How America is Responding to the Flat World Essay

How America is Responding to the Flat World - Essay Example This essay discusses the topic of the United States and that it is no longer the world’s clear economic leader. The researcher suggests that perhaps that is a result of their archaic response to globalization. It will be necessary to redefine productivity in light of emerging technological advancements worldwide. These new policies will have to support the digital revolution, boost technological innovation, enhance workforce skills, promote entrepreneurship and ensure competitive and open markets. The Government will have to look inside and reorganize itself by placing more reliance on networks than hierarchy, more on civic and private sector actors than bureaucracy, and more on technology than on rule-based, bureaucratic programs. Be that as it may, the researcher states that America has single-handedly rescued many third world nations from meager subsistence and it has been somewhat detrimental to the United States internal economic policies. A collective response is necessa ry, but it must be spearheaded by the US Government. The submission to the internationalization of America and the shift away from Americanization by foreign nations demands serious attention. Perhaps rather than internationalization policies, American policy makers should concentrate on emphasizing pursuit of science and technology in the American school system. The researcher concludes that after that American’s themselves might want to become more ambitious in the pursuit of the sciences themselves.

Yann Martels Life Of Pi 2001 Literature Essay

Yann Martels Life Of Pi 2001 Literature Essay Yann Martels Booker-Prize winning novel Life of Pi (2001) narrates the nine months odyssey of Piscine Patel on the Pacific Ocean. Far from being only a fascinating adventurous tale, this novel addresses important issues such as faith, identity, universalism, religion, and areas of cultural contact. Although the plot may seem to revolve mainly around Pi and Richard Parker, Life of Pi deals extensively with the great human project of trying to live together. By using Pi as his trans-cultural hero, Martel seems to insist on the need to constructively reformulate the human mind in relation to cosmopolitanism, absolute truth and religious identity. This papers aim is to bring out the cosmopolitan message that Martel seeks to transmit to his readers and to show how the latter focuses on that part of our common human identity that links us, instead of stressing on those identities that only partially define and differentiate us. A cross-reference is also going to be made to Homers The Odyss ey so as to highlight the idea of the equal treatment of all human beings, regardless of religion, culture, ethnicity and values, as prescribed by cosmopolitanism. Life of Pi is a novel which can be read in many different ways; as an adventurous story, as an allegory of power, as a reflection on the superiority of imagination over reason, as an explanation of the intricate and complex life of humans and animals, and, of utmost importance to this essay, as a spiritual journey or a quest for identity and as a metaphor of the cultural and religious conflicts that characterize every known human society. Culture and identity play a key role in many contemporary wars. Many philosophers and cultural theorists argue that the resolution of protracted ethnic and religious conflicts lies in the fostering and nurturing of cosmopolitan identities. First of all, what makes Life of Pi an interesting platform for exploring trans-cultural and interfaith relationships is not merely Martels cosmopolitan background, but also the novels portrayal of the protagonists life before and after the shipwreck. Pi Patel grows up in Pondicherry, a former French territory on the Indian subcontinent, where Eastern and Western cultures inevitably exist in close contact. To the dismay of grownups, particularly the representatives of different religions, the wise men as they are almost satirically referred to in the novel, Pi shows devotion to Hinduism, embraces and practices Christianity and Islam simultaneously. After his nine months in the lifeboat, he is hospitalized in Mexico and the author finally encounters him as an Indian immigrant in Toronto. Pis hybrid, multiple faiths and open-mindedness not only help him survive emotionally and physically but are also strengthened after the events. His house in Canada can be used as a proof to support this statement; the author describes the devotional articles that he finds in the protagonists house, ranging from a framed picture of Ganesha, a plain wooden cross, a small framed picture of the virgin Mary of Guadalupe, to a framed photo of the black-robed Kaaba, holiest sanctum of Islam. Pi is therefore presented as a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world, as he not only practices three religions but is also at home in the worlds of science and theology, having achieved university degrees in both fields. Martel juxtaposes the young Pi Patels receptiveness to other cultures and religions to the intolerance of the three religious figures encountered on the beach; the priest, the imam and the pandit, each convinced of the singular truth of the path he taught. Each of them apoplectically try to impose the superiority and validity of their respective faiths after discovering that Pi shows devotion to three different, opposing, and often conflicting religions; The priest looked askance at both of them. Piscine, he nearly whispered, there is salvation only in Jesus. Balderdash! Christians know nothing about religion, said the pandit. They strayed long ago from Gods path, said the imam. Wheres God in your religion? snapped the priest. You dont have a single miracle to show for it. What kind of religion is that, without miracles? It isnt a circus with dead people jumping out of tombs all the time, thats what! We Muslims stick to the essential miracle of existence. Birds flying, rain falling, crops growing-these are miracles enough for us. Feathers and rain are all very nice, but we like to know that God is truly with us. Is that so? Well, a whole lot of good it did God to be with you-you tried to kill him! You banged him to a cross with great big nails. Is that a civilized way to treat a prophet? The prophet Muhammad-peace be upon him-brought us the word of God without any undignified nonsense and died at a ripe old age. The word of God? To that illiterate merchant of yours in the middle of the desert? Those were drooling epileptic fits brought on by the swaying of his camel, not divine revelation. That, or the sun frying his brains! Whereas Pi just [wants] to love God, the three religious leaders represent those who insist on believing in one, absolute truth. This situation of world-wide coalition of cultures as Claude Levi- Strauss termed it, can be further elaborated using Richard Burtons famous words; All Faith is false, all Faith is true; Truth is the shattered mirror strown In myriad bits; while each believes His little bit the whole to own. Like Burton, Martel implies that absolute truth is inaccessible to human beings, who will probably never be able to understand it fully. Therefore, adhering slavishly and blindly to one faith without taking an interest in the practices and beliefs of others only contributes to [obstruct] empathy and [makes] ethnocentrism inescapable. The problem with most human beings and civilizations, as highlighted in Life of Pi and as extensively discussed by Appiah, appears to be that everyone believes that their particular faith is the all-comprehending and absolute truth. Everyone seems to be holding their little bit of their shattered mirror, guarding it protectively (almost jealously) from others and trying to see as much as they can in it. Gilroy describes such a situation as being one in which we are all sealed up inside our frozen cultural habits and where there is no workable precedent for adopting a more generous and creative view of how human beings might communicate or act in concert across racial, ethnic, or civilizational divisions. What Appiah in turn proposes to cultural and religious differences reflects Pis own ideologies. For Appiah therefore, there is no agreed-upon answer- and the point is there doesnt need to be. He urges that it is of central importance for the benefit of humanity that we all learn about people in other places, take an interest in their civilizations, not because that will bring us to agreement, but because it will help us get used to one another. In this sense, Pis behavior towards Richard Parker can be read as a metaphor used to promote or idealize a cosmopolitan ideology among human beings. Appiah also carefully points out that we can perfectly live together without agreeing on what the values are that make it good to live together. If the world could share their myriad bits, human beings would have definitely been able to see a lot more clearly. Similarly, there exists no singular truth. There are many truths, depending on our moralities and experience. As Pi reproaches to Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba twice at the end of the novel; Tigers exist, lifeboats exist, oceans exist. Because the three have never come together in your narrow, limited experience, you refuse to believe that they might. Yet the plain fact is that the Tsimtsum brought them together and then sank. And at some later point in the same conversation, Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe? Pi here implies that openness and the taking of interest in others lives and experiences are more enriching to human beings rather than further entombing themselves in what they believe is the absolute truth, thereby turning their own lives into yeastless factuality. Inspite of all his misadventures though, Pi not only remains faithful to all three religions but also admires the religious as well as the irreligious. Readers cannot disagree therefore with Pis statement that to choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation. Similarly, closing ourselves into our set of beliefs and closing all doors to the appreciation of other cultures, civilizations and people is akin to living without any enriching human and cultural progress. Sharing a lifeboat with a tiger for 227 days is considered as quasi-impossible both to believe and as a thing likely to occur. However, Martel beautifully uses imagination over reason to drag his readers in a kind of magical realism tour which requires a strong yet willing suspension of disbelief so as to show that such a thing is plausible and was actually experienced by the hero of his novel. Pi renounces to the initial idea of murdering Richard Parker because he realizes that if he does so, he will have no one to provide for, no one to depend on him and no reason at all to live. Thereupon, the tiger shifts from being a source of fear and a mortally threatening creature to a source of peace, purposeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ even wholeness. What Pi does therefore is that he uses his understanding of animals, acquired at the zoo, so as to establish a peaceful cohabitation between himself and Richard. According to June Dwyer, Pis success lies in the fact that he respects the Others instincts, n eeds and values and gives him equal consideration; it is acceptance of the Other without imposing change on him.Since Richard has already claimed his part in the lifeboat, Pi decides to negotiate. So, instead of killing, he shares and instead of giving up his authority he makes it clear to the tiger what is his by also urinating on his territory. The tiger in turn, much to Pis surprise, reacts positively to the latters whistle-blows. What Martel is trying to show here is that the human and the tiger are capable of living together (even in a lifeboat with limited space) as long as each respects the others space. If two completely different creatures are able to live together peacefully, by making compromises and respecting each other, then it becomes very much possible for cosmopolitanism among humans to be completely disregarded as a mere set of utopian ideals, as is often claimed by many,or, put in simpler terms, to be seen as a realistic utopia, as Nancy Fraser puts it. Likewise, Homers most enduring hero, Odysseus, celebrates someone seeking adventure and valuing the unfamiliar and the strange.According to one definition, cosmopolitanism represents the attempt to exhibit a familiarity with, or appreciation of many parts and peoples of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This definition aptly applies to both Life of Pi and The Odyssey. Much like Pi himself, Odysseus is also shipwrecked, which leads him to encounter different people, civilizations, cultures and languages. We witness for example his admiration for the Phaiakians at some point in the book, and we see how he admires the latters polity. The simple swineherd Eumaeus, remarkable for his apparent striking similarity to Odysseus, also helps to better understand the shared human condition at that time. According to Patrick Deneen, Eumaeuss understanding of the situation of humanity relative to the gods is similar to that of Odysseus himself. This understanding leads to his realization that the human con dition leads one to recognize that the parts of our human identity that link us outnumber those identities that differentiate us. As he says to Odysseus, whom he meets as a begger, upon their first encounter, Stranger, I have no right to deny the stranger, not even if one came to me who was meaner than you. All vagabonds and strangers are under Zeus, and the gift is a light and dear oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Readers are thus able to see how Eumaeus, as well as Odysseus, recognize the protection that Zeus accords to all human beings, even to the most desperate ones. Since readers are able to travel through different civilizations, cultures, mindsets and values in The Odyssey, comparisons between those who show kindness to strangers and those who do not (such as in the case of Polyphemus, Poseidons son) are made possible. In this sense, Telemachuss meetings with Nestor and Menelaus also allow Homer to explore the Greek code of xenia, or hospitality. As Bernard Knox argues in the introduction to Robert Fagless translation of The Odyssey, the obligation of attending to and entertaining travelers is the closest The Odyssey comes to affirming an absolute moral principle. This also reminds of Nussbaums most explicit description of the duties or obligations of any citizen of the world; Our task as citizens of the world, and as educators who prepare people to be citizens of the world, will be to draw the circles somehow toward the center, making all human beings like our fellow city dwellers. In other words, we need not give up our special affections and affiliations and identifications, whether national or ethnic or religious; but we should work to make all human beings part of our community of dialogue and concern, showing respect for the human wherever it occurs, and allowing that respect to constrain our national and local politics. Likewise, the social code of ancient Greek necessitated that one expresses kindness to strangers in foreign regions by receiving them into ones home. This social expectation of hospitality was so culturally crucial and significant that it was believed to be implemented by Zeus, the king of the gods. Both hosts offer their guest a warm welcome even before they learn Telemachuss identity. Furthermore, this adherence and respect for the social norms enforced by the gods sharply demarcates Penelopes careless wooers plundering of Telemachuss home in Ithaca from Telemachus and Odysseus. Homer sets the right against the wrong by portraying the latter as hero and the suitors as villains. Although it is set in 700 BC, The Odyssey certainly sheds light on contemporary debates about cosmopolitanism. Martel on the other hand beautifully uses Pi as the hero of his novel, so as to transmit the innocent yet strong cosmopolitan and universal visions of a child, thereby providing more hope for a cosm opolitan future for the new generations. On a conclusive note, it can be noted that what Martel in a way wants his readers to know is that the persistent barriers of doubt, fear of the Other, ignorance, close-mindedness, racism and imaginative, long- held stereotypes are only vicious obstacles to the creation of a cosmopolitan world and fruitful human relations. In order for the human experience to progress therefore, these constant obstacles have to be destroyed. Indeed this book seems to suggest that the most appropriate and beneficial perspective to be adopted in the 21st century is one of cosmopolitanism.

Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers

Capital punishment is the execution of criminals by the state for committing crimes so wicked that it is the only acceptable punishment. The debate over the death penalty has endured for years and has become increasingly controversial. According to an article written by Richard Worsnop, entitled "Death Penalty Debate Centers on Retribution," in 1966, 42% of Americans were in favor of capital punishment while 47% were opposed to it; in 1986, support for capital punishment was 80% for and only 17% against with 3% undecided. Most of the undecided voters said they would support capital punishment, if they had to vote on it immediately. Currently, public approval of the death penalty is about 70%. While some people are opposed to capital punishment, the majority is in favor of it. Therefore, the United States government should strictly enforce capital punishment in every state. Admittedly, the act of killing someone is immoral and "Thou shall not kill" is one of God's commandments. However, if it were not for the threat of execution, the murder rate in the United States would be far greater. According to the United States Bureau of Justice bulletin on capital punishment (1989), from 1955 to 1965, there were 78,500 murders and 351 executions in the United States; but from 1966 to 1976, when the death penalty was weakened, 288,310 murders were committed and only six executions were carried out. In order for capital punishment to work as d...

Macro and Micro Environmental Analysis of Waitrose Supermarkets

WAITROSE ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING MARKET RESEARCH CONTENTS INTRODUCTION —————————————– MACRO ENVIRONMENT POLITICAL ———————————————- ECONOMICAL ——————————————- SOCIAL ————————————————- TECHONOLGICAL—————————————- ENVIRONMENTAL—————————————- MICRO ENVIRONMENT SUPPLIERS———————————————- IN TERMEDIARIES—————————————- FINANCIAL———————————————– GOVERNMENT——————————————– THE COMPANY——————————————- EMPLOYEES———————————————- CUSTOMERS——————————————— COMPETITORS——————————————- MEDIA—————————————————- PUBLICS————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- SWOT ANALYSIS—————————————– CONCLUSION——————————————– APPENDIX———————————————— BIBLYOGRAPHY—————————————— INTRODUCTION The food retail industry in the United Kingdom is an extremely competitive market. The major players in the industry all have tremendous purchasing power and are constantly fighting to increase market share. Like any other industry though they are affected but factors which are both within their control as well as outside. In this report we will first be focusing on the macro environment of the UK supermarket industry where we will review external issues such as politics, economy, technological, social/demographic and environmental factors. From this analysis we can gain insight into how supermarkets react to changes that are beyond their control and how they can often turn these changes into business opportunities. The second part of this report will be looking at the supermarket chain Waitrose. Through this we analyse the micro environment whereby we look at factors such as suppliers, intermediaries, financial, government, the company, customers, employees, competitors, media, and publics. The micro environment is what makes up a company and all aspects must run efficiently and effectively for a business to succeed. Based on the findings of the Waitrose micro environment we are then able to evaluate the companies strengths and weaknesses as well as their opportunities and threats. MACRO ENVIRONMENT Political The supermarket industry is affected by many varying political factors. New legislation and decisions from Governing bodies that regulate the industry aim to ensure that all business within the sector is conducted fairly and with the economy suppliers and consumers best interest in mind. Most legislation on food standards originates from the European Commission which consolidates legislation across the EU. The Competition Commission, a non departmental governing body, are responsible for investigating mergers, markets and inquiries related to regulated industries under competition law (Competition Commission No Date),. Competition Law which was introduced in 1998 promotes healthy competition, and bans anticompetitive agreements between firms such as agreements to fix prices or to carve up markets, and it makes it illegal for businesses to abuse a dominant market position (Office of Fair Trading, 2007). In 2009 the Competition Commission issued an amended and improved Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) with hopes of providing greater security to suppliers. To help regulate legislation and the GSCOP an independent financial ombudsman was established in 2010 to resolves problems between retailers and suppliers (Sourceuk 2009). When a supermarket wishes to build or extend a site a ‘competition test’ would be carried out on the retailer and an assessment made to ensure that local shops don’t lose out to the large chain supermarkets domination an entire area (Competition Commission 2009). Price fixing is illegal under the competition act of 1998. When participants on the same side of the market (such as the big 4 in the UK supermarket sector) agree to sell a service, product or commodity at a fixed price it’s the consumers who must pay while retailers and suppliers reap the benefits. There are extremely heavy penalties for price fixing in the UK You can be fined, disqualified from being a director – or even sent to prison (Business Link No Date). Minimum wage laws will always affect supermarkets as generally many of their staff would be paid minimum wage. Under the National Minimum Wage Act of 1998 all employers must pay their employees a certain amount per hour as set by the UK Government. The main rate of National Minimum Wage which applies to workers aged 22 and over and is currently ? 5. 80 per but will raise ? 5. 93 in 2010 (Directgov 2010). There are many laws in the UK and EU which are designed to protect the environment. However there are two main Acts which were made to consolidate as many issues as possible, these are the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environment Act 1995 (Hartshorne. J,1996). DEFRA is the UK government agency which is responsible for setting legislation and guidance on a number of environmental issues (DEFRA, No Date). Some important legislation which applies to supermarkets include laws on waste and recycling, genetic modification, and Climate Change which are all covered under these acts. Office of Public Sector Information No Date) Economic The economic situation at any given time will always affect market conditions. As the economy continually fluctuates between periods of economic growth and periods of relative stagnation (also known as an economic cycle) factors such as changes to interest rates, exchange rates, inflation and purchasing power will directly and indirectly affect th e supermarket industry (Tutor2u, No Date) In 2008 the UK had entered the recession stage of the economic cycle. Interest rates dropped from 5% to 0. % in an effort to increase consumer spending (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). And while this would initially appear to be a gain for supermarkets, other factors of the recession such as wide spread unemployment and bankruptcies saw this sector of the market having to revise their marketing strategies in order to weather these changes to the economy (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). In 2009 trading was down with consumers eating less ready meals and opting for own brand rather than premium products (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment). This is just one of the many changes to consumer purchasing that changed and will continue to change as the economy tries to recover. According to The Office of National Statistics (2010) unemployment dropped by 33000 since then end of 2009 and the economy grew by 0. 1% a possible indication of the UK slowly emerging from the recession (BBC News 2010). However this will be the beginning of a recovery which could take at least another two years. As interest rates still remain at an all time low of 0. % (BBC News 2009) supermarkets will start to see an increase in spending from consumers as their confidence in the market returns (Mintel 2009, Market Re-forecasts – Food – UK). Inflation has only become a recent issue in the UK economy. Rising fuel prices, a few poor harvests and the weakness of the sterling has seen inflation accelerate between 2006 and 2008 (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Broader Market Environment) (Appendix 1). The implications of this for supe rmarkets are that it erodes the purchasing power of money which in turn means the price of imported good will rise. However a positive result of rising inflation, which at times reached over 10% also, meant that food price increases boosted sales value (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – The Market In Context). A trend for customers trading down rather than reducing quantity enables sales value to rise fast enough to cover cost growth (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing UK – Sector Size and Forecast). The recession as a whole has had a very mixed effect on the supermarket industry. At the beginning of the recession in 2008 consumers drastically cut back on purchases from retailers such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. However by December 2009 Waitrose was the fastest growing supermarket chain while Aldi was on the decline. This is believed to be due to more expensive supermarkets introducing own brand products into their stores and selling them at a lower price to their standard products (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). Social It is essential for supermarkets to understand the current sociocultural environment as any changes will affect their customers’ needs and wants. (Brassington & Pettitt 2006) According to Mintel (2009) the ageing population will have a negative effect on the supermarket industry with there already being more retired people than children, with this level set to increase (Appendix 2). This will affect the industry as older people tend to eat and drink a lot less than their younger counterparts but also treat themselves less as well. This decline in basket size will have long term effects for the industry over time as they are less efficient to service and require more staff (Mintel 2009, Food Retailing – Broader Market Environment) A worrying trend which has emerged in the last several years has been the increase in obesity among children and adults in the UK with 60% of the UK population being overweight (Office of National Statistics, Health and Social Care, 2010) Poor quality convenience foods, labour-saving technology, increased car use and more people doing sedentary jobs are just some of the reason the country is getting bigger. However despite this increase in obesity the U. K population on a whole is far more health conscious than in previous years (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). There has been a trend away from genetically modified foods towards organic foods and an increased the customer desire for healthy alternatives. The government and other health organisations are working with supermarkets and manufacturers to help consumers make healthier choices when shopping. (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis). According to the National Office for Statistics (2010) The UK population is increasing at an alarming rate with figures showing the population of the United Kingdom to be at 61383000 in 2008. This is up 0. 