our narrator, Changez, and how even at the end of his time at Underwood Samson, he identifies that his hunches he once had, especially at the beginning of the novel, turned out to be true. Michael Kimmel, author of the essay Masculine Entitlement and the Future of Terrorism, displays the white perception of 9/11 and how anybody of a different color or origin will automatically be seen as an outsider who is stealing their place at the table (Kimmel 617). While Kimmel does not directly relate his argument to The Reluctant Fundamentalist, his argument does explain a lot of the possible motives and motivations that some of the other characters might feel towards Changez. While it is inexcusable, Kimmel sheds a little light on why they might do what they do. This aching fear of losing a job, or being ousted by an outsider that is displayed in physical aggression and attempted mental breakdowns from the other characters stems directly from Americas post 9/11 culture. In Changezs struggles to adapt to American culture, he is met with another difficulty that places him under a deep spell of confusion. He is confronted by many people at Underwood Samson about the fact that he allows his beard to grow out, I was subjected to verbal abuse by complete strangers, and at Underwood Samson I seemed to become overnight a subject of whispers and stares (Hamid 130). Not only does this puzzle him deeply as to why anyone would care about how he wore his hair, but he is deeply concerned that the one other minority at his company, Wainwright, insults his culture and heritage by making a rude and demeaning comment about his beard, saying They are common where I come from, I told him. Jerk chicken is common where I come from, he replied, but I dont go sme ar it all over my face. You need to be careful. This whole corporate collegiality veneer only goes so deep' (Hamid 130-31). This dialogue between Wainwright and Changez tells readers how little his coworkers care for him, and even more surprisingly, the ones who supposedly do care for him really do not. While Wainwright sounds like he is protecting him by telling him to shave his beard, he cannot allow himself to give Changez any advice without giving him his own personal insult. Part of the reason Wainwright expresses himself in such a way is the divide between not knowing exactly what to say to help Changez and the trouble with American society. On some level, he wants to help Changez, but on another, he wants to stay secure in his own skin, and to fit in with all the other corporate clones that they both work with. Besides the verbal abuse that Changez receives from everyone, the mental intimidation factor is incredibly high, especially in a high-pressured office such as Underwood Samson. In addition to Wainwright showing his true colors, many of the people that surround Changez show themselves to him shamelessly with their dehumanization. This is done on a strangerly, face-to-face basis through aggressive discourse that is not only offensive to Changez, but several other cultures that misinformed Americans often confuse together, especially after the events of 9/11. In the parking lot after leaving work, Changez is confronted by a man who begins to make noises at him, mocking the way he looks, and evidently labeling him as a fucking Arab' (Hamid 117). This exchange is wildly harmful because as Changez greets the man mocking him, he thinks he might be mad, or drunk; I thought also that he might be a mugger, and I prepared to defend myself to strike (Hamid 117). However, as the man began to approach Changez, he slowly realizes that the man does not want anything from Changez, he comes to recognize that this man is merely racist. Changez can see that this man does not want to harm him physically, just to pass along hateful discourse for his own enjoyment. It is with a confused and angry response that Changez questions this idea of working as a team, and Americas ideals in general. After a few murderous seconds (Hamid 118), Changez and his attacker chose to not physically confront each other, which was most likely in the best interest of the attac ker. However, this does not absolve any part of the conflict for either party. Changez walks away shaken, not knowing what to do, and questioning the morals of the American citizens he is supposed to be respecting and striving to be like. Mahmood Mamdani, author of the essay Good Muslim, Bad Muslim works to approach American readers on how not to talk about Islam and politics two very controversial and fragile topics of discussion among common Americans. I found this essay interesting because it connects some of the similar topics Mohsin Hamid attempts to bridge in his novel. In the essay, Mamdani writes about George Bushs public flirtation with the idea of an anti-Muslim crusade, (Mamdani 24), something that sounds slightly outrageous to a more modern audience, but was tragically true. In this post 9/11 warzone of America, Bush would continuously preach to Americans about distinguishing good Muslims from bad Muslims' (Mamdani 24). While Bush did this, many people saw this proclamation as an opportunity to implement this into their workplace rituals and everyday routines, something we see prime examples of in the characters in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. After 9/11, many Americans, similar to those we see directly in the novel, decided to make this assumed religion, meaning anyone who was suspected to practice Islam, was a political problem. If someone appeared, to a white American, to be Muslim, they should be placed in the good or bad category, and should be dealt with accordingly. The good vs. bad culture that was raised in the United States produced toxic mindsets that evidently leaked into the way people lived their lives, which is what Hamid tries to teach his readers in his novel. The politicization of culture appears to be a direct result of the Bush administration, and although not every single American thought/thinks like this, there are the select groups that really believe in this Us vs. Them discourse that continues, to the dismay of many, to this day in the United States of America, the supposed greatest country on Earth. Studying this odd dichotomy between those who have reserved their seat at the table of corporate America and those who are begging for the scraps brings about many interesting arguments and analyses. Mohsin Hamid, through the dialogue, plot, and interesting and powerful character dynamics pioneers his way through the epicenter of writing literature through the scope of post 9/11 America. Hamid trains his readers not to trust his narrator, just as the narrator should never trust those he deals with, to put his readers in a similar seat as Changez. This novel, just like many novels similar to it, is meant to make readers uncomfortable, yet it is also used to instruct, teach, and challenge the readers connotations of America, specifically after 9/11, and how we, as a nation, deal with problems on a large and small scale. These fundamentals that we have discussed throughout the study of this novel are not something Changez wants to subscribe to. In his efforts to become like the people he hates, he realizes the toxicity and the hardships that he must endure to do something he does not exactly want to do with the same people that falsely supported him throughout his journey. On a large scale, this is an inverse coming of age novel, one in which the protagonist realizes that coming of age is not exactly what he is meant to do, especially not in America. Hamid paints these lessons well and continues to write with a purpose throughout the entire novel, not once letting up his grip on telling the story of a man whose ambition was stolen by the crooked setup of the American corporate realm, the government, and the society in general.

