African American Stereotypes in the Media

Jakaya McCambry 10/02/12 African American Stereotypes in the Media When I first heard someone say, â€Å"All African American people are Ghetto,† I was very offended that someone would make this type of assumption about my culture, and I thought how ignorant this person must be; but then I stopped and wondered why other people would think this about us. I asked her why she would say something like this, and she instantly listed shows like Tosh. O and Chelsea Lately, which highlight my culture in a negative view.It was clear to me that she had made up her mind about black people through watching the media and seeing African Americans fulfill that stereotype in person. This led me to question: Where exactly do these stereotypes come from? Are African American stereotypes still apparent in the media? What shows, movies, etc have made others portray our race as â€Å"Ghetto† or other lists of stereotypes? Are there any solutions to stop African American stereotypes? When we subscribe to the belief that groups of member are expected to possess certain characteristics, we are engaging stereotypes.When these groups are evaluated based on what the perceiver believes the target ought to be, judgments are made. These judgments concerning these individuals, based on their membership in a group or judgments made about people are not particularly based on facts. Stereotypes about our race dates all the way back to slavery. The beliefs that we were dishonest, promiscuous, and violent were evident during slavery of our black race. More recently the media sets the tone for morals, values, info about our culture; leading people to believe everything they see on TV including black stereotypes.It is a fact that one out of three people are said to have more than one TV in their house, which shows that media is a source for how people form perceptions about people (Tosi 13). Perception thus becomes a reality to people, and once people perceive it, stereotyping is born . Stereotyping of African Americans in the media has stemmed from how the media has presented African Americans to the world. There is a theory by George Gerbner that states, â€Å"Individuals who frequently watch high contents of television will begin to believe that they are living in a world similar to what is portrayed on the screen (Gerbner&Gross, 1976). It is the idea that whether something is being portrayed as negative or positive on television, most people will believe it. There is a fact which says that about six percent of African Americans are seen in comedies and dramas (Tosi 14). Within that category, they are mostly illustrated as being lazy, loud, uneducated and poor. For example, in movies like The Color Purple and shows like Good Times demonstrates negative perceptions of our race. On the other hand, shows like The Cosby show and Fresh prince of Bel Aire try and broaden the viewer’s idea of a typical â€Å"black† family.These shows highlight black pe ople living a very high class, educated, wealthy lifestyle. And so, as we see, the media ultimately controls how our race as they perceived, whether it is negative or positive. Since the media has a strong influence on the people’s perceptions of each other, they are the real deciding factor on how to solve the problem of stereotyping. We could possibly find solutions by matching every negative stereotype with a positive one, so that the good and bad cancel each other out.This is just a start; we want it so that when other cultures look at us, degrading stereotypes pertaining to our race will not come to mind. I believe we as inviduals also have the power to choose not to conform to our own stereotypes. Bordewich once said, â€Å" Only by abandoning many long-held, lovingly-held, myths and fantasies; we will become able to shape a healthy rational policy for people’s whose real life s far more complex and interesting, than our persistent fantasies. † So although the entertainment in the media may be interesting, we as a culture need to lead and be as catalyst in ending these demeaning stereotypes.Stereotypes can be good or bad, but given the evidence from my research on this topic, I can conclude that most African American stereotypes are negative. The way entertainment in the media portrays us has greatly affected how others identify us. Movies and shows like; Madea’s family Reunion, Bringing down the House, Love and Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives all portray us in a degrading way. People sometimes find it comical of course, but the fact that it is comical does not justify it being debasing. This image of us has evolved from things in the media, and its’ power to shape people’s idea of us.We as a race must stop living up to our stereotypes. As soon as we take action in not succumbing to our own stereotype, people will not think we are â€Å"Ghetto† or any other undignified term they think of us; therefore in the media we won’t be perceived in that way. As Colin Powell once said, â€Å"Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission. † Although African American stereotyping is prevalent in the media now because of its’ entertaining quality; it perpetuates a cycle of harmful stereotypes.As long as this cycle continues, our culture will always be illustrated negatively. Works Cited Dixon, Travis L. â€Å"Network News And Racial Beliefs: Exploring The Connection Between National Television News Exposure And Stereotypical Perceptions Of African Americans. †Ã‚  Journal Of Communication  58. 2 (2008): 321-337. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2012 Horton, Yurii, Eric Brown, and Raagen Price. â€Å"PORTRAYAL OF MINORITIES IN THE FILM, MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES. †Ã‚  PORTRAYAL OF MINORITIES IN THE FILM, MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES.Ethics of Development in a Global Environment (EDGE), 1 June 1999. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. . Retirethechief. â€Å"Stereotypes and Symbolism: Images Can Hurt. †Ã‚  Stereotypes and Symbolism: Images Can Hurt. RetireTheChief. org, May 2003. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. . Sanders, Meghan S. , and Srividya Ramasubramanian. â€Å"An Examination Of African Americans' Stereotyped Perceptions Of Fictional Media Characters. †Ã‚  Howard Journal Of Communications  23. (2012): 17-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Tosi, Paula. â€Å"Thinking About What We See: Using Media Literacy To Examine Images Of African Americans On Television. †Ã‚  Black History Bulletin  74. 1 (2011): 13-20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Ramasubramanian, Srividya, and Mary Beth Oliver. â€Å"Activating And Suppressing Hostile And Benevolent Racism: Evidence For Comparative Media Stereotyping. †Ã‚  Media Psychology  9. 3 (2007): 623-646. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. Moon J. Lee, Shannon L . Bichard, Meagan S. Irey, Heather M. Walt & Alana J.Carlson, (2009)Television Viewing and Ethnic Stereotypes: Do College Students Form Stereotypical Perceptions of Ethnic Groups as a Result of Heavy Television Consumption?. Howard Journal of Communications 20:1, pages 95-110. Bradley W. Gorham, (2006) News Media's Relationship With Stereotyping: The Linguistic Intergroup Bias in Response to Crime News. Journal of Communication 56:2, pages 289-308. C. Mo Bahk & Fred E. Jandt, (2004)  Being White in America: Development of a Scale. Howard Journal of Communications 15:1, pages 57-68. â€Å"Stereotypes In Media. †Ã‚  Stereotypes In Media. N. p. , n. d.Web. 19 Nov. 2012. . Monique Kloosterman, et al. â€Å"‘Shake It Baby, Shake It': Media Preferences, Sexual Attitudes And Gender Stereotypes Among Adolescents. †Ã‚  Sex Roles  63. 11/12 (2010): 844-859. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. Hutchison, Phillip J. â€Å"Reexamining Jack Johnson, Stereotypes, A nd America's White Press, 1908–1915. †Ã‚  Howard Journal Of Communications23. 3 (2012): 215-234. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Pickering, Michael. â€Å"Sex In The Sun: Racial Stereotypes And Tabloid News.   Social Semiotics  18. 3 (2008): 363-375. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. Li Chen, et al. â€Å"Male Mammies: A Social-Comparison Perspective On How Exaggeratedly Overweight Media Portrayals Of Madea, Rasputia, And Big Momma Affect How Black Women Feel About Themselves. †Ã‚  Mass Communication & Society  15. 1 (2012): 115-135. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. Hermes, Joke. â€Å"On Stereotypes, Media And Redressing Gendered Social Inequality. †Ã‚  Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice  2. 2 (2011): 181-187. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