7 per cent since mid 2007. Increases in births, decreases in death and a sharp rise in migration to the United Kingdom have all contributed to the change in population (Office of National Statistics, Population Estimates 2010) Statisticians have said that at least 70 per cent of the population rise over the next 20 years will be attributable directly to immigration (Office of National Statistics, Migration 2010). The supermarket industry needs to reflect the needs of the changing population. With more people with different cultural backgrounds residing in England it is essential that the needs of these new consumers are being met by supermarkets in order to retain market share (Keynote, Food Retailing – UK 2009) The over powering proposition of the â€Å"everything under one roof† format has been a major factor in the demise of the small independent grocer, butcher and green grocer in recent times thus replacing the high street as the focal point of community life (IGD 2009, Non-Food Retailing). Declining meal preparation consequent to demographic changes such as an increasing number of single-person households and working women is forcing UK retailers are to focus on added-value products such as the booming ‘food-to-go† sector (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis).. These demographic changes have also affected consumer work patterns with retailers modifying aspects of the customer shopping experience to accommodate changing lifestyles. Supermarkets are now flexible in opening hours as well as adding extras such as Thursday late night shopping and free parking facilities (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – Industry Overview). The recession in the UK has changed the population’s attitude towards the foods they purchase. Britons have developed a sophisticated customer preferences and demands for greater choice and comfort in the shopping experience but for lower prices. Supermarket own brand products have been on the incline as their ranges often offer great value for quality products. (Keynote 2010, Food Industry – PEST Analysis). Technological Recent technological advances have enabled supermarkets to provide customers with a quicker, easier and more enjoyable shopping experience. In recent years we have seen the introduction of online shopping, self check outs, product scanning and forecast technology which has changed the dynamics of how people shop. One of the most influential technological changes to happen to the supermarket industry in the past few years has been the introduction of internet shopping. The online grocery market is currently worth ? 4,4 billion having doubled in the past 4 years (Mintel 2009 – Online Grocery Retailing) and is set to reach ? 7. 2 billion buy 2014 according to research industry analyst IDG (Appendix 3). This is a major new opportunity for retailers and the UK offers a good market for this with the highest percentage of people online across the EU (Just Food 2009). New scanning device designed to be used by shoppers to scan products as they shop and then simply paying at a self serve checkout using the scanned date are a new introduction to the industry. Scales are then used at point of payment to weigh shopping against weight data which is provided when the product is scanned. This ensures much shorter queuing times for customers (Waitrose 2010) New communication technology such as the introduction of scanners which provide price labels and barcodes for any stock that needs to be reduced has enabled more sophisticated store management. The scanners minimise unsold food as well as check out productivity, which saves time and reduces waste. (Retail Systems 2010) Advances in forecasting software such as that developed by SAS and purchased by Waitrose in 2006 will help forecast demand for product based on the history of the item, casual variables, events and holidays. (SAS 2006) The introduction of self check outs into supermarkets has bought many advantages to both the supermarket sector and its customers. This technology allows customer to scan barcodes on their won items thus eliminating interaction with supermarket employees. While they are a relatively new concept, having only become wide spread in 2003 they have been accepted as a faster, more efficient and private way to shop. Through self check out systems supermarkets are also able to reduce staff requirements and save money (Goliath 2005) Environment With the environment becoming an important topic over the last several years it has been essential for supermarkets to meet the demands of both the Government and their customers with regards to addressing environmental issues. This has proved to be both a challenge as well as a business opportunity for the major players in the industry, who strive to try and reposition themselves as leaders in responsible sourcing, sustainability, climate change issues and recycling (Donohue. A 2007). Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. The UK government has a long term plan to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 (Department of Energy and Climate Change – A Low Carbon UK 2008). The Climate Change Bill and the Committee on Climate Change influence have raised consumer awareness of climate change which put pressure on the supermarket industry to meet their environmental obligations (Department of Energy and Climate Change – Legislation 2008). Many UK supermarkets are now part of a government initiative known as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP works with the food industry is an effort to reduce food and packaging waste. Retailers who have signed the Courtauld Commitment (a voluntary agreement between companies and WRAP) agree to have absolute wastage reduction by 2010 (WRAP No Date). The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) with its green agenda for food and drink manufactures also play a key role in helping companies reduce emissions and waste as well as cutting the amount of packaging that reaches households (FDF No Date). The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) works with the government and consumers in an effort to reduce waste through recycling and composting of household waste (DEFRA No Date). This has created more consumer awareness and this new found awareness puts pressure on food retailers to meet waste reduction targets (Appendix 4). Waitrose currently puts into practice the use of the three R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) to divert waste away from landfills (Mintel 2008 – Ethical and Green Retailing) Sustainable sourcing has become a very real issue with consumers over the past few years with a demand for supermarkets to ensure that their produce such as fish and meat are from sources that can be replenished. Another form of sustainable sourcing is for supermarkets to source their produce locally rather than importing from overseas. This has a huge impact on carbon use as well as a significant impact on creating sustainable economies in our local communities (Mintel 2009 – Influence of the Environment on Food Shopping). MICRO ENVIRONMENT Suppliers Behind its 18,000 different products, Waitrose is supplied by 2500 firms in over 60 countries. The majority of them are small scale and regional producers. Waitrose’s main aim, to offer high quality product, is the base of its plan to source goods from the areas where it trades. For example, that will show the real taste of British food with its regional variety. Furthermore people will have easy access to buy local food and support its local economy. Regardless of the small or big producers, Waitrose aim to work with decency and respect in long term with its suppliers. It wants to help its suppliers to reach their objectives by ensuring them that it will keep the integrity or quality of the suppliers’ product. For this reason, Waitrose wants its producers to use recognisable and with the best quality ingredients for the food, not a list of chemicals such as stabilisers or preservatives. Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) To succeed in that approach, the company presented a new Waitrose Locally Produced range, which will aim to offer the best local quality food and great customer service to its customers. The difference between Waitrose and the other UK retailers is the co-ownership of company by its staff, not the publ ic shareholders who only demand for quick and profitable return of their investments. It allows it to make long term growing plans and continuing relationships with its producers in order to face its great customer’s expectations. Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) In order to prove their support for small local producers, Waitrose teamed up with The Times to create â€Å"The Small Producers Awards† in 2001. For example, its first year category winners will receive ? 7,000 in cash, plus access to Waitrose business and marketing expertise. (Waitrose. com. â€Å"The Waitrose Small Producers Charter†) Moreover, in relation to the UK Recession, followed by the consumer downturn, Waitrose asked 1000 suppliers to cut their prices with 2%. The request was addressed mainly to suppliers of branded food and farmers in UK. The managing director Mark Price explained company’s decision with the fall in commodity prices, which makes suppliers’ raw material cheaper. Furthermore he states that the Waitrose’s market growth will lead the suppliers to sustain profit, which they should share with their biggest buyer. Moreover John Lewis Partnership’s decision was forced by the annual report of the company, which unveiled 26% fall in pre-tax profit for 2008 to ? 279. 6m. (Telegraph website, 12/03/09) Intermediaries By rewarded as the UK’s favourite retailer for 2007 and 2009, Waitrose main aim is to sustain its loyal and respectful relationship with its suppliers and partners. It is the main intermediary of its own branded goods. Furthermore, Waitrose nurture long-term relationships with its suppliers, paying the fair price and helping them to reinvest in their business. It is the most established local sourcing initiatives in its sector. All Waitrose shops have a regional offering, which covers in excess of 465 producers supplying over 1,400 product lines. In order to ensure its support for UK suppliers and in response to customer feedback, Waitrose has developed new shelf-edge ticketing, which emphasise the county, origin and unique qualities of each product. (JLP annual report 2009) Moreover, Waitrose cooperate with other intermediary companies in order to transfer the produced goods from its supplier to the customers. Its main distributor is the online supermarket delivery company Ocado. It operates mainly in Greater London, covering over 3 million households. Their relationships evolved in 2002 when John Lewis Partnership bought 29% of Ocado’s shares. In addition, their contract will expire in 2013. Apart from Ocado, Waitrose has established an own online delivery in over 100 stores. (JLP annual report 2009) Financial In difference from the other UK retailers, Waitrose isn’t owned by public shareholders and the City. In stead of cruel shareholders, whose fixed idea is to gain profitable quick returns, Waitrose is a part of John Lewis Partnership, which is owned by its workers. Each year, every partner share company’s profits, which in others retailers go to the shareholders. This organisational system makes extraordinary commitment and loyalty