Monday, September 30, 2019

King Creon from Antigone Is a Tyrant

Amy Lin Mr. Lieu English 1 H 7 December 2012 The Tyrant of Thebes Henry VIII of England was infamous for executing people who contested his views. He was a ruthless ruler and most of his citizens were compliant to him due to consternation. In Antigone, a play written by Sophocles, the actions of King Creon are closely akin to Henry VII of England. King Creon declares a decree that prohibits the burial of his nephew, Polynices, because Polynices had betrayed the city of Thebes and started a rebellion. Creon is enraged when his niece, Antigone, defies his decree and sentences her to death by entombment.Creon is tyrannical, selfish, and stubborn in the ways that he commits double blasphemy by letting Polynices body decompose unburied and cruelly entombing Antigone alive. As a king, Creon is inarguably tyrannical. When he persecutes Antigone, she boldly points out, â€Å"lucky tyrants—the perquisites of power! Ruthless power to do and say whatever pleases them. † She makes it clear that Creon is abusive of his authoritative powers. In addition, Creon refuses to submit to reason. His son, Haemon, shares the perspectives of Thebe’s citizens with him and reminds him that Thebes is â€Å"no city at all, owned by one man alone. Creon dismisses the wise reminders of his son by bluntly declaring, â€Å"the city is the king’s! That’s the law! † When Haemon attempts to use reason and elaborate on the moral reasons as to why Antigone defied Creon’s decree, Creon refuses to accept them simply because of his hubris. In fact, Creon realizes Antigone’s obligations of honoring her brother, yet he cries, â€Å"I’m not about to prove myself as a liar, no not to my people, I’m going to kill her! † Creon is a ruthless tyrant who does not scruple to destroy anyone who gets in the ways of his tyrannical rule and reputation over Thebes.As a father, Creon is undeniably selfish. He does not consider his son†™s feelings or the possibility that his ruthless actions may affect his son’s life. Creon is well aware of the fact that Haemon is in love with Antigone, and yearns to marry her. Yet, he still sends Antigone to a cave and entombs her to death, which is unquestionably a cruel and painful way for her to die. After Creon sends Antigone to death, he assumes that â€Å"there are other fields for [Haemon] to plow. † His selfishness as a father causes Haemon to hate him and attempt to kill him before committing suicide.Creon ignored the plead of Haemon for the bride he yearned for and firmly stated, â€Å"you will never marry her, not while she’s alive†. In a sense, Creon encouraged his son to kill himself because he told him to give up loving Antigone while she is alive. The death of Haemon was only expected. Haemon grew disgusted by his father’s selfish and narcissistic thinking. As well as being selfish, Creon is also stubborn and refuses to show emp athy in his niece’s endeavors. He fails to consider the well-being of anyone other than himself and his reputation as a ruler.Even when he is presented with reason, Creon does not hesitate to withdraw his cruel decision of sentencing his niece, Antigone, to death. When Antigone attempts to explain her obligations of burying Polynices, Creon refuses to alter his cruel sentencing simply because of Antigone’s gender in society. When the citizens of Thebes discuss that Antigone should not die, Creon firmly states, â€Å"better to fall from power, if fall we must, at the hands of a man—never be rated inferior to a woman. † King Creon does not care about the opinions of his subjects, nor his niece.He only rules to uphold his own opinions that only the opinions of people that conveniently accommodate his pride. Furthermore, he threatens to punish his sentry for bringing unfavorable news to him. Although the sentry did not commit a crime, or act immorally, Creon tells his sentry that he will send him to death. Clearly, Creon does not care about justice, and is content as long as he has someone to blame. King Creon of Thebes is closely akin to the tyrannical King Henry VIII of England in the way of being ruthless tyrants. Both tyrants assigned their subjects to agonizing deaths for holding values differing from their own.Creon was unquestionably immoral to his subjects, son, and his niece. Yet, he was in complete denial of the fact while he still had time to redeem himself. Furthermore, Creon claimed to be religious, yet, he completed double blasphemy by allowing his nephew rot in the city he was once proud of, as well as sending his niece to a slow and excruciating death of entombment. Not only did Creon ruin the reputation that he yearned for, he initiated his own downfall by condemning anyone who he perceived might tarnish his reputation as well as anyone who did not share his views.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Needs Assessment

The Merchants of Cool is a documentary about researchers and marketers exploring out into the society to see what is popular or cool in the latest trends within teenagers. These people would spend days going around the streets, malls, and even schools to find out what is the next big thing that will give them the attention from people. They would have the teenagers participate in surveys and studies while analyzing them thoroughly to portray the founded characteristics into the media. These marketers realized that teenagers are actually portraying themselves to the media so the media would then reveal it back to the teenagers, which teenagers then sees it and portrays them that way. The only disadvantage of that was once the marketer reveals what is cool to the world, they would have to go on the radar and find out what is the next thing that is cool. We live in a culture, a consumer culture to be specific where we are driven to buy things, especially teenagers, which is fueled by corporate motivation to annual grow profits. There was a teenager in the video and she stated that no matter where she goes, she must always get ready to look nice before she leaves the house. As mentioned earlier, sometimes the media depicts things that will cause teenagers to feel like they are not good enough, thin enough, or pretty enough and the negative thoughts build up. Although this video was made about twelve years ago, teenagers are still the same as today. Teenagers should not have look into the media or advertisement to find out what they want or how are they supposed to be. Each individual is different with a unique mind so every teenager should act and be like however they want. Teenagers just needs to understand that the cool hunters are just being paid to find people who they think are cool to ask questions and find answers, which advertisers and producers will then use this cool information to sell more products. Needs Assessment In the needs assessment process, the broadest possible set of people who are affected should be included. The list will include students, professors, and school personnel from academic institutions from those who are implementing semesters and trimesters. The views of these people will then be used to assess the debate between these two schedules of academic year and also assess the feasibility of this study. Just like the story of the six blind men and the elephant, different people recognize different pieces of the puzzle but when taken together, these views will contribute to a holistic understanding of this debate.The breadth of experiences and viewpoints will enrich the understanding of the problems that exist in the organization. Likewise, the ideas that will be generated will shed light about other dimensions of this debate that might not have been highlighted before.A combination of research tools and strategies will be utilized in order to get the views of these people as ef fectively as possible. A preliminary understanding of the problems facing the organization is called for. As such, content analysis of what have been written before may be undertaken to arrive at a summary of discussions and arguments. This will aid in the creation of a questionnaire and writing of interview questions.Using questionnaire is more time efficient since more people will be reached and if closed questions are utilized, then the analysis will be easier. However, open-ended questions yield more varied insights and responses although they are more difficult to quantify and analyze (Gall, Borg & Gall, 2002). Interviews, on the other hand, yield what Stringer (2003) called epiphanies and illuminative experiences. Interviews are also very personal and will dig the personal views and attitudes of the respondents regarding their preference in the debate and the various reasons behind these preferences. ReferenceGall, M., Borg, W., and Gall, J. (2002). Educational Research: An In troduction (7th ed.). Pearson, Allyn, & Bacon.Stringer, E. (2003). Action Research in Education (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Needs Assessment The Merchants of Cool is a documentary about researchers and marketers exploring out into the society to see what is popular or cool in the latest trends within teenagers. These people would spend days going around the streets, malls, and even schools to find out what is the next big thing that will give them the attention from people. They would have the teenagers participate in surveys and studies while analyzing them thoroughly to portray the founded characteristics into the media. These marketers realized that teenagers are actually portraying themselves to the media so the media would then reveal it back to the teenagers, which teenagers then sees it and portrays them that way. The only disadvantage of that was once the marketer reveals what is cool to the world, they would have to go on the radar and find out what is the next thing that is cool. We live in a culture, a consumer culture to be specific where we are driven to buy things, especially teenagers, which is fueled by corporate motivation to annual grow profits. There was a teenager in the video and she stated that no matter where she goes, she must always get ready to look nice before she leaves the house. As mentioned earlier, sometimes the media depicts things that will cause teenagers to feel like they are not good enough, thin enough, or pretty enough and the negative thoughts build up. Although this video was made about twelve years ago, teenagers are still the same as today. Teenagers should not have look into the media or advertisement to find out what they want or how are they supposed to be. Each individual is different with a unique mind so every teenager should act and be like however they want. Teenagers just needs to understand that the cool hunters are just being paid to find people who they think are cool to ask questions and find answers, which advertisers and producers will then use this cool information to sell more products.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Developing leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing leadership - Essay Example With the field of information technology changing rapidly, it is going to necessitate organizations to increase their reliance in technology in the future. This can be done through strategy although it is clear that the changing technologies shall compel organizations to change. Organizations have to invest in cutting edge technology for them to remain relevant. Organizational analysts have been using their domain knowledge to develop business models (Hesselbein & Goldsmith 2009). These models are made up of individual, departmental tasks. With growing information technology, architects shall be forced to assemble services and use workflow to automate executions at a faster rate in the coming years. The current trends show that resultant businesses in organizations shall be automated to a large extent. All the organizational employees and workers shall be compelled to use common vocabulary to collaborate and describe most of the organizational processes due to the impact of the comin g technologies. Forecast shows that it shall be a vital requirement for organizational workers to have more than the basic information technology skills (Yadav & Prabhu 2007). Going by the current trend, it shall be decisive for employees to have professional information technology skills in their own organizational portfolios (Rasmus & Salkowitz 2009). The chief executive offices have to use specialized software, which is customized, for the organization and equipped to monitor all the processes in the organizations. Information technology experts shall have to dwell much on developing software and hardware that can deliver (Prasad 2010). They shall also be involved in monitoring various aspects of the functionality of their product once it is deployed. The information technology firms shall be interested in improving these installations (Rasmus & Salkowitz 2009). Organizational processes shall need software and expertise for future survival. This shall constitute the concept of organizational proc esses management. Future corporate leaders: The leadership of organizations shall have to build on top of information technology basics. The future challenge of organizational leaders is to acknowledge that organizations will be run through linking individual, business tasks to develop a valuable product (Hesselbein & Goldsmith 2009). This will not necessarily take thousands of employees. It is likely that some future organizations shall outsource professional information technology services to improve quality and speed. Outsourcing is not a new concept in running of organizations (Buchen 2011). However, the need for specialized information technology skills to give multinationals a competitive advantage is set to rise. A telling example is sum sang group of companies. In South Korea, the elderly are adored according to corporate culture. However, the outgoing chief executive officer of Samsung group of companies has recommended a young successor. In a statement, he thought that, fo r the company to remain competitive in the dynamic market, it has to give room to leaders who are able to understand technology. Indeed age and gender prejudice has been associated with organizational leadership for decades (Chandna & Krishnan 2009). The youths have been kept out of leadership until the rise of the technological phenomenon. Organizations in the future shall have to depend on information techn

