Effects of globalization on native non

Effects of globalization on native non Introduction Globalization can be described as the result of integration between diverse cultures. This occurs through various means, which include political, economic or cultural, among others. Globalization is a process that dates back to human antiquity. Over the years, several stages of globalization have occurred, these include among others, contemporary globalization, which is brought about by activities such as investment in telecommunication and transportation services. The idea of globalization puts together people from diverse backgrounds that come together through their businesses and later merge into larger networks. In essence, globalization is very efficient in that it encourages coming together of a people in harmony. In addition, it boosts growth of a country, and helps in cultivating democracy. This paper will try to explore the effects of globalization on native non of two native non- Western Cultures influenced by globalization Globalization has had influence in vi rtually every part of the world. This is accelerated by technological advances, which have brought people closer. Moreover, learning of many different languages has worked to bring people much closer. Therefore, as much as globalization led to loss of culture, it has linked people. Several native cultures have been influenced by globalization. These include among others African cultures like postpartum belief, which was quite predominant in non-western cultures.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, this happened in China, among other countries like Lebanon, and India. Another culture that was influences by globalization is embalming of the dead in Egyptian tradition. For instance, Egyptians could keep their dead ones for years through embalming. Globalization led to introduction of hospital mortuaries, which have replaced Egyptian culture of embalming. Global ization on Ghanaian culture Many cultures have been influenced by Globalization, these include among others, Ghanaian and Chinese cultures. The former comprises of more than 60 ethnicities with varied dialects. In general, they had informal education, emphasized shared values in their social system. However, coming of Portuguese missioners transformed their culture. They began schools and formal education, which transformed their way of life. They spoke in Portuguese, English and Dutch, among others. New crops were also introduced which changes their food culture. In essence, formal education system brought about by Christian missioners in Ghana transformed their culture. Before globalization, Ghanaians could not read and write. Instead, they depended on oral communication. However, this changed, with the introduction of formal education by missionaries. In fact, Ghanaian culture embraced informal education in which parents could give advice to their children through songs, tongue t wisters, parables and even direct conversations. They lived in communal lands and shared resources as a community. However, after the coming of Portuguese Christian missionaries from Europe, who brought with them bibles, formal education system started. At first, it was only restricted to religious education. Later on, capacity building became the focus and specialization prevailed. The effects of globalization were therefore immense as people could read and write as well as specialize in specific areas of profession. Ultimately, globalization brought cultural influx thereby giving rise to modern culture, which is technically the same in almost every part of the world. Ghanaian culture can be considered as a representation of most African cultures with regards to change from informal education formal education. Globalization on Chinese culture Another culture that has been transformed is food culture in China and India, among other countries. Introduction of fast foods from the Unit ed States has led to massive change in eating habits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effects of globalization on native non-western cultural practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is mainly attributed to McDonald restaurants, which are currently spread in more than 120 countries all over the globe. Eating habits in China has changed over the year and this has been attributed to introduction of American eating habits (fast foods). In fact, nutritionists have warned that the new eating habit has led to obesity, which is quite prevalent in US. Causes of the influences There are several causes of globalization; they include technological advancement, which have moved people closer. The others include mass media, movies, which expose cultures from the developed worlds to developing ones. Moreover, expansion of multinational companies has influenced globalization. Furthermore, western nations wanted a way of cre ating economic ties between countries all over the globe. Another reason was to create an avenue for profit making. An example of this influence is in the sixteenth century when the western adventurers progressed in undermining cultural beliefs practiced by people of different backgrounds all over the world. They used Christianity and cultural undertakings as weapons. For instance, Missionaries came to Africa to spread their religion. In the process, they realized that Africans could not read and write. This prompted them to introduce formal learning which has transformed the whole continent. As has been stated above, initial reason for learning according to missioners was to aid them in reading the bible. However, these led to further changes as institution of higher learning were established to improve human capacity (Irie, 2007). Category of influence Globalization is known to have transformed many cultures. For instance, Ghanaian culture made several steps towards positive as we ll as negative directions. Positive attributes of globalization included civilization, formal education, system of governance, capacity development, improvement in health facilities and technologies, among others. On the other hand, globalization was seen as a way of promoting individualistic ideas, distortion of family values, breakdown of extended families, and colonization as well as exploitation. On the other hand, change in eating habit as witnessed in Chinese culture, among others due to introduction of fast foods brought about distortion of Chinese eating habit. It has also led to a large number of people with obesity. Therefore, it has its negative attributes. It is also important to note its positive attributes, which include saving time and economic empowerment. In addition, missionaries’ influence was direct in that they came to spread the word, and introduced schools to help people read the bible. On the other hand, it is indirect in that once literacy levels had improved, education found other uses, which included career development. Influence on education can be categorized as positive as it brought about major developments and civilization.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lastly, the influence was intentional since missionaries wanted to help people to read the bible and develop in human capacity. The influence of material and individual values imposed on non-western cultures that had different practices in their cultural ways was a direct one from the western societies. In another dimension, it negatively affected non-western societies in that they had to abandon their normal way of life, which they had known all along (Tyler, 2002). Responses of the native non-western societies Globalization received mixed reactions. This is mainly because proponents found a new way of life and responded positively given the potential benefits that were awaiting skilled labors. Moreover, change in eating habit has brought about a new culture of eating which saves time and improves economy. On the other hand, critics found it as a way of distorting their cultures and exploiting resources. Moreover, introduction of fast foods has been faulted for increasing health is sues such as obesity, among others. In this sense, there were assimilators as well as those who opposed Globalization. Furthermore, native societies were encouraged by prospects of the influence brought about by globalization. In this effect, they started increasing the non-western markets with their goods and ideas. Due to this reason, the western societies opened worldwide markets in order to reap more profits. The non-western societies, had a choice of what they could buy from a range of products provided to them by the western companies (Tyler, 2002). Conclusion Clearly, as seen above, globalization that occurs between different cultures of any society can destroy diverse ways of their livelihoods. This is attributable to the fact that people are not able to make a choice of their own. The impacts brought about by media resources have greatly influenced on what someone may decide to choose (Haviland, Prins, Walrath McBride, 2008). Due to this reason, most of the people tend to abandon their ways of life and cultural beliefs. Another striking point of view can be in disrespecting cultural values and societal norms. This eventually leads to negative impacts on the people on what they consider as their way of life and what they want to achieve in life (Irie, 2007). References Haviland, W. A., Prins, H. E. L., Walrath, D. McBride, B. (2008). Anthropology: The Human Challenge (12th Ed). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. ISBN: 0-495-09559-1. Irie, B. (2007). The effects of globalization: Examining change. Helium.com. Web. Spradley, J. (2006). Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. 12th ed. Boston. Pearson Education Inc. Tischler, H. L. (2007). Introduction to Sociology (9th Ed). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. ISBN: 978-0495538554. Tyler, C. (2002). Creative Destruction: How Globalization Is Changing the Worlds Cultures. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Wood, S. E. Boyd, D. (2010). The world of psychology (7th Ed). NY: Pearson. ISBN: 9 78-0205763733.