amongst its labour. Furthermore company could praise itself with partners who worked with it for many years. This system makes its workers to be interested in what they are doing and selling. For that reason the often good remarks of the customers about the customer service are not surprising, because every worker in the local store do in fact own the store. (Waitrose website. â€Å"The Waitrose Difference†) Moreover, an interest public fact is that Waitrose holds a Royal Warrant with Her Majesty The Queen. This means that company is chosen to supply the Royal Family with goods for five years. Moreover, Waitrose held the long-lasting Warrant with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. That is a significant evidence for the great quality that Waitrose has been offering through the years. (Waitrose website. â€Å"The Waitrose Difference†) Government As an established responsible and reliable retail company, Waitrose aim to consider and follow government policy. It is in a consistent relationship with any local government, discussing key issues which affect its partners, customers and communities in which it operates. Furthermore it is an active member of government policy advisory groups, such as Climate Change Leaders Group, British Retail Consortium and Retail Energy Forum. (John Lewis Partnership website, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) Moreover, Waitrose cooperate with local authorities during planning and construction of all its new shops. It wants to ensure that its new stores are built responsibly and will operate sustainably in order to diminish its impact on the environment and the local community. (John Lewis Partnership website, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) Lastly, Waitrose and its parent John Lewis Partnership work closely with regulators such as â€Å"Environment Agency† and â€Å"Health & Safety Executive† to inform that the Partnership do all its best in compliance with the law. In any case of legal issue occur, it respond immediately, and cooperate with the local regulator to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. (John Lewis Partnership No Date, â€Å"Engaging our stakeholders†) The Company Waitrose stems from a small grocery shop called ‘Waite. Rose & Taylor’ founded by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor; the small grocery shop opened for business 1904. Four years on the founders decided to rebrand the company in 1908 by changing the company name to ‘Waitrose’, which is a combination of two of the founders’ surnames. The Waitrose Company desired changed once again so joined ‘The John Lewis Partnership’ 1937, whereby 160 Waitrose employees became ‘partners ‘or co-owners of the business (Waitrose No Date – The Company). The John Lewis partnership is formed by 70,000 partners (staff) who co-own John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets, an online and catalogue business (John Lewis Direct-johnlewis. om), a direct service company (Greenbee), three production units and a farm. (The John Lewis Partnership No Date) (John Lewis Partnership CSR Report 2009, Page 5) ‘The Waitrose difference’ Waitrose focuses operation around offering the best quality goods and have adapted their daily producers, to make shopping easier to suit all by offering a distinctive service; such as packing at checkouts, carry to car service and assists to those that required it; it is this that they believe gives them the edge over other supermarkets (Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference) Waitrose has an exceptional return policy whereby customers will receive their full money back, if they genuinely pursed t a product they didn’t require or a customer is not one hundred percent happy with the product. It is this edge that provides Waitrose with long lasting loyal customers that trust the supermarket they shop in. As well as food products Waitrose offers ‘Branch Extras’ at selected stores; enabling customers to rent wines glasses, beer glasses and fish kettles free of charge as a friendly jester(Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Waitrose commitment to provide outstanding produces and services has been credited with a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty the Queen; Which is a mark of recognition of those that supply goods or services to members of the Royal Family for at least five years(Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Employees Waitrose employees are also co-owners and form part of the John Lewis Partnership; the John Lewis Partnership aims to employ exceptional staffs that are dedicated to putting the consumers’ needs first whilst delivering excellent customer service. The John Lewis Partnership aims to keep the happiness of its employees at the heart of the partnership and uses a blend of five key elements to do this: †¢Work/life balance – employees are encouraged to keep a equal balance of work and play to support this the partnership offers ; flexible hours, career breaks, long leave, a flexible retirement policy . †¢Competitive pay and benefits – the partnership aims to maintain a pay policy which is competitive while being fair to all partners and offers a range of partners benefits from discounts and bonus to life insurance. Filling potential – the partnership gives all their employees the chance to reach their full potential and required all employees to ender go compulsory training. There partnership also allows employees the opportunity for promotion and career development programs. †¢Fair treatment – the partnership treats all its employees fair and provides equal opportunities for all, regardles s of age, gender, ethnicity, social background, religion and disability or sexuality. Powered by our Principles (PboP) – these are six principles sets out to inform employees of what is expected from all them; be honest, give respect, recognise others, show enterprise, work together and achieve more (Waitrose No Date – Our Employees) Customers ‘The John Lewis Partnership aims to deal honestly with customers, securing their loyalty and trust by providing outstanding choice, value and service. ’ (John Lewis Partnership CSR Report 2009, pg 4) Waitrose dominates a niche market were its target customers are believed to be affluent with a more flexible disposable income. They are associated with the middle classes along with high class food and fantastic customer service. Their repeat custom is formed, as the consumer seeks a well established supermarket they can trust and complete their weekly shop in a supermarket that’s driven by high quality fresh food. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose) A loyal Waitrose customer will complete their weekly shop unconditionally every week in there local Waitrose store; however if they need a product unexpectedly they will use a convenient store as a one off it is it nearer in location. Typical Waitrose customers are considered to be; affluent with a more flexible disposable income, middle to high classes, working professionals and health focused consumers (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose). In addition another important factor that adds to ‘the customer’ that shops at Waitrose supermarkets is the location of the stores; as Waitrose stores are based more South/East England and areas that are frequently referred to as ‘posh’, where people are financially comfortable (Mintel 2009 – Food Retails Waitrose). Waitrose strive to maintain exceptional customer service and are always constantly evaluating their services to unsure they are fulfilling their consumer needs. Waitrose uses a range of formal methods of research and feedback, such as customer surveys, panels, focus groups, online feedback forms and regular mystery shopping to gather sufficient evidence to monitor their customer service and performance necessary action if required (John Lewis Partnership No Date – Customer Service) Competition Waitrose occupies up to 4% of the UK grocery market, this compares with the largest food retailer in England today is which is Tesco’s who hold a massive 30 % share of the market. In the UK today every ? 1 in every ? 7 of consumer spending is spent in one of Tesco’s stores. Tesco specializes primarily in food and drink with its Value and Finest ranges that we all know well, but it has also become a major player in a range of non-food markets including consumer electrical, clothing, financial services, telecoms, fuel and internet services amongst others. In 2008, Tesco launched a new ‘Discount Brands’ range, which is geared towards consumers seeking to trade down but not ready to compromise on quality. The new range appears to have halted the drift of customers to Aldi and Lidl. Tesco’s sheer scale means it has been able to lower prices on the back of large volumes. Tesco’s has different types of stores every one of them targeting different consumers, tesco express for example, the smallest one in the range, is designed to be a convenience shop where the costumer can Top-up (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail Tesco). Other major players are Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons with Asda taking up to 17% of the market. Asda has a similar range of product to Tesco but opened up the clothing market in supermarkets but presenting its own brand known as George at Asda. Asda, part of Wal-Mart, directs its main focus on price, primarily targeting the lower end of the mass-market although the current climate is increasing demand for discount items from a variety of consumer groups. In terms of consolidated sales, in 2008 the company was the third largest grocer in the UK although when fuel sales are removed Asda moves into second place behind Tesco but above Sainsbury. What has really set Asda apart from its rivals in the food sector in the UK has been its lack of convenience store activity. While Tesco and Sainsbury’s have attacked the c-store sector very aggressively, Asda has been happy to maintain its larger big-box stores enabling them to maintain a presence out of town. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail) Waitrose occupies a relatively small but nevertheless very strong portion of the market with its closest supermarket being Marks and Spencer. Both of these supermarkets aim at a quality rather than quantity market with prices generally being higher than the larger supermarkets Marks and Spencer holds approximately 3. 