Living in Small Towns is Better Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Living in Small Towns is Better - Essay Example Peace of mind can be experienced only in small towns because they are free from such problems. The fact that people living in smaller towns live longer than people living in bigger cities was proven in Japan. In one of the studies conducted on residents of Okinawa, a small town in Japan, it was proven that these residents lived for relatively long time compared to other residents of big cities. The reason for their long life was attributed to the peaceful atmosphere that existed there. The incidence of health-related problems like stroke, caused due to nervous tensions and/or emotions, was higher in big cities due to the rushed and busy life. Living a normal life mainly requires peace of mind, which is possible through a calm lifestyle and can be found only in a small town. Secondly, smaller towns are more safe and secure to live a normal life. Instances of road traffic accidents, crimes, and thefts are much lesser in small towns compared to big cities. People can travel to any place and at any time, even after midnight, without fear. Level of safety in small towns can be assessed based upon the fact that people in small towns rarely lock their doors. Road traffic accidents are also extremely rare in small towns, probably due to less heavy-vehicle and car traffic. The number of people who use cars for traveling is very less in small towns. For these reasons, smaller towns are much safer and more secure. The third good reason for living in a small town is its much cheaper and affordable cost of living. Quoting an example of the cost of utilities, in Florida, for a two-bedroom apartment, I had to pay $150 towards electricity bill, whereas in Utah, I pay only $70 for a townhouse. There is a huge difference in the cost of real estate of a big city and a small town. A friend of mine in Los Angeles pays around $1600 for a two-bedroom apartment.  

I.T Doesn't Matter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

I.T Doesn't Matter - Essay Example With the advancement of IT, the door of global opportunities has been opened to the challenging companies for utilizing their competitive advantages to reach world wide. These technologies have become the commodity inputs although they are invisible. Firstly, IT is a standardized transport vehicle of information. Secondly, its prices are subject to sharp deflation as its cost decreases with increasing of their availability. Thirdly, it is highly replicable not only for software (reusable objects) but also in terms of business process. Fourthly, IT also becomes transparent to its users. Finally, it becomes ubiquitous. IT would proceed for many years to lift the productivity of entire industries. But from the strategic point of view, it is no longer matter to the competitive fortunes of the individual companies. IT provides its greatest benefits when it becomes a shared and standardized infrastructure of the companies. So IT would be the infrastructural technology instead of proprietary technology. Proprietary technologies are owned by a single company; in contrast, infrastructural technologies are broadly shared by the companies. According to the rev iew, it is said that infrastructural technologies have far more value than proprietary technologies. For the macro economy, the value produced by the proprietary technologies for the development of individual companies would be trivial in comparison with the value produced by the infrastructural technologies that would be ordinal and become part of the global business infrastructure. The writer also says that infrastructural technologies also begin to fade in to the background of the business because it becomes an ordinary phenomenon of global business. The goal of this writing is to promote a better understanding to the business & technology managers, as well as, investors and policy makers how

