Thursday, December 26, 2019

Companies Law Performance for Multinational Groups Liabilities - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3066 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Companies Law Performance for Multinational Groups Liabilities Law is absolutely essential for a civilized society to prosper and thrive. Therefore, we have got Laws pertaining to all walks of life ranging from Human Rights to Criminal Laws, from Laws of Inheritance to Family Laws; similarly there is also a need for the Law which would regulate the way in which a Company behaves and operates its functionalities. These set of Rules and Regulations in the United Kingdom (UK) are contained under the Companies Act of 2006. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Companies Law Performance for Multinational Groups Liabilities" essay for you Create order The Company being a separate legal entity; enjoys the rights just like ordinary human beings. It has the right to take others to the court and in turn it can be sued upon. Furthermore, whatever the actions which are done under the Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name by the employees; the Company will be solely responsible for those actions and not the employees[1], unless of course those actions which are deemed as illegal by law; only then will the relevant employees be held liable of misconduct. In a similar context, the Companies Balance Sheet consists of two main components, Assets and Liabilities. Assets are all those things that are of use for the organization[2]; which can be utilized to ensure the smooth functioning of operations of the firm. Similarly, liabilities are all those things under a legal context for which the company is responsible for[3]; often people consider liabilities as the amount owed by a firm. When companies accomplish their obligations as per law; t hey are known to have conducted a performance of Law. In other words; they have completed their responsibilities as per Law. However; when they fail to do so or they are found to be in negligence of their duty, their actions are referred to as non performance of Law[4]. Multinational Companies are those companies; which are operating in several countries but use their home country as the head quarter of their operations. However; this is not necessary that they should be running all operations from home country; because we live in an age of outsourcing where outsourcing has evolved from 3rd Party contracts to 4th and 5th party contracts. Another definition for Multinational organizations is that; all those companies or groups of companies which derive 1/4th of its revenue from abroad. Now that the basic definitions of terms and phrases are clear; let us head towards the main topic of discussion, i.e. what Laws have been enshrined in the constitution for cases of Multinational Companies (MNC), How do these Laws come into place or are enforced when an organization is found to be liable for unpaid debts? This is why the Companies Act of 2006 is applied in the UK; in order to clarify the legalities which could arise either by performance or non performance of contracts, promises and other legally binding agreements between two or more companies. The situation is not that simple it may seem to be. Since the status of a Multinational firm is often ambiguous due to the fact that the Companies and their Parent Organization both enjoy a separate Legal Entity as per Law; and because they are operating in Multinational countries, they reap in good profits for the country in which they operate and also are politically strong contenders in international area because of fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibility towards those countries, they earn a good repute in the international market and become the apple of the eye of several Governments for provision of employment to a large sector of unemployed persons in their countries. Since an MNC legally is a non-state actor, it is not bound by the Laws which are established by countries multilateral agreements which are often signed to ensure the safety of their respective environments in which an MNC is going to operate. Since these Laws are not applied on a Local Level; often an MNC is not obliged to follow these multilateral agreements. What is further alarming and disturbing to note is that MNCs often target under developed and developing nations where laws are set forth by the respective governments are such that they may be written in the constitutions; but are not enforced by letter and spirit. Let us consider the example of Brazil, India, China and Russia; these are often referred to as BRIC countries and have been one of the fastest growing countries in the recent years in terms of GDP growth rate[5]. The BRIC Countries rapid rise is the result of a combination easy and lax government policies set forth in the recent years and of course the cheap availability of resources both human and material has resulted in a rapid boom for these countries. However; recently development between Ukraine and Russia and the result of EU embargo has left Russia fall short of reaching that expected growth rate as was predicted by Trade Analysts and Economists in the recent years. Nevertheless, the MNCs often target such regions where the governments are often found negligence of fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities. On the other hand the governments do so because they can foresee the profits and benefits which an MNC would bring in at the cost of damaging their own Ecological Environment. As it has been observed by Mac Donald et al (2000), often; NMCs function in those areas that are not regulated by the governments and Parent Company enjoys no legal obligations arising from any such operations of its subsidiary[6]. Hence we may state that an MNC trie s its best to generate the corporate veil in order to safeguard its parent company. This has also been supported by Scovazzi (1991); who thinks that judicial proceedings to pierce such a corporate veil will be time consuming but it will also eventually expose the loopholes that are pertinent in the legal system[7]. This being said; we may come to the conclusion from these arguments stated above that an MNC enjoys an unfair advantage over a local firm because a local company will always find itself entangled in a web of legal issues; whereas due to the lack of international laws governing the activities of the MNC provide it a legal cover as it enjoys exploiting the loopholes in the legal system; whereas the due to the lengthy procedures involved in piercing the veil of corporations, quite too often the governments do not purse the cases despite being fully aware of the operations of the MNC. The problem here is not that the Laws are not being put in place to address such issue s as Environmental damage, but the problem lies at the implementation and on the defined ambiguity of these Laws are often suggested in multilateral agreements. The MNC cannot be brought to book as long as these laws are not further refined at the local level of the government. Hence the MNCs avoid the liabilities that would have otherwise risen from such scenarios. What is also disturbing to note is that there is a lack of provisions for international environmental liability[8]; the governments also fail to include provisions for such liabilities; in those multilateral agreements; despite there have been repeated history of violations and damages caused by MNCs and such firms have made a mockery of International Law by exploiting the legalities of the clauses. Examples which have involved nuclear power plants like Chernobyl and Fukushima have gained the attention of the international community members[9]. Also disasters which include the oil spillage incidents are note worthy in history of liabilities of MNC arising from such disasters. These disasters have forced the particular industry operators to be immensely scrutinized by the States in which they are functional, because the dangers associated with such disasters are great as compared to the cost of individual lives and the overall Eco-system is put at risk. Considering the liabilities arising from the oil slick incidents and the liabilities arising from pollution of Marine Life; notably two important conventions can be cited here to support this article. First was the Civil Liabilities convention of 1970; which had reduced the liabilities arising from such marine disasters and pollutions arising from oil slicks and another being the Civil Liabilities Conventions; which imposed stringent yet addressed the liability arising from such incidents as limited liability[10] The Lugano Convention of 1993 and the European Union (EU) impose liabilities on a broader division of companies that are involv ed in activities which are dangerous to the environment; this is done with the help of Environmental Liability Directive (2004/35/EC). The principle which states that the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"polluter must payà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢is well known among the civil jurisdictions[11] and it has been by judges that polluting units have to go[12]. It is also note worthy go into the details to note that this principle strict liability; holds that if it has been deemed that the activity which was carried out has been considered as dangerous; the person carrying such an activity is to compensate for the losses which may arise from conducting of such an activity; regardless of the fact whether due care was taken or not whilst the activity was undertaken. Also the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in this regards has set forth guidelines and principles which the companies are encouraged to follow which also include the environmental standards as well. These principles can be found in the à ¢Ã¢â€ š ¬Ã‹Å"The Ten Principlesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ an online guide published on the website of (UNGC). It is important to point out here that Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD have also set forth guidelines in order to help governments to make recommendations to the MNCs operating in their countries which though are non-binding but yet an effective way of improving the coordination between the MNCs and government. It is up to the government to close in on the gap pertaining to the limited liability scope and accountability for the MNCs, for this reason a Conference in Stockholm took place in 1972 where the need for recognition of Environmental Laws was stressed to be recognized and the need to implement better laws pertaining to environmental protection was stressed considering to keep it in line with the growing activities of MNCs. In this regard several; Transnational Investment Agreements (TIA) have been signed between the MNCs and the hosts, but it has b een often noted that particularly the third world countries are not eager to implement these TIAs and other laws pertaining to the environment preservation because these agreements would compel the MNCs to limit their activities which hazardous in nature but yet necessary to produce the finished product. One such example is of Baku-Tsibili-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project. The Pipeline runs 1,760km long and stretches from Azerbaijan through Georgia to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The project had to face several of difficult problems relating environmental challenges. Financing of the project was agreed in 2004 after a delay of several years and completion of various environmental and social projects. Completion of the project took place by the end of 2005 and the project finally commenced its operations in 2006 with Ceyhan as being its hub. Now that we have seen how MNCs behave in international arena, let us examine the cases which have taken place in the jurisdiction of UK and how the Companies Law of UK came into play and what verdicts were given in the issues involving MNCs. It was in In 1980s a company named Thor operated in Margate, England and manufactured Chemicals involving Mercury. The Health and Safety standards in Margate came under fire when workers blood and urine samples taken by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were found to be containing high levels of Mercury deposits. In 1986, the company switched its operations from Margate to Cato Ridge in South Africa. In Cato Ridge; the workers of the factory showed similar symptoms of having high levels of Mercury in Urine and Blood. Instead of changing the Safe Procedures and Methods of conducting the operations the company decided to shuffle its workers. It lay off those who had high levels of Mercury deposits in their body systems and hired new ones instead. In Feb of 1992, the poisoning of workers came to light as three workers died and several others showed case of severe poisonin g. A criminal inquiry was held in magistrates court and a fine of  £3,000 was imposed. Subsequently this resulted in compensation claims against the parent company in the English High Courts on behalf of 20 workers. The claims were based on the grounds of having a negligent set-up of operations and lack of safety standards and monitoring of hazardous processes; hence it was based on the overall failure to take steps necessary steps to protect the South African workers against the foreseeable risk of mercury poisoning. The company had applied for a stay of action on forum grounds, but application was dismissed. The Judge; J. Stewart noted the associations of the claim with England and held that English law were to be applied to the case. Thorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s appeal was struck down by the court and Thor settled the claim for  £1.3 million in 1997. Another example is of compensational claim which was brought in to English Courts by E. Connelly, a laryngeal can cer victim who was employed at RTZà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Rossing uranium mine in Namibia. The allegations held English-based RTZ companies responsible for all Key strategic technical and policy decisions relating to Rossing; this meant that despite whatever Rossing did in terms of misconduct and negligence, the parent company was to be held liable for its actions and carelessness towards the precautionary measures which were to be implemented for workers safety. It was in March of 1995, that RTZ was able to convince the court that Namibia was the rightful forum for this particular case. The case was brought to the Court of Appeal two times before ending up at the House of Lords and it was held that since Mr. E. Connelly was not able to pursue the case legally in Namibia; therefore the case should be litigated England. Another claim was brought by the widow of an (esophageal) cancer victim; who was employed at Rossing, Peter Carlson. The victim worked during the same period and in the same region as did Connelly. RTZ applied to strike out the Connellyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s claim and to stay the Carlson action on the ground of forum being non-convenient. Interesting as it may seem, the court struck out Connellyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s claim but dismissed on the grounds of limitaitons RTZà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s application to stay the Carlson action on the grounds that his widow would not be able to attain necessary funding which is required to obtain justice in Namibia. The Cape Asbestos Company Limited, was involved in mining asbestos in the Northern Cape respectively from 1890 1979. From 1948 onwards the operations in the North Western Cape were carried out directly by the parent company, via its subsidiaries. The Prieska mill was located in the middle of the town, near by a school. The operations pertaining to mining and milling led to the families being infected with the asbestos-related disease. It was a tragedy; which affected the whole families. When the Ch ief Medical Officer of Cape visited The Prieska mill in 1962, hed reported that the conditions around the mill were not good; he noted that the crusher had no doors thus a cloud of dust was being blown with strong winds towards the town. At Capeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Penge mine, the conditions were just as bad with asbestos dust levels. In 1970s it was several times greater than the UK limit during the corresponding period. Compensation claims were commenced in the English High Court in 1997. The claimse were in favour of 3 Penge workers who had lived near the mine suffered from asbestosis and 2 Prieska residents who had lived in the vicinity of the mine suffered from mesothelioma. The claims were based on the negligence of the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s world-wide asbestos business. To make matters worse, claims were also filed on behalf of 4 Italian workers, employed at Capeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Turin manufacturing operation, run by another subsidiary, Capamianto. Cape applied to stay the South African claims on forum grounds, their application was granted, but on appeal in July 1998, the Court of Appeal reversed this decision. The Court insisted that breaches of duty of care took place in England and not in South Africa. In Dec of 1998, the House of Lords dismissed Capeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s petition and in Jan of 1999; two further actions comprising almost 2000 claims were commenced in England against Cape plc by South African claimants exposed to asbestos in the same geographical regions of South Africa. Cape applied to stay the 2000 claims on forum grounds contending that the emergence of the group was a sufficiently material change to warrant a different conclusion from that of the Court of Appeal in the first 5 cases. Cape also sought a stay of the first 5 cases on the grounds that the Court of Appeal had been misled as to the true nature of the case. The Judge granted a stay of all the actions including the 5 Lube claims. SA is divided into 9 sepa rate provincial jurisdictions, each of which exercises jurisdiction over a Claimant if; the cause of action arose in the jurisdiction and, the Defendant is based, or has assets in the jurisdiction, or the Defendant submits to that jurisdiction. However, in the case of the Northern Cape Provincial Division, mere submission will not suffice. There, money will also have to be lodged in a bank account and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“attachedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  by the Claimants in order for the N Cape Court to have jurisdiction. However, Buckley J concluded that once he had decided to stay the action, the manner of its progress in South Africa was a matter for the SA Courts. Buckley J said he was also à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“comfortedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  by decisions of the US Courts in which public policy considerations had influenced the decision of the courts to stay proceedings in favour of the alternative forum. The specific reference to the Bhopal case was perhaps surprising given that it is widely known th at the settlement of these [1] Refer to the ruling of Lord Halsbury, in Salomon vs A. Salomon Co. Ltd [1897] [2] Refer to WordWeb Online Dictionary [3] Refer to https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/liability.asp [4] Refer to https://thelawdictionary.org/ [5] Refer to https://www.tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gdp-annual-growth-rate [6] Mac Donald et al (2000) pp. 20-31 [7] Scovazzi (1991) pp. 413-421 [8] Ong (2001) pp. 697 [9] Friedman (2011) pp. 55-56 [10] Refer to Article (6) of Civil Liabilities Convention [11] Ong (2001) pp. 700 [12] Mc Mehta v Union of India and MC Mehta v Kamal Nath Ors.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Elizabethan Era of Music Culture Essay - 789 Words