9% of the grocery market. The main differences between of the two chains is that Waitrose holds 18% of organic food ranges and sells none Waitrose brand products whilst Marks and Spencer sells just its own made brand. Marks & Spencer is the UK’s leading non-food retailer, but food has long been a part of its heritage. The company trades from a premium positioning, emphasising quality and value. Dry groceries are only a small part of the offer, with the company instead focusing on ready prepared meals, fresh items and foods for special occasions. The food range is available from specialist Simply Food convenience stores as well as the larger general merchandise outlets. (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail – Marks & Spencer). In the food retail industry we find that there are two different orientated companies, price orientated and customer orientated. Waitrose aims at the customer orientated market and this has generally held them in good stead. The recent recession was a testing time for the company but their strong brand name appears to have weathered the storm and it has successfully retained its position. Media Waitrose takes its promotion and advertising seriously and has a very organised and wide range of media publicity. On they own website they have options to find press releases and press packs and it is optional to sign up to receive daily updates regarding Waitrose. They have affirmed their commitment by appointing Grand Union as the lead digital agency for Waitrose. The agency will relaunch the brand's website Waitrose. com, as well as produce digital marketing for Waitrose Deliver, the brand's online grocery shopping service. Waitrose uses television and advertising extensively to promote its products and services and has announced recently that celebrity chefs Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal will join forces in a collaboration that will see them appear in TV, press and online advertising for the grocer (Waitrose 2009) The company website now provides an option to find all the recipes that have been used on the show. In addition John Lewis, the stores sister brand, has launched a glossy customer magazine, which will be made available in all Waitrose stores, with an initial print run of 500,000. The launch is backed by an in-store marketing campaign (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail).. Publics The company takes its public and social responsibilities very seriously and its basic philosophy is as follows:- â€Å"As a responsible retailer, owned beneficially by our employees, we believe that the long-term future of the Partnership is best served by respecting the interests of all our stakeholders: Partners, customers, suppliers and the wider community. We look actively for opportunities to improve the environment and to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which we trade. (Waitrose Feb 2010 – Press Centre) In 2008, Waitrose was the first UK food retailer to begin using Anaerobic Digestion (AD), a process which eliminates the need to send waste food to landfill sites. (Waitrose Feb 2010 – Press Centre). Waitrose commits at least 1 per cent of pre-tax profits to charitable and community projects. They are also committed to providing support to overseas disasters through the British Red Cross and are involved in over 100 projects involving 16,000 people in South Africa; rolled out to Ghana and Kenya. Their target is to increase activities in the field referred to above and to actively encourage participation in Sport and physical exercise in the UK. They have already diverted 50 per cent of their total operational waste food away from landfill and their goal is to divert 95 per cent by 2013. Waitrose is set to launch an environmental initiative inviting customers to suggest eco ideas that it can implement into the business. â€Å"Your Green Idea† was launched on 15 March 2010, following a soft launch of the website. It is clear that Waitrose is very committed to its social and public responsibilities and have a proven track record to support their mandate SWOT ANALYSIS Internal Strengths Waitrose was one of the first retailers to develop own brands (after Mark’s and Spencer). Their own brand line carries over 18000 products including 117 lines in their ‘Perfectly Balanced’ range which promotes a fresh and healthy lifestyle for their customers (Mintel 2009, Food Retail UK – Waitrose). Waitrose differentiates itself strongly from other supermarkets. They have a more defined range of products with focus on high quality food and up-market products. They are extremely customer orientated and place great emphasis on customer service as one of their unique selling points (Mintel 2009, Food Retail UK – Waitrose). According to a survey by Which Waitrose is the leading supermarket chain in food quality and range. Only ASDA was rated better than Waitrose for value for money (Which 2008) Having owned their own farms for over 70 years Waitrose prides itself on working with its farmers, growers and suppliers directly to ensure that only the highest quality food from the most ethical and environmentally friendly sources reach they consumers. This is supported by its own inspections and farm assurance schemes (Waitrose No Date – Origin of our Food). Waitrose was the first ever winner of the title Organic Supermarket of the Year and have over 16 awards for wine purchasing and retail. These are just some of the many awards that have been claimed by Waitrose over the past several years (Waitrose Various Dates – Press and Awards). Waitrose also holds a Royal Warrant with Her Majesty the Queen to supply goods to members of the Royal Family (Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference). Waitrose was the first to introduce self-scanning (Quick Check) in some stores, which demonstrates a willingness to innovate and offer a high service and reducing costs. Recent technological innovations that have been introduced in stores include: printers which provide price labels and barcodes for any stock that needs to be reduced and hand held devices available to shoppers to use as a self scanning system. (Thompson. S 2010). The partnership with John Lewis gives Waitrose tested supplier links and economies of scale. Waitrose would struggle to achieve the success it has today without the help of the partnership. The partnership also functions as a conglomerate therefore diversifying risk. The association with John Lewis improves Waitrose’s reputation (John Lewis Partnership No Date). Waitrose has a strong culture of co-ownership due to the fact that it’s not owned by shareholders but owned by everyone who works for the partnership. Their staff are generally well motivated because they are partners and profits ultimately come back to them. Various other benefits (such as pension schemes) are what make Waitrose a good employer, with satisfied employees. Waitrose No Date – The Waitrose Difference) Internal Weaknesses The distribution of the Waitrose stores is quite weak, especially in certain areas such as the south west of England, Wales, North-West of England, and Scotland. However their acquisition of 13 Somerfield stores has lead to an expansion of distribution into the North of England and Wales (Chesters. L Property Week 2009) Own labels are the main segment within th eir product mix. Waitrose is very dependent on this product range with a majority of sales coming from its own brand. Larger diversification would be helpful to gain better strength in the market (Mintel 2009 – Brands: Are Supermarkets Squeezing Out Brands) Waitrose also has the weakness of only supplying high quality, high price products. This could be seen as a negative factor due to the exclusion of an entire demographic of people in the lower class of the population who could be potential customers. However they have recently made attempts to increase their target demographic through the introduction of an economy range branded as Waitrose Essentials. This shows they have recognised a potential for expansion and this can lead to further developments in the future (Finch, J March 2009) External Opportunities Further expansions throughout the UK would be useful to raise the importance of the firm, gain market share and, weaken the competitors buying their own branches and improving e-commerce. Also further acquisition of competitor stores such as the Somerfield stores purchased by Waitrose would lead to increased market share (Chesters. L Property Week 2009). Waitrose has an elaborate online shopping facility in place; however, this as well is subject to regional limitation. Expansion of distribution channels for online shopping facilities would help Waitrose get their products to customers who live outside areas where branches are located. Setting up new partnerships with other companies will grant higher incomes because both companies could be able to buy larger amount of products with cheaper prices. New Partnership could also help Waitrose to diversify into other non-food products other than those that John Lewis already offers. Waitrose has recognised this opportunity (All Business, No Date) External Threats A major part of Waitrose strategy on sales has been built on the sale of premium own brand products. Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have identified the sales of premium own brands as a lucrative segment with high margins and all three have a wide selection of premium products in store. Tesco and Sainsbury’s advertise on price which gives the perception of their products still being of a lower quality than those sold at Waitrose (Mintel 2008 – Premium Foods – UK) The recession while perceived to be coming to an end still has the potential to generate many problems for Waitrose. When interest rate rise this year people will have less disposable income and may start to buy cheaper products and so shifting from Waitrose to other cheaper retailers. This could result in a loss in consumers’ loyalty and this would give direct advantages to competitors (Mintel 2009 – Food Retail) Also due to the weakened sterling there is a possibility that overseas groups could enter the market and increase competition generating the reduction of incomes and market share for each player (Keynote 2010 – Food Industry) CONCLUSION The supermarket industry has gone through some important changes over the past few years. From our analysis of the macro environment we can see some main issues have affected the food retails sector. Environmental issues are now at the forefront of everything companies do, with consumers not only demanding more for their money but more for the environment as well. Technology has seen the internet open up a whole new way of shopping and while it’s still the early stages there is great promise for the internet as a medium for food purchases. Society is changing in a way that will affect how people shop in years to come. Now with more people from different cultural backgrounds residing in the UK than ever before supermarkets must act fast to meet the new needs of a changing society. New legislation has stopped many key players in their tracks with plans for expansion as a new financial ombudsman now has the last word on whether a supermarket can expand in a certain location. The recession has had a major impact of the supermarket sector over the past couple of years. It has been the driving influences to a lot of changes which have been occurring in most of the major food retailers. While the supermarket industry is relatively ecession proof their customers are not and this has seen consumer trends of trading down and buying less. An analysis of the internal structure of Waitrose shows us a very strong company with high moral grounding and a passion for customer service. They may not have such large market share as the ‘big four’ but they are growing at a rapid pace and with the addition of their new ’Essentials’ range to their portfolio they are preparing to enter a whole new main stream market. They pride themselves on having great relationships with employees and suppliers and are at the forefront of environmental issue such as sustainable ethical sourcing. Waitrose is a company that is heading in the right direction and while they are not without their weakness’s, distribution being a key factor, they are adept at recognising where improvements can be made and building towards a higher market share. 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MasterId=374bc5fc-f941-432c- 829531c505f15e37&NavigationId=607#gov, [20th March 2010] MICRO ENVIRONMENT – The Company, Employees, Customers Jonhlewispartenrship (2010) About us[online] Available from: http://www. johnlewispartnership. co. uk/Display. aspx? &MasterId=768e29e8-41a

