Biography of African American Senator Hiram Revels

Biography of African American Senator Hiram Revels It took until 2008 for the first African American to be elected president, but remarkably the first black man to serve as U.S. senator- Hiram Revels- was appointed to the role 138 years earlier. How did Revels manage to become a lawmaker just years after the Civil War ended? Learn more about the life, legacy and political career of this trailblazing senator. Early Years and Family Life Unlike many blacks in the South at the time, Revels was not born a slave but to free parents of black, white and possibly Native American heritage on Sept.  27, 1827, in Fayetteville, N.C. His older brother Elias Revels owned a barbershop, which Hiram inherited upon his sibling’s death. He ran the shop for a few years and then left in 1844 to study at seminaries in Ohio and Indiana. He became a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and preached throughout the Midwest before studying religion at Illinois’ Knox College. While preaching to blacks in St. Louis, Mo., Revels was briefly imprisoned for fear that he, a freeman, might inspire enslaved blacks to revolt. In the early 1850s, he married Phoebe A. Bass, with whom he had six daughters. After becoming an ordained minister, he served as a pastor in Baltimore and as a high school principal. His religious career led to a career in the military. He served as a chaplain of a black regiment in Mississippi and recruited blacks for the Union Army. Political Career In 1865, Revels joined the staffs of churches in Kansas, Louisiana  and Mississippi- where he established schools and started his political career. In 1868, he served as an alderman in Natchez, Miss. The next year, he became a representative in the Mississippi State Senate. â€Å"I am working very hard in politics as well as in other matters,† he wrote to a friend after his election. â€Å"We are determined that Mississippi shall be settled on a basis of justice and political and legal equality.† In 1870, Revels was elected to fill one of Mississippi’s two empty seats in the U.S. Senate. Serving as a U.S. senator required nine years of citizenship, and Southern Democrats challenged Revels’ election by saying he didn’t meet the citizenship mandate. They cited the 1857 Dred Scott decision in which the Supreme Court determined that African Americans weren’t citizens. In 1868, however, the 14th Amendment granted blacks citizenship. That year, blacks became a force to contend with in politics. As the book â€Å"America’s History: Volume 1 to 1877† explains: â€Å"In 1868, African Americans won a majority in one house of the South Carolina legislature; subsequently they won half the state’s eight executive offices, elected three members of Congress, and won a seat on the state supreme court. Over the entire course of Reconstruction, 20 African Americans served as governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer or superintendent of education, and more than 600 served as state legislators. Almost all the African Americans who became state executives had been freeman before the Civil War, whereas most of the legislators had been slaves. Because these African Americans represented districts that large planters had dominated before the Civil War, they embodied the potential of Reconstruction for revolutionizing class relationships in the South.† The sweeping social change spreading across the South likely made Democrats in the region feel threatened. But their citizenship ploy did not work. Revels’ supporters argued that the pastor-turned-politician had been a citizen. After all, he’d voted in Ohio in the 1850s before the Dred Scott decision changed the citizenship rules. Other supporters said that the Dred Scott decision should have only applied to men who were all black and not mixed-race like Revels. His backers also pointed out that the Civil War and Reconstruction laws had overturned discriminatory legal rulings like Dred Scott. So, on Feb. 25, 1870, Revels became the first African American U.S. senator. To mark the groundbreaking moment, Republican Sen.  Charles Sumner of Massachusetts remarked, â€Å"All men are created equal, says the great Declaration, and now a great act attests this verity. Today we make the Declaration a reality†¦. The Declaration was only half established by Independence. The greatest duty remained behind. In assuring the equal rights of all we complete the work.† Tenure in Office Once he was sworn in, Revels tried to advocate for equality for blacks. He fought to have African Americans readmitted to the Georgia General Assembly after Democrats forced them out. He spoke out against legislation to maintain segregation in Washington, D.C., schools and served on labor and education committees. He fought for black workers who’d been denied the opportunity to work at the Washington Navy Yard simply because of their skin color. He nominated a young black man named Michael Howard to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but Howard was ultimately refused entry. Revels also supported the building of infrastructure, levees and railroad. While Revels advocated for racial equality, he did not behave vengefully toward ex-Confederates. Some Republicans wanted them to face ongoing punishment, but Revels thought they should again be granted citizenship, as long as they pledged loyalty to the United States. Like Barack Obama would be more than a century later, Revels was hailed by his fans for his skills as an orator, which he likely developed because of his  experience as a pastor. Revels served just one year as U.S. senator. In 1871, his term ended, and he accepted the position of president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Claiborne County, Mississippi. Just a few years later, another African American, Blanche K. Bruce, would represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate. While Revels only served a partial term, Bruce became the first African American to serve a full-term in office. Life After the Senate Revels’ transition into higher education didn’t spell the end of his career in politics. In 1873, he became Mississippis interim secretary of state. He lost his job at Alcorn when he opposed the reelection bid of Mississippi Gov. Adelbert Ames, who Revels accused of exploiting the black vote for personal gain. An 1875 letter Revels wrote to President Ulysses S. Grant about Ames and the carpetbaggers was heavily circulated. It said in part: â€Å"My people have been told by these schemers, when men have been placed on the ticket who were notoriously corrupt and dishonest, that they must vote for them; that the salvation of the party depended upon it; that the man who scratched a ticket was not a Republican. This is only one of the many means these unprincipled demagogues have devised to perpetuate the intellectual bondage of my people.† In 1876,  Revels resumed his work at Alcorn, where he served until retiring in 1882. Revels also continued his work as a pastor and edited the A.M.E. Church’s newspaper, the Southwestern Christian Advocate. In addition, he taught theology at Shaw College. Death and Legacy On Jan. 16, 1901, Revels died of a stroke in Aberdeen, Miss. He was in town for a church conference. He was 73. In death, Revels continues to be remembered as a trailblazer. Just nine African Americans, including Barack Obama, have won election  as U.S. senators since Revels time in office. This indicates that diversity in national politics continues to be a struggle, even in a 21st century United States far removed from slavery.

Differences in Media Advertising of The Coca Cola Company across cultures The WritePass Journal

