Monday, September 30, 2019

Chinese Mencius And Xunzi On Human Nature Essay

Mencius and Xunzi both follow Confucian philosophy yet have a dramatically different understanding of human nature. Additionally, the two philosophers make their arguments in strikingly different literary methods. Mencius believes that the â€Å"goodness of human nature is like the downward course of water† (147) in that people are naturally inclined to be good, and he makes this argument through conversations among friends and public figures. In contrast, Xunzi staunchly argues that â€Å"Human nature is evil† (179) and through essays claims that human nature’s only â€Å"goodness derives from the conscious activity† (179). The two philosophers both use many metaphors to explain their own interpretation of human nature in different ways. By exploring the philosophies of these two great Confucian thinkers, one better understands the multitude of ways human nature can be explained in Confucianism throughout Chinese history. As the â€Å"single most influential contributor to a view of human nature in Confucianized East Asia† (116), Mencius’ philosophy is fundamental. Mencius argues that human nature is good, and â€Å"ru† teachings furthered natural tendencies. To explain the natural goodness of human nature Mencius shows that â€Å"the goodness of human nature is like the downward course of water. † By this he claims, â€Å"there is no human being lacking in the tendency to do good, just as there is no water lacking in the tendency to flow downward† (147). Furthermore he counters the claim that water can be manipulated to go many directions by rationalizing that, â€Å"while people can be made to do what is not good, what happens to their nature is like this†(147). Overall, this metaphor is used to show that without manipulation or outside forces, people naturally want to do good things. 1 Additionally, Mencius asserts that the innate knowledge and ability, that of the child, is original and good due to the natural human tendency toward goodness. He explains that, â€Å"what people are able to do without having learned it is original, good ability. What they know without having to think about it is original, good knowledge† (156). Furthermore he gives the practical example that, â€Å"there are no young children who do not know to love their parents† (156). Another metaphor, that of the child falling into the well, advances the idea that this innate knowledge can be found in all people. Mencius explains that a man upon seeing a, â€Å"child falling in to a well, his mind would always be filled with alarm†therefore, â€Å"all human beings have a mind that cannot bear to see the sufferings of others (129). By claiming that a man can not help but feel this alarm naturally supports Mencius’ idea that by nature humans can not bear to see the suffering of other. Finally, Mencius uses the example of Ox Mountain, which was once beautifully covered in trees but is now bare to show the transformation of the outward appearance of human nature. Upon seeing, â€Å"this barrenness, people suppose that the mountain was never wooded. But how could this be the nature of the mountain? † (151). He asks. By this Mencius illustrates that one might suppose that a man never had the capacity for goodness just because he does not now follow the Way, however just as is the mountains nature to be wooded, it is man’s nature to be good. In contrast to Mencius optimistic thoughts on human nature, Xunzi argues that, â€Å"human nature is evil; its goodness derives from the conscious activity† (179). By this Xunzi means that human nature tends towards a â€Å"fondness for profit†¦envy and hate†¦ beautiful sights and sounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"following human nature and indulging human emotions will inevitably lead to contention and strife† (180). Such a grim outlook on 2 human nature likely derives from the tremulous and violent time period in which he developed these philosophies. Xunzi’s journeys during the Warring States Period likely had an impact on his pessimistic stance on human nature. However, Xunzi explains that these low human desires can be and should be controlled and directed by means of ritual and teachings. He praises the value of teachers as a way of practicing virtue and claims, â€Å"one must be transformed by the example of a teacher and guided by the way of ritual and rightness before one will attain modestly and yielding, accord with refinement and ritual, and return to order† (180). Xunzi refutes the idea that ritual and rightness are part of human nature and instead are the result of activity through the metaphor of a potter and carpenter. Xunzi rationalizes, â€Å"a potter may mold clay and produce an earthen pot, but how could molding pots of clay be the potter’s nature? A carpenter may carve wood and produce utensils but how could carving utensils out of wood be the carpenter’s nature? † (182). In this metaphor Xunzi illustrates how rituals are the result of conscious activity, and these rituals â€Å"established models and limits in order to reform and improve the human emotional nature† (180). Without such limits to evil human nature, society would fall into chaos. Mencius, in each of his metaphors illustrates how human nature has a tendency to be good. In contrast Xunzi’s metaphors and explanations illustrate his claim that human nature is bad. Although these two thinkers differ greatly in philosophy, they share the idea that governance and personal cultivation have a close relationship. Mencius’ belief that human nature is good is related to his idea of proper governance. Leading by example allows people to follow the Way and to be in touch with their true human nature, and therefore Heaven. In contrast, Xunzi believes that evil human nature can be curbed and 3 directed through conscious activity and ritual so as to allow for order in government. Finally, the two, as â€Å"ru† thinkers, also believe in the ability of humans in general to aspire to higher personal cultivation. Mencius states, â€Å"if one does what is not good, that is not the fault of ones capacities† (149) and similarly Xunzi also claims, â€Å"The man on the street can become a Yu† (183) meaning any man on the street has the natural endowment needed to understand virtue.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Juvenile Offenders: Race and Ethnicity Essay

â€Å"Researchers have long observed differences in rates of serious juvenile and adult offending among ethnic and racial groups in the United States. These differences have prompted competing theoretical interpretations and public policy debates. However, conclusions about the racial differences in serious and violent juvenile offending have been reached primarily using individual-level data that, when used alone, yield incomplete results. Multilevel analyses that consider community and contextual factors have the potential to produce a fuller understanding of the meaning of these differences (, 2002).† This paper will first describe the racial distribution of serious and violent offending among juveniles in the United States. It will provide a picture of the short-term national trends for offending patterns by race and ethnicity and summarize research findings on racial and ethnic differences in chronic juvenile offending. Various explanations are given for the racial and ethnic differences. This paper will include recommendations for improving understandings of these differences and implications for guiding prevention and intervention efforts. Data from the 1998 UCR indicates that differential rates of arrest for crime are related to race (Snyder, 1999). Arrests of white juveniles (under age 18) constituted 71 percent of all juvenile arrests compared with 26 percent for black youth. American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian or Pacific Islanders account for 1 and 2 percent, respectively (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1999). Black youth were overrepresented, given the fact that they make up 15 percent of the juvenile population compared with 79 percent white and 5 percent other races. The distribution by index crime type varies, however. Black youth accounted for 42 percent of arrests for violent crime compared with 55 percent for white youth (3 percent were youth of other races). Black youth, when compared with white youth, were most overrepresented in arrests for robbery (54 percent and 43 percent, respectively) and murder and non-negligent manslaughter (49 percent and 47 percent, respectively). Black youth were least disproportionately involved in arson arrests (18 percent and 80 percent, respectively) (Snyder, 1999; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1999). Juvenile involvement in crime by race has been generally consistent over the past several decades (LaFree, 1995). However, the racial gap in rates of homicide widened dramatically between 1986 and 1994. Black youth were responsible for the majority of the increase in homicides by juveniles in these years â€Å"and for the majority of the decline thereafter† (Snyder and Sickmund, 1999). If all serious crime is considered, a more complex picture emerges. Between 1983 and 1992, the juvenile arrest rates for all types of violent crimes increased 82 percent among white youth and 43 percent among black youth (Snyder and Sickmund, 1995). The pattern of change was greatest for robbery and homicide arrest rates. In 1983, black youth were approximately five times more likely to be arrested for homicide than were white youth; in 1992, that ratio was more than seven to one. What is the meaning of these race-specific trends in violence? Blumstein (1995) attributed the growth of youth homicide to illicit drug markets into which youth had been recruited. Juveniles working in these markets armed themselves, and so the use of guns was â€Å"diffused† to other teenagers in the community. The notion of gun diffusion is supported by the concomitant increase in the homicide rate among black juveniles from 1986 to 1994 but has not been supported by other research (Howell, 1997). More comparative research is needed to understand racial and ethnic differences in rates of offending. In this area of research, a number of case studies were conducted in several U.S. cities in the 1980’s among youth of Hispanic ancestry. Between 1980 and 1985, homicide arrest rates for 10 to 17 year old Hispanics in New York City were more than twice those of whites (Rodriguez, 1988). In southern California, the homicide death rate for 15 to 24 year old Latino males during 1980 was more than four times the rate for white Anglo males (Valdez, Nourjah, and Nourjah, 1988). At the same time in Chicago, Latino males between ages 15 and 19 were homicide victims 4 ½ times more often than non-Latino white males (Block, 1988). These findings suggest the importance of taking ethnicity into consideration when examining youth violence data. Another factor to consider when interpreting racial and ethnic differences is the length of time and degree to which youth are involved in serious crime. UCR data are not helpful in this regard. However, a few longitudinal studies have shed some light on this issue using official data. Relying on police data from a 1945 Philadelphia cohort, Wolfgang, Figlio, and Sellin (1972) found that race and socioeconomic status were related to the frequency and seriousness of offenses. These findings were confirmed using the 1958 Philadelphia cohort. However, more data are needed to fully understand the relationship between race and chronic offending. Researchers and criminologists have long been aware of racial and ethnic differences in serious juvenile offending. Interpreting these disparities, however, is another matter; no one theory has adequately addressed the reasons for them. Criminologists have not paid enough attention to the extent to which socioeconomic disparity accounts for differences in rates of violence, even though they have tended to attribute high rates of crime to economic disadvantages. These omissions are in part due to reliance on individual-level data to identify those persons most likely to offend. However, individual-centered research is unlikely to improve understanding of the group differences. It does not take into consideration the larger socio-structural characteristics that distinguish groups and individuals. For example, the developmental life courses of blacks and whites in the United States are affected by their membership in historically distinct social and economic groups. Community-level research can be used to study this larger context and offer great potential in interpreting the meaning of racial and ethnic differences in offending. Reference Blumstein, A. 1995. Youth violence, guns, and the illicit-drug industry. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 86(1):10-36. Howell, J.C. 1997. Youth gang homicides, drug trafficking, and program interventions. In Juvenile Justice and Youth Violence, edited by J.C. Howell. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., pp. 115-132. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1999. Crime in the United States 1998. Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Snyder, H.N. 1999. Juvenile Arrests 1998. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Snyder, H.N., and Sickmund, M. 1995. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A National Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Snyder, H.N., and Sickmund, M. 1999. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Wolfgang, M.E., Figlio, R.M., and Sellin, T. 1972. Delinquency in a Birth Cohort. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Global Marketing and Advertising Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Marketing and Advertising - Assignment Example Such is an effective strategy that ensures that they develop advertising contents that resonate with the uniqueness of the respective markets. Key among the factors that influence the decisions to localize advertising is the fact that emerging markets become the most lucrative markets for some of the leading global brands. They must, therefore, find appropriate ways of penetrating the unique markets. Hollensen, (2004) asserts that localizing advertisement is vital since it limits the costs of marketing to the prevailing marketing costs in any given market. Introducing a new product in a new market requires the company to employ appropriate brand development strategies. Developing a brand requires the effective introduction of the product a feature that validates the localized advertising. Any company such as those marketing whiskeys like Johnnie Walker cannot employ the same marketing strategies it uses in the United States in such a new country as China. The United States is an established market. Johnnie Walker is a stable brand and a market leader in the country. In China, Johnnie Walker is a new brand with the company barely introducing its products. The company, therefore, uses localized advertising in China with the view to introducing and developing a brand in the country as it has in the United States. In emerging markets, the company uses basic target market strategies such as the marketing mix. The marketing mix is a vital introductory and product developmental strategy that presents specific features of a product (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991). Key among such features is the product itself, the price of the product, place, and promotion. The attractiveness of the emerging markets often enhances the development of a scramble for the market. This requires strategic yet aggressive marketing that validates the use of the marketing mix since it presents the price of a product as a major competitive advantage.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Scholarship award Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Award - Scholarship Essay Example My previous career choice was that of a personal trainer. This was an offshoot of my highly active lifestyle. I was taking such good care of my body and keeping so fit that it was no surprise for the people who knew me when I began training other people as well. That is why my mothers cancer battle came as such a big blow to me. Yet I used her battle to inspire me to do better as a physical trainer, hoping that I could prevent the onset of such debilitating illnesses upon my own clients when I could not prevent it from happening to my own mother. But as time progressed, I came to understand that a personal trainer could only help his clients to a certain extent. I need to study further and concentrate on more advanced subjects relating to the human body and as far as I was concerned, only Biology could help me do that. Studying Biology has been an enjoyable experience for me as I am able to connect my knowledge about exercise with the information that I became exposed to in my biology related courses. I am actually looking forward to finishing this degree very soon so that I move on to my Physical Therapy studies where I plan on combining my experience as a personal trainer with my knowledge of the human body which I learned in biology in the hopes of being able to help more people lead healthy and productive lives. I would not have been in a financial position to actively pursue these socially conscious ambitions of mine without the help of this scholarship grant as the education that I am pursuing comes at a very steep price that is not affordable to many college