The Diaspora Studies

In diaspora studies the major component to focus on is identity. In Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist novel mainly brought out the negative side of America. Ingredients like culture, religion, food and language are important issues to deal with identity. People always identified by their culture so the presence of culture and identity mixed with each other. In this novel cultural identity has processed the main role among the characters. The character Changez struggled to enjoy stable identity for him and for his country. The readers can comprehend that America and Pakistan have some connection in regards cultural and political aspects. He sacrificed for his real identity, his Pakistani culture and his customs to follow western culture and western identity. Being in America his dual identity did not win even though he cannot forget his hybrid culture and cannot follow only one identity. After coming back from America since he taught his students about Anti- American issues. He did not abandon American life, but trying to stay connected with it. He was not happy by sacrificing his real identity since he had witnessed bitter experience. He was not comfortable and his identity remains unstable. When Changez went to America, he did shave his beard instead he protests against American society and show his indifference against America. He did not give up the original culture for the sake of safeguarding him. His social situations molded him to turn against alien country. In the novel the kite runner by Khaled Hosseini the character Amir's immigrant experience was worse and then he understands that following one's own culture was difficult and challenging in a new country. He realized that the lives of immigrant will be changing according to the changes taking place in a new country. In the novel A passage to India by E. M. Forster readers can understand the relationship east and west. If east and west follows best relationships between them there will not be any conflicts. Through A Passage to India people understand the intermingling culture of east and west always lead into the major problem and the supremacy of the west. All the western countries have the false opinion on the east and that need be changed. The component of hybrid culture plays a prominent role in the lives of people. In the novel American Brat by Bapsi Siddwah the character Feroza was the admired and influenced by American like the character Changez. Feroza's life was totally changed after the immigration experience in the west. She was easily adapted to the culture and tradition of America. When she returned to Pakistan continued to follow American culture that was many in liberation. Changez at first admired by the American dream, but at last he erased his admiration towards America. In contrary Feroza's immigrant life changes in a positive way.