Differences in Media Advertising of The Coca Cola Company across cultures Introduction Differences in Media Advertising of The Coca Cola Company across cultures IntroductionBackground:The response Models for above AdvertisementCoca-Cola Marketing MixCoca-Cola SWOT Analysis (Nepal)Strengths:Weaknesses:Opportunities:Threats:Coca-Cola SWOT Analysis (UK)Strengths:Weaknesses:Opportunities:Threats:Marketing Segmentation, Targeting and PositioningMarket STP in NepalMarket Segmentation:Targeting:Positioning;Market STP in UKMarket SegmentationVariables:TargetingMarketing strategyMarketing Strategies NepalMarketing Strategies UKAdvertisingAdvertising Medias in the United KingdomActive Marketing Media (Television,)Semi Active Marketing medias (Offline)Online MarketingSports and Physical activity MarketingAdvertising Medias in NepalOnline StrategiesOnline Marketing strategiesCustomer Relationship Management: IDIC[1] Model ApproachConclusionRecommendationBibliographyRelated Introduction This Report has been carried out in order to assess the difference in media advertising of Coke, an exclusive product of The Coca Cola Company in Nepal and the UK. There are various approaches and marketing theories used in advertising through different Medias. In both of the countries, they follow entirely different theories in promoting the communication regarding the product. There are various factors such as cultural, social, geographical, demographical, political effect directly to the model of marketing communication. Background: The product that has given the world its best-known taste was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist, produced the syrup for Coca-Cola ®, and carried a jug of the new product down the street to Jacobs Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced excellent and placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. Carbonated water was teamed with the new syrup to produce a drink that was at once Delicious and refreshing, a theme that continues to echo today wherever Coca-Cola is enjoyed. (Anon., 2011) The above images show two completely diverse type of advertising, in two different countries. One in the left is from Nepal which shows the Coke is available at Rupees. 5 ( £0.05), whereas in the right side, from the UK which represents Coca Cola as a romantic cold drink. The advertising plan has been allocated and implemented in such a way, so that the target audiences of each of the country get influence to use the product. This is how the consumers perceive the advertising in both of the countries, which are totally distinguished from each other. Marketing Communication process Above is the marketing communication model which implies how the communication flows from a sender to a target audience (Receiver). It clarifies how the process works when the communication executes from another source to another. Initially, when a sender intends to send a message, the messages get encoded so that it can be presented through some media to the receiver. Then, as the media presents the message in encoded format through the media there emerges some noise which affects all the components of the communication process. As it passes by to the receiver then a receiver decodes the message as per his/her own perception. The receiver acts as how the messages have been perceive by him/her. The impact goes to the sender as upon the results being achieved or not, through the behaviour of consumers. The coca cola companies in both of the countries follow the same process to undertake the marketing communication, just the matter fact is about the way the consumer perceive or ways of decoding the encoded messages. Like in UK mostly the messages focuses on attracting consumer through standardised messages, whereas in Nepal, still tries to centralise consumer through other beneficial issues. Below images show the differences in the adverts between UK and Nepal. Pinpoint View of Marketing Communication model of both of the countries. Nepal vs. United Kingdom Sender: Source who intends to spread the message, the marketers of the Company BNL[1] (Nepal) vs. CCE[2]. (UK). Encoding: The effective way to create message to influence consumer.   Marketing Department (Nepal) vs. MD[3] or Agencies (UK) do encoding. Noise: the elements that restrict to perceiving the message is noise. A distortion created by annoying or non-acceptable adverts. Message/Media: The real information about the product intended to be seen by the consumer. Like Newspaper, radio, TV, pamphlets, holding boards, shutter (Nepal) vs. Internet, moving billboard, TV, vehicles etc. (UK). Encoding: How the target audience perceive the message, influential or un-influential? Like Coke has gone (Financial) cheaper (Nepal) vs. Coke is (emotional) romantic to have (UK). Receiver: Final Consumer consuming or not consuming the product as per their perception towards the decoding. Laborious/hard worker to get refreshment (taking Coke just as a cheaper cold drink) in Nepal vs. consumer as to get relax from all stress and get into emotional part of life. The response Models for above Advertisement So far the theories of IMC[4] is concerned the basic model which can be assess for these two different types of advertising, are â€Å"Hierarchy of Effects† model, AIDA[5] Model, Innovation Adoption Model and Information Processing. These entire four models pass through different stages i. e. Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral.   The â€Å"Hierarchy of Effects† model is about how consumers change through a gradual procedure as they perceive marketing messages that lead them to forward an action to take decision, whereas AIDA concerns with attention, interest, desire and action towards it. There are three stages of every model, which shows how a consumer reacts or responses towards a particular marketing advertisement. Below the diagram show how the models pass through each stage. While the above theme advertising of Nepal and UK are concerned, when a consumer sees the advertisement, he/she firstly it builds up the mind being rational to take the product as which in AIDA model can be attention, in hierarchy of effect it is awareness/knowledge about it, in innovation adoption it is awareness/adoption and where as in information processing it is presentation and attention. Every model has in first stage is to recognizing the product. Secondly, the stage which is called affective which starts affecting the mind of consumer like as per AIDA model it generates interest and desire to have or not to have it, in Hierarchy of effect model there emerges linking, preference and conviction towards the product. The last stage is the behavioral stage, consumer forward the action to buy or not to buy in all the models a consumer does the decision. Figure 5 Marketing Communication Response Models Coca-Cola Marketing Mix Marketing mix is the mix of four elements that have been developed in order to market a particular product. As per marketing theory, there are basically four elements named as 4. These are four elements that contribute to assess the market situation to up market the product. Mar. Mix\Country Nepal United Kingdom Product (Design, Packaging, Eco-friendly, Safe Normal handy bottles, plastic bottles, can is rarely used. Cans, rarely use of bottles, Pet plastic bottles. Price (Reasonable, Affordable, pricing strategies) Reasonable/Affordable for the bottled but extremely high for cans, price differs from region to region. Reasonable and affordable Place (Channels, Media) Local shops, Distributors, retailers direct from bottling company. Super markets, off license, streets shops. Promotion (Public Relation, Sales promotion, Advertising, Sponsoring sports, on the spot monetary valued prizes Social service/sports events sponsorship, coupons, discounts, eco-friendly advertising. Figure 6 Marketing Mix Snapshots Coca-Cola SWOT Analysis (Nepal) Strengths: The strengths of a business or organisation are positive elements, something they do well and is under their control. The strengths of a company or group and value to it, and can be what gives it the edge in some areas over the competitors. The following section will outline main strengths of Coca Cola Being a market leader, as Coca Cola is a key to their success as it boosts reputation, profit and market share. Competitive pricing is a vital element of Coca Cola’s overall success, as this keeps them in line with their rivals, if not above them. Keeping costs lower than their competitors and keeping the cost advantages helps Coca Cola pass on some of the benefits to consumers. Coca Cola’s marketing strategy has proved to be effective, helping to raise profiles and profits and standing out as a major strength. Coca Cola’s innovation keeps it a front-runner in Beverages Manufacturing Company as it is regularly turning out new patents/proprietary technology. Experienced employees are key to the success of Coca Cola helping to drive them forward with expertise and knowledge. High quality machinery, staff, offices and equipment ensure the job is done to the utmost standard, and is strength of Coca Cola. Coca Cola has an extensive customer base, which is a major strength regarding sales and profit. Coca Cola’s reputation is strong and popular, meaning people view it with respect and believe in it. Being financially strong helps Coca Cola deal with any problems, ride any dip in profits and out perform their rivals. A strong brand is an essential strength of Coca Cola as it is recognised and respected. Coca Cola has a high percentage of the market share, meaning it is ahead of many competitors. Coca Cola’s distribution chain can be listed as one of their strengths and links to success. High quality products/services are a vital strength, helping to ensure customers return to Coca Cola. Coca Cola’s international operations mean a wider customer base, a stronger brand and a bigger chunk of the global market. Coca Cola’s position in the market is high and strong – a major strength in this industry as they are ahead of many rivals. Supplier relationships are strong at Coca Cola, which can only be seen as strength in their overall performance. Weaknesses: Weaknesses of a company or organisation are things that need to be improved or perform better, which are under their control. Weaknesses are also things that place you behind competitors, or stop you being able to meet objectives. This section will present main weaknesses of Coca Cola Coca Cola’s RD work is low and insignificant, which is a major weakness in Beverages Manufacturing Company as it is constantly creating new products. Not having an effective marketing strategy seriously hampers the success of Coca Cola. Over pricing, setting too high prices for Coca Cola products/services makes them uncompetitive, which is a major weakness. The lack of business alliances is a major weakness for Coca Cola, as they will struggle to get deals, favours and partnerships. Coca Cola’s lack of innovation limits its success, as there is no forward thinking. Good companies need loyal employees, but Coca Cola has a poor relationship with staff which affects performance. Online presence is vital for success these days, and lack of one is a limitation for Coca Cola. Coca Colas underdeveloped distribution chain has a marked effect on performance as it affects the distribution of their products/services. A limited customer base is a major weakness for Coca Cola as it means they have less people to sell or market to. Coca Cola’s weak supplier relationships also have an adverse effect on success, as it cuts ability to negotiate. Absence of Governmental support Price Difference geographically. Opportunities: Opportunities are external changes, trends or needs that could enhance the business or organisation’s strategic position, or which could be of a benefit to them. This section will outline opportunities that Coca Cola is currently facing. Coca Cola could benefit from expanding their online presence and making more money from online shoppers/internet users. The changes in the way consumers spend and what they buy provides a big opportunity for Coca Cola to explore. The growth of the Beverages Manufacturing Company industry is an opportunity for Coca Cola to grasp. New market opportunities could be a way to push Coca Cola forward. Coca Cola has the opportunity to enter a niche market, gain leading position and therefore boost financial performance. Reaching out into other markets is a possibility for Coca Cola, and a big opportunity. Grasping the opportunity to expand the customer base is something Coca Cola can aim for, either geographically or through new products. Forming strategic alliances and joint ventures is an opportunity for Coca Cola to maximise profit and gain new business. Coca Cola has a number of highly skilled staff, which is an opportunity for them to explore as expertise of their staff can help Coca Cola to bring the business forward. Structural changes in the industry open other doors and opportunities for Coca Cola. Threats: Threats are factors which may restrict damage or put areas of the business or organisation at risk. They are factors which are outside of the companys control. Being aware of the threats and being able to prepare for them makes this section valuable when considering contingency plans and strategies. This section will outline main threats Coca Cola is currently facing. Consumer lifestyle changes could lead to less of a demand for Coca Cola products/services. Tax increases placing additional financial burdens on Coca Cola could be a threat. Change in demographics could threaten Coca Cola. Regulations requiring money to be spent or measures to be taken could put financial or other pressure on Coca Cola. Changes in the way consumers shop and spend and other changing consumer patterns could be a threat to Coca Colas performance. Not keeping up with changes in technology could be detrimental to the future of Coca Cola as they could slip behind their rivals. The actions of a competitor could be a major threat against Coca Cola, for instance, if they bring in new technology or increase their workforce to meet demand. Price wars between competitors, price cuts and so on could damage profits for Coca Cola. A slow economy or financial