Booker T. Washington, Early Black Leader and Educator

Booker T. Washington, Early Black Leader and Educator Booker T. Washington (April 5, 1856–November 14, 1915) was a prominent black educator, author, and leader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery, Washington rose to a position of power and influence, founding the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881 and overseeing its growth into a well-respected black university. Washington was a controversial figure in his time and since, criticized for being too accommodating on the issues of segregation and equal rights. Fast Facts: Booker T. Washington Known For: Born a slave, Washington became a prominent black educator and leader during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founding the Tuskegee Institute.Also Known As: Booker Taliaferro Washington; The Great AccommodatorBorn: April 5, 1856 (the only record of this birthdate was in a now-lost family Bible) in Hales Ford, VirginiaParents: Jane and unknown father, described in Washingtons autobiography as a white man who lived on one of the nearby plantations.Died: November 14, 1915 in Tuskegee, AlabamaEducation: As a child laborer, after the Civil War, Washington attended school at night and then school for one hour a day. At 16, he attended the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. He attended the Wayland Seminary for six months.Published Works:  Up From Slavery, The Story of My Life and Work, The Story of the Negro: The Rise of the Race from Slavery, My Larger Education, The Man Farthest DownAwards and Honors: First black American to receive an honorary degree from Harv ard University (1896). First black American invited to dine at the White House, with President Theodore Roosevelt (1901).Spouses: Fanny Norton Smith Washington, Olivia Davidson Washington, Margaret Murray WashingtonChildren: Portia, Booker T. Jr., Ernest, adopted niece of Margaret Murray WashingtonNotable Quote: In all things that are purely social we [blacks and whites] can be separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress. Early Life Booker T. Washington was born in April 1856 on a small farm in Hales Ford, Virginia. He was given the middle name Taliaferro but no last name. His mother Jane was a slave and worked as the plantation cook.  In Washingtons autobiography, he wrote that his father- whom he never knew - was a white man, possibly from a neighboring plantation. Booker had an older brother, John, also fathered by a white man. Jane and her sons occupied a tiny, one-room cabin. Their dreary home lacked proper windows and had no beds for its occupants. Bookers family rarely had enough to eat and sometimes resorted to theft to supplement their meager provisions. Around 1860, Jane married Washington Ferguson, a slave from a nearby plantation. Booker later took the first name of his stepfather as his last name. During the Civil War, the slaves on Bookers plantation, like many slaves in the South, continued to work for the owner even after the issuance of Lincolns 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. In 1865 after the war ended, Booker T. Washington and his family moved to Malden, West Virginia, where Bookers stepfather had found a job as a salt packer for the local salt works. Working in the Mines Living conditions in their new home were no better than those back at the plantation. Nine-year-old Booker worked alongside their stepfather packing salt into barrels. He despised the work but did learn to recognize numbers by taking note of those written on the sides of the salt barrels. Like many former slaves during the post-Civil War era, Booker longed to learn how to read and write. When a black school opened in a nearby community, Booker begged to go. His stepfather refused, insisting that the family needed the money he brought in from the salt packing. Booker eventually found a way to attend school at night. When he was 10, his stepfather took him out of school and sent him to work in the nearby coal mines. From  Miner to Student In 1868, 12-year-old Booker T. Washington found a job as a houseboy in the home of the wealthiest couple in Malden, General Lewis Ruffner, and his wife Viola. Mrs. Ruffner was known for her high standards and strict manner. Washington, responsible for cleaning the house and other chores, impressed Mrs. Ruffner, a former teacher, with his sense of purpose and a commitment to improving himself. She allowed him to attend school for an hour a day. Determined to continue his education, 16-year-old Washington left the Ruffner household in 1872 to attend Hampton Institute, a school for blacks in Virginia. After traveling over 300 miles- by train, stagecoach, and on foot- Washington arrived at Hampton Institute in October of that year. Miss Mackie, the principal at Hampton, was not entirely convinced that the young country boy deserved a place at her school. She asked Washington to clean and sweep a recitation room for her; he did the job so thoroughly that Miss Mackie pronounced him fit for admission. In his memoir Up From Slavery, Washington later referred to that experience as his college examination. Hampton Institute To pay his room and board, Washington worked as a janitor at Hampton Institute. Rising early in the morning to build the fires in the school rooms, Washington also stayed up late every night to complete his chores and work on his studies. Washington greatly admired the headmaster at Hampton, General Samuel C. Armstrong, and considered him his mentor and role model. Armstrong, a veteran of the Civil War, ran the institute like a military academy, conducting daily drills and inspections. Although academic studies were offered at Hampton, Armstrong placed emphasis on teaching trades. Washington embraced all that Hampton Institute offered him, but he was drawn to a teaching career rather than a trade. He worked on his oratory skills, becoming a valued member of the schools debate society. At his 1875 commencement, Washington was among those called upon to speak. A reporter from The New York Times was present at the commencement and praised the speech given by 19-year-old Washington in his column the following day. First Teaching Job Booker T. Washington returned to Malden after his graduation with his newly acquired teaching certificate. He was hired to teach at the school in Tinkersville, the same school he had himself attended before Hampton Institute. By 1876, Washington was teaching hundreds of students- children during the day and adults at night. During his early years of teaching, Washington developed a philosophy toward the advancement of blacks. He believed in achieving the betterment of his race by strengthening the character of his students and teaching them a useful trade or occupation. By doing so, Washington believed, blacks would assimilate more easily into white society, proving themselves an essential part of that society. After three years of teaching, Washington appears to have gone through a period of uncertainty in his early 20s. He abruptly and inexplicably quit his post, enrolling in a Baptist theological school in Washington, D.C. Washington quit after only six months and rarely ever mentioned this period of his life. Tuskegee Institute In February 1879, Washington was invited by General Armstrong to give the spring commencement speech at Hampton Institute that year. His speech was so impressive and so well received that Armstrong offered him a teaching position at his alma mater. Washington began teaching night classes in the fall of 1879. Within months of his arrival at Hampton, night enrollment tripled. In 1881, General Armstrong was asked by a group of educational commissioners from Tuskegee, Alabama for the name of a qualified white man to run their new school for blacks. The general instead suggested Washington for the job. At only 25 years old, former slave Booker T. Washington became the principal of what would become Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. When he arrived at Tuskegee in June 1881, however, Washington found that the school had not yet been built. State funding was earmarked only for teachers salaries, not for supplies or the building of the facility. Washington quickly found a suitable plot of farmland for his school and raised enough money for a down payment. Until he could secure the deed to that land, he held classes in an old shack adjacent to a black Methodist church. The first classes began an astonishing 10 days after Washingtons arrival. Gradually, once the farm was paid for, the students enrolled at the school helped repair the buildings, clear the land, and plant vegetable gardens. Washington received books and supplies donated by his friends at Hampton. As word spread of the great strides made by Washington at Tuskegee, donations began to come in, mainly from people in the north who supported the education of freed slaves. Washington went on a fundraising tour throughout the northern states, speaking to church groups and other organizations. By May 1882, he had collected enough money to construct a large new building on the Tuskegee campus. (During the schools first 20 years, 40 new buildings would be constructed on campus, most of them by student labor.) Marriage, Fatherhood, and Loss In August 1882, Washington married Fanny Smith, a young woman who had just graduated from Hampton. A great asset to her husband, Fanny became very successful at raising money for Tuskegee Institute and arranged many dinners and benefits. In 1883, Fanny gave birth to the couples daughter Portia. Sadly, Washingtons wife died the following year of unknown causes, leaving him a widower at only 28 years old. In 1885, Washington married again. His new wife, 31-year-old Olivia Davidson, was the lady principal of Tuskegee at the time of their marriage. (Washington held the title administrator.) They had two children together- Booker T. Jr. (born in 1885) and Ernest (born in 1889). Olivia Washington developed health problems after the birth of their second child and she died of a respiratory ailment in 1889 at the age of 34. Washington had lost two wives within a period of only six years. Washington married his third wife, Margaret Murray, in 1892. She, too, was the lady principal at Tuskegee. She helped Washington run the school and care for his children and accompanied him on his many fundraising tours. In later years, she was active in several black womens organizations. Margaret and Washington were married until his death. They had no biological children together but adopted Margarets orphaned niece in 1904. The Growth of Tuskegee Institute As Tuskegee Institute continued to grow both in enrollment and in reputation, Washington nonetheless found himself in the constant struggle of trying to raise money to keep the school afloat. Gradually, however, the school gained statewide recognition and became a source of pride for Alabamans, leading the Alabama legislature to allocate more funds toward the salaries of instructors. The school also received grants from philanthropic foundations that supported education for blacks. Tuskegee Institute offered academic courses but placed the greatest emphasis on industrial education, focusing on practical skills that would be valued in the southern economy such as farming, carpentry, blacksmithing, and building construction. Young women were taught housekeeping, sewing, and mattress-making. Always on the lookout for new money-making ventures, Washington conceived the idea that Tuskegee Institute could teach brick-making to its students, and eventually make money selling its bricks to the community. Despite several failures in the early stages of the project, Washington persisted- and eventually succeeded. The Atlanta Compromise Speech By the 1890s, Washington had become a well-known and popular speaker, although his speeches were considered controversial by some. For instance, he delivered a speech at Fisk University in Nashville in 1890 in which he criticized black ministers as uneducated and morally unfit. His remarks generated a firestorm of criticism from the black community, but he refused to retract any of his statements. In 1895, Washington delivered the speech that brought him great fame. Speaking in Atlanta at the Cotton States and International Exposition, Washington addressed the issue of racial relations in the United States. The speech came to be known as The Atlanta Compromise. Washington expressed his firm belief that blacks and whites should work together to achieve economic prosperity and racial harmony. He urged southern whites to give black businessmen a chance to succeed in their endeavors. What Washington did not support, however, was any form of legislation that would promote or mandate racial integration or equal rights. In a nod to segregation, Washington proclaimed: In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress. His speech was widely praised by southern whites, but many in the black community were critical of his message and accused Washington of being too accommodating to whites, earning him the name The Great Accommodator. Tour of Europe and Autobiography Washington gained international acclaim during a tour of Europe in 1899. Washington gave speeches to various organizations and socialized with leaders and celebrities, including Queen Victoria and Mark Twain. Before leaving for the trip, Washington stirred up controversy when asked to comment upon the murder of a black man in Georgia who had been strung up and burned alive. He declined to comment on the horrific incident, adding that he believed that education would prove to be the cure for such actions. His tepid response was condemned by many black Americans. In 1900, Washington formed the National Negro Business League (NNBL), with the goal of promoting black-owned businesses. The following year, Washington published his successful autobiography, Up From Slavery. The popular book found its way into the hands of several philanthropists, resulting in many large donations to Tuskegee Institute. Washingtons autobiography remains in print to this day and is considered by many historians to be one of the most inspirational books written by a black American. The stellar reputation of the institute brought in many notable speakers, including industrialist Andrew Carnegie and feminist Susan B. Anthony. Famed agricultural scientist George Washington Carver became a member of the faculty and taught at Tuskegee for nearly 50 years. Dinner With President Roosevelt Washington found himself at the center of controversy once again in October 1901, when he accepted an invitation from President Theodore Roosevelt to dine at the White House. Roosevelt had long admired Washington and had even sought his advice on a few occasions. Roosevelt felt it only fitting that he invite Washington to dinner. But the very notion that the president had dined with a black man at the White House created a furor among whites- both northerners and southerners. (Many blacks, however, took it as a sign of progress in the quest for racial equality.) Roosevelt, stung by the criticism, never again issued an invitation. Washington benefited from the experience, which seemed to seal his status as the most important black man in America. Later Years Washington continued to draw criticism for his accommodationist policies. Two of his greatest critics were William Monroe Trotter, a prominent black newspaper editor and activist, and W.E.B. Du Bois, a black faculty member at Atlanta University. Du Bois criticized Washington for his narrow views on the race issue and for his reluctance to promote an academically strong education for blacks. Washington saw his power and relevance dwindle in his later years. As he traveled around the globe giving speeches, Washington seemed to ignore glaring problems in America, such as race riots, lynchings, and the disenfranchisement of black voters in many southern states. Although Washington later spoke out more forcefully against discrimination, many blacks would not forgive him for his willingness to compromise with whites at the cost of racial equality. At best, he was viewed as a relic from another era; at worst, a hindrance to the advancement of his race. Death Washingtons frequent travel and busy lifestyle eventually took a toll on his health. He developed high blood pressure and kidney disease in his 50s and became seriously ill while on a trip to New York in November 1915. Insisting that he die at home, Washington boarded a train with his wife for Tuskegee. He was unconscious when they arrived and died a few hours later on November 14, 1915, at the age of 59. Booker T. Washington was buried on a hill overlooking the Tuskegee campus in a brick tomb built by students. Legacy From a slave to the founder of a black university, Booker T. Washingtons life traces the vast changes undergone and distances traversed by black Americans after the Civil War and into the twentieth century. He was an educator, prolific writer, orator, adviser to presidents, and considered the most prominent black American at the height of his career. His accommodationist approach to advancing the economic lives and rights of black in America was controversial even in its own time and remains controversial to this day. Sources Harlan, Louis R. Booker T. Washington: The Making of a Black Leader, 1856–1901. Oxford, 1972.Wells, Jeremy. â€Å"Booker T. Washington (1856–1915).† Encyclopedia Virginia.