Events of September 20th 1973 Speech or Presentation

Events of September 20th 1973 - Speech or Presentation Example The day witnessed the sorrowful and untimely pass away of immensely talented American songwriter and singer Jim Croce who was originally named as James Croce. At the time of his death of a plane crash he was only 30 plus and less than three and half months away of his 31st birthday. Like many other musical geniuses Jim’s early career was not so successful though it turned into colours quite rapidly in 1970 (Alfred Publishing 104). This period was renowned for Jim’s meeting with singer and song writer Maury Muehlesien and the duo jammed together quite well. The flexibility between the two in interchanging their roles as vocalist to musicians was worth watching. The duo produced some ear melting songs like â€Å"You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,† â€Å"Life and Times†, â€Å"Operator and Time in Bottle† and of them received applaud. Especially Croce’s â€Å"Bad Bad Leroy Brown† became the number one chart hit in America in 1973 (And erson, 38). Catastrophe struck at this point of success when Croc along with all the crew in a chartered plain met a crash in their way to Sherman Texas and succumbed to the crash. The most major event on that day regarding sports might be considered as the battle between sexes as it is popularly known. This was a tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King two of the supremos of lawn tennis. The game was metaphorical at the back ground of equality in payment between male and female tennis stars. Two important points are here to note, Bobby was at that time 55 and Billy was 27. However putting it aside Billy Jean King downed Bobby in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The biggest contribution of Billy to women tennis was to put it a step forward towards equality with their male counterpart. It is worth noting that Margaret Court arguably the greatest ever ladies tennis player faced a humiliating defeat against Bobby (6-1, 6-2) on mothers day, popularly known as mother’s d ay massacre. Miss Court was never an ardent supporter of equality among the male and the female players and that perhaps restricted her from furnishing her highest efforts while combating Bobby. On the other hand Billy realised that if this old man manages to defeat her then woman tennis would walk back around fifty years. Though the match ended in a friendly manner and gestures were exchanged between the two, but that in no way undermines the significance of this historical battle of sex between two legends of the game (Drury, 63). On the same day and same year Alan L. Powedermaker and his wife built a ranch in western style making a perfect western essence named Circle R Ranch. At the very initial level the ranch hoisted a party with only 28 members. The party was meant for eastern Kodak. If increase in number of gusts is considered as an significant growth of the ranch and which definitely is; nowadays 350,000 guests are each year entertained within the realm of the ranch. Till d ate Circle R the ranch has been associated with many interesting events that have even claimed awards. Some of them are worth mentioning â€Å"Sly and The Family Stone, The World Classic Rockers, Charlie Daniels Band, LeeAnn Rimes, Tracey Lawrence, Dwight Yoakum, KC & the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, 3 Dog Night, Bo Diddley and Chubby Checker. In 1996, Circle R hosted the Country Music Association Awards Gala.† (Circle R. Ranch) The ranch was now operated by two very experienced persons, Steven Foster and Wendy Foster who are eventually

