Hamas, hezbolla and islamic jihad Essay

Hamas is an Islamic resistance movement formed in 1987 to fight for Palestinian occupied land of Gaza strip, West bank and east Jerusalem. However, its initial creation was to destroy Israel and form a Palestinian Islamic state. It is highly known for its suicide bombings and other violence against Israeli military facilities and civilians. Despite these, Hamas has performed various social, military and political activities having provided social and welfare services, such as schools and hospital facilities to Palestinians. It dedicates much of its funds to the welfare, cultural and educational services, which are meant to influence Palestinians so as get their support in their military actions against Israeli. Most of these funds originated from OPEC countries such as Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia etc. Hezbollah or party of God is a political and paramilitary organization found in Lebanon. It was formed during the Lebanese civil war as the army of Shia followers and they were trained, organized and financed by Revolutionary Guards of Iran. Its main aim of creation was to put to an end Western colonialism, punish the phalaghists and develop a political Islamic nation in Lebanon. To many Western countries, it is considered a terrorist group after being connected to Beirut bombing in 1983, but to Arabian and Islamic countries it is viewed as an organization opposed to Western ideologies and policies. More so, it is highly popular in Lebanese and of them in support of its activities as to them it is legitimate organization. It receives its training, financial and military support from Iran. The organization has its leaders in Lebanese Government, a radio station and a satellites television as well as social and welfare programs such as provision of health and educational facilities. In addition, it is believed to be one of the first Islamic groups to use suicide bombing, assassination and kidnapping of foreigners so that they grievances could be attended to; but later on, they turned to military actions such as firing of missiles etc. Islamic Jihad refers to religious wars, which are declared by Muslims whenever they feel like their Islamic religion is being attacked or threatened. The Islamic groups or organizations have no big difference between them, as they were created to fight for certain grievances or policy changes those they felt inappropriate to the Islamic society. In most cases, they wage terrorist attacks and wars against their opponent without regard for the innocent citizens. They actions are out of desperation and bitterness, given the fact they have to rely on other Arabic and Islamic nations for military and financial support. Without these aid, they have no other way to let world know their grievances and that is why they have to use each and every opportunity to ensure that they point is home, even if its suicide bombing. They differ in terms of their location, financial and military powers, and possibly, their grievances. For instance, Hezbollah is more powerful in terms of its political, economic and social influence than Hamas, this can be attributed to the fact that it is highly effective in its tactics and its policies. The radical groups pose a very big danger to the United States, due to the fact they have a well trained and organized network of their dedicated army strategically positioned waiting for any chance to hit the Americans. These has been portrayed clearly in their current effort to bomb United Kingdom, though one may believe that they are enmity is focused towards Israel. Nevertheless, the fact remains that U. S. support is biased towards the Israelites hence the enmity. At the same time, Muslims believe in religious wars so to them war is part of their religion, hence when they kill a person in the name of protecting their religion they believe there is a reward. Lastly, the fact they are financed by other Islamic and Arabian countries implies that they have the means and the capabilities of attacking the U. S. For instance, Hezbollah was able to defeat Israel with the help of Iran out of Lebanon, and considering that, there is Muslim unity that it is just a matter of what believes. These forms their network which highly in detectable even with the most accurate detecting gadget. Before any negotiations are made, there are several factors, which should be considered: the inducement to commit a terrorist attack is highly determined by the result of a certain terrorist operation, hence the attack that has notably positive impact for the groups are highly and that is the only time when a negotiation is initiated. The Kurdish occupied territories of the Middle East came under the governance of indigenous Kurdish chiefs during the middle era, though they never formed a unified government. However, from 14th century the territories were incorporated to the Ottoman Empire. The incorporation of the Kurdish occupied regions of turkey of eastern Anatolia into turkey angered many Kurds and ended up in a long running war where many people lost their lives. There were major Kurdish conflict in the territory and it was declared a no go zone for foreigners by Turkish authorities for its military use in the year 1925 and 1965. However, turkey first president undertook serious actions to curb the Kurdish cultural and political activities, and this trend followed closely under his successors. For instance, a number of regions were put under martial law to curb the activities of Kurdistan workers party (PKK), and this resulted to severe violent guerilla warfare. This caused much of the country be evacuated and a number of Kurdish inhabited villages destroyed and various judicial execution carried out by both turkey and Kurdish. Since 1999, the state of affairs has cooled down with the abduction other PKK leader Abdullah Ocala, and with the European Union encouragement for official tolerance of Kurdish cultural actions. There are countries that have stake in the Kurdish, turkey and Iraq conflict. These include members of European Union and the western states like U. S, U. K. etc.

Example Essay How to Study Smart

Title: Motivational Speech of â€Å"Smart Study & Score† A very good morning to our principle, teacher, parent and fellow student. I am Wlliam, from University Malaysia Sabah and today I would like to deliver my speech titled â€Å"Smart Study & Score†. Good study habits are more important than score ranking especially as a student and this is one of my deep experiences. Parent are generally attached great importance to the child’s learning and want their children to test scores may be a high-ranking.Because we know that child ranking has remained at the front of the class, he will wish to studies and even the university entrance examination, which is understandable. But in fact his study habits than his scores more reliable, more important than the ranking. Of course, if we study smart then we will score high ranking at school or work place also. Nowadays, the worlds also become challenge so we need study smart to get the high scare. Student must understand abou t what they are study which also can use in working place at future.High ranking is help student to get the more high position in the company or more easy to accept by the company. Different people have the different ways to study, but how to study smart and get the high scare? First, we need have the suitable environment to study such as library, classroom or single study. The place to study must be comfortable and quiet which we can concentrate. We cannot learn when not mood swings. Scientific studies have shown that, at the learning of mathematics and other subject we may difficult to concentrate.So before learning, we need to be calm state of mind and focus. Besides that, we need to learn arrange the time before study. Time management is very important to the student. First, you have to know the things to do within a week, and the n to develop a timetable. Spend not fill in the table on time, such as eating, sleeping, and class entertainment. Arrange the time and selected approp riate fixed time to learning. After that, you need to follow the timetable. In the addition, you need learn before the class.This is mean that before you conscientiously put into learning the first to learn quickly browse again, to understand the general content and structure of the new knowledge in order to understand. Of course, you may have to pay attention to the severity level of detail, in less important place you can spend less time in place, and you can slow down the process of learning a little. In the conclusion, learning is something interesting thing in the world. Student must pay attention on their homework and study which easy when survives in future. We need study smart to get the high ranking. That all from me and thanks you.

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: American Perspective Many of the pieces if literature have different perspectives on the American society and government and also have different affects on the readers. One piece of literature that really deals with American society in the 19th century is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This piece of literature deals with racism and the different reforms the government was trying to enforce, which made some people quite upset, along with giving different perspectives of society at this time.One of the character's in this story is referred to as Pap. This is Huck Finn's father and he seems to be in the lower social class of society. He is an alcoholic who thinks the government is against him and also believes the government is stupid for its different reforms, especially the one that lets Negros be free and not slaves in the South if they have not been there for a long enough time. He believes that all Negros should be slaves and that the government is stupid for not implementing that belief.The whole issue with slaves is not an issue anymore, but still many people are racists, including the older generation. This type of attitude is still held by some people, that Negros should be held at a lower class because they are not good as white people or that the Negros think they are better than white people. Pap also believes the justice system is corrupt and it is all about power. He refuses to give custody of Huck to Judge Thatcher and the Widow because he feels like he has more right to Huck because he is his father, even though he has a history of neglect and abuse.This reflects some of the lower class even now because some people feel like their children should not be taken away from them, even though they abuse them or neglect them or something that is just not legal. They will disrespect the justice system and say several crude statements about our justice system. Pap is a character in this novel that reflects some of the lowest in the lower class in American society from the 19th century and now. Pap makes one think about how the members of the lower class act.Some of the lower class are proud people and refuse to act this way, but there are the alcoholics and drug addicts of this class that gives everyone a bad name. Pap represents the worst of the lower class for the 19th century and he displays that not much has changed for these types of people, other than now they take money from the government and then say the government is horrible. This novel shows other perspectives of American society. There is Jim, who is a slave, which gives almost the opposite perspectives to Pap.Jim is a genuinely nice person when he is even lower than Pap in social ranking. The Widow gives a different perspective. She does not speak much about her view of the government but she is perceived as lower class to middle class. She believes everyone should be civilized, which Pap and Huck are not. She g ives a very different perspective then Pap, Huck, or Jim. Then there is the perception of society Huck has. He wants to run away from it all. He does not want to be part of a society where he has to be civilized.He is a typical teenager and some teens in the present think and act in these ways. The different perspectives represented in this book seem to be represented even now, in 2013. This piece of literature changed my perspective on America because it made me realize that this is still how many Americans act in society today. There might be different issues, but there is still the attitudes that are displayed in this piece of literature. People think we have moved forward and become better, but we truly have not done this.This book may not be modern, but it applies to many modern situations and behaviors of the different social classes and the government. All one has to do is read this book and think about the ignorant people in our society and realize we have not really changed at all in the past 150 to 200 years other than more equal rights and we have all gotten lazier because of technology. Those are the only differences in our society now, and this novel made me realize this.