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Conceptual Models to Represent Relationships Essay

Conceptual Models to Represent Relationships - Essay Example Now that the project is concluded, we have edited it and made a digital copy. It is now necessary to make a decision on which is the best way to examine the information collected to best understand the interviewees and the issues that they reported about their experience at the restaurant. Â  Hypothesis: i/ Customers with two or more children are more likely to drive over three miles to the restaurant than customers with one child., are more likely to drive more than 3 miles to come to the Restaurant compared to those with only one child. Â  The best techniques to test the above hypothesis and relationships are ANOVA three to four means, CHI-SQUARE, and the T-TEST. These techniques were chosen after analyzing the types of data that we collected. Each technique analyzes data in a different way. Â  The ANOVA technique was selected because it is useful for finding statistical variation between three or more averages. For example, question twelve asks customers if they think Santa Fe Grill has friendly employees. The data is taken from single, married and divorced customers, so the statistical technique that can be used will be ANOVA. Â  The Chi-square was selected because it can be used to examine relationships involving nominally scaled data, unlike other statistical techniques. This technique was used for question number 32 where customers are supposed to classify their sexual orientation and other similar questions such as a question that asks the surveyed to indicate marital status. Â  

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Change Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Change Management - Research Paper Example It has its extensive presence in every domain of the society. In the context of modern day business scenario, change is an important part of operational process of the companies irrespective of the industry that they are operating in. In the healthcare sector, with the increased level of business market competition and altering nature of customer demands, change has become quite crucial by a certain degree. However, it cannot be ignored that there exist a proper process of change management, which helps in building a systematic framework and enabling proper implementation of the change proposed (Reiss, 2012). Contextually, this paper will work towards initiating change in a particular healthcare organization, which will comprise analyzing the need for change and the strategies for making that change successful. Identification of Change and Why Identifying the change, which is to be undertaken, is quite vital with regard to build a systematic process for the same. It can be stated tha t the change will be suggested with analyzing the clinical environment of a particular healthcare unit. ... ealthcare unit is observed to be below standards in conducting their certain operational activities in accordance with the norms along with the standards set for the overall industry. Observably, the healthcare unit is seen to be lacking in the practice of hand hygiene. According to the report of CHICA (2013), there are millions of people who often get infected from nosocomial infection due to having deficiency in this particular practice. Hand hygiene, in the healthcare sector provides certain guidelines to both healthcare patients and the professionals in the workplace, so that they mitigate with the rising problems arising from non-adherence to the same (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). In this regard, change such as implementation of Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines will be initiated in the healthcare unit. It provides certain strict guidelines with regard to maintain hand hygiene in the unit to ensure enhancement in the performance of the organizatio n (CHICA, 2013). The healthcare unit is also seen to be lacking in providing quality services to the patients. It has been apparently observed that the healthcare organization possesses the responsibility to serve people with utmost integrity and responsibility. However, in analyzing the particular healthcare unit, it has been noted that the satisfaction level of the customers acquiring services from this unit is quite low, which further is a serious threat for the well being of the patients and the performance of the unit altogether. Hence, in this regard, proper implementation of NAHQ based Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice will be initiated as a change in the operation of the healthcare unit, further making sure that the healthcare unit work totally in compliance with the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Contract Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Contract Process - Essay Example onal Development Professional of Coca-Cola Company, I will create several contract process intervention measures to ensure that the profitability of the company and employees morale is increases as well as ensure that the company market share increases. Among the intervention measures that will be undertaken include; application of contracting tools and techniques. Among the tools and techniques to be employed are defining the proper contract process that should be followed by the company. A Contract process in this case will involve; initiation phase, bidding phase, contract development phase, contract management phase and closure phase. The above phases should be strictly adhered to ensure that Coca-Cola Company does not lose its financial resources via awarding supply contracts to unqualified contractors. The Initiation phase further focuses at defining the contract requirements as well as activities that must be fulfilled. In this phase a contract is determine where it is a contr act of sale, procurement contract, commercial agreements, a contract of partnership among others forms of contract (Frey, 2012). Under the bidding phase, the organization invites highly qualifiers vendors to apply for the contract. The organization stipulates the qualifications for that must be met by the applicants prior submitting their application. This may involve submission of necessary documents required, amount of cash and the procedure that the applicants should follow when submitting their bids. After the applicants have submitted their bids the contract management committee reviews their application and invite the most appropriate applicant to sign the contract. The contract move into another phase known as contract development phase where the project is being monitored and financial resources utilized to enable efficient execution of the contract. The contract management phase is also undertaken to ensure that resources are properly utilized for proper execution of the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Technical writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technical writing - Essay Example The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit proposals in a bid to identify a candidate or organization, conduct a fair and extensive evaluation on the criteria listed thereafter and contract him/her to best represent the aspirations of Peter’s International schools as far as professional development of programs in the area of disproportionality is concerned. Literature Review Disproportionality may not be purely pegged on the individual talents by the students but also on the administrative aspect of the management of the school; the infrastructure and transformation of curriculum, and other extra-curriculum programs which in one way or the other helps in the personal development of the students which in turn promotes the academic achievement in a balanced manner (Wiggan, 12). Peter’s International Schools is a network of schools started in 1999 in New York with outlets in Canada, United Kingdom and Belarus, that specializes with â€Å"high school† lev el of education and learning admitting children of 7-17 years of age. As part of the initial research and implementation procedure, Peter’s International schools would recommend school-based focus group discussions as the immediate and appropriate resources to be used to help evaluate the causes and mitigation programs in areas of disproportionality in academic achievement. Purpose of the Project The current education programs used by Peter’s International Schools is based on 2002 curriculum revision and the management has determined they are not effective in providing unique high school education in terms of syllabus coverage and personal development of our students at all levels. Additionally the programs have not been reliable in incorporating science and technology/ innovations in the subjects tackled and they have been fruitless in integrating academic performance across the school’s network. By developing, designing, implementing and conducting professiona l development in the areas of disproportionality in academic achievement across our network of schools, will enable identification of areas that need attention in a bid to level academic achievement of our students, be at par with science and technology/innovations in our curriculum and have a competitive advantage in provision of learning services globally. Project Description Peter’s International Schools is seeking to adopt new and friendly programs that will promote incorporation of science and technology in the curriculum subjects; simple to apply and assimilate both locally and by the international students, programs that will necessitate easy transition to new programs in future without affecting the development of students, and those that will help in reducing the variation in academic achievement among the students in the school’s network. The design should be flexible to accommodate different ages accommodated in our schools and allow smooth implementation wi thin the next five years. In addition the design and development procedures should explicitly define the ways to deal with the disproportionality in academic achievements and give real figures of the expected results within the first five years of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