(i dont know ,writer will firgure out the topic for me) Research Paper

(i dont know ,writer will firgure out the topic for me) - Research Paper Example If one would go to the top floor of the Bank of America tower overlooking the park, the once capacious area below becomes cramped, as people move like ants in the limited space left. Yet people continue to engage in their own activities, oblivious of their compromised surroundings. For as long they are able to carry out their purpose in the place, all the rest remain strangers to them – never mind, if they are already literally rubbing elbows with one another. Nevertheless, this is typical in the urban land. While those who are used to living in the countryside may find this situation suffocating, it is quite astounding how city dwellers seem to have adopted survival strategies to cope with the continuously crowding area, as though they do not need space. Going back, an imaginary view of the Bryant Park on top of Bank of America tower creates a vivid and lively scene where stories are formed. Perhaps, in one of the couches in the Southwest Porch, there may be a woman who would say, â€Å"I just need space†, a typical spiel when two people are in the brink of breaking up. This line serves as an easy way to warrant the ending of a relationship, especially if the individual, for some reason, desires to get freed from whatever attachment – may it be physical or emotional. Although it may be an effective way out, there seems to be more to ‘needing space’ aside from a reasonable means to end a relationship. While the literal meaning of a space is a spot left empty, it remains to be related to its figurative definition such that the space between individuals actually separates them, limiting their social interaction and attachment. Yet for a place like Bryant Park, keeping a space seems impossible. But perhaps, the city dwellers’ concept of space has indeed gone beyond just a simple matter of geography. Introduction The innovation of the concept of space probably roots to the time of Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist whose fiel d of interest and expertise centers on spacing behavior of individuals. Hall identified several terms related to space – most notable of which is the social space. By definition, social space is such which individuals feel comfortable enough to engage in occasional social interactions with friends and strangers. Moreover, Hall proposed that people have an unconscious perception of space which can be manifested by the way that they behave towards it and the people that they are sharing the physical space with. This behavior is largely based on the culture from which an individual belongs. As such, â€Å"public space always becomes cultural space† (Ferrell 14). Meanwhile, as a result of this proposed concept, social space has become a subject of studies for many years. Generally, these studies were geared towards simply finding out why this space exists and how it is manifested. Based on the findings, it is surprising that several factors actually account for what was on ce seen a simple yet perplexing matter. The present research also attempted to explore many aspects of this ambiguous concept; however, in the context of urban settings where crowding is inevitable and violation of physical space is likewise expected. It may be assumed that spacing behaviors could only be maintained in low-density situations when there is a small number people who can act on their respective assumed space. But then again, given the limited physical space in the urban area, the social concept of physical space

Justification for an Internal Control System Essay - 1

Justification for an Internal Control System - Essay Example have become crucial risks factors that have resulted in huge economic loss for its shareholders as well adversely affecting its credibility in the market. Another factor is that the increasing dynamic business environment and the volatility in the market have greatly increased the risks to the interests of the stakeholders. Risks have been defined as ‘the possibility of loss as a result of the combination of uncertainty and exposure flowing from an investment decision or a commitment’ (Boritz, 1990). All the factors and element of governance, that adversely affect and dilute the rights of the shareholders and other stakeholders of the organization, are risks that need to be addressed urgently. Hence, effective internal control system has become the need of the hour. The current approach is valid because the insurance and portfolio approach is partially equity linked and relies on the dynamic allocation of portfolio such that the stakeholders are protected by guarantee of minimum wealth at a specified time period (Basak, 2002). Though the current approach helps safeguard assets, the highly competitive nature of emerging new models of global business has increased the risks and responsibilities of the organizations. The existing system also lacks transparency that not only corrodes the trust of the investors but it also has long term repercussion on market credibility and performance outcome. The global financial crisis and recessive trends require more control mechanisms to meet the challenges of the changing paradigms of the global business that have considerable impact on the confidence building processes of the capital market. The new system of internal control is designed to boost the confidence of the investors and improve market credibility and performance outcome. The internal controls of the company are various inter-related processes within its different departments which facilitate smooth operation, conforming to the

