5 Things You Should Do Before Starting Your Online Course

Developing A Economically Developed Countries - 1649 Words

†¢ More economically developed countries (MEDC) - Countries with sovereign states and that has a highly developed economy with advanced technological industries as compared to other countries. The Human Development index, standard of living as well as the Gross national product of these economies is on the upper level of every chart. According to the International Monetary Fund, advanced economies comprise 60.8% of global nominal GDP and 42.9% of global GDP (PPP) in 2014. COUNTRY KOF INDEX OF GLOBALIZATION HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX GINI COEFFICIENT IRELAND 91.30 0.899 34.3 NETHERLANDS 91.24 0.915 30.9 BELGIUM 91.00 0.881 33.0 UNITED KINGDOM 82.96 0.892 36.0 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 74.81 0.914 40.8 These countries exhibited an increase†¦show more content†¦According to The Economist, on 28th June, 2014, Netherlands has been fighting against inequality for the past few years owing to the differential taxation system. Researchers say that the wealth distribution of Netherlands is one of the most unequal in Europe. Quoting the OECD report on Inequality within countries, of 21st May, 2015, ‘Inequality is high in the Netherlands: the top 10% owns 60% of all net wealth, while the bottom three quintiles own almost no wealth.’ Belgium has not seen a drop in inequality levels in the past 25 years. According to the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), 2010 survey, 30% of Belgium’s poorest calculated a fall in their net taxable incomes from 11.2% to 8.3%. While the richest calculated an increase from 27.3% to 31.9% in their shares. Referring to the US Census Bureau. (2001). Historical Income Tables – Income Equality, U.S. income inequality has been rising ever since the 1970s. The statistics from Income Inequality Generation to Generation by Robert Lenzner, Forbes (March 26, 2012) show that the recession in 2008 affected the income inequality greatly. The share of pre-tax incomes received by the top 1% wealthiest rose from 13.3% in 2009 to 14.6% in 2011. In 2012, the same rose by 20%, as compared to the remaining 99% rose only by 1%. The OECD Income inequality data update and policies impacting income distribution: United Kingdom (February 2015), broadcasts that in the UK, the income of the richest 10% is

Maintenance Of Capital Doctrine Business †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: How to the Maintenance of Capital Doctrine Business? Answer: The maintenance of capital doctrine is one of the important ethics in corporate law which control the company how they receive a proper consideration of the share. It is also make sure how much capital of share amount should deliver or distribute among the shareholders. The company must hold the capital of the share amount for the security and safety of the creditors (Knapp 2013). In such matter, the court always ensure that how company use the capital amount in business. The amount must uses in the legal purpose for the business. The famous cases are Trevor v Whitworth (1887) and Flitcrofts related to the doctrine of capital share amount. The house of lord had described in both of the cases that company have no rights to buy their own share for own benefits. The shareholders have the only right to buy the company share. When the company tried to buy the shares the share amount decrease the dividend amounts. Without the order of the court, the members of the company will not have capital deduction in the basic capital amount. The dividend amounts always distributed as per the capital amount of shares of the company (Arnold 2016). The Company Act 2006 states the doctrine of share capitals. The Act describes the facts of dividend payments, decrease the amount of companys share capitals, purchasing of shares and collecting of the shares under sections 17, 18 and 19 of the Act. In Australia, the Capital Maintenance doctrine has established in Australian corporate law under section 256A, 256C of the Corporations Act 2001. The doctrines are applying to protect the share capital of the company (Islam 2015). The various sections of the Corporation Act 2001 defines how a capital In the sec 256C of the Corporation Act stated that the capital amount of share profit of the company must be decrease when the shareholder approved the capital amount (Tomasic). In 256B of the Corporation Act described the exceptions of doctrines where company may decrease the share capital and the sec 257A give the right to the company to buy its own shares but there are some terms and conditions applied. Reference Arnold, A. J. "Capital reduction case law decisions and the development of the capital maintenance doctrine in late-nineteenth-century England."Accounting and Business Research(2016): 1-19. Islam, Md Saidul. "The Doctrine of Capital Maintenance and its Statutory Developments: An Analysis."Northern University Journal of Law4 (2015): 47-55. Knapp, Jeffrey. "A Reconsideration of Consolidation Accounting Requirements and Pre?acquisition Dividends."Australian Accounting Review23.3 (2013): 190-207. Tomasic, Roman. "The Rise and Fall of the Capital Maintenance Doctrine in Australian Corporate Law." (2015). Reference

The Applications Of Technology In The First Decade Of The Twenty-First

The Applications of Technology in the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century The Applications of Technology in the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century A quote I heard many times when I was in high school and which I now know traces back to Sir Francis Bacon, one of our earliest scientist or philosophers as they were then called, is the statement "Knowledge Is Power." Today, I believe that the fuller, more correct statement is to say, "the application of knowledge is power." The study of science, and technology subjects will broader our opportunities in life. As we continue to advance to the 21st century- now lesser than 30 days away-we are well aware that technology is possibly the hottest industrial commodity around the world today. In the years ahead, it will be an increasingly critical factor in determining the success or failure of businesses. It is the fuel many of us are looking at to help us win this race to the 21st century. To do that, we should make technology matter. In this paper I am going to share my technology forecasts. I try to focus on my new forecasts a decade into the future - the first decade of the 21st century, because that is how far most businesses need to be looking ahead. There has never been a neutral or value-free, technology. All technologies are power. They evoke economic and social consequences in direct proportion to their dislocation of the existing economy and its institutions. I believe that technologies such as: biotechnology and genetic engineering, intelligent materials, the miniaturization of electronics, and smart manufacturing systems, and controls, will be the hottest technologies in the next decade. I am going to put together a list of what I think as the top ten innovative products that will result from those technologies. Number one on the list is something we call genetic. There are pharmaceutical products that will come from the massive genetic research going on around the world today. In ten years, we will have new ways to treat many of our ills - from allergies to ADIS. We may see the discovery of new methods of treatment for various types of cancer, for multiple sclerosis, osteoporoses, Lou Gehrig's and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few. The biotechnology frontier, especially developments in the field of genetic, promises- and to some degree has already archived - a revolution in agriculture and human health care. But proving the means to develop plant species that are more disease-and-pest-resistant, more tolerant of drought, and able to grow during extended periods of adverse conditions. These technologies will very likely provide future increasing in agricultural productivity. So far, these techniques have not add much to world food production; recent grow has come primarily from increasing acreage in production, in response to higher grain prices. However, further expansion of productive land is limited, and the increased application of fertilizer appears to be reaching a point of diminishing returns. Therefore, increased agricultural productivity from this new field could be essential to feed the growing population. The mapping of human and plant genomes, a process already well underway, will provide greatly increased knowledge of genetic processes and, to some extend, information about how to control them. For humans, this will provide the means to deal with diseases that have genetic origins or result from man functioning of genetic material in the body. These diseases include potentially: cancer, cystic fibrosis, Gaucher's, hemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis, AIDS, hypercholesterolemia, and many others. Furthermore, genome analysis of an individual can indicate propensity to diseases whose symptoms have not yet been manifested. Scientists believe that many psychological and behavior attributes can be genetically controlled and therefore subject to diagnosis and eventually, for aberrant conditions, corrected. Such uses of this technology, of courses, raise serious social and ethical questions that must be considered. Other applications of biotechnology might produce novel protein for food replacing meat, stimulate awareness and evaluation of microbial threats (including archaea, ancient bacteria, being perhaps more adaptable and potentially hazardous than was previous thought), and creation of plantation to produce and distribute biological products in the ocean. The process of cloning was perfected; evidence by the fact that in 1997 a sheep was successfully cloned in Scotland. Hence, biotechnology could eventually eliminate food shortages, improve health, and extend life expectancy. Number two on the list is the personalized computer. The personal computer now sitting on our desk will be replaced by a very powerful, personalized computer. It will be able to send and receive wireless data. It will recognize your voice and follow your voice commands. It will include a variety of security and