slowdown could have a major impact on Coca Cola business and profits. Rising costs could be a major downfall for Coca Cola as it would eat into profit. Coca Cola could be threatened by the growing power customers have to set the price of their products/services. Structural changes in the industry could be a threat for Coca Cola. Coca-Cola SWOT Analysis (UK) The following SWOT analysis looks at Coca Cola UK which is operating in Beverages Manufacturing Company industry. The analysis shows Coca Cola UKs Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT analysis will give you a clear picture of the business environment Coca Cola UK is operating in at the present time. Strengths: The strengths of a business or organisation are positive elements, something they do well and is under their control. The strengths of a company or group and value to it, and can be what gives it the edge in some areas over the competitors. The following section will outline main strengths of Coca Cola UK. Being a market leader, as Coca Cola UK is, is key to their success as it boosts reputation, profit and market share. Competitive pricing is a vital element of Coca Cola UK’s overall success, as this keeps them in line with their rivals, if not above them. Keeping costs lower than their competitors and keeping the cost advantages helps Coca Cola UK pass on some of the benefits to consumers. The services/products offered by Coca Cola UK are original, meaning many people will return to Coca Cola UK to obtain them. Coca Cola UK’s marketing strategy has proved to be effective, helping to raise profiles and profits and standing out as a major strength. Coca Cola UK’s innovation keeps it a front-runner in Beverages Manufacturing Company as it is regularly turning out new patents/proprietary technology. Experienced employees are the key to the success of Coca Cola UK helping to drive them forward with expertise and knowledge. High quality machinery, staff, offices and equipment ensure the job is done to the utmost standard, and is strength of Coca Cola UK. Coca Cola UK has an extensive customer base, which is a major strength regarding sales and profit. Coca Cola UK’s reputation is strong and popular, meaning people view it with respect and believe in it. Being financially strong helps Coca Cola UK deal with any problems, ride any dip in profits and out perform their rivals. A strong brand is an essential strength of Coca Cola UK as it is recognised and respected. Coca Cola UK has a high percentage of the market share, meaning it is ahead of many competitors. Coca Cola UK’s distribution chain can be listed as one of their strengths and links to success. High quality products/services is a vital strength, helping to ensure customers return to Coca Cola UK. Coca Cola UK’s international operations mean a wider customer base, a stronger brand and a bigger chunk of the global market. Development and innovation are high at Coca Cola UK with regard to their products/services, which is a sure strength in its overall performance. Coca Cola UK’s position in the market is high and strong – a major strength in this industry as they are ahead of many rivals. The online presence of Coca Cola UK is strong, meaning it is ahead of many competitors. Supplier relationships are strong at Coca Cola UK, which can only be seen as strength in their overall performance. Socially Active participation Weaknesses: Weaknesses of a company or organisation are things that need to be improved or perform better, which are under their control. Weaknesses are also things that place you behind competitors, or stop you being able to meet objectives. This section will present main weaknesses of Coca Cola UK. Online presence is vital for success these days, and lack of one is a limitation for Coca Cola UK. Opportunities: Opportunities are external changes, trends or needs that could enhance the business or organisation’s strategic position, or which could be of a benefit to them. This section will outline opportunities that Coca Cola UK is currently facing. Looking at export opportunities is a way for Coca Cola UK to raise profits. Grasping the opportunity to expand the customer base is something Coca Cola UK can aim for, either geographically or through new products. Expanding into other markets could be a possibility for Coca Cola UK. Health conscious production Threats: Threats are factors which may restrict damage or put areas of the business or organisation at risk. They are factors which are outside of the companys control. Being aware of the threats and being able to prepare for them makes this section valuable when considering contingency plans and strategies. This section will outline main threats Coca Cola UK is currently facing. Regulations requiring money to be spent or measures to be taken could put financial or other pressure on Coca Cola UK. Price wars between competitors, price cuts and so on could damage profits for Coca Cola UK. A slow economy or financial slowdown could have a major impact on Coca Cola UK business and profits. Rising costs could be a major downfall for Coca Cola UK as it would eat into profit. Substitute products available on the market present a major threat to Coca Cola UK. Health Issues like (Obesity, Diabetic) Marketing Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Market segmentation is the categorization of a market into various groups of customers with specifically same wants and product/service necessities. In another word, it is the categorization of a huge market into recognizable and specific groups or clusters, in which they all have the same wants and behavior and action as per the marketing initiatives. The diagram above shows how the STP process acts. The market information lets STP process to grow and to analyse the real situation to go further, after which a marketing decision can be undertaken. In Segmentation the process market information leads to identifying similar groups of customers when if research is done then the group can be divided into different groups like male/female, aged group, regional group etc. Market STP in Nepal The Nepalese market for Coca Cola, in general, practice group marketing advance with product variations in the past. The socio-economic transformations and growth in Nepalese economy and political system have made Coca cola marketers conscious of market segmentation. The marketing strategies of Coca Cola have reinforced this awareness. Market Segmentation: The points below clarify the way of market segmentation of Coca Cola in Nepal. Non- organized: Market segmentation in Nepal, in general, is not backed up with organised research. Previous practice, premonition of organization and competitor’s strategy has manipulated segmentation. Variables for Segmentation: The variables mainly used for consumer market segmentation are: Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioural Be short of Information: Nepalese Coca Cola marketer lacks broad information about consumer characteristics. They have a tendency to look upon marketing research as a improvident cost. This has guarded the helpful assessment of market segments in terms of their magnetism and correctness. Risks are not correctly measured. Government procedures: Government policies in Nepal are not very sympathetic in marketing. They do not look upon any business as contributors for improvement. Boundaries of movement of goods and controls have downcast market segmentation. Be short of moral concern: Ecological and wellbeing concerns are, in general, unnoticed for market segmentation in Nepal. The above points clearly point out that the notion of market segmentation is at first stage in Nepal. However, the importance of market segmentation is likely to enhance in the years to come. Targeting: Nepal As per the segmentation of Coke in Nepal, the targeting has been done as per the variables as below, Geographic: Who lives in plain areas, where the temperature is likely to be high in all season.   In central region where half of the year remains hot in temperature. Demographic: The people aged between 16 to 40 years, who have average level of income, who work hard, especially males and having less of family member. Psychographic: People who are literate and can understand the brand name of Coke are targeted. Behavioural: As per this segmentation the targeting goes on to the group of people who involve in the cultural and ritual who are likely to use the product in their ceremonial. In this segmentation, people who have habits drinking chilled soft drinks are targeted. Positioning; Market positioning is done in accordance to the brand recognition in the market. It’s the tendency of consumer of what and how they see the company, which can some under any high end, middle end or low end of position.   While positioning has to be done in order to keep the company to a distinguish position to keep the corporate image. There are some variables that have to be considered in order to position in market. The variables are pricing, quality, service, distribution and packaging. The diagram below shows the market position of Coca Cola in Nepal, comparatively to its closest competitor PepsiCo Nepal. Figure 8 Market Positioning in Nepal (Source: PPT) As per the diagram and the data available from the sources Coca Cola stands in the left hand side and in the middle, which means it has a good quality having reasonable price where as its closest competitor Pepsi Cola stays as in the middle of the crossed line, which means it has same price but having bit down in quality. This is assumption taken by the economic analyst of Nepal beverages market. Market STP in UK The United Kingdom has approximately, around per capita income of $ 36,298 in 2010, where people are in large numbers of buyers and sellers. In general, it can be said as the living standard of people is quite high in term of economic scale. Market segmentation is easily done in respect of geographic, demographic, behavioural and psychographic variables. Market Segmentation By dividing a category into segments, businesses can identify different groups of consumer wants. It is then possible to design products to meet those requirements. Each segment within the overall range of Coca-Cola meets specific consumer wants. Coca-Cola GB carries out extensive market research to identify consumer wants in every segment of category in which it operates. For example, market research analysis of the demographics of consumers in Great Britain revealed a growth in smaller households. The appropriate product response was to produce 1.25 liters share-size bottles. A study of occasions when people drink sports drinks showed the importance of making it available in leisure centres. Other research showed that the famous original Coca-Cola glass bottle is best targeted at restaurants and special party occasions. Market research into where specific products are consumed influences the design of pack types e.g. a 2 litre bottle for family consumption at home and a smaller 500 ml bottle for consumption ‘on the move’. (The Time 100, 2011) Variables: Geographical: Geographical wise Coca cola has segmented almost all region, city, town centres, and counties. Demographic: Especially, in this variable, mostly the consumer divided as per their age, gender, race, religion, family size, nationality, income etc. Psychographic: This segmentation includes the factors like activities, interests, perception, values, attitude etc. Behavioural: This factor relates with the behaviour of consumer. So, the segmentation is done as per quality, economy, service, looks, Heavy user, and moderate user, light user, Regular, potential, first time user, irregular, occasional, Hard core loyal, split loyal, shifting, switches, readiness to buy, Holidays and occasion stimulate customer to purchase, Attitude toward offering. Targeting The market targets in the segmentation are The entire region, town centres, where people are in crowd. Male female both aged between 18 to 40 years. People who are mostly involve in sports. Heavy user, regular, ready to buy and consumes in occasion are targeted. The figure above has been extracted from a researching website, which reveals the difference between two products. Here, the figure shows the difference attitudes relating to Coke and Pepsi and overall high rating goes to Coke, Which means in market consumers have keep Coke in top level more than its closest competitor Pepsi. Figure 10 Coke vs. Pepsi War, Source : (Free Web Space, 2011) This figure also has been taken from a forum, which has a voting survey. The concluding report shows the Coca Cola brand has a good position in the market. So, the market positioning of Coca Cola in UK stands in a top position. Marketing strategy Philip Kotler discussed five issues of marketing strategy in his 9th edition of Marketing Management. They are as follows Differentiating and Positioning the Market Offering Developing New Products Managing Life cycle Strategies Designing marketing Strategies for Market Leaders, Challengers, Followers, and Niches Designing and Managing Global Marketing Strategies Marketing Strategies Nepal The marketing strategy for Coke is phrased â€Å"Refresh the market place† which includes : A robust consumer response system to address any consumer concerns, Ideas, suggestions either on product and its quality or on stock supply – maintenance of equipment etc.   