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Four Poems by Derek Mahon INTRODUCTION Derek Mahon belongs to the same generation of Northern Ireland poets as Seamus Heaney. But, whereas many of Heaney’s poems are rooted firmly in the rural landscape of Ulster where he grew up, Mahon’s poems reflect his childhood spent in Belfast. His familiar places were the streets of the city, the Harland and Wolff shipyard where his g-andfather and father worked, and the flax-spinning factory where his mother worked. Later on, Mahon would come to study at Trinity College Dublin and from there he spread his wings to travel and work in many different places, from France, Canada and America, to London and Kinsale in Co. Cork. , †¢Ã¢â‚¬ DAY TRIP TO DONEGAL† Tie shift, in both meaning and feeling, that :sxes place between the first and final lines of ~ s poem makes it memorable. The title :=e~s ordinary: Day Trip to Donegal suggests :- :~ :od days out at the seaside or even a school trip with classmates and teachers. ~–~ opening stanza is conversational in tone. I :– ,al at his seaside destination, the poet s n familiar surroundings. There were to be seen† and â€Å"as ever† the hills â€Å"a deeper green/Than anywhere in the : : – seems at this point that we are r: – r :: share a pleasant day at the seaside in Donegal with the poet. However, just as we . – rev. ~†~ comfortable with this expectation, -:::†¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ appears. We are disturbed by the 2. Deration in the final line and the image : ^reduces: â€Å"†¦ the grave/Grey of the sea Me grwnmer in that enclave. † – – : — : _s -â€Å"rial line of the opening stanza , a similar scenario in stanza two. The poet watches the fishing-boats arriving back at the pier with their catch. This familiar scene is often described in attractive terms by songwriters and painters. But here Mahon startles us in the second line by describing the catch as â€Å"A writhing glimmer offish†. The word â€Å"writhing† is very vivid. The fish are seen as suffering and this notion becomes more intense in the concluding lines of the stanza where he sees them â€Å"flopping about the deck/In attitudes of agony and heartbreak†. A story is told about Mahon as an only child who spent a lot of time alone. His imagination had free rein and in the bicycle shed in the garden at home the Mahons also kept coal. Apparently the boy Derek Mahon suffered guilt when he went to the shed to get his bicycle. He felt pity for the coal which was, to him, imprisoned in that dark, cold, shed. His compassion was evident even then; he felt sorry for the coal! In Day Trip to Donegal we see that the poet’s day is changed by the sight of the caught fish. He feels compassion for them in their dying moments. In stanza three the return journey to Belfast is described. This poem is poised between two worlds — the seaside one in rural Donegal and the urban one in Belfast. Have you noticed how Mahon chooses to describe his arrival back in Belfast? â€Å"We changed down into suburbs/Sunk in a sleep no gale-force wind disturbs. † There is a suggestion here of a â€Å"tamer† world than the wild gale-beaten one of Donegal. The phrase â€Å"changed down† refers to the gear-change of the car, but it also shows how the poet is struck by the difference between the rural and the urban worlds he has experienced on that particular day. The sleeping suburbs seem slow and quiet after the drama of the Donegal landscape. Exam ; Career Guide 241 I t/2 _i O Z LU LU h-U LU U Nightmare Stanza four picks up again on the disturbing imagery of stanza two. There is an intense feeling of terror here as the poet recalls his dream after his day out at the seaside. In his nightmare, the sea is seen as a powerful force of destruction. We can be chilled by his description of the sea performing its â€Å"immeasurable erosions† — â€Å"Spilling into the skull. † The combination of words here is powerful: â€Å"immeasurable erosions† and the alliteration of â€Å"spilling† and â€Å"skull†. The choice of the word â€Å"erosion† is worth noting here. It suggests eating away at something — the action of the sea on the coastline over many years. Why does the poet draw a parallel between himself and the eroding coastline, at the mercy of the infinite onslaught of the sea? Could this be an oblique reference to the political circumstances in which he lived in Northern Ireland? We remember that Donegal was described in stanza one as a â€Å"green enclave†. He has travelled there from Belfast — another political entity to which he returns after his day across the border. In the nightmare he is the helpless victim at the mercy of the relentless sea. It mutters â€Å"its threat† — the poet does not enjoy a peaceful sleep after his day-trip to Donegal. Instead he has a kind of nightmare, a surreal vision which is frightening and sinister. The nightmarish journey continues into the final stanza. Now the sea has become a metaphor for the poet’s own view of his life. He is alone and drifting, has not taken enough caution to prevent this danger and feels surrounded on all sides by the â€Å"vindictive wind and rain†, i. . , the malevolent forces that control his life and which cannot be placated. The poem ends on a note of hopelessness and despair. There is no promise of rescue. His predicament recalls that of the fish described in stanza two — â€Å"flopping about the deck/In attitudes of agony and heartbreak†. †¢ â€Å"ECCLESIASTES† The title of this poem situates it immediately in the context of relig ion — Ecclesiastes being the title of a book in the Old Testament, used frequently by preachers in their sermons. The context of the poem is the Ulster of the religious preachers and the churchmen which Mahon knew very well, being an Ulster Protestant by birth. The opening three lines of the poem are full of feeling. We notice the repetition of God and the rhythm created by â€Å"purist† and â€Å"puritan†, and â€Å"wiles and smiles†. Mahon is imagining himself as a member of the preaching classes and he tries in this poer-look closely at his identity as an Ulster Protestant. There is self-mockery in h s _s= of the phrase â€Å"purist little puritan†. The preacher is narrow minded (little) and rigid his attitudes — a â€Å"purist† puritan would be 3 extreme version of an ordinary puritan *^ would have been very strict in religious :. -†¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ moral matters. There is mockery and contempt as he describes the preache’ (Ecclesiastes) as â€Å"God-chosen† and â€Å"God-fearing†. He sees himself as occupying tr-e high moral ground while at the same t~-= basing his morality on fear rather than genuine conviction. The world inhabited by the Ecclesiastes (preachers) is a grim one. The images in ine 4 and 5 convey this most powerfully. The choice of the word â€Å"dank† (meaning da-x sr damp and cold) for the churches and the â€Å"tied up swings† on Sundays paint a joyless picture. Sunday was a particularly gloorny ~ in Protestant Ulster as it was strictly designated for prayer and church-going. Pleasure of any kind was frowned on. Marc then contrasts this life-denying way of lrvr>f with the real life of the world — – â€Å"the heat i the world†. He mentions how such a rigic code of behaviour allows those Churchmer to avoid the humanising interaction with women and the â€Å"bright eyes of children†. He continues with this train of thought in lines to 16. His tone is very critical. He sees tr-e preacher as using his public morality tc 2*c the real challenges of life — the call on eac of us â€Å"to understand and forgive†. The red bandana and stick and the ban? c referred to represent the antithesis of the preacher’s life. The red is a lively contrast n the â€Å"dork doors† mentioned before and the bandana and stick would be used on journe to brighter, livelier places than the dark r of Antrim which are washed by the cole â€Å"January rains†. This dark, cold place is the natural habitat of the preacher. He is following in the tradition of his forebears — â€Å"the heaped graves of your fathers†. Here he can â€Å"close one eye and be king†. This is an allusion to Erasmus, who once said: â€Å"In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is King†. Is this a reference to the closed mm and the bigotry of Mahon’s Ulster? The preacher can lord it over the ordinary peoc whose â€Å"heavy washing flaps† in the housing estates. They are credulous. But Mahon’s preacher has nothing to offer them. The ft imagery of the poem is filled with contemp 42 Exam ; Career Guide cts the preacher â€Å"stiff with rhetoric† forth to the captive audience yet lothing whatever to offer them — ng nothing under the sun†. eamus Heaney writes about Ulster :es in the memory of The Forge, in scape of Bogland, The Harvest Bow and Mahon, on the other hand, has a vision of Ulster — and he shares >n with us in Ecclesiastes. It is a place ;tants and Puritans and Preachers. He :dges that this is part of his own oo, and we find that he has a very ew of the narrow, life-denying f the culture which formed him. IT SHOULD BE† m, the mindset of another type of explored. This time it is that of the jrderer — who kills another man ie sees as a just cause. When ;ntions the Moon in the Yellow ire reminded of the Irish Civil War. :hat name was written by Denis ;et in 1927. Its story is of a man e who tried to blow up a generator ydroelectric station which was and was a symbol of the progress Irish Free State. Blake was shot by ;gt;f the Free State called Lanigan. The = officer of the Free State is the ir in this poem, as he justifies his nd even takes pride in it. : of Murder titeous tone is struck at the

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Home Schooling - Essay Example This essay approves that children who have gone through homeschooling have a high chance of suffering from social and religious extremism. This behavioral change makes it easy for extremist groups like terrorist organizations or gangs to recruit them. Home schooled children can potentially develop parallel societies whose standards do not fit in with the society. For example, atheists’ ideologies are always crossing paths with the rest of society. Most parents think that homeschooling is an effective way to save money, but it is not since they sacrifice the child`s education in the name of vacations and lavish lifestyles. Home schooled children also run the risk of sexual molestation. As parents sometimes leave their children with complete strangers, they may turn out to be pedophiles who prey on innocent children. These acts leave a permanent scar on the children, which may lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. An instance of the negatives of homeschooling is best illustrated as follows; there was a family in Atlanta, who decided to home school their six year old daughter since they did not believe in the state`s education system and curriculum. this report makes a conclusion that homeschooling should be abolished since its negative effects outweigh the positive ones. There is no basis of having a learning system that produces incompetent students who have no social skills. Children need to play and mingle together, and not be included in their parents` insecurities.