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Abortion - Essay Example ay briefly introduce the case first and then move on to understand the legal framework relevant to the case followed by simple arguments for both sides, ethical principles, code of ethics to be followed by social workers and finally anti discriminatory practices in order to prove that the young girl who is the victim in our case, had the right to abortion and I, as the nurse she consulted am bound to advise likewise. The case referred here is that of a 14 year old who becomes pregnant unintentionally. She lives with her black Christian parents who are anti-abortion in their perspectives and do not know of this. Hence she got in touch with a nurse at school in order to understand what her options were about termination of her pregnancy. She was going through troubled mental health. Let us now debate upon which decision I, as the nurse (role play) should take. Let us first use the legal framework to look at the problem in hand. The Abortion Act of 1967 states that a British woman is permitted to opt for abortion only if it has been certified or granted by two doctors that abortion is permissible and on the contrary pregnancy would jeopardize her life as well as physical health condition. Also it needs to be proved that she would be physically better off by undergoing abortion than by continuing with her pregnancy. The socio economic disadvantage of the woman is also another ground under which abortion might be granted. General practitioners have the authority to give birth control related advice as well as suggestions towards abortion to young girls below 16. (Francome and Freeman, 2000) The current law regarding abortion is also derived form the 1967 Act, except that the tenure for the fetuses is being reduced. From the legal viewpoint therefore, the girl would require the consent of two medical professionals or doctors if she wants to u ndergo abortion. I being her advisor am entitled to certify that she needs abortion but certain jugglery of arguments is

How does depreciation accounting help the firm manage equipment Essay

How does depreciation accounting help the firm manage equipment investment costs and taxes - Essay Example † More so, the question which contains a series of sub-questions will be answered in the order in which these sub-questions have been asked. Current Liabilities usually form a sub-section of the Balance sheet. Typical Current Liabilities of known amounts may include accounts payable, short-term loans, outstanding salaries or other operating expenses that are still outstanding. Accounts payable refer to the amounts that ought to be paid to suppliers for merchandise bought from them in credit terms. Short-term loans are those types of loans that are usually repayable in a time period of less than a year. Outstanding expenses are those expenses that have already been incurred in the business in their day-to-day operations and which are yet to be met but have are already due. For an illustration of how Current Liabilities of known amounts are treated in the accounts, Accounts payable will be used. Whenever accounts payable increase in the business, the accounts payable ledger accou nt is usually credited with the increase while the goods or stock account is debited with a similar amount. The journal entry is usually as illustrated; Dr Cr Amount Stock a/c xx Accounts payable xx Then, this Accounts payable amount has to be put under Current Liabilities sub-section in the Balance Sheet. The other Current Liabilities are also credited with an increase and debited with a decrease. (principlesofaccounting.com, 2011) Estimated Liabilities are those liabilities for which payee is known as well as payment date, but they remain uncertain as concerns their payment amounts. These payment amounts can be estimated with reasonability, though. Uncertainty in the amounts may come about due to the fact that the amounts to be paid are based upon a given event the will occur in future or an amount which determination is not yet. Estimated Current Liabilities maybe with the inclusion of; vacation, bonus, warranty liabilities and health benefits. Any estimated liability is usually recorded for expected commodities in future to be provided in that future period. Whenever payments are met that estimated liability is usually reduced and to reflect the same in the Balance Sheet the equivalent account of estimated Current Liability in question is debited and the double entry is also reflected in the equivalent account. When a payment of an estimated current liability is made the journal entry is as follows (using health benefits as an example): Dr Cr Amount Health Benefit xx Cash/ Check xx (harpercollege.edu, 2008) Contingent Liabilities are liabilities that are connected with uncertain events. To this, the explanation given in any typical business is that some events are likely to eventually lead to a liability; however, the timing of such an event as well as the amount is not possible at present. Such liabilities are thus, referred to as Contingent Liabilities. Examples of Current Liabilities befitting this description are Legal disputes which are ongoing and wh ich may cause a contingent liability to the business, environmental pollution that may call for the business to cover the cost in future, or other liabilities like commodity warranties. However, it should be noted

The Changing Geography of International Business Essay - 1

The Changing Geography of International Business - Essay Example The word ‘Latin America’ is used to explain the collection of 21 countries in the continent of South America. The language that is spoken is Latin. It has been observed that Latin America enjoys components of historical experience, culture and language. Latin America is an ethnically diverse region and is also deemed as a mounting political and economic force. The main languages that are spoken in this continent are Spanish, Portuguese and French. Conventionally, the Hispanic family is a cohesive group and the most vital social unit. They generally believe in extended family. It has been observed that in Latin cultures, the familial group is quite crucial. In a few of the Latin American countries, peasants might leave their workplaces during holidays so that they can meet their relatives in other parts of the country. They also tend to attend the funeral, weddings of their friends, or distant relatives. A manager may be faced with greater difficulties related to non-atte ndance impacting the workplace to a major extent. According to a study conducted by Geert Hofstede for Latin American countries, it was noted that there is high power distance in Latin America. In Latin America, the people in higher level of authority expect to gain respect from others and are familiar to make decisions without taking into consideration the viewpoints of their subordinates. Latin America has low individualism rate. In Latin America gender roles become quite different in comparison to the United States, men hold the greater authority.

Mission Statement Compare & Contrast Research Paper - 1

Mission Statement Compare & Contrast - Research Paper Example The quality of the mission statements and whether they noticeably specify the companies’ profile are included as well. In addition the paper seeks to verify whether the strategies of the companies are in line with the mission. The vision of Wal-Mart and Target has been stated and whether the two companies’ are approaching in the similar way with their vision has also been mentioned. The study also seeks to explain the ethical or legal challenges of the two companies. The companies’ responsibility towards the society has been identified. The mission of Target includes â€Å"make Target the preferred shopping destination for the guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and an exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More Pay Less brand promise" (Samples Help, 2006). The company has aimed at being the ideal shopping location for the customers and provides them with a choice of excellent value, constant innovation and special guest experience by constantly fulfilling expect more pay less strategy. Their mission is to provide $1 billion for education by the end of 2015 (Target.com, 2011). In this context, by comparing the two mission statements it can be observed that Target is providing priorities to the innovation, shopping destination and value along with low price but Wal-Mart is preferring on low price for making the life of customers much better. The mission of Target is related to the preference of its consumers and communities, but, Wal-Mart’s mission is essentially linked to the price constraint to attract the customers (Wal-Mart, 2011). The mission statements of both the companies have been prepared by focusing on the customers’ preference. The companies are continuously working on this mission in order to provide customers with utmost beneficial services. The companies are two of the largest retail stores, thus their main intention is to provide quality

Teaching English in elementary schools in Saudi Arabia Literature review

Teaching English in elementary schools in Saudi Arabia - Literature review Example The reason is that variables involved in the development process cover those areas that this paper is interested in – the demographics of the young learners (at what age children usually learn English), the teaching content (such as how religion can be integrated in the instruction), teaching methodologies, perceived problems that are unique to Saudi children and their solutions, among others. Literature on the demographics of young learners in Saudi Arabia is quite scarce. This is more so in the field of ESL or what in identifying studies that actually investigated the beginning age of ESL learners in the country. There are researchers, however, who have mentioned some information and pertinent facts regarding this matter in their wider discourse of either English learning in the Middle East or as part of the wider profile of Saudi Arabia. An excellent example is Abir’s (1993) insights on the issue. He stated, for instance, that â€Å"the standard of education in the urban centres catering to the Saudis of middle-class background is on the whole relatively low,† and that â€Å"memorising is still the backbone of the system, while standard of English†¦ is uneven and often very poor.† (p. ... (Bingham, p. 435) Beginners are usually assessed according to their English language competency and currently they have more than 600 students coming from both expatriates and Saudis alike. Similar international schools roughly adopt the same standards. Meanwhile, the national average of new learners is glaringly different. Wilson, for example, wrote that based on statistics, Saudi children start learning at a later age but that enrolment is increasing rapidly because of extensive support from the government. (p. 106) In addition public elementary schools are usually late in introducing ESL as opposed to the private schools like in the case of Jeddah Prep & Grammar School, which has been established by British and Dutch expatriates. According to Abdan (2002), elementary students should be introduced to English in elementary school because public elementary school students are presently underexposed to the language since English is not part of the national curriculum. (p. 265-266) The benefits of introducing English to young learners, preferably to be integrated in the elementary education curriculum have been cited and proven by numerous studies. These benefits are explained in various arguments ranging from the social, cultural to psychological. According to Nikolov and the European Centre for Modern Languages (2007), young children can benefit from early language learning in the same way as older pupils do. In their research, they found that majority of teachers have been surprised to find how quickly young children pick-up English. (p. 26) It is for this reason why, in America, immigrants immediately send their children to school to learn English as part of the faster strategy to assimilate in the society. (Welch

Political Science (U.S. foreign policy Afghanistan) Term Paper

Political Science (U.S. foreign policy Afghanistan) - Term Paper Example With these principles in place, the U.S would have long succeeded in its intervention in Afghanistan with regards to the establishment of a functioning government that provides essential services to its citizens. Several reasons have been cited to explain the difficulties and the challenges the U.S faces as it tries to establish a stable and functioning government in Afghanistan. First, many journalists and scholars cite rampant corruption in Afghanistan as a hindrance to the establishment of a functioning government in the country. Additionally, the U.S and its allies have consistently failed to deal with the Afghans that drive out and kill fellow Afghans that are committed to rebuilding their country. These criminals and corrupt Afghans and terror groups profit from the many opportunities and huge influx of money getting into the country. The U.S. had a chance and the resources to assist in rebuilding Afghanistan immediately after the invasion but let the chance slip away. However, there is still time and opportunities for the U.S to rebuild the country and empower its hardworking and patriotic citizens. The U.S, as well as the local Afghans, must, therefore, be more than ready and willing to expose and eliminate the non-patriotic groups and individuals that seek to profit at the local, regional, and national level at the expense of hardworking Afghans (Brown & Scales, 2012). This paper explores the best possible policy direction that the United States should adopt to realize most, if not all of its objectives in Afghanistan. The United States has had numerous opportunities to help rebuild and empower Afghanistan and its citizens after the invasion of the country by the NATO forces but has let the opportunities pass by. Through the adoption and the implementation of the most appropriate policy on Afghanistan, the U.S will play its leadership role of