Events of September 20th 1973 Speech or Presentation

Events of September 20th 1973 - Speech or Presentation Example The day witnessed the sorrowful and untimely pass away of immensely talented American songwriter and singer Jim Croce who was originally named as James Croce. At the time of his death of a plane crash he was only 30 plus and less than three and half months away of his 31st birthday. Like many other musical geniuses Jim’s early career was not so successful though it turned into colours quite rapidly in 1970 (Alfred Publishing 104). This period was renowned for Jim’s meeting with singer and song writer Maury Muehlesien and the duo jammed together quite well. The flexibility between the two in interchanging their roles as vocalist to musicians was worth watching. The duo produced some ear melting songs like â€Å"You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,† â€Å"Life and Times†, â€Å"Operator and Time in Bottle† and of them received applaud. Especially Croce’s â€Å"Bad Bad Leroy Brown† became the number one chart hit in America in 1973 (And erson, 38). Catastrophe struck at this point of success when Croc along with all the crew in a chartered plain met a crash in their way to Sherman Texas and succumbed to the crash. The most major event on that day regarding sports might be considered as the battle between sexes as it is popularly known. This was a tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King two of the supremos of lawn tennis. The game was metaphorical at the back ground of equality in payment between male and female tennis stars. Two important points are here to note, Bobby was at that time 55 and Billy was 27. However putting it aside Billy Jean King downed Bobby in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The biggest contribution of Billy to women tennis was to put it a step forward towards equality with their male counterpart. It is worth noting that Margaret Court arguably the greatest ever ladies tennis player faced a humiliating defeat against Bobby (6-1, 6-2) on mothers day, popularly known as mother’s d ay massacre. Miss Court was never an ardent supporter of equality among the male and the female players and that perhaps restricted her from furnishing her highest efforts while combating Bobby. On the other hand Billy realised that if this old man manages to defeat her then woman tennis would walk back around fifty years. Though the match ended in a friendly manner and gestures were exchanged between the two, but that in no way undermines the significance of this historical battle of sex between two legends of the game (Drury, 63). On the same day and same year Alan L. Powedermaker and his wife built a ranch in western style making a perfect western essence named Circle R Ranch. At the very initial level the ranch hoisted a party with only 28 members. The party was meant for eastern Kodak. If increase in number of gusts is considered as an significant growth of the ranch and which definitely is; nowadays 350,000 guests are each year entertained within the realm of the ranch. Till d ate Circle R the ranch has been associated with many interesting events that have even claimed awards. Some of them are worth mentioning â€Å"Sly and The Family Stone, The World Classic Rockers, Charlie Daniels Band, LeeAnn Rimes, Tracey Lawrence, Dwight Yoakum, KC & the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, 3 Dog Night, Bo Diddley and Chubby Checker. In 1996, Circle R hosted the Country Music Association Awards Gala.† (Circle R. Ranch) The ranch was now operated by two very experienced persons, Steven Foster and Wendy Foster who are eventually

Justification for an Internal Control System Essay - 1

Justification for an Internal Control System - Essay Example have become crucial risks factors that have resulted in huge economic loss for its shareholders as well adversely affecting its credibility in the market. Another factor is that the increasing dynamic business environment and the volatility in the market have greatly increased the risks to the interests of the stakeholders. Risks have been defined as ‘the possibility of loss as a result of the combination of uncertainty and exposure flowing from an investment decision or a commitment’ (Boritz, 1990). All the factors and element of governance, that adversely affect and dilute the rights of the shareholders and other stakeholders of the organization, are risks that need to be addressed urgently. Hence, effective internal control system has become the need of the hour. The current approach is valid because the insurance and portfolio approach is partially equity linked and relies on the dynamic allocation of portfolio such that the stakeholders are protected by guarantee of minimum wealth at a specified time period (Basak, 2002). Though the current approach helps safeguard assets, the highly competitive nature of emerging new models of global business has increased the risks and responsibilities of the organizations. The existing system also lacks transparency that not only corrodes the trust of the investors but it also has long term repercussion on market credibility and performance outcome. The global financial crisis and recessive trends require more control mechanisms to meet the challenges of the changing paradigms of the global business that have considerable impact on the confidence building processes of the capital market. The new system of internal control is designed to boost the confidence of the investors and improve market credibility and performance outcome. The internal controls of the company are various inter-related processes within its different departments which facilitate smooth operation, conforming to the

Homework Assignment Essay Example for Free

Homework Assignment Essay 1. Define the process of accounting. Accounting is the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information about an organization for the purpose of making decisions and informed judgments. 2. What are the three major divisions in the accounting field? Financial, managerial and cost accounting 3. What is the Fundamental Accounting Equation? Assets = Liabilities + Equity 4. What is the purpose of a balance sheet? What are some examples of typical balance sheet accounts? A balance sheet is a summary of financial balances of an organizations assets, liabilities and equity listed on a specific date such as the end of year report. A balance sheet is a snap shot of the company’s financial status 5. What is the purpose of an income statement? What are some examples of typical income statement accounts? An income statement is also known as profit and loss statement is one of the financial statements of a company and shows revenues and expenses during a particular period. An income statement indicates how the revenues are transformed into net income 6. What is the purpose of a statement of cash flows? What are some examples of typical statement of cash flow accounts? A cash flow statement consists of three parts; operating, investing and financing. It is the summary of transactions that affected cash in a particular period. In other words, it si a summary of all the cash payments and the cash receipts that occurred during a month, quarter or year for a business. 7. Based on the financial information below, prepare an income statement and a balance sheet for Joe’s-Fly-by-Night Oil company for the year ended December 31, 2012. Unless otherwise indicated, assume all information below is either for the year 2012 or as of December 31, 2012.