The music was played very often as a normal routine. People considered it a must to know how to play an instrument, sing, or be involved somehow with music in this age of time. Instruments in the 1600’s were able to make any type of music; the amazing part was no matter how many instruments you used it would always sound pure and the same. Another unique thing about the music and culture in the 1600’s is that it was also healthy for the body. During the Elizabethan Era the people would gather together to dance and dance for hours, their stamina must have been incredible. Music was use to entertain most people. Before the music became a big part in people life during the Elizabethan Era theatre played a really big part during this time. It†¦show more content†¦Did you know at times you would be dancing with a complete stranger and you could’ve been lucky enough to meet your dance partners, this made dancing all the more exciting in the Elizabethan Era tim e period. Not only did the people love to dance but they would dance for hours and hours a day. I love to dance but I could imagine how tired I would be after so many hours of dancing. We had two people to visit our school and what I learned about the women were that no matter what you would have great posture, reasons being is because they wore this body brace what we call girdles in this age of time. What the body brace would do is automatically sit the women up at all times. Even if women so much bend over it could break your ribs. They also told us about the theatre and how they would practice the stunts they do in most of the drama and actions plays. What many people didn’t know was that the person performing the stunts did very little movements and the person who the stunts was performed on did most of the work to make the stunt seem so real. All of Shakespeare plays were not very popular in that period of time like they are now and it’s amazing because most thin gs they did we thought were weird and it flips during our age. It states on the Elizabethanera.org that the history of the theater is fascinating. How plays were first produced in the yards of inns - the Inn-yards, the very first theater and development of the amphitheater. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Elizabethan Era 1663 Words   |  7 Pagesnobler in mind to suffer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Music, poetry, and plays were important parts of entertainment during the Elizabethan era. Musicians composed new types of music, poets expressed their feeling through poetry, and playwrights wrote plays of different types of genres. Social classes and gender roles also contributed to the entertainment culture. During the Elizabethan era, people were entertained by sources of entertainment, such as plays, music, and poetry. Music was one of the many sources ofRead MoreElizabethan Music794 Words   |  4 Pages Music During The Elizabethan Era During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First (1558-1603), English art and culture reached a high point known as the top of the English renaissance. Elizabethan music experienced a change in popularity from sacred to non religious music and the rise of instrumental music. Experienced musicians were hired by the Church of England, the wealthy, and rising middle-class. Queen Elizabeth I greatly enjoyed music and played the lute and virginal herself. She also believedRead MorePractice HSC essay1060 Words   |  5 Pagesa play which uses props, stage positioning and lighting compared to ‘O’ a film using camera angles, technology and music. This develops a sense of timelessness as issues relevant in the Elizabethan era still being relevant in our present day. Both texts are created due to the values of their era, allowing the context to be relatable to the audience. For example in Shakespeare’s era, attitudes of superstition and witchcraft take precedence over values of equality, therefore power and honour were relevantRead MoreWhat Influenced Elizabethan Fashion1293 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Influenced Elizabethan Fashion   Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many people and instances, like government officials, celebrities, the events of different time periods, music, and even social media that can influence the fashion and culture of an era. In early England, more specifically the Elizabethan Era, much of their culture was influenced by the Royal Family. Not only did the Royal Family have great impact on the time period, but the laws that enforced how the English were allowed to act and what they wereRead MoreThe Elizabethan Er The Golden Age Of English History1527 Words   |  7 PagesJamie Berquist Carolyn Crumpler World History (E Block) March 13, 2015 The Elizabethan Era is depicted as the golden age in English history.   This age was marked as a renaissance which inspired English exploration, international expansion and naval triumph over England’s hated Spanish enemies ( Elizabethan Era.). Queen Elizabeth I was queen from 1558 until her death in 1603, marking the Elizabethan Era.   Her father was King Henry VIII, who ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547, and was succeededRead MoreElizabethan Age Nationalism Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pageswas her intellect and vigor that ultimately won her the last word. She was their King, this virgin Queen that defined her life with the love of no man but a country of loyal subjects. England prospered in culture and religion as well as establishing itself as a world power, all during Elizabethan times. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, nationalism soared due to the queen’s deep devotion to England which she portrayed through these four titles, or â€Å"faces† she adopted over the years; the ProtestantRead MoreEssay on Renaisssance versus Baroque Periods967 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent periods. The renaissance period rolled into the baroque era. There were changes made over the years from the baroque to the renaissance period. Differences in style accumulated along with views of art and music. Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt wayRead MoreComparison/Contrast Renaisssance and Baroque Essay967 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent periods. The renaissance period rolled into the baroque era. There were changes made over the years from the baroque to the renaissance period. Differences in style accumulated along with views of art and music. Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600). It was initially considered to be a corrupt wayRead MoreEssay on Bricolage Fashion1203 Words   |  5 Pagescontinuous cycle and are no longer being original and creative. I will be looking at fashion designer Gareth Pugh to explain more about the term bricolage and the use of the past in contemporary fashion designs. Postmodernism affects fashion, film, pop music and any form of contemporary art. It is a huge topic however I will be looking at its impact on style: ‘Postmodernists suggest that history is going nowhere and thus that we have lost all secure moral and intellectual values. Postmodernism borrowsRead MoreTaming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You1584 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant issues both in the Shakespearean text and in the modern appropriation 10 Things I Hate About You. How does each composers use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted. The modern appropriation, Ten