Drug Dilemmas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Dilemmas - Essay Example Unfortunately, in a free market economy such as the United States, nothing can be done about it, except by government intervention through price regulation. Considering what Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, said about how pharmaceutical companies spend enormous resources in developing "me-too" drugs simply to get a share of the market of a top-selling drug, there is reason to believe that U.S. drug prices do not reflect the operation of a fair and competitive market, rather, the pharmaceutical companies have somewhat cartelized themselves resulting in a monopoly of the drug pricing. 2. Given the nature of their product, do pharmaceutical companies have ethical responsibilities that other corporations don't have In your view, are the large U.S. drug companies good corporate citizens According to the Case Resource, many drug companies enjoy larger profit margins than other U.S. corporations. At the very least, and considering the nature of their product, this writer believes that pharmaceutical companies should take on the ethical responsibility of reasonably pricing their products, at least at the level of most corporations. It would be more ethical of course, for pharmaceutical companies to reduce their profit margins in order to make their drugs more available to a greater number of people. After all, the mission and vision of most drug companies is to "lead the way to a healthier world by providing products that improve lives" (Wyeth, 2008), or "we are here for the people we serve in their pursuit of healthy lives" (Abbott, 2008). However, in terms of corporate citizenship, drug companies would be thought of as good corporate citizens especially if they pay the government the correct taxes from all the revenues and profits they make. 3. Are the large drug companies guilty of price gouging or charging an unfair or exploitative price for their products In general, what factors should determine the price of drugs Should Americans be permitted to import drugs from Canada or other countries Whether or not large drug companies are guilty of price gouging or charging an unfair or exploitative price for their products is highly debatable. On the one hand, if the drug company sets its price at a profit level well beyond regular profitability standards for U.S. corporations, then the company would be guilty of price gouging. However, to determine such profit level, various factors would need to be taken into account and some of these factors may not be existent in other corporations, such as costs of compliance with government regulations considering that such regulations may be stricter in the health industry than in other industries. In general, factors that determine the price of drugs would be production costs, distribution costs, marketing costs, administration costs and other overhead costs such as R&D. This writer believes that Americans should be permitted to import drugs from Canada or other countries for that matter. If the cost of imported drugs is less expensive than U.S.-manufactured drugs, this would be very beneficial to Americans. Moreover, it would provide a natural check and balance for the pricing practices of the U.S. drug companies. 4. Do drug companies have an obligation to make new drugs available to patients who were involved in their development, either here or overseas