Huntington's Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Huntington's Disease - Essay Example This disease can develop at any age, however, it is most common between the ages of 30 to 50. HD was previously known as Huntington’s chorea. Chorea means jerky, involuntary movements. This paper provides a description of Huntington’s disease including its causes, symptoms, and treatment. Causes HD is caused by a genetic defect on chromosome 4. This disease causes part of DNA, known as a CAG repeat, to replicate itself more than it is supposed to (Lawrence, 2009). In normal conditions, this part of DNA section is repeated 10 to 28 times. However, in HD patients, it is repeated 36 to 120 times. Since this is a hereditary disease, the number of repeats tends to get bigger down the subsequent generations. Therefore, children having a larger number of repeats tend to develop symptoms of this disease at early ages. This condition affects basal ganglia that control balance and movement in human beings (WebMD, 2011). In the region of basal ganglia, HD mainly targets neurons of the striatum, especially those in the pallidum and caudate nuclei. There are two types of Huntington’s disease: adult-onset Huntington’s disease, which is the most common, and an early-onset form, which begins in childhood or adolescent stages of development (Lawrence, 2009). How HD is inherited HD is a disease that is passed from parents to children through misspelling or mutation in the normal gene, and it is found in every part of the world. A single abnormal gene can lead to the development of this disease. Genes are made up of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): which is a molecule that exists as spiral ladder (HDSA, 2008). Every strand of DNA is made up of two paired chemicals known as bases. These bases include adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). Bases usually pair together, and combine with other pairs to form coded messages. Genes, therefore, exist as long strands of paired bases in various combinations. A normal human being has approximately 30, 000 genes, which determine a person’s traits and characteristics (HDSA, 2008). The effect of genes on determining an individual’s characteristics depends on whether it is dominant or recessive. When a gene is dominant, only a single chromosome is needed to produce its effect, and when it is recessive, pair of chromosome copies is required to produce a characteristic or trait. HD is a dominant disorder that is caused by a copy of a defective gene, which is inherited from one parent (HDSA, 2008). The defective gene that produces HD is a sequence of DNA on the chromosome 4, which is made up of several base pairs that repeat themselves many times. A normal gene is usually composed of three DNA bases, made up of the sequence CAG. In HD patients, this sequence normally repeats itself several times, and the number of repeats becomes larger in the subsequent generations. Parents have two copies of chromosomes each, but they only donate one copy to each child (HDSA, 2008). A ch ild born of HD parents has 50-50 chance of developing this disease. Any child, who does not inherit a copy of HD gene from parents, can never develop this condition, and he or she cannot pass it to the next generations. Children who inherit HD gene may not show symptoms of this disease in early ages, but later in their lives. It has also been shown that some people develop this condition even if there is no family history of HD. It is believed that this is caused by a new genetic mutation, a process

Prostitution - Analysis of Positivism and Classicism within Assignment

Prostitution - Analysis of Positivism and Classicism within Criminology via the Lens of Article - Assignment Example A discussion and analysis of the principle tenets of both positivism and classicism with regards to criminology will be engaged with.   Although it is not the purpose of this analysis to state that one approach is better than the other, the underlying goal is merely to state which one is the most effective in helping the reader to come to an appreciation of the causal and motivating factors that might have driven the individual to commit crime the first place. As a means of briefly describing the article to the reader prior seeking to define in terms of either positivism or classicism, the following serve as something of a brief summary. The article details the results of the plea bargain that was entered into by Ms Alexis Wright. Rather than facing a jury trial with over the charges, Ms Wright instead opted for a plea bargain that would see her serve 10 months in jail and pay a fine of just less than $60,000. Investigators case, the article reveals, had been gathering information upon Miss Wright as well as others involved, including client, for the space of nearly 2  ½ years. As with most high profile prostitution stings, Ms Wright’s enterprise made headline news in one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers due to two main factors (Seelye 1). The first of these is with regards to the high profile nature of her client list; referenced in the article is merely mayors, ministers, and high school coaches. The second deter minant that makes this high profile news is the fact that the actual place of prostitution served as both a Zumba studio and was located a mere stone’s throw from the vacation home of former Pres. George Bush. One of the hallmarks of the positivist’s school of thought with relation to criminology is the underlying belief that the individual/criminal is not always spurred on crime based solely upon free will. Rather, precipitating factors such as economic hardship, developmental impairment, or an otherwise incomplete worldview and/or understanding can just as easily lead an individual to commit a crime as can free will.  

Individual Solve a Problem Paper Essay Example for Free

Individual Solve a Problem Paper Essay This document PHL 458 Week 2 Individual Solve a Problem Paper has solutions of the following question: Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you use the creative process to solve a problem with which you have experience. Include the following: †¢ Describe each stage in the creative process using Ch. 5 of your text. †¢ Search for a personal challenge. Explain how you used the techniques to develop curiosity in your search (see Ch. 6). †¢ Express the problem created by this personal challenge (see Ch. 7). Refine your expression of the problem by considering multiple perspectives and deciding which expression is best. Include both the initial and the refined version. Justify your revision. †¢ Investigate the problem by obtaining necessary information (see Ch. 8). List the questions must answer to understand the problem. Identify a source of information to answer each question. †¢ Conclude your investigation with a thorough explanation of the problem, including answers to each of the questions you identified. †¢ Produce ideas toward solution of this problem (see Ch. 9). List all of your ideas—whether they are ridiculous or serious is not important. †¢ Discuss the two ideas that you think are the most imaginative, original, and positive potential solutions to the problem. †¢ Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. General Questions General General Questions Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you use the creative process to solve a problem with which you have experience. Include the following: Describe each stage in the creative process using Ch. 5 of your text. Search for a personal challenge. Explain how you used the techniques to develop curiosity in your search (see Ch. 6). Express the problem created by this personal challenge (see Ch. 7). Refine your expression To get this material Click this link https://bitly.com/12CdUy1 Avoid distractions when you are in class. Sure, it may be tempting to send a text or write a note in class, but by becoming distracted, you are not going to learn. You can prevent distractions by limiting what you bring to class with you; for instance, leave your cell phone in your dorm. General Questions General General Questions Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you use the creative process to solve a problem with which you have experience. Include the following: Describe each stage in the creative process using Ch. 5 of your text. Search for a personal challenge. Explain how you used the techniques to develop curiosity in your search (see Ch. 6). Express the problem created by this personal challenge (see Ch. 7). Refine your expression of the problem by considering multiple perspectives and deciding which expression is best. Include both the initial and the refined version. Justify your revision. Investigate the problem by obtaining necessary information (see Ch. 8). List the questions must answer to understand the problem. Identify a source of information to answer each question. Conclude your investigation with a thorough explanation of the problem,mincluding answers to each of the questions you identified. Produce ideas toward solution of this problem (see Ch. 9). List all of your ideas—whether they are ridiculous or serious is not important. Discuss the two ideas that you think are the most imaginative, original, and positive potential solutions to the problem. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Oral Anti-diabetic Drugs

Oral Anti-diabetic Drugs Chua Mei Yi Several factors that need consideration when comparing two oral anti-diabetic drugs include degree of glycemic lowering needed to attain target goal range, effect of the medication on weight and lipid profiles, contraindications, side effects, cost, and potential level of adherence to the regimen. The two drugs for comparison are namely metformin and gliclazide. Besides having the same level of glycemic lowering percentage, both metformin and gliclazide are also considered one of the least expensive oral anti-hyperglycemic agents (Reinhold Earl, 2014; Mozaffari, 2013; Holt, Cockram, Flyvbjerg Goldstein, 2011). One of the potential problems with anti-diabetic medication, is that the conventional dosage form is given in 2 to 3 doses daily, and it causes a conflict in compliance rate for the elderly who has poor memories. In this circumstance, both metformin and gliclazide offers the option of single daily dose with either extended-release metformin or gliclazide modified release tablets. Of course the side effects, improvements and degree of glycemic lowering are the same as conventional tablets (Unger, 2013; Barnett, 2012). Metformin is well known for being the first line drug against diabetes type II treatment over the past decades for some reasons. First, Metformin as a biguanide, acts on pancreas independently, inhibiting the liver’s production of glucose, thus controlling blood glucose by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing insulin requirement. If it’s taken when blood glucose is normal or low, it does not stimulate insulin release in the pancreas, thus poses little threat of hypoglycemic (Lehne, 2013). Second, Metformin treatment results in a moderate reduction in circulating triglyceride levels, causing an improvement in lipid profiles that leads to the occurrence of weight loss (Goldstein Muller-Wieland, 2013). Third, having a high frequency of GI side effects due to the inhibition of carbohydrates being digested can be minimized by slow-dose titration and by taking the medication with food. No matter how safe a medication is, contraindications and adverse side effects still need to be observed. As for metformin, renal or hepatic dysfunction patients are contraindicated, and lactic acidosis due to metformin’s accumulation, is considered one of the rare but fatal adverse side effect. The only down side of metformin is, it should be withhold prior to radiological procedures involving contrast dye, as it predisposes patients to acute renal impairment (Reinhold Earl, 2014). Gliclazide, on the other hand, is classified as sulfonylureas. It works by increasing insulin release from pancreatic beta cells, driving blood glucose levels down, causing hypoglycemia if taken when blood glucose is normal or low, thus should only be prescribed to patients likely to have regular food intake. Driving or operating machinery during the initial treatment phase needs to be careful as hypoglycemia might occur (Lehne, 2013). Besides having minimal effect on lipid profile, Gliclazide causes undesirable weight gain due to increased insulin secretion and reduced glucose excretion (Meeking, 2011). Contraindications, particularly renal or liver disease patients, as well as rare but fatal adverse side effects of gliclazide, impairment of liver function, must still be observed (MIMS Australia, 2014). In conclusion, while there is significant debate regarding specific treatment for patients with type II diabetes, most experts agreed upon metformin’s usage as first line drug, judging from its effectiveness, generally well-tolerated cost effective and long term usage. References Barnett, A. (2012). Oxford diabetes library: Type 2 diabetes (2nd ed.). UK: Oxford University Press. Goldstein, B. J., Muller-Wieland, D. (2013). Type 2 diabetes: Principles and practice (2nd ed.). USA: Informa Healthcare. Holt, R. I. G., Cockram, C., Flyvbjerg, A., Goldstein, B.J. (2011). Textbook of diabetes (4th ed.). UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Lehne, R. A. (2013). Pharmacology for nursing care. (8th ed.). USA: Elsevier Saunders. Meeking, D. R. (2011). Understanding diabetes and endocrinology: A problem-orientated approach. UK: Manson Publishing Ltd. MIMS Australia. (2014). Mimsonline. Retrieved on 28.3.2014, from https://www-mimsonline-com-au.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/Search/Search.aspx. Mozaffari, M. S. (2013). New strategies to advance pre/diabetes care: Integrative approach by PPPM. USA: Springer. Reinhold, J. A., Earl, G. (2014). Clinical therapeutics primer: Link to the evidence for the ambulatory care pharmacist. USA: Jones Bartlett Learning. Unger, J. (2013). Diabetes management in primary care (2nd ed.). China: Williams Wilkins. MIMS Australia. (2014).