Environmental damage from the BP oil spill

All the Kings Men, by Robert Penn Warren

All the Kings Men, by Robert Penn Warren Free Online Research Papers Summary: All the King’s Men was written by Robert Penn Warren and published in 1946. It is about a politician named Willie Talos, who becomes the governor of a state somewhere in the South. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1947, and was made into a movie in 1949. Willie Talos suddenly becomes well known throughout his state because of the collapse of a schoolhouse. He had warned the people not to use that contractor, who was known to use inferior materials, but no one listened to him. When the schoolhouse collapsed, killing three children, Willie’s idea that state government made some kind of secret agreement with the contractor was brought to many people’s attention. Sadie Burke and Tiny Duffy, working for another candidate, convince Willie to run for governor so the votes for the others would be split. When Willie finds out, he is furious, and makes an emotional speech that the crowd loves. But he drops out of the election, and campaigns against Sadie and Tiny’s candidate. Four years later, Willie becomes governor and hires Jack Burden as an addition to his pack of political cronies, which already includes Tiny Duffy, lieutenant-governor, and Sugar-Boy, Willieâ €™s reckless driver and bodyguard. Jack Burden is a reporter who admires Willie Talos. Jack is also a historian, having studied American history at the state college where he also researched and started to write the biography of Cass Masters, one of Jack’s ancestors. Jack is used by Willie to research his opponents and find unpleasant facts about them. Response: Throughout the book, the story shifts in time. The main time periods are the present, three years ago, and fourteen years ago. Although this can be a little confusing, it makes it easy to see the changes in Willie’s personality. He goes from being quiet, careful, and always honest, to a bullying governor who is seeking revenge on the Judge for not supporting him. Summary: Judge Irwin makes himself an enemy of Willie by backing an opposing candidate, and Jack is asked to â€Å"dig up some dirt† on him. But Jack hesitates, since he has known the judge his whole life. The judge was like a father to him. But he decides that there is probably nothing to find, since the judge has such a good reputation. Willie knows better. He says that everyone has some secret, and the judge is no exception. After Jack had researched the judge for seven months, he discovers that Judge Irwin had once accepted a bribe, and that Joel Stanton, the governor and the father of Jack’s childhood friends Adam and Anne Stanton, had covered it up. Jack hopes that he never has to reveal this. But when Willie wants Adam to become the director of his new hospital, Jack has to tell Adam to persuade him. Willie’s free hospital is his plan for helping the poor of the state and boosting his own popularity. Willie’s actions become more dishonest by the day. Response: Jack has always liked the judge, and is shocked to learn that he took a bribe. Despite his claims that the purpose of the free hospital is to help the poor people in the state, it seems that Willie is building to more for himself. He wants to be remembered as good for the state. Summary: Sam MacMurfee, a powerful enemy for Willie, threatens Willie with a paternity suit against Tom, Willie’s son, if Willie runs for the Senate. After trying several ways to stop him, Willie remembers the research Jack had done on Judge Irwin, who has the power to control MacMurfee’s threats. Willie orders Jack to blackmail the judge into helping him. Jack obeys Willie, telling Judge Irwin that if he does not help Willie, people will find out about his bribe. Instead of bending to Willie’s will like Jack, Judge Irwin kills himself. In the commotion following Judge Irwin’s death, Jack learns that Judge Irwin was his real father. Willie strikes a deal with Gummy Larson, a building contractor and friend to MacMurfee. Willie gives Larson the contract to build the hospital, and Larson persuades MacMurfee to drop the case on Tom. Response: Here is more proof that Willie would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Jack obeys Willie and threatens the judge, causing him to commit suicide. Jack seems to be more of a puppet than a person. Judge Irwin once called him Willie’s â€Å"body servant† after seeing Willie tell Jack to get him a drink, and Jack going to obey blindly. Summary: Just as things were looking alright for Tom, he has an accident playing football and is paralyzed. This causes Willie to take a long look at his life, and what has happened to him since he got into politics. He cancels all the plans for the hospital, which angers Tiny Duffy. To get even with Willie, Tiny tells Adam that his sister Anne is Willie’s mistress. Adam is furious and shoots Willie. Then Sugar-Boy, loyal to Willie as always, kills Adam. Willie, unable to recover from the serious wound, dies a few days later. Now Jack is trying to figure this all out, and make sense of his own life. He marries Anne and finishes the biography of Cass Mastern. Response: If this novel has a moral at all, it’s probably about power and truth. Power changed Willie and caused him to do things that he’d never have dreamed of doing before he got into politics. Truth and the fear that people would find the truth caused Adam to kill Willie and Judge Irwin to commit suicide. Morality is probably a big part of it, too. The main idea at the end of the book was that if you drop your morals, everything else goes, too. Research Papers on All the King's Men, by Robert Penn WarrenUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresWhere Wild and West MeetHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoBringing Democracy to AfricaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenCapital Punishment

Analyze and make an argument for the success of Martin Luther King Jr Essay

Analyze and make an argument for the success of Martin Luther King Jr speech, I Have a Dream - Essay Example talked about equality for all the races and probably this is the main reason why this speech was a huge success as it changed the whole scenario of the American civil war and the black’s fight for getting equal rights like the white people in America. Martin Luther King delivered this speech around 50 years ago in the footsteps of Lincoln memorial in the august of 1963. The speech started with the history of blacks in America and their continuous struggle to get equal rights in the country just like the other people living in the country moved very beautifully and had all the listeners enchanted. It talked first about the great leader of America under whose footsteps it was being delivered, King then moved on to mention the declaration of independence and its constituents that after the independence all the citizens of America which included black people too would be treated equally and have the same right. No one will be treated on the basis of their color but hundreds of years later, the blacks are still being oppressed as they’re not being given their rights and are not being treated equally. In his speech Martin Luther King talked majestically about how justice has disappeared from the country and how the blacks have been struggling throughout their history in this country. They have been oppressed and being treated as slaves but, they deserve equal rights. King mentioned in his speech that the struggle of blacks to get their rights, to get to get what they deserve and to get what actually is theirs will continue until they achieve their goal but they will not at all use the path of violence but continue their ‘Creative Struggle’. This speech indeed was a very well researched one as King had his point proven after he had delivered the speech. The speech mentioned Bible, the Holy book of the Christians, The Declaration of Independence and President Lincoln, who had all talked about equality and justice for all, Who had all talked about giving equal

Capstone Research Project (5) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capstone Project (5) - Research Paper Example GAAP rule works in connection with SEC rules for public companies. GAAP rule emphasizes on covering financial statements presented in balance sheet for at least three years. GAAP need to work closely with SEC regulations in order to measure performance of companies. In accordance to GAAP guideline interim periods must be viewed as essential part of financial year. This guideline helps accountants to allocate cost elements for different financial period. GAAP also focuses on examining unscrupulous transactions in order to identify financial frauds. Although GAAP rules differ on the basis of accounting standards of different countries. Financial fraud is multi dimensional event in terms of variety of impact and nature of fraud. In many cases financial analysts of companies intentionally forecast inflated market capitalization value in order to fulfill dubious objective. Companies practicing unethical business tend to violate GAAP rules in order to gain personal objectives. Financial fr aud can impact various issues such as trade and sales, stock market valuation and investment banking contracts significantly. Many companies use street earning method to calculate earnings per share (EPS) while the method excludes important elements of accounting such as unusual items, extraordinary charges, Charges from mergers and depreciation (Ponzio, 2010, p. 32). Fraudulent companies change GAAP rules in accordance to their requirement in order to satisfy personal objective. Following section will try to explore relationship between GAAP rules and situation mentioned in the Capstone Research Project. 2.0 Leases on Technology Assets Seem Inflated 2.1 Current Lease Accounting GAAP suggests that Current Lease Accounting standard needs to classify their contract as operating lease (all leases except capital lease) or capital lease (this type of lease transfer risks as well as rewards to lessee due to ownership). Amount of capital lease such as payment of rental can be identified fr om examining the balance sheet. GAAP rule suggests that auditor needs to check capital lease by applying depreciation on assets while such thing is not possible for operating lease. According to GAAP in operating lease the lessee does not realize the amount of leased asset from balance sheet but the person can recognize operating lease expenses. Auditors have criticized the shenanigan approach of GAAP to ignore operating lease. Current lease accounting standard has not identified any special measure in case excessive operating lease. Sometimes operating lease can give rise liabilities such as rental payment hence auditors try to capitalize leased assets. Accountants need to follow criteria specified in ASC 840 (SFAS 13) of GAAP to investigate capital lease. According to GAAP rules capital lease needs to follow (ASC 840-10-25-1) (SFAS 13.7) guideline. Accountants need to check proper valuation of leased property in order to identify financial fraud. According to GAAP rules leased tem should not be less than seventy five percent

Applying theory to the News Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Applying theory to the News - Essay Example On the other hand, intellectual heritage involved development of the social control theories as modern versions of the strain theories (Carol). The social theory became popular in mid 1970s due to three major trends in criminology. Firstly, the reaction to conflict and labeling, as well as the return to examination of human behavior prompted some criminologists develop little interests to ‘new criminology’. Secondly, advanced in criminology studies enhanced more pragmatism and orientation of criminology. The theory enhances determination of new research techniques. Surveys for juveniles and their unbecoming behavior enhanced a new paradigm for criminology. For instances, in the article by Chris Tongneri, most of the such behaviors have been embraced by the society and considered as virtue. While the adults, media people and other prominent persons in the society cried of the rottenness of the young people, the youths enjoyed every bit of the criminal behavior done (Chris ). They perpetuated this by circulating embarrassing pictures in social media. Therefore, social control theories allow criminologists an opportunity to solve using the new methodologies. Theoretically, social control theories relate social factors with the restraint on harmful actions. According to Durkheim (1895), society possesses certain deviance and deviants in normal phenomenon, and every society possesses certain form of crime. Therefore, crime in the society must serve a certain function. Deviance helps in maintain the social order due to the vagueness of social boundaries defining the approved and disapproved acts. Such boundaries specify the degree of approval for different acts that range from legal sanction to mild displeasure and imprisonment. For instance, according to containment theory, delinquency entails both inner and outer interplays. The theory explains both deviance and conformity that encompasses various middle age behaviors. Outer containment entails the soci al environment like school and family. This plays a major role in influencing the values and norms that determine the belongingness and opportunity for acceptance. On the other hand, the inner containment encompasses the self concept formed in people when young. Such a concept results in both good or bad self image, and acts as a buffer to the outside influences (Chris). According to the theory, there are certain inducements to commit delinquent acts based on the inner strength and outer containment. An individual possessing good self concept withstands external social controls and resists committing delinquent crimes. In ‘standing by when horror happens’ article by Erin Anderson, the two young football players rape a drunken girl without her consent. According to the article, the video indicated that other partying teens enjoyed watching the naked girl. No, any teenager turned up to prevent the rape from happening. According to the law, failure to report such an incide nt results in crime. However, morality plays a major role in such a situation. Rather than assisting the girl, bystander effect came into play due to diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance (Erin). According to Hirshi (1969), behavior reflected the different degrees of morality. He believed that the power of internalized norms, desire for approval and conscience enhance the development of conventional behavior. He

Competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised

Competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised The aim of this report is to analyse and evaluate the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in order to develop their current competitive position in the low price no frills airline market. Objectives Definitions of competitive strategy Explain Porters generic strategy Analyse the competitive strategy of Easyjet Evaluate the competitive strategy of Easyjet Recommendation for the future of Easyjet Methodology Porters generic strategy Investigate the strategy clock Find out advantage and disadvantages by creating a SWOT analysis of Easy Jet Theories on Easyjet competitive strategy The Competition Various Recommendation for Easyjets future Where the information was found? University library Internet Journals Newspapers Books Overview From this report, Easyjet can be seen as one of the main airlines in its market, and although it has some tough competition Easyjet is becoming stronger. Its competitive strategies are ahead of the competition and are being very successful. This is proven through various theories such as Porters generic strategy, the strategy clock and a SWOT analysis of Easyjets competitive strategy. Introduction Background Easyjet is one of the best known European low price no-frills airlines. Which begun in 1995 by Greek entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou. He intended to make flying to Europe affordable for more and more people. Easyjet now calls itself the webs favourite airline. (Thompson, Strategic Management , 2001) The airline is based at Hangar 89, a bright orange building adjacent to the main taxiway at Luton Airport. In an industry where corporate HQs are generally considered to be the ultimate status symbol, it is the very embodiment of the Easyjet low-cost ethos. Objectives To identify and analyse the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in order to develop their current position. To critically evaluate the competitive strategy that Easyjet have utilised in the development of their current completive position. Also make appropriate recommendations regarding Easyjet. Competitive advantage Competitive advantage is the means by which a company can outperform its competitors and more profits. (Lomax Raman, 2006) The ability to create more economic value than competitors (Barney, 2010) Competitive advantage is more generally based on the stability and continuity in relationships between different parts of the organisation (Lynch, 2008) Design is a form of competitive advantageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Good design allows things to operate more efficiently, smoothly, and comfortably for the userà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Customers appreciate good design. While they cant necessarily point out what specifically makes it good, they know it feels better. Theres a visceral connection. They are willing to pay for it, if you give them a great experience. (Hackett, 2009) Porters Generic Strategies This set of strategies consists of three: segmentation strategy, differentiation strategy and cost leadership Cost leadership strategy pertains to mass production of standardized products to lower the cost. Manufacturing the product in high volumes or by bulk would lower the costs of the product because fixed costs are maximized. Differentiation strategy means creating products that are being packaged as unique. Customers believe that the features of the products are incomparable and superior compared to others hence the reason for its uniqueness. Segmentation strategy means products are focused on few, selected market or the specialized markets. The company creates the product to suit the tastes or demands of a specific market. (Porter, 1998) Main Findings Analyse Easy Jets competitive strategy Easy jet which is the UKs leading low cost airline, currently operating in over 400 routes with over 175 aircraft in 27 countries is a no frill airline, the concept started in the beginning of the 1970s in the USA and then this concept was followed by Airlines in Europe, and the rest of the world. Easy jet is known as No-frills airlines, where airlines that have offer low fares but eliminate all unnecessary services Easy Jet offers a no frills service at low fares. EasyJets generic strategy is a typical cost leadership strategy. The business philosophy of easyJet is that money can be made on any route where a carrier can fly three times a day to a low-cost airport, based on a minimum market size. The basis of commercial success for such strategy is maintaining a 30-40% cost advantage over established airlines. Easyjets low prices strategy can be defined as A low price strategy seeks to achieve a lower price than competitors whilst trying to maintain a similar perceived product or service benefits to those offered by competitors (Johnson, 2005) They believe to achieve competitive advantage through this strategy, the company need two basic choices, one is to find a segment where main competitors are not interested in. The other one is find this segment attracts price sensible consumers. (Johnson, 2005) They utilize this by doing the following; Easyjet is a Ticket less airline which mean All you need to fly is your passport (or suitable photographic ID on domestic flights) and there confirmation number, based on their time of check in at the airport, this determines the order in which they board the aircraft (Easyjet.com). Efficient use of airport. Easyjet flies to main destination airports throughout Europe, but gains efficiencies through rapid turnaround times, and progressive landing charges agreements with the airports By reducing turnarounds to 30 minutes and below, Easyjet can achieve extra rotations on the high frequency routes, by maximizing utilization rates of its aircraft. Theres no such thing as a free lunch Easyjet does not offer free food from company, passengers are given the choice as to whether they wish to buy themselves drinks or snacks from the in flight. (McCosker, 2003) The absence of business class means gaining seats and maximizes capacity. Though EasyJet does not provide the same kind of flexibility as business class in traditional airlines, it is possible to change flights for a premium of  £10, plus the difference in price. Punctuality is a priority Direct marketing and Internet sales Stelios recognized the potential for sales on the Internet before it had become widely available. At first a call center allowed customers to book over the phone, a more familiar communication channel available to all. By offering discounts for Internet bookings, Stelios shaped his customers purchasing habit with the result that 80% of reservations were made on the Internet in 1998. It reduces distribution charges from travel agent commissions and computer reservation system costs. Easyjets strategy was modelled on Southwest air, but Stelios claimed he had been inspired by Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic. His approach to customers and people mirrors that of Branson. He flies on his own planes some three or four times a week and week talk to the passengers. He is regularly present at Luton (his headquarters) and willing to revolve passenger problems. (Thompson, Strategic Management fourth editon, 2001) Easyjet favours an informal company culture with a very flat management structure, which eliminates unnecessary and wasteful layers of management. All office-based employees are encouraged to dress casually. Ties are banned except for pilots! Remote working and hot-desking have been characteristics of easyJet since the beginning. One of the strategies which easyJet is persuading is a cost leadership. In persuading cost advantage, the goal of the firm is to become the cost leader in its industry or industry segment (Grant, 2002) The Easyjet product is, in reality, a package of service, many subcontracted in. Easy jet provides the planes and their crews, and markets and the sells the flights. As a company, it is focused. Check-in and information services, snacks (for passengers to by before they board the aeroplane), baggage handling and fleet maintenance are all bought in from specialists. (Thompson, Strategic Management , 2001) Competition for customers in this sector of the market is intense, Virgin express and Fly Thomas cook are just a couple from many have low-price , no frills subsidiaries, neither of which is reputed to be profitable. The largest of the rivals is Ryanair, over 25 years old and based in Dublin, carrying over 75 million passengers a year. When Stelios established the position of the Easyjet as one of leading low cost airline in Europe by adopting an efficiency driven operational model, creating brand awareness and maintaining a high levels of customer satisfaction (where we are now) he took a step further in his perused of the strategy to offer low cost airline to masses (where we want to be) which is based on key strengths (how we going get there) (Easyjet: The Web`s Favourite Airline, 2002) Another of the strategies persuaded by founder of Easyjet can be seen, as strategy is perspective, that is, vision and direction. (Mintzberg, 1994) Evaluate Easyjet competitive strategy Competitive advantage grows out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers the exceeds the firms cost of creating it (porter,1985)A company relative position within an no frill Airline industry is given by its competitive advantage which is cost leadership and differentiation, from other frills airline companies and with its choice of competitive scope. Introducing new technologies new or shifting buyer needs the emergence of a new industry segment and availability changes in government regulations are competitive advantages. Where Differentiation is the firms product, associated services, and other activities affect its buyers activities.   All the activities in the value chain contribute to buyer value, and the cumulative costs in the chain will determine the difference between the buyer value and producer cost. (Porter, 1985) Easy jet gains competitive advantage by performing strategically important activities more cheaply or better than its competitors. (Easyjet.com) Comp etitive advantage can come not just from great products or services, but from anywhere along the value chain. To understand how a firm fits into the overall value system includes the value chains of its suppliers, channels, and buyers. Generic strategies are useful because they characterize strategic positions at the simplest and broadest level. Porter maintains that company achieving competitive advantage requires and makes a choice about the type and scope of its competitive advantage.(Porter, 1985) Concerning competitive advantage, Easyjet concentrates on costs therefore achieves overall cost leadership. It inhabits a low cost Niche position. The low cost airlines developed sufficient lead times and competitive advantage to limit any new entrants to niche positions and we still do not believe that the full service airlines have the culture to successfully develop sustainable in house low fares subsidiaries (Binggeli, 2002) However, there are problems associated with the idea of sustainable cost leadership as this entails that Easyjet has the lowest cost compared with competitors over time. This is unlikely to be achieved simply by cutting back costs however their competitors i.e. Ryanair will do this too. The search of a cost-leadership strategy will require Easyjet to have a strong focus on cost management, scale economies, and have experience curve cost advantages through the maintainer of volumes. In reality, it can be questioned whether cost leadership is a separate strategy. (Sharp 1991)  [1]  stated, having a cost advantage is merely a facilitator to differentiate, usually on price, adding that low-cost form seeks to remove bases for differentiation, so as to offer a generic service to the entire market, therefore reducing differences between segments. Another type of strategy persuaded by Stelios Haji Ioannou is express by sentence (Casell, 2002) It could be argued that cost leadership can be a precarious strategy, which may speed up the move towards a commodity market in which; ultimately, no one benefits (Partridge, 1994) Strategy Clock The Strategy Clock is based upon the work of Cliff Bowman. Its another Suitable way to analyze a companys competitive position in comparison to the offerings of competitors. As with Porters Generic Strategies, Bowman considers competitive advantage in relation to cost advantage or differentiation advantage. Easyjet are situated highly in strategic option 1 (low price, low added value) The eight core strategic options are: 1. Low price/low added value Likely to be segment specific. 2. Low price Risk of price war and low margins/need to be a cost leader. 3. Hybrid Low cost base and reinvestment in low price and differentiation. 4. Differentiation (A) Without a price premium: perceived added value by user, yielding market share benefits. (B) With a price premium: Perceived added value sufficient to bear price premium. 5. Focused differentiation Perceived added value to a particular segment warranting a premium price. 6. Increased price/standard Higher margins if competitors do not value follow/risk of losing market share. 7. Increased price/low values only feasible in a monopoly situation. 8. Low value/standard price Loss of market share. The strategy clock diagram http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/9l9911lw1u1cczk/images/2-2c81643482/000.jpg (Scribd.com) Easyjet SWOT analysis Strength: Easyjet has a strong brand name in the low cost airline industry; the company also owns the general popularity among customers, business or leisure, for its low fares and high efficiency Most seats are sold through Internet. Ticketless airline makes Easyjet different from rivals. Flattened structure and casual culture give efficiency in management and operation. Easyjet is frequently able to benefit from the latest technology and working practices. Efficient use of airports and aircraft is another critical strength of Easyjet. The sound network helps the company to cut costs. Paperless operation has simplified and given the huge flexibility in the management working practices. Easyjet standardise on a single aircraft type and purchase new aircraft in bulk, thereby minimizing maintenance costs. The merger of Go accelerates the company growth Weakness: Easyjet is limited at the present time to regional operations, which does not allow it to develop a more balanced portfolio of services. Although EasyJets benefits from the deal with airbus in many ways, it also causes a problem the company will operate on a mixed Boeing/Airbus fleet. Staff training and coordination in future are crucial to the move For the elder people or the people who do not use the internet, it is not convenience to book on line. They really should have more ways to book There is no business class in airplane of EasyJet, which makes it lose some business travellers Opportunities: From a political perspective, the deepening and widening of EU provides new opportunities industry wide. New routes can be introduced to those countries that will join EU in near future. Furthermore, Airlines are now able to operate a base out of any European Country, which gives many more opportunities for expansion. Comparing to US market, the European market is still an immature market, which provides opportunities to all players. General slump forces most companies and individual keep in a tight budget, therefore low cost airlines now have more chance to fight their expensive rivals. Threats: The low-cost carriers are facing rising costs, particularly in the areas of fuel, airport charges and salaries. Unpredictable incidents (e.g. Iraqi war, SARS) give uncertainties in fuel supply, customers sentiment, etc. Competition from rivals is another threat, including new businesses copying low price and no frills strategy Recommendations This report has shown that Easyjet has done very well since it begun in 1995, it is dong almost everything correctly using their competitive strategies to become successful and stay ahead of their rivals. Although the huge profitable company that it has become, its important that they do not become over confident, and be aware of what their competitors are doing, they should always have enough capital to them to make radical changes if needed to. There are a number of ways in which Easyjet could improve to take the organisation forward and make the company more profitable and improving performance. Firstly Easyjet could cooperate with other easy business, such as Easycar which could do deals on transport and parking at airports, Easyfinance could offer a special rate for loans used on flights. Easyhotel could give discounts on hotels around the airports. This could not only help easyjet and making it better for customers but also increase other easy businesses. It could be very beneficial for Easyjet to build alliances with transatlantic operations. This would build a better relationship with the transatlantic operations meaning it could create more routs. Easyjet have over 400 routes which means they have many more routes which they could add. This would mean gaining more customers that couldnt reach destinations before in which other airlines visited. As fast as the internet has grown over the last few years, not everybody has it or know how to use, more often its elder people, whom could add a bigger market if Easyjet could find out a way to reach them and make a better way of buying flights for them. Although Easyjet do have a phone number to book flights it has been stated Telephone bookings are more expensive and are not encouraged (Lowfareflights) which is very off putting. Possibly free phone calls or some sort of broacher sent through the post could let the people without internet find out about Easyjet and be able to purchase with no hassle. As the number of low cost carriers is growing another possibility could be created some sort of loyalty scheme such as loyalty card or member card. The customer would then collect points whenever they travel with Jeasyjet, which would add up and when they have enough points, they could receive some sort of reward such as a discount on flights, free flights etc. This would benefit Eeasyjet as well as the customers because the customer would want to travel with Easyjet instead of another company because they know they can save points and be rewarded with Easyjet. Major companies in the UK such as Tesco using clubcard who introduced it in 1994 to gain customers loyalty, it proved to be very successful, making customers from other stores switch to Tesco as they knew they would b rewarded with this scheme. David Sainsbury, then chairman of J Sainsbury plc, rejected the idea of introducing a similar scheme. However, the effect that Clubcard had on Sainsburys sales led to the reversal of th at decision, with the launch of the Sainsburys Reward Card in June 1996. (Randall, 1996-06-23) This will therefore stop customers switching to Easyjets rivals. From this report, Easyjet can be seen as one of the main airlines in its market, and although it has some tough competition Easyjet is becoming stronger. Its competitive strategies are ahead of the competition and are being very successful. No company is perfect and always need improvements therefore Easyjet could become ever more successful and dominate the market despite of the stiff competition. Reference List

