The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini - 1875 Words

Connection is one of the most basic human needs that people require in order to live content and prosperous lives. It may not seem as vital in comparison to other primal needs such as sustenance or shelter, but it is absolutely essential in order to find the path to hope and happiness. In Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner, the author weaved a stirring tale of loyalty and betrayal, of how the bonds that bind could also easily be severed when one submits to fear and cowardice. The majority of this enthralling novel was focused on the main character Amir and his struggle to rein in the guilt he experienced after allowing his best friend Hassan to be raped. The book also revolved around Amir’s strained father-son relationship with Baba, his passion for writing which was only ever encouraged by Baba’s best friend, Rahim Khan and the gripping account of how he eventually ended up finding redemption for his past transgressions by saving the life of Sohrab, Hassanâ €™s son. Throughout his life, Amir was heavily influenced by his relationships with Baba, Rahim Khan, Sohrab and Hassan, who all for better or worse, had a significant impact on the person he grew up to be. Baba was quite possibly the most influential figure in Amir’s life, which is ironic considering how tenuous the relationship between him and his son had been for almost the entirety of the novel. On one hand there was Baba, a great man who achieved immense success by building his own business from the ground up andShow MoreRelatedThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini883 Words   |  4 Pagesregret from past encounters and usually feel guilty and bitter about the situation. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, revolves around the theme of redemption. Redemption can be used as a cure for guilt. Throughout the novel, the author shows that redemption requires some sort of sacrifice and the only way that is possible is if you can forgive yourself from the mistakes you have m ade in the past. Khaled Hosseini effectively portrays redemption through motifs such as rape, irony and flashbacks, symbolismRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1651 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel â€Å"The Kite Runner† by Khaled Hosseini describes the life of a boy, Amir. Amir’s best friend and brother (although that part isn’t known until towards the end), Hassan, plays a major role in Amir’s life and how he grows up. Hosseini portrays many sacrifices that are made by Hassan and Amir. Additionally, Amir seeks redemption throughout much of the novel. By using first person point of view, readers are able to connect with Amir and understand his pain and yearning for a way to be redeemedRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1655 Words   |  7 PagesSarah Singer Major Works Data Form Title: The Kite Runner Author: Khaled Hosseini Date of Publication: 2003 Genre: Historical Fiction Historical information about the period of publication: Since the September 11th attacks in 2001, the United States has been at war with Afghanistan. Their goals were to remove the Taliban, track down those in charge of the attacks, and destroy Al-Qaeda. Biographical information about the author: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. HIs motherRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1098 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we learn a lot about Amir the main character, and Hassan his servant/brother. In the beginning Hassan and Amir’s relationship was one of brotherly love despite the fact that Hassan was a Hazara and Amir a Pashtun. Back in the 1970’s race and religion played a big part in Kabul and these two races were not suppose to have relationships unless it was owner (Pashtun) and servant (Hazara). Baba Amir’s father had an affair with Hassan’s mother, but it was kept aRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1313 Words   |  5 Pagesis not unique to just J.K. Rowling. Khaled Hosseini also incorporates life experiences into some of his novels. A prime example of this is The Kite Runner. The storyline of this novel reflects his past to create a journey of a young Afghanistan boy, whose name is Amir. This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and minded man. This emotional and mental trip is partially based on Khaled Hosseini’s own life. Throughout Hosseini’sRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1908 Words   |  8 Pages​In the novel, â€Å"The Kite Runner†, written by Khaled Hosseini, was taken place in Afghanistan during the 1970’s to the year of 2002. Many historical events happened during this time period and Hosseini portrayed it into his novel. Kabul, the capitol of Afghanistan, was a free, living area for many Afghanistan families to enjoy the life they were given. Until one day, Afghanistan was then taken over and attacked. In the novel, Amir, the protagonist, must redeem himself and the history behind his actionsRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1050 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"There is a way to be good again.† (Hosseini 334). This quote given by Rahim Khan to Amir holds a great amount of force and symbolism. In theory, this quote symbolizes the beginning of Amir’s path to redemption. The eye-opening Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini tells about the struggles of Afghanistan before and during the Taliban, and one’s struggle for redemption and acceptance. With regards to the opening quote, some see Amir’s actions as selfish. However, others may believe that Amir truly changedRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1583 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the main character, shares his thoughts and actions due to his poor decisions. The problems he encountered were all because of the sin committed in his youth. His sins taunted the beginning of his life and gave him a troublesome memory full of guilt. As the novel continued, Amir attempted to disengage the memory of his sin and forget about it. Amir then faced the long bumpy road to redemption. Khaled Hosseini’s novel the Kite Runner is about sinRead MoreThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini871 Words   |  4 Pagesthat person is trying to fix that mistake. This also applies to the novel The Kite Runner. The story revolves around the main character Amir, and his childhood friend, Hassan. After Amir came to America with Baba, his father, he still regrets the things he had done to his childhood friend. He left Hassan getting raped by Assef in a small alley in 1975. Thereafter, Amir always feel regret and seeks for redemption. Hosseini -the author, argues that redemption can be achieved by helping others, teachRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini3402 Words   |  14 Pagestitle â€Å"The Kite Runner† is symbolic as fighting kites and the kite runnings are impacting moments in the novel. Hassan was the best kite runner in Kabul, if not the whole country, after Amir won the kite fighting the running of that last blue kite triggered the monumental changes for Amir. For the beginning of the story the kite running was associated with Hassan’s rape and Amir’s grief. As kites appear throughout the story, they begin Amir’s story and also end it. Amir flying the kite with Sohrab

Oxalate Lab Essay - 609 Words

Dr. Hjorth-Gustin Chemistry 201 Lab November 8th, 2010 Synthesis and Analysis of Iron(III) Oxalate Complex Discussion This experiment initially involved the synthesis of an iron (III) oxalate complex with the general formula Kw[Fex(C2O4)y] zH2O. The variables x, y, and z were determined through the duration of the entire experiment. Part 1 involves the synthesis of an iron (III) oxalate complex. The iron is first presented in its Fe2+ form, so it must first be oxidized to Fe3+ before the oxalate ion will readily bind to it. Hydrogen peroxide is the oxidant of choice: 2Fe2+ (aq) + H2O2 (l) + 2H+ (aq) --- 2Fe3+ (aq) + 2H2O (l), in acidic solution. The oxalate ion is then free to coordinate to the Fe3+ ion, forming a†¦show more content†¦Part 2 of this experiment invoked the use of redox titrating to determine the oxalate content (C2O42-) of the salt. An aqueous solution of the iron oxalate salt is prepared for titration, and the oxalate content is found through analysis by measuring the volume of titrant. Part 3 of the experiment utilized Spectrophotometry to determine the iron content in the iron (III) oxalate complex. The results were combined with findings from Part 1 and Part 2 to determine the empirical formula and percentage yield of the compound synthesized in Part 1. Spectrophotometry is a routine laboratory test that has the added advantage of being able to analyze multiple samples in a short amount of time. The most efficient way of determining concentration is to prepare a set of standard solutions of known concentration, record the absorbance readings at a fixed wavelength, and plot the absorbance vs. concentration data. The wavelength of 520 nm was selected for experiment Part 3 because this is the maximum absorbance for the iron (III) ion. The Beers Law Plot that was graphed came out to be linear with an equation of: Absorbance = 5.395 x 10^3(Fe^+2-Bipy) - 0.0014. The empirical formula that was determined was different from that of the â€Å"true† compound mentioned. The empirical formula determined was: K3[Fe(C2O4^-2)3] 3 H2O If had there been a better alternate method to determining the ironShow MoreRelatedEssay about Determination of the Composition of Cobalt Oxalate Hydrate1041 Words   |  5 PagesComposition of Cobalt Oxalate Hydrate Experiment 12 Robbie Kinsey Partner: Debnil Chowdhury Chem. 1312-D TA’s: Russell Dondero Sylvester Mosley February 9, 2000 Purpose The purpose of this lab was to determine the percent cobalt and oxalate by mass, and with that information, the empirical formula for cobalt oxalate hydrate, using the general formula Coa(C2O4)b.cH2O. Procedure The powdered cobalt oxalate hydrate was weighedRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Arthritis838 Words   |  4 Pagesis best diagnosed with synovial fluid (Buttaro et al., 2013). 3. Calcium oxalate: this occurs when calcium oxalate accumulates in the patient’s blood serum, which is sometimes thought to be renal gout disease but often occurs after consuming excessive levels of ascorbic acid (Jones Quilty, 2013). The signs and symptoms that are associated with these differential diagnoses can be mistaken for gout. However, implementing lab tests can result in the elimination of these diagnoses. For example, asRead MoreEssay on Lab1: Effect of Ph on Food Preservatives1343 Words   |  6 Pages Lab 1: Effect of pH on sodium benzoate, a food preservative Sheikh M Zakaria Person no. 36295651 TA: Synthia Gratia Date of Submission: 05/29/13 Abstract Sodium Benzoate is a common food preservative used in food products such as jams and jellies, soft drinks, pickles, condiments etc and in tinned products in the market. This experiment aimed to determine whether benzoic acid is formed from it’s superior soluble form sodium benzoate in stomach acid, which is simulated by HCl (pH=2). It hasRead MoreGravimetric Determination of Calcium1401 Words   |  6 Pageswas converted into a soluble precipitate by adding 25 mL of ammonium oxalate solution and 15 g of solid urea. Since the solution is acidic, the Ca2+ and C2O42- were dissolved. By boiling the solution, the pH of the urea increases thus large, pure crystals of precipitate was able to obtain. Subtracting the mass of the petridish alone from the mass of the petridish with CaC2O4 2H2O precipitate, one can get the mass of calcium oxalate dihydrate. And from that using stoichiometry, one can determine theRead MoreExperiment #8: Limiting Reactant1736 Words   |  7 Pagesthe limiting reactant, possibly, is the most effective. In this experiment we were able to calculate limiting reactants from the reaction of CaCl2. 2H2O + K2C2O4.H2O(aq). As a group, we obtained our salt mixture of calcium chloride and potassium oxalate, and weighed the mixture. We were able to make an aqueous solution from the mixture and distilled water. We boiled and filtered off the solution, leaving the precipitate. Once the precipitate was dried overnight, it was weighed and the mass was measuredRead MoreExperiment 10 11 Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pages           Ã‚  Ã‚     Experiment #10 #11 The Synthesis of Cobalt Oxalate Hydrate The Synthesis of a Nitrite Complex    February 5, 2012    Chemistry 1211L - 146 - Spring 2012    Procedure The Synthesis of Cobalt Oxalate Hydrate Place 100 ml of distilled water in a 250-ml (or 400-ml) beaker. Add 1.26g of oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4.2H2O) and 1 ml of concentrated ammonia. Stir the mixture until the solid has dissolved completely. Dissolve 2.34 g of cobalt chloride hexahydrate (CoCl2.6H2O)Read MoreEquilibrium Reactions and Le Chateliers Principle2134 Words   |  9 PagesLab: 5 Experiment:13 Pre-Lab The purpose of this experiment is to observe an equilibrium reaction counteracting changes to it’s system all in accordance to Le Chatelier’s principle. An equilibrium reaction can be pushed toward products or reactant based on changes in temperature or concentration. The reversibility of reaction will also be looked at. Pre-Lab questions 1. The concentrations of products and concentrations of reactants remain constant but both reactionsRead MoreA Report On A Kidney Stones1885 Words   |  8 Pageshard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract (StÃâ€"ppler, 2016). Kidney stones are produced with varying circumstances. Kidney stones form when your urine contains more crystal developing substances such as: calcium, oxalate and uric acid, than the fluid in your urine can dilute. At the same time, your urine may lack substances that prevent crystals from sticking together, creating an ideal environment for kidney stones to form. Even though not all may have kidney stonesRead MoreSolubilities Within a Family Lab Report Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesPurpose/Objective The purpose of this experiment is to identify the periodic trends in the solubility of the alkaline earth metals and compare the results to that of lead Materials 1. Pencil 2. Lab notebook 3. 5 small test tubes 4. Droppers Chemicals 1. 0.2 M Mg(NO3)2 2. 0.2 M Ca(NO3)2 3. 0.2 M Sr(NO3)2 4. 0.2 M Ba(NO3)2 5. 0.2 M Pb(NO3)2 6. 1 M NaOH 7. 0.2 M NaBr 8. 0.2 M NaI 9. 0.2 M Na2SO4 10. 0.1 M Na2CO3 11. 0.2 M Na2C2O4 12. 1 M NaCl Data and Results Mg(NO3)2Read MoreSynthesis Of An Iron ( IIi ) -oxalate Complex1423 Words   |  6 PagesEXPERIMENT 4A: Synthesis of an Iron(III)-Oxalate Complex: To begin, a filtering crucible was washed, labeled, and dried in an oven for one hour. While the experiment was performed, the filtering crucible was set-aside in a desiccator to cool and stay dry. After this was done, a mass of about 1.2 g ( ±0.2 g) of iron(II) ammonium sulfate hydrated salt (Fe(NH4)2(SO4)2 ∙ 6H2O) was measured and recorded. It was then placed in a 50-mL beaker with 3 mL of deionized water and 1-3 drops of 6M sulfuric acid