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Academic Book Review of Strangers in the Land by John Higham free essay sample

The book, Strangers in the Land Patterns of American Nativism, 1860 – 1925 was written by John Higham. The book was published in the year 1954. John Higham was born in New York in 1920 and graduated from the Johns Hopkins University. He has worked for the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the U.S. army air force in its historical division in Italy. He earned his doctorate under Merle Curti in 1949. His experiences at the University and US Army made in him a democratic, sophisticated, American patriotism in which he always believed. He was a great teacher, conscientious mentor and a balanced critic (Ross, 2008). The book selected for review deals mainly with the anti-immigrant and anti-racial policies that prevailed in America and the post war developments that led to immigrant flow in large scale and the further issues during the period 1860 to 1925. The book attempts to convey a general history of the anti-foreign spirit the author has defined as nativism. According to the author, Nativism as a habit of mind illuminates darkly, some of the large contours of the American pas. It has mirrored our anxieties and marked out the bounds of our tolerance. The author is concentrating on the hostilities of American nationalists toward European immigrants, who comprised the mainstream of newcomers throughout the chosen period (1860 1925) and the preceding century. The book Strangers in the Land is an evaluation of the pre-Civil war and post war nativist developments in America. Pre-war period saw the idea of ‘Nativism’ develop through anti-catholic, anti-foreign movements and racism. The author takes us through the early to mid nineteenth century during which immigrants were considered equal to aliens and every step was taken to throw them out of the country. Catholicism was condemned due to its non-applicability in American’s concept of individual freedom and political liberty. Anti-foreign movements were aimed mainly at European and French immigrants since the Americans feared political revolution. The third movement was a positive approach and it boosted American racism and evolved that Americans belonged to a superior Anglo-Saxon nationalism. The post war scenario changed all these concepts and saw the immigrants in every sector of developing America. The American government started realising the importance of the immigrants who played a major role in post war development. The immigrants later formed the base support for land development and they also formed the consumers for the various industries. Though nativism seemed to have vanished, it did exist beneath the surface of the society. The author claims that the government supported the flow of immigrants till it helped development and when they started backfiring the nativist inside, the Americans started showing up again. The author describes how the states liberalised the immigration laws initially and then when the trouble started, stringent rules were imposed on immigration. Another area which the author scans is the coming back of anti-Catholic movement through the states’ imposing rules on religious intervention in the field of education. The author further throws light on how anti-racism and labour rights movements created problems for the still-nativist Americans. The author sites that nativism flourished during the period due to the deep-seated ethnic differences between natives, and immigrants added to the movements and events during the period (Higham, 2002). Nativism in American History While evaluating the general history of America, nativism has been an integral part of its past. Americans have discriminated and assaulted immigrants in the early nineteenth century and embraced the immigrants for their own development after the civil war. Alien and Sedition Acts, Protestant Crusade, Chinese Exclusion, Return of Anti-Catholicism, Americanization Campaign and Triumph of Anglo-Saxon Racialism are some of the major movements in American history during the period 1860 to 1925. This has been discussed in various historical works (Cycles of Nativism in U.S. History). 1860 to 1925 is also a time which witness several important events like American Inventions, political developments, World wars and introduction of many important labour laws (Sioux Uprising). Analysis Pros Though there are various books on similar context majority of them analyse the political impact of nativism. Most of the books seem very complex to the reader. Higham’s book was one of the earliest to discuss this important historical factor with a less biased approach about nativism. Books such as Dividing Lines by Daniel J Tichenor and The Party of Fear by David Harry Bennett does discuss about nativism in American history, but the passion and simple prose has made Higham’s book a favourite amongst history students. This book provides simple and effective information about American nativism which can be easily interpreted by laymen. Cons Higham has included information on many smaller interesting events and movements that added to the main events which makes his study more detailed and understandable. By making the prose simple, the author has however made the content less sophisticated than it should have been. In addition to that, the movement has been described generally and individual references supporting nativism has not been given in the book. Higham has shown nativism as a battle between natives and immigrants whereas the internal clashes such as fights between various ethnic groups among the natives have not been mentioned. Higham sites nativism as an act which is preached rather than practiced (Ueda. 2006 p.180-187). Higham has discussed very little about the anti-Asian movements though there is a mention about Chinese Exclusion p.187). Another important aspect of nativism Higham neglected is the role of women in the movements (p.191). Higham’s base for the Protestant leader’s role in the movement is based largely on sermons, pamphlets and books. The extent to which they contributed can be assessed only through the correspondence made by the leaders. Only further investigations will reveal and authenticate some of the links mentioned by Higham (p.193). Conclusion John Higham’s book Strangers in the Land – Patterns of American Nativism, 1860 – 1925 is a very good guide for a beginner to understand the history of American nativism. Though certain important issues have not been considered, the author has been able to demonstrate his work through interesting events and simple prose.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Should Product Placement be Regulated free essay sample

Should Product Placement be regulated? A product placement is defined as a paid product message aimed at influencing movie (or television) audiences via the planned and unobtrusive entry of a branded product into a movie (Matthes, J. ; Wirth, W. ; Schemer, C. ; Kissling, A. , 201 la, Para. 1). Product placement is basically used for directors to afford their films. Most people feel that product placement should be controlled because of the influence it has on an individual. Lets discuss how product placement is used and how it is bad. I have een told that the only way to understand Product Placement is to know how it works first. Today, product placements appear in music videos (Schemer et al. 2008), novels (Brennan 2008), television shows (Law and Braun 2000; Matthes, Schemer, and Wirth 2007), movies (dAstous and Chartier 2000; Gupta and Lord 1998), video games (Nelson 2002), and even in new mediums such as the online virtual world Second Life (Matthes, J. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Product Placement be Regulated or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ; Wirth, W. ; Schemer, C. ; Kissling, A. , 2011, Para. , b). A perfect example of how product placement works is in the movie Cast Away. Throughout the movie Fed-Ex is being used. The simple sight of seeing the logo on a truck, or the beginning part where all they talk about is Fed-Ex. Companies are having a hard time getting their advertisements out because people have so many ways to ignore it. Just for example on my TV we can fast forward through all of the commercials. These advertisements on TV also only reaches so many people because an average person only watches TV for so many hours a day. So they are putting product placement more and more in movies to help get product out there. Now knowing a little about how product placement works we can discuss ways that product placement is bad nd can influence our society. Smoking in movies has always been an issue and continues to be, because it make it desirable to the human eye. Movie smoking is presented as adult behavior. Exposure to movie smoking makes viewers attitudes and beliefs about smoking and smokers more favorable and has a dose-response relationship with adolescent smoking behavior. Parental restrictions on R-rated movies significantly reduces youth exposure to movie smoking and subsequent smoking uptake. Beginning in 2002, the total amount of smoking in movies was greater in youth-rated (G/PG/PG-13) films than adult-rated (R) films, significantly ncreasing adolescent exposure to movie smoking. Viewing antismoking advertisements before viewing movie smoking seems to blunt the stimulating effects of movie smoking on adolescent smoking (Charlesworth A. ; Glantz SA, 2005, para 1). Smoking advertisements have been banned from so much. They have still been able to get through to kids and adults by famous people in movies, TV shows, and even school magazines. Product placement of cigarette companies still find their way to Smokeless Tobacco were caught running ads in school editions (for students to read) of Time, Newsweek and U. S. News World Report (TobaccoFreeCA, n. . para 6, b). There is some good for them to be helping keep kids from this but companies Just keep making their way through these loopholes. Of course people and their children still see these advertisings in magazines. Every year they still find a way to influence our world. In 1998, the tobacco industry signed the Master Settlement Agreement, vowing to stop targeting youth. However, in 1999, Marlboro, Camel and Newport increased their advertising in youth-oriented magazines. Ads for these three brands were seen by over 80 percent of youth an average of 17 times a year (TobaccoFreeCA, n. d. para 5, a). Articles say that when there is smoking in a PG-13 movie then they Just make sure that the actor/actress is not the ones that are admired from the audience. Apparently this is supposed to prevent the kids from not trying it. I feel that Just because those actors/actresses are on TV then they may admire them even if they are not a big time movie star. Another way to look at this that many parents let their kids watch movies that are not PG-13, which means that they may be seeing the smoking on TV. I feel that either it should be banned from TV all together or it might as well be on the PG-13 movies