An analysis for Lewis'relection following the death of his wife Assignment

An analysis for Lewis'relection following the death of his wife - Assignment Example Events involving loss or separation may occur throughout our lives (Lendrum & Syme 2004) but death is a particular form of loss that is very different from the loss of innocence or control, such as in sexual abuse or rape; or loss of status and income such as in retrenchment or unemployment. It is also vastly different from the loss of dreams or ambition such as in the birth of a disabled child. Death is not only devastating, it is final, (Lendrum & Syme 2004) and any counselling that occurs must take into consideration that bereaved persons understand this in different ways. Different individuals have varying concepts on what death brings, not only to them as the bereaved, but to the person who has died (Walton 1996). Not everyone believes in the hereafter, and that souls are reunited after death. Not all believers share the same concepts about death and resurrection (Duffey 2007). There are many variations on both philosophies. C S Lewis is well known for his Christian outlook, with an understanding that eternal life lies ahead for all souls, but a variety of these concepts exist in the community (Blank 2009). In addition, the shock of bereavement can give any person a new insight into their long-held beliefs. So allowances must be made; and jumping to conclusions, or making presumptions, must be avoided if possible (Kubler-Ross & Kessler 2007) . Just as C S Lewis had to redress his faith when his beloved wife died (Lewis 2001), many of those recently bereaved experience a shift in attitude - no matter how long they were held - that comes through shock and disbelief. Initial distress can often register as physical pain (Malkinson 2007). Lewis suffered from osteoporosis, so he was no stranger to pain, but the loss of ‘H’ struck him like an ache from which there was no relief (Lewis 2001). Reaction to the death of someone

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Advertising Uses Essay Example for Free

Advertising Uses Essay Advertising: Information tool, manipulation tool, or Beyond? The impact of advertising in our society is a fiercely debated topic, and has been ever since its conception in its most basic form. Advertisers make their ads stand out by using humor, ongoing story lines, unexpected dialogue, unusual techniques, attention-getting spokespersons, or simply by repeating the ads so often that people can’t help but remember them. According to the majority advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to inform or persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. This is not a surprise, advertisements are everywhere. Society is so used to it that they just see it as a tool for letting others know about a product. The majority sees advertisement as an information tool. Unfortunately advertising doesn’t have that purpose anymore. According to Chuck Blore said: â€Å"Advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it†. Just until the 1800’s advertising was an information tool, then it became a manipulation tool because of mass production during the industrial revolution. Everything stayed the same until the 21st century. This century had changed the whole concept of advertising, now advertising is something beyond information or manipulation. Advertising is a tool to create costumers (yes, create!). Now publicists create needs, preferences, beliefs, points of views, and everything they need to get money without measuring their acts. Advertisers are changing customers’ true desires instead of selling their products to the ones who needs them. Advertisers create needs. Its not true that every time someone sees a Burger King ad he/she is hungry, its just part of the advertiser’s job. They make every ad incredibly appealing so that everyone who sees it believes that he needs a burger right away, or at least something to eat. Haven’t you noticed that those kinds of ads are always close enough to the respective restaurant, and it’s not just in the food business that advertisers create needs? They do it in every opportunity they have, such as apparels, technology, etc. Advertisers create preferences. They build desires and preferences every time they have to present a product that isn’t for everyone. Advertisers show products as unique and incredible. The costumers believe they need them right away. What advertisers do is create an image of a product that will make costumers buy it without thinking it twice; it will create such a huge desire for that product that costumers will feel the need for buying it even though it can be a product that they wouldn’t be interested before the ad. Advertisers create beliefs and points of view. They do everything for achieve their selling goals; they don’t care about the costumer real desires. Advertising is in such a position that it can make costumers change the way they see themselves, the way they see others, and they way they feel about their lives. In this case there are examples such as all the commercials with models that make costumers feel insecure with their bodies (no matter the gender). Also ads that insist with the idea of getting thinner with machines or pills â€Å"without doing exercise† making costumers believe that everything works. Advertisers create perceived difference and make them feel that a particular product is different. Most of the time the difference is simply the audience the company wants to target. Unfortunately one of the biggest consequences of abusive advertisement is that most of the advertisers are targeting kids affecting their way of thinking and all their interests. Kids fourteen and under spend an estimated $20 billion a year and influence purchases by parents, grandparents, and others to the tune of $200 billion a year. As a result, advertisers spend big bucks to reach kids: an estimated $800 million for programs alone. Experts say that children are particularly vulnerable to the persuasive effects of advertising, especially television commercials. â€Å"Kids are the most pure consumers you could have,† says Debra McMahon, a vice-president at Mercer Management Consulting. â€Å"They tend to interpret your ad literally. They are infinitely open.† The child as in-house salesperson is a powerful friend to advertisers. Because of this, some advertisers are very concerned with the society, because a lot of advertisers are just trying to sell the product witho ut limits. They don’t think about the audience that can see their ads. Advertising has become really intense during the past years. They are trying to sell their products or services without a limit, without respecting the costumers. It should be controlled, definitely. Advertising, too, should be held to the truth, as many people take it at face value and ingenuously believe all or most of what is said. That’s why there are associations promoting responsible advertising like the International Advertising Association (IAA) and Advertising Educational Foundation. Also there are advertising ethics that are being discussed, ethics that should be present when an ad comes out for the rest of the world. Advertising should be more socially responsible, because advertising is just one of the most important social influences in a capitalistic economy, like ours. And using media as its vehicle is a pervasive, powerful force shaping attitudes and behavior in todays world. As the media grows, the number of advertisements increases everyday and it plays a substantial role in people’s life because we are bombarded with thousands of advertising messages daily. The industry should concentrate more on the advertising ethics, and how to satisfy the consumers, instead of manipulating the consumer into buying their product, misinforming, tricking people for their own financial gain and creating negative social impacts. Advertising must be truthful, not misleading, ambiguous, or make wrong factual claims that can get consumers to buy inferior products thinking these products can deliver more. Advertising should be creative, and who says you can’t direct your creative abilities towards projects that aim to do good? Advertising should be responsible, so that it helps to contribute a positive effect on our society and the environment. I do not wish to see advertising eliminated from the contemporary world, because it is an important element in todays society, especially in the functioning of a market economy, which is becoming more and more widespread. I do wish that the world of advertising change and can be limited to be used as an information tool, not manipulation or â€Å"beyond that†, and hopefully in the future we’ll have the chance to see on magazines, billboards and TVs ethical and responsible ads, because as Chris Moore said once â€Å"Advertisers are in the business of communicating with thousands, even millions, of others all the time. That gives us thousands or millions of chances to practice what we believe every day. And try to get it right†. References Day, Nancy. Advertising: Information or manipulation? Enslow Publisher, 1999. Scivicque, Christine. December de 2007. February de 2011.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Future of Global Oil Production