The Battle for the Campaign Agenda in Britain Free Essays

string(67) " to the party leadership, and from amateurs towards professionals\." The 1997 election was a struggle, not just for votes, but also to control the campaign agenda. Significant, but contradictory, challenges faced the media, parties and the public. For journalists, the problem was how to engender any zip into the campaign. We will write a custom essay sample on The Battle for the Campaign Agenda in Britain or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ever since Black Wednesday, in September 1992, Labour had seemed assured of victory while Conservative support floundered in the doldrums. For five years, perhaps it just seemed like longer, pundits had been writing of the end of the Conservative era, bolstered by all the accumulated evidence from opinion polls, by-elections and local elections. By the start of the six-week official campaign, the horse-race story was almost lifeless. Moreover, to the dismay of leader-writers, commentators and columnists, Blair’s strategic shift towards the centre-left had removed much of the drama of serious policy conflicts between the major parties. Few issues remained where one could discern clear blue water between Labour and the Conservatives – devolution and constitutional reform, perhaps the faint ghost of trade union rights and spending priorities – but on so much the contest was a classic case of an echo not a choice. Lastly, at the outset the campaign promised tight party control, in as gaffe-free an environment as could be humanly managed. At the start the Labour party seemed insecure and sweaty despite its enormous lead in the polls, and the professional andelson machine at Millbank Tower left almost nothing to chance, as though the souffle of support might suddenly collapse. Based on their formidable track-record during the 1980s, the Conservatives had a reputation for running highly professional campaigns. Given the palpable sense of public boredom and impatience, a feeling of oh-do-lets-get-on-with-it, the challenge for journalists was to find something fresh and interesting to hold the attention of their readers and viewers. During the six week campaign there was, on average, about ten hours of regular BBC and ITN television news and current affairs programmes every weekday1, not including election specials, nor Sky News, CNN, Radio 4, Five Live, newspapers and magazines, the internet election web pages, and all the other plethora of media outlets. Something had to fill the ravenous news hole. For the public, the primary urge seemed to be to get it all over with. But voters also needed to make sense of the choice before them, when policy differences between the parties had shaded from the red-and-blue days of Thatcher v. Foot to a middle of the road wishy-washy mauve. Many issues confronting voters were complex, technical and subtle, with no easy answers: what will happen to the economy if Britain enters, or stays out, of the ERM? How can the peace process move ahead in Northern Ireland, given the intractability of all sides? Can Britain afford an effective and comprehensive health service, given ever-increasing demands on the system and spending limits accepted by all parties? These, and related, issues facing Britain have critical consequences for the lives of citizens, but they admit of no simple sound-bite panaceas. The needs of the news media and the public were at odds with those of the parties. Given their lead, the primary challenge for Labour was to manage their media environment against unexpected crises, in play-safe reactive mode. The watchword was control. Memories of the polling fiasco in 1992, and Neil Kinnock’s false expectation of victory in that campaign (â€Å"We’re allright! â€Å"), dominated strategy in 1997. The challenge for the Conservatives was to staunch grassroots morale, and even build momentum, by emphasising the positive economic performance of the government, by reassuring voters to trust Prime Minister John Major against the inexperienced and unknown Tony Blair, and by attacking Labour on the old bugaboos of taxes and trade unions. To gain traction the Conservatives had to take more risks than Labour. The challenge facing all the minor parties, but particularly the Liberal Democrats, was to avoid being squeezed by Labour’s smothering slither centre-left. Who won? The aim of this chapter is to examine this battle and evaluate the outcome. The first section sets out the long-term context by considering how campaigning has been transformed in the post-war era. The 1997 election represented another critical step, it can be argued, in the transition to the post-modern campaign in Britain, — characterised by partisan dealignment in the press, growing fragmentation in the electronic media, and strategic communications in parties. The second section goes on to analyse what was covered in the national press and television during the campaign, and whether this suggests Labour won the battle of the campaign agenda, as well as the election. Lastly, we consider how the public reacted to the coverage, whether they felt that journalists generated interesting, fair and informative coverage, and the implications of this analysis for the struggle over campaign communications. The Evolution of the Post-Modern Campaign Modernisation theory suggests that during the post-war era the political communication process has been transformed by the decline of direct linkages between citizens and parties, and the rise of mediated relationships. Swanson and Mancini argue that similar, although not identical, developments are recognisable across industrialised democracies2. In the earliest stage, the premodern campaign in Britain was characterised by the predominance of the partisan press; a loose organizational network of grassroots party volunteers in local constituencies; and a short, ad-hoc national campaign run by the party leader with a few close advisers. This period of campaigning gradually evolved in the mid-nineteenth century following the development of mass party organizations registering and mobilising the newly enfranchised electorate. Despite the introduction of wireless broadcasting in 1922, this pattern was maintained in largely identifiable form until the late fifties3. The critical watershed came in 1959, with the first television coverage of a British general election, symbolising the transition to the next stage. The evolution of the modern campaign was marked by a shift in the central location of election communications, from newspapers towards television, from the constituency grassroots to the party leadership, and from amateurs towards professionals. You read "The Battle for the Campaign Agenda in Britain" in category "Essay examples" The press entered an era of long-term decline: circulation of national newspapers peaked in the late fifties and sales have subsequently dropped by one-third (see Figure 1). The fall was sharpest among tabloids, pushing these further downmarket in the search for readers4. This fierce competition transformed the nature of the British press, producing growing sensationalism, and more journalism with attitude, while changes in ownership ratcheted the partisan balance further in the Conservative direction. One major factor contributing towards declining circulation was the rise of television. The political effects of this new technology were strongly mediated by the regulations governing broadcasting in each country. In Britain the legal framework for the BBC/ITV duopoly was suffused by a strong public service ethos which required broadcasters to maintain ‘party balance’ and impartiality in news coverage, to ‘inform, educate and entertain’ according to high standards, and to provide an agreed allocation of unpaid airtime to arty political broadcasts5. Within this familiar context, television centralised the campaign, and thereby increased the influence of the party leaders: what appeared on BBC1’s flagship 9 O’clock News and ITN’s News at Ten, and related news and current affairs studios, was the principle means by which politicians reached the vast majority of voters. To work effectively within this environment parties developed a coordinated national campaign with professional communications by specialists skilled in advertising, marketing, and polling. The ‘long campaign’ in the year or so before polling day became as important strategically as the short ‘official’ campaign. These changes did not occur overnight, nor did they displace grassroots constituency activity, as the timeless ritual of canvassing and leafletting continued. A few trusted experts in polling and political marketing became influential during the campaign in each party, such as Maurice Saatchi, Tim Bell and Gordon Reece in Conservative Central Office, but this role remained as part-time outside advisors, not integral to the process of government, nor even to campaigning which was still run by politicians. Unlike in the United States, no political marketing industry developed, in large part because the only major clients were the Labour and Conservative party leaderships: the minor parties had limited resources, while parliamentary candidates ran retail campaigns based on shoe-leather and grassroots helpers. But the net effect of television during the era of modernisation was to shift the primary focus of the campaign from the ad-hoccery of unpaid volunteers and local candidates towards the central party leadership flanked by paid, although not necessarily full-time, professionals6. Lastly in the late twentieth century Britain seems to have been experiencing the rise of the post-modern campaign, although there remains room for dispute in the interpretation of the central features of this development and its consequences. The most identifiable characteristics, evident in the 1997 campaign, include the emergence of a more autonomous, and less partisan, press following its own ‘media logic’; the growing fragmentation and diversification of electronic media outlets, programmes and audiences; and, in reaction to these developments, the attempt by parties to reassert control through strategic communications and media management during the permanent campaign. Partisan Dealignment in the Press In the post-war period parties have had long-standing and stable links with the press. In 1945 there was a rough partisan balance with about 6. 7 million readers of pro-Conservative papers and 4. 4 million readers of pro-Labour papers. This balance shifted decisively in the early 1970s, with the transformation of the left-leaning Daily Herald into the pro-Conservative Sun, and the more aggressively right-wing tone of The Times, both under Rupert Murdoch’s ownership. By 1992 the cards had become overwhelmingly stacked against the left, since the circulation of the Conservative-leaning press had risen to about 8. 7 million compared with only 3. million for Labour-leaning papers (see Figure 1). Throughout the 1980s Mrs Thatcher could campaign assured of a largely sympathetic press, which provided a loyal platform to get her message across7. One of the most striking developments of recent years has been the crumbling of these traditional press-party loyalties. The evidence comes partly from editorial policy. The Conservative press had started to turn against Mrs Thatcher in 1989-90, when the economy was in recession and her leadership became deeply unpopular, and this constant barrage of criticism probably contributed towards her eventual demise8. During the 1992 election, while the Sun and the Daily Express continued to beat the Tory drum, comment from some of the other pro-Conservative press like the Mail and The Sunday Times was more muted, and four out of eleven daily papers failed to endorse a single party9. The new government enjoyed a brief respite on returning to office but press criticism of John Major’s leadership deepened following the ERM debacle on 16th September 1992, with only the Daily Express staying loyal. Journalists continued to highlight the government’s difficulties over Europe, and internal splits over the debate on the Maastricht Treaty. By the winter of 1993, a succession of scandals involving Conservative politicians created headline news while editorials regularly denunciated the government, and particularly the Prime Minister. By the time of the July 1995 leadership challenge only the Daily Express backed John Major solidly, while the Sun, the Mail, The Times and the Telegraph all argued that it was time for him to be replaced10, an embarrassment for their leader writers given the outcome. The question, in the long run-up to the election, was whether the Tory press would return home, once the future of the Conservative government was under real threat. In the event, the 1997 election represents a historic watershed. In a major break with tradition, six out of ten national dailies, and five out of nine Sundays, endorsed the Labour party in their final editorials (see Table 1). This was twice the highest number previously, and it reversed the long-standing pro-Conservative leanings in the national press. With impeccable timing, the Sun led the way on the first day of the campaign, (THE SUN BACKS BLAIR), with a frontpage claiming Blair is a â€Å"breath of fresh air† while the Conservatives were â€Å"tired, divided and rudderless†, and its defection stole the headlines and damaged Tory morale. This change of heart came after assiduous efforts by Labour to court press support, including meetings between Blair and Rupert Murdoch, especially Blair’s visit to Australia in 1995. roughout the campaign the Sun, with ten million readers a day, provided largely unswerving support for Blair, although opposing Labour policy on Europe and the unions, and many commentators predicted that the switch, based on Murdoch’s commercial considerations rather than political affinities, would not last long11. Labour’s traditional tabloid, the Daily Mirror, with six million readers, continued its brand of centre-left journalism (â€Å"the paper for Labour’s TRUE su pporters†). On the last Sunday of the campaign, influenced by Murdoch, The News of the World decided to follow the lead of its sister paper, the Sun, and backed Labour. Among the broadsheets The Guardian called for tactical voting for the Liberal Democrats in seats where it made sense, but broadly endorsed Labour. The Independent was more restrained in its backing, casting its editorial vote for Labour â€Å"with a degree of optimism that is not entirely justified by the evidence†. The paper was clearly more anti-Tory than pro-anything. The Times advised their readers to back Eurosceptic candidates from whatever party, although, in practice, nearly all were Conservatives. Only leads in the Daily Telegraph, and the Daily Mail (â€Å"Labour bully boys are back† â€Å"Labour’s broken promises†) remained strongly in the Tory camp. Even the Daily Express was more neutral than in the past: a double-page spread was divided between Lord Hollick, its chief executive, arguing for Labour and its chairman, Lord Stevens, arguing for the Conservatives. The front-page of the election-eve Mail carried a colourful Union Jack border and the apocalyptic warning that a Labour victory could â€Å"undo 1,000 years of our nation’s history†. Yet any comparison of editorial policy probably under-estimates the balance of partisanship in news coverage during the overall campaign. For example, the Mail ostensibly endorsed the Conservatives during the campaign, but in practice it probably deeply damaged the government by headlining sexual scandals in the party, and reinforcing images of disunity with leading articles highlighting the number of Tory Eurosceptics. With friends like this, the Conservatives did not need opponents. To understand this we need to go beyond the leaders, which are rarely read, and even less heeded, to examine the broader pattern of front-page stories. The most plausible evidence for dealignment is that certain papers like the Sun, traditionally pro-Conservative, switched camps, but also that front-page stories were often so similar across all the press, driven by news values irrespective of the paper’s ostensible partisanship. Since the early 1970s fierce competition for readers has encouraged far more sensational coverage in the popular press, fuelling an endless diet of stories about ‘scandals’, (mostly sexual but also financial), infotainment, and the Royals, preferably all three. This process started when Rupert Murdoch bought the News of the World in 1968, and the Sun a year later. It accelerated in the cut-throat competition produced by the launch of the Daily Star in 1978, which sought to out-do the Sun in its relentless search for sex, investigative ‘exclusives’ about celebrities, violent crime, and graphic coverage of the bizzare. Those who thought British newspapers had reached their nadir at this point had under-estimated the soft-porn Sunday Sport, launched in 198612. The tackiness of the popular press, such as their exhaustive gossip about the goings-on of the younger Royals, gradually infected and corroded the news culture of the broadsheets as well. By the mid-1990s, the journalism of scandal trumped party loyalties, hands down. This fuelled the series of sleaze stories about senior Conservative politicians hroughout John Major’s years in government, and there was no let-up during the campaign. As documented in detail later, the first two weeks of the election were dominated by a succession of stories about corruption in public life and sexual ‘scandals’, providing a steady diet of negative news for the government which swamped their message about the economy. How to cite The Battle for the Campaign Agenda in Britain, Essay examples

A Different World Essay Example For Students

A Different World Essay Since I can remember I’ve always had an itch to not only see the world but wonder it and socialize with different people, as well to try different and strange food. This is why I not only admire but look up to the one and only god of mine Anthony Bourdain. After watching what seem to me his entire traveling journey on TV. I had decided to take a shot at reading one of his best known books Kitchen Confidential. All I can say is that it not only blew my mind but opened it as well. About two years ago my family would have told you that I lost my mind due to a random traveling decision that I made. I wanted to feel and see what was outside of the norm of my day to day life. My journey started with Puerto Rico and yeah some people may think it’s like traveling to South Beach in Florida. But no I decided to stay in the mountain country side of it. I stayed in a small hut up in the mountain area no AC or hot water and of course no reception. Meaning no I phone usage, no wifi and the worst of it all no facebook or instagram bummer right. Not really if I wanted to experience what it felt to be an actual living citizen of Puerto Rico, I had to do it right. The first night sucked just because I’m so use to entertaining myself with my phone at all time. It was crazy seeing so many stars and hearing silence at night. But one thing that I did admire so much about the Puerto Rican culture was the peacefulness that they carry with them. It looked to me as if everyone was as ease and without any stress. Even as I notice people working and living their regular lives, just happy. What was amazing was actually seeing people hold actual conversations with one another and no phone were seen anywhere. I grew up knowing that once I became an adult that it would be my turn to take care of my elderly family members. But nothing was more culture shocking till my experience in Honduras in a small city named El Progresso. It brought me to tears to see how young poor adults worked so hard to just make sure either parents or grandparents were well taken care of. It made think how rich people in our society are so quick to send off their parents to nursing homes. Religion was something I wasn’t brought up with; we were more on spiritual side. As I traveled to Machu Picchu, I saw how much their culture respect their religion. It was weird how it would feel to walk into any open churches and you could feel something reflect off your body. Something I won’t forget is the look in their eyes with so much hope as they prayed to their saint. It was hard for me to understand how you could hope your life off a statue. But it was such an amazing sight to see how different their culture was from mine. Trying their food was something out of my norm, their delicacies was eating a giant guinea pig otherwise known as â€Å"cuy†. Pretty harsh especially coming from a different culture where these animals are kept as pets. Ending this journey was pretty sad it made not want to come home at all. After meeting such wonderful and good hearted people, I stop to think that yeah we come from such different cultures. But what is normal to them may seem odd to us and likewise. But if everyone were to be taken out of their comfort zone and left to see and hear what’s out there they wouldn’t think its so odd. I sure did learn from all the different cultures I got to explore. .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .postImageUrl , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:hover , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:visited , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:active { border:0!important; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:active , .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483 .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub9af353e299494f1db170ece5b7d0483:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Burial Practices Of The Ancient Egyptian And Greco-Roman Cultures EssayBibliography: Anjarwalla, Tas. Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment Video News CNN.com. CNN. Cable News Network, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 5 July 2015. Macionis, John J. Culture. Sociology. 15th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2004. 68. Print.