Philosophys Study Of Value Axiology Essay

Philosophys Study Of Value Axiology Essay It follows from questions Q-Q of the interview that the price defines the current value of the object auctioned. The process of accepting or amending the price seems to be, at least to an extent, both irrational and random. How much irrational or how much rational is that process? To answer this question, we have to elucidate the nature of value. In philosophy, the study of value is called axiology, derived from the Greek (worth), and (the knowledge of). Axiology was developed a century ago, mainly by Paul Lapin (1902) and E. von Hartmann (1908). It focuses on two kinds of values: aesthetics and ethics. The former studies what beauty and harmony are, while the latter puts emphasis on what is wrong and what is right in the social conduct of individuals. A mathematical approach to this topic, resulting in formal axiology, is the brainchild of Robert S. Hartman (1967). Hartmans contribution is unique in the sense that his Formal Axiology is the only social science in which a one-to-one relationship exists between the dimensions of axiology and mathematics. If axiology is viewed as a collective name for aesthetics and ethics, it is similar to value theory. The latter teaches about the value of things. A thing in this context may be anything: an object, a person, or an idea. The study encompasses what people value, how they value it and why they value it. The results may be slightly different in the fields of philosophy, psychology, economics, or sociology. In the realm of psychology, value theory is applied to the study of how people are affected by their values. The object of study is how people develop a set of values, and how they subsequently profess and believe in these values. Even more important is how people act or fail to act on their values. The answer to the question how human behaviour may be guided, fail to be guided or be misguided by a set of values, or why people choose or prefer some things to others, or why and how certain values emerge at different stages of human physical and intellectual development, has not been found yet. Human beings are social animals and as such animals, they congregate in groups and communities. Each group or community may have its own values, usually different from the values and priorities of another community. The community values interact with personal values. The nature of the interaction and its impact on personal values or their change is the subject of sociological studies. Among prominent scientists who studied these topics, viewing value as an independent variable, we find Max Weber, Jà ¼rgen Habermas, or Émile Durkheim. Returning to the axiology view, the value can be viewed as relations between subjects and objects. Through these relations, the social, group, or individual evaluations of certain material, human or natural qualities are expressed in hierarchical and polarised forms. These forms fill ideals, needs, or desires adapted to the time and space in which they occur. Three levels can be distinguished in the determination of their essential type. They can be studied on the pragmatic level (Why?), on the syntactic level (How?), and on the semantic level (What?). Value is multidimensional: (more BS, p.1) For this purpose, Nadine (2003) defines an axiological system S = (M, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å", I), where M is the class of representative structures, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å" is the class of interdependent objects or other entities I is the class of interpretations (assignments) given to the structures. The system S can function in a number of ways, and subsystems can be associated to it. A complex axiological system may thus be generated. Nadin (2003) has derived the following operations and relations can be established between any two axiological systems S1 and S2: S1 is the subsystem of S2 S1 is complementary to S1 S1 and S2 are equal Union of S1 and S2 exists Intersection of S1 and S2 exists An empty system exists S1 and S2 are independent Similar relationships can be defined for the predicates. Nadine has also shown the categories and morphisms of the systems mentioned. ** ** ** ** ** The term creating value has an aura of mystery about itself. How do we create value? And, indeed, what is value? And how does it relate to luxury? These are the important questions that will be addressed in this chapter. A product attains the status of luxury good because of its unique intrinsic properties, such as design, performance, durability, quality and reliability. At least some of these properties must be perceived as considerably superior to comparable common substitutes. Quality The term value has been treated extensively in philosophy, as well as in economy. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, there is no unified definition of value. There are definitions appropriate for the respective perspectives of value. Therefore, creating value may seem a sheer contradiction. The first approximation to understanding value is the realization that in many instances value is time, space and person dependent. For instance, Arabian horses were very valuable as recently as a century ago. But they were appreciated mainly by the male population, and only in those social circles that could afford owning an Arabian horse. Nowadays, with the car being the king of the road, owning a horse, even the most extraordinary one, is not a matter of prestige. This simple example illustrates that value is a perceived property. Its model necessarily must comprise at least some of the value categories: emotional, economic, and social. Among the components of the emotional category, most outstanding are beauty, durability, exclusiveness, and perhaps also a sense of belonging caused by the high cost of luxury. Each of these dimensions is complex enough to be scrutinized separately. Some people believe that beauty, whether in humans or in nature, obeys a mathematical law. Based on countless observations, it can be stated that living organisms, plants, animals, or human beings, grow according to a precise mathematical law given by the geometrical ratio of 1:1,618. It is called the Golden Ratio, or the Divine proportion, obtained by a precise mathematical procedure. Two quantities are in the Golden Ratio if their sum divided by the larger quantity is equal to 1,1618 (its reciprocal is 0,618). It is based on the Fibonacci Sequence, in which each member is a number obtained as the sum of the previous two number. By and by, any successive pair of the Fibonacci series will result in the ratio mentioned, called ÃŽÂ ¦. The interesting observation is that this ratio, ÃŽÂ ¦ = 1:1,1618, appears consistently in beautiful things in nature, architecture, the arts, or living beings. Many beautiful pictures illustrating the Phi, as well as explaining the secrets of the G olden Ratio, can be found at the Golden Ratio website. The logos of Atari, Nissan and Toyota, obeying the Golden Ratio law, the metric dimensions of paper formats, shells, credit cards, architectonic drawings, too, can be found at the Golden Ratio website. Some time ago, the press reported that Dr Marquardt, a facial surgeon from California, had constructed a mask of the human face based on ÃŽÂ ¦. This beautiful face displays the proportion everywhere: in the skull, the positioning of the eyes, the length of the nose, or the size of the teeth. The mask conforms to todays standards of beautiful faces, regardless of race. Moreover, it also agrees with pre-modern paintings, antique statues, or old-time movie stars. This might lead us to believe that facial beauty is invariant over time and across cultures. Is it then not tempting to conclude that beauty, quantified by a mathematical ratio, is not remarkable at all, that beauty is the property of the visible surface, and that philosophizing on what beauty means is a waste of time? Perhaps not quite yet. Beauty, indeed, is in the eyes of the beholder, but it goes beyond physical attractiveness, so intensely blared by the media and popular culture. Beauty in the context of luxury includes also authenticity, kindness, wisdom, happiness, love, dignity, and self-realization. The possibilities for the beautiful to be known have thus been extended infinitely. Because luxury may very well depend on this kind of beauty derived not only from physical objects, but also from human interaction perceived as valuable to a specific individual. Again, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Durability, too, may have a great many meanings to different individuals. A general dictionary definition (Merriam-Webster, website) states that something that is durable is able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration. These terms are technical because, indeed, durability is most often of interest to engineers and businessmen. It refers to unchanged properties or performance of a product with reference to some environmental or application-related conditions. Most often, durability of industrial products is achieved or enhanced by a proper choice of materials, clever design, and surface treatment. Durability may be a preferred property of objects including luxury objects. For instance, gems or precious metals are durable. The durability is given by their resistance to environmental influences, which is an inherent property of these materials. Durability is further corroborated by their aesthetic features. Non-objects, for instance luxury holidays, or sumptuous meals, can hardly be durable longer than what is acceptable, which is a relatively short time. Exclusiveness is a perceived property per se, but it may also be viewed as a component of durability. Exclusiveness is predominantly a product of craftsmanship applied to luxury items. This is what gives a luxury item a life. A mass-produced item, no matter how beautiful, lacks the touch of the spirit of its creator, and never makes the same impression as a hand-made object. Personalized production, combined with exquisite design, makes luxury objects invariant in time, and resistant to fashion fluctuations. Because luxury items are not available to everyone, the narrow segment of the population that can afford them makes up a virtual club. The sheer belonging to the club tickles many peoples imagination about the social status or importance they acquire if the public associates them with the exclusive club. It may or may not be so. The economic aspects of luxury seem to be simple to grasp. Luxury costs a lot of money. That is the simple conclusion most people would be tempted to draw. The actual relationships holding between luxury objects and their users are, however, vastly more complex. In the realm of economics, human beings are viewed as consumers. Their revealed preferences for various goods are considered indicators of the fact that those goods are of value. Self-evident as this statement may sound, it generates a contradiction between various political or religious influences, and a struggle over what goods should be available on the market. Market goods must be owned, if the market system is to provide information on the consensus on certain essential questions concerning individual and society, and the ecosystems affected by the market transactions. The term market goods is too constrained, as the taxonomy of goods is much more complex. First, a distinction has to be made between moral and material goods. Moral goods is anything a person is expected to be morally obligated to strive for. The study of this kind of goods belongs to the realm of ethics. People and their conduct may thus deserve praise or blame in a given system. Natural goods is any kind of goods that is palpable. The discipline that deals with natural goods is economics. Luxury goods, too, are natural goods. A complement to this is the distinction between moral and non-moral goods. A non-moral good is something that one or more individuals desire. A non-moral good may include moral goods, but includes predominantly material goods. There is a mental distinction between these two views of goods. If one says: Fred is a good pianist, and This meal was very good, the meaning of the qualifier good is not interchangeable. It has a different sense: accomplished in the former case, and delicious in the latter. Another important distinction is that between economic goods and moral goods. The former is anything that stimulates economic growth. So, for instance, alcohol has an exchange value in that it stimulates economic growth. Thus, alcohol is economically good. Since there are circumstances when it may be harmful to a persons body, and even have a negative social effect, alcohol can hardly ever be regarded as a moral goods. Several other taxonomies exist. To value, in the realm of goods, means to determine an essential type of goods, decide that things are in some relation to each other, and that one thing is better than another. Thus, to value is to prioritize. Valuations in the sense of assigning higher value to some things and lower value to other things, is a consistent pattern of deciding what is good. Being a persons manner of thinking, it is strictly individual. The manner in which a person reaches conclusions about things, and the unique pattern of thinking and assigning value is called the Value Structure. Its principal components comprise thinking about objects, discerning their different aspects, making judgment and choosing, in other words, it involves the processes of filtering, storing, and analyzing data. *** However, as the real luxury market moves into the stratosphere, its leaving open a vast universe in which mass marketers can fulfill the neo-luxury desires of mass consumers. And these consuming masses have shown strong evidence they are ready, willing and able to pay premium prices for products and services that were once considered commodities. From ice cream to bottled water, beer to potato chips, coffee to coffee pots, washing machines to power saws, there isnt a mass-market category that hasnt jumped onto the up-branding bandwagon-and a very wise jump it is. Adding a premium product to an already strong brand name is a great way to drive brand growth and drive up margins. In fact, it can cast a positive halo over the entire brand family of products, making them all seem worth more. While this incredible market opportunity was recognized most presciently by brands such as Target and Trader Joes, its no longer a trend. Thanks to the internet and other media channels, consumers have changed too: People are more informed and more worldly-wise than ever before. Theres greater awareness of whats sophisticated, whats hot and, more important, whats cool. Having long satisfied their need for the basics, midlevel American consumers are no longer content with midlevel products and services. With basic water needs satisfied, for example, American consumers want Evian, Deja Blue, Glaceau or any bottled-water brand carried in Patagonia water pouches by athletes, movie stars and politicians. Consumers may get hungry, but no basic burger will do: Nieman Ranch beef cooked on one of Frontgates sleekest grills followed by a Tassimo espresso is the only way upbranders will go. Some even think theyll be loved far better if they use Olay Regenerist and Crest Vivid White and launder their Victoria Secrets in Whirlpool Duets. On another level, given all the stresses of the world, there seems to be an increasing desire to take care of me. People want a bit of luxury however they can get it. Starbucks, early on, recognized that while not everyone can afford to go to Tiffanys, they can enjoy the small indulgence of a grande nonfat latte. The coffee costs $5-a small price to pay to treat oneself well.