The Future of Global Oil Production WORLD’S OIL PRODUCTION: HISTORICAL REFERENCE AND PROJECTIONS Background The level of the oil production is influenced by a wide variety of factors. Following a basic principle, the demand is the reference element against which production (i.e. supply) is always analyzed. Yet, apart from demand there are many other factors that influence, either directly or indirectly, the oil production. To quote only a few of such factors with direct influence one might mention: the fluctuating oil price, the socio-economic framework, the political stability, the fiscal and regulatory regime(s), the technological breakthroughs etc. On the axis listing the rather indirect factors, but also having a huge influence on the level of the world’s oil production, are other factors: sustainable investment environment, availability of financial resources, evolution of the transportation sector, environmental concerns etc. For sure, not even a small portion of all factors with influence on the level of production has been exhausted. In order to deal with such broad variety of factors (each having potentially substantial influence on the oil production and some of them having an intrinsic fluctuating nature) private companies, organizations (e.g. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), international bodies (e.g. International Energy Agency) or national monitoring bodies (e.g. US Energy Information Administration) put forward scenarios which are ultimately used for creating mid-term/ long-term strategies and/ or for making investment decisions in the dynamic arena of the oil and gas activity. Oil demand to 2035 As in most of the current scenario planning methods, in the 2014 IEA’s World Energy Outlook (â€Å"WEO-2014†) several scenarios are envisaged (i.e. New Policies Scenario[1] which is the central scenario to WEO-2014, the Current Policies Scenario[2] and the 450 Scenario[3]). During the 13 November 2014 Conference held in Vienna for promoting the release of the WEO-2014, IEA’s Chief Economist Fatih Birol mentioned that one of the key questions analysts are trying to answer is whether oil production will keep up in the future with the oil demand. The reason for analyzing this aspect in great detail lies in the fact that the energy demand is estimated to grow with a staggering 37% till 2040 (compared against the year of 2012)[4]. Within the energy mix, oil demand is supposed to rise from 90.1 mb/d in 2013[5] to 102.8 mb/d in 2035[6] and even to 103.9 mb/d till 2040 in the New Policies Scenario. In the Current Policies Scenario the oil demand increase is even more drastic: in 2040 the world demand will reach 116 mb/d! Both scenarios mentioned do not envisage a peak in the oil demand by 2040 which means that the mankind will actually need more oil to cover its needs in the years to follow after 2040. Only the 450 Scenario envisages a peak in the oil de mand already by around 2020[7] as the efficiency on the CO2 emissions is supposed to exhibit its effects by then; following said period the oil demand will decline and revert to the 1990s levels. Illustrating once more that the mankind’s faith lies actually in our hands, more specifically, in the policies to be implemented (or not) by 2040, it is worthwhile highlighting the deviations in energy demand (so not just oil demand) from the reference scenario (i.e. New Policies Scenario): in the Current Policies Scenario, the total energy demand will be higher with 10% (i.e. +1.746 Mtoe) than in the New Policies Scenario, while the 450 Scenario envisages a lower energy demand by 15% (i.e. -2.663 Mtoe) compared to the New Policies Scenario. In the energy mix envisaged in 2040, each of the three fossil fuels (i.e. oil, gas, coal) and the renewable sources play an equal role (i.e. each getting approx. a quarter), but with oil retaining its position as the largest single fuel in the global energy mix[8]. Similarly to IEA, OPEC’s 2014 World Oil Outlook (â€Å"WOO†) makes its own forecast, but the figures are slightly higher as it is envisaged in the reference case a steeper increase in the oil demand which is forecasted to reach 108 mb/ in 2035 and even 111 mb/d in 2040[9] (i.e. slightly lower – with 0.5 mb/d than forecasted in the WOO 2013). The figures provided by IEA WEO 2014, in terms of oil demand for the reference case are similar to the ones provided by OPEC’s WOO 2014 for the lower economic growth scenario which refers to a 102 mb/d oil demand in 2035 and 104.2 mb/d in 2040[10]. The higher economic growth scenario envisaged by WOO 2014 exhibits an oil demand of 112 mb/d in 2035 and almost 116 mb/d in 2040[11]. The main driving forces behind such steep demand increase are stemming from the developing economies (particularly China, India and Middle East[12]). In OECD countries, it is envisaged that the energy efficiency policies will come into play with a more significant impact than so far and, consequently, OECD oil demand will drop by almost 25% from 41 mb/d in 2013 to 31 mb/d in 2040 (OECD oil demand peaked already in 2005) with the US seeing the largest fall in absolute terms. Will oil production peak? After looking at the estimations of what oil quantities the world will need in the following decades, can it be stated that the production will keep up with such high demand? The good news is that the remaining technically recoverable resources of oil are sufficient to meet anticipated demand in all three scenarios[13]. The 2013 registered oil production was of 89.4 mb/d[14], according to IEA. As a significant milestone, all scenarios highlight the period around the 2020s when the North American unconventional production peaks (and subsequently it starts to decline). Yet, in the New Policies Scenario, the oil production growth will be supported mainly by the Middle East countries (i.e. OPEC’s quota raises from 36.8 mb/d in 2013 to 49.5 mb/d in 2040 when it will account for 49% of the total output) as well as by Canada and Brazil. Only the 450 Secenario, similar to the demand related projection, shows a production that will peak around 2020s when it will reach 93.4 mb/d[15]. By 2040, the 450 Scenario reflects an oil production declined up to 71.9 mb/d. OPEC’s WOO 2014[16] projects an oil production growth up to 108 mb/d by 2035 and even 111 mb/d by 2040. In its projection released on 9 September 2014, the US Energy Information Administration forecasts, in its reference case, an overall oil output increase reaching 99.1 mb/d[17] by 2040 (rather close to IEA’s 2014 New Policies Scenario). Conclusion All scenarios show that on a mid-term perspective oil supply and demand will both grow. All scenarios (except the 450 Scenario) show that on a long term oil supply and demand will grow. The 450 Scenario envisages a peak demand and supply around the 2020s. Some elements present high uncertainty (e.g. US tight oil, Brazil deepwater development, Canadian oil sands, Middle East stability etc) and their evolution over the next decades will be of utmost interest. Another heavy weight factor for the interdependency with the oil production supply and demand will be the evolution of the oil price. And another element which may produce positive surprises which will be worth following are the technological breakthroughs (if any). Therefore, the world’s business community will have to closely monitor all these elements and will have to factor them into the strategic business decisions to be made in the following years! [1] The New Policies Scenario takes into consideration the policies and implementing measures that have been adopted as of mid 2014 as well as the implementation of the policy proposals (even if they are yet to be formally approved). [2] The Current Policies Scenario takes into consideration only the policies enacted until mid 2014. [3] The 450 Scenario is not purely a scenario, but it rather sets a final target (i.e. limiting the temperature increase over the next years to only 2 degrees Celsius) and works out backwards to identify the decisions/ actions that have to be accomplished in order to meet this threshold. [4] World Energy Outlook 2014, page 55 [5] Idem, page 98 [6] Ibidem [7] Idem, page 97 [8] IEA WEO 2014, page 96 [9] OPEC World Oil Outlook 2014, page 72, available at http://www.opec.org/opec_web/static_files_project/media/downloads/publications/WOO_2014.pdf [10] Idem, page174 [11] Ibidem. [12] See Figure 3.2 in the IAE’s WEO 2014, page 100 [13] IEA, WEO 2014, page 110 [14] Idem, page 115. The OPEC WOO 2014 refers (under page 79) to an oil production of 90 mb/d. In both cases, the â€Å"oil production† includes, apart from the crude oil production, the NGL as well as the unconventional oil production. [15] IEA, WEO 2014, page 115. [16] WOO 2014, page 82 [17] See â€Å"Table A5. World crude and lease condensate production by region and country† available at http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/ieo_tables.cfm

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Aztec Civilization Essay -- essays research papers

The Aztec Indians created a great civilization in Central Mexico, reaching its peak in the 1500’s. Being late arrivals to the area, and because of their strong neighboring nations, they were forced to live in the swampy western areas of the Lake Texcoco. Because of the swampy surroundings, the Aztecs used mud to create miniature islands in the swamps. These islands are called chinampas, or “floating gardens,'; and were used as farming lands. On these fertile islands they grew corn, squash, vegetables, and flowers. Being an agriculturally dependant empire, the Aztec’s religion was based highly on the forces of nature and worshipped them as gods. The god of war, Huitzilopochtli, was the most important deity. They had many other important gods, such as Tlaloc, the god of rain, Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind and of learning, and Tenochtitlan, the sun god. The Aztecs believed in order to appease these and many other gods that they needed to perform human sacrifices. The main purpose of the great Aztec pyramids was, in fact, human sacrifices. They also believed that there were “lucky'; and “unlucky'; days for baptism and to declare war on, which were decided by a priest. Most art and architecture in the Aztec civilization was based on their religion. There are many brightly colored murals and paintings on walls and on bark which depict religious ceremonies, along with large idols of gods. One of the most amazing and famous of the...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Attitudes towards women, and their role in American Musical Theatre. Es

Attitudes towards women, and their role in American Musical Theatre. For my essay, I am going to look at the attitudes towards women, both from men and other women, and the significant role that that women had in telling the stories in American musical theatre. Showboat was the first musical of its kind. Up to this point, musicals consisted of songs and dances, with often feeble storylines based around the big stars. Showboat had a real story, adapted from a novel, and both the singing and dancing told the story. At the beginning of Showboat, after we have been introduced to the main characters, we hear the main female characters attitude towards men and love. 'Fish got to swim, birds got to fly, I got to love one man till I die. Can't help lovin' dat man of mine.' Julie seems like a surrogate mother to Magnolia, giving her advice, as we see Magnolia's relationship with her own mother is very strained. Parthy doesn't want her daughter to have anything to do with the stage or Ravenal, the two things her daughter is most passionate about. Julie, on the other hand, just offers Magnolia advice and listens to her. We see Magnolia and Parthy's differences highlighted by the composer's use of the perfect fourth to show Magnolias closeness with the river, and the augmented fourth or tritone to show Parthy's distance from the river and its ideals. We see a mother-daughter relationship, where the mother wants one thing for her daughter and her daughter wants the opposite. The action in the musical then jumps forward and we see a now married Magnolia, destitute in a boarding house. She has been abandoned by Ravenal, just as her mother predicted. We then see Julie, now an alcoholic, who has also been abandoned by her husband. Magnolia comes to audition for a job where Julie is working. She sings 'can't help lovin' dat man' and Julie leaves her job so Magnolia can have it. Magnolia doesn't see Julie, but Julie supports her in this way. The musical ends happily, with Magnolia, Ravenal and their daughter Kim being reunited. Showboat was totally revolutionary, and tackled issues that had never been looked at through this medium before. It paved the way for all kinds of other issues to do with women to be looked at. Porgy and Bess was a totally new concept. Not only did it have a black cast, but it showed the life t... ... but out of place in the liberal seventies. In conclusion, the attitude towards women has changed and developed with that in the developed world. Musicals have both reflected this, whilst at the same time maintaining a continuity of strong female characters. Musicals, whilst being looked at as 'light entertainment,' constantly looked at new issues, often to do with women, to challenge their audiences and society at large. The role women played was obviously integral to the musical's stories as well as also in raising these issues. The roles women played varied widely from mother, daughter, strong, weak, and authoratitive. The issues varied from domestic violence to single parents, and forced society to pay attention to the way these were affecting women's lives. This focus helped play a part in getting equal rights for women and reflects on the society we have today. Bibliography Enchanted Evenings - Geoffery Block Rodgers and Hammerstein Ethan Morden Gonzl's book of the Musical theatre Kurt Gonzl and Andrew Lamb The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter Hamish Hamilton http://musicals.net http://libretto.musicals.ru http://www.stlyrics.com