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella - Essay Example (c). Epidemiology of rubella: â€Å"In 2000, the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) in Ireland reported 1,221 cases of rubella by August of that year.† The occurrence of the disease was as a result of people fearing to be vaccinated against measles (Shmaefsky, p.61). (d). Pathogenesis and pathology of Rubella involved measles virus entering the body system, then to the epithelial cells, and finally to the blood where it multiplies (MPS). In blood the virus advances to general toxic level. The general toxic level of the disease is associated with the presentation of rashes and pigmentation (Shmaefsky, p.83). (e). Clinical manifestations of Rubella appeared after an incubation period 6-18 days. The clinical signs included fever, catarrhal inflammation, and appearance prodromal rashes on the skin surface (Shmaefsky, p.85). (c). The epidemiology of Ruboela: In the first ten years after its discovery, the disease caused approximately 6,000 deaths each year. Approximately 3 to 4 million people in the U.S got measles each year. Each year was also associated with about 500 deaths, 48,000 hospitalization cases, and 4,000 developed encephalitis as a result of measles. (Black, p.90). (d). The pathogenesis and pathology of Ruboela involves measles virus entering the body, then virus moves to the epithelial cells, then to blood where it multiplies (MPS), blood and later generates to general toxic level. When it is at the general level, Ruboela presents rashes (Black, p.90). (e). Clinical manifestation of Ruboela start to appear after approximately ten days after being exposed to the measles virus, a person infected with measles depicts rash, high fever, and runny nose (Black, p.91). (c). Epidemiology of mumps: the largest number of cases of mumps was reported in 1941 when the incidence of the disease was approximately 250 cases in a population of 100,000 people

Audience use of media texts is inextricably linked to the formation of Essay

Audience use of media texts is inextricably linked to the formation of social identities and the forging of cultural distinctions. Discuss - Essay Example It seems that question is no longer whether it does rather how much and in what manner. In current times we have seen how television has morphed from simply a provider of entertainment and a means of recreation, into a god-creator of a proxy-community – where people are drawn to the images and to the text and use them to form social identities and forge cultural distinctions. The notion of a â€Å"fan culture† is a complex one. There are a whole plethora of reasons why an individual finds himself â€Å"hooked† to a particular television show. When these individuals come together, a whole community is created, a whole subculture is forged, and the fans cease to be peripheral observers and become active agents and manipulators of the text itself. From â€Å"borrowed material†, or the material churned out by television producers, scriptwriters and directors, fans craft a patchwork quilt all their own – fusing their own individual experiences and perceptions and coming up with an entirely new animal resembling in parts, and far removed from, in other parts, the original text. This is the theory posited by Jenkins in the book â€Å"Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture† (1992) where he navigates through the media fan community and demonstrate how the cultural practices within it serve to rework the text and create its own social institutions, with its own hegemonies and rules. In order to explore how media defines social identity and on what level, this paper shall take as an example the success of the 1990 hit television show Twin Peaks. It illustrates that the effect of media on social identity can be both normative and prescriptive. First, the portrayal of young adults in Twin Peaks can be prescriptive in terms of lifestyle and behavior. Second, the developments in television genre occur simultaneously with developments in sub-culture. And that the

Epistemic Themes Explored Essay Example for Free

Epistemic Themes Explored Essay All men, the learned philosopher Aristotle insists, desire to know. Thus, when the first group of men from Ionia, then part of the infamous Grecian province of the ancients, began their thoughtful quest to know the most fundamental â€Å"stuff† constituting reality, it started a whole history of inquiry which later on was to be called â€Å"philosophy† (Marias, 1967, p. 11). But while their controlling concern was primarily cosmological – in that these philosophers â€Å"wrestled with the problem of explaining physical nature by asking what is the one basic material out of which the world is made† – their inquiry nevertheless engendered lasting impacts on the way humanity has since then understood the nature, scope and use of human knowledge (Lavine, 1982, p. 23). In view of the foregoing, this paper aims at successfully presenting a summative account of some of the major concerns or themes of Epistemology throughout the history of Philosophy; specifically, the theories which were propounded by key philosophers as they seek to understand certain epistemic issues. Along the same vein, I would also attempt, through this paper, to evaluate, if not compare such concerns within the present context as my way of appropriating what I have learned from this course into my own frame. Methodology and Scope This paper endeavors to firstly circumscribe three salient (among many others) themes of epistemic exploration, namely, (1) the quest to understand the nature of knowledge, (2) the compelling desire to establish certitude, and (3) the all-important need to appropriate human knowledge into a prolific use. As such, these three elements correspond to three different epochs in the history of Philosophy – the ancient, the post-Scholasticism and the modern periods respectively; and these epochs are further typified by key philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (for the ancient epoch), Rene Descartes (for the modern epoch) and the empiricists in the likes of J. Stuart Mill and Francis Bacon. Secondly and as hinted above, this paper is an attempt to appropriate their concerns with my own present context. The method with which this paper employs shall be both expository and analytic. The Epistemic Concerns of Key Philosophers of Knowledge At the onset of Philosophy, the overarching epistemic concern was to discover the nature of human knowledge. In order to do this, the Ionian philosophers started to put into question the things that they took for granted. Socrates tried to propound, through the infamous Socratic method, that knowledge â€Å"cannot be equated with belief† or personal opinion (Bruder Moore, 2005, p. 35). Plato on the other hand maintained that true knowledge consists not in our perception of the visible things, but in acquisition of a type of knowledge that brings us into the World of Ideas (Lavine, 1982, p. 26). Refuting Plato, Aristotle meanwhile asserted that abstraction alone does not afford true knowledge. Instead, he believed that true knowledge must be scientific; i. e. , it circumscribes the proximate and remote causes of things and events. As one author puts it, â€Å"for Aristotle, to have scientific knowledge of a fact, it is not enough to know that it is true; you must also know why it is true† (Robinson, 1985, p. 11). If these ancient philosophers were chiefly engrossed with the proper definition of the nature and parameters of human knowledge, the thinkers of the modern era meanwhile sought for a kind of knowledge marked by certitude or truthfulness. Simply put, the concern shifted from the defining the contents of human knowledge into deciphering whether such contents were truthful or not. Far more critical, modern philosophers did also entertain in a fair amount of skepticism. The chief proponent to this cause was Rene Descartes; and he is usually credited for starting a new phase in the field of Epistemology. He is known for his skepticism – a â€Å"vow to suspend judgment about everything† so as to arrive at a knowledge which is certain, if not altogether doubt-proof (Broughton, 2002, p. 1). The crux of this â€Å"doubt† does not lay on the act of doubting itself; for at the very least, the act of doubting has to serve its reasoned purpose, which is to proceed from an induced skepticism into an irreducible certainty. And Descartes succinctly refers to this as the â€Å"first principle of philosophy† – a principle which serves as a formidable base from all kinds of human knowledge stand erect (cited in Marias, 1967, p. 214). Descartes and his contemporaries thus dedicated their efforts to establish what constitutes certainty in human knowledge. By contrast however, the philosophers after them began to focus on discovering how human knowledge can be used prolifically in life and work. Thus, from being merely speculative in approach, the philosophers after the modern era began to see the wisdom of framing human knowledge within the context of practicality. John Stuart Mill for instance asserted that the true measure of human intellect lays in the way we human persons can employ knowledge for the â€Å"progress† of humanity (Donner, 1991, p. 123) Still, another important facet of this utilitarian perspective would be palpable in the formulation of the Principle of Induction. Francis Bacon for instance rejected the deductive reasoning of the ancients in favor of the principle of inference: i. e. , â€Å"from a serious of individual facts†¦one obtains by abstraction†¦the general concepts of the things and the laws of nature (Marias, 1967, p. 250). This principle is now widely known as the scientific method; and this method has in turn led to the rise of technological advancements witnessed during the Industrial Revolution. The concerns addressed by the three epochs herein cited could be summed into these three fundamental questions: (a) what constitutes knowledge? , (b) how do we know the truth? (c) and how do we concretely apply what we know? In ways more than one, these three questions are the self-same concerns which continuously confound the present society. Now more than ever, humanity is a witness to the flood of competing information from all fronts; and it is indeed a tall challenge to decipher which information affords a knowledge that approximates the truth and/or engenders beneficial results. For instance, in drafting key policies, any given government needs to be fed with accurate information about societal conditions; as indeed, in contemplating medical procedures, doctors and nurses need to be given precise information to avoid errors. To be sure, a thousand and one other examples may be cited to this end. But the crux of the matter lies in the fact that, even at an age when we are able to verify the veracity of information with advanced technologies, humanity’s chief concern has always been about correctly obtaining knowledge, establishing the its truthfulness thereof, and putting them into practical use.