California Environment Essays - Environment Of California

California Environment A key environmental challenge not only in the Central Valley but also in all of California is how to protect and preserve both the regions agricultural resources and its coastal boundaries. California is a unique state; we are basically a bunch of states/separate regions that are all encompassed under one defined boundary. We have a large coastline, industry, agriculture, mountains, forests, deserts, valleys, large and small cities, and major interstate trade and transportation systems. Two things distinguish our agricultural resources from others: our coastline, and our states geographic diversity in regards to other states. As the state grows the question of where to put things is brought up. The pressures of urban sprawl in California have been evident for many years. The combination of California's growing environmental awareness, and its refocus on agricultural importance have prompted many policy tools to protect not only agriculture, but our coastlines as well. Over the years, many policy tools have been proposed; some have been accepted and others for various reasons (political, economic, and other) have not. Two existing tools for protecting agricultural lands and our coastlines are; The Williamson Act/Land Conservation Act and the California Coastal Act. Each are intended to protect California's resources. To combat the pressures of urban sprawl on California's agricultural lands, the California Land Conservation Act was passed in 1965. It was nicknamed the Williamson Act for its writer, Assemblyman John Williamson of Bakersfield (Mayer, Fence 2). The law was originally designed to keep agricultural lands in agriculture. This was proposed by offering property tax breaks for farmers and ranchers through a ten-year contract. This idea of protecting privately owned farmland from development for ten years through an agreement between the farmers, the county and the state, appealed to many. The popularity of this act is evident throughout California. In Kern County there is more than 1.6 million acres of agricultural related land (valley, foothills, mountains) currently under contract. "Kern county represents grow, by 2020 population in the county is expected to double" (Zapata 1). Kern County is important because it is a key agricultural area in California. Los Angeles and Fresno/San Joaguin Vallies grow closer each day. The area is a major supplier of oil and agriculture. The Williamson Act appealed to many farmers, addressing the issue of raising property taxes, letting them continue to farm. Property taxes were a major concern to the farmers who were feeling the effects of sprawl, especially the smaller farmers. Under the Williamson Act, landowners tax savings could range anywhere from 30-70% depending on what their land is being used for and what commodities it produces. The Act saves farmers a lot of money, in Kern County a total of about 15 million a year. Under the agreement the state then reimburses the counties some of this revenue, about 5 million in Kern County (Mayer, Williamson 2). All of the agricultural lands in California are eligible for the Williamson Act. It does not matter if the land is in the path of development or not. It does not matter what the land is being used for (farming or grazing). The Act's objective is to protect agricultural lands on both the urban fringe and those elsewhere that may be the product of leapfrog development. The ten-year agreement between the landowners and the state renews itself each year automatically. Landowners have two options out of the agreement, cancellation and non-renewal, both of which impose stiff penalties. The penalties amount to a predetermined percentage of the lands total market value. The main objective of the Williamson Act is to slow urbanization. The Act was not created to stop it; it was made to delay the inevitable. The Williamson Act is both good and bad. It does indeed slow urbanization, but the areas that need the most attention (urban fringe) are not really impacted. The Act saves farmers money in the form of property taxes and it does compensate the counties, but this compensation does not balance what is lost. In Kern County the difference is 10 million dollars, money the county is simply out of. Another thing, a ten-year agreement may sound like a long time for the preservation of land but it is not. "Is ten years to short? It probably is if the goal is the preservation of farmland" (Mayer, Williamson 2). Some landowners even find ways to actually benefit from the act. A developmental powerhouse may receive the tax break for their ten years and when they fulfill their obligation they develop the land anyway. This of course is not the ideal situation

Bent Pyramid Insight In Egyptian Architectural History

Bent Pyramid Insight In Egyptian Architectural History The Bent Pyramid in Dahshur, Egypt is unique among pyramids: instead of being a perfect pyramid shape, the slope changes about 2/3 of the way to the top. It is also one of five Old Kingdom Pyramids that retain their original form, 4,500 years after their construction. All of them- the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur and the three Pyramids at Giza- were built within a single century. Out of all five, the Bent Pyramid is the best opportunity we have for understanding how architectural techniques of ancient Egypt were developed. Statistics The Bent Pyramid is located near Saqqara, and it was built during the reign of the Old Kingdom Egyptian pharaoh Snefru, sometimes transliterated from the hieroglyphs as Snofru or Sneferu. Snefru ruled Upper and Lower Egypt between 2680-2565 BCE or 2575-2551 BCE, depending on which chronology you use. The Bent Pyramid is 189 meters (620 feet) square at its base and 105 m (345 ft) tall. It has two distinct interior apartments designed and built independently and connected only by a narrow passageway. Entrances to these rooms are located on the north and west faces of the pyramid. It is unknown who was buried inside of the Bent Pyramid- their mummies were stolen in ancient times. Why is it Bent? The pyramid is called bent because of that steep change in slope. To be precise, the lower part of the pyramids outline is angled inward at 54 degrees, 31 minutes, and then at 49 m (165 ft) above the base, the slope abruptly flattens out to 43 degrees, 21 minutes, leaving a distinctively odd shape. Several theories about why the pyramid was made this way were prevalent in Egyptology until recently. They included the premature death of the pharaoh, requiring the speedy completion of the pyramid; or that noises coming from the interior clued the builders into the fact that the angle was not sustainable. To Bend or Not to Bend Archaeoastronomer Juan Antonio Belmonte and engineer Giulio Magli have argued that the Bent Pyramid was built at the same time as the Red Pyramid, a pair of monuments built to celebrate Snefru as the double-king: pharaoh of the Red Crown of the north and the White Crown of the South. Magli, in particular, has argued that the bend was an intentional element of the Bent Pyramids architecture, meant to establish an astronomical alignment appropriate to Snefrus sun cult. The most commonly held theory today is that a comparably sloped pyramid- Meidum, also thought to have been built by Snefru- collapsed while the Bent Pyramid was still under construction, and the architects adjusted their building techniques to make sure the Bent Pyramid would not do the same. A Technological Breakthrough Intentional or not, the Bent Pyramids odd appearance provides insight into the technical and architectural breakthrough it represents in Old Kingdom monument building. The dimensions and weight of the stone blocks are much greater than its predecessors, and the construction technique of the outer casings is quite different. Earlier pyramids were constructed with a central core with no functional distinctions between casing and external layer: the experimenting architects of the Bent Pyramid tried something different. Like the earlier Step Pyramid, the Bent pyramid has a central core with progressively smaller horizontal courses stacked on top of one another. To fill in the external steps and make a smooth-faced triangle, the architects needed to add casing blocks. The Meidum pyramids outer casings were formed by cutting sloped edges on horizontally placed blocks: but that pyramid failed, spectacularly, its outer casings falling off it in a catastrophic landslide as it neared completion. The Bent Pyramids casings were cut as rectangular blocks, but they were laid sloping inward at 17 degrees against the horizontal. That is technically more difficult, but it gives strength and solidity to the building, taking advantage of gravity pulling the mass inward and downward. This technology was invented during the construction: in the 1970s, Kurt Mendelssohn suggested that when Meidum collapsed, the core of the Bent Pyramid was already built to a height of about 50 m (165 ft), so instead of starting from scratch, the builders changed the way the outer casings were constructed. By the time Cheops pyramid at Giza was constructed a few decades later, those architects used improved, better-fitting and better-shaped limestone blocks as casings, permitting that steep and lovely 54-degree angle to survive. A Complex of Buildings In the 1950s, archaeologist  Ahmed Fakhry  discovered that the Bent Pyramid was surrounded by a complex of temples, residential structures and causeways, hidden beneath the shifting sands of the Dahshur plateau. Causeways and orthogonal roads connect the structures: some were built or added on to during the Middle Kingdom, but much of the complex is attributed to the reign of Snefru or his 5th dynasty successors. All later pyramids are also part of complexes, but the Bent Pyramids is one of the earliest examples. The Bent Pyramid complex includes a small upper temple or chapel to the east of the pyramid, a causeway and a valley temple. The Valley Temple is a rectangular 47.5x27.5 m (155.8x90 ft) stone building with an open courtyard and a gallery that probably held six statues of Snefru. Its stone walls are about 2 m (6.5 ft) thick. Residential and Administrative An extensive (34x25 m or 112x82 ft) mud brick structure with much thinner walls (.3-.4 m or 1-1.3 ft) was adjacent to the valley temple, and it was accompanied by round silos and square storage buildings. A garden with some palm trees stood nearby, and a mud-brick enclosure wall surrounded all of it. Based on archaeological remains, this set of buildings served a range of purposes, from domestic and residential to administrative and storage. A total of 42 clay sealing fragments naming fifth dynasty rulers was found in a midden east of the valley temple. South of the Bent pyramid is a smaller pyramid, 30 m (100 ft) high with an overall slope of about 44.5 degrees. The small inner chamber may have held another statue of Snefru, this one to hold the Ka, the symbolic vital spirit of the king. Arguably, the Red Pyramid could be part of the intended Bent Pyramid complex. Built roughly at the same time, the Red Pyramid is the same height, but faced with reddish limestone- scholars surmise that this is the pyramid where Snefru himself was buried, but of course, his mummy was looted long ago. Other features of the complex include a necropolis with Old Kingdom tombs and Middle Kingdom burials, located east of the Red Pyramid. Archaeology and History The primary archaeologist associated with excavations in the 19th century was William Henry Flinders Petrie; and in the 20th century, it was Ahmed Fakhry. Ongoing excavations are being conducted at Dahshur by the German Archaeological Institute at Cairo and the Free University of Berlin. Sources Aboulfotouh, Hossam M. K. Astronomical Algorithms of Egyptian Pyramids Slopes Adn Their Modules Divider. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 15.3 (2015): 225–35. Print.Alexanian, Nicole, and Felix Arnold. The Necropolis of Dahshur: Eleventh Excavation Report Spring 2014. Berlin: German Archaeological Institute and Free University of Berlin, 2014. Print.Alexanian, Nicole, et al. The Necropolis of Dahshur: Fifth Excavation Report Spring 2008. Berlin: German Archaeological Institute and Free University of Berlin, 2008. Print.Belmonte, Juan Antonio, and Giulio Magli. Astronomy, Architecture, and Symbolism: The Global Project of Sneferu at Dahshur. Journal for the History of Astronomy 46.2 (2015): 173–205. Print.MacKenzie, Kenneth J. D., et al. Were the Casing Stones of Senefrus Bent Pyramid in Dahshour Cast or Carved?: Multinuclear Nmr Evidence. Materials Letters 65.2 (2011): 350–52. Print.Magli, Giulio. The Giza ‘Written’ Landscape and the Double Project of King Khufu. Time and Mind 9.1 (2016): 57-74. Print. Mendelssohn, K. A Building Disaster at the Meidum Pyramid. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 59 (1973): 60–71. Print.Moeller, Nadine. The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom. New York: Camridge University Press, 2016. Print.Mà ¼ller-Rà ¶mer, Frank. A New Consideration of the Construction Methods of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 44 (2008): 113–40. Print.Reader, Colin. On Pyramid Causeways. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 90 (2004): 63–71. Print.Rossi, Corinna. Note on the Pyramidion Found at Dahshur. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 85 (1999): 219–22. Print.