Friday, September 27, 2019

Public Health Leadership Intervention for Teen Dating Violence Research Paper

Public Health Leadership Intervention for Teen Dating Violence - Research Paper Example One particular rite of passage for this age group involves the social institution of dating. In such a setting, teenagers are alone and often vulnerable. As such, teen-dating violence has become a problem in many segments of society, and is also one that is commonly overlooked or ignored. Mayes (2008) contends that, â€Å"Teen dating violence is a common and often overlooked problem in schools† (p. 37). It is important, therefore, that public health professionals, including medical doctors and psychologists, understand the implications of this problem and work to take measures to provide adolescents with the tools and resources needed to minimize their chances of becoming a victim. While there is much work to be done in this area, many studies have been conducted that take an in-depth look at effective intervention strategies aimed at reducing teen dating violence. What follows is a review of various published material that examines just this. Problem Statement The problem is that the incidences of teen dating violence are on the increase and public health professionals are ill equipped to intervene and reduce the number of victims in their community. Review of Scholarly Literature It must be noted that violence amongst teenagers in a relationship is a common problem and is growing into a serious health concern. It is estimated that about 9% of adolescents experience some form of physical violence during a dating relationship every year (Jouriles, et. al, 2011, p. 302). This leads us to the conclusion that the rate might even be higher, as many communities under report such incidences. Violence that takes place in a dating relationship can be severe. The consequences are certainly evident in the short-term, but the long-term effects can be even more devastating. These consequences include, but are certainly not limited to, serious physical injuries, rape, and death. Studies have also shown that even playful innuendos, such as sexual coercion, undertaken by one partner in a relationship, can have disastrous long-term consequences on the victim and threaten their very psychological well-being. For these reasons alone, it is important for medical practitioners, and other concerned stakeholders, to understand the events that lead to teen-dating violence and to make it a societal goal to reduce such incidences. Dating violence is often condoned because one party believes that they deserved the action that was forced upon them. This is a type of victimization syndrome that has pervaded society for centuries. Maas, et. al., notes, â€Å"Teen dating violence is a prevalent form of youth violence that has gained increasing attention from researchers† (2010, p. 131). A further study of female students in the 9th-12th grades revealed that 20% were victims of physical or sexual abuse in dating relationships. This is alarming and indicates with near certainty that many cases are simply going unreported. Studies also show that more girls than boys are victims and that there are more cases of violent behavior in dating relationships in urban areas and in rural communities (Fredland, 2008, p. 95). Weisz and Black (2009) recently concluded a thorough examination of effective intervention strategies aimed at reducing the number of incidences of teen dating violence. During the course of their study, they discovered that teens are not likely to discuss dating

Thursday, September 26, 2019

-Select your favorite section in the orchestra (woodwinds, brass, Essay

-Select your favorite section in the orchestra (woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings) - Essay Example y with the players who are profoundly disposed to their craft with the wind and I love the practical aspect of the horns which in time have flexibly managed to create genres of passionate music. As such, the jazz, the soul, and even the reggae and ska would not have been able to do justice in their intended lyrical rhythms and peculiarity without the life and spirit of the horns or equivalent wind device. It is specifically notable to have recognized the art and sharp goodness of wind instrumentation upon listening to the songs â€Å"Nightbird† by Kalapana and the version of â€Å"Strangers in the Night† by E. Humperdinck as viewed at the London Palladium theatre. The woodwinds may be observed with spontaneity in portraying the necessary emotions drawn from these pieces that to the majority of the audience, they bear the impact of registering the essence and intensity of the stories conveyed to long-term

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Simulation of Address Resolution Protocol Dissertation

Simulation of Address Resolution Protocol - Dissertation Example HTYPE (Hardware Type). This is a 16-bit field defining the type of the network on which ARP is running. Each LAN has been assigned an integer based on its type. For example, Ethernet is given the type 1. ARP can be used on any physical network. PTYPE (Protocol Type). This is a 16-bit field defining the protocol. For example, the value of this field for the IPv4 protocol is 080016. ARP can be used with any higher-level protocol. HLEN (Hardware Length). This is an 8-bit field defining the length of the physical address in bytes. For example, for Ethernet, the value is 6. PLEN (Protocol Length). This is an 8-bit field defining the length of the logical address in bytes. For example, for the IPv4 protocol, the value is 4. OPER (Operation). This is a 16-bit field defining the type of packet. Two packet types are defined: 1 for ARP request and 2 for ARP reply. SHA (Sender Hardware Address). This is a variable-length field defining the physical address of the sender. For example. For Ethernet this field is 6 bytes long and contains the MAC address of sender. SPA (Sender Protocol Address). This is a variable-length field defining the logical (for example, IP) address of the sender. For the IP protocol, this field is 4 bytes long. THA (Target Hardware Address). This is a variable-length field defining the physical address of the target. For example, for Ethernet, this field is 6 bytes long. For an ARP request message, this field is all 0s because the sender does not know the physical address of the target.... ARP can be used with any higher-level protocol. HLEN (Hardware Length). This is an 8-bit field defining the length of the physical address in bytes. For example, for Ethernet, the value is 6. PLEN (Protocol Length). This is an 8-bit field defining the length of the logical address in bytes. For example, for the IPv4 protocol, the value is 4. OPER (Operation). This is a 16-bit field defining the type of packet. Two packet types are defined: 1 for ARP request and 2 for ARP reply. SHA (Sender Hardware Address). This is a variable-length field defining the physical address of the sender. For example. For Ethernet this field is 6 bytes long and contains the MAC address of sender. SPA (Sender Protocol Address). This is a variable-length field defining the logical (for example, IP) address of the sender. For the IP protocol, this field is 4 bytes long. THA (Target Hardware Address). This is a variable-length field defining the physical address of the target. For example, for Ethernet, this field is 6 bytes long. For an ARP request message, this field is all 0s because the sender does not know the physical address of the target. TPA (Target Protocol Address). This is a variable-length field defining the logical (for example, IP) address of the target. For the IPv4 protocol, this field is 4 bytes long. Encapsulation: An ARP packet is encapsulated directly into a data link frame. For example, an ARP packet is encapsulated in an Ethernet frame. Operation: Let us see how ARP functions on a typical internet. First, the steps involved have been described, then the four cases in which a host or router needs to use ARP have been discussed. STEPS INVOLVED. These are the steps involved in an ARP process: 1. The

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The West Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The West - Essay Example Most of the people who led this progress were religious Christians. This was the 15th century when huge developmental progress was driven by the Christian Europeans and this progress made the west dominate the world politically, economically, culturally and religiously. Conquering the Muslim regions in East and bringing Muslims’ technology to Europe was the biggest reason for development in west. These crusades brought especially the medical knowledge and technology into Europe which was initially the expertise of the Muslims. Aristotle and Plato were leading scientists of that era. The devastation of Baghdad in 1258 AD; the Naval Crusade and the atrocious slavery of West Africans; the attacks on Cape Bojador; the invasion of Christian armies in Spain; and, the collapse of Granada led to the downfall of the Islamic civilization which handed over its best discoveries and scientific knowledge to the west. Royal marriages linking Spain and Hapsburg in 1500; Spain becoming a globa l Christian empire; the demolition of Al-Andulus; a following Crusade against Ceduta, a Muslim trading center, in 1415; the motivation given to the Portuguese by the Church to fight against the Muslims; the Crusades of Vasco da gama in 1500s to conquer Africa and India; the creation of a New Order, Protestantism, by the Church, which made the Protestant countries displace Catholic Spain and Portugal; all of these were a chain of events leading to the dominance of the west. Europeans brought the gunpowder technology in from the Mongols and utilized it in the creation of weapons. What advantaged this were the modern trade routes of the west financed by capital owners- the Church and Jews. The development of weaponry in the west enabled it to conquer small countries and enlarge the kingdom. Western technologies and their incorporation in all countries quietly enabled the western culture and values to sneak into these

Monday, September 23, 2019

Answer at least 5 queations thoroughly Assignment

Answer at least 5 queations thoroughly - Assignment Example However, caution adherence is paramount when using the traits to measure origins because characteristics of men and women are different. Also, mixed ancestry may cause complications. Metric traits are sex and age discriminatory while non-metric traits are mainly age discriminatory. Conclusively non-metric traits appear to be less discriminative and are more applicable. Apes have no tails; they are large and cumbersome; the body posture is upright, and the ratio of their brains to their body is bigger than the monkeys. Monkeys have tails, smaller body sizes with relatively equal hind limbs and forelimbs order (Walker and Suzanne 178). Primate is in two groups the Prosimians and anthropoids (simians). Monkey and apes fall under simians. Primate sub-orders Strepsirrhini, (wet-nosed primates), consisting of non-tarsier prosimians, and the suborder Haplorhini (dry-nosed primates), composed of tarsiers and the simians. Simians are sub-divided into catarrhine (narrow-nosed) and platyrrhine ("flat-nosed"). Catarrhine include great apes, baboons and macaques (old world monkey) while platyrrhine (New World monkeys) squirrel, howler and the capuchin. Monkeys and apes have certain similar features which they with the other primates, such features include climbing trees, movement skills like jumping from tree to tree. They all walk on two or four legs and swaying amid branches (Walker and Suzanne 226). The primates have only a pair of mammary glands, heterodyne dentition, and all have fingernails. Monkey and apes differ from other primates with their larger body sizes, condensed dependence on sense of smell, less specified color vision. They have a bony plate that forms back of the eye socket and merging two edges of maxilla at midline forms one bone. Finally, they have longer gestation and development stages. Primates have some common characteristics like

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Indian Middle Class And Shopping Essay Example for Free

Indian Middle Class And Shopping Essay For the current generation of consumers, the meaning of shopping has changed. It is not just a mere necessity, as it was earlier, but much more than that. The factors that affect store choice and draw customers to the shopping centre include space, ambience, and convenience and moreover an array of choice under one roof. The growth of integrated shopping malls, retail chains and multi-brand outlets is evidence of consumer behaviour being favourable to the growing organized segment of the business. Space, ambience and convenience are beginning to play an important role in drawing customers. Malls, which are now anchored by large outlets such as Westside and Lifestyle and are resided by a lot of Indian and international brands, are also being seen as image benchmarks for communities. Today retailing in India is done through a vast number of unorganized retailers with over 12 million retails outlets spread across the country in various sizes and formats. India has the largest retail density with 9 stores available for every 1000 people. The Indian retail industry is providing 8% of the countries employment with its vast distribution of retail stores across the country. The retailing in India is undergoing a gradual change as market conditions and technological developments combined with affluent, highly mobile and time starved consumers are playing an important role in the changes happening in the retail sector in India. Marketplaces in urban demographic settings attract large number of buyers and sellers, which can be termed as market thickness. Co-existence of many shopping malls along with traditional markets in a marketplace causes market congestion. The co-existence of street markets and the rise of shopping malls have been major trends of retailing in developing countries for decades. However, the increasing emphasis on growing cities with contemporary marketplaces have induced shift of agglomeration format (AF) from a marketing perspective, including the consumer preferences on routes to market. There are some generic similarities and conceptual differences between street markets and shopping malls. The AF-specific characteristics perceived by consumers lead to the change in consumer behavior towards markets preferences for shopping. In centrally managed and enclosed shopping centers in the retailing sector, eight underlying factors of varying character that drive customer satisfaction are selection of market outlet, atmosphere, convenience, sales people, refreshments, location, promotional activities and merchandising policy. FACTORS THAT AFFECT / INFLUENCE CONSUMERS BEHAVIOUR TO BUY IN MALLS. A person is likely to be influenced in making his/ her purchase decisions if he/ she is accompanied by another individual while making a shopping trip. There are many factors that play a vital role in consumers â€Å"decision making†. Some of the prominent among the factors are the image of the store, risk associated with the consumers in purchasing the product and the price perception of consumers on the store or about the product category. Store image contain by many elements like the stores opening and closing time, the availability. The risk factor plays an important role in making the decisions for the product that are new or untried by the consumers so far. Perceived risk is the expected negative utility associated with the purchase of a particular brand.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