Ethics Article Review Essay Example for Free

Ethics Article Review Essay This paper seeks to prepare a review of an article discussing ethics in accounting and financial decision making by making a brief summary, relating to assigned reading for the week, relating and applying the concepts to current or former employer’s organization, making improvement for the organization using the article as basis and explaining the importance of ethics in accounting and financial decision making. A description of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley act will also be discussed including its impact on accounting and financial decision making. 2. Discussions 2. a. Brief Summary The article is talking about the importance of ethics in accounting and business. To dramatize its significance in business, it has cited a story of a number of rich people who may have attained their financial rewards in business but ended dying in less meaningful ways impliedly because of missing the principles of ethics. While the article admits that earning money or attaining riches may be an acceptable goal in business, there is still the question of how success in measured in the final analysis and for which the authors were arguing for riches acquired with honor and if a choice would be made between the two, it would be more preferable to have honor rather riches (Smith and Smith, 2003) . 2. b. Relating to assigned readings As to how the article relate to assigned readings for this week, it may be argued that the article has touched on the importance of rules or guides to actions in business. Ethics in business may be asserted to be indispensable if business will have to attain its goals in harmony with other goals of society such as those in economics and politics. 2. c. Application of article to organization As to how the ethical concepts discussed on the article may apply to this researcher’s former or current organization, it may be argued that the universality of principles related to ethics would really make it difficult to exclude this researcher’s organization from any of its application.. Since my organization is part of the larger society where everybody else lives, it cannot isolate itself from the community by doing unethical things. It cannot even argue that any illegal or unethical thing that it may do will not matter in a world where there many players who may be affected by decisions made. In the same way that a member of society can make a difference for the good of the community so with the failure of one organization or even a person in the organization can do to the detriments of many if not all of the members of the community. 2. d. Recommendations for improvement of the organization To make recommendations for improvement on this researcher’s or organization using the article as basis, the organization should encourage simple living among its executives so that they could be more disciplined in the way the company’s resources are being managed not only for the stockholders but even to every stakeholders who stand to benefits from the observance of ethical conduct in the organization. The other stakeholders of course include the employees who aspire for long-term employment (Sears, 2003), the creditors and lenders who resources need to be protected as well, customers who need to have their needs and wants for company’s products and services continuously satisfied and the government who must continue ensuring payment of taxes and compliance with regulations. 2. e. The importance of ethics in accounting and financial decision making and how the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act affects the same The important of ethics in accounting and financial decision making cannot be underestimated. Without ethics there would be no responsibility for right or wrong act can be demanded from people making decisions. The managers who are considered agents of stockholders would instead enrich themselves at the expense of stockholders investments. On the other hand, these stockholders would just exploit whatever they can to the detriment of their principal, this time their debt capital providers. The organization can likewise treat its employees with disrespect and violate the latter’s if there in no ethics that would guide them. Laws will be insufficient to exact compliance if people in the organization were not instilled the proper values when they were still young in the same way that it is hard to teach tricks to an old dog. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a classic example to legislate rules of conduct that would improve corporate governance (Ali, et. al, 2006) including a more strict compliance of requirements in regulating companies in terms of financial statements and ensuring of ethical conduct of external auditors (Bainbridge, 2007). Although the law is a positive act to ethical practice of doing business, the choice to do what is right is still with decision makers who must have the right sense of values for society. 3. Conclusion: Ethics has a purpose to attain. It is a part of an organization’s life since it is a guide to decision making not only in accounting and finance but even to all other aspect of business operations. A sense or rightness or wrongness offers a choice and that which is good is incidentally consistent with ethics. As the world seems to be painting what are the standards of its success when actually they are not the real and lasting ones, ethics its and principles have much to offer in making the correct decision that will lead real and lasting success for human existence. The article has argued that honor is preferable than riches but riches need not be inconsistent with riches as long as they are ethically acquired. References: Ali, et. al (2006) International Corporate Governance After Sarbanes-Oxley, John Wiley and Sons Bainbridge (2007), The Complete Guide to Sarbanes-Oxley: Understanding How Sarbanes-Oxley Affects Your Business; Adams Media Sears (2003) Successful Talent Strategies: Achieving Superior Business Results Through Market-focused Staffing, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Association. Smith and Smith (2003) Business and Accounting Ethics, {www document} URL, http://acct. tamu. edu/smith/ethics/ethics. htmAccessed September 29,2008