F D P Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

F D P - Coursework Example They realize it is a significant problem when their own citizens who are living in those countries or through media influence from those liberal countries start adopting such liberal ideologies. Terroristic actions therefore begin to stop the assimilation. It is possible for a country to love and hate United States at the same time. They may hate their liberalism but love other aspects like their economic power or military superiority. This proves to be a problem and especially when trying to curb transnational crime. This is because it is may destroy the positive image and relations between those countries and USA. This may fuel hatred further hence resulting to more terrorism against US. Transnational crime may be as a result of a weakened government. This is because of weakness in borderline patrol services hence illegal immigrants are able to enter the country and come to cause terroristic actions. It may also be due to lack of tight securities in airports and train or bus terminals hence providing a channel for transnational criminals like terrorists to enter the United States (Rollins et al.

What are the main obstacles to womens leadership and what can be done Essay

What are the main obstacles to womens leadership and what can be done to address them - Essay Example Lets take the example of Fortune 500 companies, most of the people employed at the top positions such as Chairperson, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer are men. However, there were only 6% women employees on these top positions and 15% were also present in the Board of Directors of these companies (Wagadu, 2008). Such disparity in business world is evident in every country especially in the developed nations worldwide. In the European Union, out of fifty nations that are operating as the trading organisations, women were found 11% on senior positions and only 4% as Chief Executive Officers (Women’s Media, 2009). In 1986, two individuals from the Wall Street Journal suggested an anwer for such disparity for top position employees in organisations. They believed that women managed to get to the senior rankings with immense difficulty as there are various blockages in the paths destined for these positions. The exclusive group appeared within their hold, however they just couldn’t smash through the so called ‘glass ceiling’. This situation captured the association of aggravation among women and demonstrated reverberation regarding those high aims which are visible, but someway unachievable (Grogan, 2010). Â   There was a period in which there were many obstacles for women. For instance, in the 80s, it was difficult to assume a woman getting to the senior position. This viewpoint was further embedded by Richard Nixon, the President of USA, which was recorded in the White House and published in the form of Freedom of Information Act. He stated that no woman is suitable for managing the positions in government bodies; the main reason emphasised by him was that women lack consistency and they are highly emotional. Moreover, according to the President, women keep on changing their attitudes towards work and are simply unable to comprehend with responsibility and seriousness towards the job.

Collaborative Learning in E-learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Collaborative Learning in E-learning - Essay Example In order to ensure that collaborative learning is effective, asynchronous online discussions have been perceived as an efficient way for learners to participate in high quality discussion and intrinsic cognitive collaboration. This is because asynchronous online discussion gives learners enough time to reflect on their friend’s findings and contribution and reason about their own contributions before sending them off to their friends. Collaborative learning looks forward in fostering the argumentative quality discussions among learners in order to improve personal knowledge acquisition. In order to ensure efficiency of the collaborative learning, it is significant to apply additional instructional direction, which may assist learners to use the advantages of asynchronous communication or interaction for argumentative knowledge acquisition. For instance, knowledge construction via collaborative discussion is vital since collaboration methods sequence, define, and assign learnin g activities to distinct learners and can in turn facilitate activities such as construction of arguments during discussions. Collaborative learning in E-learning is rooted in constructivism. It intensively focuses on how productive peer collaboration can be stimulated and sustained in computer-mediated environments and how these collaborative activities facilitate learning. The use of Computers in learning will aid in providing sentence openers to ESL students, software-embedded collaboration scripts and representational guidance in order to improve the quality of online argumentation or moderation among students. In order to make collaborative learning effective, ESL students are encouraged to meet in groups. This increase explicitness due to persistence of textual messages on computer screen, more defined in expressing arguments due to lack of nonverbal communication

Can the media influence politics?

Can the media influence politics? Can the media influence politics? If so, how? If not, why not? There are numerous academic theories as to the relationship between politics and the media, and whether or not one is a dominant partner greatly influencing the output of the other. Some purport that the media hold extraordinary amounts of power in the political arena, however many other believe that the power they wield is in fact minimal (Newton Van Deth, 2009). What cannot be disputed is the idea that the media and its audience are interdependently connected; the media will alter their message to suit a specific audience, while the public are more likely to invest in media which reflects their viewpoints. Generalisation is something which should be avoided when discussing the media’s relationship with politics, as while the term media traditionally may have been used in reference to newspapers and radio or television programmes, (Newton Van Deth, 2009) it now encapsulates social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. There are those who may argue that media simply represe nts the political views of the public, and while that may be true in the cases of social networks, many may challenge its truth in relation to mass media news outlets. In this essay I will attempt to conclude myself as to the extent of influence media has on politics, and evidence how I have come to that conclusion. In the UK, the link between media and politics is undeniable. For a major newspaper to alter its political allegiance is a sizeable change, which would be expected to dominate all forms of media. For example the decision of The Sun, Britain’s most widely circulated newspaper and therefore the focus of my study, to remove its 12 year support for Labour in 2009 created national news, and ultimately forecast the downfall of the Labour government. It is worth noting that The Sun has supported the party that eventually forms the next government in the last 7 General Elections; something which suggests that The Sun hold great influence over the political opinions of their readers. However, in 1997, 2001 and 2005, the Conservative vote was not as effected as one may imagine, with an average32% of Sun readers saying they would vote Conservative through that period (Ipsos MORI, 2010). While this research may suggest that The Sun is a newspaper which will ruthlessly alter its allegiance in order to be on the winning side of an election, I would argue that this is not necessarily the case. In the 1992 General Election for example, The Sun had been consistently anti-Labour and Kinnock, including their infamous ‘If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights’ headline, despite the polls suggesting either a minority Labour government or a very slim Labour Majority. The attacks on Kinnock in the final days of the 1992 campaign were widely regarded as responsible for Labour’s unexpected defeat (McKee, 1995), and even Neil Kinnock himself announced in his departing speech that ‘the Conservative-supporting press has enabled the Tory Party to win yet again when the Conservative Party could not have secured victory for itself on the basis of its record’ (Whitney, 1992). This would be used as an example for the theory of agenda-setting, whereby a media outlet has an opinion which it pushes upon its view ership, and attempts to influence which issues are considered important. Agenda setting is achieved by attaching priority to certain stories which may reflect the opinion which the media outlet wishes to push – in this instance the opinion that a Labour government would have been bad for Britain. Another example of how the mass media have exerted a great influence over British politics, and politics in general is the growth in the publication of scandal within Westminster. Prior to the Profumo Affair in 1963, the media and the public very much stuck to the idea that the private lives of politicians should be exactly that; private. The great public interest in this story however, meant that this affair was the watershed of political scandal, with journalists taking ever further measures in order to reveal the next big scoop. Albeit not immediately followed by a huge stream of revelations, the boundaries of privacy in the lives of politicians had been broken by the media and have not been the same since (Stanyer, 2012). This could be said to be an example of priming with, in the 1990s especially, the scrutiny over the dealings of Conservative politicians from the left-wing press leading to an environment whereby Majors administration was seen to be one full of sleaze and mistru st. This was achieved with revelations such as the Cash for Questions scandal and the backfiring of John Major’s Back to Basics campaign. This is priming as rather than directly stating the conservative ministers were untrustworthy, the media simply dripped out stories to highlight this way of thinking (Newton Van Deth, 2009).The mistrust of Conservatives created by the media environment of the 1990s is perhaps best characterised in the result of the 1997 general election in the historically safe Conservative seat of Tatton, in which the Cash for Questions tainted MP Neil Hamilton lost out to an independent, Martin Bell, standing on an ‘anti-sleaze ticket’ (Mann, 1999). The coverage of scandal can also be used in an argument to suggest that the media has little influence over political thinking. Those who believe in the reinforcement theory which states that ‘mass media can only reflect and reinforce public opinion, not create or mould it,’ (Newton Van Deth, 2009, p. 196) would point to the relatively recent shifts in what journalists publicise in relation to scandal in politics. While prior to the millennium scandal was often focused on the private lives and sexual misdemeanours of the political class, as such behaviour has become normalised in open society, the media has taken less of an interest in it. The public have gone from being shocked by behaviour that may be considered immoral, or not ‘Christian’, to now being shocked by primarily criminal activities. This has directly led to the kind of journalistic research which resulted in the Expenses scandal in 2009. The enormity of this story reflects the moral leanings o f the British people in the 21st century, and was a story picked up by media outlets nationwide – all of which will have held different agendas. Some may say that this proves to an extent that the media cannot control or influence, but merely just publish information which will reinforce public opinion. On a more international scale, it is difficult to ignore the way in which social media forms and revolution have gone hand in hand, specifically in the Arab Spring. It is not a recent idea that the new media of the late 20th and 21st centuries would create new dimensions from which politics can be influenced (Poster, 1995). In Egypt, ‘cyberactivism’ first came to existence in2004, and offered an alternative to the state-controlled media; allowing people to express opinion unpopular with the government. From 2008 onwards, in the shadow of a global economic crisis and an increasingly repressive government, there was a growing number of protests in which a key role has been played by new media forms (Khondker, 2011). It cannot be questioned that social networking was a pivotal player in the organisation and publicising of the protests across the region. One reason for this was the state control of traditional media, which left social media as almost the last voice of the pe ople. On a ground level ‘Facebook was used to schedule the protests’ and ‘Twitter to coordinate’ (Khondker, 2011), and then following on from this traditional media was utilised to present the uprisings to an international audience who in turn supported the uprising. In this case, and similar ones across North Africa, new media held great influence over politics. It mobilised opposition groups, allowing them to build a group identity as well as coherence. The influence that such new media can exert over politics in times of revolution and uprising should not, however, be overstated. It is important to point out that for such events to unfold, certain revolutionary conditions and the inability of the state to react to the actions of the people must be present. In this sense the media is merely a tool of the revolution, not a predetermined necessity for a revolution to occur (Khondker, 2011). Personally I believe that the media, both new and old, does not have a monopoly over the thoughts of the people and instead just provides them with a voice from which their ideas can be spread. The fact that revolutions have occurred throughout history in times before social media, such as the French and Cuban Revolutions, tells me that new media is more of an enabler than a driving force behind such events (Himelfarb, 2011). To conclude, I believe that the influence of the media over politics depends greatly upon the political situation in the region that it is being published. In more politically stable areas, such as the UK, while the media may have a certain agenda their consumers are likely to only access and take note of media that reflects their personal views. Mass media must cater to a certain readership in order to be sustainable as a business, and therefore cannot obviously attempt to mould public opinion. This is evidenced by the fact that in all post war elections but 1, the party with the greatest media support has formed the next government (Butler Butler, 2010). Despite this, the media can play a vital role in influencing politics, as displayed in the aforementioned Arab Spring. I believe this is a sign of the future, in which conventional media will play a comparatively small role to that of social media, in Africa and beyond.