Prejudice essays

Prejudice essays Watkins v. United States (1957) 354 U.S. 178 Facts: Watkins was subpoenaed to testify in a congressional hearing to investigate alleged wrong doings of the Attorney General and the department of justice. Throughout the questioning the congressional committee asked questions that could result in Watkins incriminating himself because of his political beliefs. Due to this Watkins evoked his 5th Amendment right not to answer the question. By doing so the congressional committee indicted him and the Court of appeals upheld Congress's claim. Question: Does Article one of the Constitution bestow to congress the power to interrogate citizens out of a court of law? And can the 5th amendment be used in a congressional committee hearing? Decision: The decision was to reverse the judgement of the Court of Appeals and to dismiss the indictment. Reason: Congress must be able to conduct investigations especially into "surveys of defects in our social, economic, or political system," claimed Chief justice Warren, in order to allow congress to relive those issues. With that in mind Congress has no authority to expose private affairs of persons without it being pertinent to the legislation in question. The Bill of Rights was applied to the Constitution to ensure safety of individual rights from and overbearing Congress. Congress can not ask vague questions to accidentally fall onto the answer(s) they want, specific questions must be used to retrieve the needed information. Barenblatt v. United States (1959) 360 U.S. 109 Facts: Lloyd Barenblatt was a college professor called to testify before the congressional subcommittee House of Un-American Activities. When questioning began Barenblatt refused to answer regarding any past involvement with the Communist Party, firmly believing that past political beliefs are protected under the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. The Supreme Court vacated hi ...

Factors to Discovery the New World and Columbian Exchange Essays

Factors to Discovery the New World and Columbian Exchange Essays 10/16/2015 HIST 131-007 Dr. Adeyinka Banwo Factors to Discovery the New World and Columbian Exchange At the end of the 15th century, it was nearly impossible to reach Asia from Europe by land because of the conflicts of Roman Empire and Mongol Empire about the Mediterranean route control. The cost of Asian goods, such as silk, drugs, perfume, and spices, were overpriced, and European consumers tired of the increasing prices and demanded faster, less expensive routes to Asia. To have another way to Asia, Portuguese explorers took to the sea way that they sailed south along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope. However, Christopher Columbus though if they sailed west across the Atlantic, the distance was shorter than the one around the mass African continent. And Spains Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand wanted to spread Christianity throughout the world and wanted to have fame and fortune by agreeing to help him. Columbus wanted to find a new route to the Far East, to India, China, Japan and the Spice Islands beside the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope. In his era, people knew that the world was round, so Columbus too. It could reach the East and the rich Spice Islands by sailing west just as easily as by sailing east. If this way could be found, people would have more choices to go to the East and would avoid all difficulties of the exist routes. Moreover, if Columbus could reach these lands, he would be able to bring back rich cargoes of silks and spices and would have fame and fortune. His contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of whatever riches he found, along with a noble title and the governorship of any lands he should encounter. In the 15th century, Spain was a new country, and had newly been admitted into the family of Europe. They had not even joined to any great extent in the commerce of Europe. For of all the countries of Western Europe, they were in the least advantageous position for trade. At that time, all trades was with the East through the Mediterranean route. With ports near the center of this route with good water-ways and roads behind them, Genoa and Venice grew into wealthy and powerful merchant republics. While Spain was at the west end of the route, with water-ways short and of little use commercially, shared little in its commerce. To avoid the influence of the Mediterranean route and expand Christianity to the world, Spain needed to find another route to the East, and Christopher Columbus was their solution to find their chance. Christopher Columbus wasnt the first person who discovered the Americas, the New World, but he was the first person who connected and created an exchange bridge between the Old World and the New World. The two worlds transferred their culture and biological organisms and became a homogeneous world. Plants was one of the important factor to involved in the Columbian Exchange changed both the economy and the culture of the New and Old Worlds. There was an abundance of new plants discovered in the Americas (including beans, squash, chili peppers, sunflowers, chenopods, peanuts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, manioc, avocado, pineapple, and cacao), but the two most important were the potato and maize. In addition to discovering New World plants, many plants were brought from the Old World to become hugely successful in the Americas. Among these plant, the most prevalent was sugarcane. The difference between the animals on the two worlds was huge. The natives only had a few animal servants. They had the dog, two kinds of South American Camels, the guinea pig, and several kinds of fowls. Before the Columbian Exchange, the natives had no beast of burden and did their hard labor entirely on their own. On Columbuss second voyage in 1493, he brought horses, dogs, pigs, cattle, chickens, sheep, and goats. When he brought the new animals across the ocean, it introduced a whole new transportation, a new labor form, and a new food source. Also, there was an exchange from the New World to the Old World. Columbus brought back turkeys, llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs to Europe. These animals did

Biology †Characteristics of Life and Principles

Biology - Characteristics of Life and Principles What is biology? Simply put, it is the study of life, in all of its grandeur. Biology concerns all life forms, from the very small algae to the very large elephant. But how do we know if something is living? For example,  is a virus alive or dead? To answer these questions, biologists have created a set of criteria called the characteristics of life.   The Characteristics of Life Living things include both the visible world of animals, plants, and fungi as well as the invisible world of bacteria and viruses. On a basic level, we can say that life is ordered. Organisms have an enormously complex organization. Were all familiar with the intricate systems of the basic unit of life, the cell. Life can work. No, this doesnt mean all animals are qualified for a job. It means that living creatures can take in energy from the environment. This energy, in the form of food, is transformed to maintain metabolic processes and for survival. Life grows and develops. This means more than just replicating or getting larger in size. Living organisms also have the ability to rebuild and repair themselves when injured. Life can reproduce. Have you ever seen dirt reproduce? I dont think so. Life can only come from other living creatures. Life can respond. Think about the last time you accidentally stubbed your toe. Almost instantly, you flinched back in pain. Life is characterized by this response to stimuli. Finally, life can adapt and respond to the demands placed on it by the environment. There are three basic types of adaptations that can occur in higher organisms. Reversible changes occur as a response to changes in the environment. Lets say you live near sea level and you travel to a mountainous area. You may begin to experience difficulty breathing and an increase in heart rate as a result of the change in altitude. These symptoms go away when you go back down to sea level.Somatic changes occur as a result of prolonged changes in the environment. Using the previous example, if you were to stay in the mountainous area for a long time, you would notice that your heart rate would begin to slow down and you would begin to breath normally. Somatic changes are also reversible.The final type of adaptation is called genotypic (caused by genetic mutation). These changes take place within the genetic makeup of the organism and are not reversible. An example would be the development of resistance to pesticides by insects and spiders. In summary, life is organized, works, grows, reproduces, responds to stimuli and adapts. These characteristics form the basis of the study of biology. Basic Principles of Biology The foundation of biology as it exists today is based on five basic principles. They are the cell theory, gene theory, evolution, homeostasis, and laws of thermodynamics. Cell Theory: all living organisms are composed of cells. The cell is the basic unit of life.Gene Theory: traits are inherited through gene transmission. Genes are located on chromosomes and consist of DNA.Evolution: any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable.Homeostasis: ability to maintain a constant internal environment in response to environmental changes.Thermodynamics: energy is constant and energy transformation is not completely efficient. Subdiciplines of BiologyThe field of biology is very broad in scope and can be divided into several disciplines. In the most general sense, these disciplines are categorized based on the type of organism studied. For example,  zoology deals with animal studies, botany deals with plant studies, and microbiology is the study of microorganisms. These fields of study can be broken down further into several specialized sub-disciplines. Some of which include anatomy, cell biology, genetics, and physiology.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 335

Assignment Example Vaccination also reduces the probability of hospitalization or death from flu. Vaccination of pregnant mother protects them and their unborn children even after birth from flu related illness (CDC 1). For those working health facilities, vaccination is important to keep them healthy since they get into contact with patients who might be infected. Flu vaccine is a vaccine formed from killed influenza virus to induce immune response against influenza virus infections. A vaccine can provide protection against more than one strain of virus. A flu vaccine cannot cause an infection but might have minor side effect that do not last for long periods. Yes, I have had a flu shot before. With every season of flu infection outbreak, I have to protect everyone around me and myself from getting ill. Understanding effectiveness of the flu shot and presence of varying strains of flu virus has played part in influence to receive the flu