All consumer concerns are dealt with in a fair timely and friendly manner, so as to satisfy them and resolve their concerns. Marketing and advertising communications are focused on (point-of-sale), radio, TV, hoardings, truck backs. Emphasis is also placed on consumer price to enforce compliance. Marketing communications and advertising are customised to suit to local sentiments social, religious, ethnic. Innovative package and pack sizes are offered to give better value to consumers and ease of storage to retailers. Price and packs are introduced in a format that is affordable to all segments of society. Marketing Strategies UK The CCGB is highly aware of health, environment and community and have a theme of responsible marketing. The responsible marketing means in the sense of how and to whom it targets it market. As taking into account its assumption following are the point wise theories of it. Offering large choice of beverages Ensuring marketing values remain focused around positivity and optimism. Responsibly acting and highlighting traditional and non-traditional Medias. Continuing being a part of broad coalition to promote healthy diet and physical activity. Transparency in all activities that concern about the company. Socially active in sponsoring under-privileged people and sports related issues. Not targeting or inspiring children to consume the drinks that may leave impact in them through television. Fulfilled local and community laws that prevent children to be impacted through television who are less than 16 years, following the restriction that has been set by OFCOM’s limiting advertisement. Working with independent consultant to monitor the activity of all advertisements. Don’t have any connection with early schools in terms of advertisement. Always aware of advertising where there is large number of under aged children becomes the audiences. Publicity and Offering low calorie or sugar in cinemas, leisure parks and any other dine in restaurants, which encourage consumers to have healthy drinking. Not at any cost the company is ready to offer or accept offer where the audience becomes children under 16. Continuing to listen to the parents’ concerns about impact of online marketing to children who are under 12. Online rewards as promotion is execute with age verification. Encouraging parents to use the parental controlling software to control their children. Using own industry leading template to assess suitability of digital campaigns and web sites. Advertising Advertising Medias in the United Kingdom Active Marketing Media (Television,) Semi Active Marketing medias (Offline) Online Marketing Sports and Physical activity Marketing Targeting community to take part in sports related events and activities for healthy and fit life, e. g sponsoring any particular games, Olympics, world cup, European cup and community matches etc. Even in secondary school,   the company is highly active in providing the resources to motivate the scholars to participate in physical and sports related activities. Advertising Medias in Nepal As Nepal being a developing country, it can use the minimal benefit of technology. It uses radio, newspaper, television, billboards, shop’s shutter and pamphlets. The most famous advertising offline media in Nepal is painting in the doors, walls, shutters. As below is the image of it. There is a trend in people of whom property is been targeted to have such advertising. The marketer/advertiser has to paint whole house instead of permitting to paint the advertising.   Even if a marketer wants to put a billboard in anyone’s house, the house owner demands to top-up one storey in the building for him/her. It’s totally diverse kind of trend that Nepalese marketers are facing right now which the marketing communication is processing. Product Life Cycle Figure 13 Product Life Cycle along with Service Offered, Source: (Anon., 2010) The graph above shows the life cycle of product having different stages. These stages explain the various status of product marketed or sold. It is not just limited to the volume sold rather also includes the brand image, corporate image of the product. Below the graph there are service offered in the different stages of product life cycle. While introducing a product there has to be a good product management, designing, development plans, testing and deployment. Secondly when it comes to the growth level of a product life cycle, there the focus has to be initiated towards customization, enhancement, versioning, implementation and deployment and testing to penetrate the market of the product. In this stage, every company has to suffer a lot, because the success depends upon the labour and effort done in this stage. Like as going through the Nepalese market of Coca cola, we can find it is still in growth level because it has not reached in every household because of poor infrastructure and lack of marketing integration. Thirdly, the maturity level, when the product gets sustained to up front the market. The market penetration has been fully achieved. Like in UK the data shows that Coca Cola market is in maturity stage as it has now focusing on research and development, product differentiation and still testing is going on for further expansion and diversification. Lastly, when the product gets fully mature in terms of product life cycle it tends do decline because of lack of research and single taste. So, the appropriate measure to rectify is to re-engineering, maintaining and supporting technically. Online Strategies Online Marketing strategies Coca Cola in UK is the top soft fizzy drink, which holds almost about the half of the market share of its kind. Though the trend can be seen like, there are some certain strategies, which is still avoiding it to reach its overall objectives like grow in sales, market share, brand value, corporate value.   The world, as it is changing towards the technological tendency, likewise the business has to bend. There are lots of opportunities for the company to follow online strategies to upfront the market. Creating a strong Google ad-words, which is called search engine enhancement, can be a good example. Online advertising can promote and leave impact of the brand in the social community sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype etc. Figure 14 Online Marketing Strategy In Nepal, People mostly uses chatting sites like yahoo and MSN where BNL can promote Coke. Customer Relationship Management: IDIC[1] Model Approach Identify, Differentiate, Interact, Customize (marketing model) The IDIC model of marketing suggests that business should take initiatives in order to build closer one-to-one relationships with customers, which are Identify Differentiate Interact Customize. CRM[2]is engrossed upon the improvement of a customer-centered business behavior. This behavior is devoted to sustain customers by addressing and delivering brand image and value in compare to the competitors. Salesforce, an online CRM portal does a good practice of CRM as an IDIC model.  The Gartner competency model The vision of CRM: Leadership, Social worth, Value Preposition CRM strategy: Objectives, Segments, Effective Interaction. Customer Processes: -Customer life cycle, knowledge management. Valued Customer Experience Organizational collaboration CRM information: Data Analysis, One view across channel. CRM Technology: Application, Architecture, Infrastructure. CRM Metrics: -Cost to serve, satisfaction, loyalty, social cost. Figure 16 CRM Value Chain, Source: (Anon., 2010) The figure above shows the CRM value chain, which implies the keeping of customers with highly interaction and align it with profitability. The coca Cola company in Nepal has not yet applying such kind of strategy as customer relationship management whereas the Company in UK uses different strategies for customer relationship management. The way to manage customer relationship is to use the portals such as sales-force to keep up with the latest changing behaviors of the customers. It assists to update the knowledge and field of existing and prospective customers to the company. Conclusion This report intends to find the difference in advertising media between two countries. The countries in this report have been chosen as Nepal and the United Kingdom. The report, so far, concerns and points out the totally diverse process of marketing communication. Moreover the factors like country’s economic status, matters in consuming the Coke in average in both of the countries. While going through the various marketing models of communication, response models, marketing mix analysis, STP process, product life cycle, advertising media, trends, SWOT analysis, IDIC model of customer relationship management. The reports conclude that these two countries have different approach in meeting its consumer and prospective consumer. Moreover, Nepalese market tends to be creating the market whereas UK market focuses on attracting and keeping the current customers. So far the PLC implies about these two countries Nepalese market are highly proactive within growth as it is in introduct ion phase of the product, whereas UK market is in maturity stage and developing towards the research and development. Advertising media used in Nepal if getting out-dated as UK’s advertising media are technologically advance. Nepalese market STP process are totally based upon its classical theory because the company doesn’t get the government and legal support, whereas UK’s STP is based upon recent research and marketing approach. The online strategies are passive in Nepal as its developing and the trend has not yet been developed. UK’s online strategies are implementing day by day to life up the brand image. Overall, the report exhales that Nepalese Coke marketing is predominated by the perception of the people of the country having the GDP (per capita income) is about app. $410 and on the other hand the UK consumer have the perception of consuming Coke as a top brand. Recommendation Some of the important recommendations are as follows: There should be and correct feedback from the distributers on the actions of retailers, which will assist to develop their competency and reliability. As already discussed about online absence of marketing strategies in Nepal, it has to overhaul the strategies that lead towards up fronting of market. There should be extra attractive and fascinating and active participation towards social activities to strengthen the brand. As a part of public relations Coke should step up serious initiatives towards health concerns of consumers in Nepal.   Online advertising in Nepal has to be started to penetrate in among young consumer. Coke in UK has to be active in all the online promotional activities to attract the consumers. CCGB and CCE should start more aggressive marketing of its Coke as they have very good growth and future prospects while there is not much growth in the carbonated beverages sector. BNL should start a campaign to persuading government to provide it the support to penetrate the prospective market. Bibliography Anon., 2007. James O Malley. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://jamesomalley.co.uk/blog/category/coke/ http://jamesomalley.co.uk/blog/category/coke/   [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Anon., 2009. Gender Roles. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_bH_-nIiLKiyROx9nspGX1xyY5QX_TvfF7vz_nGIIX2vnhzEHzgt=1 http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_bH_-nIiLKiyROx9nspGX1xyY5QX_TvfF7vz_nGIIX2vnhzEHzgt=1   [Accessed 28 March 2011]. Anon., 2010. Coca Cola GB : Brand. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK coca-cola.co.uk/brands/category/coca-cola.html coca-cola.co.uk/brands/category/coca-cola.html   [Accessed 18 Mar 2011]. Anon., 2010. Courseware. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://courseware.finntrack.eu/learners/ops_principles.htm http://courseware.finntrack.eu/learners/ops_principles.htm   [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Anon., 2010. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM). [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://kasusmanajemen.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/value-chain.png?w=604h=266 http://kasusmanajemen.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/value-chain.png?w=604h=266   [Accessed 4 April 2011]. Anon., 2010. FotoPedia. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/f99mkad2ks77v-bWFvmnICGpw-image.jpg http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/f99mkad2ks77v-bWFvmnICGpw-image.jpg   [Accessed 4 April 2011]. Anon., 2010. Photoshelter. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK http://picski.photoshelter.com/image?_bqG=0_bqH=eJwrMHUxd7cwLXGqrMixLPcyStHNCglPjwg19nS1MrQyNDAAYSDpGe8S7GybnJ.dqp2YUqwG5sY7.rnYlgDZocGuQfGeLrahIKUp4ZU5ZamVFsVermrxjs4htsWpiUXJGQBx6SACGI_ID= http://picski.photoshelter.com/image?_bqG=0_bqH=eJwrMHUxd7cwLXGqrMixLPcyStHNCglPjwg19nS1MrQyNDAAYSDpGe8S7GybnJ.dqp2YUqwG5sY7.rnYlgDZocGuQfGeLrahIKUp4ZU5ZamVFsVermrxjs4htsWpiUXJGQBx6SACGI_ID=   [Accessed 02 April 2011]. Anon., 2011. Chronicle birth refreshing idea. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html   [Accessed 7 March 2011]. Anon., 2011. Nepal Coca Cola Sabco. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK cocacolasabco.com/Territory.aspx/Show/Nepal cocacolasabco.com/Territory.aspx/Show/Nepal   [Accessed 7 March 2011]. Anon., 2011. The Chronicle Of Coca-Cola. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html   [Accessed 7 Mar 2011]. Anon., 2011. The Chronicle Of Coca-Cola. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/chronicle_birth_refreshing_idea.html   [Accessed 7 Mar 2011]. Anon., n.d. Ivory Research. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK ivoryresearch.com/sample17.php ivoryresearch.com/sample17.php   [Accessed 03 April 2011]. Bains, P..F.C..P.K., 2008. In Principles of marketing Management. Oxford: Oxford university Press. p.217. Case Study: Full Case Study Coca-Cola Great Britain Edition 9, 2011. The times 100. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK thetimes100.co.uk/download-coca-cola-great-britain-edition-9-full-case-study_3_108_101 thetimes100.co.uk/download-coca-cola-great-britain-edition-9-full-case-study_3_108_101   [Accessed 3 April 2011]. Difference, n.d. Difference : Coke vs Pepsi. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK diffen.com/difference/Coke_vs_Pepsi diffen.com/difference/Coke_vs_Pepsi   [Accessed 5 April 2011]. Free Web Space, 2011. Forums : The Coca Cola vs Pepsi War. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK freewebspace.net/forums/showthread.php?19547-The-coca-cola-vs.-pepsi-war. freewebspace.net/forums/showthread.php?19547-The-coca-cola-vs.-pepsi-war.   [Accessed 3 April 2011]. The Time 100, 2011. Case study: Full Case Study Coca-Cola Great Britain Edition 9. [Online] Available at:   HYPERLINK thetimes100.co.uk/download-coca-cola-great-britain-edition-9-full-case-study_3_108_101 thetimes100.co.uk/download-coca-cola-great-britain-edition-9-full-case-study_3_108_101   [Accessed 3 April 2011].