Comparison/Contrast of Cut and The Fourth of July Essay -- essays rese

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilkinson 1 Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† In the two essays â€Å"Cut,† by Bob Greene and â€Å"The Fourth of July,† by Audre Lorde they both discuss how disappointments as a child affected their lives. Greene’s essay gives five examples about how five boys were cut from a sports team and how they used that disappointment to become successful as adults. Lorde’s essay differed in that it told one story of how her and her family were on their vacation in Washington D.C. and they were not served at a restaurant because they were black. Both authors discuss feelings of being left out, being discriminated against, and how disappointments affected their lives. However, there are more differences than similarities in the essays. I can relate more to Greene’s essay because I am an athlete; however, I have never been in position of worrying about being cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greene and Lorde were similar in that they both faced a form of discrimination on their childhood that helped better them in the future. In â€Å"Cut† the boys all went to try out for a high school sports team and all of them were cut from the teams. â€Å"For the time in my life, I was told wasn’t good enough† (Greene 56). These boys were discriminated against for not having the ability or talent to be good enough to play on the team. On of the people in the essay, Bob Graham stated, â€Å"I know for a fact that it altered my perception of myself. My view of myself was knocked down; my self was lowered† (Greene 57). No one should ever be put into a situation where they face being told they are not good enough. In the other essay, â€Å"The Fourth of July,† a different type of discrimination was discussed, racism. Lorde’s family, which is African American, was faced with discrimination on a vacation to Washington D.C. The y took the trip because Wilkinson 2 Lorde’s sister Phyllis could not go on her senior class to Washington. â€Å"The nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis ‘would not be happy,’ Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes† (Lorde 202). While in Washington Lorde and her family went out for ice cream to a Breyer’s ice cream shop. They sat down and a waitress, who was white, walked over and... ...t of the season. Not being a starter gave me the determination to work harder and in the end it all paid off. This experience has made me realize that I can do anything as long as I work hard. Wilkinson 5 In conclusion, both Greene and Lorde discuss how disappointments as child have had positive affects on his/her lives as adults. Greene’s essay applied to me more than Lorde’s because I have never been judged by my appearance. I can’t relate to the fact of being cut from a team, but I can relate to the fact being successful with hard work. Wilkinson 6 Works Cited Greene, Bob. â€Å"Cut.† The Prentice Hall Reader. 6th ed. Ed. George Miller. Trenton, N.J.:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prentice Hall, 2001. 55-60. Lorde, Audre. â€Å"The Fourth of July.† Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Eschholz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 201-204. Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† by Shane Wilkinson English 110, Section 03 Mrs. Bailey 30 April 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Comparison/Contrast of Cut and The Fourth of July Essay -- essays rese   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilkinson 1 Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† In the two essays â€Å"Cut,† by Bob Greene and â€Å"The Fourth of July,† by Audre Lorde they both discuss how disappointments as a child affected their lives. Greene’s essay gives five examples about how five boys were cut from a sports team and how they used that disappointment to become successful as adults. Lorde’s essay differed in that it told one story of how her and her family were on their vacation in Washington D.C. and they were not served at a restaurant because they were black. Both authors discuss feelings of being left out, being discriminated against, and how disappointments affected their lives. However, there are more differences than similarities in the essays. I can relate more to Greene’s essay because I am an athlete; however, I have never been in position of worrying about being cut.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greene and Lorde were similar in that they both faced a form of discrimination on their childhood that helped better them in the future. In â€Å"Cut† the boys all went to try out for a high school sports team and all of them were cut from the teams. â€Å"For the time in my life, I was told wasn’t good enough† (Greene 56). These boys were discriminated against for not having the ability or talent to be good enough to play on the team. On of the people in the essay, Bob Graham stated, â€Å"I know for a fact that it altered my perception of myself. My view of myself was knocked down; my self was lowered† (Greene 57). No one should ever be put into a situation where they face being told they are not good enough. In the other essay, â€Å"The Fourth of July,† a different type of discrimination was discussed, racism. Lorde’s family, which is African American, was faced with discrimination on a vacation to Washington D.C. The y took the trip because Wilkinson 2 Lorde’s sister Phyllis could not go on her senior class to Washington. â€Å"The nuns had given her back her deposit in private, explaining to her that the class, all of whom were white, except Phyllis, would be staying in a hotel where Phyllis ‘would not be happy,’ Daddy explained to her, also in private, that they did not rent rooms to Negroes† (Lorde 202). While in Washington Lorde and her family went out for ice cream to a Breyer’s ice cream shop. They sat down and a waitress, who was white, walked over and... ...t of the season. Not being a starter gave me the determination to work harder and in the end it all paid off. This experience has made me realize that I can do anything as long as I work hard. Wilkinson 5 In conclusion, both Greene and Lorde discuss how disappointments as child have had positive affects on his/her lives as adults. Greene’s essay applied to me more than Lorde’s because I have never been judged by my appearance. I can’t relate to the fact of being cut from a team, but I can relate to the fact being successful with hard work. Wilkinson 6 Works Cited Greene, Bob. â€Å"Cut.† The Prentice Hall Reader. 6th ed. Ed. George Miller. Trenton, N.J.:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prentice Hall, 2001. 55-60. Lorde, Audre. â€Å"The Fourth of July.† Models for Writers. 7th ed. Ed. Alfred Rosa and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Eschholz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 201-204. Comparison/Contrast of â€Å"Cut† and â€Å"The Fourth of July† by Shane Wilkinson English 110, Section 03 Mrs. Bailey 30 April 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Media Convergence Essay

What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? For technology, media convergence is when different media come together to do a similar task. The poster child for this is the smart phone. Smart phones are used to talk, text, email, social network, school, business, web browsing, and take picture and video. There are things that I’m sure I missed, but the smart phone has become the epicenter of technological convergence. I spend a lot of my time on my phone posting and promoting for my business. I make jewelry, cat pads, and blankets so I make my items, take a picture, post it to my Etsy page, and promote my store with my phone. When I get an order, I get an email to my phone I contact the buyer for details, and take payments all with my phone. With going to school, I need to check up on the forums to read and respond per class requirements. It makes it easy to do my schoolwork when I’m not home at my laptop. I can pull up the reading for the class on my document reader on my phone and catch up while I’m out and about. I have a six month old and I love taking his picture! I take his picture and post it on Facebook, Instagram, and send it to my family. My family lives in another state so I use my phone to do FaceTime with them so we can see each other all the time. The smartphone has made productivity so much easier because it’s all in one place and instant gratification is satisfied. For some people, the smartphone has become a big distraction and a burden. I think that cell phones, in general, have done damage to people’s grammar and spelling. They use shorthand and abbreviations for words and have forgotten the rule of your and you’re because they are using the shorthand ur. It’s sad.

The Art Of Subnetting

The Art Of Subnetting The Art of Subnetting In a desperate attempt to conform to the monotony of subnetting, I realized that it consists of a series simple of mathematical equations. One must understand the concept of binary conversions and effortless algebra. For example, the IP address (which is an address that resides at the 3rd layer of the OSI model) is presented in dotted decimal format. Simply, the eight digits in an octet (hence the name octet) are too long to write out. Moreover, there is room for err in the aforementioned procedure. The IP address: 176.5.0.0 is 10110000.00000101.00000000.00000000 in its true form. The first two octets are the Network portion since this is a class B IP address and the last two octets are representing the host portion.The subnet mask is an interesting deity in its own rite. Without the Subnet Mask, subnetting a network address would be impossible.My commute this weekYou can say that the Subnet Mask is the key to the whole operation. The Subnet Mask 255.255.192.0 t ells you a variety of things. For instance, you can see where to increment the network address and see the amount to increment. The Subnet Mask also tells you how many usable hosts you will have once you have subnetted, and how many usable subnets. This is where the simple algebraic equations come into play. I know that 2n-2 is used to calculate both desired results.v To calculate the usable hosts, simply replace the n with the amount of 0s in the in the complete host portion of the Subnet Mask v To calculate the usable subnets, you must replace the n with the amount of 1s in the host portion of the Subnet Mask.v To calculate the increment, subtract the value of the last non-zero octet in the...