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Critical inquiry in Practical Nursing Essay Essay Example

Critical inquiry in Practical Nursing Essay Essay Example Critical inquiry in Practical Nursing Essay Essay Critical inquiry in Practical Nursing Essay Essay Question 1- Harmonizing to Kerr et Al ( 2012 ) . the intent of the survey is to analyze the nurses’ sentiments on the debut of a medical administrative to the enrolled nurses and its impact in the mistake rate of medicine. Question 2- The author’s principle was to: -To examine nurses’ sentiments on enrolled medical disposal -To analyze whether the enrolled nurses debut effects of the medicine mistake in organisations. Question 3- Quantitative. experimental. Question 4-The sample used was the different types of nurses who answered inquiries online at the web site of the organisation. The selected batch replies specific inquiries in a questionnaire related to the subject of treatment. Question 5-a ) Descriptive B ) InferentialQuestion 6-Education Question 7-Demographic informations – Response to nurses’ study points – Ratess of medicine errors- Collected within 12 months Question 8- Survey inquiry sing support for disposal of medicines by qualified ENs RN SupportiveIn % RN Non-SupportiveIn % Statistically Significant? 73. 8 % . 26. 2 % Yes / No Survey inquiry mensurating positive alteration EN SupportiveIn nEN non-supportiveIn nStatistically Significant? 73. 626. 4Yes / No Survey inquiry sing the degree of instruction for ENs who administer medicines ENME SupportiveIn % ENME Non-SupportiveIn % Statistically Significant? 73. 726. 3 % Yes / No Question 9- Population 118. 268-256. 302 Question 10- It is true to state that A important consequence ( p=0. 265. P lt ; 0. 05 ) occurred when topics were surveyed whether the disposal of medicine by ENMEs had resulted in a positive alteration. Question 11- The participants entered the research in a voluntary footing. The positions of the nonparticipants were non considered and merely left the writers thinking on their positions. This is a chief challenge as no conclusive study that is included would be written. Second. the figure of ENME was higher than that of the RN. This may be due to miss of hiring in some countries which causes an instability in the last study. Question 12- The rate of medicine mistakes does non alter in any important manner when ENMEs are used to administrate medicines. The mistakes are nevertheless being considered preventable. Mention Kerr. D. . Lu. S. . Mill. D. . A ; Mckinlay. L. ( 2012 ) . Medication Administration by Enrolled Nurses: Opinions of Nurses in an Australian Healthcare Organization. Nursing Forum. 47 ( 4 ) . 203-209. doi:10. 1111/j. 1744-6198. 2012. 00281. ten Beginning papers

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Battle of North Point in the War of 1812

Battle of North Point in the War of 1812 The Battle of North Point was fought as the British attacked Baltimore, MD on September 12, 1814, during the War of 1812. As 1813 came to an end, the British started to shift their attention from the Napoleonic Wars to the conflict with the United States. This commenced with a surge in naval strength which saw the Royal Navy widen and tighten their full commercial blockade of the American coast. This crippled American commerce and led to inflation and shortages of goods. The American position continued to decline with the fall of Napoleon in March 1814. Though initially cheered by some in the United States, the implications of the French defeat soon became clear as the British were now freed to enlarge their military presence in North America. Having failed to capture Canada or compel the British to seek peace during the wars first two years, these new events put the Americans on the defensive and changed the conflict into one of national survival. To the Chesapeake As fighting continued along the Canadian border, the Royal Navy, led by Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, mounted attacks along the American coast and endeavored to tighten the blockade. Already eager to inflict destruction on the United States, Cochrane was further encouraged in July 1814 after getting a letter from Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost. This asked him to help avenge the American burnings of several Canadian towns. To oversee these attacks, Cochrane turned to Rear Admiral George Cockburn who had spent much of 1813 raiding up and down the Chesapeake Bay. To support this mission, a brigade of Napoleonic veterans, commanded by Major General Robert Ross, was ordered to the region. On to Washington On August 15, Ross transports entered the Chesapeake and pushed up the bay to join with Cochrane and Cockburn. Assessing their options, the three men decided to attempt a strike on Washington DC. This combined force soon cornered Commodore Joshua Barneys gunboat flotilla in the Patuxent River. Moving up the river, they eliminated Barneys force and landed Rosss 3,400 men and 700 marines on August 19. In Washington, President James Madisons administration struggled to meet the threat. Unwilling to believe that the capital would be a target, little had been done in terms of preparing defenses. Overseeing the defense of Washington was Brigadier General William Winder, a political appointee from Baltimore who had been captured at the Battle of Stoney Creek in June 1813. As the bulk of the US Armys regulars were occupied in the north, Winder s force was largely comprised of militia. Meeting no resistance, Ross and Cockburn marched quickly from Benedict to Upper Marlborough. There the two elected to approach Washington from the northeast and cross the East Branch of the Potomac at Bladensburg. Following the defeat of American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, they entered Washington and burned several government buildings. This done, British forces under Cochrane and Ross turned their attention north towards Baltimore. The British Plan A vital port city, Baltimore was believed by the British to be the base of many of the American privateers that were preying on their shipping. To take Baltimore, Ross and Cochrane planned a two-prong attack with the former landing at North Point and advancing overland, while the latter attacked Fort McHenry and the harbor defenses by water. Arriving in the Patapsco River, Ross landed 4,500 men at the tip of North Point on the morning of September 12, 1814. Anticipating Ross actions and needing more time to complete the citys defenses, the American commander at Baltimore, American Revolution veteran Major General Samuel Smith, dispatched 3,200 men and six cannon under Brigadier General John Stricker to delay the British advance. Marching to North Point, Stricker arrayed his men across Long Log Lane at a point where the peninsula narrowed. Marching north, Ross rode ahead with his advance guard. Armies Commanders: United States Major General Samuel SmithBrigadier General John Stricker3,200 men Britain Major General Robert RossColonel Arthur Brooke4,500 men The Americans Make a Stand Shortly after being warned about being too far forward by Rear Admiral George Cockburn, Ross party encountered a group of American skirmishers. Opening fire, the Americans critically wounded Ross in arm and chest before retreating. Placed on a cart to carry him back to the fleet, Ross died a short time later. With Ross dead, command devolved to Colonel Arthur Brooke. Pressing forward, Brookes men soon encountered Strickers line. Nearing, both sides exchanged musket and cannon fire for over an hour, with the British attempting flank the Americans. Around 4:00 PM, with the British getting better of the fight, Stricker ordered a deliberate retreat north and reformed his line near Bread and Cheese Creek. From this position Stricker waited for the next British assault, which never came. Having suffered over 300 casualties, Brooke elected not to pursue the Americans and ordered his men to camp on the battlefield. With his mission of delaying the British accomplished, Stricker and men retired to Baltimores defenses. The following day, Brooke conducted two demonstrations along the citys fortifications, but found them too strong to attack and halted his advance. Aftermath Impact In the fighting, the Americans lost 163 killed and wounded and 200 captured. British casualties numbered 46 killed and 273 wounded. While a tactical loss, the Battle of North Point proved to be a strategic victory for the Americans. The battle allowed Smith to complete his preparations for defending the city, which halted Brookes advance. Unable to penetrate the earthworks, Brooke was forced to await the outcome of Cochranes naval attack on Fort McHenry. Beginning at dusk on September 13, Cochranes bombardment of the fort failed, and Brooke was forced to withdraw his men back to the fleet.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Macroeconomics (Economics in general) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Macroeconomics (Economics in general) - Essay Example Various terms and assumptions are taken in economics in order to understand the behavior of individuals, society as a whole and the patterns of production and spending. Scarcity is one such concept used in economics to define and explain behavior and relationship among the key variables, that is, spending and production. Scarcity refers to scarcity of resources meaning that the resources available for ay economy are scarce and thus should be used efficiently in order to produce maximum outputs. Economic goods are goods where the consumer has to pay some price to acquire them and/or to consume them. On the other hand, the non-economic goods or simply the free goods have no opportunity cost. The consumer does not have to let go anything in order to use these goods. Goods involving a financial cost or any other type of cost are classified as economic goods. Economic goods can be anything that is purchased for consumption at some price. The price is determined by the interaction of supply and demand for that particular good or service. All goods that are sold for some price are economic goods in economic terms. Non-economic goods are those that are available for free. They can be in the form of air, government provided goods and services. As they are not costing anything, they have no opportunity cost either. The acquirer does not have to pay anything for its use. ... They can be in the form of air, government provided goods and services. As they are not costing anything, they have no opportunity cost either. The acquirer does not have to pay anything for its use. Similarly, they are not scarce in nature. Economics and scarcity are related as economics study the individual's behavior of making choices between available goods. The decision is primarily based on the opportunity cost, marginal utility and the scarcity of good and/or service. Economics, thus, has close relation with the concept of scarcity. Economics is the study of the decisions that households and firms make in any economy and their impact. Market Mechanism 2. Describe the market mechanism of supply and demand and describe how they operate in competitive markets to produce equilibrium. Market is a place where the buyers and the suppliers interact. The buyers are the consumers and/or customers of any sort of good or service. The suppliers are the providers of the required good or service. The market operates because of the interaction of buyers and suppliers. The buyers express their willingness to buy a particular good or service. The suppliers at the same time provide the required good or service. The degree of demand ad the level of available supply of that good or service determines the market price for that product. The interaction of supply and demand curve in economics determines the price at which the good or service will sell. The demand curve is a downward sloping curve showing a negative relationship between the quantity and price. As the price increases, the quantity demanded will decrease as the buyers have to pay more for that particular good or service and vice versa. The supply curve is positively related to price. As