My Understanding of Feminism Essay Example for Free

My Understanding of Feminism Essay My understanding of feminism has increased greatly due to the material and discussions in this course. When this course first started I had a small general idea of what feminism was. I always assumed it had to deal with womens rights and movement, mostly about the African-American movements. I had no idea that feminism tied into so many different subjects throughout history and even the present day. This course also had a broad overview with many different types of readings. The readings, along with the discussions generated a more in depth view n particular topics. Although I had a general knowledge of some of the topics, other topics were completely new to me and I found them very interesting. For example, the topic about the native settlers that were forced from their native land by the Europeans, specifically about the Beothuck people of Newfoundland. One unit that really sparked my interest was Unit 1 1: Advertising Culture and the Commodification of the body. I think that this unit was very intriguing, as I have always wondered bout how and why the media portrays women the way they do. This idea of Fat women has become such a profitable topic in the media. The article by Lisa Ayuso l look Fat in this portrayed an excellent view from women who often feel ashamed of their body because it is not the perfect body that is plastered all over the media. Another unit that I thoroughly enjoyed was Unit 8: Diasporas. I enjoyed reading other students posts on how they feel about Newfoundland culture and its traditional items. Many students registered in this course are from Newfoundland, so the shared culture among us with the different viewpoints, I found really interesting. This course has not changed my view or position on a particular issue. I have increased my knowledge and have broadened my views on many topics. One particular issue that came to a complete shock to me was about the forced sterilization of young black women. Especially about the doctor that tricked the mother into signing a waiver to do this to her daughters, I was in disbelief. Also, the trials and tribulations the young women had to go through to get an abortion. Abortion is still a sensitive topic today, but the views of it have changed a lot from the past. One thing that I dont quite understand is Liberalism. It has come up in many of the readings, but I still seem to fully understand exactly what it is. Can anyone elaborate more on this for me? But overall this course has provided me with a deeper insight about feminism. My Understanding of Feminism By SexyNewfle