Hemp Legalization essays

Hemp Legalization essays As I read over this article, I became more and more furious with the government. Ralph Nadar, the presidential candidate for the green party, talked about his plan to legalize the growth of commercial grade hemp, but the government showed how overbearing it is. One thing that the government said was that if the growth of commercial grade hemp did become legalized, then there would be so man rules and regulations on the growth of it that if would be virtually impossible to grow. The article mentioned that by legalizing the growth of commercial grade hemp, it would raise the economy of the U.S. by bringing in more money by producing stronger rope and more paper than and tree or plant. One fact that the article failed to mention that the growth of commercial grade hemp would produce more oxygen in the air and also make the ground more fertile in off seasons. The article shows that the government is just trying to find ways to keep the economy from booming and the environment from being clean. ...

Albee's play, The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Albee's play, The American Dream - Essay Example Simply how life used to be prior to the existence of contemporary society. The sole purpose as to why both dad and mum stayed with Grandma is because she represented the old set of values that have since been eroded by the contemporary values. This character was symbolically used by the author to depict the power of the past to predict the happenings of the future. This is demonstrated by Grandma being able to tell the truth concerning the real intent of the visit by Mrs. Baker. Additionally, this power is demonstrated by her knowledge of the Young Man being an identical twin of the first son of the family. In the social sphere, this character would otherwise be considered obscene. Her role as the oldest person in the play is somewhat unique with regards to theatre plays. It is imperative to reiterate the fact that all the characters of the play are symbolic in a way of the American society. As such, when Grandma becomes an exterior commentator away from the main scene, it symbolizes a shift from the old values that have eminently existed in the American society. The interaction between Grandma and the Young Man represent a collision between the old and the new. As such, in the conversation between Grandma and the Young Man, the Young Man asserts that he has no talents. The metamorphosis of the old to the new seems not to have been complete. Grandma represents a holistic being while the Young Man is a representation of the corrupt and incomplete being of the contemporary society. When Grandma refers to the Young Man as the American dream she asserts that he is the evolution of old into new. She states that he is the embodiment of what the American dream entails and what it would mean for society. The character of Grandma is a rather wise and cunning element in the play. She demonstrates her nature of being wise by knowing what is right for daddy and mommy. She understands that the presence of the Young Man in the family will be good to the family in the end. He r cunning nature is demonstrated by her decision to pretend that she had been taken by the van man. Moreover, when she returns to the scene, she gestures to Mrs. Baker to ignore her presence. The name of this character in context of the contemporary society signifies an aging or phasing out of the old rules. Simply put, a fading and non-relevance of the old values in the modern world. The Young Man When Grandma left the house, she left the Young Man to represent her. Simply put, he was a replacement of the old values of society by the new values. However, unlike Grandma whose personal possessions are represented by boxes, the Young Man is empty inside. The Young Man is the principle focus of the American Dream, he represents the future prospects of society as a whole. As such, when he says that he has no inner emotion, it translates to mean that the American Dream does not have substance to propel its realization. The American Dream, in the wider sense, has no feelings. When the You ng Man knocked on the door and subsequently entered the life of daddy and mommy, his sole motivation was money. This sheds light into the driving force of contemporary society. Their material minded nature is symbolized by this behavior of the Young Man. He is depicted as physically perfect. However, he is devoid of any inner substance. The Young Man is for sale. He states that he would do anything for money. His service and contribution to the family and the society as a whole are for sale. He represents the vanity associated with the contemporary

Monopoly and Perfect Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Monopoly and Perfect Competition - Essay Example b) Why is MR less than price in a monopolistic market? [2] In a monopolistic market, the demand curve for the monopolistic business is the market demand curve. Since market demand is not perfectly elastic, the monopolistic demand curve tends to be slopping down. Sales can only be increased in such conditions by lowering the price. MR is typically lower than price for every level except the first, since the lower price affects not just the extra sales but also previous sales. Hence MR tends to decrease, since a monopoly has foregone price for a greater output. c) A recent report shows that cars made in Canada are sold at lower prices in the U.S. Although they do not have a monopoly, how would price discrimination help to explain this. What does it say about Canadian consumers relative to those in the U.S.? [5] Price differentiation tends to exist when identical goods from the same provider are sold at different prices. Typically, price discrimination tends to exist in monopolistic mar kets or in oligopolistic markets where it is possible to exercise market power. Price discrimination between the Canadian and the American markets indicates that the same provider is selling the same product at two different prices in these markets. Since the cars are priced lower in Canada, it indicates that the car provider experiences greater competition in the Canadian market. This forces the car provider to sell at lower prices overall. In contrast, in the American market, the car provider faces lower competition or perhaps no competition at all and so can sell cars at higher prices. Therefore, Canadian consumers are willing to pay less to buy cars, while American consumers are willing to pay more to get the same cars. This would also indicate that the Canadian car market is in the state of perfect competition, and the American car market that is in the state of monopoly or oligopoly. d) Give an example of a monopoly. Briefly explain whether you believe it should remain as a mo nopoly or not. Support your answer. [4] Monsanto is a world leader in the commercial seeds market. Furthermore, Monsanto holds a monopoly in certain herbicide brands such as Roundup. This positions Monsanto as a global monopolistic giant that has the market power to alter prices when it feels appropriate. Already Monsanto is being investigated in the United States for breaching antitrust laws. Monopolies such as Monsanto should be broken up, since they cause more harm than good. Monsanto is already responsible for inflating prices in the genetically altered seeds market around the globe. Such practices dissuade the use of such seeds in the long run by farmers around the world, which in turn leads to generally lower agricultural output. Since the market entry barrier is high for industries such as the commercial seeds market and the herbicides market, it is necessary to break up monopolies such as Monsanto. Only such steps can ensure that new market entrants can be introduced to alte r the state of competition. 2. Perfect Competition a) Explain three ways in which international currency markets fit our model of perfect competition. Make sure to explain the effect of the assumptions in the currency market. [6] A market could be theorized to have perfect competition when it meets certain conditions. The market has to be so populated with numerous small firms or producers that

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America Essay

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America - Essay Example The issue of racial differences between black and white races has come into special focus with the enormous strides being made in genetic mapping and other scientific protocols that attempt to pinpoint the markers of human biodiversity. One application for these studies in eugenic is determining the reason for the dominance of African Americans in sports. This paper will provide a summary of the studies and issues that deal with the social, cultural and political nuances of genetic racial differences in American sports history. The research used for this paper included online journals, commentaries from sports analysts and articles from the Jon Entine Website. There was also considerable material that gave insights on the various viewpoints for and against the concept of racial differences as a determinant of athletic prowess. The history of football, basketball, baseball, track and field and boxing were investigated as it pertained to African Americans, as well as the issues and controversies that attended the progress of African American athletes. Related research that dealt with the social implications of genetics and statistics that illustrated the trends in sports were also included. Jon Entine's book released in 2000 entitled Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We Are Afraid to Talk About It has been vilified by equal rights advocates as a thinly veiled attempt to further propagate racism in sports. However, at this point, the historical insight into African American participation in sports as provided in the book and various other sources will be briefly discussed. (Mosley) It is in the US that the stereotype of the "dumb jock" proliferated in society. In essence, it embodies the idea that physical prowess is inversely proportionate to intellectual capacity, a popular generalization that is the heart of the controversy behind African American athletic ability. (Entine) In European history athletic prowess was considered an indication of intelligence, and leaders were often chosen among the most successful fighters and best warriors. However, the 19th century saw the proliferation of pseudo sciences in Europe that claimed to quantify intelligence and other human characteristics by measuring the skull and other body parts. (Entine) The work of physician Samuel George Morton, for example, popularized the idea of eugenics and racial differences by using craniometry, or the ranking of racial intelligence based on the typical skull size of a certain race. His collection of 600 skulls was the basis of modern day racism in the US, where Asians and Caucasians are ranked at the top of the craniometrical scale while Africans and Native Americans were near the bottom. Many accepted this as incontrovertible truth that races like the Africans and Jews are less civilized, and thus inferior. (Entine) This began the ranking of racial and ethnic groups in which, unremarkably, white Europeans came out as the most superior intellectually and those of African descent were relegated to almost animal-like status. (Entine) The nineteenth century also saw the establishment of racial discrimination as a matter of public policy because Europeans did not want interracial mixing in their population. Their basis for discrimination were IQ tests that revealed that those of

Greatest Speeches of All Time - Franklin Roosevelts Speech Essay Example for Free