Esek vs Hopkins :: essays research papers

The birth of the United States Navy on 13 October 1775 formed a defensive measure in response to the growing need to protect the commerce of a developing nation from the then largest navy in the world, the British fleet. Esek Hopkins, the brother of a powerful Rhode Island politician found himself selected as the first Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy. During the French and Indian War, Hopkins quickly emerged as an experienced merchantman as well as a participant in the profitable privateering of British commerce vessels. On Hopkins’ first mission as Commander in Chief, he found himself in a bind and resorts to his skills as a privateer rather than a Continental naval officer. Years later the United States continued to have problems with commerce raiders, this time with the Barbary Pirates of the Mediterranean Sea. A young man, the son of a Revolutionary privateer, became the answer to this problem; he was known as Stephen Decatur. Decatur led many successful missio ns in the Mediterranean and became famous for his leadership and heroism. A comparison of the careers of Hopkins and Decatur proves that the success of naval leaders depends not only upon their skill as mariners, but also upon experience, judgment, and luck.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Hopkins and Decatur came from seafaring families and were skilled sailors, but Decatur’s experience as a naval officer gave him an advantage over Hopkins. After ten years as a shipmaster on the West Indies Route, Hopkins proved his naval prowess as a successful privateer during the French and Indian War, indicating that he was â€Å"as good a warrior as a trader.† However, his lack of experience showed in his battle with the Glasgow, where he exercised little control over the ships within his command, operating as privateers rather than as a fleet. While Decatur had fewer years at sea, he had more military skill than Hopkins primarily because he garnered his experience within an organized navy rather than as a privateer operating independently. As a result, one could expect Decatur to be more successful in organized naval battles than Hopkins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decatur did not necessarily show better judgment than Hopkins, but his lapses of judgment seemed more popularly acceptable. Hopkins did not adequately consider political context in his decision-making. His actions in leaving the southern colonies unprotected in order to capture a fort in the Bahamas and his offering of the spoils to the northern colonies without consulting Congress showed his insensitivity to the need of the new nation to overcome separatism.

Dual Identity Combinators :: Combinatory Logic Math Papers

Dual Identity Combinators Combinatory logic has been invented independently by M. Schà ¶nfinkel and H.B. Curry in the 20s of this century (Cf. Schà ¶nfinkel 1924, Curry 1930.). The impetus was to reduce the number of primitive notions needed for a logical system, in particular, for first-order logic. Schà ¶nfinkel used functions to provide a translation for a closed first-order formula into a functional expression, thereby eliminating bound variables of first-order logic. About the success of this attempt cf. Curry & Feys 1968: beyond this primarily intended connection between first-order logic and (illative) combinatory logic there is another connection between the two, the so called Curry-Howard isomorphism (Curry & Feys 1968, Howard 1980). This relates combinators to implicational formulae. It is just a small step from the Curry-Howard isomorphism to put combinatory bases (which are possibly combinatorially non-complete) into correspondence with logical systems. It is well-known, e.g., that the relevant system R ® corresponds in the above sense to the combinatory base {B, C, W, I}. Of course, such combinatory bases are not unique just as axiomatizations are not unique. For instance, the combinatory base {B’, C, S, I} is equally suitable. (Cf. Dunn 1986.) 1. Dual combinators. Pure combinators operate on left associated sequences of objects. The result of an application of a combinator is a sequence made out of some of the objects on the left (possibly with repetitions) and parentheses scattered across: ( . . . ( ( Q x1 ) . . . ) xn )  º ( xi 1 . . . xi m ) where any xi j (1 £ j  £ m) is xk (1 £ k  £ n) for some k , and the sequence on the right might be associated arbitrarily. The parentheses on the left of the identity are frequently dropped, since left association is taken to be the default. To recall the most familiar combinators as an illustration of the above general statement we have: Sxyz  º xz(yz), Kxy  º x, Ix  º x, Bxyz  º x(yz), Cxyz  º xzy, Wxy  º xyy. Using the combinatory axioms above we can define the notions of one-step reduction (4 1), of reduction (4 ), and of weak equality (=w) as usual. (For an introduction to combinatory logic see e.g., Hindley & Seldin 1986.) In case where one is interested in a combinatory base which is not combinatorially complete it might be useful to emphasize that the above notions are restricted to the particular combinatory base.