Reading Moby-Dick as Ethnic Allegory Essay -- Moby Dick Melville Paper

Reading Moby-Dick as Ethnic Allegory At a time when images of the white settler conquering the "savage" frontier were prevalent in antebellum America, depictions of racial polarization and, alternately, co-existence among different ethnic groups had already begun to find expression in various artistic mediums, from painting to literature. Today more than ever, such works continue to elicit critical re-examinations where race relations, colonization, and literary representation are concerned. While many literary and cultural critics have proposed allegorical readings of political and religious natures, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick can also be read relatedly as an ethnic allegory, where particular scenes and images representing death or destruction illustrate Melville's uneasiness with how white expansionist attitudes are enacted often in tension with or at the expense of different ethnic peoples living within America's geographic borders. For these purposes, I would like specifically to examine Melville's rather unconvent ional portrayal of a non-white character such as Queequeg. The correlation between his anticipated and ultimate death and the calamitous demise of the Pequod , as a space which rearranges traditional structures of hierarchy and accomodates ethnic diversity, in the end, demonstrates Melville's indecisive anxiety between an imagined fantasy of an alternative social reality and the historical reality of American westward expansionism. First, allow me to be clear: At a simplified level, I call this an ethnic allegory because Moby-Dick both illustrates and confronts the ways in which "white" America expresses a desire for hegemonic control, symbolized in Ahab's ruthless quest for the white whale, at the same ti... ... Works Cited Berkhofer, Robert F. The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Brodhead, Richard H. "Trying All Things: An Introduction to Moby-Dick. New Essays on Moby-Dick or, The Whale. ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986. Duban, James. Melville's Major Fiction: Politics, Theology, and Imagination. Dekalb: Northern Illinois UP, 1983. McIntosh, James. "The Mariner's Multiple Quest." New Essays on Moby-Dick or, the Whale. ed. Richard H. Brodhead. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986. Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc., 1964. Yarborough, Richard. "Strategies of Black Characterization in Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Early Afro-American Novel." New Essays on Uncle Tom's Cabin. ed. Eric Sundquist. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986.