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis Essay

a. What, if any, ethical issue is involved in this case? Legally the financial vice president is not obligated to move to the new standard; however, I do see an ethical issue with this decision. The ethical decision lies in the fact that the vice president is knowingly presenting financial statements that do not reflect the true condition of the company. This is a great example of the line between ethics and law. Technically, if one is not breaking a law, then one is not creating fraud; however, this does not imply that the actions are not controversial, particularly if they impact employees’ well beings. As CPA and auditors, it is not our job to remove risk. FASB gives detailed rules-based guidance because in our current litigious environment companies have proven over and over again that management needs this guidance to ensure that transactions are reported consistently and appropriately. Ethics are suppose to go beyond the court room. In my opinion, in practice when applying principles, one is to meet legal expectations while being trustworthy. b. Is the financial vice president acting improperly or immorally? I do believe that the vice president is acting inappropriately because he knows that the report does not reflect a fair presentation of the company’s financial condition. The objective of general purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the business that is useful to present and potential equity investors, lenders, and creditors in making decisions in their capacity as capital providers. Information that is decision-useful to capital investors is also used by managers and executives to make important, impactful determinations about business operations. c. What does Hoger have to gain by advocacy of early implementation? Hoger’s promotion shows her responsibility to the public’s trust, her complex body of knowledge, and her strength and competiveness of work done. Her awareness and forwardness can prevent the company from making unhealthy decisions. Hoger may not see the immediate impact in her career for her actions, but the world of accounting is an industry where good praise will spread quickly and go far. Her unconventional forwardness and emphasis on credibility and dependability is seen by the vice president and all involved. She is a true professional. If the vice president’s final decision is followed through, then hopefully she’ll be permitted to make a note in the financial statements or speak to her point when the deceitfulness of the statements is brought to the surface. I also like to think that she’ll sleep better at night. d. Who might be affected by the decision against early implementation? Those currently invested in the company, potential investors, lenders, and other creditors will be impacted. Information that is decision-useful to capital investors is also used by managers and executives to make important, impactful determinations about business operations. Ironically, by pretending the problem is not present, the vice president is creating a huge revenue-impacting nightmare for his company and setting-up for his own downfall. He is presenting phony information that will cause poor business decisions to be made by managers and executives of the company. The (unknown to be poor at the time) poor decisions can snowball into excess expenses, horrendous operational and production process changes, and lay-offs. This will all fall on the vice president’s shoulders, as explanations will be demanded as to how the company’s position quickly changed. The desired consequence is to always apply sound accounting principles to information and supply results to exte rnal users to show the company’s resource allocation process. Per the text, the objective of a theory is to explain and predict. challenges relates to real or perceived differences between U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and IFRS with respect to their underlying philosophies.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Knowledge and Power