Cause and Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

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Storytelling - Essay Example In her opinion, bullies are the weak ones since if they need to intimidate smaller, weaker people to feel big then they must feel really small deep inside. One story truly reminds me of how protective my friend is was when she confronted a group of bullies at my high school called the crew. This so called â€Å"crew† was an egotistical group of hormonal boys whose job was to tear people down. These boys thought that they were the cool kids by simply showing their strength. However, school is not a place to be the fashionable, but a place to get an education and one day when these boys started pushing around an invalid boy around the hallway, it was the last straw for her. She immediately confronted the boys and told them to pick on someone their own size. Being a senior at the time, the boys were tongue tied ; they listened to her rebuke their actions. One of the bullies tried to talk down to her, but at the moment a large crowd had gathered behind her and they were all supporting her actions. This quite interesting because several people were fed up with the constant bullying that occurred. Only through Clair’s protectiv e nature was the student fraternity able to fight off bullies in the school. From that day on, Clair took it upon herself to ensure that no one in the school compound is bullied again. The entire student fraternity was extremely grateful for her efforts (Gottschall 1). It is vital to note that Clair is not only protective when it comes to physical abuse, but also tries to protect her friends and family from emotional hurt. Whenever something wrong happens in your life, Clair will be the first person to call you to ensure that you are doing fine. We have all experienced some hardships in our lives and what if there was a way for you to avoid these hardships wouldn’t you be grateful? Of course you would and your solution to such