Greatest Speeches of All Time Franklin Roosevelts Speech Essay In his first paragraph, Roosevelt states that he is certain that his fellow Americans expect he will address them with honesty and a decision which the people will push forward. He also states that this is the distinguished time to speak the truth. That Americans should not shrink from honestly facing conditions in their country today. America will endure as it has endured and will revive and flourish. So first of all, he will support his firm belief that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself- unjustified terror which stops needed efforts to transform retreat into advance. He makes a point about how values have shrunken dramatically as taxes have risen, ability to pay has fallen, the government is faced by diminishment of income, exchange means are frozen in trade, the industrial enterprise is falling (â€Å"withered leaves†), farmers cannot sell produce, savings of families are gone and there are going to be more unemployed citizens. He speaks about how America doesn’t have the problems they once had with loss of produce and how â€Å"our forefathers conquered† and that American’s should appreciate it. He says that the country has many resources and shouldn’t waste them, like leaders have wasted resources before, whether it was because they stubborn or just plain dumb, they have passed on these habits to their future rulers. He acknowledges that they have tried, but their efforts were in vain. They have only ever proposed the lending of money. People before him have not had the choice to lure people to follow him by using money promises; they resorted to persuading the people through â€Å"pleading tearfully for restored confidence. These people had no vision and only knew the rules of a generation of self-seekers, and with this vision people perish. He acknowledges that social values are more important than money values and that is where the restoration should begin. He also acknowledges that money doesn’t bring you happiness but the joy of achievement does. He also acknowledges that the joy and moral side of work no longer need to be forgotten in the chase of diminishing profits. He also states that recognition of material wealth being the standard of success being a false idea going hand in hand with the â€Å"abandonment of the false belief that public office and political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit†, also that there must be an end to the wrong doing to the citizens who trust in banking and in business. If the nation is to be restored both ethics must be changed and action must be taken. He recognises action needs to be taken so that more people are in the workforce and are able to get into the workforce. He states that we must recognise that most of the population lives in the city and that the land should be put to better use. This can be achieved by raising the value of agricultural products and with this power to purchase the output of cities. It can be helped by preventing the tragedy of the growing loss of small homes and farms. It also helped by insistence that the federal, state and local governments act on demand to have their costs reduced. If national planning for supervision of all forms of transportation and communication were in place it would also help. He states that it cannot merely be helped by talking about it and actions must be put in place quickly. He states that to return to the safeguard of work there must be strict supervision of all banking and credits and investment, there must be end to speculation with other people’s money and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency. He goes on to explain how he will fill his duties in a fulfilling way. The event the speech addresses: The event the speech addresses was Inauguration Day, 1933. This marked the commencement of a four year term. On this day there was a swearing in ceremony which consisted of Roosevelt taking an oath of office and delivering a speech. This speech outlined that Roosevelt understood that the American Constitution had proved itself as an enduring modern political mechanism and how Roosevelt planned to ease the effects of the Great Depression. Profile of Franklin Roosevelt: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in 1882 at Hyde Park, New York. Hyde Park (New York) is most famous for being the hometown of Roosevelt and his grandfathers’ home is located near the Riverview Circle of the Hudson River. He was born as the only child of James Roosevelt and Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt. He was born into a family of riches and the sense of self importance. He was educated by tutors and governesses and his upbringing was far different from the common people. In 1896 he attended Groton school for boys where he found it hard to fit in as most of the boys excelled at athletics while he did not. After graduating in 1900, Roosevelt attended Harvard University and Columbia Law School but in 1907 he passed the bar exam yet didn’t receive a degree. In 1905, on St. Patrick’s Day he married Eleanor Roosevelt, his fifth cousin, niece of Theodore Roosevelt, also his fifth cousin. Theodore Roosevelt was Franklin Roosevelt’s idol and Roosevelt aimed to follow in his footsteps. Theodore Roosevelt became commander-in-chief in 1901 after William McKinley was assassinated and president in 1904 after winning second term. Roosevelt won a seat in the New York senate in 1901. He was stricken with Polio in 1921, but not many people knew exactly how paralysed he was as he was never seen in a wheelchair. He fought to regain the use of his legs though hydrotherapy. Franklin Roosevelt was the only president to be elected four times. Roosevelt had become the 32nd President of the United States in 1933. In 1935 many members of the public were against Roosevelt’s New Deal program even though the Nation had received some measure of recovery as national product went up and unemployment went down. The New Deal program was a series of domestic programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1936. Roosevelt was re-elected in 1936 by a huge margin. Roosevelt had pledged the United States to the good neighbour policy, when France fell and England came under siege in 1940, he began to send Great Britain all possible aid short of actual military involvement. Hopes of keeping America out of the war ended on December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. Roosevelt helped in the area of advising military personnel and did this successfully in 1942 in an invasion on South Africa, in 1943 in both Italy and Sicily and followed by the D-Day invasion in Europe in 1944. During this time Roosevelt also promoted the formation of the United Nations (UN). Also in 1944 Roosevelt had been tested and diagnosed with many problems but despite this he ran for president with his running mate Harry S. Truman who he nominated as his senator and won 36 of 48 states, yet again becoming president. In February, 1945, Roosevelt attended the Yalta Conference which was held to discuss after-war reorganisation with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin. Roosevelt died on the afternoon of April 12th in 1945, as the World War II came to a close from a cerebral haemorrhage. His passing shocked America even though people knew he looked exhausted in photographs and news reels, no one was prepared for his passing. Historical Analysis: Roosevelt’s presidency had forever changed the United States and the way it was run. He led a country through the Great Depression, as well as the greatest war in human history, and his social programs during the Great Depression have redefined the role of government in Americans’ lives. He established the United States leadership on the world stage through his role in World War II. The 12 years he spent in the White House had redefined liberalism and set a precedent for the expansion of presidential power for future generations.

Joan of Arc :: History

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc is a French National Heroine who became a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church because of her great achievements. Joan was a simple peasant girl who rescued France from defeat in one of the darkest periods of the "Hundred years' war" with England. She led the French army to victory against the English and paved the way for the coronation of King Charles VII. Joan has become one of the most admired characters in European history. As France was struggling during the Hundred years' war, a young peasant girl was born in the small town of Domrà ©my. Joan was born on January 6, 1412, which was a very unstable time for France. The English and Burgundians ruled much of the country and France was suffering. The Royal Family was weak, the King was insane and Charles the Dauphin, future King, was a coward. Total defeat was not far away. Joan was born a peasant, however, she was to bring the French new inspiration and succeed in driving out the English. Joan was like any other peasant girl in the 15th century. She could not read or write, but she worked hard on her father's farm and acquired her faith and prayers from her mother. In the village she was remembered as a good and simple girl. She had three brothers and a sister who died young. As a peasant, she always remained close to home and didn't even consider leaving the village until she was thirteen and had begun hearing voices. She identified the voice as that of God, telling her that she would have to perform a great task. By age sixteen, she had visions and heard the voices of Saint Margaret, Saint Michael and Saint Catherine sending her on a sacred mission. She must go to the aid of the Dauphin and liberate France from English domination. In 1429 Joan left her home and traveled to the court of the Dauphin. He feared her voices might be from the devil, therefore, he sent a priest to test her. He found no harm and she at last made her way to Chinon were she would find the King. However, when she arrived, the king was hidden among courtiers and although she had never seen him before she recognized him immediately and made straight for him. The King was anxious to believe her voices and therefore he reassembled his troops and placed them under Joan's command.

Culloden Case Essay

Culloden is not an action film, or a historical documentary, it is a historical deconstruction.   It serves to retell the events of the battle of Culloden as they really occurred.   Culloden was not the patriotic battles filled with the heroes that are portrayed in history books, it was an occurrence of bloody mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing. Through filming the events in a documentary style and vividly reconstructing events, the Director of Culloden, Peter Watkins, represents the horror of war in a true and realistic manner and allows the viewer to feel as though they are witnessing events first hand.   This technique, coupled with rapid editing, loud noises and tight close-ups brings the horror of the events home to the viewer and any images of the battle that a viewer may have previously held are completely lost. Within the documentary the deficiencies of the myths contained in history books and stories are revealed.   The character of Bonnie Prince Charlie, for example, is not portrayed as the romantic hero with whom people traditionally associate, rather he is revealed as an incompetent fool who self obsession leads to the murder of innocent civilians and soldiers. The presence of the British historian commenting on events from a safe distance is aimed squarely at pinpointing exactly how this reality becomes distorted over time.   The disjoint between the events on the field and the historian’s reaction to them serves to show how events such as this are dramatized.   Even in the midst of the bloodshed and the violence the historian views events with bias, commenting on them in an animated and vibrant fashion. The film draws the viewer’s attention to a number of factors that are traditionally forgotten in the heroic tales of war; it is an extremely terrifying event where innocent people die, the soldiers themselves suffer horrendously from the events and dreadful mistakes are made.   Whilst the bravery of the men who fight these wars should be remembered, so should the reality of what occurred on the battlefields.

Optimism and Health Benefits Essay

â€Å"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.† This quote from Victor Hugo is a perfect example of optimism. When someone is optimistic, they have a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome. Optimism is simply a mental game. The brain can interpret situations or events as being optimized; meaning that some factors may not be fully comprehendible, yet having confidence that the present moment is in an optimist state. This understanding, although criticized by counter views such as pessimism, realism, and idealism, leads to a state of mind that believes everything is as it should be. With optimism, someone contains hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. Not only does optimism give someone confidence, it also provides many health benefits and a sense of purpose in life. â€Å"Is your glass half empty, or half full?† This saying is a common idiom that illustrates optimism versus pessimism; an optimist is said to see the glass half full, and a pessimist sees the glass as half empty. Winston Churchill provides another unique understanding of this idea: â€Å"The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity,† The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do, and are their own fault. The optimists, who are confronted with the same problems of the world, think about misfortune in the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback. Provoked by a bad situation, they perceive is as a challenge to try harder. If the thoughts that run through one’s head are mostly negative, their outlook on life is more likely to be pessimistic. There is nothing better in life than having a peace of mind that no matter what the troubles are that life may bring, everything will be okay and that life has so much to offer. Unfortunately this peace of mind does not happen over-night, it takes years of trials and experience s to be able to see the bright side of any given situation. People are not automatically born with optimism; they have to experience negative circumstances in order to find the strength to be optimistic in general. Without hardships, optimism would not grow. Optimism often starts with self-talk. These endless streams of unspoken thoughts can either be positive, or negative. Optimism does not mean that one keeps their head in the sand and ignore life’s less unpleasant situations, it just means that the approach to the unpleasantness is in a more positive and productive way. With this approach to any given situation, stress can be reduced. Often time’s people upset themselves over something minute, causing a lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits, hostile mood, etc. What they do not know is that with a simple thought of, â€Å"I can do this,† or â€Å"It will be okay,† their whole stream of thoughts eventually start following that positive pattern, changing their whole mood, reducing stress, and increasing their chances of overcoming obstacles. Not only does an optimistic view reduce stress, it also decreases the risks of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and infections. Optimism itself, not just its association with happiness, lowers anxiety, thus causing less hostility, and has the potential to lower the risk of a stroke. U.S. researchers followed more than 97,000 women for about eight years. Measures of optimism and cynical hostility were strongly associated with these outcomes: Optimists had a lower incidence of heart disease and total mortality. Conversely, cynical hostility, which is a lack of confidence and increased bitterness, was associated with both higher overall mortality and cancer-related effects. Along with positive health benefits, optimism also gives someone a sense of purpose. American psychologist, Salvatore Maddi, co-author of Resilience at Work: How to Succeed No Matter What Life Throws at You, extensively studied what makes executives tough in the face of work-related stress. He found that the healthiest of executives shared three characteristics: a feeling of commitment, a sense of control in their lives, and an acceptance of life’s stressful moments as challenges rather than threats. This research confirms that having a sense of commitment to a purpose does not merely give someone meaning; it makes them more resistant to the impact of stressful living. This view on optimism can increase one’s chances of succeeding their goals or dreams, and not allowing negative situations to hinder their attitude. With hopefulness that their goals will be achieved, their motivation is amplified as well. Optimism is a way of life that is not learned automatically, it takes time and effort to completely change one’s mindset. This mindset has many positive effects. A firm confidence in one’s self develops, and they have self-assurance that no matter what life throws at them, it is completely possible to overcome those obstacles. Optimists tend to believe that defeat is not their fault; circumstances, bad luck, or other people bring it about. Such people are unfazed by defeat. Optimism not only gives one confidence, but also provides a countless number of health benefits. With an optimistic attitude, depression can be reversed. Although it takes time to get out of a slump, just the start of positive self-talk can remove one out of despair. Positive self-talk also reduces stress and the chance of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and strokes. A sense of purpose also develops with someone who acquires an optimistic mentality. A sense of purpose does not only give someone meaning, it helps them to overcome the stresses that life brings. Optimism merely starts with a simple â€Å"I will be okay.† It takes small steps, but it is completely possible for one to change their outlook on life and not let circumstances defeat one’s life.