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

IBM's Global Business Services Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IBM's Global Business Services - Case Study Example The comparisons contained here are, however, solely based on information published in the respective company's website and there were no exhaustive evaluation on their actual operations. TD Securities have campus recruitment systems wherein recruiting representatives go directly to campuses just like IBM, but it has a wider University coverage than IBM. Its commitment includes hiring employees with diverse backgrounds to reflect the global environment in which they operate (TD Bank, 2008). "The George S. May International Company recruits and hires people with the goal of having employees positioned as close as possible to the general parts of the country where they are assigned to work. This makes business travel easier and faster. It also allows our people to enjoy the benefits of families and friends as much as possible." This opening statements is somewhat a good come-on for career persons who are not willing to sacrifice family affairs. Bain and Company offer several simple web contents that are useful to guide interested applicants including the customized application procedures for different applicants with different levels of qualification. It also have helpful tools for interview preparations. Their site is not cramped with information which makes it faster to load even for lower speed connections (Bain and Company, 2008). Is like the other firms.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Using surveys to conduct research Essay Example for Free

Using surveys to conduct research Essay What are the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys to conduct research?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Surveys have been used as methods of collecting data for as long as can be remembered.   In practically all scientific fields, surveys have proven invaluable in obtaining data that would otherwise be impossible to gather.   As a method of determining certain behavioral aspects of society and man, surveys have also proven to be beneficial to all research in that field.   Yet as with everything in this world, there will always be advantages and disadvantages.    This short discourse will outline the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys to conduct research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First of all, the advantage of having a survey is that it allows the researcher to gather more date in a shorter amount of time.   The questions in a survey are able to address a multitude of issues that would require a researcher more amount of time in lieu of a survey.   Aside from the ability to allow access to more information, surveys can be specifically designed to elicit objective responses. This lends to its value in highly quantitative research that deals with hard data instead of non-quantifiable aspects.   In short, surveys are advantageous because they allow the researcher to obtain the information that is required much faster and more efficiently than other sources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem with surveys, however, is that it is difficult to construct an accurate survey that removes biases or false data.   Surveys are prone to providing the wrong information.   Another problem of surveys lies in the fact that it is not as accurate when gathering qualitative aspects or figures.   Opinions or sentiments are very hard to capture and quantify in surveys.   As such, as a method of conducting research, depending on the subject matter involved, surveys can be very disadvantageous.   Surveys may not always represent the mean of every sample.   Surveys must be given accurately in order to obtain an approximate cross section of the sample used.   The disadvantage, therefore, lies in making an accurate survey that will lead to the correct data.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Womens Suffrage :: Women Suffrage Vote

People in this time viewed women as citizens, but only when it came to certain aspects. One of these aspects did not include the right to vote. The right to vote was for landowners or passed-down political power. By most of the authors in Chapter 10 (WRW, 276-294) women were looked at as inferior. Men have always been the strong one and they thought without man we would not be anywhere. Some even suggested that since the male had a penis he was automatically stronger than a woman who did not have one. If a man were to become castrated, he would ultimately be weaker and he would lose â€Å"virile qualities.† Women as we all know do not have the male reproductive organ, so we could ultimately conclude that this author thought of women as inferior. People also felt that a woman already had its responsibilities. The women’s job was to be there for the husband and bare his kids. The jobs that came with baring his offspring were to nurse and teach the kids and make sure the homestead is ready for the master. How would a woman have time to vote or think about current issues? The whole idea of a women voting just did not fit in most peoples minds. Many people have different views on what the role of a citizen is. Some view a person as a citizen if they take part in the community. But then again, some people view citizens as others that are aloud to vote and make a difference in our community. Some think that they must own land. Either way, the view is that people must have a part in the community. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon showed a very restricted view on women’s citizenship. In his piece, he speaks about the inferiority of women physically, intellectually, and morally. He shows how he feels that women â€Å"have no reason to exist other than in the couple and the family.† He makes it clear that he feels

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Why Women are obsessed with Appearance