Nordstrom SWOT Essay

Representing people with disabilities in their catalogs since 1997, which is rare. This is a strength because it represents all customers of Nordstrom, not leaving out certain groups because of industry ‘norms’. This speaks volumes to all customers that Nordstrom recognizes them as individuals, but also, as O’Connell mentioned in an interview, â€Å"people with disabilities represent a significant marketing opportunity with $225 billion in discretionary income†¦ and companies that understand this will have a competitive advantage.† Has a customer first attitude to differentiate Nordstrom from other high-end retailers and department stores and build customer loyalty. They are in a highly competitive market involving high fashion, quality items at a premium price, but their service is what drives their business in. They invest in high quality staff, greet customers by name, write personal thank you notes, make follow up calls about satisfaction with prod ucts, have large well lit stores and fitting rooms, have a price match system, as well as a very lenient no questions return policy, all combined to keep their customers as satisfied as they can. Find a study that talks about service driving in customers, customer surveys, reports, etc. Nordstrom has different brands and product lines to reach different market segments and keep up with trends. These include: Rack, Haute Look, Treasure & Bond, and Trunk Club. This offers mid price markets opportunities to join with regular high price markets, online exclusive shoppers to join the Nordstrom network and fashions, appeal to â€Å"give-back† shoppers, and gives men a new online shopping experienced linked to the perks of Nordstrom’s inventories and in store tailors. This is a strength of the company because it creates a larger customer base to represent and build markets in, allowing the company growth in a variety of areas that competitors are not hitting. Compared to retail apparel competitors, â€Å"Nordstrom Inc. reported Total Revenue increase in the 2 quarter 2014 by 6.13 % year on year. The sales growth was above Nordstrom Inc.’s competitors average re venue growth of 0.99 %, recorded in the same quarter. With net margin of 5.4 % company  achieved higher profitability than its competitors.†   The Nordstrom Brand name and size are also strengths of the company. The Nordstrom brand has been around long enough to build relationships with suppliers and attain exclusive brands to carry, and establish lines of distribution, which puts them above new entrants because it is difficult to gain licensing for exclusive brands when you are not already established as well as establish your distribution system. They also have a size advantage having 118 original Nordstrom stores, 162 Nordstrom Rack locations, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 clearance store and they also reach customers online in 96 countries through Nordstrom.com and reaching customers online through HauteLook and NordstromRack.com as well. The high brand awareness, and availability is what competes in department and apparel retail. The company carries unique products; exceptional, high quality brands that are not going to be found at discount retailers to create the exclusive feel for customers. They also new experiences an d brands within the company through their Spa and Restaurants within some of the Nordstrom front-line stores. These differentiate Nordstrom from direct competitors, but also from restaurants competition by using quality, sustainability, and responsibility as their guide to the best experience. (http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/) Find article about competitors with restaurants and spas, and how this makes a difference compared to their revenues and restaurants too. Has established online presence in 96 countries and built network through their multiple websites for each store brand, built their own app to shop from your phone, and gotten involved in social media, more specifically Instagram with their â€Å"Instalog† while keeping all of this integrated with their mortar stores. They also understand that â€Å"when you stop evolving with your customer, you die,† as Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores, has said. They are building fulfillment centers to accommodate online shopping more quickly, use RFID chips to keep their perpetual inventory system for stores and online to share, and invested more into online growth than brick and mortar stores,  knowing that this is where their growth is coming from. â€Å"Over the next several years Nordstrom expects to derive half of its sales from the Rack and from its online units, versus 38 percent today,† and that’s because â€Å"the U.S. Commerce Department estimates that electronic commerce amounted to 6.2 percent of total retail sales in the first quarter of 2014.† Analysts have also been saying Nordstrom has thrived compared to competitors because it is a pioneer in perks like free shipping and also having the unique diversity of products online. Their expansion into Canada this year also gives them an advantage against competitors who have not branched out internationally yet. This opens their market up to Calgary shoppers, Canada’s strong economy, an area underserved of luxury items, shoppers who are familiar with the brand, and expectation to grow to a total of 5 Canadian stores within 2 years. If their expansion continues in a positive way like their first opening, they will continue to have this s trength over their competitors. Weaknesses: Because Nordstrom focuses mainly on their customer service and does price matching on their items, they are at risk to be directly affected by price fluctuations and economic trends. The fluctuations in the market are out of Nordstrom’s control, but their choice of pricing strategy to match prices are internal choices that they are choosing to be vulnerable to. If they don’t want this as a weakness they would try to reinvent their pricing strategy to keep competitive pricing without matching competition because that is directly relative to the market. Offering free shipping does improve their customer loyalty, but it also comes with a high cost for the company. This is a weakness because they internally chose to make this sacrifice for the greater good of the company and take the hit on spending, but is hard to measure the direct effects of customer loyalty because of  free shipping. Nordstrom has the opportunity to invest more into their credit business because many of their competitors have more resources in this area giving them an advantage. Their competition is external but the choice to not invest highly in their credit business is a weakness of Nordstrom. The company would have to look into how they allocate their resources to see if there is room to invest additionally into this sector of business and if it would bring sufficient benefit to them. Opportunities: Already reaching 96 countries with their online retailing, Nordstrom continues to have room for growth in this area. New technology is keeping the market on their toes with ideas to expand and take advantage sooner than competitors, which is why Nordstrom is spending to grow fulfillment of network for direct sales channels to make delivery faster, and improve mobile app and in store personalized experience. They already have an app that was revealed earlier this year, Instagram, and multiple online stores with Nordstrom.com, NordstromRack.com and HauteLook.com, with plans to introduce Canadian Nordstrom Rack soon. The company plans to invest $150 million into its’ online retailing. They plan to hire up to 400 people for their e-commerce group, including Kirk Beardsley, the former director of business development at Amazon. Their acquisition of HauteLook changed their ecommerce capabilities, and they continue to look for integration opportunities to grow expansion further. They need to continually understand new markets such as the discount merchandising market, which they have recently made their footprint grow Rack sales by 20% in the first quarter of the year, compared to comparable stores that only grew 6.4%. The reason their growth opportunities online and in different markets remain an opportunity is because technology, online trends, and consumer preferences are always changing. They need to continue to stay on their toes with the online retail market since growth is higher than physical stores currently. Currently Nordstrom is â€Å"developing a strategy to secure their supply  chain in a resource constrained world will enable them to leverage their customer service brand image† by investing in recycling, transportation, paper and packaging, energy, water, human rights, organic food, and community support. They have the opportunity to continue this path of enhancing social and environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and supply chain management to appeal to environmental supporting markets. The Canada debut of stores is their first branch into international markets, which says the company is in a stable enough spot to take on these new complex roles in the market. They have a good economy with a high median family income at $90,000 in the areas they plan to continue growth in. According to government data, this is the highest in metropolitan areas in Canada, giving the company the opportunity to expand and capture their market. There are not current plans to expand beyond Canada, but if they succeed there then that again leaves open an entire new box of options for the company to move overseas. Nordstrom will also be opening up Nordstrom Rack locations in Canada once they accomplish their mission with front-line stores, opening up opportunities to reach the middle class Canadian consumers who want designer brands at a bargain. Continuing to be an innovative brand will be an opportunity for Nordstrom to take advantage of. They launched their â€Å"first time private-lab el brand that will give 5 percent of its earnings to Girls Inc. and other nonprofits that seek to empower women and young girls. The move comes amid the increasing popularity of â€Å"give-back† fashion.† The charitable boutique Nordstrom opened in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in 2011, Treasure&Bond, will be available at 86 stores around the country and online as well to promote their â€Å"give-back† persona. There will be constant opportunity to follow trends and compete in the market with things such as these, and Nordstrom has the opportunity to continue its’ successful planning to meet them and conquer.   Disposable incomes in the US are rising, for instance June 2014 were at an all time high at 13021.20 billion versus the previous month at 12969.70 billion. What this means for Nordstrom and all retailers is that spending will begin/continue to increase and they need to be the brand/company that captures those sales. Their expansion, online presence, and quality need to continue to improve, and there marketing strategy relying heavily on word of mouth may need re-evaluation to determine if this is the best way to promote the brand while maintaining their high image.   Sales per square foot vary company to company and your ability to stock, merchandise, and turnover quicker than your competitor is an opportunity to capitalize on. Maintaining highest sales per square foot is a competitive tool in the retail industry and in 2013 Nordstrom had the highest sales per square foot at $400 in comparison to direct competitors Macy’s at $173 and Saks Fifth Ave at $350. Their ability to stock more into a space and turnover that merchandise faster than competition is a strength of Nordstrom in the external market. Threats: The department store and apparel industries are highly competitive, with direct competitors of Nordstrom being: Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Ave, and Neiman Marcus. As consumer preference continues to shift, and incomes continue to rise the market will only continue to be more and more competitive, leveraging many opportunities for each company. There is also a lot of indirect competition of Nordstrom including food service, spas, boutiques, discount retailers, online retailers, and specialty stores. This creates significant competitive areas and factors in position including their customer service, unique fashion trends, selection, quality, environment, location, and convenience. Further threats for the company to consider while making decisions also include plans for growth, market share, pricing, supply chains, brand image and much more. There is also indirect competition for Nordstrom’s credit business like banks, credit card companies , and other stores that offer a store card such as JCP, Saks,  Dillard’s, Macy’s and Dillard’s. Because some of the competitors in this area have more financial marketing and resources to dedicate to their credit business, it makes it a huge threat to Nordstrom The economy will continue to be a threat not only in the US but also in their new Canadian expansion. The US economy and Americans spending is going up, as listed in the opportunities column, but because the past decade has been rough its effects may still linger and possibly shift into Canada’s economy as well. The threat of an economic downturn is something that all businesses face though, so to be safe Nordstrom should continually set realistic expectations and plans for what they would do in that situation. Price changes and increasing costs also threaten Nordstrom’s supply chain of designer and high-end brands. Because of the global climate changes and shortages in resources, the market for material, labor, and transportation are not as stable. This threatens Nordstrom because higher costs for them are not good if they’re not producing higher sales or profits, and the environmental effects on their business is completely out of their control. Online expansio n of all retailers especially a dominator like Amazon has put up many obstacles for Nordstrom. It is difficult and expensive to constantly and quickly transition to new technological changes. Nordstrom is threatened by these changes to see if it can successfully invest and continually update to the markets demands. Their repositioning online and through social media with the wave of technology seems to be going well so far, but time will tell if they are able to continue on top or if they will fall behind the industry. In Canadian market they just entered there is a battle for the luxury market, which is not sufficiently claimed yet. Hudson’s Bay Company has Canadian roots and just bought Saks, with plans to move them up to Canada as well. This will harshly threaten Nordstrom’s pull on luxury market share in Canada. There is  also the 177-year-old brand Holt Renfrew that announced expansion in its Calgary luxury store, which is in the same place as the first Canadian Nordstrom. This is again a direct threat to their business in Canada and how their expansion will determine if they can grab and hold onto market share. There are also not many to choose from talent wise in Canada because the luxury market is not prominent so there is little experience to find. There is also a higher average wage in the area they are stationed because of the oil-fueled jobs in the Calgary area, so they will have higher labor costs demanded as well. References: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024579800_nordstromcanadaxml.html?cmpid=2628 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nordstrom/id474349412?mt=8 http://www.luxurydaily.com/nordstrom-integrates-instagram-to-create-shopping-experience/ http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/ci_26254983/models-disabilities-star-nordstrom-catalog http://wwwiebe.com/nordstrom-customer-service-first/ http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024313399_nordstromearningsxml.html http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2024291908_nordstromstorexml.html http://www.internetretailer.com/2014/05/19/nordstrom-invests-heavily-e-commerce http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER1/306343_GDRT31838FSA