Free Essays on Homlessness In America

The United States of America is often referred to as â€Å"the land of the free† or â€Å"the greatest country in the world.† But for people who actually live here and see tens of thousands of men, women, and children walking the streets everyday with no home to go to, it is hard to believe that people could even categorized this country with a name so impressive. I agree that homelessness is not a problem just of the United States it is one of the world and we must work together to find a way to solve it. (1) In many ways, homelessness represents a new social problem. Excluding during the time of the Great Depression, women and children have never before been on our nation’s streets in such significant numbers. During the 1980s, cutbacks in government benefits attached with rapidly increasing rents and a scarcity of low-income housing jeopardized the stability of all people on reduced or fixed incomes. As a result, the nation’s population of homeless families swelled from almost minor numbers to nearly 1.4 million. In the United States, 3.5 million people experience homelessness during the course of a year. Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for almost 40 percent of the nation’s homeless. (3) What still confounds many Americans, however is why homeless appears to have become an unchallengeable socio-economic condition in this nation, such that our children may not know an America without it. Most of us can agree that Ameri ca has a strong economy, jobs are available so why doesn’t the â€Å"American Dream† work for everybody? (8) As easy as it seems it is also frustrating that our political leaders in both the White House and Congress have shifted away from the need to address the systematic causes of homelessness and focus nearsightedly and simplistically on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless for the misfortune deemed to be of their own making. It is this nai... Free Essays on Homlessness In America Free Essays on Homlessness In America The United States of America is often referred to as â€Å"the land of the free† or â€Å"the greatest country in the world.† But for people who actually live here and see tens of thousands of men, women, and children walking the streets everyday with no home to go to, it is hard to believe that people could even categorized this country with a name so impressive. I agree that homelessness is not a problem just of the United States it is one of the world and we must work together to find a way to solve it. (1) In many ways, homelessness represents a new social problem. Excluding during the time of the Great Depression, women and children have never before been on our nation’s streets in such significant numbers. During the 1980s, cutbacks in government benefits attached with rapidly increasing rents and a scarcity of low-income housing jeopardized the stability of all people on reduced or fixed incomes. As a result, the nation’s population of homeless families swelled from almost minor numbers to nearly 1.4 million. In the United States, 3.5 million people experience homelessness during the course of a year. Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for almost 40 percent of the nation’s homeless. (3) What still confounds many Americans, however is why homeless appears to have become an unchallengeable socio-economic condition in this nation, such that our children may not know an America without it. Most of us can agree that Ameri ca has a strong economy, jobs are available so why doesn’t the â€Å"American Dream† work for everybody? (8) As easy as it seems it is also frustrating that our political leaders in both the White House and Congress have shifted away from the need to address the systematic causes of homelessness and focus nearsightedly and simplistically on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless for the misfortune deemed to be of their own making. It is this nai...