Independent Study Unit

HRE 4M1: INDEPENDENT STUDY UNIT This -A clear explanation of the issue -various ethical positions in society. (minimum -> 2 opposing positions) -consequences of each position (results of adopting this position) -underlying beliefs of each position (why this position is right) -explain why some positions may be stronger than others -quotes(or paraphrase) from the Catechism of the Catholic Church -includes a mix of at least 4 examples (case studies or questions to stimulate discussion. -any multimedia that enhances the presentation) Students must inform the teacher of needs at least one week before the presentation. Essay:The essay requires the author to adopt a position on the issue (researched for the presentation) and defend it with a logical and well researched argument. The argument should involve principle and practicality. The essay will be 4-5 pages long excluding title page, bibliography etc. A bibliography and referencing must be included or the essay may receive a grade of Z ERO. Topics: 1. Is capital punishment moral or immoral? 2. Is euthanasia moral or immoral? 3. Can child labour ever be ethical? 4. Is there such a thing as a just war? (Just War Theory) 5. What is the general population’s moral responsibility to the poor/homeless? . Can doctor assisted suicide ever be moral? 7. Is genetic engineering in human beings ever moral? 8. Are there any circumstances where abortions are justifiable? 9. Is animal testing moral justifiable? (medical/industrial) 10. Is genetic engineering of plants and animals justifiable? 11. Is stem cell research morally justifiable? 12. Is poverty in developing nations the moral responsibility of developed nations? 13. Is pornography (making/viewing) moral? 14. Is censorship ever morally correct? 15. Is prostitution ever moral? ( legalization of) 16. Is homosexuality a moral issue? (Why do some make it one? 17. Should there be limits on reproductive technology? (IVF) 18. Who is morally culpable for the use of performa nce enhancing drugs in sports? Is this practice justifiable? 19. What is our moral responsibility to the environment? 20. Is surrogacy morally permissible? 21. Is in vitro fertilization morally permissible? 22. Is food consumption a moral issue? (ie. Vegan/vegetarianism) 23. Other topic (rarely approved) Topic Selection: -must provide 3 sources (for websites print a page that demonstrates relevance) (5 Marks) -complete a sheet listing sources and a preliminary thesis. Essay |Presentation | |Outline *15 |Conference | |First Submission * (10) |Note Submission* (30) | |Conference |Presentation * (50) | |Final Submission * (100) | | * for marks Topics and Seminar Dates HRE 4M1-01Period 3/4 |Topic |Student(s) |Date | |1. Capital Punishment | | | |2. Euthanasia | | | |3.Child Labour | | | |4. Just War | | | |5. Resp. to the Poor | | | |6. Doc Assisted Suicide | | | |7. Gen. Eng. Human | | | |8.Abortion | | | |9. Animal Testing | | | |10. Gen. Eng Plant/Animal | | | |11. Stem Cells | | | |12. Poverty Dev. Nations | | | |13.Pornography | | | |14. Censorship | | | |15. Prostitution | | | |16. Sexual Orientation | | | |17. Reproductive Tech. | | | |18. Perf. Enhance drugs | | | |19.Environment | | | |20 Surrogacy | | | |21. In Vitro fertilization | | | |22. Food Supply | | | |22. Other | | | Topics and Seminar DatesHRE 4M1-04Period 6 |Topic |Student(s) |Date | |1.Capital Punishment | | | |2. Euthanasia | | | |3. Child Labour | | | |4. Just War | | | |5. Resp. to the Poor | | | |6.Doc Assisted Suicide | | | |7. Gen. Eng. Human | | | |8. Abortion | | | |9. Animal Testing | | | |10. Gen. Eng Plant/Animal | | | |11. Stem Cells | | | |12. Poverty Dev.Nations | | | |13. Pornography | | | |14. Censorship | | | |15. Prostitution | | | |16. Sexual Orientation | | | |17. Reproductive Tech. | | |18. Perf. Enhance drugs | | | |19. Environment | | | |20 Surrogacy | | | |21. | | | |22. | | | |23. | | Religion ISU Seminar Name: _____________________ |Note |Level R |Level 1 |Level 2 |Level 3 |Level 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |The note is poorly |The note is poorly |The note is organized |The note is well organized|The note is well organized and | |Comm. |organized and laid out. |organized and laid out. The|and laid out with some |and well laid out. The |well laid out. | | |The important info is |important info is not |competence |important info. is easily |The important info. is easily | |Org. |not available. easily accessible |The important info is |accessible |accessible and well highlighted | | | | |not easily accessible| | | | | | | | | | |/10 | | | | | | |Knowledge |The note contains |The note contains some |The note contains most|The note contains all |The note contains all information | |Content |little info. on most |info. on most aspects of |info. on most aspects |info. on every aspect of |on every aspect of the i ssue | | |aspects of the issue. |the issue including the |of the issue incl. the |the issue including the|including the Catholic view. | | |Some of the info. is |Catholic view. Some of the|Catholic view. The |Catholic view. All the |Every point is accurate and | |/20 |correct |info. Is correct |info. is mostly correct|info. s correct |presented in detail with | | | | | | |underlying beliefs and | | | | | | |consequences of each position | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Presentation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Knowledge |Lacks 3 or more of the |Lacks 2 or more of the |-Opp. Viewpoints Church|-Opp. |-Opp. Viewpoints/ | |Content |following: |following |view are presented with|Viewpoints are presented |Church view are presented in | | |-Opp. viewpoints |-Opp. iewpoints |some detail |in detail |detail with accurate analysis | | |-detail |-de tail |-Questions/ Case | |-Questions/Case studies are | |/10 |-Church view |-Church view |studies have some |-Church view |relevant to the topic and serve to| | |-Questions |-Questions/ Case studies |relevance | |illuminate the aspects of the | | |-Case Studies |are not relevant | |Questions/Case studies are|issue | | | | | |relevant and insightful | | |Communication |Voice is monotone. |Voice is monotone. |Voice is clear and |Voice is clear and |Voice is clear and confident. | | |Reads the pres. with |Pres. |confident. |confident. |Speaks with clarity with | | |clarity with a lack of |lacks focus & clarity & an |Speaks with clarity |Speaks with clarity with |appropriate vocabulary | | |under. |understanding of the issue |with an appropriate an appropriate vocabulary |Use of different media to engage | |/10 |Uses little to no media|Use different media to |vocabulary |Use different media to |the class in the presentation | | |to engage the class in |engage the class in the |Use diffe rent media to |engage the class in the |Little to no checking of notes | | |presentation |presentation |engage the class in the|presentation | | | |Reads notes |Frequently reads notes |presentation |Infrequently checks notes | | | | | |frequently checks notes| | | |Application |Student is unable to |Questions are answered |Questions are answered |Questions are answered |Questions are answered with | |Questions |answer any questions |without clarity and with a|with little clarity and|with clarity, with little |complete clarity, without | | | |great deal of hesitation |little attention to |hesitation, and in some |hesitation, and in great detail | | | | |detail |detail | |/10 | | | | | | DUE DATES: Outline: First Essay: One week after the outline is returned Final Essay: December 19, 2008 Submit Outline/ 1st Essay as well Presentation Date: Essay Outline: Genetic Screening Ian Gogolek: While there are possibilities that genetic screening procedures could provide great insight into def ects and disease in humans, the process (who has control and access to the information) needs to be very tightly controlled. The way genetic screening is currently used and promoted is immoral. Point One:Pre-birth genetic screening, how it is currently used is immoral because it leads to abortion based on gender and prejudice towards those who have special needs. Abortion based on gender: 7999/8000 abortions performed in the Bombay area between 1978-82 were on female fetuses. (Kimbrell, pg. 122) Abortions based on disabilities: Poll in New England 1% based on gender 6% based on Alzheimer’s in old age 11% based on obesity (Rifkin, pg. 147) -can lead to a genetic-based eugenics program (sterilization of those deemed unfit to have children) -violation of the integrity of the human being and a child as a gift (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2344) Point Two:Genetic Screening has the strong possibility of being used by corporations to determine hiring practices and insurance pre miums. Example: Reggie Lewis: Boston Celtics died of a genetic heart dysfunction Eddy Curry: Chicago Bulls had heart problems. Bulls wanted him to undergo genetic testing before signing him to a new contract The Bulls had insisted that Curry take a DNA test to determine whether he's a potentially fatal heart problem. Curry, who missed the final 13 games of the regular season susceptible to and the playoffs after experiencing an irregular heartbeat, balked, saying it violated his privacy. (www. nytimes. com/2005/10/03/sports/basketball/04curry) Employers may demand the right to genetic tests before hiring or promotion 981, the Bureau of labor statistics reported that occupational illness costs private sector employers 850,000 lost workdays. (http://www. scu. edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/genes. html) Corporations looking to improve their profits could demand that genetic tests be applicable to reduce waste. This could create a permanent underclass of the unemployable. predispositi on to genetically-based disease is often associated with race or ethnic background. For example, the sickle cell trait is found in 1 out of 12 blacks, but only in 1 out of 1,000 whites. (http://www. scu. edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/genes. html) Insurance