Ethnic minorities in Britain

Ethnic minorities in Britain Ethnic Minorities in Britain Introduction (Mis)labelling identity signifiers bespeaks underlying histories of power structure(s). Indeed, however a case is made based on political, social, economic, cultural and ethnic grounds, an identity signifier remains central to sustain, if not to justify, existing power structures. Further, one specific identity signifier can be employed by contestant parties within a given discourse universe and even in exchange. As contestants struggle over meaning-making, moreover, exchanging (mis)labelled identity signifiers between and within groupings of contestant parties gain particular significance when (mis)labelling practice reaches out for outer frames of contested discourse, beyond a more usual practice of (mis)labelling contestants. Islamophobia, if any, especially as contested within a U.K. context, is just such an instance of an active (mis)labelling practice in which (Jeudo-Christian) Occident vs. (Islamist) Orient as possible (mis)labelled parties to contest exchange exact same (mis )labelled identity signifier i.e. Islamophobic not only in order to frame parties to contest but for an appropriation of what ultimately defines frames of contest per se. Indeed, much literature is dedicated to question the (mis)appropriateness of Islamophobia as a labeller of phobia generated, presumably, from an increasingly visible presence of Islam / Muslims in the U.K. in recent years. 1,2,3 The case for / against Islamophobia, depending on which party holds argument, is, in fact, made blurry given the ambiguity of what constitutes a Muslim identity in the first place. 4 Considering potentially multiple identities of U.K. Muslims 5,6, contestation between and within concerned parties holds a fluid ground more so based on or as a result of fluidity of what makes up Islamophobia. This paper examines multilayered manipulations of Islamophobia as contested within a U.K context. The argument, first, discusses literature on race relations and immigration policies, more emphasis being laid on policies pertaining to Commonwealth subjects in Indian Subcontinent. An examination follows of how race-based (addressing ethnicity, assimilation and multicultural ism issues) as opposed to faith-based (addressing religious practices, rights, and interfaith relations) protections have much influenced and/or mixed up contestations over Islam, Muslims and, most importantly, Islamophobia, if any, within a U.K. context. Finally, Islamophobia is placed in a wider European context in which contestation over Islamophobia as such is connected to Continental debates on modern nation-states and multiculturalisms. Race, race relations and immigration policies Historically, Britain has received waves of immigrants of diverse descent for a multitude of reasons. Yet, post-World War II period, particularly during mid-1940s, 1950s and 1960s, witnessed unprecedented influx into major industrial cities for reconstruction efforts. 7,8 Up until late 1960s, no specific laws addressed inter-ethnic violence and conflict. Ironically, ex-colonies subjects were regarded, after all, as second class citizens. 9 Only when families of Asian (primarily Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi) works started to flood English cities and ports in what is referred to as chain immigration (i.e. residents invite close family members and friends and, once settled, relatives and friends invite their own families and friends) did local acts of ethnic violence give prominence to and raise public awareness on a national level of alien citizen status as part of British reality. 10 Still, post-World War II period is one characterised more by inflammatory statements made about nationals of non-British blood and descent 11 rather than about citizens whose allegiance to British values and way of life is questionable because of a different creed such as in case of South-Asians. Indicative of an increasingly racialised public discourse pertaining to immigrants and naturalised subjects is: When individuals like the Marquis of Salisbury spoke of maintaining the English way of life, they were not simply referring to economic or regional folk patterns, but explicitly to the preservation of the racial character of the English people. We have developing here a process of subjectification grounded in a racialised construction of the British Subject which excludes and includes people on the basis of race/skin colour. 12 Indeed, race remains a fundamental subtext of British hegemonic discourse during colonial era, in post-World War II period and beyond. For one, one staple justification for subjugation of nations, groups and individuals is race. 13 Further, in case of a South Asian minority, presumably British Subjects, race is invoked as a justification for inequalities at workplace, housing, education, let alone political rights. 14 In essence, race and racism essentialise subjects of racist acts. Similar to all hegemonic practices which maintain specific power relations within an overarching power structure, racism emphasises superior vs. Inferior duality in order not only to maintain existing power relations but also to morally justify excesses of inequalities. 15 In British context, South Asian workers predominantly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh particularly during first mass immigration waves of 1940s, 1950s and 1960s were, like a gear fit into a larger wheel, brought in as props, imported, used, and returned. Initially, South Asians workers performed and acted as underdogs much to masters delight. Later, however, as familiarity of British System and Administration developed amongst workers of non-British blood, riots and protests became noise (racist) masters needed to work on. Thus, successive legislations regulating immigrants status within U.K. borders were, apparently, meant to control influx of immigrants and to align British Subjects along well-defined ethnic boundaries.16 As U.K.s ethnic makeup diversified over time and across localities, states insistence on ethnic markers between and within ethnic groups grew by leaps and bounds. The racism formula, endorsed by laws and working brilliantly in a colonial era and slightly so within borders during early days of mass immigration, turned out problematic if not unstabilising given growing pressures of growing minorities in pocket cities, minorities now capable of tipping vote balance. Ultimately, a multi-ethnic / multicultural society is not based on a goodwill, all-accommodating multiculturalism discourse one meant to acknowledge ethnic / racial / cultural differences per se by way of minority rights but, rather, one emphasizing ethnic markers for further state control. 17 In fact, state control, in so far as British Muslims are concerned, represents a clear instance not only of an ethnicity manipulated (at multiple layers of discourse in government, media, and education) but, further still, of an identity (i.e. BrMislim / BrAsian) manipulated (at just same layers) and hence fluidity of what constitutes Islam / Muslim and, probably in turn, Islamophobia. Understanding an emerging Islamophobia requires, however, an examination of evolution of race relations politics from one based on race to one based on faith. Race, faith, Islamophobia, and multiculturalism By definition, political discourse is one characterised by manipulation and is, largely, subject to voters sway in democracies. 18 Political Correctness (PC) is just one example of political machination. In essence, a politically correct expression is a euphemism meant (and, for that matter, meaning) less to fulfil felicity conditions required for an actionable statement and more as instrumental. Thus, British policies on race and ethnicity has marked a shift since installation of race relations acts of 1965 and 1968 19 from an emphasis on racial discrimination to an emphasis on religious extremism and bigotry as a basis for incrimination only selectively, excluding BrMuslims. Indeed, incitement to hatred based on affiliation to Islam is one major legal anomaly scholars continue to point out to. 19, 20 Interestedly, given papers purposes, racial discrimination against BrAsians has not, in fact, been eliminated by virtue of progress in legislation on racial relations but only diverted to another (unprotected by law) dimension, significant as is, of a BrAsian subjects identity. That is, being Muslim. That multilayered public discourse has, moreover, shifted from race to faith is indicative not of actionable (as opposed to pronounced) change but of power structure(s) embedded in race relations discourses in the U.K. Thus, in place of a racialised discourse based on BrAsian intrusion into Britishness, same racial group, now British Muslims, comes out as anti-British. Typical of a manipulative political discourse a game of labelling and re-labelling underprivileged, underrepresented groups (except in prisons) is enacted such that power relations as engineered, largely but not always by, state are maintained within and between different ethnicities in a multicultural community which is, Britain. Unsurprisingly, a set of composite metrics has been developed in order to measure Britishness. 21 That such metrics combine gauges of loyalties at intra-national (i.e. Britain), national (i.e. England, Scotland, etc), or local (e.g. Bradford) levels is, indeed, indicative of an ethnic identit y crisis, particularly so in case of BrAsians / BrMuslims. As a consequence, a group diverse as BrAsians / BrMuslims and framed as inassimilable 22 into wider and mainstream community is bundled up altogether, labelled and made alien. Islamophobia is, one argues, an expression of an anxiety over ethnicity identity. Indeed, Islamophobic sentiments are, upon close examination, aimed not at Islam per se but at Muslims. 23 In fact, literature repeatedly points out that people, rather than faith, is phobes trajectory. 23, 24,25 A broad overview of British media is indicative of who is meant and labelled: If you doubt whether Islamophobia exists in Britain, I [Gordon Conway, Head of Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia] suggest you spend a week reading, as I have done, a range of national and local papers. If you look for articles which refer to Muslims or to Islam you will find prejudiced and antagonistic comments, mostly subtle but sometimes blatant and crude. Where the media lead, many will follow. British Muslims suffer discrimination in their education and in the workplace. Acts of harassment and violence against Muslims are common. 26 Thus, Islamophobia, a label gaining currency in media and academia thanks to Runnymede Trusts much publicised report Islamophobia, a challenge for us all 27 has acquired such a canonical status as to render alternative neologisms unrepresentative of responses to Islam / Muslims. According to Halliday, Islamophobia indulges conformism and authority within Muslim communities. One cannot avoid the sense, in regard to work such as the Runnymede Report that the race relations world has yielded, for reasons of political [emphasis added] convenience, on this term. 28 Moreover, The use of Islamophobia also challenges the possibility of dialogue based on universal principles. It suggeststhat the solution lies in greater dialogue, bridge-building and respect for the other community, but this inevitably runs the risk of denying the right, or possibility, of criticisms of the practices of those with whom one is having the dialogue. Not only those who, on universal human rights grounds, object to elements in Islamic traditions and current rhetoric, but also those who challenge conservative readings from within, can more easily be classed as Islamophobes. 29 Thus, Islamophobia is employed in such a politically correct fashion such as to silence criticisms, on one hand, and to maintain good neighbourhood relations, on another. The former stance is framed, in right-leaning perspective, as militant, jihadist, terrorist, uncivil, anti-modern and anti-Western. 30 The latter is framed, in Islamist perspective, as accommodating, assimilative and hegemonic. In between is media, an arena for meaning-making and shifting perceptions. Alternatively, Islamophobia can be employed not as a politically correct euphemism in order to silence internal criticisms or to maintain law and order but, rather, to militate against an other. This could take a shape of dismantling politeness courtesies essential not for a politically correct dialogue but for one based on critical questioning. Still, Islamophobia could be further employed such as a cover up for supposedly hidden hegemonic agendas. 31 One peculiar shift for Islamophobia as contested within a U.K. context is how instead of imported aliens made citizens being instigators of hate, violence, unrest, and, ultimately terror an enemy within image is constructed and maintained such as to, apparently, pass Islamophobic sentiments, if any, from one generation onto another. 32 For some now increasingly most, credit to media rivers of actual blood running London streets following London 7/7 (Ã   la 9/11 codification) attacks are reminiscent of symbolic blood as invoked by Enoch Powell in his Birmingham speech in 1968: As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood. The tragic and intractable phenomenon [i.e. immigration] which we [emphasis added] watch with horror on the other side of the Atlantic, but which there is interwoven with the history and existence of the States itself, is coming upon us here by our own volition and our own neglect. 33 Unsurprisingly, Powells xenophobic pronouncements just as all xenophobic pronouncements -gain further inertia as an apparently self-fulfilling prophecy comes true. Admittedly, most, if not all, far-right politics tap into a well-rehearsed repertoire of phobias not least Islamophobia. Moreover, whole political careers are created and enhanced based on precautions from an other: now of colour, now of race, and now of different faith. Across Europe, ballot boxes speak volumes of Islamophobia tapped into as a final recourse against an imminent green menace within. 34,35 Islamophobia: European context Placed in a wider context, Islamophobia is not exclusive to U.K. As a matter of fact, for Europe in which U.K. is situated and to which it is historically affiliated Islamophobia is a common currency. Indeed, each European country has a distinctive narrative to tell of Islam / Muslims. Yet, for all differences, European nations especially former colonial powers share common narratives of home-grown terrorists and phobias. 36 Interestingly still is how European nation states follow a similar pattern of state controls over flow of (now particularly Muslim) immigrants as well as controls of modes of conducts of minorities within. 37 In fact, U.K.s, and for that matter Europes, current immigration laws and policies cannot be fully understood in isolation of European conception of nation-states. Historically, European nation-states evolved into democratic polities in which upholding order and rule of law required consistent policies. 38 As European countries grew increasingly into political, economic and scientific powerhouses, an increasing influx of immigrants required subtler means of control. Typically, in major European countries such as U.K. enacting multiculturalism policies meant, at least apparently in so far as actual practices are concerned, less room for truly diverse communities and more for accommodation, assimilation, and full integration of an increasing alien presence posing, allegedly, menaces to established European Enlightenment canonical values of reason and secularism. 39 Probably understandably, far-right currents in European politics manipulated political machinery inciting violence and hatred at times creating, only in voters minds, all sorts of phobias. The case for Islamophobia is one, consequently, which can be understood primarily based on power relations established and maintained in a wider power structure of Europe. This is particularly significant if one is to grasp global (i.e. Western) war on Islam, which is not. For all long-established and nourished power structures need a signifier, a marker, which, presumably , contains, defines, and tags an assumed other only to maintain law and order in an endless historical power struggle over hearts and minds. In conclusion, Islamophobia is, ultimately, a (mis)label slapped onto bottled up power relations within a marked power structure. In U.K. context, Islamophobia is used, as has been demonstrated, not to mark a shift in discursive practices towards a truly multicultural community but to maintain embedded power relations in which specific groups are assigned definite space within ethnic markers. Initially, race is used to maintain power structures but upon introduction of race acts and laws, subtler formers of control and manipulation are employed by which focus is shift from race per se to faith not as a creed but as another boundary of control. Within (i.e. in BrMuslims community), Islamophobia is employed by Islamic leaders such as to appropriate an exclusive definition of Muslims and Islam, on one hand, and in order to silence internal power struggle over meaning-making of Islam and, probably, anything else. Finally, in a broader context, Islamophobia is employed as a means of control and manipulation of Muslim communities within, multiculturalism policies aside. Notes 1. Nasreen Ali, Virinder S. Karla, and S. Sayyid, eds. A post colonial people: South Asians in Britain. London: Hurst, 2006. 2. Taher Abbas, ed. Muslim Britain: Communities under pressure. London: Zed, 2005. 3. Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington, eds. Racism and antiracism: Inequalities, opportunities, and politics. London: SAGE, 1999. 4. Afifa Hussain and William Miller. Multicultural nationalism: Islamophobia, Anglophobia, and devolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 5. Ibid. 6. Stephan May, Tariq Modood, and Judith Squires, eds. Ethnicity, nationalism, and minority rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. 7. Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington, Racism and antiracism 8. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ed. Muslims in the West: from sojourners to citizens (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 19-36 9. Ibid. 10. Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington, eds. Racism and antiracism 11. Ibid. 12. Quoted in Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington, eds. Racism and antiracism, 12. 13. Ernest Cashmore and Barry Troyna. Introduction to race relations. Basingstoke: The Falmer Press, 1990. 14. Ibid. 15. Robert Miles. Racism after race relations. London: Rutledge, 1993. 16. Nasreen Ali, Virinder S. Karla, and S. Sayyid, eds. A post colonial people: South Asians in Britain 17. Ibid. 18. Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington. 19. Ibid. 20. Stephan May, Tariq Modood, and Judith Squires, eds. Ethnicity, nationalism, and minority rights. 21. Afifa Hussain and William Miller. Multicultural nationalism: Islamophobia, Anglophobia, and devolution. 22. Nasreen Ali, Virinder S. Karla, and S. Sayyid, eds. A post colonial people: South Asians in Britain, 183. 23. John E. Richardson. (Mis)representing Islam: the racism and rhetoric of British broadsheet newspapers. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2004. 24. Christopher Allen, The impact of the Runnymede Trust on Islamophobia in the UK, BOÉCE, no. 6 (2003): 51-69. 25. Ali Mohammadi, ed. Islam encountering globalisation. New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002. 26. Quoted in Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani. Islam Jihad: prejudice versus reality (Bangladesh: The University Press, 2002), 41. 27. Christopher Allen, The impact of the Runnymede Trust on Islamophobia in the UK. 28. Quoted in Ali Mohammadi, ed. Islam encountering globalization, 24. 29. Ibid. 30. Robert Spencer. The politically incorrect guide to Islam (and the Crusades). Washington, DC: Regnery, 2005. 31. Ibid. 32. Roger Ballard and Marcus Banks, eds. Desh Pardesh: the South Asian presence in Britain. London: Hurst, 1994. 33. Quoted in Peter Braham, Ali Rattansi, and Richard Skillington, eds. Racism and antiracism, 18. 34. Raphael Israeli. The Islamic challenge in Europe. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2008. 35. Roger Ballard and Marcus Banks, eds. Desh Pardesh: the South Asian presence in Britain 36. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ed. Muslims in the West: from sojourners to citizens. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 37. Ibid. 38. Nasreen Ali, Virinder S. Karla, and S. Sayyid, eds. A post colonial people: South Asians in Britain 9. Ali Mohammadi, ed. Islam encountering globalization. Bibliography Abbas, Taher, ed. Muslim Britain: Communities under pressure. London: Zed, 2005. Ali, Nasreen, Karla, Virinder, and Sayyid, S., eds. A post colonial people: South Asians in Britain. London: Hurst, 2006. Allen, Christopher, The impact of the Runnymede Trust on Islamophobia in the UK, BOÉCE, no. 6 (2003): 51-69. Ballard, Roger and Banks, Marcus, eds. Desh Pardesh: the South Asian presence in Britain. London: Hurst, 1994. Braham, Peter, Rattansi, Ali, and Skillington, Richard, eds. Racism and antiracism: Inequalities, opportunities, and politics. London: SAGE, 1999. Cashmore, Ernest and Troyna, Barry. Introduction to race relations. Basingstoke: The Falmer Press, 1990. Haddad, Yvonne, ed. Muslims in the West: from sojourners to citizens (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 19-36. Hussain, Afifa and Miller, William. Multicultural nationalism: Islamophobia, Anglophobia, and devolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Israeli, Raphael. The Islamic challenge in Europe. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2008 May, Stephan, Modood, Tariq, and Squires, Judith, eds. Ethnicity, nationalism, and minority rights. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Mohammadi, Ali, ed. Islam encountering globalisation. New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002. Noorani, Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed. Islam Jihad: prejudice versus reality Bangladesh: The University Press, 2002. Richardson, John. (Mis)representing Islam: the racism and rhetoric of British broadsheet newspapers. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2004 Spencer, Robert. The politically incorrect guide to Islam (and the Crusades). Washington, DC: Regnery, 2005