Challenges Of The Indian Textile Industry Marketing Essay

Challenges Of The Indian Textile Industry Marketing Essay Scale: Indian Textile Industry is highly fragmented Industry that is lead by several small-scale industries. Because of this, there is lack of Industry Leadership. These small companies do not have fiscal resources to invest in technological up-gradation and they are not able to generate economies of scale. This leads to inability to establish a world-class competitive player. All the sectors except spinning face the problem of scale. India has very few large firms and other firms are generally smaller than their Chinese or Thai counterparts. Some of the Chinese large firms have 1.5 times higher spinning capacity, 1.25 times denim (and 2 times gray fabric) capacity and about 6 times more revenue in garment than their counterparts in India  [1]  which in turn gave an effect on the overall cost distribution along with the ability to attract customers with big orders. No of Exporters Source: CRISIL Skill and Labor productivity: Though Industry has cheap and skilled manpower but they are less productive comparative to other south Asian countries. Low Labor productivity due to lack of skills and modernized infrastructure is making Indian textile industry less productive than other competitor nations. An Industry and Regional Perspective Source: Economics Program Working Paper Series: The Cost Competitiveness of the Manufacturing Sector in China and India (Bart van Ark, Abdul Azeez Erumban, Vivian Chen, Utsav Kumar) Along with the labor productivity issues three other issues are of important consideration: (a) there is a lack of technical manpower -there are only 30 programmes at graduate engineering (including diploma) levels graduating nearly 1000 students this number is insufficient for bringing about significant technological change in the textile sector; (b) Investment by Indian firms for training of its existing workforce is very limited and the skills are confined to already existing processes; (c) there is serious dearth of trained operators and supervisors in India. It is expected that Indian firms will have to invest close to Rs. 1400 bn by year 2010 to increase its global trade to $ 50 bn. This kind of investment would require about 70,000 supervisors and 1.05mn operators in the textile sector and at least 112,000 supervisors and 2.8mn operators in the apparel sector (assuming a 80:20 ratio of investment between textiles and apparel).  [2]  In this situation the real bottleneck t o growth is going to be availability of skilled manpower. Poor Infrastructure: Technological Obsolescence and low degree of modernization in various steps of value chain affects the quality, cost and distribution. The general trend in the country is to go for second hand and outdated looms thus resulting in lower productivity and quality. Raw material from power looms and handloom is of low quality. Though India is a hub of IT services, they are not effectively implemented in textile sector to improve the productivity 1.png Inadequate Research Development and Lack of Technology Upgradation: Government of India has done significant investment in various schemes and other programmes for the growth and development of the industry. It launched Technology up gradation fund scheme in 1999 and issues Rs 916 bn for technology upgradation. However TUFS have not benefited all the segments of the Textile Value Chain -large parts of the funds have gone to the relatively healthier spinning sector. 2.png Low FDI: Lack of scale and the fragmented nature of industry have discouraged mega investments in the Indian textile industry. Unattractiveness of the industry has resulted in abysmal FDI inflows, despite 100% FDI being allowed under the automatic route. These drawbacks created a hurdle to make industry more competitive on the global basis. Legacy of government policy: Government followed protectionist policy for handlooms (labour-intensive and seen as a means to sustain employment) vis-à  -vis power looms mills. India had antiquated labour laws. The companies have often broken their business down into small units to avoid any trouble created by labor unionization. India also maintained capacity restrictions for a long time because government wanted to incentivize Small-scale industries. The Land and urbanization laws resulted in closure of urban mills and lack of import subsidies on advanced machinery resulted on limited technology advancement. Lack of Trade membership: India is serious lacking in trade pact memberships, which leads to restricted access to the other major markets. This issue made others to impose quota and duty, which put scissors on the sourcing quantities from India. High Power Tariff: After raw material, power cost is the most significant cost in the whole supply chain. High power cost and erratic supply hampers the production in India. High Cycle time for garments: Cycle time is the key factor in determining the competitiveness of a firm. It has a direct impact on both price and delivery schedule. Cycle time reduction is strongly correlated with high first pass yield, high throughput times, low variability in process times, low WIP and consequently cost. Currently Indian firms have high lead times and they must reduce their cycle times across the entire supply chain.   The average lead time in manufacturing and delivery sums to around 45-60 days from fabric buying to shipment of apparels. It can also get extended to 80 days. The mean delay in exporting finished garments from India after procurement of raw materials is estimated to be 15.5 days. The shelf life of products driven by fashion is merely 45 days therefore, such delays are indefensible. In contrast Turkey completes entire task ranging from approval of design to delivery in warehouse in a flat 30 days cycle  [3]  . Turkey also has the strategic advan tage of being located close to EU markets and positive liberal political conditions. Customs must provide a turnaround time of  ½ day for an order if we expect Indian firms to become part of larger global supply chains. Indian textile firms must enforce a deployment of industrial engineering with specific importance on cellular manufacturing, JIT and statistical process control to minimize lead times on shop floors. Usage of IT for increasing the productivity is also low in this sector. Indo French Collaboration Machinery: The French textile machinery Manufacturers has established a firm foothold on the international markets for many years. France is the European Unions third largest exporter of textile machinery and the sixth largest in the world. More than one hundred countries have chosen them as their partners to whom they export 90% of their national production. They are a dynamic group of companies who created years ago a private professional Association UCMTF (French Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers), whose aim is the promotion of the French machines and French companies. The specialized sectors of the French textile machinery industry are: Spinning preparation machinery Long fibre spinning machinery Fibre opening, fibre blending machinery, textile waste recovery Cards Nonwovens manufacturing line Such expertise if augmented with Indian government support can help the issues associated with poor infrastructure and machinery resulting in poor quality of fabric and thus increase the competitiveness of Indian textile in global market. The French textile machinery manufacturers also realized the importance of the Indian textile industry. They invited the Indian textile producers to a series the Indo-French seminar French Technology to Boost the Indian Textile Industrys Competitiveness which were held in Mumbai and Ludhiana on 20th and 23rd April 2010 respectively. The aim of this seminar was to regularly facilitate direct contacts between the Indian textile producers and the top management of the French machinery producers. In words of Mrs Evelyne Cholet, the Secretary General of UCMTF- Organization of such seminars in India is very important at present especially when the Indian Government realizes the importance of new investments in textile machinery to stimulate this strategic sector. The technical textiles sector for which France has an expertise is another sector which has great potential in India This endeavor is supported by Indian government as these seminars were held under the patronage of the office of the Textile Commissioner Ministry of Textiles and Government of India. The French Trade Commission of the Embassy of France in India, Ubifrance (Frances agency for the international development of French companies) and the French Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association (UCMTF) were co-organizers of the seminars. Technical Textile: India is at the threshold of technical textile development, which is set to play a huge role in the development of the countrys various facilities, thus offering the greatest growth potential in this sector. Owing to the rise in demand for value added textile products in the developed nations, the technical textile industry is said to grow around 4 5 percent. According to the recent research by the Textiles Committee, the technical textile industry in India is expected to grow at a rate of 11% anually and reach a size of around $14 billion by 2012. The current size of the market is little less than $8 billion and the projected investment in this sector is around $1000 million. Technical textiles correspond to a multi-disciplinary field with different applications in numerous fields such as medicine, aerospace sports, defence, agriculture and construction. France has already developed expertise in this segment. In France, the technical textile industry comprises nearly 600 companies, consisting of very small businesses, numerous SMEs and big groups alike. Some twenty trades are represented, from fibre production and spinning through to clothes-making and assembly, and cover 12 sectors of application. This type of material is regularly used in widely varying fields such as packaging, protection and safety, clothing, construction, transport, the environment and the medical sector. All these mutually complementary companies work within a network of technical centres, laboratories, universities, competitiveness clusters and professional associations. Their excellence is recognized far beyond the borders of France. Indian manufactures can learn a lot from French technologies and products in technical textile segment. In order to facilitate this learning Techtextil India International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens is organized where pavilions from Germany, Frnace and Italy present their latest innovations. The objective of the fair is to achieve a future oriented perspective and practical technical information in a range of presentations and discussions specially formulated for the high potential Indian market. Techtextil India is supported by the Office of the Textile Commissioner of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. In words of Mr. Dayanidhi Maran, Union Textiles Minister, present at Techtextil 2009- The technical textile industry has a high potential to attract investments worth $1.03 billion and generate around 3,00,000 additional employment by 2012. Since India has highly-skilled manpower and abundant availability of raw material, it can emerge as a key player in the technical textiles industry Innovation through Competitive pole: In order to improve the highly fragmented textile industry of India the French model of competitive poles can be applied. Since French textile industry is a mature sector, innovation is the key factor driving the industry. The French textile industry has been re-organised in the past few years in order to respond to the current innovation and technology creation needs. In 2004, the  «Ã‚  Pà ´les de Compà ©titività ©Ã‚  Ã‚ » (Competitive Poles) were put in place to respond to this need. These poles are associations that group enterprises, research centres, and public and private training institutions. The objective of these poles is to create the environment to the economical renewing of the regions by implementing new products and services. Innovation is, therefore, in the centre of the competitive poles. There are in France now 71 poles spread across the country. The programmes of the poles are financed by the government, by 1.5bn EUR each year in total (including all industries and activities), but local authorities and associations also contribute to the financing. The competitive pole is organized under 2 main axis: Technical textiles Customization of clothing textiles The Lile region is a key example of the competitive pole approach. Nowadays, more than 50 % of the textile engineer in France are graduated in the metropolitan area of Lille Mà ©tropole at lENSAIT and HEI. Technical trainings are also available at the ESAAT. The UP-tex is the pole dedicated to the textile, technical and traditional (clothing), that is located in the metropolitan area of Lile. The UP-tex works as an association of enterprises, research centres, and centres dedicated to technology transference. Its ambition is to become the European reference in terms of advanced textile materials, polysensoriality and design and mass customisation. Furthermore, the labelling of the competitive pole UP-tex has also contributed to the reinforcement of Liles position as a reference in terms of innovative and clothing textiles. The UP-tex has as objectives: Develop the project of the  «Ã‚  customized enterprise  Ã‚ », in order to create a new value chain to the textile  / clothing branch Promote the national and international plan of the high-performance textile regional pole, its economic network (through the CLUBTEX) and its scientific competences Create basis for the emergence of an European technological platform through the creation of the CETI (French  : Centre Europà ©en du Textile Innovant, English: European centre of the Innovative textile) Support the research projects by the attribution of labels to selected projects Further develop innovation in the textile and clothing industry CLUBTEX, which is the association of local industrials to promote innovation in technical textiles, is key element to the success of the Lile textile pole. The association is grouping, nowadays, 58 industrial, 1 union and 6 training and researching centres, all with one common objective to create innovation through the mutualisation of resources. The