Friday, September 20, 2019

The consumer pull demand in packaged milk

The consumer pull demand in packaged milk As the topic of the research is The consumer pull demand in (Packaged milk) industry so it involves an in depth study about the nature of the consumer, taste the consumer likes, preferences of the consumer, brand loyalty and many other characteristics related to the consumer and as well as to the product. According to this research topic the most suitable research type suppose to be used is Descriptive Research. This will help to determine the target market and segmentation done in the beverages (packaged milk) industry. Descriptive research is most commonly used and the basic reason for carrying out descriptive research is to identify the cause of something that is happening. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exist with respect to variable or condition in a situation The descriptive research will further help to conduct descriptive surveys to identify the characteristics of consumers who purchase soft drinks, for example mostly consumers tend to live in larger cities; buyers are mostly youngsters, housewives, working people and so on; it will help to determine the market potential; it will help to identify the extent of differences in the needs, perceptions and attitudes of the subgroups. 3.2 Research Hypothesis The following hypothesis will be formulated and tested by the researcher. Ho: The impact of advertising will not effect on consumer demand. H1: The impact of advertising will effect on consumer demand. Ho: Consumer preferences will not be checked about the type of milk they buy. H1: Consumer preferences will be checked about the type of milk they buy. Ho: The reason why customers will not discriminate among different brands H1: The reason why customers will discriminate among different brands. Ho: Extent of competitive forces in the market will not be checked. H1: Extent of competitive forces in the market will be checked. Ho: To analyze the consumer trends not in the market. H1: To analyze the consumer trends in the market. Ho: To monitor the extent to which consumer demand will not be affected by core features of product. H1: To monitor the extent to which consumer demand will be affected by core features of product. 3.4 Theoretical Framework Diagram The theoretical framework has been made with the help of the variables which are related to the consumer pull demand in beverages (soft drinks) industry. With the help of the variables it becomes easy to the study about the relationship between different factors affecting the consumer pull demand. PRICING Market skimming Market penetration Target market Brand image Product Diversity Brand Consumer Choice Convenience Attraction Brand Image Sales External Factors Social Cultural Economic Legal Religious Government Packaging Brand image Eye catching packaging Usage status Advertising Consumer perception Consumer preferences Brand image CONSUMER PULL CONSUMER PULL Distribution Availability Need satisfying Brand image Consumer Buying Power High household income. More than one earning member. Brand image. 3.4.1 Variable Reference List Dependent Variable Consumer pull demand Independent Variable Market stage Distribution Advertising Pricing. Product diversity. Packaging Consumer Buying Power Selective Distribution Core Product Need Satisfying Availability Consumer Perception Consumer Preference Market Penetration Marketing Skimming Target Market Demand Usage Status Brand Image Eye-catching Packaging. External Factors. Product diversity. 3.4.2 Theoretical Justifications of Variables In the framework each variable is related to the consumer pull demand and they show that how each of them affects consumer pull demand in the beverages (milk industry) industry. The variable used market stage effects the sales of milk (packaged milk) industry. Market stage helps to determine the market situation and consumer behaviors according to the changes in the market situations. Market stage includes to determine market life cycle, consumer behavior, product demand which includes that whether the demand is inelastic or elastic and these all end up to see the sales of the soft drinks industry. After doing survey on these all components of the market stage the sales can be maximized. The second variable used in the theoretical framework is distribution this also helps in maximizing the sales in the packaged milk industry. Its very important to make the product available to all the locations so that consumers may feel ease in buying the product. Distribution helps to make the product available and convenient. Distribution also includes giving the time and place advantages to the consumers so that they are able to purchase the product because through all these ways product will be placed at every shop and consumers will have a good image about the product. This will help to increase the sales of the packaged milk. Packaging is a very important aspect in increasing the sales of a product. The packaging of the packaged milk will help the company to gain brand visual and brand identity. For positioning a product good packaging is very essential. Packaging helps to attract the consumers towards the product and from packaging. The product is differentiated from other products. So packaging is considered to be an important element for increasing the sales in soft drinks industry. Advertising is also an important element for increasing the sales of a product. Advertising can be done above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL). Advertising can also be done through mediums such as television, radio, banners, billboards and newspapers. Advertising helps the product in gaining popularity. This will help to increase the sales. Pricing also helps for the success of the product. Pricing includes the strategies such as market skimming and market penetration. With the help of pricing it becomes easy to identify the target market and by this company can offer the prices which consumers are ready to pay. If the consumer finds the product reasonable so this is positive for the sales of the product. Product diversity plays an important role for gaining the increasing trend in the sales. Product diversity creates brand consumer choice and brand image, it also makes the consumers to get attracted towards the product. Consumers get variety in products so they dont get bore and they keep of buying new variety of products. External factors also increase the sales of the product. External factors include study on demographics, economic conditions, competition, social and cultural forces, technology and lastly the political and legal forces. In marketing external factors have a major influence on products marketing opportunities and activities. So the study of all related factors helps in increasing the sales in the soft drinks industry. 3.5.1 Examples The questions to be asked from the respondents would be based on their liking and what factors make them to buy their referred milk brand. Q1. Do you use packaged milk or loose milk? à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª If yes then why à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ªIf no then why - Q2. Which milk brand do you use? à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ªOlpers à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Good milk à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Nestle Milk Pak à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Haleeb à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª other please specify - Q.3. which packaged milk do you prefer but unable to purchase due to other factors like expensive, health issues etc? à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ªOlpers à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Good milk à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Nestle Milk Pak à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Haleeb à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª other please specify - Q.4. you use packaged milk for which purpose? à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Strong bones à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Calcium à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Diet conscious à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Other Q.5. you prefer to buy your particular milk brand forà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Disposal packaging à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Expensive packaging à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Attractive packaging à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Health hazards issues à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª other please specify - Q.6. How often do you buy milk? à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Daily à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Bulk buying à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Weekly à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ª Monthly 3.5.2 Population, Working population and Planned sample The population of whole Pakistan is targeted for this survey. Working population is Punjab and planned sample is Lahore. The survey is limited to Punjab and further its restricted to the city Lahore due to the time constraints. As study is confined to Lahore only, therefore, the results may not be generalized well in other cities. 3.5.3 Sample Size Consideration For this study questionnaire will be made to be filled by a total of 100 consumers, living in different locations in Lahore. 3.5.4 Choice of Sampling Technique This is cross sectional study, which will be conducted in a natural setting and it will be covering both descriptive research and as well as causal. It will be based on primary and secondary research. The level of investigation in this study will be focused on the collection of data about consumer preferences in packaged milk industry. In this research the sampling technique used will be probability. And further under probability the technique used will be convenience sampling technique. Convenience sampling is useful in obtaining large number of completed questionnaire quickly and economically and large number of respondents can be obtained quickly. 3.5.5 Field work and Respondents profile This is cross sectional study, which will be conducted in a natural setting and it will be covering both descriptive research and as well as causal. It will be based on primary and secondary research. The level of investigation in this study will be focused on the collection of data about consumer preferences in beverages (soft drinks) industry. The relevant data will be collected through a survey. For this purpose a questionnaire will be designed and distributed among consumers. The questionnaire will include information regarding consumers personal preference, brand loyalty, taste preferences and other factors that attract the consumer. The target population will comprise of both male and female customers but mainly targeted to household wives because they better understand the values and needs of their household members, specially children and youngsters and by making their choice a preference they can judge more easily what they actually want. Consumption of milk is common in every age. For this study the target population will comprise consumers living in different areas of Lahore Chapter 4: Estimates, Analysis and Conclusion 4.1 Estimated Results Hypothesis Ho: The impact of advertising will not effect on consumer demand. H1: The impact of advertising will effect on consumer demand. Analysis From my findings and analysis from questionnaire and pilot study it is estimated that advertising will not affect the consumer demand so, Ho is accepted. 4.2 Analysis of Findings The ratio I found from my analysis is that the maximum age group ranges from 18-25 and 25-35, means that mostly the age group is young and can analyze the factors which can affect the consumer demands. Percentage of age group (35-45) is 22.3%, which is somewhat lower than the age group ranges from 18-35. Age group of 45-55 has a percentage of 8.0%. For above 55 percentage was 5.45 which was comparatively lower than the previous ones. Monthly income of household ranges till 30%, Mostly consumers has a monthly income above 50,000. And then percentage for income 25000-50,000 is 23.3%, for 10,000-25000 consumers percentage was 16.1% which was relatively lower than the30%. Valid percentage I found is 30.4% which for the income group of above 50,000.When I analyzed the occupation for consumers the result collected are that students has a frequency of 15 and their percentage is 15.0% of 100. House wives was the major target market for me so it has a frequency of 60 and percentage I found ou t is 53.6%, and valid percentage for house wives is 60.0, and most of the consumers were self employed the percentage for self employed consumers is 18.8% and their frequency is 21. Another ratio is 3.6% which is for businessman out of 100.and the valid percentage is for housewives which is 60.Percentage for male is 26.8% and frequency is 31. As questionnaire was designed mainly to target the housewives because preference for packaged milk was required, so they have a percentage of 61.6% ad frequency for female is 69.Marital status for married men and women is 59.8% with a frequency of 67, whereas for unmarried it was 29.5% with a frequency of 33.When consumers were asked that either they used packaged milk or loose milk or both the greater percentage is for both, packaged milk and loose milk as well, packaged milk has a percentage of 42.9% and that for both the percentage it is 46.4%.and there is a very small percentage for only loose milk. Consumers prefer to use both packaged mil k and loose milk for different purpose and in different ways.For a milk brand consumers has a higher percentage of 33.9 for Nestle milk pack with a frequency of 38 which is higher than olpers which has a frequency of 28 with a percentage of 25.0% which means that consumers are still loyal to their particular milk brand they try a new product for once but as their taste is developed through out so they are satisfied with their particular milk brand, whereas Haleeb has a percentage of 16.1, Good milk has comparatively lower percentage of 2.7 and consumers has other preferences as well such as flavored milk other than plain milk , they have different choices for milk . Percentage for other milk is 10.7% which includes Nurpur, Nesvita , Nirala and Dairy Queen and flavored milk as well. Higher percentage for Nestle Milk pack shows that still after facing a very tough competition in market with Oplers Haleeb and other competitors Nestle Milk Pack still has its own stand in the market and consumers still prefer Nestle Milk Pack. After analyzing almost 37.5% of the consumers prefer to buy Nesvita, Dairy Queen, Nurpur and Nirala if they are unable to purchase their particular milk brand due to health hazards issues and expensiveness. Although 25 consumers prefer to buy Olpers, and 11.6 % from them has a preference of Good milk whereas Haleeb has a percentage of 10.7 as compare to other brands. Almost 28.6% of the consumers buy their particular Milk Brand for Stronger bones and 33 of them buy for the purpose of calcium which can make your bones and body strong and fit, 17 of them were diet conscious. Consumer prefer their particular milk brand for health hazards issues with a frequency of 48, to avoid bacterial effects which are included in loose milk, 8.9% of consumers prefer their milk brand for attractive packaging which attract them through TVC, Billboards, adds in news paper etc. although 4.5% of them are status conscious and they buy their particular milk brand fo r Expensive packaging. Almost 69.6% of the consumers would buy their particular brand if their brand is changed into uncommon shape and with new features etc, and 18 of them with a percentage of 16.1 would not like to buy it. There are consumers who strongly agree that demand of their particular milk brand is affected by the price cut and their percentage is 14.3 with a frequency of 16.and 47 of them agree with this statement, whereas 34 of them are neutral about their decision whether the demand of milk brand is affected by the price cut or not, 34 consumers agree that their demand of buying a particular milk brand is affected by advertisement, and 64 of them does not agree. Although advertisement of a milk brand is very important for promotion and convincing consumers and giving awareness about their brand, through advertisement consumers can make the mind of consumers to buy their brand, 41 consumers are brand loyal thats why they buy their particular milk brand with a percentage of 36.6, and 23.2% are attracted towards advertisement for the brand and they buy their particular milk brand by watching TV commercials and through different mediums. Consumers are also attracted towards a milk brand for their packaging and their percentage is 24.1. Consumers ranked their quality of milk brand with a percentage of 61.6 and frequency for average is 7.this means that they are satisfied with their milk brand. And for packaging consumers also have a high percentage of 36.6. For pricing consumer has a preference 34.8 being the highest and 7.1 as satisfactory. Availability of their particular milk brand is good as highest percentage is 42.0. While buying milk 52.7 give preference to whiteness of milk, 38.4% gives preference to thickness, where as 50.0% prefer taste of their milk brand before buying and 46.6% of consumers prefer to buy a milk brand which is easy to use. Most of the consumers buy milk daily as their percentage is 51.8 with a frequency of 58. Whereas 24.1% of them do bulk buying, and 15 consumers consume milk weekly .Preference of household member is calculated which is 48 those who frequently ask and 25.9% ask their household member rarely before buying a particular milk and 17.9% of them never asked before buying a milk brand, reason being that mostly questioners were filled by the housewives and they are aware of choice and preference of their household members. Highest percentage of consuming milk is 1 liter and consumption for more than  ½ and 1 liter is 50.9%.and consumers like to buy a milk brand from any well reputed departmental store and 36.6% of them buy their milk brand from near by shop. After analyzing packaged milk there are consumers those who use loose milk and they use loose milk for various purposes like tea, desert, drinking etc with a percentage of 25.9. Consumers those who loose milk over packaged milk has an issue of price as their percentage is 28.6, because price of loose milk is comparatively lower than th e packaged milk. And most of them use loose milk for availability purpose as well with a frequency of 14. 4.4 Limitation of the Study The study is limited by the following factors: The study is confined to Lahore only. Therefore, the results may not be generalized well in other cities. There are many other variables which affect consumer pull demand but will not be considered in this study. It is difficult to determine the precise sample size. The consumers may vary in their interpretation of question 4.5 Conclusion People consume milk in fresh dried and concentrated forms; in grocery stores most commonly sold product to consumers is liquid milk. All types of milk (pasteurized, sterilized, UHT, Packaged) or in bulk are required in a country or locality. New packaging system of milk is a popular and for practical purposes packaged milk powders. From my analysis and finings of questionnaire, pilot study and regression analysis I found out that 58.0% consumer consume milk, and widely used packaged milk is Nestle Milk Pack with a percentage of 33.9. People have different preferences and tastes and they consume milk according to them, consumers also use flavored milk for e.g. chocolate milk, Pakola etc but their percentage is low as compare to plain liquid milk. People living in well developed and posh areas of Lahore like Defence and Gulberg have more preferences of taking packaged milk, while people with lower income bracket prefer to take milk from milk-man. Biggest reason what I find is the exten t and the level of prevailing competitiveness in the milk industry. The marketing plans are of key importance in this regard. Consumers are attracted more to the good that is marketed well. There are many advantages of packaged milk, delicious, hygienic, Status symbol and prevailing prices are justified. Milk is one of the essential diets for every age, it helps building strong bones, and milk is loaded with eight essential vitamins and minerals which are very important and plays a vital role in a human body, and percentage of consumers those who buy milk for health hazards issues are 42.9, and 29.5% of consumers buy milk for disposal packaging, this shows that consumers are quite conscious about their health issues and at the same time they prefer to buy milk which can help them preventing from bacterial affects like cholera, malaria and Diarrhea etc. price but is not affected for consumers because they have to drink milk, and if prices are increased people cannot stop drinking mil k but they adjust accordingly. Although advertising do matters for consumers to know more about their product, and children are attracted towards the jingle that now-a days milk brands are using in their advertisements, because children are more attracted towards packaged milk than loose milk reason being the taste of the packaged milk is more tastier than loose milk packaged milk is healthy, and has no bacterial affects as compare to loose milk. References: Attitude and Usage Trend Study (AUTS). Chocolate Milk. Beverage Usage Attitudes among Consumers. May 2001. International Dairy Foods Association. Milk Facts. 2000 Edition. Washington, D.C.: International Dairy Foods Association. November 2000, p. 34. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration. Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21, Chapter 1, Part 131 (Milk and cream), Subpart B (Requirements for Specific Standardized Milk and Cream). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Revised as of April 1, 2000. Childrens Chocolate Milk Survey. Prepared for National Dairy Council by McDonald Research, Inc. May 1998. Tomashek, K.M., S. Nesby, K.S. Scanlon, et. al. Commentary: nutritional rickets in Georgia. Pediatrics 107(4), April 2001. e45. http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/ content/full/107/4 Kreiter, S.R., R.P. Schwartz, H.N. Kirkman, Jr., P.A. Charlton, A.S. Calikoglu, and M.L. Davenport. Nutritional rickets in African American breast-fed infants. J. Pediatr. 137: 153-157, 2000. Guthrie, H.A. Effect of a flavored milk option on a school lunch program. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 71: 35-40, 1997. Anderson, G.H. Sugars and health: a review. Nutr. Res. 17(9): 1485-1498, 1997. The American Dietetic Association. Position of The American Dietetic Association: use of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 98: 580-587, 1998. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 5th edition. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 232. Washington, D.C.: U. S. Government Printing Office, 2000. Guthrie, J.F., and J. F. Morton. Food sources of added sweeteners in the diets of Americans. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 100: 43-51, 2000. Washington State Dairy Council 1998, Revised National Dairy Council 2001. Think Your Drink. 2001. National Dairy Council. A protective effect of dairy foods in oral health. Dairy Council Digest 71(1): 1-6, 2000. http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/ NationalDairyCouncil/ Gibson, S., and S. Williams. Dental caries in pre-school children: associations with social class, toothbrushing habit, and consumption of sugars and sugar-containing foods. Caries Res. 33: 101-113, 1999. Bowen, W.H., and S.K. Pearson. Effect of milk on carcinogenesis. Caries Res. 27: 461-466, 1993. Dehkordi, N., D.R. Rao, A.P. Warren, and C.B. Chawan. Lactose malabsorption as influenced by chocolate milk, skim milk, sucrose, whole milk, and lactic cultures. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 95: 484-486, 1995 Andrew. M. Novakovic.(1995) Testimony of Fedral Dairy Policy, Cornell University Syracuse New York. Anthony Bennett, Frederic Lhoste, Jay crook and Joe Phetan.(2005) The Future of Small scale Dairying. David Zahn, LLC Windsor Road. E, North Heaven CT. Diana Beccue Brown, (1987) Consumer in Search of Value. FAO (1996) Milk and Milk products Marketing Milk Processing. Narvasana. Lewis. H. Haney, (1920). Integration in Marketing. Vol 10.No 3. (sep,1920),pp.528-545

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Politics of Jamaica :: Essays on Politics