African Media Structures and Content

African Media Structures and Content Free Online Research Papers A liberal pluralist approach to understanding African media structures and their content Understanding African media structures and their content can be very complex especially taking into consideration the fact that the continent has embraced democracy. This is mainly so because the media in Africa has mainly two extremes functions. On the one hand the media play a â€Å"watchdog† role and on the other it play public relation service to the government. Given these two extremes of media structures it is evident that not any media approach can help one to understand media structures within such a context. However it is also a fact that given the democratization of the African continent, the media must inform citizens on matters of public policy by presenting and debating alternatives. Hence the liberal pluralist approach appears to be the best approach in understanding African media structures because it looks into the media as a ‘watchdog’ that may uncover and publicize political corruption, other abuses of power, and inept policies. However it is also crucial that the problems of the media in Africa, such as the crisis of power, the crisis of ownership and the crisis of resources are acknowledged. It is pivotal that a liberal pluralist approach that is only interested in ending state ownership and control of the media without considering alternatives be avoided. By and large what is important is that a liberal pluralist approach reminds journalists and state leaders that they are accountable to the nation. Introduction Understanding media structures from an African perspective is tantamount to recognizing political developments over the last decade of the 20th century throughout the African continent. Historically most if not all countries in the African continent used to be colonies of western and European countries. However the last years of the 20th century, most African countries witnessed a rise in the democratization of their governments. This resulted in the phasing out of one party states and dictatorship. Most if not all countries started calling for free and elected democratic governments throughout the African continent. It is imperative to mention from the onset that the media are among the forces that have shaped and continued to define the establishment of democracy in Africa. It is also crucial to point out that in spite of the significant role of the media in the development and consolidation of democratic governance in Africa, there have been several influences where states misused or completely did not respect the role of the media in society. As a result it become difficult if not impossible to assess and understand how media influences politics of the day. It therefore becomes critical to evaluate the importance of media structures in the wake of African democracies. The theoretical approach that can make this evaluation resourceful is the liberal pluralist because of its â€Å"watchdog† focus and interest in upholding and protecting individual freedom in the face of government indoctrination. As a result of the above discussion this essay will endeavour to find out why a liberal pluralist approach to media appear the most insightful theory to understanding African media structures and their content. To achieve this goal this essay will first try to assess the role of the media in the democratization of Africa. In the same token the essay will also rewind a little bit by looking at the rationale behind the liberal pluralist approach. But it will be unfair to discuss African media structures without putting the entire media structures challenges into context. Hence the essay will try to discuss everything from the perspective of the three major crises of the media in Africa as identified by Paul A. V. Ansah (Ronning, 1994:02-11). Media and African democracy The demise of one party regimes and development of multi party systems and democracy in Africa resulted in a demand for more democratic structures (Ronning, 1994: 02). There are many theories and definitions of democracy and the process of democratization. With the emphasis on the role of the media in democracy, Winseck in Fourie and Oosthuisen (2003) characterized democracy as the historical process of eliminating totalitarianism in the state, civil society and in economic practices. It is clear that through the media and access to information and the formation of a strong public opinion about the values of democracy, the media play a crucial role in the democratic process (2003:417). Fourie and Oosthuisen argue that apart from the adoption of democratic, political and legal frameworks, democracy also means and involves the processes that allow the procedures of achieving the democratic goals of society to be opened up to citizen participation through [the media] (ibid). It is also critical at this stage to point out that to live in a democracy and to live democratically, means that the adoption of rules and laws of a society are shaped through the media that are open to all. Fourie contends that it is not enough to say that [a country] have a democratic constitution, a democratically elected government, democratically institutions and so forth, what is further needed is to continuously debate all those issues in the interest of the public and in the interest of the well-being of society through the means of the media (2003:419). Hence the demand for freedom of expression and the need for independent and critical media become imperative in Africa (Ronning, 1994:02). It will be an understatement if not a mistake to take it for granted that the media have a democratic role to play in Africa as a result of the dawn of democracy in the continent. A liberal pluralist approach which looks at whether the media fulfill the role of promoting a free exchange of ideas and opinions of informing the citizens in such a way that they are able to form opinions in a climate of independence must be taken if one is to understand the media structures. It is crucial to acknowledge that in most African countries the state used to control the media in all respects. Hence the role of the media in this continent is still mainly dominated by public service ideology. Thus the problematic role of the market in relation to the media has been underplayed, and consequently too little attention has been paid to a discussion of the media in relation to citizen’s rights (Ronning, 1994: 03). As a result of this development there are two main variations on the role of the media in an African context. The two are clearly defined by Ronning (1994) who see on the one hand, African critiques of the existing media who felt that strong state control only can be met by introducing market forces, and on the other hand government who see their influence of the media threatened and fear that they will loose control over the flow of information have had a tendency to regard all forms of independent media be they commercial or alternatively as mouthpieces for a political opposition. Considering some African governments’ perspectives on the role of the media it is very significant that one takes a liberal pluralist approach because it endeavours to closely observe and monitor the government activities. This is also important taking into task that the new democracies in most African countries need to be nurtured and preserved. To this effect McNair (1995) argues that the [media] should be free from government control and government influence, and there must be a free market for ideas and information. In other words, liberal pluralist approach shed some light on the exact relationship between the state and the media focusing on the implication of that relationship to rights of individuals. Hence the media becomes the ‘watchdog’ or â€Å"the fourth estate through which the governing elites could be pressurized and reminded of their dependency on majority opinion† (Bennet, 1982:40-41). It is crucial at this stage to point the root or the origin of most if not all of Africa’s two main conflicting views and perspectives about the role of the media in society. One of the reasons that most African countries are wary of the media is the legacy left by their former colonizers. Most of the media structures during colonialism was used not in the interest and advantage of African countries. Hence the new regimes today feel that the media must play a developmental role. It is a general norm that most if not all African states â€Å"advocate the positive use of the media to promote national development, autonomy and cultural identity† (Fourie, 2003:247). But this kind of theory is very much open to manipulation and abuse and can end up being used to the disadvantage of the media and democracy at large. Development theory is open to abuse and manipulation because certain liberties of the media should be made subordinate to the achievement of national development and economic development (Fourie, 2003:274). Some of the factors that makes development theory open to manipulation and abuse as discussed by McQuail in Fourie (2003) are that the state should be able to restrict the media if economic interests and development needs of the society are at stake, and that to protect development objectives, the state has the right to intervene by restricting and censoring the media. Hence in the latter factor state subsidies and direct control are therefore justifiable. Obviously these kinds of thinking pose several major problems for the media structure to operate as required in a democratic manner. To understand why the watchdog role of the media is relevant and necessary one also need to acknowledge the challenges the media face in the African continent. The problems were clearly captured b y Paul A. V. Ansah who â€Å"pinpointed three major crises of the media in Africa; namely the crisis of power, the crisis of ownership and the crisis of resources† (Ronning, 1994: 3-19). The crisis of power According to Ronning (1994) the crisis of power has two sides. One is related to weakness of the African states and the other is related to weakness of the media themselves. Ronning argues that weak states are particularly suspicious of the media as this are seen as tools of sowing of dissident and as a result the states tried to control the media with the help of a â€Å"variety of techniques ranging from outright censorship and oppression to more subtle means which often combine ownership with a system of economic awards to those in the media who tow the line, and reprisals against those who do not† (1994: 04). This perspective is also shared by Tetty (2001) who argues that a lot of governments in the African continent continue to impose judicial and extra judicial barriers on journalists and media houses in a manner which defeats the professed goals of democratic governance and the purpose behind constitutional provisions of a free press and freedom of expression. However the new democratic media are very sharp and resilient in reporting any incident of authoritarian abuse visited on pro-democracy activities. Hence the media have been very active in exposing activities within the state that would otherwise have been unknown to the citizenry (Tettey, 2001: 10). Tetty argues that it is through this kind of information that the populace is able to measure the pronouncements of politicians against their deeds, and hence make informed judgements about the political future of those individuals. In this regard the media can be seen to play a development role because the likelihood of exposure is also instrumental in, at least making government officials more circumspect in their activities. Moreover the media also impose a certain measure of accountability on the part of government officials that they did not have to worry about in the past (Tetty, 2001:10). In these processes of democratization, the media play a central role by mediating between views and opinions. Ronning contends that this way of using the media contrasts with the manner often â€Å"employed in societies with weak states, where the media are linked directly to the state apparatus, and where they are often used for promoting various forms of personality cults of the head of state and other prominent politicians (1994: 04). Ronning also argues that the weakness of the African media in all aspects make itself vulnerable to be used in such undemocratic ways by the state. Obviously the fact that the media reach a small proportion of the population can be an advantage to the media. In other words government can let the media to broadcast or report unnoticed and unchecked if they know that they only reach a small number of audience. But that same advantage can be turned upside down by the state depending on the influence of target audience of the media. For instance, if the media target intellectuals the state can monitor its content. On the other hand the major disadvantage is that the state is the major news source. As a result the media have to rely on the state for the supply of news content. Hence if a news media is viewed in a negative light the supply of news comes with hidden strings attached. It is from this background that Tetty contends that in most African democracies, â€Å"the parameters of freedom of expression and of the press continue to be determined by how well the contents of the particular print or electronic medium portray power brokers in a positive or, at least neutral light (2001:12). Practically this means that in the case where the state wishes are not fulfilled the media will be victimized. The state can starve the media concerned of news and advertising revenue by not placing government advertisements. Tetty argues that these acts of state intimidation continues to be the case even though there are legal provisions for dealing with cases of unsubstantiated or libelous reporting (2001:12). He maintains that it is ironic that several years after independence, a lot of African countries continue to retain colonial laws, which were used to intimidate anti-colonial activists, including some of the current leaders of these countries. Tetty contends, â€Å"These anachronistic laws have stayed on the books because they now serve the political purpose of the post-colonial ruling elite. They have been employed under the guise of the rule of law and state security to undermine press freedom and freedom expression, as well as to intimidate journalists† (2001:15). Moreover the professional media organizations are also weak in terms of underdeveloped infrastructures and distribution systems. In most cases journalist received poor training that result often in them becoming extended public relations officers for government officials. These facts have a negative impact on how journalists report their news. In many instances they will just go with what the government officials give them because they do not have enough resources to do further research and investigations of their own. Ronning contends that in such trying circumstances the media has little ability to present their case in times of crises as there are few parallel media outlets, and they cannot count on support from other media in the country, which would be the case in societies with a fully developed media structure (1994:04). As indicated earlier in this essay, weakness in terms of financial viability makes most of the private media not to be really independent. As a result they tend to push particular, not always objective, political agendas as more powerful partners dominate them. Tetty argues that in a free democratic society, the media’s credibility tends to be called into question, when they present themselves as â€Å"disinterested surveyors of the political scene but when in reality their views and claims are tainted by narrow ethnic or political trappings, quite at variance with the interest of the nation which they tout as their motivational and call to service† (2001:22). Tetty further contends that in the worst scenarios the manner in which some of these media present their views has stretched the bounds of adversarial politics to the point where animosity appears to define the relationship between the state and journalists (ibid.). According to Tetty (2001) such circumstances led the citizen to begin to wonder whether the media are engaged in a campaign of vilification that would open up political opportunities for them when the current regime is replaced. It is obviously clear that once the citizen start to have such a negative perception about the media its credibility is at stake. It is also clear that much of the public is alienated by the extreme negativity which characterizes some of the contents from the media as acknowledged by The independent, a private Ghanaian newspaper (Tetty, 2001:22). Crisis of media ownership In the middle of who and how the media must report is the crisis of media ownership. According to Ronning (1994) the African crisis of ownership has three aspects. One is that the media in Africa to a large degree, in some way or other, are owned or economically controlled by the state. The result of this arrangement is much often that the media will be the mouthpiece of the government. The second is that international conglomerates often partly control the independent media with corporate interests in the national and regional economies. It is mainly from this side where the media try to play the â€Å"watchdog† role over the government. But in the worst case is when the media take a pure pessimistic negative stance. The last aspect of media ownership is concerned with the so-called alternative media. Alternative media are often owned by small trusts, which again are controlled by a small group of allies and friends or are totally dependent on one person’s dedication (Ronning, 1994:04). Ronning contends that alternative media are faced both with being economically weak due both to low penetration in that they cater for special interests, have little access to advertising and lack proper distribution system (ibid.). Practically, in South Africa we have the Mail Guardian, which is a good example of this kind of ownership. Originally this newspaper, which had some foreign backing, catered for sophisticated readers that were mainly composed of intellectuals and academics. Hence the newspaper used to have great support of advertising revenue that comes from tertiary institutions. As such it used to play a very independent and active â€Å"watchdog† role over the government activities. However after the newspaper experienced financial problems and eventually bought by Trevor Ncube the paper has to change its content drastically for it to survive the government relations. As a result the aggressive and investigative approach towards the government that the newspaper used to take has been softened in favour of advertisement revenues from the government. According to Ronning (1994) solutions to the crises of power and ownership have in a number of instances been sought through the establishment of various organs which represent a form of compromise between direct state control or ownership and private ownership such as press councils and media trusts. Ronning argues that the Zimbabwe Mass media Trust which controls among others, the majority of shares in the country’s largest newspaper group, the national news agency, the regional newspaper project and the country’s largest chain of bookstores is one of the most elaborate structures of this nature (1994: 04). Last year (April 2003), the South African government successfully launched a media structure to this effect through the Presidential Press Corps. In summary â€Å"the Presidential Press Corps was born out of engagements between the South African National Editors Forum and the government during 2001. It [was] recognized that while, as in any democracy, there is a necessary tension between the government and the media, this need not be characterized by animosity as all sides are working towards the same goal of building a vibrant democracy that faces up to the challenge of reversing poverty and underdevelopment. It [was] agreed that the countrys most senior political writers should form into a corps which would, in a systematic way, be able to access information and gain a greater understanding of the work of government†(http//www.gcis.gov.za) Ronning warns that structures such as this point to dangers inherent in a situation where â€Å"the dividing line between government interests and [journalists] independence are unclear and often carry with them a large degree of self-censorship† (1994:05). This fact can be cleary understood if one looks into the Code of Conduct of the Presidential Press Corps (PPC) especially conducts ‘b’ and ‘d’: a. Normal adherence to journalistic principles and ethics b. Observance of on/off record, embargo agreements c. Protocol in briefing room (cell phone interruption, rowdiness, etc) d. Broadly accepted protocols and standards of behaviour in relation to state functions. (Source: http//www.gcis.gov.za) To make matters worse, in addition to the above, government reserves the right to adopt its own sanctions against any PPC member who is deemed by his/her peers to have violated the Code of Conduct. The crisis of resources According to Ronning (1994) the crisis of resources pertains to all levels of the media. It includes the experience and education of media personnel in Africa. It is a general and accepted fact that most of Africa’s media personnel levels of experience and education are generally low by international standards. Ronning argues that poor levels of experience and education are more problematic when it comes to electronic media. This is ironic considering the fact that radio is the most used and viable medium in Africa. The shortage of material resources is obviously one of the major disadvantages, which hamper the development of the media and also make the media vulnerable to political and economic pressure. For instance economical and technological disadvantages prevent most African countries to have as many community radio and television stations as they would like. Conclusion It is a fact that African politics and government structures can be very difficult to understand especially after the continent embraced democracy. The same can be said when it comes to understanding media structures and their content. This is mainly so because the essay has showed that the media in a democratic Africa has mainly two extremes functions. On the one hand the media play a â€Å"watchdog† role and on the other it play public relations service to the government. Given these two extremes of media structures it is evident that not any media approach can help one to understand media structures within such a context. However it is also a fact that given the democratization of the Africa continent, the media must inform citizens on matters of public policy by presenting and debating alternatives. Hence the liberal pluralist approach appears to be the best approach in understanding African media structures because it looks into the media as a ‘watchdog’ that may uncover and publicise political corruption, other abuses of power, and inept policies. However it is also crucial that the problems of the media in Africa, such as the crisis of power, the crisis of ownership and the crisis of resources are acknowledged. A liberal pluralist approach that is only interested in ending state ownership and control of the media without considering alternatives will not shed valuable light. This has been experienced when certain media were freed from state control only to be swallowed by international interests. Hence Africa media becomes the dumping zones for old and often inferior western content. By and large what is important is that a liberal pluralist approach reminds journalists and state leaders that they are accountable to the nation. Research Papers on African Media Structures and ContentBringing Democracy to AfricaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XQuebec and Canada19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in Capital