industries participating in CLUBTEX produce under the SPL (SPL  : French for Systà ¨me Productif Local , in English  : Local Production System) District Textiles Techniques label, which helps on the identification and differentiation of the products towards the customers. Recommendations Government Initiatives: Government can take actions under the following heads for improving the textile industry: Flexibility of contract labor law: Labor Laws should be more liberalized and made favorable that will help to make labor more productive. Textile industry should be exempted from contract labor law Better implementation of TUF: Government should focus on providing uniform disbursement of incentives through TUF Attracting FDIs: Government should provide tax incentives to attract FDI to make it more competitive in global marketplace. Establish integrated textile parks. Allow more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Garment Retailing to enable large, modern retail showrooms to set up shops in India which will promote local sourcing and will result in better production Encourage Private Sector for Partnership collaboration Develop supporting Industry: Develop textile machinery industry (currently 70% of textile machinery is imported. Faster port clearance and cheaper transport Skill development Initiatives: Set up skill development centers. More Training centers should be opened to train the workforce and awareness of new technology and trends should be increased among manpower. Collaboration with Institute like SITRA (South India Textile Research Association) for labor skill development Reduce power tariff, encourage renewable sources of energy through government subsidy, reduce interest rates and transaction costs. Setting up of quality checking laboratories to ensure global competitiveness Apparel park to promote exports: In National Textile Policy 2000 government established Apparel International Mart: Apparel Export Promotion Council has constructed an Apparel International Mart (AIM) at Gurgaon to provide showrooms on lease and license basis to the established exporters to showcase their products Aid to agriculture industry to improve the availability, productivity and quality of Raw Material: In National Textile Policy 2000 government implemented Cotton Technology Mission: To improve the performance of Cotton sector through improvement in Research Development, quality and productivity of products. The Govt. of India is aimed to increase production of cotton by 50% with improved quality and productivity Firm level Initiatives Companies should improve the productivity at firm level to develop economies of scale: Up-grading technology: Form JVs with global players for technology up-gradation and scale Implementing TQM: ensure waste minimization, product durability and reliability. Lean manufacturing: optimized distribution network and supply chain management to attain reduced cycle time Use of IT services In-house skill development program Apparel Industry Landscape Global Textile and Apparel trade is recovering after a slump during the economic recession in 2008-09, and is expected to reach US$ 1 Trillion by 2020 from the current US$ 510 Bn. The growth in trade is driven by increased outsourcing of western / developed countries towards lower cost countries in Asia. Indias Textile Apparel industry (domestic + exports) is expected to grow from the current US$ 70 bn to US$ 220 bn by 2020. The Indian domestic Textile and Apparel market size in 2009 was US$ 47 bn and is expected to grow @ 11% CAGR to reach US$ 140 Bn by 2020 Domestic Apparel retail market was worth US$33 Bn in 2009 and is expected to reach US$ 100 Bn by 2020. Export Sector: Indias exports have also recovered in 2009-10 following increased global demand and is currently worth US$ 23.5 Bn. Indian apparel exports have also grown by a CAGR of 11.7% in last 4 years. The export market includes readymade garments of cotton, man made, silk, wool and other textile materials with cotton products accounting for the major share. India has the potential to increase its export share in world trade from the current 4.5% to 8% and reach US$ 80 Bn by 2020. India has the potential of this strong growth in exports because of increased sourcing shift from developed countries to Asia. Indias also possess different strengths which makes it a suitable alternative to China for global buyers. In terms of financial returns, Apparel is the most attractive product category amongst retail product categories both in terms of Returns on Capital Employed and EBITDA. Garmenting Technical Textiles are the most attractive segments within the Apparel value chain in terms o f ROA and EBITDA. According to KPMG research investments upto US$ 68 Bn will be required by 2020 across the Textile supply chain to tap the potential market generated by the growth of textile industry. Investment required in garment sector by 2020 is to the tune of US$ 14 Bn and for processing is US$ 19 Bn. Apparel Industry: However Indian Apparel Industry is a small scale sector with high degree of fragmentation. Apparel manufacturing has about 77,000 small scale units classified as domestic manufacturers, manufacturer exporters and fabricators. Due to low entry barrier, garments industry is the least capital intensive part of textiles value chain, leading to high fragmentation. There are around 8200 registered apparel exporters in India. The turnover of 4800 exporters is less than 5 million INR which indicates the high level of fragmentation. Apparel Retailing: A huge chunk of apparel market is contributed by urban segment. Majority of this urban segment stays in few selected cities where organized retail is preferred mode of shopping thus organized retail plays a very important role in domestic apparel consumption. Total apparel and fashion accessories retail market was worth Rs.80,000 crore in 2004, which grew by 11% each year till 2006. Although organized retails chains and exclusive brand outlets are gaining momentum, traditional retailers and MBOs still dominate apparel retailing. One of the key factors for the huge growth is due to expansion by apparel brands and retailers to small but potential cities. Many global brands like Marks Spencer are getting established in India by franchisee route. Malls are expected to be one of the main drivers for growth of apparel retailing, as they provide large areas. Mens Apparel: Man apparel stands at $ 8.1bn in 2007 with a market share of 42% of total apparel market. It is expected to see high growth in near future but % share will decrease due to growth in other segments.In 2007 men apparel industry was mainly dominated by shirts accounting for 36.5% of total men segement. The established key players are Arvind mills, Madura Garment, Westside, shoppers stop and Pantaoon. Levis Strauss is the major newcomer in the same segment. Women Apparel: women apparel stands at $ 6.7bn in 2007 with a market share of 34% of total apparel market. It is expected to grow till 11bn by 2009. Some of the important changiing trends observed in this segment are Liberalization of casual wear in the office is increasing the ready to wear market Working women demand western or indo-western outfits that last in fashion and quality Saree have the higest share but trouser and skirts are growing rapidly due to changing social trends From 2002 to 2007 saree demand has shown a CAGR of 12.8% whereas Trouser and skirts have shown CAGR of 34% 1.png Kid Apparel: Kid apparel is the smallest segment of $ 4.7 bn. Licensing interntional kids apparel is a successful strategy to capture the premium market. Some popular brands in same category are Disney, Barbie etc. This segment have very little brand penetration of 5-8% but it is expected to grow at 15-20% A comparitive analysis of all segments with their expected growth is shown below: Key growth drivers for the textile and apparel Industry are : Growth in organized retailing at 41% CAGR. Increasing number of working women. Increasing household income Changing demographics Affinity for brands and better shopping experience Profile of French brands: High end/ Luxury Brands Products coverage Gender targeted Target Customer Marketing strategy Product Strategy Hermà ¨s Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Exclusivity is the key word. Products are very Expensive and often perceived as durable goods (can be passed from mother to daughter) Overbuying is discoraged: clients do not have the right to by more than a X number of items per collection Very high-quality, often hand-made by specialized artisans; eg. leather goods often produced by experts in Italy. Each maison has its Flagship products, that remain unchanged, or are slightly updated across collections. Pret-a-porter collections are innovative and trend-setter for the rest of the clothing industry LVMH Louis Vuitton Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Channel Clothing accessories Female High-end/ rich population of all ages LVMH Dior Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Chloà © Clothing accessories Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Yves Saint Laurent Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Lanvin Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages LVMH Givenchy Clothing accessories Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Maison Martin Margiela Clothing accessories Male/Female High-end/ rich population of all ages Premium/ Middle Product Coverage Gender Targeted Target Customer Marketing Strategy Products Strategy Isabel Marant Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Targets are high-end of medium class, that cannot afford luxe but wants to buy the best product they can afford. Price sensibility is not to be neglected. Brand strengh based on notoriety, string communication campaigns and sales to clean stocks. New trend is the affiliated-brand strategy, such as Athà © and Etoile, by respectivelly V.Bruno and I.Marant, that target at different age ranges as a way to maximise sales Fit and Design are the key words. Quality is important, but not overvalued as for luxe products. Some brands will have a few flagship products, but as general rule the collections are completely renovated each season Vanessa Bruno Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Carven Clothing accessories Male / Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s De Fursac Clothing accessories Male Late 30s/ Late 40s Jacadi Clothing accessories Children 0 to 8y +/- Bonpoint Clothing accessories Children 0 to 8y +/- Gerard Darel Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Agnà ©s Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Claudine Pierrot Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Manoush Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Maje Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Zadig Voltaire Clothing accessories Children/ Male / Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Ba Sh Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Sandro Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Les Petites Clothing accessories Children/ Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Comptoir des Cotoniers Clothing accessories Children/ Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Athà © Vanessa Bruno Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Etoile Isabel Marant Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Kooples Clothing accessories Male / Female Whole 20s Berenice Clothing accessories Male / Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Bel Air Clothing accessories Female Whole 20s Middle/Low range Product Coverage Gender Targeted Target Customer Marketing Strategy Products Strategy Zara (Spanish) Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Disposable Fashion. Easy-to-wear collection hits, constantly renovated (short collections) Design Disposable fashion. Quality is not perceived as key product attribute. Products are often produced outside Europe Mango (Spanish) Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s H M (UK) Clothing accessories Female Mid 30s/ Early 40s Naf Naf Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Sud Express Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s PROMOD Clothing accessories Female Late 20s/ Early 30s Etam Clothing accessories Female Various Middle/Low range Product Coverage Gender Targeted Target Customer Marketing Strategy Products Strategy Uniqlo (Japan) Clothing accessories Male/ female Families looking for basic items with average quality and good price Long-lasting collections, not really fashion-driven (does not follow trends). Good value for money Le Petit Bateau Clothing accessories Children/ Female French brand in India: Based on the consumption profile we can see that women segment is the fastest growing segment and also the share of formal wear like trousers and skirts is increasing due to increasing number of working women in the society. Thus a French brand targeting female consumers in the age range of Late 20s/Early 30s will be best suited for India. Though the disposable income is increasing, the target group of women is highly value conscious hence Premium/Middle or Middle/Low class brand will perform better than the luxury brands. Also the segment purchasing luxury brands is although growing but currently too small to target. Important Parameters to consider while entering India Positioning: The most important part is the positioning in the Indian consumer mind-space. Smart casual positions are taken in by the brand such as ColorPlus, Dockers and Canary Blue. Design wear are gone with square-1 mall and Kimaya, Kazo and individual designer having their stand alone store. Any positioning below that is lapped up by Zillions of manufacturers. However there are still wide open gaps which lie agape between these broad categories which can be easily targeted. Also Indian consumers show an affinity for foreign brands as it is considered a proxy for status. Therefore even the Indian Manufactures like ITC, Madura garment give exotic names to their brands for eg John Players, Allen Solly. Location: The location is the key to the positioning, it determines and in turns reinforces positioning; in fact, with about 50% of the operational expenses are taken up by the rentals, it has assumed an even more important position. Exclusive showrooms at a high end street or space in well reputed mall are the two options for establishing a high end brand. Buying vs. Manufacturing: It is very important decision for the fore