The human physical appearance is very vital in the development of social relations with the others as they interact. The appearance is also important in relation to an individual’s personality. Because human beings are influenced by what they can see, physical attractiveness of a person plays a very important role in social relations. The physical characteristics or features that are seen in men and women are an expression of sexual dimorphisms in human. This is due to the physical differences that exist between men and women. A woman’s physical appearance affects how she socially interacts with other women and men because when it comes to the appearance, human beings have proved to be very sensitive to variation in appearance. Some of the factors that can be attributed to variation in appearance include age, genetic factors, diseases and personal adornments. Physiological differences between individuals can be seen in physical features such as the body hair, height, bodyweight, hair colour, shape of the ears and nose, body deformations and body shape. Appearance can also be affected by short term occurrences such as crying, skin colour changes and sexual arousal. In the contemporary world, the appearance of an individual whether a man or a woman is considered to have great significance. This is especially true for women who are considered to be very concerned and obsessed with their appearance. Cornell(Cornell,1998) states that women have in the past years expressed their determination, dedication and great efforts as they seek to get equal opportunities with the men. To women, they have been denied equal opportunities with the men who have dominated the world for a long time. Through their appearance, women can win the attention that they may fight for feminism. This has made many women to invest their time, efforts, and resources in order to attain an appearance that is desirable to them. Although men are also concerned about their appearance, majority of men do not allocate as much time, energy and financial resources to enhance their certain appearances like women do. Changing someone’s physiological features whether in long-term or short-term has become an issue of concern for many, whereby personal effects and clothing have become important in promoting changes in appearance for women. The use of decorative objects, body shape altering devices, cosmetics, body modifications, change of haircut or hair colour, and changing dressing styles have become very common in women. Technological advancements have resulted to new and more advanced ways of changing the appearance, a good example being cosmetic surgery. Plastic of cosmetic surgery is now being embraced as one of the most advanced way that is currently available to women who would like to change their physiological appearance. In this paper, the reason behind women’s obsession with their appearance will be discussed. The discussion will be based on the theory that women are obsessed with their appearance because of their concern of their future existence and the need to maintain their feminine identity. Discussion There are many reasons why women are obsessed with their appearance. However,the reason why certain individuals may be obsessed with their appearance may vary depending on the experiences one have had in her life. Some reasons seem to contribute greatly to the obsession women have with their appearance. These reasons will be discussed below; 1. Women’s concern about their future existence. Women are considered to be concerned about their appearance due to the influence their appearance have on their future. This opinion is also supported by Gillis et al (Gillis et al, 2007). The future existence of a woman is based on her attractiveness. This is a factor that many women may not be consciously aware of. Women’s anxiety about the future promotes their engagement in efforts that aim at making their appearance more attractive. Because women pursuit for attractive appearance is related to future, their obsession with appearance is centrally tied to their relationships with men. This is because. The future of women depends on co-workers, husbands, employers, and lovers who are men. One reason why women show their obsession with their appearance is the conviction that a woman’s life if fulfilled and her continued existence guaranteed depending on her ability to attract and be attached to a particular man. This ability defines what her future holds for her. In almost all societies, relationships between men and women are considered to be very important. Even in the ancient societies, women were viewed as very crucial since they played the important role of mothers and wives. A woman’s ability to attract a man, especially the one who she can marry is to some extent related to her physical appearance. This is in relation to her body shape, body size, colour of her skin and hair, and her natural beauty. In order to share power and wealth, many women tend to enhance their bodies’ potential as objects of men desires. This gives a woman’s body great sexual significance in the society. Women invest their time, energy, efforts and resources to enhance an appearance that will be desirable and attractive to men. This is especially true when it comes to a man who proposes to marry a woman. Apart from a woman’s concern about her appearance before marriage, appearance still remains an important issue even in marriage. In the contemporary society, a woman’s worth and acceptance is promoted by her being married. To many, marriage still remains the natural mode of a female being a woman. Price and Shidrick (Price and Shildrick, 1999) state that since the ancient times, the societies have given certain socioeconomic and historical positions to woman. These positions restrict women to take care of the households and children and they have been for some time strengthened even more by the commercial media. Women’s obsession with appearance does not entirely depend on their personal preference to pursue attractiveness. Their pursuit for attractiveness emanates from the need to give their bodies some power. The power that women acquire through the appearance of their bodies determines what kind of a husband they get and also how they relate with employers or co-workers. It is these people who define how her future will be like. Therefore, a woman’s obsession with appearance can be attributed to her desire to give her body some power that will ensure she gets a good husband and family in the future, as well as assure her of her success as a result of good relations with male co-workers or employers. Women use decorative or attractive items to enhance their appearance that attracts the right men. For instance, cosmetics and jewelry still remain as very important personal effects to a woman. These items increase a woman’s beauty and make her more attractive to men who are likely to be beneficial to her life in future. Pharmaceutical companies are now manufacturing many and different cosmetic products for women to use in their pursuit for attractiveness or good appearance. Marrakchi (Marrakchi, 2006) links women’s obsession with their appearance to the production of harmful and toxic cosmetic products . These products which have been viewed as contributing to the many cases of diseases such as cancer in the modern society. Decorative objects such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings have become part and parcel of many women’s lives. In an ideal traditional marriage, a woman’s beauty is seen as though to be exchanged with a man’s power, wealth, and influence. Because marriage becomes part of a woman’s future, enhancing an attractive appearance that will assist her attract a good husband has promoted a woman’s obsession with good appearance. Her future that depends on how well she can attract good men as a potential husband determines how far a woman may be willing to go in order to get the â€Å"right† appearance. The appearance to her will in future give her some worth and will ensure she is accepted in the society if she relates to the right men. The future existence of a woman is promoted by the happiness she gets in life and the fulfillment of romantic love that she receives. Gerhard (Gerhard, 2001) asserts that the society has made marriage attractive and desirable to women by associating future happiness and fulfillment of romantic love to a marriage. Future happiness and fulfillment or romantic love is associated with a marriage. Because the society tends to present a marriage as an institution that makes women acceptable and gives them some worth, some women fear that they will loose their worth if they fail to attract men who can marry them. Because a woman may consider being married as â€Å"doing the proper thing†, her ability to attract a man for marriage becomes her focus. The fear of being seen as a failure or a â€Å"social misfit† if she is not married motivates a woman to seek an attractive appearance. By ensuring that she remains attractive, a woman increases her opportunity to have her romantic love and happiness fulfilled. Furthermore, her worth and acceptance in the society is retained, a situation that increases her happiness. A woman’s failure to attract men makes her loose her worth or makes her feel that she is not as good as other attractive women. Women’s obsession with appearance can therefore be attributed to their desire to get happiness and fulfillment of romantic love in future. In addition, her attractive appearance boosts her self confidence and esteem hence she feels that she has great worth in the society. For example, in some societies, women who do not get married may not be highly regarded. As compared to their married counterparts, unmarried women are viewed as people who are not happy or are unfulfilled in relation to romantic love. When marriage becomes an important institution for a woman in future, ensuring that one gets married has led to their obsession with an appearance that they seek to have so as to attract men they are likely to marry. 2. The need for a woman to change with the changes in the society A society is always dynamic, which demands that the society members embrace changes that occur. Phillips (Phillips, 2004) holds the opinion that changes that are experienced in the society determine the kind of a society we will have in future. The changes in turn result to changes in the peoples’ attitudes and lifestyle. The changes that have been experienced in the contemporary society have made the people to adopt an attitude that thinness is beauty. The opinion that the thinner a woman is the more attractive she is continues to encourage a huge number of women to adopt a lifestyle that promotes one’s body thinness even at the expense of an individual’s health. The opinion that for one to be attractive they have to be thin has become very popular. This has altered the eating lifestyles of the people by promoting dieting and physical exercises. For instance, many teenagers have been found to be engaged in dieting practices with the aim to obtaining small body sizes so as to resemble their skinny and thin role models. The media is flooded with advertisements that display a woman’s body thinness as the ideal and more attractive feminine body shape as compared to average or huge women. For instance, the current fashion industry has promoted modeling as a very lucrative career for those who are determined to become successful models. Women who are tall and thin are now being viewed as the most beautiful. Consequently, the women’s’ desire to resemble the thin and tall models they view as the most attractive has promoted their obsession with appearance. Even for women who are successful in other career fields other than modeling, there seems to be a belief that a good career cannot be a substitute for an individual’s attractiveness. Attempts by women to make themselves more attractive by becoming thin has led to the manufacture of a wide range of weight losing equipment or products and their sale in the market. Although some items are important to promote health, some equipment and items have ended up affecting the users’ bodies negatively. Dieting has become the order of the day for some women whereby some women starve themselves in their efforts to cut down weight or to remain thin. Whether women’s efforts to remain thin are encouraged for the right reasons still remains debatable. Obese or overweight women are currently viewed as lacking the proper feminine body. In addition, a woman who is youthful looking and fashionably thin is considered to be more attractive to the modern man as compared to those fat-looking women. To many women, an individual who is fat or big in size is seen as experiencing psychological problems and is inadequate and incompetent by failing to manage their body size. Hence she becomes a person who fails in adjustments. Because being huge is considered as a sign of lack of control, women who are overweight or huge are looked down upon. Therefore women who do not loose weight to be thin tend to see themselves as objects of rejection and hate. Furthermore, they look at themselves as inevitable failures. This undermines an individuals self esteem leading to isolation, pretended cheerfulness, and loneliness. In the North American society, being thin translates to† looking good† for young girls and women. This means that the girls and women should do almost everything possible so as to avoid becoming fat or to remain thin. Having a fair and clear skin has become an important factor in the definition of attractiveness. Increased desire to remain thin and to have a fair skin has led to women’s’ obsession with their appearance. 3. Womens struggle to retain their feminine Identity Women’s struggle to retain their feminine identity is another factor that has promoted their obsession with their appearance. As explained by Hill (Hill, 2000), women consider their body shape, body size, and their personality to define who they are. A woman relates who she is to the behaviours and qualities that the society considers appropriate for her. Some of the features that shows a woman’s’ feminine identity include, kindness, submissiveness, patience and gentleness. Throughout history, women have gone to extreme ends to bring out features or characteristics that strengthen their feminity. For instance, large breast size in the contemporary society is considered an important feminine trait. Many women in the western culture are now emphasizing on their cleavage to promote and enhance their femininity. This they do by wearing clothing that emphasizes of their breasts and cleavage. High heeled shoes have become very common with women despite the discomfort they cause them. Plastic or cosmetic surgery has become a lucrative business for the professionals who are trained in that field. Many women, especially the wealthy ones are now turning to cosmetics surgery as a solution to the old skin, old age and unattractive body shape. Due to the woman’s preference for an ideal body shape that resembles that of the models, altering the body shape is now being done through cosmetic surgery. The process is expensive which makes it difficult for majority of women to afford it. Those that cannot afford cosmetic surgery services however go for other options of changing their body shapes. For example, pharmaceutical companies sometimes manufacture drugs and equipment that can enhance hips, breast and waist size as an individual would like to have. The body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been attributed to women’s’ failure to acquire feminine appearance they would prefer. Many industries that are doing well in the market depend highly on the women’s’ investment as they seek attractive appearance. The pursuit of women’s attractiveness has overtaken their lives. The search for feminine attractiveness has made any work of beautification that does not fall within the domain of promoting feminine characteristics to be insignificant. Perfecting appearance through the perceived appropriate feminine characteristics has become the major concern and work that women engage in. By ensuring that their feminine identity is maintained and enhanced, women’s’ body have become a road that maps their future identify. The appearance of their body defines the women’s feminine identify. In the contemporary society, a woman’s’ body is being used to map her future territory. Good examples are the many beauty contests that are currently being witnessed all over the world. The media has been very instrumental in promoting the beauty contests, a situation that continues to convince women that they cannot be beautiful unless they resemble the models. For example, the â€Å"Miss Universe† and the â€Å"Miss World† contests are now being held every year with contestants from almost all nations of the world participating. Various attires are constantly being designed in order to be won by the participants. In addition, the contestants embrace various techniques of enhancing their attractiveness in order to win the coveted title of being the worlds’ most beautiful woman. Winning the contest becomes the greatest dream to come true. This has contributed to women 4. A reaction to lack of space in a male-dominated world Women’s’ obsession with appearance is a reaction to lack of space in a male dominated and male defined world. According to Ashe (Ashe, 2004), women even in the modern world just like in the past live within spheres that have been defined and demarcated by the men. For instance, women have been confined to low paying jobs, kitchen and bedroom. Modernization has changed this and this has made the women want to break out from the spatial confinements they have acquired. They are therefore becoming aggressive and competitive with the men. The women are then considered to be a threat to the male power. When women fail to access spaces that for many years have been occupied by men, they are seen as failures and it becomes their fault for lack of achievement. On the other hand, women who use their feminine identity to access the male dominated spaces are criticized as having no brains. Due to this, women are said to suffer from an inferiority complex which some say it’s an incurable psychological condition. As some women fight for their future space to compete equally with men, they need to move out from the spheres that have been demarcated for them by men. The women are seen as fighting for equal positions with men. This is because, confining women to the kitchen, bedroom and low paying jobs is seen by many women as oppressive situations that women have been for many years been put in due to their gender. Breaking out of the oppressive situation for many women has encouraged their efforts to pursue attractive appearance. Unfortunately, for many women who try to fight for equal positions with men through their appearance end up destroying their lives and their bodies. Because fighting oppressive situations becomes their major focus in life, anything that the woman does to attract attention and prove themselves out to men becomes an obsession. Enhancing their appearance tends to make women feel better because they can be able to attract attention that for a long time women have been denied by male domination. When women are carried away by their desire to seek attention in order to counter their feelings of inferiority, making their appearance attractive becomes an obsession. 5. Efforts to attain equality with men The common identity of women in reference to men has made women to rely on what men define as female attractiveness. In many cultural set ups including the contemporary society, men seems to dominate. This includes their opinion on what is right or wrong for a woman to do. Due to the specialization of the role of men and women in the society, the man is more superior to a woman. Man becomes the subject and the absolute while a woman becomes â€Å"the other† In the modern North American corporate capitalism society, a woman’s’ identity relates to that of a man. Her appearance is identified whether it is attractive depending on her ability to present her appearance as feminine according to a man’s view of a woman’s attractiveness. To acquire some security and safety in a society where her identify is described in reference to men, women work very hard to attain recognition and security through good appearance. This has no doubt contributed to a woman’s obsession with their appearance. Women may alienate themselves from their bodies when self and body becomes divided. This may make women to have their bodies transformed into ugly, unruly and out of control objects. The self on the other hand becomes a web of reproach and hatred for an individual. This means that a woman who goes through such an experience is willing to submit her body to appearance enhancing practices even if they are harmful. Dressing styles such as tooth braces and casts are now being used to fight the woman’s identity as â€Å"the other†. Conclusion In the contemporary world, the physical appearance has become a major concern for many people. The most affected are the women, seen in their obsession with their appearance. People are now using a wide range of products to bring about changes in their appearance. Examples of products that are being used to enhance appearance include cosmetics, decorative items, and body shape enhancing products, jewelry, rings, body paintings, and tattoos. Since the ancient times, women have always used certain products and products to change their appearance by enhancing their beauty. Many societies support thisHowever, what for many years have been search for beauty has turned into an obsession for women. Appearance is no longer seen just as a way of promoting physical beauty, but also as a way of ensuring future existence for women. In a male dominated society, women have had to fight for equal opportunities with the men (feminism). In their quest for equality, women to some extent have used their uniqueness as women to take up roles and position that have for a long time been dominated by men. The need to change their lifestyle, to maintain their feminine identity, to fight for equality, and to secure their future existence makes women obsessed with their appearance.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Why There Is a Lack of Women in Leadership Roles