Women’s Plight in Katherine Mansfield’s Life Of Ma Parker :: Life Of Ma Parker Essays

Katherine Mansfield’s "Life of Ma Parker" presents the plight of Ma Parker as a working-class woman at the turn of the century, in terms of her position in the sphere of the family and in the sphere of society. "Life of Ma Parker" is a story of a widowed charwoman. Like Miss Brill, Ma Parker is a very lonely woman, but their equally painful story is told quite differently, mainly because Mansfield supplies no background to account why Miss Brill’s Sunday passes as it does. As the title of the story denotes, we receive the story of Ma Parker’s life, which explains her current situation. "As servant, wife, and mother, she’s the generic British working-class female at the turn of the century – cowed by drudgery and burdened by loss. Her husband, a baker, died of ‘white lung’ disease, and those children who survived the high rate of infant mortality fell victim to other ills of the late-Victorian underclass: emigration, prostitution, poor h ealth, worse luck" (Lohafer 475). At the present point in the story, Ma Parker arrives to work in the house of the literary gentleman after she buried the previous day her loving grandson, Lennie, who was the only ray of light in her dreary life. According to Irigaray, "all the systems of exchange that organize patriarchal societies and all the modalities of productive work that are recognized, values, and rewarded in these societies are men’s business†¦.[t]he work force is this always assumed to be masculine, and ‘products’ are objects to be used, objects of transaction among men alone" (171). Ma Parker has to play the role of an object circulated among masculine employers as she has to support her children and herself. Ma begins working as early as the age of sixteen as a "kitching-maid" (143). Later on, "[w]hen that family was sold up she went as ‘help’ to a doctor’s house, and after two years there, on the run from morning till light, she married her husband" (144). Ma is an object of transaction among men, as she transfers from one male employee to another, until she is married. Now then, Ma was working for the literary man, as people advised him to "get a hag in once a week to clean up" (142, my italics). The literary man, insensitive to his surroundings and lonely as Ma Parker at the same time, dirties everything around him and leaves it all looking like "a gigantic dustbin" (142), but Ma "pitied the poor young gentleman for having no one to look after him" (142).

Netflix Risks Essay

Netflix was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Netflix is a company that provides online movie rental subscription services in the United States. The company offers its subscribers access to a library of movie, television, and other filmed entertainment titles on digital versatile disc (DVD) and Blu-Rays. Its members can get DVDs delivered to their homes and can instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and PCs. It also partners with consumer electronics companies to offer a range of devices that can instantly stream movies and TV episodes to members’ TVs from Netflix. Netflix entered the rental entertainment industry at a time where Blockbuster was king and renting movies required the consumers to drive to the store. However, Netflix realized that through innovation there was a much more efficient and cheaper way to provide the same service than the typical brick-and-mortar companies of the time. Customers of Blockbuster and other store rental places were attracted to the new features (monthly subscription, no late fees) provided by Netflix. Through innovation Netflix basically â€Å"changed† the way movie rentals were done and eventually became the leader of movie rental industry while Blockbuster and many other companies eventually became bankrupt. Netflix’s story of success is also one of caution as Netflix realizes that they will continue to face many risks throughout their business cycle and if they don’t anticipate and/or respond correctly, they too could face the same result as Blockbuster. As of December 31, 2009, Netflix served approximately 12 million subscribers. Currently, Netflix claims on its website to have over 20 million members, making it the leader in rental movie industry. However, Netflix faces many competitors that provide similar services: Comcast, Redbox from Coinstar and even Amazon is planning on also offering streaming services to its prime members. Therefore, if Netflix is to remain as the industry leader and continue its earnings and membership growth it will have to continue to innovate with new ideas. Generally, innovation requires a huge investment from companies in their Research and Development departments. These investments can come out from the companies own cash flow or from issuing loans. In order for a Company to decide if an investment is worth the money it uses either Net Present Value or Internal Rate of Return techniques which basically state that if the return on the investment is greater than the cost, then the company should go ahead and invest. But what is the cost of the investment? If Netflix plans to borrow money, then the cost will be the prevailing interest rate at the time of Issuance of the loan plus a spread premium for specific characteristics pertaining to Netflix. This poses a financial risk on Netflix, more specifically this is called interest rate risk. Interest rates tend to be volatile and there are many different theories (expectations theory, liquidity theory, preferred habitat theory, market segmentation theory) yet nobody really knows 100% for sure if interest rates are going to go up or down and by how much. However, based on the expectations of Netflix’s analysts they have a few choices on dealing with this risk depending on their expectations. If they expect interest rates to go up, then they should issue a long term bond or note now, because if they wait and interests rates do go up then it will be more costly for them to borrow the money they need which might end up affecting the Net Present Value of their investment project. On the other hand, if Netflix expects rates to go down then it will not be a good idea for Netflix to issue out a long term bond or note because if rates eventually do drop then Netflix be essentially borrowing at a higher rate than the prevailing market rate. So what Netflix should do instead is to issue short term debt such as commercial paper and continue to roll it over until they expect that interest rates have reached the lowest and then issue a longer term bond or note depending on their investment project. Finally, the other option for Netflix is that, if they are not sure if interest rates are going to go up or down, they can still hedge against this risk by issuing a long term callable bond so that if interest rates do drop significantly Netflix can call its debt back and reissue at the lower rate. Another way that Netflix has been and plans to continue expanding its membership is by offering its services abroad. In fact, Netflix has already entered the Canadian market and is in the process of offering its services in the United Kingdom. Obviously this is great news for Netflix shareholders however going international also brings additional risks. One of the major risks that we foresee would be exchange rate risk. For example, when Netflix starts to offer its services in the United Kingdom, it will have to decide on what it will charge its British customers a month. However, it will have to do so in pounds, which is the local currency. If for example, we assume that Netflix charges its U. S. customers 10 dollars a month for its services and that it wants to charge the same real value to its U. K. customers, if the pound/dollar exchange rate is . 5 pounds for 1 dollar then Netflix would have to charge its U. K. customers 5 pounds a month. However, interest rates are constantly changing and if Netflix doesn’t do something about this risk then its cash flow would be constantly changing. For example if the pound depreciates against the dollar to . 75 pounds for 1 dollar then the dollar value from its U. K. customers’ 5 pound subscription will now be only worth $6. 67. Netflix could deal with this cash flow loss in two ways, a good way and a bad way. The bad way would be to constantly adjust the prices up and down to its U. K. customers so that the real dollar value remains about the same, however we feel that customers wouldn’t appreciate this price volatility and Netflix would potentially lose many U. K. customers. The good way for Netflix to hedge against exchange rate risk would be to enter the futures market on currencies and lock in on a pound/dollar exchange rate that way any future volatility on the exchange rate wouldn’t affect either negatively or positively on Netflix’s international cash flows. Netflix also faces several nonfinancial risks. Netflix began its ground-breaking entry into the movie rental industry with its mail order system, but the mail order system is not the sole source of its success today. In fact, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has admitted that a lot of Netflix success has been due to do their online streaming content. As an actual Netflix customer myself, I admit that I spend a lot of time streaming movies and shows online, in fact if Netflix were to only offer its mail order system, I would stop being a customer. If other Netflix customers’ value their online service as much as I do then this signifies the important value that the movie streaming services has for Netflix. But what if, something happens (virus, human error, etc†¦) and Netflix’s servers go down and they are unable to operate its streaming function for a couple of days? A couple days may seem trivial however it could potentially mean an enormous amount of lost profit due to unhappy customers. In order to avoid this type of scenario of ever happening, Netflix should think of ways to confront this operational risk. One idea would be to spend money in acquiring backup servers so that if the main servers were to go down for whatever reason, Netflix would be able to switch to their backup servers and therefore customers could continue to stream their favorite movies and shows online while Netflix worked on fixing the problem with the main servers. Even though Netflix is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has many â€Å"warehouses† around the United States that deliver movies to customers near their locations. Because of this, Netflix faces many different types of â€Å"pure† risks depending on the location in which their warehouse is situated. Pure risk is a type of risk that involves either a chance of loss or no loss. An example for Netflix would be an earthquake in Los Gatos California, or a tornado in its warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska. Pure risks have tremendous abilities for loss because they cause both direct and indirect losses. If for example, a tornado destroys the Netflix warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, the direct losses would be the costs of the destroyed warehouse, but at the same time there would be indirect costs such as the costs of perhaps losing customers around the Omaha area because now their movies have to ship from a different warehouse which could potentially take many more days to arrive. Unfortunately, there are no ways to prevent catastrophes such as fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc†¦ However, these high severity, low frequency situations are part of life and therefore a part of Netflix’s business risk. The best way for Netflix to deal with these types of risks are either to self insure by saving a certain amount of money each month or they can do an insurance transfer and pay insurance premiums but not have to worry about these pure risks. As shown in the movie â€Å"Mind Over Money†, human emotions play a major role in driving the market. Netflix should pay attention to such matters as the company could be affected by the irrational decisions people make. Investors have recently been talking about Netflix prices being over priced and it depicts a bull market. Bull markets are characterized by optimism, investor confidence and expectations that strong results will continue. It’s difficult to predict consistently when the trends in the market will change. Part of the difficulty is that psychological effects and speculation may sometimes play a large role in the markets. Therefore, similar to what is shown in the movie people will make irrational behavior and it could lead to the sudden collapse in the market for Netlix. This can be a major risk to the company. Netflix started as a mail order movie rental company in 1997 and through much innovation it was able to not only establish itself in the movie rental business but actually be a leader. Throughout its path from rags to riches, Netflix faced many types of financial and nonfinancial risks and was obviously able to overcome them to reach where it is at today. However, the risks don’t stop now and Netflix is facing strong competition from other movie rental companies and in order for Netflix to stay on top it will have to continue to be innovative and also continue to properly deal with any forthcoming risks.