Just War Theory Essay -- Just War Armed Conflict Military Essays

Just War Theory Price reduced due to problems with format One of the perennial realities of human existence is war. From the earliest recorded events of human history all the way through to modern times, human communities have engaged in armed conflict as a method of dispute resolution. While war has been a constant part of the human experience, there has also been a tendency within virtually all human civilisations to limit the extent of war and the methods by which warfare may be conducted.(1) In Western civilisation, this limitation on warfare has taken shape as an effort to limit both the determination of when war is appropriate and the means used in battle.(2) Within the Western moral, legal, and political arena, the connected questions of when war is appropriate and what means are acceptable in warfare has been the subject of a great deal of examination. The basic theory which has arisen within Western culture to evaluate the legitimacy of military action is called just war theory.(3) The just war theory has received widespread accept ance both within Western culture and in the international community as a means by which a war may be determined to be justified or not.(4) Just war theory, which has both religious and secular proponents, is perhaps the most universally recognised moral theory by which the use of force may be evaluated. II. A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF JUST WAR THEORY A. BACKGROUND ON JUST WAR THEORY Just war theory has a varied and diverse background.(5) The just war tradition includes the contributions of philosophers and theologians dating back to Roman times. As James Tuner Johnson has pointed out, Just war is an historical tradition formed by experience and reflection, including much that is neither specifically theological (or even religious), nor philosophical. It has been strongly influenced by international law, the traditions of chivalry, and soldierly practices derived from the experience of many battles.(6) Just war theory as a method of evaluating military actions has been recognised historically by thinkers as varied as Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Grotius, and Daniel Webster. It is a theory which has been used by Christians and non-Christians alike to determine whether or not the decision to go to war and the means used to prosecute that war are just. It is crucial to keep this varied and complex pedigree of t... ...50. Id. 51. See the Nuremberg Charter, art. 6(a)-(c). The charter lists the waging of aggressive war, "violations of the laws or customs of war," and the extermination and enslavement of civilians among its examples of wartime criminal conduct. 52. Rostow at 169-70. 53. United Nations Charter, articles 2(4) and 51. See also Gardam at 403-11; Motala at 3. 54. U.N. Charter art. 51. 55. Motala at 4. 56. Id. 57. Id. 58. Motala at 11. 59. Johnson at 149; Bederman at 29. The tradition of dividing just war theory into two distinct analytical categories has its roots in the work of Grotius, Aquinas, Augustine, and Cicero. 60. Johnson at 149 61. Johnson at 149 62. Johnson at 149. 63. Id. 64. Id. 65. Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art. 1. 66. Johnson at 158 67. Johnson at 158. 68. U.N. Charter art. 51. 69. Johnson at 158. Johnson compares the concept of "right authority" with the modern concept of sovereignty and argues that the just war notion of authority basically mirrors the modern notion of sovereignty. Id. 70. Bederman at 31-32; Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art.1.. 71. Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art. Just War Theory Essay -- Just War Armed Conflict Military Essays Just War Theory Price reduced due to problems with format One of the perennial realities of human existence is war. From the earliest recorded events of human history all the way through to modern times, human communities have engaged in armed conflict as a method of dispute resolution. While war has been a constant part of the human experience, there has also been a tendency within virtually all human civilisations to limit the extent of war and the methods by which warfare may be conducted.(1) In Western civilisation, this limitation on warfare has taken shape as an effort to limit both the determination of when war is appropriate and the means used in battle.(2) Within the Western moral, legal, and political arena, the connected questions of when war is appropriate and what means are acceptable in warfare has been the subject of a great deal of examination. The basic theory which has arisen within Western culture to evaluate the legitimacy of military action is called just war theory.(3) The just war theory has received widespread accept ance both within Western culture and in the international community as a means by which a war may be determined to be justified or not.(4) Just war theory, which has both religious and secular proponents, is perhaps the most universally recognised moral theory by which the use of force may be evaluated. II. A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF JUST WAR THEORY A. BACKGROUND ON JUST WAR THEORY Just war theory has a varied and diverse background.(5) The just war tradition includes the contributions of philosophers and theologians dating back to Roman times. As James Tuner Johnson has pointed out, Just war is an historical tradition formed by experience and reflection, including much that is neither specifically theological (or even religious), nor philosophical. It has been strongly influenced by international law, the traditions of chivalry, and soldierly practices derived from the experience of many battles.(6) Just war theory as a method of evaluating military actions has been recognised historically by thinkers as varied as Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Grotius, and Daniel Webster. It is a theory which has been used by Christians and non-Christians alike to determine whether or not the decision to go to war and the means used to prosecute that war are just. It is crucial to keep this varied and complex pedigree of t... ...50. Id. 51. See the Nuremberg Charter, art. 6(a)-(c). The charter lists the waging of aggressive war, "violations of the laws or customs of war," and the extermination and enslavement of civilians among its examples of wartime criminal conduct. 52. Rostow at 169-70. 53. United Nations Charter, articles 2(4) and 51. See also Gardam at 403-11; Motala at 3. 54. U.N. Charter art. 51. 55. Motala at 4. 56. Id. 57. Id. 58. Motala at 11. 59. Johnson at 149; Bederman at 29. The tradition of dividing just war theory into two distinct analytical categories has its roots in the work of Grotius, Aquinas, Augustine, and Cicero. 60. Johnson at 149 61. Johnson at 149 62. Johnson at 149. 63. Id. 64. Id. 65. Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art. 1. 66. Johnson at 158 67. Johnson at 158. 68. U.N. Charter art. 51. 69. Johnson at 158. Johnson compares the concept of "right authority" with the modern concept of sovereignty and argues that the just war notion of authority basically mirrors the modern notion of sovereignty. Id. 70. Bederman at 31-32; Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art.1.. 71. Aquinas, Summa Theologicae, II, II, Q. 40, Art.