The political and economic history of Jamaica is based upon its foundation as a slave colony. From the beginning, the colony was under Spanish rule that relied upon native slave laboring in the sugar fields. The first law to be implemented upon the island under Spanish rule was the Repartimiento, introduced by Governor Esquivel, the first governor of Jamaica. The law enabled colonists to apply for and receive special permission to use the natives for a period of time; forcing them into labors such as planting and logging (Bennett 70). Francisco de Garay, who became governor in 1514, enacted an other set of regulations called the Requermiento (The Requirement) (Bennett 70). This system was implemented with the basis that the colonists had to convert the natives to Christianity; Garay was hopeful that in doing so, the natives would â€Å"be tractable, properly maintained and live and greatly multiply† (Sherlock 70). The Jamaican natives and imported African slaves endured Spanish rule for 150 years until the invasion of the British in 1655. The fleet of Admiral Penn and the ground troops of General Venables were able to conquer the island fairly quickly; although there was several failed attempts by the Spanish to regain the land. A civil government was established in English Jamaica in 1663 which attracted settlers to the island (Bennett 84). Lord Windsor, who succeeded D’Oyley as governor in December 1661, implemented a proclamation that defined the â€Å"status of the settlers† (Bennett 86). The proclamation allowed settlers to benefit from generous land grants in Jamaica. Governor Windsor was the administrator of the island along with a council of twelve men; a House of Assembly with 30 or more elected representatives; and a local council of justices in each parish (Bennett 86). The ‘council of twelve’ was nominated by the Colonial Office in England based upon recommendations by the governor (Sherlock 86). This council later became the Upper House of the Legislature. This new government had the power to pass laws; all of which had to be approved by the Crown within two years of being passed (Bennett 87). The introduction of a Crown colony government in 1865 was a central change for Jamaica, as the power shifted from a white minority to Parliament in England (Bennett 375).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Abortion in context: What was the fate of an unwanted or orphaned child in the nineteenth century? :: Essays Papers

Abortion in context: What was the fate of an unwanted or orphaned child in the nineteenth century? For as much as has been written about the crime of abortion and infanticide, equally much as been said against forced maternity, marital rape, and woman’s lack of control over her own body, all circumstances resulting in unwanted pregnancy and unwanted children. Such circumstances all stemmed from unique family, social, or health issues, with no one cause resulting in the abandonment of a child. A lack of knowledge about both sanitation and about women’s health resulted in the deaths of mothers during birth. General poverty and migration from farms to city centers made large families more difficult to support financially. Giving up a child because it could not be economically supported by its family was a common occurrence. As abortion became more stigmatized and criminalized, children who were the product of rape or wedlock were also abandoned. Deaths related to the Civil War also dramatically increased the numbers of orphaned children. Within the pages of The Revoluti on, it is asked: â€Å"Women who are in the last stages of consumption, who know that their offspring must be puny, suffering, neglected orphans, are still compelled to submit to maternity, and dying in childbirth, are their husbands ever condemned? Oh, no!† (2) Stemming from models developed in Rome under Marcus Aurelius and Florence’s Innocenti, orphans were first nursed by peasant women, then adopted or apprenticed by the time they were seven or eight years old (Simpson 136). Care of the orphans (and also the sick, the poor, the elderly, and the mentally ill) was first the responsibility of the church, but with increased legislation, the responsibility gradually fell under the state (Simpson 137). Pennsylvania passed such a â€Å"poor law† in 1705, establishing an â€Å"Overseer of the Poor† for each township. Each overseer was responsible for finding funds for children and more commonly, for finding positions of servitude or apprenticeship (7). Such a model of short-term care followed by adoption, apprenticeship, or indentured servitude became the standard for dealing with orphaned children. The development of specific orphanages or child asylums, however, did not come until later in the nineteenth century. Orphaned children were first treated in almshouses, first established in Philadelphia in 1731 (7). Poorhouses, workhouses, and almshouses, all essentially the same institution, housed both adults and children without homes. Residents were seen as nearly free sources of labor, working in sweatshops or nearby mines in the case of several British poorhouses (5).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Nickel and Dimed: on (Not) Getting by in America