Business Week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Week 2 - Essay Example There is no use for a research problem that cannot be done. Precision in words used is at the core of a good research statement, with the problem being expressed in the initial few words. Editing of writing includes careful choice of words, clarity of expression, expression of thoughts in full with minimal word use, use of a thesaurus, maintaining short sentences, and rewriting as often as required with alertness for modification. (1). The first additional benefit that a thorough is that it boosts confidence through several factors. These factors include enhanced knowledge on the subject and the understanding that there have been others who have demonstrated interest in the topic by the investment of time, effort and resources in studying it. Another benefit is that it reveals sources of data that may not have crossed the mind. An example of this is that in going through articles on the subject the literary references provide additional sources that may not have been considered. Among the difficult areas of a research are the methodological and design issues. A third benefit of a thorough review of existing literature is that the manner in which similar studies handled these issues could be the means to resolving methodical and design issues. 3. Sometimes students believe that taking the time to prepare a complete and carefully designed research proposal is something to be preached, but not really practiced. Identify at least two different problems related to research design that are commonly encountered when doing research. For each problem, explain how a complete and detailed research proposal would help the researcher avoid the problem? Employing improper data collection tools and the lack of application to ethical issues are two commonly occurring problems related to research design. There are several data collection tools like questionnaires, interviews, and the like,

Visual Effects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Visual Effects - Assignment Example The principles of the visualization illustrate content focus. The visualization concentrates on illustrating how HAI is contracted. Data visualization 02 is studied through the common dash board mistakes of Stephen Few. The data arrangement is poor (Edward 93). This is because four bar graphs and one pie chart are squeezed in one slide page. This minimizes visual clarity. There is also poorly highlighting of the most important information. This is because a lot of information is illustrated in a single page, leading to confusion. Data visualization 03 is analyzed through the excel dashboards. Excel enables effective illustrating of statistical data through graphs, tables and charts (Edward 36). The top hashtags and top mentions are summarized accordingly through the bar graphs. However, illustrating a lot of visual information in one page is not desirable, as it may confuse the audience. The dog images are illustrated through the analytical designs principles. The two dog images illustrate a dog in a jumping motion. The first image illustrates the dog jumping into a water body. The second image shows the impact that the do has on the water surface due to the jumping

Business Strategy Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Strategy Assignment - Essay Example Since then has undertaken a management course at Edinburgh Business School and tried to implement a number of organisational changes which could motivate his employees to perform better and add to the profitability of the agency. Kenneth tried to apply his learning from the MBA course to implement the transformational leadership style in ASL through different means and making radical changes through the introduction of many new policies. However, most of the new policies introduced by Kenneth did not prove to be fruitful for the agency and a number of issues were found to have crept up as a result of such initiatives taken up by Kenneth. This study entails analysing these issues and problems associated with ASL. Different recommendations have also been made in this study, which can help Kenneth in transforming the fortunes of ASL. This study would try to provide various alternative solutions to eradicate the existing problems faced by the organisation, and help it to increase its pro ductivity and perform better in the forthcoming years. Problem Identification and Analysis The analysis of various issues concerning ASL has been discussed in this section. Most of the issues are related to each of the new policies that have been introduced by Kenneth. First of all, he introduced a mission statement for the organisation. It stated that, â€Å"Our aim at Always Spot-Less is to be the preferred supplier to both our existing and future clientele. We will strive to achieve this by providing an exemplary service, attention to detail, competitive pricing and undertake that we can achieve excellent value whilst maintaining the highest standard in this industry. We will value and listen to our customers.† This mission statement was introduced by Kenneth with the objective of driving all the employees of the organisation towards working for a unified goal or objective. The mission statement of a company mainly highlights the purpose and what it intends to accomplish i n the forthcoming future (M3 Planning, 2008, p. 1). Developing a good mission statement and making it work for the company requires a good understanding of the organisational values and identifying concrete objectives for the company (Talbot, 2003). However, this mission statement is too complex and the organisational purpose is not clear. Moreover, the objectives of the company have also not been identified clearly. The Theory Y management style was introduced by Kenneth for his cleaners. The two factor theory was introduced by Douglas McGregor. This theory is on the basis of two views of X assumption and Y assumption. X assumption are conservative and Y assumption are modern in style (Hollyforde and Whiddett, 2002, p. 144). Implementing Theory Y in the organisation meant that the organisational staff in ASL were no longer being supervised by Kenneth. He thought that this might self-motivate the cleaners of ASL. However, it did not work and the workers of ASL were found to be poor decision makers and they were more concerned about earning money for themselves rather than thinking about achieving the organisational goals or objectives. Next, Kenneth also arranged for weekly meetings for all his staff to discuss the finances and latest developments at ASL. This was done with the motive of making the

Supporting childrens learning through the curriculum Essay

Supporting childrens learning through the curriculum - Essay Example at many years ago, leaders upholding the significance of education professed that its takes a universe to make a child and a community to educate them. Heaving context from this agenda, leaders of educational institutions weave collaborative partnership with governments, civil society, parents and of the community as multi-stakeholders in upholding the right of children for quality education. This is because much of a nation’s future rest on the children of today. Thus, by assuming accountability for academic excellence and effective integrated services for children, stakeholders must therefore capture a single comprehensive practice for children’s education and other related interventions that could motivate them to continually attend schools. Miller, Cable, and Goodliff (2009) posit that this millennium will be the most complex and challenging epoch of their profession amid interrelated changes within the social, political, technological, employment patterns, and the impacts of these to school children (p. 1). Due to this, governments are propelled to develop framework and programs to ascertain that needs, problems, and challenges are met adequately. Britain, for instance, established Foundation Stage for early education with integrated plans as schools remodel its system into an Excellence Centers; development of family-friendly workplaces; introduction of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership; and development of Sure Mart for children beneath four years old (Miller et al., 2009, p. 2). Britain has also developed Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England inclusive of vocational, occupational and higher level qualifications (Miller et al., 2009, p. 2; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 1999). A ccreditations were undertaken under this framework. These demand new roles, accountabilities and opportunities for practitioners taking care for early child education which is prominently tagged by professionals as the most gendered job

Why Offenders Abuse Children Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why Offenders Abuse Children - Assignment Example Incest abuse should be punished more severely than stranger abuse. This is in part because of the effects of incest on the victim and the biological facts behind incest. Since the offender is usually close to the victim, the victim might experience frequent and greater trauma since the reminder is always close. Incest also leads to lack of trust on family members causing a rift in the family. Incestuous abuse usually last for a long period causing more stress and damage than a stranger case would have done. In most cases, the perpetrators use threats to prevent the victims from disclosing the abuse. This usually adds to the trauma since the victim keeps the traumatic experiences to themselves, which according to therapists does not help a traumatic situation but makes it worse.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Child sexual abuse is a complex issue especially when attempting to determine why adults engage in sexual activities with young children. Although there does not exist a clear or a distinct answer to this question, such acts may be committed under two major grounds that include psychological forces and social structure. With regard to psychological forces, the attacker may be motivated by emotional congruence, blockage or sexual arousal. Emotional congruence incorporates satisfying an emotional need by relating sexually to the child. Sexual arousal takes place when the subject child becomes the source of sexual satisfaction. Additionally, blockage may take place when other alternative sources of sexual gratification are unavailable.

Supporting childrens learning through the curriculum Essay

Supporting childrens learning through the curriculum - Essay Example at many years ago, leaders upholding the significance of education professed that its takes a universe to make a child and a community to educate them. Heaving context from this agenda, leaders of educational institutions weave collaborative partnership with governments, civil society, parents and of the community as multi-stakeholders in upholding the right of children for quality education. This is because much of a nation’s future rest on the children of today. Thus, by assuming accountability for academic excellence and effective integrated services for children, stakeholders must therefore capture a single comprehensive practice for children’s education and other related interventions that could motivate them to continually attend schools. Miller, Cable, and Goodliff (2009) posit that this millennium will be the most complex and challenging epoch of their profession amid interrelated changes within the social, political, technological, employment patterns, and the impacts of these to school children (p. 1). Due to this, governments are propelled to develop framework and programs to ascertain that needs, problems, and challenges are met adequately. Britain, for instance, established Foundation Stage for early education with integrated plans as schools remodel its system into an Excellence Centers; development of family-friendly workplaces; introduction of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership; and development of Sure Mart for children beneath four years old (Miller et al., 2009, p. 2). Britain has also developed Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England inclusive of vocational, occupational and higher level qualifications (Miller et al., 2009, p. 2; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 1999). A ccreditations were undertaken under this framework. These demand new roles, accountabilities and opportunities for practitioners taking care for early child education which is prominently tagged by professionals as the most gendered job