Violence is Caused by Cultural Diversities :: Diversity Culture Religion Essays

Violence is Caused by Cultural Diversities In today’s complex society the evidence of a variety of religions is more apparent than ever. Religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural. Although in its broadest sense religion is simply the expression of a relationship with a supreme power, people have always made religion a formal process. Satellite communications have brought to our attention the diversity of culture as well as religion. We read and witness on a daily basis the conflicts that are a result of different religious beliefs. In order to understand the complexities of the worlds major religions, we need to examine their basic beliefs. Those who believe in one supreme being or God, have a monotheistic religion; those who believe in more than one supreme being adopts a polytheistic religion. Within these two broad classifications, religions can be separated into four categories: the religious savages; the religions of primitive culture, such as those of ancient Mexico, Peru, and the South Sea Islands; the religions of advanced culture, such as were practiced in Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome; and the religions that are co-extensive with our life such as Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Mohammedanism. Worship of such things as stars, the sun and moon, rivers, trees, and spirits of ancestors, as well as the practice of magic, are characteristic of the first two groups. Mythology is a factor in the religions of the third group. The religions of the last group deal with morals and manner of living, and a man’s relation with the spiritual divine; thus these religions exert a tremendous influence on the world of today. Catholicism is the practice, faith, or system of Catholic Christianity. Catholic Christianity is forming the ancient undivided Christian Church or a church claiming historical continuity from it. Catholic Christianity is a belief in God that is very popular all over the world. Until the Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church, Protestants were the only important Christian organization in Europe.

Form and Structure of a Servant to Two Masters Essay -- essays researc

?A Servant To Two Masters? is the play that I studied. The structure is simplistic but also dynamic. It is quite an unusual play this may be something to do with coming under the genre of Comedia Del Art this is a form of theatre. Groups of actors would travel and perform their improvised plays. Their plays would usually be non-scripted and be very much like a pantomime. If plays were ever written then they would be written after they were performed. Comedia Del Arte was and still is enjoyed by many people. Lower class citizens could enjoy the simplistic storylines, as the upper class would admire the comedy within the play. Lazzi scenes were used in the plays to make the audience laugh. The spectators would most be looking forward to this part of the play, the only sequence that was rehearsed and written down. Lazzi comes from Lacci, which means cord or ribbon. A Lazzi scene is used to help tie the play together this maybe a metaphor for unravelling the plot. In ?A Servant To Two Masters? where Truffaldino is serving both of his masters, not knowing the other is there, is a La... Form and Structure of a Servant to Two Masters Essay -- essays researc ?A Servant To Two Masters? is the play that I studied. The structure is simplistic but also dynamic. It is quite an unusual play this may be something to do with coming under the genre of Comedia Del Art this is a form of theatre. Groups of actors would travel and perform their improvised plays. Their plays would usually be non-scripted and be very much like a pantomime. If plays were ever written then they would be written after they were performed. Comedia Del Arte was and still is enjoyed by many people. Lower class citizens could enjoy the simplistic storylines, as the upper class would admire the comedy within the play. Lazzi scenes were used in the plays to make the audience laugh. The spectators would most be looking forward to this part of the play, the only sequence that was rehearsed and written down. Lazzi comes from Lacci, which means cord or ribbon. A Lazzi scene is used to help tie the play together this maybe a metaphor for unravelling the plot. In ?A Servant To Two Masters? where Truffaldino is serving both of his masters, not knowing the other is there, is a La...

Analyse the techniques Emily Bronte uses to explore the good and evil that can exist in human nature

In the gothic novel â€Å"Wuthering Heights† Bronte explores a range of emotions, including the theme of good and evil. These emotions are often of a blatant disperse, in which the reader can almost see it coming. However sometimes the novel takes a sudden twist and Bronte shocks the reader by the characters changing there usual attitude and bring out new emotions. This makes the novel more thrilling and mind blowing. Characters also convert their emotions and way of doing things by the way they have been brought up, a typical example of this is Heathcliff. We also see either more, or a change in emotions in the characters when loved ones around them change, or are shockingly took away from them. We know this is a gothic novel because of its features, although we do not have the traditional castle there is a mysterious house and one with hidden secrets. We have a villain, Heathcliff who is passion driven and wilful. The weather plays a part in Wuthering Heights, with the stormy weather and the endless cold nights, this doesn't create a nice image and shows that it is dark and evil. Through Nelly, Bronte tells us of the brutal acts of evil played on by Hindley. In this particular extract he is physically and mentally tormenting his young son Hareton. We can tell Hareton is terrified of his father when Nelly says he was â€Å"squealing and kicking† This relates to the gothic genre of the novel as it seems as if the devil has captured him and he cannot break free. Literary techniques such as â€Å"frighten child into fits† sends shivers through your spine, and you as the reader wants Hareton to be ok and dislike Hindley. However, not all is evil in this event, we see an episode of kindness from a character, which is in fact usual torturer Heathcliff. This sudden act has Heathcliff catch little Hareton from a quick escape, jumping over the banister from his fathers tight grasp. This is a shock to the readers. I also think that Heathcliff himself is astonished by what he has done after all the years of Heathcliff torturing Hareton. â€Å"By a natural impulse he arrested his descent† this just shows that Heathcliff is not all evil, and if someone was truly in trouble, he would come and help them, even if he did despise them. Its not just the characters that display this confusion over good and evil, it also has a lot to do with the atmosphere around them. At the beginning, Lockwood is exploring the â€Å"Grotesque† â€Å"Wuthering Heights†, by first look we would automatically come to the conclusion that it is an evil house, finding all of its â€Å"Grotesque carvings† and â€Å"Shameless little boys†. This displays the uncared for place unfit for a normal human life. He shows the gothic features of the house by saying â€Å"a swarm of squealing puppies† which could relate to the hounds of hell, which makes this house scary and full of hatred. However in the mask of evilness, lays a side of the Heights witch we wouldn't think existed. A clean liveable place, which is not visible from the first look at the house. We know this is a better side of the house by the language Bronte uses such as â€Å"splendidly and immense† which says that the house isn't all gothic and evil and can be a good place, this house is full of secrets. In comparison to the Heights, Thrushcross Grange is an upper class beautiful palace. The language Bronte uses such as â€Å"splendid†, â€Å"beautiful† and â€Å"Heavenly† makes it seem as if the house and the people in it are perfect and could never do anything bad. Something that is quite significant about this house is the amount of crimson, in this time it was deemed you would have this if you where upper class. Below the surface of the â€Å"Heaven† lays a twisted evil side. In fact we find evilness in a little girl, Isabella who lives at the Grange. Heathcliff tells us that she was â€Å"Shrieking as if witches where running hot needles in to her†, this makes it seem as if she is in brutal pain and must lead a horrible life. We then find out that she is really just having a tantrum over a little puppy which is trembling with fright. This shows a different sort of evil, this girl is so spoilt she wouldn't know what it would be like to truly be upset. In the Grange Bronte uses this house to show that the upper class isn't always perfect and there nature can be very false. Overall I think the houses are almost mirror images. The Heights seems gothic and evil on the surface, but when explored deeply shows protection and a sign of kindness. Whereas the Grange seems to be a heavenly place, but the residents have been around luxury for so long, they have become evil, it just shows that not everything is what meets the eye. When Catherine dies we see both a good and evil side to Heathcliff. When we first hear about Catherine dying, we believe that Heathcliff is miserable and so upset to see the person he loves dying in his arms. We can tell he is truly upset when he is â€Å"looking absolutely desperate†. This seems as if Heathcliff is really caring for Cathy when they are â€Å"locked in an embrace. We believe that Heathcliff has changed his usual mean ways and is really upset for Catherine. Even though Heathcliff is trying to protect Catherine we see that Nelly is very upset in this scene as she cannot say the goodbyes to Catherine she wants too, this is because Heathcliff is smothering Catherine, Nelly is describing him as a horrible possessed man, he â€Å"gnashed at me† and â€Å"foamed like a dog†. I would describe this scene as beautifully evil, because even though Heathcliff is showing such evil actions, he is still trying to care for Catherine and doesn't want her to die. This is their passionate goodbye But we couldn't be more wrong; this passion disappears and is twisted. Heathcliff turns on Catherine and becomes evil. He make her seem as if she is worthless and deserves to die. He blames her for everything bad that has happened to him. He snaps at her â€Å"I have not broken your heart – you have broken it† this is nasty and bitter towards Cathy, especially since she is about to die. Cathy sobs for him to leave her alone, begging for his forgiveness. This shows much evil in Heathcliff because he will not let her rest in peace. In conclusion, I believe the theme most dominant in this novel is evil. Although, most of the characters are either good or evil, this is not always dominant as characters such as Heathcliff and Hindley are evil, but we can see a good side to them. On the other hand characters such as the Linton's look really good on the surface, but there evil side can show when something doesn't go their own way. There are many ups and downs in this novel, and each character has a different way of showing there emotions.