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America In the thought provoking novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores the life of low-wage workers in America’s society. While speaking with an editor one day, the question of poverty and how American’s survive off six and seven dollars an hour played in Ms. Ehrenreich’s mind. So as a journalist, Ehrenreich goes undercover working several minimum wage jobs and tries to survive off the earnings. Seeing and living the lives of these poverty-stricken workers, Ehrenreich learns that hard work doesn't always lead to success and advancement in today's society. This novel takes you on a journey, revealing the insights of how people strive to survive in America’s society working minimum wage jobs that do not suffice adequate funds to cover their needs and expenses. Ehrenreich begins her research in Key West, Florida. Her first task was to find a place to live. She opts out of her decision to leave in a convenient and affordable apartment for a five hundred dollar a month efficiency that is about forty-five minutes away from the employment opportunities Key West has to offer. Her next task was job searching. Ehrenreich applied for numerous jobs, and learns about the low-wage job application process. These job applications usually just involved several multiple-choice questions and a urine test. After not hear back from any of the jobs, Ehrenreich applies for a waitressing position at the diner â€Å"Hearthside,† (which is not the actual name as well as the names of associates she comes in contact with). Ehrenreich is offered the position of a waitress and is hired at Hearthside and works the night shift working from 2:00 in the evening until 10:00 at night for $2. 43 an hour, plus tips. If a person strives to make means off six and seven dollars an hour, surely $2. 43 is not sufficed, especially when customers do not like tip the waitress. During her time at Hearthside, Ehrenreich comes to despise management. She finds that while she must constantly find busy work to do, anything at all but being still, while her superiors are able to sit for hours. Management lacks the compassion for their employees and for their customers. They have only one concern in mind and that is make sure the restaurant makes money. I’ve personally experienced this on my job. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing else to do at work. Why? There is one simple answer; everything has already taken care of and much more. But, management will hassle you to keep busy even when there is nothing else to do. Once Ehrenreich gets a feel for the job, she begins interacting with her co-workers and learns of their poverty lifestyle. Her observation also revealed that most of the workers were minorities. Ehrenreich then begins to compiles a survey on the workers living arrangements: Gail, whom she becomes close to, shares a room with a roommate for $250 a week. Ehrenreich p. 24) Now if you access the situation and do a few calculations you can realize that Gail is strictly living paycheck to paycheck. Claude, a cook, lives in a two room apartment with his girlfriend and two other people. Others are paying to stay in hotels each night, some pay $170 dollars a week for a one person trailer, and others are living out their cars. Ehrenreich soon realizes that unless she wan ts to live out of her car she needs to find another job. She picks up a second waitressing job at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich comes to find out that Jerry’s is a ruin. The kitchens are a mess, the bathrooms are never adequately equipped, and there is no break room because breaks are hardly allowed. Ehrenreich is unable to juggle working at both the Hearthside and Jerry’s, so she leaves Hearthside so she can earn more money at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich is able to find a small trailer in a trailer park and moves closer to Key West. After a month of waitressing, Ehrenreich gets a housekeeping position in a hotel which pays $6. 10 an hour. Unfortunately Ehrenreich only lasts on the job for one day. After having a miserable days work at Jerry’s, Ehrenreich quits the job by simply walking out. Ehrenreich turns her trailer over to Gail and says goodbye to Key West. After departing Key West, Ehrenreich travels to two other states, Maine and Minnesota, in hope of finding better jobs as well as better pay. In the final chapter, Ehrenreich evaluates her observations and provides an overall study of her project and draws together her conclusions. She believes she has done a good job living under these certain circumstance. These observations open ones eye to how many people in the United States, not just the World, who are leaving in such poor conditions. An abundance of individuals do not realize the poverty that’s occurring at home (U. S. ). We usually think of third world countries (i. e. Africa). Volunteering my time at the community market has helped me realize how many people need assistance and who are leaving in conditions that are considered to most people as degrading. I know how hard it is to live of the earnings I make. My earnings approximate around nine dollars an hour and even with these ages it is hard to survive. You have startup costs, deposits, power bills, water bills, food, telephone bills, car notes, etc†¦ the list goes on and on. It is difficult to even live off of halfway decent wages yet alone minimum wages of six dollars an hour. Gas prices nowadays, are about two-thirds of the wage amount. I feel honored and privileged to be able to volunteer my time to such activ ities and organizations as the community market and the community garden. It gives me assurance that I can help make a difference in my community and society. I hope that more people would become aware of these activities and help contribute their time to help cease starvation and poverty in the world. Ehrenreich does an excellent job of revealing the inadequate wage conditions of society. Her plan was to reveal and understand the everyday life of low-income people, how they survive on a daily basis and find out what wage workers really go through. Most people don’t know what is next for them or what the next day has in store for them. But the final conclusion is that low-wage lifestyle is unfair and impractical. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Imagination and research are the two important tools for a successful writing assignment. Research can be academic as well as practical. If the author/authoress is willing to live through the life of the subject matter of the book, and possesses the writing skill, chances are that it becomes a great book. The ‘suffering’ of women in any segment of the society is always something special—discrimination on the basis of gender (sex) as they call it! The modern materialistic civilization, the industrial and internet revolutions have thrown up innovative subjects for a writer. Some comforts and luxuries apart, the total effect of this civilization on the inner world of an individual is devastating. The standard of living has improved at the cost of standard of life. In the present book, Barbara lives through several self-created miserable and tricky situations, just to know what does it to mean to live under such trials and tribulations! It was not necessary for her to put her personal comforts at stake. She is highly qualified and the adage, ‘curry for the night is worry for the morning, and tomorrow’s bread is not assured from today’s labor,’ is not applicable to her. Like a true seeker, she decided to get at the truth of the issue, by experiencing it. So, this is the book written by an ex-waitress in Florida, cleaning woman and a nursing home assistant in Maine, the one possessing the   Wal-Mart experience, the humiliation of the urine test and what not! Barbara’s jobs hunt†¦.Getting Ready: So, her experiments with the truth of job-hunting and eventually getting it begin. What happened after a series of rejections, which had nothing to do with her merit for the post applied for as such is a revelation! She writes, â€Å"My next stop is Winn-Dixie, the supermarket, which turns out to have a particularly onerous application process, featuring a twenty minute â€Å"interview† by computer since, apparently, no human on the premises is deemed capable of representing the corporate point     of view. †¦.the interview is multiple choices. Do I have anything, such as child care problems, that might make it hard for me to get to work on time? Do I think safety on the job is the responsibility of management? Then popping up cunningly out of the blue: How many dollars’ worth of stolen goods have I purchased in the last year? Would I turn in a fellow employee if I caught him stealing? Finally, â€Å"Are you an honest person?†(p.13, 14) Ehrenreich has absolute command over the scenes and situations she creates for her and her writing style takes you to the spot of confrontation. The description is so realistic.   You feel, as if you are part of the drama. The story is interesting from the beginning to the end, without intermission. One feels sorry about the working conditions and the environment, and the humiliation that one suffers at the foul-mouthed, arrogant bosses. When one thinks that a worker has to spend his entire service life in such uncertain, difficult conditions—it is mind-boggling! And the fact remains that millions are undergoing such onerous ordeal. Suffering has become the badge affixed on them! The book contains 6 crisp chapters, Introduction: Getting Ready, Serving in Florida, Scrubbing in Maine, Selling in Minnesota, Evaluation and A Reader’s Guide: In the final evaluation, she experiences the academician in her come to give opinion and judgment. She brings the issues like class conflict and power dynamics. She has come out with some startling revelations. According to her no job is truly â€Å"unskilled† Some of the jobs she did had tremendous physical demands, and could damage to health if performed continuously. Her heroic performances had no corresponding rewards, which mean exploitation of labor is the common practice. She writes, â€Å" then trick lies in figuring out how to budget your energy so there’ll be some left over for the next day†(p. 195).She also comes to the conclusion that multiple jobs is the actual necessity as one can no survive   with the returns of one job. She has no hesitation in saying that the labor class of the lower rungs, whether men or women, are constantly suspected for one reason or the other. The employment tests and questionnaires contained strange enquiries. Her behavior was monitored in Wal-Mart under repressive surveillance by the designated staff both men and women and they were looking for theft, drug abuse, sloth and the like in her. She describes the different hurdles she had to cross to make both the ends meet, and issues related to luxury were out of question. She found out by experience how, necessity is the mother of invention. There are two options to meet the situation. Either cut down your expenditure, or spend more and also increase your income. When increment was not possible due to so many constraints, some came out with innovative ideas. She saw some co-workers sleeping in cars, to avoid huge rents, and some report for duty, ignoring their suffering due to back pain, arthritis, etc. She studies both the stands: The labor force which believes that the Management is the permanent enemy and the Unions should be at permanent war with it! And the Management that thinks innovatively to subvert the well-meaning labor laws passed for the welfare of the workers. She cites an example, when minimum wages were increased, management increased her workload, though it cut her working hours—the net result was that her paycheck showed the same figure. She made sincere efforts to live on the wages she got—without using her skills as PhD, lecturer or as an author. She makes the observation of an economist and socialist when she says, â€Å"Something is wrong, very wrong, when a single person in good health, a person who in addition possesses a working car, can barely support herself by the sweat of her brow. You don't need a degree in economics to see that wages are too low and rents too high.† (p. 199). She marvels at the strange working of American democracy. She clearly sees the dictatorship in the workplaces as for workers. Working poor have no other alternative but to submit to the systematic disempowerment on one pretext or other by the Management. â€Å"Someday †¦ they are bound to tire of getting so little in return and to demand to be paid what they're worth. There'll be a lot of anger when that day comes, and strikes and disruption† (p. 221). Conclusion: As for the evaluation part of her book, her observations demand attention. As earlier said, what she has written is the experienced research. Her findings are lessons for the economist, the sociologist, the politician, the management and for the union leaders. Solutions to various problems can be worked out. What is required is an attitude of sacrifice and compassion for the sake of the welfare of the needy. That is achievable by the genuine change in the thought process of concerned individuals. When the thought process changes, the action process will also change, hopefully for the better! .             Nickel and Dimed: on (Not) Getting by in America Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America In the thought provoking novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores the life of low-wage workers in America’s society. While speaking with an editor one day, the question of poverty and how American’s survive off six and seven dollars an hour played in Ms. Ehrenreich’s mind. So as a journalist, Ehrenreich goes undercover working several minimum wage jobs and tries to survive off the earnings. Seeing and living the lives of these poverty-stricken workers, Ehrenreich learns that hard work doesn't always lead to success and advancement in today's society. This novel takes you on a journey, revealing the insights of how people strive to survive in America’s society working minimum wage jobs that do not suffice adequate funds to cover their needs and expenses. Ehrenreich begins her research in Key West, Florida. Her first task was to find a place to live. She opts out of her decision to leave in a convenient and affordable apartment for a five hundred dollar a month efficiency that is about forty-five minutes away from the employment opportunities Key West has to offer. Her next task was job searching. Ehrenreich applied for numerous jobs, and learns about the low-wage job application process. These job applications usually just involved several multiple-choice questions and a urine test. After not hear back from any of the jobs, Ehrenreich applies for a waitressing position at the diner â€Å"Hearthside,† (which is not the actual name as well as the names of associates she comes in contact with). Ehrenreich is offered the position of a waitress and is hired at Hearthside and works the night shift working from 2:00 in the evening until 10:00 at night for $2. 43 an hour, plus tips. If a person strives to make means off six and seven dollars an hour, surely $2. 43 is not sufficed, especially when customers do not like tip the waitress. During her time at Hearthside, Ehrenreich comes to despise management. She finds that while she must constantly find busy work to do, anything at all but being still, while her superiors are able to sit for hours. Management lacks the compassion for their employees and for their customers. They have only one concern in mind and that is make sure the restaurant makes money. I’ve personally experienced this on my job. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing else to do at work. Why? There is one simple answer; everything has already taken care of and much more. But, management will hassle you to keep busy even when there is nothing else to do. Once Ehrenreich gets a feel for the job, she begins interacting with her co-workers and learns of their poverty lifestyle. Her observation also revealed that most of the workers were minorities. Ehrenreich then begins to compiles a survey on the workers living arrangements: Gail, whom she becomes close to, shares a room with a roommate for $250 a week. Ehrenreich p. 24) Now if you access the situation and do a few calculations you can realize that Gail is strictly living paycheck to paycheck. Claude, a cook, lives in a two room apartment with his girlfriend and two other people. Others are paying to stay in hotels each night, some pay $170 dollars a week for a one person trailer, and others are living out their cars. Ehrenreich soon realizes that unless she wan ts to live out of her car she needs to find another job. She picks up a second waitressing job at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich comes to find out that Jerry’s is a ruin. The kitchens are a mess, the bathrooms are never adequately equipped, and there is no break room because breaks are hardly allowed. Ehrenreich is unable to juggle working at both the Hearthside and Jerry’s, so she leaves Hearthside so she can earn more money at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich is able to find a small trailer in a trailer park and moves closer to Key West. After a month of waitressing, Ehrenreich gets a housekeeping position in a hotel which pays $6. 10 an hour. Unfortunately Ehrenreich only lasts on the job for one day. After having a miserable days work at Jerry’s, Ehrenreich quits the job by simply walking out. Ehrenreich turns her trailer over to Gail and says goodbye to Key West. After departing Key West, Ehrenreich travels to two other states, Maine and Minnesota, in hope of finding better jobs as well as better pay. In the final chapter, Ehrenreich evaluates her observations and provides an overall study of her project and draws together her conclusions. She believes she has done a good job living under these certain circumstance. These observations open ones eye to how many people in the United States, not just the World, who are leaving in such poor conditions. An abundance of individuals do not realize the poverty that’s occurring at home (U. S. ). We usually think of third world countries (i. e. Africa). Volunteering my time at the community market has helped me realize how many people need assistance and who are leaving in conditions that are considered to most people as degrading. I know how hard it is to live of the earnings I make. My earnings approximate around nine dollars an hour and even with these ages it is hard to survive. You have startup costs, deposits, power bills, water bills, food, telephone bills, car notes, etc†¦ the list goes on and on. It is difficult to even live off of halfway decent wages yet alone minimum wages of six dollars an hour. Gas prices nowadays, are about two-thirds of the wage amount. I feel honored and privileged to be able to volunteer my time to such activ ities and organizations as the community market and the community garden. It gives me assurance that I can help make a difference in my community and society. I hope that more people would become aware of these activities and help contribute their time to help cease starvation and poverty in the world. Ehrenreich does an excellent job of revealing the inadequate wage conditions of society. Her plan was to reveal and understand the everyday life of low-income people, how they survive on a daily basis and find out what wage workers really go through. Most people don’t know what is next for them or what the next day has in store for them. But the final conclusion is that low-wage lifestyle is unfair and impractical. Nickel and Dimed: on (Not) Getting by in America Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America In the thought provoking novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores the life of low-wage workers in America’s society. While speaking with an editor one day, the question of poverty and how American’s survive off six and seven dollars an hour played in Ms. Ehrenreich’s mind. So as a journalist, Ehrenreich goes undercover working several minimum wage jobs and tries to survive off the earnings. Seeing and living the lives of these poverty-stricken workers, Ehrenreich learns that hard work doesn't always lead to success and advancement in today's society. This novel takes you on a journey, revealing the insights of how people strive to survive in America’s society working minimum wage jobs that do not suffice adequate funds to cover their needs and expenses. Ehrenreich begins her research in Key West, Florida. Her first task was to find a place to live. She opts out of her decision to leave in a convenient and affordable apartment for a five hundred dollar a month efficiency that is about forty-five minutes away from the employment opportunities Key West has to offer. Her next task was job searching. Ehrenreich applied for numerous jobs, and learns about the low-wage job application process. These job applications usually just involved several multiple-choice questions and a urine test. After not hear back from any of the jobs, Ehrenreich applies for a waitressing position at the diner â€Å"Hearthside,† (which is not the actual name as well as the names of associates she comes in contact with). Ehrenreich is offered the position of a waitress and is hired at Hearthside and works the night shift working from 2:00 in the evening until 10:00 at night for $2. 43 an hour, plus tips. If a person strives to make means off six and seven dollars an hour, surely $2. 43 is not sufficed, especially when customers do not like tip the waitress. During her time at Hearthside, Ehrenreich comes to despise management. She finds that while she must constantly find busy work to do, anything at all but being still, while her superiors are able to sit for hours. Management lacks the compassion for their employees and for their customers. They have only one concern in mind and that is make sure the restaurant makes money. I’ve personally experienced this on my job. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing else to do at work. Why? There is one simple answer; everything has already taken care of and much more. But, management will hassle you to keep busy even when there is nothing else to do. Once Ehrenreich gets a feel for the job, she begins interacting with her co-workers and learns of their poverty lifestyle. Her observation also revealed that most of the workers were minorities. Ehrenreich then begins to compiles a survey on the workers living arrangements: Gail, whom she becomes close to, shares a room with a roommate for $250 a week. Ehrenreich p. 24) Now if you access the situation and do a few calculations you can realize that Gail is strictly living paycheck to paycheck. Claude, a cook, lives in a two room apartment with his girlfriend and two other people. Others are paying to stay in hotels each night, some pay $170 dollars a week for a one person trailer, and others are living out their cars. Ehrenreich soon realizes that unless she wan ts to live out of her car she needs to find another job. She picks up a second waitressing job at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich comes to find out that Jerry’s is a ruin. The kitchens are a mess, the bathrooms are never adequately equipped, and there is no break room because breaks are hardly allowed. Ehrenreich is unable to juggle working at both the Hearthside and Jerry’s, so she leaves Hearthside so she can earn more money at Jerry’s. Ehrenreich is able to find a small trailer in a trailer park and moves closer to Key West. After a month of waitressing, Ehrenreich gets a housekeeping position in a hotel which pays $6. 10 an hour. Unfortunately Ehrenreich only lasts on the job for one day. After having a miserable days work at Jerry’s, Ehrenreich quits the job by simply walking out. Ehrenreich turns her trailer over to Gail and says goodbye to Key West. After departing Key West, Ehrenreich travels to two other states, Maine and Minnesota, in hope of finding better jobs as well as better pay. In the final chapter, Ehrenreich evaluates her observations and provides an overall study of her project and draws together her conclusions. She believes she has done a good job living under these certain circumstance. These observations open ones eye to how many people in the United States, not just the World, who are leaving in such poor conditions. An abundance of individuals do not realize the poverty that’s occurring at home (U. S. ). We usually think of third world countries (i. e. Africa). Volunteering my time at the community market has helped me realize how many people need assistance and who are leaving in conditions that are considered to most people as degrading. I know how hard it is to live of the earnings I make. My earnings approximate around nine dollars an hour and even with these ages it is hard to survive. You have startup costs, deposits, power bills, water bills, food, telephone bills, car notes, etc†¦ the list goes on and on. It is difficult to even live off of halfway decent wages yet alone minimum wages of six dollars an hour. Gas prices nowadays, are about two-thirds of the wage amount. I feel honored and privileged to be able to volunteer my time to such activ ities and organizations as the community market and the community garden. It gives me assurance that I can help make a difference in my community and society. I hope that more people would become aware of these activities and help contribute their time to help cease starvation and poverty in the world. Ehrenreich does an excellent job of revealing the inadequate wage conditions of society. Her plan was to reveal and understand the everyday life of low-income people, how they survive on a daily basis and find out what wage workers really go through. Most people don’t know what is next for them or what the next day has in store for them. But the final conclusion is that low-wage lifestyle is unfair and impractical.