Financial Institutions and Instruments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Financial Institutions and Instruments - Essay Example An investment strategy has more to do with responsibly, and often conservatively, managing an investment portfolio in order to maximize gains with a minimum of maintenance, a low number of transactions (and their attendant costs), and a minimum of risk. This paper will explore the investment strategy approach for the most part, whilst also exploring some of the more simplified and well-tested technical strategies of the trading approach. A simplified investment strategy is the one most likely to be employed by an ordinary person with a modest portfolio, a minimum amount of time to devote to managing that portfolio, and limited ability, desire, and/or resources to devote to the use of sophisticated analysis tools. In other words, the kind of person who has a day job as opposed to being a fulltime day trader, and needs a strategy that includes a fair degree of automatic execution and pre-determined portfolio protection devices. Finding a consistent strategy that meets these requirements would be useful to a great number of people who are currently disadvantaged in the area of maximizing their investment gains by lack of financial resources, time, and expertise, whilst at the same time they may be very dependent on their investment pe rformance for their future financial security needs. Much work has been done in pursuit of a system that would consistently provide excess returns, with mixed results. The very existence of technical analysis seems to belie the Efficient Market Hypothesis. Some researchers have concluded that "technical rules do not earn excess profits over a simple buy-and-hold strategy," (Beechey, Gruen, and Vickery, 2000). However, there are aspects of market performance that are not completely explained by EMH, and the available evidence suggests that "financial market returns are partly predictable, in ways that sometimes conflict with the Efficient Market Hypothesis" (Beechey, et al, 2000). Other discordant findings regarding the EMH versus actual stock performance include evidence that in the stock market, "shares with high returns continue to produce high returns in the short run (momentum effects). In the long run, shares with low price-earnings ratios, high book-to-market-value ratios, and other measures of 'value' outperform the market (value effects)." Further, "at times, asset prices appear to be significantly misaligned, for extended period," (Beechey, et al, 2000). Whenever inefficiencies such as misalignments or mispricings occur, an opportunity for excess returns also occurs - if someone with a technical analysis filter is watching for them and knows when and how to act on them. At best it would seem the EMH semi-strong or weak version best describes what is observed in the markets. Therefore it would seem that there may, after all, be something to be gained from at least a cursory investigation of the technical analysis tools that are most readily available to the average investor, and that are easy to understand and use, and that is the criteria that was used when choosing technical analysis tools for inclusion in the investment strategy that will be outlined herein. St. George's Bank has been traded on the Australian exchange since 1992, and is currently the fifth largest bank in Australia. It shares with the banking sector a 100%

Life & Wessex King Essay Example for Free

Life Wessex King Essay Life in the past was characterized with lots of battles between rival territories. This resulted to the rise of powerful empires and the measure of power during those days was through the number of wars fought. Warriors of those days were called Vikings. A Viking also denotes a pirate, merchant or explorer. These Norsemen normally used long ships to travel in the sea to all the places of their interest and used the same vessels to fight their enemies. The Vikings are traced to have originated in the early 17th century in the German territory. The initiator of Vikings in the Iceland is Erik the red. He lived all his life ruling his people after which his son picked the mantle from him (Gwyn, J. 2000). SCANDINAVIA The term Scandinavia is both a historical a major geographical part in the world. There exist also a people who are identified as the Scandinavians. According to the geographical setting, Scandinavia is located in the Northern Europe, a place called Scandinavian Peninsula. The kingdoms that existed in the Scandinavian region include: Finland, Norway and partly Denmark. A lot of research done also reveal that Sweden and Iceland also form part of this robust history. All these regions put together are further referred to as Nordic region. The geographical orientation of Scandinavia is rather ambiguous. The region spreads from the Norwegian Fjords all the way to the low areas in Denmark through the Scandinavian Mountains and to the archipelagos of Sweden and Norway. This region has diverse group of people and for this reason, there exist more that one dialect. The languages that were spoken in these regions included Norway, Sweden and Denmark dialects. These people usually understood each other and thus had mutual understanding. DO THE VIKINGS RIGHTFULLY DESERVE THE REPUTATION THAT THEY WERE CRUEL, MURDEROUS BARBARIANS? WHY? WHY NOT? The Vikings performed most of their ventures through wars. It is evident that a normal way of dressing was to be attire that is characteristic of a warrior. The males had war uniforms all the time. From the first time that the Vikings entered a territory, war had to be fought. It is mandatory that people must die in the event of war. The death of people was so common to these northern tribes that any one could talk of them to be cruel and murderous. Other ventures like sea piracy and looting were associated with brutality and blood shed. The victims of such encounters were left counting their losses if they were not dead. Erik who is one of the founders of the Vikings movement was actually observed to murder many people in his native land until he was expelled to go to exile, the result which led to the discovery of Ice land. EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF WESSEX, IN REGARD TO THE VIKINGS IN ENGLAND. The Wessex territory was known for its great power during the year 878. This territory had great potential that any attacker could admire. Te Wessex King of that time planed for a very efficient army that was to fight and defeat the Viking warriors. This king managed to resist the Vikings and with time became pronounced as Alfred the great. His territory was a centre for trade, commerce and administration. The Vikings however invaded this land and took loots from it as usual. The Wessex region acted as a real opposition to the advances of the Vikings. Every one feared the Vikings. The sight of these raiders approaching a region would send cold shivers down the guts of every king. King Alfred however managed to escape them, even though he was later cornered. The Wessex region became a home of habitation to some Vikings although others separated from the settling camp and continued with invasion. Wessex became a point mark towards bringing an end to the Viking advances in war. HOW DID THE VIKINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE BREAK-UP OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE? The Vikings were a major threat to the kings during the Viking age. The Vikings attached Carolingian empire in the year 885 and 886 leading to the defeat of their kings. In 845, the Viking warriors sailed to seine in France and attacked it. The end result of this was a defeat to the Carolingian empire and the kings that followed were just puppet rulers who were initiated by the Vikings. This led to the fall of this empire and it took along time to come up again. EXPLAIN THE VARIOUS PHASES INVOLVED IN VIKING RAIDS. Vikings mainly had 3 phases of raids. The very first phase said to have lasted from 790-840. The Vikings used very shallow draught long ships. They always used these ships because they were suitable majorly for surprise attacks in the coastal towns. The size of these vessels was so small so that the Vikings could rush and attack very fast. With this they attacked Frisia and Aquitane. The second level of attacks occurred between 841 and 875 and the number of raids increased. The Vikings attacked by killing or enslaving their victims. With this, the attacks proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea. 876 to 911 saw the introduction of the third phase. With this, the Vikings started to invade frnce and other parts of Europe. They also developed their own fleets that were used to attack distance empires.