Knowledge is power – or is it?   The assertion that knowledge is power has been variously attributed to Sir Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein, as well as many other notable and obscure figures.   But perhaps Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, and Richard Wright all know otherwise, as demonstrated in their respective stories:   â€Å"The Worn Path,† â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find,† and â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost A Man.† These stories each show that knowledge is not an absolute bestower of power; that power does not logically and necessarily follow once one possesses knowledge.   Neither are the terms knowledge and power mutually exclusive, but, as can be seen in the following analysis of the short stories mentioned above, the power resulting from knowledge only comes if the person possessing the knowledge knows how to use it, and if the person then also feels powerful.   The power gained from knowledge is not an absolute power, but is, to a certain extent, subjective. Let us first look at Phoenix Jackson, the central character in Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path† and perhaps the most powerful character in any of the three stories.     Phoenix has gained knowledge, and therefore power, from years of quietly studying human behavior, from paying close attention to her surroundings, and from her own self-awareness of how she affects others in the world.   Phoenix Jackson might appear at first glance to be lacking any power: she is an elderly, frail-looking woman whose eyesight is failing. Phoenix is also a very poor woman with few valuable possessions; poor people in her position are virtually always seen as lacking power.   However, upon closer observation the reader can see that Phoenix is a very powerful woman indeed.   Phoenix uses her knowledge of her physical surroundings to enable her to move about in a rather dangerous world, full of obstacles both animate and inanimate.   On her journey into town Phoenix encounters many potential dangers, but because she is knowledgeable about their existence, she avoids harm.   This capacity to keep herself safe is one trait which makes her a powerful woman. Phoenix even appears to use visualization to help her get across the creek; her ability to visualize the log and her safe passage is another form of knowledge which makes her powerful.   Phoenix has â€Å"body knowledge† – she has developed the capacity to remember where her body should go, even as her eyesight fails her.   The reason this body knowledge makes Phoenix powerful is that she is conscious of the knowledge and of how to use it; for example, when Phoenix reaches the city and â€Å"depended on her feet to know where to take her.† (Welty, p. 5).   Later in the story we see Phoenix walking up the steps of her destination, â€Å"until her feet knew to stop.† (Welty, p. 6) Phoenix Jackson has also gained power during her long life with her knowledge about human behavior.   Phoenix knows how to use both her own self as well as others’ reactions for her own purposes.   Phoenix is seen manipulating the white hunter so that she can put his fallen money into her own pocket.   Phoenix knows, after only a very brief encounter, that the hunter’s ego can be easily manipulated for her own purposes.   The hunter wishes to appear strong and in control, which Phoenix knows as she reminds the hunter that she needs to be â€Å"rescued† from the cur which ahs knocked her over.   Phoenix is able to pocket the money while the hunter is occupied with ridding her of the dog. One cannot manipulate others without possessing some sort of power, and powerful Phoenix is seen manipulating others at least twice more as the story proceeds.  Ã‚   Phoenix knows, almost instinctively it seems, who she can stop on the street to ask for assistance with her shoes.   But this small gesture is full of knowledge; Phoenix could have stopped any number of people on the busy street, but consciously chose to stop a certain woman.   Perhaps Phoenix knew that this particular woman would be more inclined to help her, as she appears to be a â€Å"nice lady† (Welty, p. 6) full of Christmas spirit, heavy as her arms are with presents. Phoenix again uses her knowledge about human behavior in order to manipulate the attendant at the clinic, who feels compelled to give a pitiful old woman some money.   It is not clear whether Phoenix is manipulating the nurse in order to get medication for herself or whether she does indeed have a grandson waiting at home, but the nurse is manipulated by Phoenix nevertheless, as she uses her age as an excuse for memory loss. The grandmother in Flannery O’ Connor’s short story, â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find,† is not so self-aware as Phoenix and it is her failure to use her knowledge powerfully which gets her killed in the end.   The grandmother does indeed have knowledge but somehow is unable to use it to her advantage. It is an interesting side-note that the grandmother, the mother, and Red Sam’s wife are the only characters in O’Connor’s story who are not given names; even the cat has a name.   Perhaps O’Connor used this as a subtle indicator of who did and did not have power.   Indeed, neither the grandmother nor the mother appear to be very powerful characters in this story; and Red Sam’s wife, though not a central character, is portrayed as simply chattel for her husband, who orders her around and treats her dismissively. John Wesley’s and June Star’s grandmother knows from her years on earth that a good man is indeed hard to find; she knows that truly trustworthy people are rare treasures among the human race.   The grandmother’s discussion with Red Sam shows us that she is aware of just how devious people can be.   The grandmother knows that people are inherently untrustworthy. However, the grandmother’s knowledge does not then result in her having power, for she does not use the knowledge correctly.   The grandmother gave up the potential power of her knowledge when she revealed what she knew during the encounter with the Misfit.  Ã‚   When the grandmother recognized the Misfit, she could have used this knowledge to protect her family. Perhaps Eudora Welty’s Phoenix Jackson would have used the grandmother’s knowledge in some cunning way to manipulate the Misfit.   But O’Connor’s grandmother is not as powerful as Welty’s character, simply because she fails to cultivate her knowledge into a powerful tool.   The grandmother was knowledgeable but still powerless to save her own and her family’s lives. The third character who shows us that knowledge is not necessarily power is Dave, in Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Man Who Was Almost a Man.†Ã‚   Dave shows us that the power from knowledge is partially subjective and not an indisputable fact.   The reader sees very quickly that Dave feels â€Å"small,† not only in his physical stature but in his standing among his peers in the community.   This feeling of smallness is what makes Dave feel virtually powerless. Dave appears to have very limited knowledge of human behavior and of himself as a developing man.  Ã‚   Fear is a large factor in Dave’s twisted perception of what will give him power.   Dave is scared of other boys who are all bigger than him; he has also been raised to be scared of the adults in his life.   This fear has given Dave the â€Å"knowledge† that, if one is feared, one has power.   Of course this knowledge is flawed. But Dave’s knowledge is not a mature, conscious knowledge; it is a knowledge born of his own very limited backwoods experience in the world.   Dave sees that, if he can scare others as others have scared him, he will become a powerful man.   Once Dave has knowledge of how a gun makes him feel, he thinks he has discovered an important part of becoming a man.   Perhaps the most important discovery made by Dave is that his actions have consequences; once Dave kills the mule, he sees that something he has done has made a difference, albeit a negative difference, but a difference in the world all the same. Although Dave’s knowledge has the potential to give him power, it is not well developed and is based in fear.   Therefore his knowledge may make him an even less powerful person.   Dave does not know how to use his new-found knowledge.   Instead of making him a powerful person, his knowledge may be turning him into a dangerous person as the flawed knowledge becomes more entrenched into his personality. Knowledge is power†¦.the central characters in the stories analyzed above each show us, in their own way, that this statement is very over-simplified and not necessarily true.   Power can indeed come from having knowledge.   But that knowledge must be carefully cultivated and used appropriately in order to then provide power.   And there are occasions when we can have knowledge but lack the awareness to use that knowledge to our advantage, or power. Last, if we have knowledge but lack the conviction that we have power to use our knowledge in useful ways, we are still left as powerless as if we did not have the knowledge at all.   So power resulting from knowledge must also include self-awareness, awareness of others, and the ability to adapt our knowledge to particular situations.   Only then can we say that knowledge is power. Knowledge and Power â€Å"Scientia Potentia Est†, a famous aphorism that is otherwise translated as â€Å"For also Knowledge itself is Power†, was conceptualized during the late 16th century by the world-renowned Philosopher and Statesman of that time, Sir Francis Bacon. Indeed, Sir Bacon developed an understanding of the idea that by accumulating knowledge, one is able to exert, impose or influence power (as can be inferred) towards another.For instance, a person who has accumulated knowledge can withhold himself or herself from sharing this knowledge to others. Thus, a sort of personal advantage develops between those who have knowledge and those who want knowledge. The former, if desired, can ultimately influence the actions of the latter if the existing desire for knowledge is used against them. Otherwise, the same result could also be inferred from the opposite: once knowledge is shared by the person who has accumulated them, power is reflected in the sense that the person who has sha red it had the privilege of sharing it.Such an example only perpetuates the idea of ambiguity of the concept of power. Indeed, power, in all its forms and contexts, is a concept that has been contested my many scholars and philosophers alike for decades, even centuries. Some relate power in the form of having the ability of exercising coercion. Others relate the concept with the possession of material wealth. Still further, others profess that power is somehow related to social class. Unfortunately, these credible attempts at establishing links to the concept of power only express supplementary ambiguity to the term.For example, even though power can be somehow related to the ability of using force (coercion), the term can also be associated with the ability of persuasion – a rather mild version of quasi-coercion that does not involve the usage of force.   The same thing goes with the idea of power as equaled to the possession of material wealth and as represented by social class. Contrary to the latter statement, intangible or incorporeal wealth can also be associated with power as a substitute for material wealth. Also, behind social class lie the idea of power as related to personal or group charisma and expertise. In other words, a person belonging to the highest social class in society cannot be more powerful over those that are below his social class if those individuals under his class are more charismatic and more adequate and excellent in terms of abilities and skills.Having identified the cumbersome and volatile nature of power, is it still plausible to conclude that knowledge is indeed power? Is there a relevant connection between the two concepts? If none, can a relevant connection be established; no matter how arguable or refutable? Basically, does the possession of knowledge represent the possession of power?To answer this question, let us first understand how scholars and philosophers of the past have identified and/or defined power dur ing their time.The great 19th century philosopher, Sir Friedrich Nietzsche, often described the concept of power as something that expresses one’s domination over other human beings. If so, then knowledge could indeed be a source of power since the ignorance of knowledge denotes inferiority in logical thinking and skillful know-how; thus, disavowing the ability or opportunity of the individual to dominate others who do possess knowledge. However, another dilemma may arise from the latter statement. If knowledge is truly a source of power, how come individuals who do possess knowledge are not powerful?The answer, of course, is that knowledge in itself is not power. In order for knowledge to become a source of power, the individual must be able to aptly apply or exercise his or her knowledge in the form of actions for the purposes of achieving or producing results. As some scholars have put it, â€Å"knowledge is power only if one knows how to use it†.   Truly, if one individual possesses a myriad amount of knowledge but does not know how to translate it into action, then power is not represented. This concept, however, does not stray away from the concept of knowledge as a source of power nor does it emanate from the idea of action as a source of power rather than the mere possession of knowledge.It must be understood that actions are determined by the individual’s mind. If a certain amount of knowledge is absent within the individual’s cognitive processes then the action executed may not produce tremendous results that are reflective of the representation of power. However, if knowledge is indeed present, chances are that actions executed may produce excellent results that would be quite superior to actions that are conducted without knowledge. Simply said, actions augmented by knowledge reflect power on the part of the individual (superiority).In order to make the preceding points more plausible, let us try establishing the conce pt in a certain field or study. In this instance, let us put the concept of power as knowledge into the workplace – in this case a corporation.Most corporations possess similar theories of organization ranging from the classical theory of organization to the more systematic (systems) theory of organization. And with these models comes a set of different levels, styles or concepts of hierarchy and/or bureaucracy (formal and informal, orthodox or unorthodox). In other words, corporations always try to establish a â€Å"division of power† among its leaders and workers. Now, let us try to apply the concept of knowledge as power in a leader-worker relationship. Leaders of corporations, in all intents and purposes, are the decision-makers of the entire system.Workers, on the other hand, have more of a hands-on approach compared to their respective leaders. As far as the relationship goes, it is the leader who will decide how the workers will act. Now, the question is, is thi s a simple form of exercising power? Is the authority of the leader over the workers a concrete example of power in the form of knowledge? The answer, of course, is no; it is not a simple form of power illuminated by knowledge – at least not completely. One possible reason why this is so is because the relationship between the two actors reflect two issues as can be inferred from the general concept of power.First, the source of power as reflected from the leader can mostly likely be originating from his or her given authority. In other words, it is the granted authority of the corporation that is providing the leader his or her own personal power and not his or her own possession of knowledge. Second, the worker cannot be subject to inferiority since the worker is aware that his or her job is to simply follow orders. For power to be present, one must be able to persuade or force an individual to do what he or she wishes. Otherwise, if the worker decides not to follow the ord ers of the leader, then it can be inferred that the worker is expressing power over the leader (charisma or personal ability). But that is another issue.If so, how is knowledge as a source of power reflected in a leader-worker relationship? One possible explanation could be found from the personal histories of both actors.Respective or high positions in most corporations require excellent abilities or practical know-how. As such, no normal individual can just apply or be promoted to such a position if the individual does not possess the necessary skills or abilities that the position requires. Simply said, leaders are on their respective positions simply because they possess the required skills and as a result, are thoroughly capable of fulfilling its functions.Workers, on the other hand, may not possess these prerequisites or capabilities. However, this does not imply that workers are not knowledgeable. This merely implies that workers are yet on the verge of acquiring or developin g the necessary knowledge for fulfilling the functions that are required by the position. And where can a worker acquire this necessary knowledge? The answer, definitely, is quite reflective of the answer to the whole problem of where can the idea of knowledge as power be inferred from a leader-worker relationship – from the leader.Indeed, if a worker wishes to achieve the same position as that of his or her own leader, then that worker must first develop knowledge based from his or her work and eventually acquire knowledge from his or her own leader. If recognized (or desired), the leader who possesses the knowledge that is required by the worker can now express or exercise power over the worker in the sense that the leader now has the choice of whether or not to impart his or her own knowledge to the worker.Going back to the previous points, if an individual withholds his or her own knowledge from sharing it to others, then power is gained in the form of an advantage; thus, producing a sense of superiority. As one head of a corporation has put it, â€Å"Knowledge is power and you do not share power.† The worker, however, can try to acquire knowledge of the same context from others and that action might change the idea of power in a leader-worker relationship. However, it is very unlikely that this is to happen for if the worker decides to gather power outside of his or her own corporation that knowledge may well be different from what the corporation may require or need.As mentioned earlier, power is a concept that has been contested my many scholars and philosophers alike for centuries. To suddenly come up with a personal explanation of power in the form of the possession of knowledge is something not new in the world of power.  As demonstrated, power is a really ambiguous term, let alone be defined in terms of knowledge. However, one cannot deny the fact that knowledge is indeed a source of power; for if knowledge is absent, one will not be able to exercise the myriad forms of power over others.In conclusion, if knowledge (in any form) is present within an individual and that that individual’s counterpart possesses a certain amount of ignorance of over the same type of knowledge, then the former is most likely to be more powerful over the latter. Simply put, the possession of knowledge is superiority over those who do not possess knowledge.Works Cited:Caruso, Denise. â€Å"Knowledge is Power only if you know how to use it.† March 2007 The New York Times 21 November 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/business/yourmoney/11frame.html?_r=1&oref=sloginWimmer, Sandra. â€Å"For Illinois Agency, Knowledge is Power – and Promise.† August 2005 Government Procurement 21 November 2007,http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-procurement/1162860-1.htmlLloyd, Bruce. â€Å"The Paradox of Power.† May 1996 The Futurist 21 November 2007,http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee -development-leadership/553463-1.htmlGrant, Beau. â€Å"Knowledge is POWER.† October 2005 Government Procurement 21 November 2007, http://www.allbusiness.com/management/928236-1.html

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Deceit in Hunters in the Snow Essay