Growth and expansion of Arcelik Home Appliances

Growth and expansion of Arcelik Home Appliances Introduction Arcelik Home Appliances is the leading manufacturer of home appliances in Turkey with a market share of 50% in the domestic market as at 2003 (Ghemawat, 2008). It supplies the market using two brands namely Arcelik and Beko. The company has adopted an international expansion strategy and has already been marketing its products to more than one hundred (100) countries mainly in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and North Africa (Ghemawat, 2008). Arcelik was originally founded to produce metallic office furniture in 1955 but diversified into production of household appliances shortly after. It has been hailed as the first company to introduce appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators to the Turkish households. Arcelik would face further challenges when it became apparent that the Turkish government would be participating in the European Communitys tariff reduction which was meant to reduce to zero from 1992 to 1996 (Ghemawat, 2008). The challenge would be competition from other manufactures from the European Community who would be able to sell their products at more competitive process in the domestic market. Arcelik overcame this challenge by investing heavily in research and development thereby substantially improving the quality of their products. The company is currently the leading holder of patents in the Turkish market. This strategy cemented its market leadership in the domestic market as consumers preferred to spend a little more to obtain goods whose durability could be assured. This preference was also enhanced by Turkeys fluctuating market where inflationary forces were highly unpredictable with the greater odds being to the consumers disadvantage. Arcelik would later grow to establish its market dominance in Turkey for decades but would later face challenges that would trigger its focus on international expansion to ensure its survival and growth. Arceliks motives for international expansion The focus on international expansion by Arcelik was triggered by the economic crisis that hit Turkey in 2001. This crisis had led to soaring levels of unemployment and a significant reduction of market demand by an estimated figure of 35% (Ghemawat, 2008). This strategy mainly comprised increasing exports as well as engaging in international acquisitions. The economic crisis in Turkey must have proved to Arcelik the vulnerability of firms wholly dependent on domestic markets. Pressures from business cycles, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates and political forces are prevalent in domestic markets. On the other hand, international markets tend to be better insulated from such pressures since they will rarely apply across several countries. Economic crisis in one market would normally not be prevalent in the rest of the markets hence multinationals can ensure stability by marketing their products across many countries. Arcelik had to get a way to survive the economic crisis in 20 01 and as well ensure that future company performance was stabilized by reducing its level of vulnerability to domestic market fluctuations. Arcelik also sought to focus on international expansion in order to increase its level of production and increase its economies of scale (Ghemawat, 2008). This means that with additional production, the cost of producing each unit product becomes significantly lower hence allowing a company to make higher margins per unit or allowing them to charge lower per unit without incurring any losses. Economies of scale allow a company to remain competitive in the ever-evolving economies. To ensure that the economies of scale do not end up in accumulation of dead stock, or in the escalation of warehousing and storage costs, Arcelik would need to look to markets that would be able to support its intention of increasing the economies of scale through a larger demand. The national demand within Turkey would not be able to absorb these additional products h ence the rationale behind Turkey looking to expand international trade. The level of demand for home appliances in Europe alone is about 25% of world demand (Ghemawat, 2008). Arcelic sought to tap into this huge demand to support its competitiveness and the large levels of production occasioned by their strategy of maximizing on the economies of scale. International expansion can also be explored where a company seeks to lower its production costs by having a significant proportion of their production done from regions where the cost is lower than in the domestic market. One of the major factors of production that normally influence the decision of overseas production is labour. When considering labour, it is imperative that a company weighs between the benefits of the savings from paying the lower labour cost, the differences in the productivity of the workers between the higher wage and lower wage areas, and the transport and storage cost implications. It is also worth noting that in many cases, where the labour costs are low, other factors of production such as land would also be relatively lower. The labour cost in Western Europe is estimated to be five times that in Turkey. Labor cost in Turkey is three times that in Eastern Europe (Ghemawat, 2008). In China, it is four times lower than in Turkey. Labor productivity also varies and must be taken into account. For instance, in China, labour productivity is just half of that in Turkey. Additional transportation costs are determined by both the distance between the production facilities and the legal environments of the countries through which the products must cross to get to its intended markets. Access to international markets is crucial to any organization that seeks to expand itself. Domestic markets will often in many cases be found insufficient to support the growth targets that the companies set for themselves. They are also in many cases unable to enable an organization to recoup the investments the y may make in research and development