Monday, September 16, 2019

How Does Steinbeck Present the Character of Curley’s Wife? Essay

Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife as dangerous as she has the power as she is married to the owner’s son and she is not afraid to exercise that power. But also she is a victim of loneliness as Curley is not that interested in her and she has to stay on the ranch doing nothing but wondering around looking for company. This makes Curley’s wife both guilty and innocent. Steinbeck uses candy to forewarn the reader about Curley’s wife in their first meeting, this is significant as it shows that Curley’s wife is interpreted as ‘jail bait’ as George says. The fact that George is pre-warned about this potential danger is ironic as despite the warning she is the problem that ends up getting Lennie killed. Steinbeck describes her physical appearance first, she is described as very sexually attractive and uses this to bait guys in. she uses her physical appearance as her main weapon, and in the end of the book Lennie gets in trouble because she tem pts him to stroke her soft hair. Steinbeck shows moments of her being overly cruel. She gets lonely and looks around for people to talk to but when she realises that the guys don’t want to talk to her she turns on crooks telling him that she can get him hanged because she would accuse him of rape. Steinbeck uses her talk with Lennie to make you sympathise with her. She talks about how she could have been in the pictures but she thought her mum threw away the letters about it and that how she is now stuck on a ranch were everyone ignores her and she is lonely. Steinbeck finishes by saying that she is a nice, good person but the only way she could get noticed was if she expressed her sexuality to the guys on the ranch, that’s the only way they would pay attention to her.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Analysis of a Poem “We wear the mask”

Amber Davis Professor Quirk Literature 101 February 28, 2013 We Wear the Mask The lyric poem â€Å"We wear the mask† by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem about the African American race, and how they had to conceal their unhappiness and anger from whites. This poem was written in 1895, which is around the era when slavery was abolished. Dunbar, living in this time period, was able to experience the gruesome effects of racism, hatred and prejudice against blacks at its worst.Using literary techniques such as: alliteration, metaphor, persona, cacophony, apostrophe and paradox, Paul Dunbar’s poem suggests blacks of his time wore masks of smiling faces to hide their true feelings. In the first stanza, he starts off with the title of the poem stating, â€Å"we wear the mask that grins and lies† (1). In the first line he uses a metaphor to explain the â€Å"mask† that is put on to show grins. Of course there is no actual mask, but the mask can be a representation o f a fake personality that is happy or blissful.It could be said that the reason for this â€Å"mask† is to prevent their tormentors from starting any controversy. Dunbar also uses another metaphor, â€Å"This debt we pay to human guile†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3). Obviously he does not mean that there is a debt to human guile that he is paying with money, but rather since blacks have always been seen as deceptive since slave times, they must forever live in it. Since slave times blacks have not been respected. Even after blacks received the right to vote and own land, the federal system still made it hard for blacks to make a breakthrough.The use of metaphor is used to describe the overwhelming struggles blacks had to go through in a white man’s world. Through the use of metaphors, Dunbar implies the feelings the blacks once had to fake in order to not get into any trouble. The second stanza, especially, emphasizes the poems paradox and alliteration. This stanza really goes int o the mind of the person speaking, and the outcome is a part of the reason why they wear â€Å"masks. † The poem reads, â€Å"Why should the world be over-wise,/ In counting all our tears and sighs? / Nay, let them only see s, while/ We wear our masks† (6-9). Essentially, the person of this poem is asking why should the world get the right to know why they are truly upset, and potentially use it against them; instead, have pride, hold your head up high, and put on your â€Å"mask. † In doing so, the literary term paradox comes into play. This poem is about the true feelings of blacks being hidden behind masks, when also the poem itself hides the fundamental issue of racism from even being mentioned – that alone is a paradox because the poem has a mask on as well.This poem can also be seen as a paradox because this so called â€Å"we† is supposed to be wearing a mask when in fact they are expressing their feelings and becoming vulnerable, aka â€⠀œ no more mask. Although each stanza has a bit of alliteration, the second stanza is the most dominant. Dunbar writes, â€Å"Why should the world be over-wise,/ In counting all our tears and sighs? / Nay, let them only see us, while/ We wear our masks† (6-9). The alliteration in this stanza is used heavily with the letter â€Å"w. With the use of this alliteration, it creates a sense of flow that helps the speaker get his point across more smoothly. Although the poem is more cacophonic, and harsh, rather than euphonic, and harmonious, the use of alliteration helps highlight the importance of this stanza’s sayings. The alliteration aspect of this stanza really helps reveal why the blacks continue to keep a mask up since they do not want others to know their weakness. The final stanza is a plea to God, or in other words an apostrophe.Dunbar writes, â€Å"We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries/ To thee from tortured souls arise† (10-11). In writing this, Dunbar makes an apostrophe to the absent Christ since Christ is not currently present in the poem. This verse brings about an emotional side of the speaker that we have not seen in the play, which is the essential effect of apostrophe. In a sense, the speaker is able to take the focus from masks to addressing the fact that they are being tortured; the fact that they are being tortured is exactly why they wear the masks they do, to show they are not intimidated.Through the use of apostrophe, Dunbar is able to express the emotions of the reader, which ties into why masks need to be warn. Overall, the speaker’s awareness of putting on a fake facade to avoid trouble is apparent through literary devices such as alliteration, metaphors, and apostrophe. Author Dunbar creates a somewhat cacophonic feel to the poem to portray the hurt of these people who must wear masks. Dunbar also uses end rhyme in all of his ersus. The first and second, and also the third and fourth of each line use the long I sound for end rhyme except for the last lines of each stanza. Through the use of many literary devices Dunbar is able to capture the true meaning behind the mask, which is a disguise that camouflages the actual emotions of the mask wearer. Even though the mask is a grinning mask, the face under it is broken and frustrated, but the mask wearer will never show it.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Is the U.S. prepared for another terrorist attack? Essay