Jollibee Case Analysis Essay

Executive Summary Jollibee Food Corporation is a Filipino fast food brand that opened in 1975 and has been on the path of expansion since then. IT capitalised on the changes that came its way to fight the competition from brands like McDonalds and KFC. The case highlights the global expansion strategy that they followed backfired due to which they had to consider revamping their strategies. The company has an opportunity in Papua New Guinea, California and Hong Kong but before taking that decision they need to work upon their previous issues to ensure the success in these countries. Till now the firm is being operating in two parallel organisations with no cooperation and coordination among the two which has resulted in chaos and a strained relation between the two. We have through this case analysis provided a complete picture of the Jollibee operations along with the strategies and the way ahead. An analysis presented that the company is currently in between the internationalization and localization strategy. We have recommended the company to follow transnational strategy that would help them achieve an advantage over the competitors. Industry and Firm level Analysis * INDUSTRY LEVEL ANALYSIS The fast food industry is basically a very highly competitive market that strives on cost leadership. The industry is faced by both international players who have huge finances The industry faces low margins and experiences profits on the basis of the economies of scale. The key to achieve economies of scale is selecting the right location to attract traffic and a highly efficient operation management. In the fast food industry the product offering are almost the same. So what make a difference are the things like the service, providing extra drinks / any other supplementary product with your main product. The profitability depends on the customer traffic, location, operation management. Expansion happens mostly through Franchisees and Joint Ventures, it is very important to attain Economies of Scale to do well in this kind of industry as the cost of all other things as we all know is just increasing manifold. And even then the consistency in the food quality is one of the major area s of concerns. * POTTER’S FIVE FORCES i. Rivalry Among The Competitors: High * As explained in the case the competitor had an advantage in terms of brand name, the profitability, the customer base they had . Also high because of the high standardization in terms of quality, quantity, price, procedures and processes which are similar and there’s competition to get better in these aspects. ii. Threat Of New Entrant To Industry – Low * Due to the high tariff barrier and the advantage of economies of scale, differentiation that a firm gets over time. Also in this industry people mostly don’t shift easily due to the taste adaptation and the ability to trust any other brand quality is low. iii. Threats Of Substitute Product– Low * Jollibee managed to serve their customers at affordable price, good service and the hence gained a brand name eventually, so the threat of a new substitute is low , again because of the ability or nature of consumers to shift to other brand easily is low. iv. Bargaining Power Of The Suppliers- Low * The raw material required for food industry could be sourced from multiple suppliers and the shifting costs are less. v. Consumers Bargaining Power- High * Company depends on the consumers for its profitable business and the company needs to adhere to the consumer’s tastes, preferences and prices as there are many competitors to whom they may shift to. Also the entrants are expected to be less in number, so it is better to suit the needs of the existing buyers than to stand different from them. * FIRM LEVEL ANALYSIS Values: The firm puts the customers as the base of all their operations. The customers should be kept in the minds first and then only any further decisions should be made keeping their needs in mind. The co-ordination between the different teams and the different levels also is considered to be very high. High operational efficiency and a well laid out plan with honesty, integrity as a part of their value system. Feeling of one unit and one family is considered to be their priority as they expanded immensely into various countries and regions. Employees have the art of listening and communicating everything that the customers want. Mission: The mission statement of â€Å"we bring great taste and happiness to everyone† showcases its brand as quality based and high in consumer utility. They stand by their tag line and portray their brand in this context. Vision: 1) Their aim to become the most dominant, quality oriented, quick service restaurant, the most endearing brand that has ever been. 2) They provide FSC excellence in every moment 3) They will lead in product sales all time 4) They will be within the reach of every Philippine Thus the 3 B’s helped attain these strategies which are, boost the standards of fast food industry, build brand satisfaction and broaden their reach to customers. SWOT Analysis: Where the opportunity and threats talk about the external factors affecting the firm’s performance and the strengths & weakness about the internal factors of the organisation. STRENGTHS: * Understanding about the local tastes and preferences * First mover advantage in the home market as they were well established before the entry of McDonalds. * Highly motivated people in the organisation, they were all ready to take up the risk. * High domestic market share due to selection of the best location that is a result of first mover advantage. * The ability to innovate given the understanding of the local people but only in their domestic markets. * Power to give the competitive fight to the other organisations in the same industry. * Good operations management. * Diversity in product offering (after the acquisition of Greenwich pizza) WEAKNESS: * No consensus between the international division and the home division. * Lack of communication between the departments * Bureaucratic structure * Financial condition for expansion. * Lack of R&D before expanding internationally along with the fact that the R&D rested with the parent company. * Biased towards local friends and family while selecting franchisees * Lack of global brand recognition. OPPORTUNITIES: * Acquisition with a brand to get their brand also known amongst people. * Hiring non Philippines managers to get the sense of local adaptation. * Create differentiation by cost advantage or customer experience. * Tap the market with lesser or fewer competition. * Increase the product line to favour the taste of local consumers. THREATS: * Big giants like Mc Donald’s and KFC in the foreign markets. * Increased in the transportation cost and the raw materials cost ‘* Political instability * Mismatch in the ideas of the various divisions * So many failures in the foreign market like that in Singapore , Taiwan * Catering to a fast food joint as it is needs a very strong convincing power due to the shift to healthy food by many people. * Entry barriers for them in some countries * Reduction for barriers in the home country which enabled other big fast food giants to enter into the market. Change Drivers Jollibee’s strategies were derived from a lot of change drivers that the company faced. 1. The first change driver that brought Jollibee Foods Corporation into proper incorporation was the realization that prices of ice cream would double due to the oil crisis of 1977. This helped them start their own food outlet with homemade hamburger recipe of the Tans’. 2. Kitchner felt the need to increase the pace of the global expansion projects as he felt that visibility was the only way to bring Jollibee into top ten fast food brands. He decided to go about a variety of strategies to do so. He started his plan with targeting the expatriate Filipinos in the Middle East, Hong Kong, and Guam etc. But this strategy failed as he realized that not all Filipinos had same tastes. When this strategy failed Kitchner used the â€Å"plant-the-flag† strategy as a part of which he wanted to mark his presence in as many countries as possible. As a part of this they started opening outl ets in every country they felt an opportunity. 3. They realized the failure of their joint ventures was due to the lack of support from the parent company. Tony Kitchner implemented a strict control process of the franchises. He appointed Franchise Service Manager’s (FSM) who were the point of contact between the Jollibee and their international partners. He started collecting their sales data everyday not only to analyze the traffic in the outlets but also to provide consultancy to these franchises on how they could improve. For this they also implanted frequent checks that ensured that the standards, quality, hygiene, customer satisfaction etc was maintained. 4. After the criticism of Jollibee’s operations in Indonesia they realized that they need to act as a world class company and not a local company. They started changing the ambience of the outlets in the host country according to the tastes of natives of the host country people. They realized that not all countries like the same type of outlets and services a s the Filipinos. 5. One of the elements of their 5F’s was flexibility which seemed to be missing in their operations. Their â€Å"proven concepts† of Filipino food in every country seemed to trigger a huge controversy. Kitchner realized the mistake and immediately sorted to rectify it. They started with local adaptation as a part of which they introduced a rice dish in which the gravy changed according to what the people wanted like in those countries like in Hong Kong they served their dish with hot and sour chicken while in Vietnam it was served with chicken curry. This accounted for a very small part of their revenue but this was their stepping stone towards localization. Issues Faced The key issues faced by the company are listed as follows: * Strained relation between the domestic and international wings resulting out of their differing opinions. * Following the â€Å"planting-the-flag† strategy that led to opening up of more and more of outlets to increase visibility even if they were running huge losses. This involved a huge investment that affected the other markets. * Lack of proper research about the market needs, the type of local needs, the potential market, the customer base and the competition level and their reach. * Inability to attract local managers due to the fact that the brand was less recognizable and also as a result of aversion from the international firms. * Difference in the management style and culture lead to a failure of plenty of Joint Ventures. The main problem was the model followed by them. * Inability to transfer its success factors in Philippines to other countries. The reason Jollibee was successful in the Philippines was due to the following reasons: * Catering to the local needs by supplying hamburgers that were spicy. * The commendable operational efficiency it practiced in Philippines that require keeping close tab on operations. * Consistent high quality products and maintaining its share in the market. * Its skills in site selection because of its excessive familiarity with the place. * The large number of stores in Philippines enabled it to achieve operational efficiency through economies of scale. * The case makes it evident that there is less market for Filipino-style food that Jollibee has failed to understand. It needs to localize its menu to attract the local customers. Later Jollibee realized the problem and started catering to the local needs for e.g. their rice dish in Indonesia to suit their tastes. Strategies Suggested The firm as mentioned in the executive summary was in between the internationalization and localization strategies. We have drawn this inference from the case which mentions that what Jollibee wanted previously following international strategy as they thought they can sell Filipino cuisine in all parts of the world targeting the expatriates. Therefore they felt they were faced with very low pressure for local responsiveness. They failed to realize that this strategy works only in case of MONOPOLY but not in case of firms having strong competition like Jollibee. This strategy failed as Filipino food was not perceived the same way in every country and the pressures for local adaptation increased. Jollibee failed to keep in mind the key â€Å"Driver† in the fast food sector is local responsiveness and low cost. Later in the leadership of Tony Kitchner they felt the need for local adaptation and realized that international strategy would not work for them. Low cost pressure was always there as they were faced with heavy competition. Tony Kitchner bought about localization in their offering thereby forcing them to follow Multi Domestic (localization) strategy but the case mentions they were over-shadowed by local competitors who were providing food for lesser cost and better local adaptation. Therefore looking at the above mentioned points we would recommend that the company should follow a transnational strategy given that they face high pressures of both cost reduction and local adaptation. The following grid gives a diagrammatic representation of the strategies mentioned. Implementation Plan When going for multi-domestic as a strategy only a certain amount of flexibility and autonomy be provided to partners. This becomes more of an arm’s length dealing, trust was lacking in the relationships. A holistic coordination is required to transfer core competencies or to pursue experience curves and location economies. This is possible only in a transnational entity. This smooth transition can be enabled by inter unit cooperation, decentralizing the organizational structure and following a geocentric approach. Also to implement this strategy and carry out expansions following schemes of actions must be taken in various functional departments. 1. Operations Plan * Waste reduction (TQM) and Standardization of food items will further help in cost reduction. * Smooth supply chain management system should be put in place to increase efficiency and productivity. * The flag can be planted in regions where people have similar taste buds as strategic business units. So that the menu can be varied according to regional taste. * Once the company starts to follow transnational strategy, location economies and operational efficiency should be taken into consideration so as to reap the benefits of both cost structure and differentiation. * Lessons learned should be internalized, so that lack of operational efficiency problems as in Singapore, transparency issues as in Taiwan can be avoided in the future international expansion. 2. Financial Plan * The relations with franchisees and other associates should be clearly defined and the degree of control of the financials should be clearly defined to avoid future confusions. The ramifications of poor relations are clear in the closing down of many franchisees abroad. * The financial management should be done effectively so as to provide enough budgets for the R&D and associated activities that are needed for the global expansion. * Sufficient funds should be made available for the marketing and positioning activities. * Opening multiple stores at the same time will hurt the bottom line and will increase debt. A Cost benefit analysis approach should be used. 3. Marketing plan * Market research prior to entering new markets will help in avoiding the unprofitable ventures as in the Middle East. In order to compete on the level with multinationals, rather than just being a first mover, Jollibee would have to take its performance to the next step and prove that it could continue to build its competitive advantage. * The focus target segment in every country has been expats from Philippines which has been largely successful. But it should not exclude the local populace of the host nation. Its marketing initiatives should target the local populace and it should position itself as a global fast food brand which offers â€Å"exotic Filipino cuisine† for everyone. * Its core competency should be â€Å"authentic Filipino fast food with good service and quality† * The menu of Jollibee should have a mix of standard food items as well as items specific to a host nation. To achieve this, they should set up R&D divisions in each country and come up with new dishes to cater to local consumers like McDonald’s which came up with vegetarian burgers for India and which was a big hit. * For expanding the menu, economies of scale and operational efficiency should be kept in mind. Items which increase inefficiency should be removed from the menu. * Jollibee should follow a differentiated strategy wherein it should target those markets with high potential with an economy similar to that of Philippines like Papua New Guinea and observe the first mover strategy to capture these markets first. 4. Human Resource plan * Jollibee needs a strong corporate culture, and informal management networks to assist in coordination and control. It also needs to understand local cultures before expansion. All this can be achieved through a proper emphasis on Management Development. An effective MDP can build a unifying corporate culture by socializing new managers and partners into the norms and value systems of the firm. * Jollibee should allow certain level of decentralization of authority for its franchises in other countries for operating decisions related to product, marketing and human resource management. Also certain number of R&D centers could be opened in other countries to facilitate localization of some products. * In order to facilitate cooperation among units the staff members who are required to coordinate with other units must be given training on cultural differences and adaptability in workshops. By adopting this practice Jollibee would support its staff to understand the cultural diversity among nations and different market needs. * Jollibee should communicate the company culture through company conventions to ensure that the company interests are achieved. * Localized training approach should be used to make employees outside Philippine as part of the organization. New Decisions At the end of the case we see that currently they are faced with three key decisions about venturing into three different markets. We give our viewpoints as to which markets would be feasible for entry and on what scale. I. Papau New Guinea: The market as described lacks a decent outlet to eat at. Given the opportunity described by very low or probably nil competition it is recommended that Jollibee open an outlet there. It will advisable for Jollibee to open a few outlets in order to test the feasibility and the demand in the market. If the response of the local public is positive they can slowly increase their outlets. II. Hong Kong: According to exhibit 10 we can see that Hong Kong is second in terms of the per store sale value ($ 571120). This reflects that there exists a huge market for Jollibee in Hong Kong but before setting up another store at Hong Kong they need to resolve their issues there. Their main problem there is inability in attracting local managers. They need to resolve their manpower issues before opening another outlet to ensure that their brand name does not get spoiled because the managers had to pay more attention to the quality issues in the dearth of labour which of the lack of quality which left them less time to concentrate on formulating short term. These factors could tarnish their image in the market. Therefore, first step would be to rectify these problems and then improving the status of the existing outlets. When they feel demand is rising tremendously they can set up more outlets there. III. California: Their venture in Guam was a success showing that the food was liked more by Americans based there. Their work at Guam gave them an idea of how to work in America. They can use their learning’s from Guam and implement them better in California to be successful. A small market research before the venture would be suggested to get an idea of the local needs and the potential in the market. Their plan of entering a market with high Filipino population with less number of competitors, Daly City, could be advantageous for them. From that market they would slowly venture into other areas after gaining a share in Daly City.