in time. The complexity and the level of innovations in the global market is advanced and often leads to production of new and better fulfilling products. This significantly reduces the product life cycles and the companies engaging in research and development need to gain assurance that their investments can be recouped before the products lose demand. This assurance can only be found by marketing extensively in the international markets where the demand is much larger and can ably support the level of sales needed. Arcelik was motivated to focus on international markets since it had opted to distinguish itself as a research and development specialist who focused on the production of quality and durable products. These features would mean that it would need to charge relatively higher prices for the products. On the other side, the products from other European countries were finding their way into Turkey due to the zero tariff arrangement with the European countries. The entry of other products in Turkey meant that Arcelik would either have to lower their prices in order to maintain its domestic share market, or expand its operations to European and other markets in order to maintain or increase its level of sales to clients that focus more on quality, suitability and durability of the products they purchase. Arceliks options for expansion In order to realize its goal of expansion into the international markets, Arcelik has adopted a number of options to help them realize this goal. The international market entry options adopted by Arcelik include use of exports, international acquisitions, use of private label contracting, and product diversification. Organic domestic growth and use of exports Arcelik ensured growth domestically by ensuring reliable accessibility to the market using exclusive distributors and agencies who also served as centres for offering after sales services. This exclusive network also served as an entry barrier for any new market operators. Exporting entails maintaining the companys operations in the home market and selling the products in overseas markets (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). It is hailed as the least costly mode of foreign market entry but at the same time the most vulnerable to various entry barriers as government regulations. The cost effectiveness of this entry method is enhanced by the fact that it requires no involvement with the foreign governments or the companies operating in the target market. It is often seen as the best mode of entry for an organization operating on a lower scale. With subsequent growth of exports, the company may open sales agencies in the foreign markets to be the link with the companys clients overseas. By 2003, Arcelik had grown to be the leading player in Estonia and Lithuania with a market share of 25% in these two markets. It also had a commanding presence in the rest of Eastern Europe. The presence of Arceliks sales agencies helped grow significantly in Western Euro pe with a markets share of 15% in the United Kingdom. Arcelik also conducted a successful export strategy gaining a 70% market share in Romania with its Beko brand. The net effect of these exporting strategies was a significant increase in Arcetiks production capacity from 440,000 to 750,000 in 2003 and 2004 respectively (Ghemawat, 2008). International acquisitions This mode involves a company buying out another firm operating in the target market hence assuming full legal rights over it. This method is hailed as the best mode of expansion into other markets since it grants a company total control over the foreign subsidiary as well as full profits generated thereafter (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). The full control over the activities of a subsidiary is viewed as essential in ensuring they run in accordance with the philosophies of the parent company hence ensure the goals of the company are achieved as intended. The targets for acquisition would need to have the unquestionable ability to complement Arceliks growth strategies. Arcelik would also evaluate the foreign firms brands and take consideration on how these brands would help strengthen them as well as complement their capabilities. The target subsidiarys contribution to sustainable growth was also a key factor. Arceliks acquisitions in 2002 include Bloomberg, Electra, and Flavel and Leisure in Germany, Austria and the UK for the two latter brands (Ghemawat, 2008). They also acquired Arctic in Romania. The acquisitions of brands in the target markets was likely informed by the fact that many consumers tend to prefer purchasing brands that they can identify with: the brands they consider national brands. These acquisitions tremendously increased the product range offered by Arcelik and lead to its significant growth within the European markets. Use of license contracting Licensing involves the company transferring certain rights to another firm to enable it manufacture products using its brand. In licensing, the consideration that the licensor gets is only the royalty or the license fee (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). It does not take part in profit sharing or any other marketing processes of the licensee. Licensing offers the advantage of enabling a firm to avoid government regulations and other restrictive policies such as tariffs and quotas. It also enables market penetration without involving extensive capital expenditures. However, this method is highly restrictive in the level of control the company can have over the activities of the licensee. There is also the risk of the licensee gaining the technical expertise and becoming a competitor in the production of close substitutes after the expiry of the mutual arrangement. Arceliks production in 2004 comprised 40% from various licensing arrangements (Ghemawat, 2008). This complimentary effo rt helped ensure Arceliks brand presence in the Europeans markets. Diversification into other businesses within Turkey In order to enhance further growth in the domestic market, Arcelik sought to capitalize