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, securing the country has become a national priority. The events of 9/11 were the first attacks on the United States (U.S.) since Pearl Harbor which catapulted the U.S. into World War II. As of the writing of this paper, the U.S. has been engaged in the War on Terrorism for 13 years. During this period of time the U.S. has been kept free from terrorist attacks by changes to laws, technology, and investigative methods to combat terrorism internationally. Although there have been a number of changes to U.S. law and American citizens have been kept safe, the threat of terrorism has not abated. With the continued threat of terrorism to the U.S. and its citizens, there is a high probability that the U.S. will suffer another 9/11 type of event. The U.S. has shown its resolve in recovering from 9/11 and the many natural disasters that have occurred since and is preparing for incidents in the future. There is a plethora of information and stu dies conducted after 9/11 that, in great detail, informed us to the extent we failed to prevent the events of 9/11. Ironically, in the years after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) many academics feel we are no safer now than we were prior to 9/11. In a historical context, the U.S. has been reactive in nature to every major catastrophe it has endured. The cycle of disaster events has repeated itself over and over throughout our history. The U.S. experiences a major response event, fails in the initial response and recovery efforts, endures congressional investigations, obtains funding to  fix the failures, execute the recovery effort, and return to a complacency mentality until another major event occurs. The purpose of this paper is to address the question of the U.S. readiness in the event there is another terrorist attack. I plan to focus on the aspect of preparation, reforms, and interagency coordination before and after the next terrorist attack. This paper will argue that the preparation for a terrorist attack is required; it’s not a question of how an attack is orchestrated. The question is the U.S. prepared for another terrorist attack and recovery? Literature Review In Perry’s (2001) analysis he explains the actions that the U.S. needs to take in preparation for the next attack. The articles’ publication is under the premise of a worst case scenario as it pertained to terrorism in 2001. The primary focus of the article was the U.S. preparation for any delivery method terrorist organizations could provide. There was a concern that terrorist organizations could/would buy nuclear weapon platforms from rogue Soviet BLOC nations. The only way these attacks could be thwarted was by the mix of three strategies: deterrence, prevention, and defense. The ability for the U.S. to use conventional forces to deter enemies needed to be maintained as well as the intelligence community with an aggressive campaign against nations that sponsor terrorism. In the article, The Next Attack, Flynn (2007) provides a framework in which terrorist organization detonates a bomb at an oil refinery, near Philadelphia’s Citizen Bank Park, that results in the release of a chemical cloud comprised of chemicals used in the refinery process. The cloud kills thousands over a ten day period as a result of breathing the fumes. In the aftermath of 9/11 the U.S. government concluded there was no way they could protect every essential asset and chose to specifically defend critical infrastructure networks. It was believed that terrorists would only attack large targets that they could get the biggest return on investment. Flynn took a very critical view of the U.S. government’s response to compiling a list of high value targets that needed protection, â€Å"It wasn’t rocket science to figure that out, and it took five years to complete.†Ã‚  Flynn further explained a need for manufacturing industries to utilize safer production methods known inherently as safer technology. The technology has a higher cost, but Flynn does an impressive cost comparison that the change-over could cost nationwide for around $250 million, which is what was being spent daily on the war in Iraq. In Interagency Coordination in Response to Terrorism: Promising Practices and Barriers Identified in Four Countries (Strom and Eyerman 2007) is an article that examines our nation’s ability to prepare, respond, and recover from terrorism hinging on multiagency coordination. The focal point of the article is the explanation of the problems that existed pre-9/11 and the progress law enforcement agencies and public health agencies have in coordination with each other across multiple jurisdictions and countries. The article explains in detail the coordination problems that occur when two or more agencies are involved in the same incident. There is a competition for command and control, funding, redundant system and processes across multiple agencies. Two primary problems that were noted were the inability for all agencies to achieve an interoperable communications system to aid in interagency cooperation. The second problem is barriers to communication ranging from coordination and cultural barriers and the lack of proactive information sharing among multiple agencies. The authors noted several changes that needed to occur in order to be successful. The primary focus falling on ceasing interagency competition for funding as this has created fraud, waste, and abuse across multiple U.S. agencies. The second focus was fostering a liaison model and incorporating public-private partnerships as individual companies have systematically been delegated the responsibility of protecting their own businesses. Methodology and Research Strategy The literature review has produced some excellent talking points that may show the U.S. government is not prepared for another 9/11 terrorist attack. This paper will review the readiness of the U.S. in preparation for the next terrorist attack and the ability to respond to that attack. My research will be qualitative in method and analysis in an attempt to produce a  respectable projection of the U.S. readiness for the next terrorist attack. After reviewing twelve Scholarly articles or books the following question is presented. Is the U.S. prepared for another 9/11 terrorist attack? Findings  In the pre-9/11 article: CatastrophicTerrorism: Elements of a National Policy, Carter explained that the U.S. was not taking the threat of terrorism, as they had known in that generation, seriously (Carter, Deutch and Zelikow 1998). In the aftermath of the embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania which killed hundreds Carter did not feel that the U.S. government was committed to address terrori stic threats nor was it suitably prepared for a catastrophic terrorist event. Carter gave a prophetic warning that a catastrophic event was plausible in 1998. Terrorist networks were no longer hiding in the shadow as they did during the Cold War. The Preventive Defense strategy, at that time, was outdated. Terrorist networks were embracing change, embedding with organized crime syndicates, drug and human traffickers, and money laundering which created the basic infrastructure of a terrorist organization. During this same time frame we saw the effects of globalization in the Sub-Sahara Africa as it folded in on its self and created lawless safe havens for terrorist organizations to freely operate. Carter predicted a catastrophic terror event would be a watershed event in U.S. history that would change law, challenge personal liberties, and ultimately make terrorism the focus of our national defense strategy (6). Carter and his team were virtually ignored until 9/11. In the aftermath of 9/11 Zelikow sat on the 9/11 Commission. Many of the findings that the 9/11 Commission determined came from the 1998 article. Ultimately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) creation was in response to the large number of listed intelligence and operational failures among U.S. governmental agencies. These failures were over classification of intelligence, lack of information sharing, interagency competition in investigations, and multiple agencies conducting the same redundant tasks to name few. During DHS’s inception twenty- two federal agencies and 170,000 employees, which specialized in various disciplines ranging from law enforcement to disaster mitigation, were pulled under the control of DHS in order to streamline information sharing and overall interagency cooperation. In the years that followed many studies and reports to congress on the DHS suggest that the organization needed to be reformed due to over-all mismanagement and lack of any institutional control over the multiple agencies. The primary reason for concern is the organizations layer of bureaucratic red tape and political appointees who lack the ability and structural knowledge are hampering the Secretary of Homeland Defenses ability to lead U.S. security efforts (Carafano and Heyman, DHS 2.0: Rethinking the Department of Homeland Security 2004). The DHS has a leviathan sized mission as it pertains to keeping the U.S. safe from terrorist activity. In 2003 report, Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Homeland Security, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) reported the DHS was a high risk organization for three reasons. First, the organization is too large to manage efficiently. The DHS creation is in response to the events of 9/11 without having a command structure properly planned. Second, among the 22 agencies under the DHS umbrella, there was a large amount of discord, strife, and competition before the merger. The merger did not quell the conflict, it actually added to the competition for funding and resources. Third, these failures expose the U.S. to other possibilities in regards to terrorism (Governement Accounting Office 2003). The GAO further outlines what DHS needs to do to alleviate some of the existing challenges they face now and in the future. DHS must effectively integrate discording agencies in order to foster an environment of partnerships and working environments. DHS must adopt and use public and private partnership business methods, as most of the protection Flynn mentioned earlier has fallen on the private sector and the dependency of first responders. â€Å"The private sector controls 85 % of the critical infrastructure in the nation. Indeed, unless a terrorist’s target is a military or other secure government facility, the first responders will almost certainly be civilians† (9/11 Commission 2004). Finally, the DHS infrastructure must incorporate the maximum use of its brightest and best individuals and must foster interagency cooperation among multiple organizations and countries simultaneously (pg. 1). Since 9/11 the U.S. has not experienced another 9/11 terrorist event, one could assume the DHS and the U.S. War on Terror is having a significant impact on terrorist activity. In 2011, The Heritage Foundation reported 40 terrorist plots had been thwarted since 9/11due to the efforts of DHS employees and power granted under the PATRIOT Act (Carafano and Zuckerman, War on Terrorism: 40 Terrorists Attacks Foiled Since 9/11 2011). Although the PATRIOT Act granted law enforcement agencies nationwide powers and abilities they did not have pre 9/11, the agency has stonewalled terror attacks on U.S. soil, and it is still failing at multiple levels. At this point, it would not be wise to assume the U.S. is 100 percent safe from terror attacks or more importantly the ability or readiness to respond to one. The DHS track record for responding to natural disasters in the U.S. is poor, at best. One example is the DHS response to Hurricane Katrina. By the time Hurricane Katrina had made landfall the DHS had not established the roles and responsibilities that the public and private sectors would play in the survival and recovery of New Orleans, even though the energy and shipping facilities had been considered, â€Å"national critical infrastructure for which the U.S. government should take substantial responsibility in the event of a disaster† (Military Technology 2005). This is where Flynn related this wasn’t rocket science; it just was not completed in a timely manner. There have been a number of theories for the dysfunction of the DHS as it pertains to disaster response. One primary theory is DHS does not have its priorities straight. DHS creation in response to the attacks of 9/11, with its primary focus being on prevention of future attacks. DHS thought process can be seen as one sided as 75 percent of the 3.35 billion in Federal grants were designated for counter-terrorism activities (pg. 104). Additionally, DHS was charged with not fully notifying local and state  leaders about the magnitude of the event and many mass-causality centers were diverted to Iraq and Afghanistan leaving the homeland under sourced. Of the 22 agencies that fall under DHS the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has borne the brunt of the fallout in responding to disaster events. Prior to 9/11 FEMA held a cabinet level position within the Presidential Cabinet and responded to incidents with competence, ability, and utilized lessons learned to prevent the same mistakes in the future. Under the authority of DHS, FEMA lost its cabinet level position, lost independent funding, and FEMA’s competency and performance decreased significantly. Further adding to the dysfunction within the DHS and FEMA’s ability to respond to incidents are the political ramifications of power sharing between the Federal government and state agencies. In response to Hurricane Katrina, the Federal government to include the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the White House could not determine if utilizing Active Duty would violate the Posse Comitatus Act. The DHS and White House did not want to take Constitutional rights away from the states. This delay furthered much needed assistance to the hardest hit areas of the Gulf Coast. WAL-MART had a quicker response time of getting much need supplies into New Orleans but was unable to do enter and provide assistance due to the bureaucratic boondoggle in Washington (Abouo-Bakr 2013). In 2007 and 2009, â€Å"FEMA participated in a national-level exercise aimed at assessing U.S. capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a large-scale disaster† (Busch 2012). In the following months after these training exercises it was reported FEMA did not effectively manage, track, or maintain and failed to complete less than 40 percent of corrective actions noted (pg. 18). FEMA also failed to provide a training outline to address the corrective actions to ensure the mistakes made and lessons learned could be used at future training events in preparation for real life responses to disasters. Conclusion The U.S. has thwarted terrorist attacks on the U.S., on both foreign and  domestic fronts, since the historic events of 9/11. The additional powers granted to the DHS under the PATRIOT Act have aided law enforcement agencies and anti-terrorism activities in the War on Terrorism. The question is not how well the DHS prevents future attacks; it is a question of when the next attack will happen and how will the U.S. respond. In order for the DHS to become successful the Secretary of Homeland Defense must coordinate organizational and logistical support across all 22 agencies. The monetary focus of the DHS must be distributed equally along the other agencies supporting the relief efforts in the event another terrorist event occurs on U.S. soil. The DHS must foster an environment that encourages employees to create Private Public Partnerships (PPP). These partnerships must have a clear and concise plan and all players involved must have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities as it pertains to information and resource sharing during a response to a terror event. The relationship between the DHS and PPP must foster long-term projects and must initially come from within the DHS. FEMA should be removed the organizational tree of DHS and have its cabinet level position re-established and given the ability to meet directly with the President of the United States and all emergency response assets nationwide. FEMAs ability must be restored to pre-9/11 levels in order to meet all future natural disasters or terrorist attacks. The USG must network with the private sector and ensure the plans created do not hamper their bottom line and ensure the cost/risk ratio is sufficient to stock holders in the private sector. The DHS and FEMA have applied some of the lessons learned in past response efforts and Congress has turned some of them into law. The two most important laws will assist FEMA in emergency management. First, the head of FEMA must be an emergency management professional and have least five years executive experience. Second, during a disaster, the lines of communication between the President and FEMA are open without interruption from the DHS (King, et al. 2009). The changes to law were a small step for FEMA but now allow them to coordinate with all organizations along the National Incident Management System and the National Response Framework. Both of the programs describe how multiple players from the lowest level to the Director of FEMA how they should work together in response to an incident. Both of these programs are balance to react to an incident whether it is a terrorist event or a natural disaster, but they still have a long way to go. The DHS prevents attacks well but at times fails miserably in response efforts due to interagency shortfalls. Until there is a balance between the efforts carried out in the War on Terror and the response efforts after an event the U.S. will not be prepared for the next attack. References 9/11 Commission. The 9/11 Comission Report. July 26, 2004. www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf (accessed 12 29, 2013). Abouo-Bakr, C. Managing Disasters through Public-Private Partnerships. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2013. Busch, Jason. â€Å"FEMA Falters in Self-Improvement.† News Network, November 2012: 18. Carafano, James, and David Heyman. DHS 2.0: Rethinking the Department of Homeland Security. Special Report SR-02, Washington: The Heritage Foundation, 2004. Carafano, James, and Jessica Zuckerman. War on Terrorism: 40 Terrorists Attacks Foiled Since 9/11 . September 7, 2011. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/09/40-terror-plots-foiled-since-9-11-combating-complacency-in-the-long-war-on-terror (accessed 12 24, 2013). Carter, Ashton B,, John M. Deutch, and Philip D. Zelikow. Catasrophic Terrorism: Elements of a National Policy. Visions of Governance for the Twenty-First Century, John F. Kennedy School of Government, 1998. Flynn, Stephen. â€Å"The Next Attack.† The Washington Monthly, March 2007: 31-37. Governement Accounting Office. Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Hoeland Security. Series Report, Washington: United States General Accounting Office, 2003. King, Peter, et al. â€Å"Keep FEMA within Homeland Security.† January 14, 2009. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&a