Bill Gates: A Global Leader Essay -- Leadership, My Inspiring Global L

Table of Contents Page Introduction 2 My Inspiring Global Leader 3-5 Conclusion 5 References 6 Appendixes A Microsoft 8 B Philanthropic Work10 Introduction A leader is someone that you can look up to, someone who has a conglomerate of attributes that motivate people to follow them. There are many reasons why you can find someone amusing, intriguing or interesting but the conglomerate of actions performed by them is what makes them stand over others. A global leader is someone who has transcends the geographical limits with their contributions not only to their field but to humanity as well. In this essay I will briefly discussed the attributes of the global leader I selected, his visions and his contributions to mankind. The global leader I have selected has so many qualities that words are not enough to describe his success and his effect in the way we live and see life. His name is William Henry Gate III or as we all know him as Bill Gates. William Henry Gate III was born in Seattle on 1955 and was raised in a wealthy family. His father was a successful attorney and his mother was a top executive at a national bank. This upbringing gave him the opportunity to study in the most prestige school on his state where he discovered his love for computers. The beginning While Bill Gates was at junior high a group of parents raise money to purchase the first computerized terminal in the school. When that happened he decided to take all his time to work on that system teaming with other students to learn about different operating systems. He excelled in his learning of systems and he started developing ideas to make business with companies in order to learn how they make their terminals. His mind for busi... ...verance and discipline. References (2006). Bill Gates: Biography. Microsoft. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://www. microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/bio.mspx. (2007). Bill Gates. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates. Global Development Program. Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalDevelopment/. Global Health Program. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/. United States Program. Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/. Mirick, J. (1996). William H. Gates III: before Microsoft. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html#computing.

Punishment in America Research Paper Essay

Abstract   Punishment in America has mainly four goals: Retribution (deserved punishment), Deterrence, Societal protection and Rehabilitation. Ultimately all this punishment are aimed at maintaining societal order, but the justification for the sentence are closely tied to the American values of justice and fairness. However the justice sought by crime victims often conflicts with the fairness to the offenders. It’s therefore important to note that while punishment in America is meant to correct the offender the effectiveness of method used on the criminal determine the outcome to correct the anomaly. Restorative justice has proved to be a new method of restoring justice among the offenders.               Ã‚  Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Punishment reflects the dominant values of particular moments in history. By the end of 1960s for example, the number of Americans who were sentenced to imprisonment decreased because of widespread commitment of rehabilitating offenders. By contrast since 1970s record numbers of offenders have been sentenced to prison because of an emphasis of imposing strong punishment for the purposes of retribution, deterrence and incapitation. At the beginning of 21st century voices are calling for addition of restorative justice as a criminal sanction. According to George and Smith, 2005, there are mainly 4 types of punishment: Retribution/Deserved punishment, Deterrence, Societal protection and Rehabilitation. Effects of the 4 Types of Punishments Retribution/Deserved punishment: Retribution is a punishment inflicted on a person who has infringed on the rights of others so deserve to be penalized. Retribution means that those who have done a particular crime should be punished alike in proportion to the gravity of the crime or the extent to which others have been made to suffer. In retribution punishment, offenders must â€Å"pay their debts†.   Some scholars claim that the desire for retribution is a basic human emotion. They maintain that if the state does not provide retributive sanctions to reflect community revolution at offensive acts, citizens will take the law into their own hands to punish offenders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under this view the failure of government to satisfy the people’s desire for retribution could produce social chaos. Using the concept of just deserts or deserved punishment to define retribution, some theorists argue that one who infringes on the rights of others deserve to be punished. In this view, punishment should be only for the wrong inflicted and not primarily to achieve other goals such as deterrence, societal protection or rehabilitation (George and smith, 2005) Deterrence: The roots of deterrence are traced back in 18th century in England among the followers of social philosopher Jeremy Bentham. He adopted Bentham’s theory of utilitarianism, which holds that human behavior is governed by the individuals’ calculation of the benefits versus the cost of his /her acts. Before stealing money for example, potential offenders would consider the punishment that others have received for similar acts would thereby be deterred. There are two types of deterrence: general deterrence which presumes that members of the public on observing the punishment of others will conclude that the crime outweighs the benefits. For general deterrence to be effective, the public must be constantly reminded about the likelihood and severity of punishment for various acts (George and smith, 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  The punishment must be severe enough to instill fear of the consequences of committing a crime. By contrast specific deterrence targets the decision and behavior of the offenders who have already been convicted. Under this approach, the amount and kind of punishment are calculated to discourage that criminal from repeating the offence. The punishment must be severe enough to cause the criminal to say â€Å"the consequence of my crime were too painful, I will not commit another crime†. The concept of deterrence has obvious difficulties (Nagin, 1998). Deterrence assumes that all people think before they act. As such deterrence does not account for people who commit crimes under the influence of drugs or alcohol or mental disorder. The effectiveness of deterrence is limited as well (Nagin, 1998). A study on deterrence effects of punishment would have to examine the impacts of different forms of criminal sanction on various potential lawbreakers. Therefore while legislation often cites deterrence as a rationale for certain sanctions, no one really knows the extent to which sentencing policies based on deterrence achieve their objective. Societal protection: This assumes that society can keep offenders from committing further crimes by detention in prison or by execution. Offenders can be confined within secure institutions and effectively prevented from committing additional harm against society for the duration of their sentence. Capital punishment is the ultimate method of societal protection. Research has suggested that a relatively small number of offenders commit a large number of violence and property crimes (George and smith, 2005). Questions arise about how to determine the length of the sentence. Presumably offenders will not be released until the state is sure that they will no longer commit crimes. Therefore the limit of this punishment is that it cannot predict accurately which offenders will commit more crime upon release. Rehabilitation: This refers to the goal of restoring a convicted offender to a constructive place in society through some form of training or therapy. Americans want to believe that offenders can be treated and resocialised in ways that allow them to lead a crime –free productive life upon release. Over the last hundred years, rehabilitation advocates have argued for techniques that they claim identify and treat the causes of criminal behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rehabilitation focuses on the offender. Its objective does not imply any consistent relationship between the severity of the punishment and the gravity of the crime .according to concept of rehabilitation, offenders are treated, not punished and they are returned to the society when they are cured. Studies on the results of rehabilitation have challenged the idea that criminal offenders can be cured (Margolis, 1974). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above methods have proved to be not too effective and the new approach to punishment is restorative justice. Restorative justice view crime as more than a violation of penal law. The criminal act practically and symbolically denies the community. This approach means that losses suffered by the crime victim are restored and the threat to the local safety is removed and the offender again becomes a fully participating member of the community. Shifting the focus to restorative justice requires a three way approach that involves the offender, the victim and the community. This approach may include mediation in which the three actors devise ways that all agree are fair and just for the offender to repair the harm done to victim and community. References George, F. C. and Smith E.G, (2005): ‘Criminal Justice in America, Criminology’, 4th Edition. Nagin, D.1998: ‘Criminal deterrence research at the onset of the twenty-first century’: crime and justice review of research, Vol. 23. Margolis, E.1974: ‘The effectiveness of rehabilitation punishment as a cure for crime’, research paper.