Mephibosheth Guest Speaker †Economics Essay

Mephibosheth Guest Speaker – Economics Essay Free Online Research Papers Mephibosheth Guest Speaker Economics Essay Private organizations are often more effective than the established government in the less-developed nations of the world. The majority of nations do not have a system in place to help the needy, whether it is a lack of financial capability, or a lack of a coherent and organized political or institutional structure that is able to administer these services to the people. NPOs can help to fill in this gap by providing the needy everything from basic food and medical supplies to job and occupational training to help people provide for themselves and their families. Mephibosheth seems to be providing many communities around the world with job and skill training, with which the trainees can then use to operate their own business or self-sustaining community. Working with families and young people is important in determining the economic and political future of a nation. People trained with basic economic skills will be able to improve the lives of the people around them, and perhaps influence and create the future leaders of that nation, who may then be able to use their positions of power to further help for the poor. However, in the current stage of Mephibosheth’s operations, teaching people skills that they can use to make a living with is a vast improvement from their previous condition – no skills to make money with, no capital to start a business venture with, no chance of government aid, and most importantly, little to no hope for a better future. The first thing I found interesting about Mephibosheth’s approach is that everyone has to contribute something in return for whatever they receive, like the children picking up firewood to get a meal. I found it interesting, because it is different from a simple handout from the organization, and instead teaches people that nothing is truly free in this world, and labor and time is necessary to accomplish something, much like the concept of opportunity cost, and how there is â€Å"no such thing as a free lunch.† The second thing I found interesting is that one school in South America, which looked remarkably large, and more like a high-rise apartment complex. I was just wondering exactly how much that facility cost, and how much money Mephibosheth is receiving from donors, and how much they need to operate and run their operations across the world. Research Papers on Mephibosheth Guest Speaker - Economics EssayAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalTwilight of the UAW

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays

Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essays Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Single Source Essay Over Short Story Essay Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery illustrates a village and the citizens caught up in tradition and the past. It is like a place caught in time, where progress is slow to come. While hints of progress show here and there, the core of the village and the people within it are based in a time many years before. They seem incapable of taking the steps necessary to burgeon into a truly modern town of the time, nor do they seem to want to.The setting is casual, even idyllic. It could be any vllage in the world, and the people could easily be anyone’s neighbors. It   is difficult to picture a more normal scene than is represented in the first two or three paragraphs.   It is only when you progress a little farther that seems get curious, and even then it appears to be some sort of celebration   that will result in someone gaining some great prize.Hints of the village’s anachronism come early on, in the form of the obvious division of the sexes. While the men gathered first, â€Å"speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes† (para 3), the women followed them in their â€Å"faded house dresses and sweaters† (para 3), gossiping together. The behavior of the children indicates that they know who is in charge, coming only after being called several times by their mothers, showing them far less respect than Bobby Martin does to his father, who he obeys immediately.Later in the story, this obvious patriarchal view of life becomes even more obvious as it is the men who draw the lots, or the oldest boy, if old enough, if the man is unable due to injury or death. The one woman who is allowed to draw a lot only does so because her son is not yet old enough to take that responsibility, and judging from the reactions and words of the other villagers, it seems highly to be a highly unnatural state of things.Everything about the story lends credence to the idea that these people live in the past, but nothing mo re so than their lottery. This tradition is something to which they hold on fiercely, any mention of other towns who have given up the practice being met with scorn. Mr. Warner, the oldest man in the village, expresses the sentiment of at least most of the villagers rather succinctly as he states â€Å"There’s always been a lottery† (para 32), expecting that reason to validate the practice and speaking with obvious scorn and disgust about those who have left the tradition behind.Even Tessie Hutchinson, who through her earlier actions might seem to have a reluctance to continue the practice, does not dispute its validity in the end. Instead, she can only declare how unfair it was that her family, and specifically herself, was chosen, even to the extent that she attempted to decrease her own chances of being the one to die by insisting that her oldest, married daughter draw with the family. She never goes so far as to dispute the need for the lottery, simply her own posi tion as the sacrificial lamb.Jackson further perpetuates the feeling that the villagers will not soon let go of their valued tradition, as the baton passes to yet another generation as Tessie’s son Davy was given pebbles of his own to throw so that he could contribute to the death of his own mother and thus continue the cycle in later years.Through this story, we can see the dangers of not letting go of the past and of letting progress pass us by. Such violent and barbaric traditions can only make the dark monsters within ourselves grow, even if all outward appearances belie the truth of that inhumanity.

How Ethnicity Affects Nigerian Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How Ethnicity Affects Nigerian Politics - Essay Example How Ethnicity Affects Nigerian Politics Many communities viewed political power as the sole tool for correcting social and economic evils perpetrated by the colonial government and governments formed after independence. Furthermore, there is a psychological link between specific ethnic tribes and political parties in Africa. This is more so for Nigeria, which has hundreds of ethnic groups, all viewing political machinery as the only way of correcting acts of deprivation and discrimination by the state. From a historical point of view, the current prevalence of ethnic politics in Nigeria was propagated by the British colonial rule as a strategic technique (divide and conquer) to conquer the nation. The British deliberately adopted the divide and conquer technique in order to segregate the tribes of Nigeria further, to prevent them from joining together and fighting against a common enemy. The British rewarded the tribes that collaborated with their direct rule by appointing local chiefs, who had a little autonomy over the region they were situated. However, the autonomy was not complete as they still answered to the British political hierarchy. On the other hand, for those tribes that resisted colonial rule, they were treated harshly and discriminated against, evidenced by the implementation of forced labour, corporal punishment and imposition of very high taxes aimed at impoverishing the locals and forcing them to concede and submit to British rule.