Leading and Managing People | Dr Andrew Rowe | Manchester Metropolitan University Business School | Elizabeth Ann Marku- 10996807| In recent years, women have increasingly moved into leadership positions within public and private sector organistions. It is notable, however, that their presence is less apparent in the higher echelons of professional and organisational structures where the greatest influence and power in the decision making process resides. Despite the plethora of research examining this issue, there is still conflicting opinions as to why this is the case.This assignment asks you to review the key contributions to this debate and examine the implications for effective leadership in the 21st century. | | Leading and Managing People | Dr Andrew Rowe | Manchester Metropolitan University Business School | Elizabeth Ann Marku- 10996807| In recent years, women have increasingly moved into leadership positions within public and private sector organistions. It is notable, how ever, that their presence is less apparent in the higher echelons of professional and organisational structures where the greatest influence and power in the decision making process resides.Despite the plethora of research examining this issue, there is still conflicting opinions as to why this is the case. This assignment asks you to review the key contributions to this debate and examine the implications for effective leadership in the 21st century. | | â€Å"When millions of women rise around the world, we won’t need an International Women’s Day. When millions of women rise around the world we’ll be able to harness all the days, years and resources we need to deal with climate change, poverty, violence and war†. (Womens History Month March 8 2012) Women in Leadership PositionsBreaking through the glass ceiling †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Purpose of Report In 2011 an article in the Guardian Business Newspaper stated â€Å"The Equality and Human Rights Commi ssion claims that there are 5,400 women â€Å"missing† from top jobs in the UK and the narrowing of the gender gap across business, politics and the media is â€Å"tortuously slow†. This report will review the current and historical research as to why women are not more prominent in leadership roles. Introduction Why is it important for women to be in leadership positions? Historically leadership positions have been male dominated.This is no surprise given that it was not until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that women over 21 were able to vote and finally achieve the same voting rights as men. The Equalities Act 2010 has created a unified public sector duty, which is intended to promote equality in public policy and decision-making. The Glass Ceiling â€Å"The glass ceiling† refers to a women's lack of advancement into leadership positions despite no visible barriers â€Å"You tend not to use your womanhood. You try to neutralize it. For example, you wear a s uit instead of a dress. † (Morrison, White, Velsor, and The Center For Creative Leadership 4)The Human Rights Commission’s research report titled ‘Sex and Power 2011’ looked at twenty seven occupational categories both in the private and public sectors and measured how many women held positions of power and influence. The research revealed that the position of women in high profile positions had changed little since a previous report in 2008 and that in 100 FTSE companies it would take some seventy years for women directors to equal men. This was also mirrored in relation to women MP’s in parliament. (Human Rights Commission, 2011) (Guardian Buisness Newspaper, Tuesday 13 September 2011 )Linder, K. 2012. , The Women of Berkshire Hathaway : Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors. [online]. Wiley. Available from: 25 November 2012 Zenger J and Folkman Jack Zenger They are co-authors of the October 2011 HBR article â€Å"Making Yourself Indispensable,† and the book How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths (McGraw-Hill, 2012). Publication information: Book title: Breaking the Glass Ceiling:Can Women Reach the Top of America's Largest Corporations?. Edition: Updated. Contributors: Ann M.Morrison – Author, Randall P. White – Author, Ellen Van Velsor – Author, The Center For Creative Leadership – OrganizationName. Publisher: Perseus Publishing. Place of publication: Cambridge, MA. Publication year: 1994. Page number: Not availableQuestia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www. questia. com Publication information: Book title: Human Resources, Care Giving, Career Progression, and Gender: A Gender Neutral Glass Ceiling. Contributors: Beulah S. Coyne – Author, Edward J. Coyne – Author, Monica Lee – Author. Publisher: Routledge. Place of publication: New York. Publication year: 2004. Page number: xiii

Friday, November 8, 2019

Free Essays on Jane Austen Uses Of Irony In Pride And Prejudice

The first sentence of the novel Pride and Prejudice opens with an ironic statement about marriage, â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (1). A man with a fortune does not need a wife nearly so much as a woman is greatly in need of a wealthy husband. The entire novel is really an explanation of how women and men pursue each other prior to marriage. Jane Austen uses a variety of verbal, dramatic, situational and irony through the novel. The novel is full of verbal irony, especially coming from Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet. Verbal irony is saying one thing, but meaning the complete opposite. Although Mr. Bennet is basically a sensible man, he behaves strangely because of his sarcasm with his wife. Trapped in a bad marriage, he makes life endurable for himself by assuming a pose of an ironic passive spectator of life, who has long ago abandoned his roles as a husband and a father. He amuses himself by pestering his foolish wife or making insensitive remarks about his daughters. Mr. Bennet cruelly mocks his wife silliness and is shown to be sarcastic, and cynical with comments as â€Å"†¦you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party† (2). He laughs at her total obsession with finding suitable husbands for her five daughters. Elizabeth is to some extent similar to her father’s cynicism. At the second ball, not only did Elizabeth declined Darcy request to da nce with her, but mocked him with a comment like â€Å"Mr. Darcy is all politeness† (17). Another is â€Å"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect† when Darcy and Elizabeth joust with one another in Chapter11 (39). Her speeches crackle with irony that is filled with pep and display vibrant humor. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the character doesn’t, which is seen through Elizabeth and Darcy. In chapter 4, ... Free Essays on Jane Austen Uses Of Irony In Pride And Prejudice Free Essays on Jane Austen Uses Of Irony In Pride And Prejudice The first sentence of the novel Pride and Prejudice opens with an ironic statement about marriage, â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (1). A man with a fortune does not need a wife nearly so much as a woman is greatly in need of a wealthy husband. The entire novel is really an explanation of how women and men pursue each other prior to marriage. Jane Austen uses a variety of verbal, dramatic, situational and irony through the novel. The novel is full of verbal irony, especially coming from Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet. Verbal irony is saying one thing, but meaning the complete opposite. Although Mr. Bennet is basically a sensible man, he behaves strangely because of his sarcasm with his wife. Trapped in a bad marriage, he makes life endurable for himself by assuming a pose of an ironic passive spectator of life, who has long ago abandoned his roles as a husband and a father. He amuses himself by pestering his foolish wife or making insensitive remarks about his daughters. Mr. Bennet cruelly mocks his wife silliness and is shown to be sarcastic, and cynical with comments as â€Å"†¦you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party† (2). He laughs at her total obsession with finding suitable husbands for her five daughters. Elizabeth is to some extent similar to her father’s cynicism. At the second ball, not only did Elizabeth declined Darcy request to da nce with her, but mocked him with a comment like â€Å"Mr. Darcy is all politeness† (17). Another is â€Å"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect† when Darcy and Elizabeth joust with one another in Chapter11 (39). Her speeches crackle with irony that is filled with pep and display vibrant humor. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the character doesn’t, which is seen through Elizabeth and Darcy. In chapter 4, ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Marooned Ice Breaker Party Game for Adults