Tobias Wolff’s â€Å"Hunters in the Snow† centers on the actions and personalities of Kenny, Frank and Tub as they embark on a hunting trip during the winter. Each character faces problems (in character or otherwise) which they attempt to cover up through deception – the central theme in this short story – in order to accept their respective actions. The consequences of these cover ups profoundly change the power of each character over another. Furthermore, the characters don’t realize how their lies influence others around them. Kenny is a quintessential bully. His need for power over the other two causes him to assert control of any action be it driving or asking for permission to hunt on private grounds. In truth, he doesn’t even wish to ask for permission but is pressured by Frank to do so. Kenny’s seemingly flippant mannerisms also follow from his desire to be the alpha-male. He insults and mercilessly teases Frank and Tub about their insecurities. He pretends to desire to run over Tub after appearing an hour late and immediately silences any objection from Tub. However, he neither realizes how far he is pushing Tub nor the peril he is in. His stupid actions leading up to and after the murder of the old dog finally push Tub, who legitimately fears for his life, to retaliate. This immediately puts Kenny’s life at the hands of his bully victims and leaves a power vacuum to be filled. Tub’s main problem is his denial of the poor eating habits that he has. He adamantly tries to convince others that his problem is due to his glans despite acutely knowing that he gorges himself on unhealthy foods in solitude. The insecurity he feels about being found out causes him to become easily manipulated and bullied by Frank and Kenny. Moreover, the retaliation against Kenny only adds to the insecurity Tub has and he immediately searches for approval and protection against the consequence of shooting Kenny. Frank fills in this vacuum and manipulates Tub into siding with him. Frank himself faces the issue of adultery. His lust for another woman causes him to deceive himself into believing that this new female is the love of his life despite a small part of his conscience stating otherwise. He even goes as far as to perverse the beliefs of that small part by asserting that his reluctance is only due to the good that his wife had done him and the kids they had. Frank’s self-deception inadvertently acts on Tub’s insecurities, prompting Tub to open up about his problems to Frank. By deceiving himself to accept his adultery, Frank pushes Tub to accept the eating problems that Tub has by giving in to Tub’s urges. Frank is unaware that his acceptance of adultery has already influenced Tub to succumb to Tub’s desires (shown by the fact that Tub decides to open up to Frank). Each character has major issues that need to be corrected but prefer to deceive themselves and others than accept the truth and work towards correction. As such, Kenny lies in mortal peril, Frank gains newfound power in the group and over Tub, and Tub remains submissive to Frank’s wishes. Moreover, the newfound confidence in Frank leads him to ignore common sense in going back to retrieve vital directions to the hospital. The futures of these three characters is left hanging, however it is clear that the ending has each one moving down separate and erroneous paths.

Victoria Secret Communication Strategy

Task: 1) Pick a brand (consumer goods categories including services) and gather all its marketing communication materials, and evaluate how effectively the brand has mixed and matched marketing communications (see Chapter 6). 2) Based on your understanding of the role of social media and other new forms of marketing communications, develop an interative brand-consumer communication program or campaign (refer to Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7) Length of the report (choose either Word or PPT format) 1. For Word format, no more than FIVE pages (1. spaced, 12 font size) 2. For PPT format, no more than 50 slides are expected (35 – 40 slides range would be better). How well does a proposed ad campaign contribute to brand equity? Introduction Background Communication Objectives Designing Social Media Communication – Target Customers – Message Strategy – Execution Elements Evaluation and Control Marketing Communications: everybody can be sexy; pictures say mo re than words I. Media advertising 1. Television broadcast of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion ShowThe possibly most outstanding, far-reaching marketing move is the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, being broadcasted on CBS during primetime with almost 10 million viewers in the year of 2012. The show is being used as a place to show-off for varying entertainers, designers and celebrities, having developed into an event with international relevance and recognition. The show and its execution stand for originality, excitement and extravagance, presented by the world’s top models, also known as the Victoria’s Secret Angels.In the center of attention is the strong dominance of the image Victoria’s Secret wants to convey and literally scream out to its audience: the incomparable sexiness, the overbearing powerfulness and the imperturbable supremacy of the brand itself and its wearer. According to CMO Ed Razek of Limited Brands regarding the effect of the show, â€Å"online sales increase substantially both the night the show is taped and the day after its broadcast. We’re talking tens of millions of dollars here, at least† (Raven). 2.Television Advertisements with aggressive messages Victoria’s Secret’s marketing strategy features several television advertisements, promoting new product lines or special occasions throughout the year such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day. A high consistency of the advertisements and high familiarity of the ad-structure makes it easily recognizable for consumers to distinguish VS’s commercial from other labels: each commercial features several Victoria’s Secret Angels and a large display of various styles and shapes of their lingerie for different tastes.Further, it always features the brand name and a reminder of other company-linked mediums such as the stores, the catalogue and the online store. The models are always presented in action and wearing only lingerie to grab the viewer’s immediate attention. The rather fast-moving scenery, exactly displays the attributes consistent to VS’s brand image and the hedonic user imagery: especially the â€Å"It’s Showtime† (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=g8hCGq7oZds&feature=fvwp&NR=1)commercial designed my Michael Bay (Independence Day, etc. gives the advertisement a feeling of adventurousness, mystery, and the lingerie-displaying models a sense of being untouchable, sexy, powerful, desirable, irresistible, playful. This image is consistent throughout the advertisements and commercials â€Å"helps the [consumer] know what to expect and the variety keeps them coming back† (Raven). The verbal message – if present – comprises a very strong invitation or almost obligation to buy, conveying VS products to be the perfect choice of present for each occasion, such as stated in the â€Å"Tell me you love me† (http://www. outube. com/watch ? NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=8Ev5TyHYSfY) commercial: Seducing women whisper to the viewer to tell them â€Å"you love me†, reinforcing this wish with the final sentence â€Å"There is nothing like a Christmas present from Victoria’s secret†. As to prove one’s eternal and only love for a women, men as well as women get triggered directly – the one in the double bind of conveying his love especially through VS lingerie, and the other in the expectancy of such a gift as a sign of true affiliation or doubt. . Advertisement and presence in high-gloss magazines Magazines such as Elle and Vogue in the United States are the main print-medium to advertise to VS’s target consumer. The highly recognizable and consistent advertisements mainly introduce product line launches, displaying the consistent image of the VS brand with the sensuality and sexiness of the featured models. Besides, there are numerous articles featuring either the VS Angels or brand- related information, keeping the brand present to the consumer.VS has even reached out to reach their male shadow target audience, by featuring articles in the GQ men’s magazine, displaying desirable full-page photographs and even advertisement – making men want to see their women as sexy as the Angels, letting them consider to buy VS lingerie. II. Direct Response Advertising Direct response advertising is viewed as the key component of relationship marketing.VS cleverly applies this communication method via its Facebook group with 21 million members, engaging them in active participation by empowering them to vote for certain products a model should wear for a show, vote for â€Å"either or† questions regarding products as well as respond to questions on their personal opinion about what they want to buy. The analysis of these responses certainly has an immense value for VS as they can easily and at a low cost detect consumer preferences and possible shifts, tr ack responses towards special fields of interest and keep the consumer engaged with the VS brand.III. Place resp. out-of-home advertisement 1. QR code campaign: Sexier than Skin A use of innovative technologies regarding mobile applications has been successfully integrated through the â€Å"Sexier than Skin† campaign. Huge billboards throughout the United States featured each a VS model with a QR (quick response) barcode hiding their presumingly naked intimate body parts. Every passer-by equipped with a mobile phone has been able to directly scan the QR code after having downloaded a gratuitous application, thus being able to â€Å"Reveal [e. . ] Candice’s Secret†. Consistent with the â€Å"Sexier than Skin† campaign, the then on the screen visible advertisement showed the same model wearing VS’s new, sexy product line, convincing the viewer to be literally sexier than only skin. In order to increase the effectiveness of the commercial, the adverti sement has been directly connected to Victoria’s Secret’s main website, allowing consumers to directly browse through products and to shop online. . Mobile billboard campaign In the year of 2009, Citi-Mobile has launched a mobile billboard for VS’s â€Å"Perfect One Bra† campaign, â€Å"which featured a â€Å"stylish, state-of-the-art† 3D mobile billboard with a VS model printed on it wearing the new bra. The mobile passed major shopping areas and hotspots of Los Angeles County, carrying an additional announcement of the live-appearance of Heidi Klum at one of their flagship stores to launch the new line.The buzz has spread among trendsetters, and a large crowd lined up to meet Heidi Klum and take photos with her, as she personally drove the mobile billboard to the store that day and excessively promoted the new product (http://www. prweb. com/releases/2009/03/prweb2214114. htm). 3. Angel Wings Box In 2012, nine boxes with worn vintage VS Fashion Show wings have been put up on Broadway New York, where people were able to have a photo taken with. These photos could be sent to VS via mobile multimedia message in order to get them uploaded on the VS Facebook fanpage.A moment for fans to either enjoy being in the center of attention, taking part in the stunning experience of getting close to the Angel’s wings and sharing this moment online. Hence, people were able to tag themselves and to share it with their friends, spreading and promoting the brand throughout their social network, enabling VS to profit from very low-cost, efficient marketing (http://www. herworldplus. com/fashion/updates/try-on-a-pair-of-victoria-s-secret-angel-wings). 4. Product PlacementEasily recognizable Victoria’s Secret items such as the typical pink-striped shopping bag or the store front have been cleverly placed into several movies or TV-series, such as â€Å"Juno† (http://www. brandchannel. com/home/post/2011/12/09/At-the-Movies- A-Product-Placement-Super-Team-In-Young-Adult. aspx), a TV drama called â€Å"The Towns† (http://productplacementwatch. blogspot. hk/) and â€Å"The Office† (http://www. brandspotters. com/brand. aspx? id=48), subliminally confronting the consumer or viewer with the brand’s presence. 5.In-store advertisement mostly only showing a picture, luring the desire to upgrade oneself with such an amazing lingerie product; * 4. Promotions: to encourage first trial or visit of (online) store by lowering price resp. adding value: coupons, rebates, gimmicks, free gifts, bundle pricing, promotions during seasonal sales; better perceived value; seem to have become stable part of VS marketing To Earn Online/Catalogue: * Place an order of in-stock merchandise totaling $10 or more and use offer codeLOVEANGELS  at checkout. Choose the Victoria’s Secret Angel Credit Card* as your method of payment. (You must complete your order with an Angel Credit Card to qualify. ) * You r free Secret Reward Card will be added to your order after offer code is applied and will be included in your merchandise package. One free Secret Reward Card per order. To Earn in Stores: * Use your Victoria’s Secret Angel Credit Card* with any purchase of $10 or more to receive your free Secret Reward Card. One free Secret Reward Card per customer, per day. Valid only at US, non-outlet Victoria’s Secret stores.Same for facebook subscribers (digital coupons); or newsletter and catalogue subscribers as well; helps to reach price-sensitive consumers, increase product trial and quick, hedonic, in-store buying decisions; make it look as VS makes a special offer to their consumers, does not lower the perceived quality image; risk that buyers stick to promotional offers instead of buying the brand out of affiliation – but there are constantly promotions if only you follow FB, website, or other media; the brand after all makes profits large enough as the promotions a re usually tied to a minimum purchase amount; . Interactive: – website: online shopping possibility, consistent in colors and style (pink), very clear, directly uring with rebates and special promotions; VS ALL ACCESS features newest updates about models, shootings, press released, trend reports, interviews and previews of the new collections to keep followers updated, involved, interested; also featuring videos how to get in shape as the admired angels, how to put on make-up the way they do – you can adapt their whole look and lifestyle as a passionate follower; store locator, policies, etc. clear and consistent design, easy to navigate through; – iPhone and Android Web: Victoria’s Secret â€Å"Get your Wings† application; PLUS normal app to allows online shopping and direct ordering – e-mails in the form or newsletters: Stay in touch & in style via your inbox, with the latest from Victoria's Secret, exclusive online and in-store offers ; s ales, new fashion, lingerie ; beauty alerts, in-store events ; store openings in your area, news and offers from Victoria's Secret and its sister companies. Social Media: – facebook as rather to create a long-term relationship and consumer engagement (FABULOUS; design your own; encouragement to buy things and feel sexy), etc. ; almost 22million likes; 2 million followers on twitter; Welcome to the official Victoria’s Secret page, where Angels, Bombshells & the sexiest fans on Facebook get their fix for everything VS. Company Overview Victoria's Secret is inspired by a love for lingerie, and the desire to bring beauty—and fantasy—into every woman’s wardrobe. We believe little luxuries are of grand importance.And what’s closest to your body is always closest to our heart. All under a â€Å"Life is Fabulous† slogan, especially the word fabulous being featured in the majority of posts; created a facebook community; able to fine tune its m arketing and yield marketing insights, as consumers get involved by voting for outfit preferences; interactive involvement by directly promoting a new product line with the question whether â€Å"YOU† (spelled in capital letters† already found the perfect fit; easy platform to respond to consumer requests, responses, complaints, etc. irectly, publicly; promoting Model or theme playlists on spotify people can contribute to; – online videos via youtube channel: featuring newest online or Tv commercials and extended cuts, product introductions, behind-the-scenes videos on VS’ youtube channel, insights and close-up from the models, workout plans â€Å"train like an angel†, make-up tips â€Å"look like an angel†, videos â€Å"on the Art of Living Fabulously†, the Fashion Show, â€Å"you asked – we answered†; Mobile marketing via APP be it get your wings or the online shop, QR code scanning; to increase loyalty; targeted mobile ads in Pandora’s iPhone app – geo-targeting, as the ads show how far away consumers are from VS store – redirection to mobile landing site; increasing trial â€Å"Victoria’s Secret, the  largest American retailer of lingerie, has recently launched the first ever nationwide mobile messaging campaign in the United States using rich media messaging, the next generation of MMS technology,† said Cezar Kolodziej, president/CEO of Iris Mobile, Chicago. (http://www. mobilemarketer. com/cms/news/messaging/14124. tml) â€Å"They are promoting their VSX Sexy Sport brand by sending workout tips through their video series, ‘Train Like An Angel,’† he said. â€Å"These tips are delivered by Victoria Secret models themselves, also known as the Angels, to teach women how to stay in shape. † Rich media messaging is the only mobile technology that allows Victoria’s Secret to deliver videos on all mobile handsets and carrier with n o data connection required; thus watchable EVERYWHERE; keeping in touch, updating, informing, strengthening the relation; to bolster awareness 7. Event marketing and sponsorship: Fashion show PINK NATION 8.Publicity and public relations: Angels as spokeswomen, social stuff? (but the 2000 show was moved for a year from the usual February event at the Plaza to a May event in concert with the  Cannes Film Festival  in France to raise money for the Cinema Against AIDS charity; it raised $3. 5 million. ) 9. Word-of-mouth Consistency of content in FB stuff – makes people come back as they know there will be something waiting for them; All contribute to brand equity: by creating awareness of the brand, linking pop and pod associations to the brand in consumers’ memory, eliciting positive brand judgments or feelings (socially active? , and facilitating a stronger consumer-brand connection and brand resonance; Intended  goals  of an  advertising  or  promotional  program. Possible communications  objectives  include  (1) creating brand  awareness, (2) imparting  knowledge, (3) projecting an  image, (4) shaping, enhanding  attitudes and influencing intentions, (5) stimulating a  want  or desire, and/or (6) effecting a  sale, facilitate purchase behavior. (7) Building brand image; Read more:  http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/communications-objectives. html#ixzz2Ny5BtTpRCommunication objectives of social media: http://www. chrisbrogan. com/10-communications-objectives-of-social-media/ We observe, young consumers use social media as a â€Å"push† medium (too) – they send out messages and are promoting themselves. They get friends with brands, because brands follow back REWARDING LOYAL CUSTOMERS 1. Generate awareness. 2. Drive Trial. 3. Product Launch. 4. Establish Need/Want 5. Product/Service Comparison. 6. Positive Association. 7. Form/Change Opinion. 8. Influence the Influencers. 9. Drive Act ion/Traffic. 10. Establish/Regain Trust.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Brown Girl Broownstone by Paule Marshall Essay