on its elaborate distribution network to provide consumers with additional products. By 2004, Arcelik was offered various types cellular phones and was already getting into arrangement with various Japanese firms to act as distributors of various electronic products. The diversification proved to be a great success and further cemented Arceliks leadership in the Turkish market. Additional Options for Expansion Arceliks ambitious goal of achieving revenues of three billion Euros in the next year may be difficult to realize unless additional methods were employed to ensure its continued growth in the international markets. Domestically, Arcelik could opt to but out local competitors in a bid to solidify its hold on the local market. This solidification would help reduce the downward pressure on its product prices by reducing the significance of competition locally. In addition, the additional channels of distribution gained through any such acquisition would act as an entry barrier to any foreign firms hence ensuring steady domestic growth. Internationally, Arcelik could embrace a number of methods to ensure its continued growth. These methods include engaging in Joint ventures, franchising and use of strategic alliances. Joint Ventures Joint ventures involve the formation of a partnership arrangement with a different company where the parent companies provide the resources to operate it, share responsibility on management, and share profits realized thereafter (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). This type of venture is especially popular where it comes to sharing the intelligence and technical knowhow required for research and development. With their determination to distinguish themselves as the masters of innovation and product development, this method can be used to ensure its rapid growth. Instead of engaging in competition with the already existing companies in the foreign market, Arcelik could identify a strategic partner who knows the market remarkably well. They could then research into the market needs in a bid to try and unveil any unsatisfied demands in the market. Having found the features lacking in the products found in the market, they could, through the joint venture develop new products that woul d suit this need and capture the unreached market. This method would be convenient to Arcelik since it would not involve many unnecessary government regulations that normally bar entry. In addition, such a venture, if well implemented would easily capture the market as it would be riding on the goodwill and distribution network of the strategic partner in the foreign market. Franchising Arcelik needs to consider franchising in order to minimize the risks involved with the licensing as it currently practices. Here, Arcelik would transfer some rights to the franchisee to produce the products under its brand but will reserve the right to provide some aspects of technical support (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). This way, Arcelik will be able to be abreast with the activities of the franchisee. In addition, in Franchising, the royalty is based on the amount of sales hence Arcelik will be able to generate higher revenues in the event the franchisor is able to realize significantly higher sales. Franchising is easy to start since the franchisor incurs minimal capital cost hence Arcelik can expand into more foreign markets with relative ease. Moreover, the franchisee assumes all the risks and foots for all costs of labour and facility establishment. The company will also be able to avoid any political risks associated with foreigners operating in national markets. Arc elik can therefore easily expand its scale of production without worrying about high capital expenditure hence edging closer to achieving the revenue targets Strategic alliances A strategic alliance differs from joint ventures in that it does not necessarily involve formation of a legal entity. Strategic alliances are formed to enable companies use each others distribution networks, technologies, production capacities, management experience and others (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). One very essential factor in ensuring product penetration in the market is the distribution network. This has been evident in the manner in which Arcelik has been able to capture the domestic market by using effective distribution networks in Turkey. Arcelik should also try to replicate this experience in the foreign markets. However, by virtue of the fact that its a foreign market, they may not have the resources to establish an effective distribution network in those markets. It would therefore be relatively more convenient to identify foreign companies with a distribution network that serves their target customers effectively, and then enter into a strategic alliance wit h them. This may be companies offering similar products or those making completely different products. When the products are easily available to the consumers, they more likely to buy these products and this would lead to an increase in the amount of sales realized by Arcelik. The strategic alliance could also involve sharing of certain technologies between the companies in question. Arcelik could choose to leave the production of a certain product components to a company with a comparative advantage in its production in exchange for providing a component which it can produce more efficiently. This exchange could lead to lowering the production cost which would be useful in helping the company become more price-competitive in the market. Conclusion Arceliks growth is mainly dependent on how the company can enter and prosper in the international markets. This is because it is already commanding the domestic market in Turkey and may have limited growth opportunities locally. Growth and diversification are often related as is evident from Arceliks company history. Arcelik has grown in the past by steadily improving on the product range that it offers to the market and this diversification should be continued to ensure continued growth.