Marooned Ice Breaker Party Game for Adults If you were marooned on a deserted island, who would you want with you? This ice breaker is a great game to play when people don’t know each other, and it fosters team building in groups that already work together. I have always found peoples choices to be very revealing about who they are. Ideal Size Up to 30. Divide larger groups. Use for Introductions in the classroom or at a meeting, and as a team building exercise. Time Needed 30 minutes, depending on the size of the group. Materials Needed None. Instructions Give people a minute or two to think about this question: If you were marooned on a deserted island, which three people would you want with you? They can be dead, alive, or imaginary. Ask participants to introduce themselves and share their choices with the group. Start with yourself so they have an example. Example Hi, my name is Deb. If I were marooned on a deserted island, I would want Tim with me because he’s smart, strong, and fun, and I love him. He would know how to make a shelter and find food, and we’d have wonderful conversations. My second choice would be someone who tells great stories, like Garrison Keillor or Eoin Colfer. And my third would be Solomon Burke, the blues singer, so we’d have soulful music. Debriefing Debrief by asking if there were any surprises in the group and if anybody has a question for another participant. You will have listened carefully to the introductions. If somebody has chosen a person related in any way to your topic, use that person as a transition to your first lecture or activity.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Business Operations and Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Business Operations and Systems - Essay Example However, the designing of a business model requires the effective use of human, tangible and intangible assets of the company. The conceptualization of a business model depends upon the efficiency of the manager and the employees. An effective implementation of a business model paves the path of success for the companies. A business model needs to change as per the changing market trends of the economy. A manager must possess certain qualities which can distinguish him/her form other managers of the companies (Birch, 2008). The managers should be able to perform activities within a particular time frame. The managers should be result oriented and be able to think in terms of results and not duties. The managers should be able to prioritize among various objectives and make effective decisions by examining various alternatives. The managers should be able to create learning atmosphere within the company to improve the knowledge base of the employees and translate visions into strategi es (Prahalad and Hamel, 1996). Leaders and managers are not synonymous because a manager may possess leadership qualities but a leader may or may not possess managerial qualities. A leader is an individual who influences the work and behaviour of his subordinates in group efforts towards the achievement of a certain goals and objectives. A leader motivates his subordinates to attain the goals and objectives in an effective manner. To attain the goals and objectives of a company the managers of a company need to establish a healthy relationship with their subordinates. Managers of the company should apply the â€Å"Social Capital† theory in their companies. The central point of the theory is that relationships constitute a valuable resource for the conduct of social affair. According to theorist Bourdieu, the application of social capital theory in the fields of management can help in harnessing the true potential of the employees (Bourdieu, 1993 cited in Lesser, 2000, p.121). Social capital theory helps in exploring the actual and potential intellectual capital of the employees. The manager of the company needs to utilize the human resource, tangible and intangible assets at the optimum level to determine the effectiveness of the company. Authors Hamel and Prahlad conceptualized the enterprise as a portfolio of knowledge, assets and resources and competencies. According to these authors, certain companies were more productive than the other companies because they utilized the knowledge, capacity and competence of their resources at the optimum level. The tangible assets of the company include fixed assets like plant and machinery, buildings etc and current assets such as inventory. Non tangible assets include patents, copyright etc. The human resource of the company includes the skill and competence level of the employees. The manager needs to establish juxtaposition between these three assets to achieve optimum level of efficiency. According to authors Hamel and Prahalad, resource leverage is defined as doing more (or adding more value) with what you have (Hamel and Prahalad, 1966 cited in Morden, 2007, p.445). One of the main task of the manager is to recruit qualified employees and give them proper training and guidance to utilize the company’s fixed assets and resources. The manager needs to ensure that the company has a right mix of skills and knowledge to meet the goals

Friday, November 1, 2019

Ford - Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ford - Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Logistics is the function of the organization that is responsible for movement, handling and storage of materials (raw materials) from the suppliers through the different units of the organization to the end user (consumer). Hence, logistics management is best defined as: the process of planning, implementing and controlling the cost-effective, efficient storage of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished goods, and related information flow from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to consumer requirements.(Cooper et al., 1997, 1) In this report, as the Logistics Director of Ford Motor Company, I have analysed the logistics activities of the organization and made recommendations on how to improve supply chain management to achieve competitive advantage. For better understanding, a brief description of background of the company is included. Ford – Background Ford Motor Company is the one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturer in the world with operations spread over continents. The primary product of the company is automobiles but it also manufactures other products such as trucks, tractors, buses and also includes financial services (Ford, 2012). Founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, the company revolutionised the automobile industry by introducing assembly line production which made large scale manufacture of automobiles possible. Ford since the very beginning has been concentrating on vertical integration and this has served the company well for a very long time. But this strategy has its drawbacks in today’s global market place and competition. Ford has around 4600 manufacturing sites around the globe and it has relationships with over 1600 production suppliers. Ford also purchases numerous other non-production supplies from over 9000 suppliers (United Nations Global Compact, 2012). The purchases include products and services such as computers, construction, marketing, machinery, health care, indust rial materials, etc. The traditional approach of the company towards supply chain management over the last century has made it difficult for the company to adapt to modern day challenges. The decentralisation of purchasing and the size of the organization are the two main roadblocks for the company to achieve effective supply chain management. Ford’s Supply Chain and Logistics Activities Ford, since the very beginning, had concentrated on vertical integration wherein the company controlled or owned literally every aspect of the business. All raw materials such as rubber, coal, and iron ore came from plantations and mines that were owned by Ford. Raw materials came from one gate of the plant and finished cars rolled out of another. This approach has been central to Ford’s success since the early years. This approach had limitations and this was exploited by the Japanese companies which adopted a lean manufacturing approach as opposed to the bloated business model of the Ford (NFS, n.d.). Due to the traditional approach and the size of the organization, Ford’s supply chain is one of the most complex supply chains in any industry. There is consistent inflow of shipments from thousands of suppliers from all over the globe to the numerous plants worldwide. Ford has a global production network which can be best understood by the following diagram. Basic Pictorial Representation of Ford’ Supply Chain The above representation does not indicate the complexity involved in the Ford’

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Effective marketing planning requires full research of the marketing Essay

Effective marketing planning requires full research of the marketing environment. Discuss what needs to be considered when under - Essay Example An effective marketing plan requires a research on the drivers of demand in the business environment. This may entail secondary research or primary research, or both in order to investigate consumer behavior and motivation. Some of the aspects contained in an effective marketing plan are demographic and social changes that may affect sales of the company’s product, for instance a change in the lifestyles and the age structure. New technologies that may open up some markets while at the same time closing some. Economic trends that have an impact on the consumer purchase decision, as well as political environment that alters public spending due to aspects like taxation. By conducting a marketing audit, a firm is able to explore its internal capabilities (Alison, 2011, p 23). Effective marketing planning also calls for an examination of the external environment to a firm, which entails focusing on the existing marketing strategies; the company’s marketing mix, and market s egmentation and segmentation, as well. Scanning and interpreting all these areas of market changes calls for knowledge and experience, and might be the source of competitive advantage. Much of the marketing planning also varies on anticipating the response of competitors. The reason is that interpreting and responding to market changes ahead of t6he competitors may result in high gains of both sales and profits. Marketing audit Marketing audit is a fundamental element of the marketing planning process, which ensures that a firm is profitable. Marketing audit considers both internal and internal influential factors. Most tools for conducting a marketing audit include the SWOT, PESTEL and the porter’s five forces (Bensoussan & Fleisher, 2008, p 23). PESTEL analysis PESTEL analysis is an examination of forces outside the business, but has an impact on firms sales and marketing. These are the political, economic, social, technological and legal aspects. The political element deal s with the impacts of government policy. Government legislation also incorporates legal elements that include taxation policies and laws that govern business operations. Government regulation has the effects on privatization and deregulation policy, which have an overall effect of opening up markets to competition. Companies should not be something for companies to fear, as regulations like lowering pollution may act to spur competitive firms to innovate and lower costs to counter increasing costs of regulation. Economic factors like disposable incomes, unemployment, prevailing interest rates, recession and booms have an impact of a company’s sales. Marketers have to scan and monitor the general economic environment before making any marketing move, as this may have impacts on sales and eventual profitability in a certain time. Social-cultural factors refer to consumers’ patterns of behavior, lifestyles and preferences that affect purchase and buying behaviors (Debra, 2005, p 23). Marketers need to be ware of changes in consumer behavior as a result of change in preferences. Trending social elements affects the demand of a company’s products. Additionally, it is vital to examine the technological changes that happen in the industry, especially changes in information technology, research and development and rate of technology change. The reason is that technology changes affect