Paule Marshall writes about the social issues, the aspects and standards of lack persons living in America. Novels written in 1959 and it explores the black immigrants search for identity in American society. The novel wrote against the stereotypes of the black race and it was a milestone for African-American Fiction. Race and gender are discussed simultaneously as she speaks out against racism and presents her female character as being different form the stereotype The novel centres on Selina who suffers a traumatic childhood through to womanhood and has her psyche damaged by comparing herself to the white ideology of what makes a teenage girl beautiful. She feels inadequate because she does not math up to the definition of white elegance She also faces an internal struggle due to the fact that both her parents have differing ideologies. The title ‘Brownstones’ refers to the milieu in which the central characters live. The novel begins in 1939 and it opens with the last white residence leaving the brownstones and selling/renting to the Barbadian community . The house, the acquiring of such and the attitude towards the house defined the characters. The house therefore becomes a central symbol in the novel. The title of the novel signal the life of Selina the brown juxtaposes the girl is synonymous to the racial and gender issues at work in the novel. Placing the brownstones next to the girl browngirl emphasises the importance of personal development and individuality. The marshalls description of the brownstones is very telling and suggested â€Å"under the thick ivy each house had something distinctively its own these brownstones appear as if they were one house even though individuality is there.† But the novel also suggests that theses brownstones all share the same tragic fate. They are all draped in ivy as though mourning† The novel is divided into four books. Book 1 entitled A Long Day and A long Night; it sets up the basic tension between n Selina’s parents Silla and Deighton (dispute over land). The second book is titled Pastoral, Selina who is on the verge of adolescence. Selina who goes to Beryl to find a sense of freedom †¦here we find †¦. The third book title war corresponds with the world war 2 but is also significant as a symbol of the Barbadian community’s war against racism as well as the conflict between Silla and Deighton The last book title Selina concludes the novel, rev eals the attempts to come to terms with her father as well as a discovery of her true self. The final aspects of her growth are detailed in this section. It  is through the relationship with Clive that Selina realizes the numerous similarities between herself and her mother. In the novel the protagonists realizes that the mother is a fellow victim of racism rather than her enemy. Major themes in Brown Girl Broownstone 1. The Search for Identity 2. The racial issues and relationships 3. Femininity and Gender 4. The Effects of Migration/ Capitalism on the individual 5. The Relationship between the private and the Public, the Personal and the Communal, the Individual vs the Community 6. The Impact of the Environment/ Personal Setting on Personal Development 7. Sexual Awareness and Exploration 8. Nostalgia and the West Indian Condition 9. Male/ Female Relationships and Family Structural and Technical Devices Used by the Writer 1. Form- Bildungsroman, it is written predominantly in 3rd pov. , divided into four books, the use of quotations from the Barbadian community as preludes 2. Symbolism- The title brownstone houses, Deighton’s land, Barbados, the presence and absence of light is symbolic of awareness, knowledge and maturity 3. Some characters who are symbols are Suggie, Miss Thompson, Miss Mary, Beryl, the Homeowners Association 4. Structural Elements- use of West Indian Vernacular (used to show a sense of identity with their West Indian counterparts) 5. Characterization (in this novel characters are developed through relationships with other characters along with the setting and the author’s description ) 6. Plot Structure (the plot is linear and chronological allowing for the adequate development of Selina 7. Setting – New York vs. Barbados and the tension of place