Political Culture of Mexico

Mexican Political Culture As once put by Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, Mexico is a land of â€Å"super-imposed pasts† (McCormick, p. 326). It continues to be and is seen as a melding pot of its European and Native American ideas about society, law and government. Its history has had a major influence on the political culture of Mexico, seen through years of revolution, violence and corruption. Mexico is a considered a new democracy, but there is a tension still seen between democracy and authoritarianism. The country we see today has impressive growth yet is still enduring poverty. It’s a geographically diverse country, with a population of approximately 106million people. Latin American political culture is seen as â€Å"elitist, hierarchical, authoritarian, corporatist and patrimonial. † Various economic pressures and calculated changes being made to the system of government are now challenging these traditions in Mexico, hopefully to ultimately restore the relationship between the government and people. (McCormick, pg. 33) Today, many of the politics we see in Mexico do still reflect the centralized and hierarchical system of the Aztecs, but we see much change in the country after the arrival of Europeans. Until the 15th century, native peoples inhabited the current Mexico. The Mayans and Azteks built a surprisingly sophisticated empire with their own local governments, centralized taxes and court system and beyond. The Spanish arrived in 1519 and by the mid-sixteenth century all of what the native peoples had built had been conquered. The Spaniards left Mexico with a huge influence; they brought religious heritage in Catholicism, which has gone beyond just a religion in Mexico and is embedded in their political culture. â€Å"Spanish Catholicism was based on the idea that political authority emanated from God, and all lower levels of society had progressively less power and status. † (McCormick, p. 334). We see this hierarchical influence still in Mexican political culture today, along with the elitism of the Native American society. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a strong symbol within the Mexican society and their Roman Catholic beliefs. It is said that in December 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared on three occasions to a Christian Indian, Juan Diego, six kilometers north of Mexico City, and identified herself as Guadalupe. It is said that the Guadalupe symbol â€Å"links family, politics and religion; the colonial past and the independent present; and the Indian and the Mexican. It reflects the salient social relationships of Mexican life and embodies the emotions they generate. † (Merrill & Miro, Religion) Devotion to the Virgin Guadalupe remains strong even as Mexican society changes. For example, in a national opinion poll found, nine out of ten Mexicans still continued to ask intercessions from the Virgin or another saint. (Merrill & Miro, Religion) Another huge aspect of Mexican political culture is the Constitution of 1917. Many Mexicans attribute the origins of the political system in Mexico to the Revolution of 1910-1920 and it’s Constitution of 1917. Unlike their American neighbors, the people of Mexico focus and look to the past, not the future, to there missed dreams and hopes. Many people of Mexico support and have faith and pride in the Constitution of 1917, agree with the goals of the Revolution and support their political institutions. (McCormick p. 333) The Constitution is seen more as an outline of the goals Mexico has aspired for. Their believe in the Constitution but recognize it as a work in progress as it still contains many goals that have not achieved, such as the goal of greater equality. The more Mexico strives towards democracy, the more we can begin to pin down and see the final handicaps that stand in between Mexico and democracy. As Mexico has become wealthier, we see now that their middle class is further expanding and there are greater chances and hopes for political modernization, hoping to permanently stray from the corruption seen in the past. Mexico is a federal republic, but power has been traditionally centralized within the ruling political party. Political power in Mexican politics revolves commonly around camarillas, which is a network of people with common political interests, who have specific ties to a particular leader. Each group of camarillas has a single leader and through this, you find that everyone relies on one another for political advancement. In a system like this, unfortunately personalities become more important than ideologies and policies in political matters and behavior. We see through this centralization how corruption in Mexican political history has been so common. Throughout the years of revolution and war, Mexican political culture has been hugely tarnished by seemingly credible evidence of corruption. There is a value of order over freedom. This is especially seen through the years of the PRI party regime, which held power for 71 years in Mexico. Corruption was rampant, and it has created an intense distrust of government within Mexico, to the point that it is now extremely hard to introduce and collect taxes. 50% of all Mexican people still feel that they have little political impact. Another big aspect of Mexican political culture is the idea of machismo. In short, it is assertive masculinity, seen most obviously in the political marginalization of women. (McCormick p. 336). Women in Mexico only won the right to vote in 1953 and still rarely move into positions of authority, especially within the government. The inequality of women is seen predominantly throughout Mexico, with about 70% of all women in the mid-1990’s employed in the tertiary sector of the Mexican economy, commonly with lower wages than those of men. The growing presence of women in the workforce contributed to changes in social attitudes, yet machismo is still a prevalent, traditional social attitude with most women in households subjected to control, domination and violence by men. The violence towards women is extremely apparent, seen in its boldest form in the city of Ciudad Juarez. Over a period of 12 years, murders of over 300 women all went unsolved. We do still see machismo more broadly in Mexico, through political violence such as riots, kidnappings and conflicts related to the drug trade, which are already complex issues on their own. As previously mentioned the political culture in Mexico is still residing within a tension between democracy and authoritarian rule. It seems that as Mexico continues its expansion into democracy, we will eventually see changes to the traditions on what is political culture in Mexico today. Bibliography McCormick, John. Comparative Politics in Transition. Sixth ed. Wadsworth Cengage Learning Paras, Pablo. â€Å"The Political Culture of Democracy in Mexico: 2006. † The Political Culture of Democracy in Mexico: 2006 (2006): 1-198. Sitemason. vanderbilt. edu. Dec. 2006. Web. Jan. 2010. Morris, Stephen D. â€Å"Corruption and Mexican Political Culture. † Corruption and Mexican Political Culture: 1-37. _Www. southalabama. edu/†¦ /crptn%20and%20political%20culture. pdf_. Web. Jan. 2010. Tim L. Merrill and Ramon Miro, editors. Mexico: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1996.