African Americans and the Civil War Essay

In the world we live in many people take a lot for granted. Just the small simple things people don’t really appreciate, being ungrateful for the things that have been given to them. Many people and different situations have paved the way for our generation to become much easier to live in. African Americans during the civil rights movement had to face a lot of trills in order to make the world a better place. Many people don’t appreciate that because they are unaware of just how much grief African Americans had to go though to create a path for the upcoming generation. African Americans faced many hardships during the civil rights movement, some of those hardships were segregation, voting rights, and assassination of prominent African American leaders. Segregation was such a big obstacle for African Americans because not only were they not allowed to go certain places it became bigger than that. Everything in African Americans lives were split in half. There were white only signs places all over there towns. White only signs for bathrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. Everything was separated between the two races blacks and whites. One event that really stuck out like a sore thumb was The Montgomery Bus Boycott. During, the time of segregation blacks were allowed to ride the buses, but many rules had to apply. Blacks had a black’s only section on the bus that could be moved in any location of the bus. That means that the blacks’ only sign could be moved in front of two rows on the bus if that’s what the bus driver wanted. Black riders had to pay their bus far on the front of the bus and get off to walk to the back of the bus to ride. Some bus drivers would allow the blacks to pay and when the step off the bus the bus driver would drive away and leave them. When blacks did receive a chance to ride on the bus, if a white person did not have a seat to sit in a black person had to give up their seat. The blacks of Montgomery, Alabama, decided that they would boycott the city buses until they could sit anywhere they wanted, instead of being relegated to the back when a white boarded. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for not standing and letting a white bus rider take her seat. The plan to stop the whites from making the blacks move was the boycott. Blacks would no longer ride the buses anymore. That means that the bus companies were losing a lot of money. Blacks would walk to work or school and even carpool, but would not step foot on the buses. The boycott continued for over a year. Eventually, the United States Supreme Court put an end to the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the Court declared that Alabama’s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal. On December 20th federal injunctions were served on city and bus company officials forcing them to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling. African Americans had to face a lot just so that they could be treated as an equal on the bus. Segregation played a huge role in the school system. In public schools more so than any. That’s what stated the big flare Brown vs. Board of Education. The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Ending this behavior as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which continue to be felt throughout our country. The Brown decision inspired and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world. The U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. Brown was giving African Americans the opportunity to be accepted as an individual and not just as a race. Now, you would think that after the Brown vs. Board of Education whites would accept African Americans and treat them better. That was not the case and segregation did not stop there. Although, many people had hoped that it would it took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to really make a change. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, and ended racial segregation in the United States. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. Once the Act was implemented, its effects were far-reaching on the country as a whole and had an immediate impact on the South. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment, invalidating the Jim Crow laws in the southern U. S. It became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. After passage of the law, the NAACP was the only major civil rights organization to maintain a large membership in the South, where it concentrated on organizing the ongoing struggle for black civil rights. During 1965-75, the NAACP remained committed to using litigation to challenge racial injustice. African Americans had to fight hard to get what they deserved and it took a lot of patients and time to receive change but it finally happened. That is we segregation ended and Africans were free to sit, eat, talk, shop, and work anywhere they wanted. Being able to vote is a very important ordeal. Many people in this day and time take advantage of being able to voice their opinions. Not taking advantage of who we desire to have in office is a sign of being ungrateful. African Americans were not given that right years ago. African Americans had to fight just so that they could vote. That’s when the Voting Act of 1965 came in play. Before, this Act was enforced African Americans had to take a literacy tests and pay poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished literacy tests and poll taxes designed to disenfranchise African American voters, and gave the federal government the authority to take over voter registration in counties with a pattern of persistent discrimination. Echoing the language of the 15th Amendment, the Act prohibits states from imposing any â€Å"voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, who had earlier signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Being able to vote was an honor and so many people don’t even both to go vote during the elections today. African Americans fought for the right to vote without having to take tests or pay poll taxes and people still don’t go out to vote. That is taking voting rights for granted. Being an African American during the civil rights movement was a challenge, but being an African American woman was even difficult. That’s when the period of women’s suffrage played its role. Women’s Suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or marital status. Being a woman in this time period restricted of many rights. Women’s suffrage has been granted at various times in various countries throughout the world, and in many countries it was granted before universal suffrage. Without women’s suffrage women would still be restricted to make decisions and just be limited to being mothers and wives. The women’s suffrage broke that cycle. The best way to leave a positive mark on the world is being a leader. It takes a lot of heart, courage, and sacrifice, in becoming a great leader. Leaders are persons that people look up to. They depend on a leader to give them hope to carry on and a positive role model to look up to. There were not too many people that wanted to take the position of being a leader, but a few chose to step up to the plate. African Americans needed kind and encouraging words to help uplift them during the civil rights movement. Two great leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Melcolm X took on a job to lead the world into a better place called freedom. The two leaders gave African Americans hope to continue on when they wanted to just give up. African Americans depended on these two prominent leaders to strengthen them. African Americans during the civil rights movement needed to relay on someone and those leaders were the perfect ones. No one would have ever been ready for what was expected to come. For years African American have been told what they could and couldn’t do. They have been talked about, abused, lied on, and have had everything taken from them. But, still they have stayed strong through it all. When all they had were two great prominent leaders and they were taken from them as well they still stayed strong. Two great prominent leaders were assonated. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He was best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King was often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. But, as people have said â€Å"all things must come to an end. † At 6:01 p. m. on April 4, 1968, a shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, lay sprawled on the balcony’s floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper’s bullet.