Trustworthy testimonials how to write

Trustworthy testimonials how to write A Comprehensive Guide on Writing a Testimonial A testimonial is a personal statement, which concentrates on the main qualities of a person, product, or service. It is a way of sharing the opinion about any issue, including businesses and enterprises. In most of the cases, it concentrates on positive features of a product or service. If you are willing to leave positive feedback, make sure it contains three elements: Description of the problem; Showing benefits of the Conclusion Steps of Writing a Trustworthy Testimonial Tell About Yourself Always start feedback with key details about yourself. This will make the testimonial personalized, and your opinion will have more weight. However, you need to adjust the quantity and quality of personal information to every type of product or service. Describe the Problem Proceed with discussing the situation you have faced before you found out about a person/product or service. This will be the basis of the testimonial and will explain how valuable your review will be. Try to include lots of facts to support your point of view but always remain clear and straight to the point. Such facts will help readers to compare how your situation has changed before and after using the service or product. An evidence-based testimonial is what all customers need!   For example, if your company had difficulties with sales, you can leave the following comment â€Å"My enterprise was selling only 20 products per day before using the services of a sales expert. Now they have reached 500 products per day.’ Tell About Additional Options Tell about the products or services you have used to solve the issue. The main idea here is to explain how others failed to solve your problem. The best way to present a company in the best light is to compare it with competitors, who were not able to help you. Based on the example above, you can say, â€Å"We hired XXX, a leading advertiser in the city, to promote our products. However, the number of sales didn’t increase.’ Indicate Possible Obstacles You can discuss any problems you have faced with the previous service or company, and tell how you overcame the situation. A good example can be the cost of the service. Based on the previous example you can say, â€Å"We decided not to use XXX advertiser, which is more expensive than the YYY one. However, they didn’t show any results, and we decided to give XXX a chance’. How the Problem Was Solved? Start a new paragraph by providing key facts about the product or service. Tell what it does and explain in details how it helped to solve your issue. For example, based on the information in previous samples, you can say â€Å"The XXX company used online promotion as the key tool to sell our product. It also used web markets to advertise us and also has employees, who move from supermarket to supermarket and offer products. Since hiring them, we have increased our sales to 400%, which is a significant result.’ You should also mention any specific and unique services or offers the company has. In such a way, you will give them more value. It is a great factor when users decide whether to choose a particular company or not. You can say ‘We were pleasantly surprised to get an extra month of their services for free.’ Don’t Forget About a Personal Note In case the result has exceeded your expectations, you can mention it by praising the company or a particular person. You can even give names and tell that it was a pleasure working with them. It is very important because the employees you mention can be rewarded by the company. You can also distinguish a particular employee even if the whole team worked perfectly well. For example, ‘Members of the team managed to promote and sell our product within tightest deadlines, but John did, even more, devoting lots of time to communicating with potential customers. We are sure that without his efforts, the results would be not so great.’ Quantify the Results If you want to impress readers and to give them a clear picture of what to expect from a product or service, it is important to give numbers. Moreover, they should match those, which you used to explain your issue. For example, if you are writing a testimonial for an advertiser and your main problem is a low quantity of sales, you should indicate an exact number you had before and after cooperating with a particular company. Tell How You Surpassed the Obstacles Discuss how you feel about the problems that you have faced and indicate whether they were as big as you have imagined before working with the chosen company or product. For example, if you couldn’t decide whether to work with XXX because of their high fees, it is necessary to highlight whether the result was eventually worth it. This section is the last one in the body part of your testimonial, and now you only need to come up with the conclusion. Summarize Your Experience In a few sentences, explain how the product or service helped to solve your problem. This should be the third paragraph of your review. You should also write a few words about why you decided to leave a testimonial. For example, ‘When John from XXX advertiser asked whether I could write a testimonial about their service, I didn’t hesitate, because they did a great job and it was the least I could do for them.’ Would you Recommend the Service to Others? A good testimonial always contains encouragement, which motivates other users to try out the service and to benefit from them. For a better result, you can refer to a certain group of people based on the niche you are occupying. For example, ‘I recommend XXX services to owners of enterprises that are only starting their path and know nothing about their market.’ Include a Call for Action Although you have already recommended the product or service to the reader, you can still make additional encouragement to motivate others and to pay extra attention to the company. For example, ‘If you are launching a new product, just call XXX advertiser! They provide outstanding services, and the first consultation is free of any charges.’ Why Testimonials Are so Important Here are only some of the reasons why testimonials are important: Higher conversion rates By reaching the target audience, they can stimulate interest and increase the activity of potential users and customers. A tool to study the behavior of customers Reading testimonials is a great way to know what other people think about a particular product or service. It is a well-known fact that people are more willing to risk their money to purchase a new item if they previously get familiar with positive feedbacks. Proof of success When a person reads testimonials and sees that others have reached success due to a particular product or company, they also want to try it out. They make your product more value If you are an owner of such a service or company, testimonials are a great way to persuade potential customers. Instead of filling your website with watery texts, you can add a separate testimonial page. Features of a Good Testimonial It should be brief and straight to the point. In most of the cases people won’t read a long and watery text, simply skipping it; It should be direct. You should make clear statements so that the readers can understand them at once; It should be original and written from scratch. No copies or generic messages. Where to Place Testimonials To reach a maximum number of readers, place feedbacks on many different websites. Place them on the page of products or services. In such a way readers will see relevant comments at once; Place them on popular websites. This is one of the most effective tools, because such pages have more visitors, so more people will see the testimonial; To increase the conversion rate, place the testimonial on optimized pages; Place them on a landing page; Place them on a home page; Create a separate page with testimonials; Place on sidebars within quotation marks; Place on page with stories from customers. Testimonials for Your Business A customer testimonial is a feedback that is written by a customer, who is satisfied with the quality of a product or service. Such testimonial motivates others to try the product or company out. It helps to build a reputation. Testimonials give information about why others like your services or products. This is a great way to attract more customers and to build a solid reputation because more and more people will share what they like about your product; It creates trust between your company and customers. This can have a positive impact on the company because when customers tell about their positive experience with your services, they give others a chance to know more about your enterprise; A chance to overcome skepticism. Reviews attract more and more customers, familiarizing them with your services and products, and the way others benefited from cooperating with them; Testimonials are objective. Unlike your own descriptions, testimonials tell about the experience of other users and deliver a clear picture of the pros and cons your product or service has; It gives a chance to learn what others think about the services and products you provide. In such a way, you can improve the qualities of your services and create a tighter bond with your customers. You can ask them for testimonials, creating a separate draft letter. With its help, you can also encourage them to share your feedback with other users and to explain how their testimonial will be used. In case a particular customer has left a comment via a personal letter, you need to ask for permission to make it public. Remember, private feedbacks should never be posted without the previous permission of a client; Testimonials can promote your product or services in case the message is positive (i.e. ‘this company is the best’ or ‘their product is excellent’). It is a great tool to explain all of the benefits of your company or product. For example, ‘XXX company helped to significantly increase the number of sales: from 500 to 1700 in a single month.’ This will greatly improve interest in your company because readers would also want to get the same improvements for their own enterprises and businesses; Testimonials help to prove your points. Quality testimonials will surely explain how your product or company can provide the best services to ensure the prosperity of your enterprise. In addition, they will explain why the service or product is beneficial for a particular group of customers. It will also show that you keep your words and meet all of the expectations. It is one of the most effective ways of attracting more and more customers to your company; Positive testimonials will help your product to stand out. If a big number of reviewers will tell about the benefits of your company, more and more people will be encouraged to choose you instead of your competitors. Through testimonials, users will get more information about your product and will be aware of all the positive effects it has. Hopefully, this guide has given you all the information you need to know on writing testimonials and making them one of the most powerful instruments in achieving success!

Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1951 to 1959

Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1951 to 1959 This  civil rights movement  timeline chronicles the fight for racial equality in its early days, the  1950s. That decade saw the first major victories for civil rights in the Supreme Court as well as the development of nonviolent protests and the transformation of Dr. Martin Luther King  Jr. into the movements preeminent leader. 1950 The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the segregation of African Americans in graduate and law schools. The initial case was fought by Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Marshall used this win to begin building a strategy to fight the â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine established in 1896.   1951 Linda Brown, an 8-year-old girl in Topeka, Kan., lives within walking distance of a whites-only elementary school. Because of segregation, she has to travel by bus to a more distant school for African American children. Her father sues the school board of Topeka, and the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the case. 1953 The Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., which runs workshops on organizing protests for individuals such as union organizers, issues invitations to civil rights workers. 1954 The Supreme Court decides Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, arguing that separate but equal schools are inherently unequal. The decision legally prohibits school segregation, declaring it unconstitutional. 1955 Rosa Parks attends a workshop for civil rights organizers at the Highlander Folk School in July.On Aug. 28, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago, is killed near Money, Miss., for allegedly whistling at a white woman.In November, the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission forbids segregation on interstate buses and trains.On Dec. 1, Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.On Dec. 5, the Montgomery Improvement Association is established by a group of local Baptist ministers. The organization elects the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,  pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, president. In this role, King would lead the boycott. 1956 In January and February, whites angry about the Montgomery Bus Boycott bomb four African American churches and the homes of civil rights leaders King, Ralph Abernathy, and E.D. Nixon.On court order, the University of Alabama admits its first African American student, Autherine Lucy, but finds legal ways to prevent her attendance.On Nov. 13, the Supreme Court upholds an Alabama district court ruling in favor of the Montgomery bus boycotters.The Montgomery Bus Boycott ends in December, having successfully integrated Montgomerys buses. 1957 King, along with Ralph Abernathy and other Baptist ministers, helps found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in January. The organization serves to fight for civil rights, and King is elected its first president.The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, obstructs the integration of Little Rock High School, using the National Guard to block the entry of nine students. President Eisenhower orders federal troops to integrate the school.Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which creates the Civil Rights Commission and authorizes the Justice Department to investigate cases of African Americans being denied voting rights in the South. 1958 The Supreme Court decision Cooper v. Aaron rules that a threat of mob violence is not reason enough to delay school desegregation. 1959 Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, visit India, the homeland of Mahatma Gandhi, who won independence for India through nonviolent tactics. King discusses the philosophy of nonviolence with Gandhis followers. Updated by Femi Lewis.

Study questions for The Rain God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Study questions for The Rain God - Essay Example .. /Give me silence, water, hope./Give me struggle, iron, volcanoes. / Fasten your bodies to me like magnets. /Hasten to my veins, to my mouth. / Speak through my words and by blood.Inspired by Neruda's poetric skills, Islas gives expressive voice to the dead, and retrieves the ghosts of a family and extended families from the oblivion of unrecorded history The relationship between father and son is tense because the father has an affair with his son's girlfriend. He does not believe in the traditional family structure since he did not get married although the family wants him to. He was always told by his father to be a man, but he is very sensitve and intelligent. Miguel Chico did not at all turn out the way his father wants him to be. He is not at all a dominat man or a patriarch. He is completely different from his father. His and his family thinks Miguel may be a homesexual because he does not conform to the normal family values Juanita is the wife of Miguel grande. She is a wife and mother. She trusts her husband completely and allows him to make all the decisions. Miguel cheats on Juanite.Nevertheless at some point he can not take the feelings of guilt anymore and he confesses his affaire with Lola to Juanita. Even in this situation Juanita does not think about her pain, but makes sure his pride as a man is not hurt.

Research in Motion Entering a New Era of Marketing Case Study

Research in Motion Entering a New Era of Marketing - Case Study Example With the combination of the three, companies gain a more competitive advantage in the market. The consumer population is attracted to the most modern, advanced and attractive commodities (Rantanen, 2005). In the business of mobile phones, the scenario is the same. This paper will discuss the RIM’s marketing plan and the improvements the company can make on the basis of a general marketing analysis. Research In Motion deals with mobile phones and handsets. The company enjoys over 20 year’s existence in the market. However, the existence of the company in the market has taken shifts in the modern century corporate environment. The number of competitors is significantly increasing. It is for this reason that the future of RIM is questioned. With the coming of smaller firms in the market, RIM’s future is greatly threatened. For instance, the coming of Samsung in the market has greatly threatened the significance of RIM. Over the past two years, Samsung commodities have more demand in the market than I-phone and the Blackberry. Apart from demand, other companies are stepping up their marketing strategies. These factors are increasingly putting pressure on RIM to upgrade its marketing strategies. With the increase of consumer demand on mobile phones, RIM could be losing a lot of profits due to competition. In the case analysis regarding mobile phones and telecommunication, competition lies as the main problem. Apart from the competitors, the consumer should be pleased with the product an organization offers. Competition in this industry is based on technology and trends. We live in a society where trends and technology is a basic want for all consumers. When it comes to mobile phones, the current consumer population looks at the technologically advanced features of a gadget. For instance, gadgets with the Android operating system have greater market recognition than phones which do not have this operating system (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010).