companies could deny access after a genetic screenGenetic screening may be performed on current or prospective employees when it is clear that the genetic trait directly affects job performance (http://www. acoem. org/guidelines) Point Three: Genetic Screening can be useful but most genetic diseases are untreatable or not properly diagnosed. Gen. screening often only demonstrates a predisposition or susceptibility to a certain disorder not a definitive Results can be misinterpreted Problems in diagnosis – both parents must have the gene Tay Sachs disease Cystic Fibrosis Sickle Cell Anemia Useful to inform couples concerning marriage (accepted by the Catholic Church) Conclusion: While there are some possible benefits to g en. screening, many of its current uses are unethical.For genetic screening to be ethical, access to results must be seriously restricted and must not be used to deny people health care, employment or other basic rights available to all people. Tips On Writing an Argumentative Paper Step One: Choose a Topic Choose a topic that is of interest to you. This will make the process of research much less painful. Step Two: Find Research Materials Gather information from as many sources as possible. You will need information(arguments, statistics) from different perspectives. Do not completely decide what your full argument will be before you complete your research. Step Three: Develop a Thesis Determine your stand on the issue. Be sure your stand can be defended by logic and/or statistical analysis.All your arguments for your essay must flow logically from your thesis. The claim in your essay may be a positive or negative claim. Step Four: Make An Outline Before you start writing it is imp ortant to make an outline. The outline should sketch out all your arguments and the structure of your paper. Each argument should logically flow from the argument before it. Expect to encounter problems with logic and flow. You will most probably have to revisit this more than once. Step Five: Take a Break Take a break from the work for a few days. This is important to gain some perspective on your arguments. Step Six: Revisit Your Argument With a Critical Eye Look at your argument from an opposing viewpoint.What objections would they raise to your arguments? Also, seek someone who has a skeptical mind who can evaluate your arguments objectively and without prejudice. Step Seven: Write Your Paper Write your paper following a revised outline. Write in a concise and formal manner. Your introduction should include your thesis and your reasoning behind your argument. Be sure to avoid common problems in language use, spelling, grammar etc.. Ex: tense agreement Step Eight: Proofread Your Paper After you finish writing your paper let it sit until the next day. Proofread it orally. Do not be afraid to rewrite sentences and restructure paragraphs to improve clarity. |Level 1 |Level 2 |Level 3 |Level 4 | |Thinking |This paper is unclear, or reflects |A clear position, but may not |A clear position, responding |A strong well articulated position, | |Soundness of |partial understanding or some |articulate it very clearly; |competently and comprehensively |responding precisely and | |Argument |distortion of the topic; exhibits |responds in a general way to the|to the topic, showing some depth|comprehensively to the topic: | | |faulty logic and/or stereotypical, |topic, showing broad |of thought; some claims may not |demonstrates excellent understanding | |30 |superficial thinking in some of its |understanding of major issues, |be strongly supported but this |and depth of thought supported by | | |supporting arguments, analysis and |but may address some ideas more |only sli ghtly undermines the |compelling and logically sound | | |examples; little or no effort to |effectively than others; support|main argument; some success at |arguments, analysis and examples; | | |anticipate and address problems |of main points is inconsistent, |anticipation of counter |Anticipates and addresses problems and| | | |sometimes adequate; minimal |arguments |counter-arguments effectively | | | |anticipation of counter | | | | | |arguments | | | |Comm. |This paper reads poorly, exhibiting a|This paper reads well showing |This paper reads well for the |This paper reads very well, exhibiting| |Focus, Organization |lack of control of focus and/or weak |some control of focus, |most part, exhibit control of |command of focus, organization and | |and Development |organizational and developmental |organization and development; it|focus, org. nd dev, but its |development | | |patterns; may ramble, be repetitious,|may rely to some extent on |elements are not as well managed|Its int roduction draws the reader into| |15 |hard to follow in places, or locked |formulaic devices for its |as at the command level (eg. The|the discussion, which presents a | | |into an organizational formula |structure, and it may wander or |intro. /concl. may be |sustained and logical progression of | | | |shift topics abruptly at times. |ineffective, or the argument may|ideas leading to an effective | | | | |not flow consistently) |conclusion. | |Comm. This paper exhibits a lack of control|This paper exhibits some control|This paper exhibits control of |This paper exhibits command of | |Clarity of |of expression, grammar, punctuation, |of expression, grammar, |expression, grammar, |expression (word choice, tone, | |Expression |and mechanics; many and significant |punctuation, and mechanics; may |punctuation, and mechanics; some|sentence structure, and sentence | | |errors, some of which interfere with |contain numerous errors, but |minor errors |sense), grammar, punctuation, and | |15 |the reader’s understanding or require|they are not such that they | |mechanics; no errors, or at most a few| | |the reader to supply meaning to make |interfere with the reader’s | |minor ones | | |the text intelligible |understanding | | | |Knowledge |Referencing |Referencing |Referencing |Referencing | | |Bibliography |Bibliography |Bibliography |Bibliography | |30 |Evidence |Evidence |Evidence |Evidence | | |Catholic Church |Catholic Church |Catholic Church |Catholic Church | Seminar Presentation Sign-Up | | | | | | | |Sun |Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |Sat | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Preliminary Sheet Name: __________________ Thesis: | | | | | | | | Sources:Include title/author(website)/ how info is relevant to the topic at hand/ pages that are relevant | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

School Leadership Essay Example

School Leadership Essay Example School Leadership Essay School Leadership Essay The functioning of the schools has been constantly changing in response to the changing trends in education. The foundations and frame work for change is introduced by the principal, who then progressively adapts it in cooperation with all those, whom it would matter. The traditional image of a school principal being a strong manager in a hierarchical system or a high caliber executive, ensuring everyone’s conformity in line, is quickly fading. No longer is the principal performing just ceremonial or formal tasks. The new age demands and expects more from the education system and looks upon the principal to deliver. A principal’s strong belief and leadership are very important for the success of school changes, in the long run. Several recent studies calling for school reforms have emphasized the need to redefine the role of school principal. The principal may be described as the central point of the school change process, attempting to balance the requirements and view points of the teachers, community, district and state (Cushman, 1992). Broadly speaking, the leadership qualities of a principal is observed in the development of a school culture to facilitate learning, set up shared learning goals, recognize economic and social issues that may be affect education.   Decentralization of decision making to local school level, site-based management and self managed schools are becoming increasingly common which highlight the need to review the principal’s role (Caldwell and Spinks, 1992, 1998). Owing to pressure for reform and improvement in school functioning, several government agencies and departments associated with the school education are helping in the professional development of the principal. The need to work with external community, manage revenues, align curriculum to make it compatible with established standards and develop decision making bodies are some of the modified roles intended for principals (Barnett). Occupying a vital position in the complex working of the school, the principal’s job incorporates a number of roles including those of psychologist, teacher, facilities manager, philosopher, police officer, diplomat, social worker, mentor, PR director, coach and cheerleader. In any such role, the principal confronts all extremities associated with it. For instance dealing with a broken window to a broken house, a bruised knee to a bruised ego, a rusty pipe to a rusty teacher (Sherman, 2000). nbsp; REFERENCES Cushman K. (Sept. 1992) The Essential School Principal: A Changing Role in a Changing School.; Horace Vol. 9, # 1.. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on 2nd May, 2007 from essentialschools.org/cs/resources/view/ces_res/102 Caldwell, B J Spinks, J M, (1992) Leading the self-managing school London, Falmer Press Sherman L. Spring (2000). The New Principal. MW Education [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on 2nd May, 2007 from www.sedl.org Schoolfile. The Role of the School Principal. [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on 2nd May, 2007 from schoolfile.com/cap_start/roleprin.htm Barnett B.G, The changing external policy context and the Role of the school principal. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Northern Colorado [Electronic Version]. Retrieved on 2nd May, 2007 from ncsl.org.uk

Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market

Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market Executive Summary Consumer behaviour attempts to understand the buyer’s decision making process, both individually and in group. Behaviour of the consumer is biased or subjective. Their decision-making process is influenced by numerous factors. Personal influencing factors are categorized into two: internal factors and external factors.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This study explores the significance of consumer behaviour in developing and refining marketing strategies. It also examines internal and external influencing factors that impact on mobile phone purchasing in Asian market. In addition, it looks at some of the success and failure examples about understanding consumer behaviour in the mobile phone industry. The strategies used by these companies must conform to the changing market environment and changin g consumer needs/wants. Introduction Overview Consumer behaviour is the study of how when, why, and where people do or do not buy goods and services (Baker Hart, 1999, p. 46). It attempts to assess the influence on the consumers from external factors such as high salaries and income, growth of urban lifestyle among others (Sheth, Mittal Newman, 1999, p. 3). Consumers do purchase goods and services for a number of reasons and these may include reinforcing self concepts, maintaining a given lifestyle, becoming part of a particular group or gaining acceptance in a group they already belong, and or expressing cultural identity (Riquelme, 2001, p. 438). Behaviour of the consumer is biased or subjective (Blodgett et al., 2001, p. 90). Their decision-making process is influenced by numerous factors. Personal influencing factors are categorized into two: internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include consumer’s attitudes, personality, perceptions, personal-concepts , lifestyle, roles and emotions. On the other hand, external factors include things like household structures, group associations, subcultures, and cultural beliefs among others (Jaeger et al., 2003, p. 187; Baker Burnham, 2002, p. 352). Internal or psychological influences are personal thoughts and feelings. Internal influences depict the way consumers interact with the environment around them, recognise their personal feelings, assemble and evaluate information, make plans, and take action.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consumer internal influences are very vital in knowing why and how particular behaviours occur (Dahl Moreau, 2002, p. 47). On the other hand, external influence evolves from the formal and informal relationships that exist among people. External influences can also be referred to as socio-cultural influence (Dahl Moreau, 2002, p. 48). Consum er behaviour provides rich information about people who buy products and services (Hawkins, Best Coney, 1998, p. 10). Many companies often fail to understand the needs and want of the consumers when developing their marketing strategies and this has cost them very dearly. Therefore, evaluation and understanding of consumer behaviour must come first before creating marketing strategies and plans (Gruner Homburg, 2000, p. 6). The decision making process of the consumers consist of five stages. These stages help in understanding how consumer behaviour influences the decision they make when they are purchasing goods and services. These stages are: identification of the need, searching for the solution, evaluation of the alternatives, making of decision and finally evaluating the decision made. The last stage is where consumers do regret or commend on their purchases (Smith, 2003, p. 20). Purpose of the Report The purpose of this report is to explore the significance of consumer behavi our in developing and refining marketing strategies. The study examines internal and external influencing factors that impact on mobile phone purchasing in Asian market. In addition, the study looks at some of the success and failure examples regarding understanding of consumer behaviour in the mobile phone industry. Overall results of the study will help the Asian mobile phones companies to develop and adjust their marketing strategies. Consumer Behaviour and Mobile phone purchasing Attitude and Mobile phone purchasing At the present, there has been a massive shift from second generation to third generation mobile phones. This means the use of mobile phone has changed from mere calling to a variety of novel uses such as accessing internet, multimedia messaging among others. Liu (2002) conducted a study on factors that affect the brand decision in the mobile phone industry in India. She established that consumer attitude plays a significant role in purchasing decision. In her study she found out that choice for mobile phone is influenced by attitudes towards the brand and mobile phone network. Whereas service rates and regularity dominate consumer choices between mobile phone network providers, choice for mobile phone brand were affected by mobile phone technological features (Ling, 2004, p. 43; Meyer Johnson 1995, p. 78). Most consumers preferred to buy mobile phones from reputable brands such as Nokia, Samsung and Motorola. Mobile phone products from these companies are widely accepted in most of the Asian market and are considered to be the best (Ling, 2004, p. 44). Chinese mobile phones experienced a lot of negativity in some Asian markets despite of the fact that some Chinese brands like Techno are high quality mobile phones (Castells et al., 2007, p. 83).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most mobile phone companies in the Asian market sold their products through local network service providers. Mobile phones sold through network service providers which are reputable for strong and reliable networks recorded the highest sales compared to those with negative reputation. Some of these network providers have customized mobile phones to an extent that they can only use their lines. This has had considerable impacts on the sales of reputable mobile phone brands since consumers’ attitude towards some of the network service providers varies (Ling, 2004). Reference Group and Mobile phone purchasing Previously mobile phones were being perceived by general consumers as expensive luxury commodities which could only be afforded by a few. However, mobile phones are increasingly becoming common, affordable and accessible even in the rural areas (McNeill, Sanders Civille, 2000, p. 163). According to a consumer behaviour research conducted by Srivastava (2005) in the Asian market , the purchasing decision of most of the consumers is influenced by reference groups. These include friends, family, work-mates, and peer groups among others. Hawkins Best Coney (1998) defines a reference group as a group used by individuals to express their purchasing behaviour in a specific circumstance. A reference group in this case consists of a group of individuals that a person has frequent contact with and those that he/she does not have direct contact or membership but considerably have influence on his/her purchasing behaviour (Blodgett et al., 2001, p. 90). The latter group may include celebrities, college students, and national leaders among others (McNeill, Sanders Civille, 2000, p. 164). Srivastava (2005) emphasizes that mobile phones have transformed from technological gadgets to social gadgets with communication being the main purpose of purchasing a mobile phone. Nevertheless, facilitating coordination between friends and families and strengthening social interact ion are the most significant elements of using cellular phones (Yoo Donthu, 2002, p. 390). According to McNeill, Sanders Civille (2000), owning a state of the art mobile phone is nowadays regarded as an achievement, not only money-wise but also socially in terms of integration within the society.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Certain groups have been identified through the use of mobile phones. For example, Nokia Company has been conducting a huge campaign for its Asha phone with the youths in mind. Most youths in Asia, Africa and the rest of the world have been identifying with the QWERTY movement and this is the reason why Nokia Company opted to introduce a cheaper phone with QWERTY characteristics. QWERTY phones are so much appealing to the youth and most youths want to identify with it. This is an example of how reference groups do influence consumers’ purchasing decisions (Bloggers Association of Kenya, 2012). Motivation/Emotion and Mobile phone purchasing Sheth, Mittal Newman (1999) defines motivation as unrelenting need that inspires and motivates consumers’ long term ambitions. Emotions on the other hand are provisional state that reflects the present changes in motivation. Motivation and emotions are budding forces that stir up and stimulate some behaviour in consumers. The two no rmally work together to influence consumers’ behaviour. Motivation compels consumers through buying process while emotions drive the motivation (Thrash Elliot, 2003, p. 873). According to a study conducted by Ling (2004), consumers normally have emotional attachment to there cellular phones than any other electronic gadgets. This is manifested in numerous ways. She found out in her study that most people tend to use emotional terms when describing their experience with their cellular phones. For example, some of the people she came across told her how they normally panic when their batteries run down or how they love using their mobile phones since they are not restricted to phone their friends whenever they are. In addition, mobile phones always act as a linkage between people who are already in some forms of relationships. Therefore, mobile phones create a sentiment of being near the loved ones. Being alone no longer means being on your own since friends and families can a lways stay in touch using the mobile phone. To some people mobile phones have become a part and parcel of them like an extension in their body and have made a habit of fumbling with their phone even when not on use (Liu, 2002, p. 49). Consumer relationship with the mobile phone is extended to the information contained and stored in the mobile phone itself. Immediately an individual acquires a mobile phone and inserts his/her SIM card the subsequent activities entail customizing phone features including ring tones, messaging service among others. In addition, mobile phones normally have a record of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, personal notes, personal diary, videos, photos and many more items that are exceptional to an individual consumer. Therefore, mobile phones have become so valuable to the users that once they are lost they are difficult to replace (Thrash Elliot, 2003, p. 873). Some experts argue that individual’s emotional attachment to their mobile phones is a s a result of their relationships with others and that use of these phones is not a personal obsession. However, with the introduction of computer and video games on the mobile phones would make this an interesting debate. Many studies carried out on the use of mobile phones among the young people show that most of them prefer to play mobile phone games, even when they have PCs and games console (Vincent, 2005). As a result of this emotional attachment to mobile phones, mobile phone companies have been working indefatigably to improve the mobile phone to increase consumers’ emotional attachment to their mobile phones. Studies show that some consumers are willing to spend more than $600 for a single gadget as long as it has the features they want. At present, the very expensive I-phones and I-pads have dominated the mobile phone market and some consumers are willing to pay for them. These phones have extraordinary features that increase their emotional attachment to the consum ers. A number of the companies have also resorted to adding these features in cheaper mobile phone versions (Riquelme, 2001, p. 440). Successful and failure examples Over the past years, significant progress has been made regarding the development of new marketing strategies that conform to the consumers’ needs and wants. These developments have emphasized on reducing rates of product failure in the consumer market; however rate of product failure is still high and has not changed that. An example of this failure was experienced by AT T Company which introduced its first picture phones in 1964 Global Fair. The picture phone was launched in 1970 but slumped in 1974 due to lack of demand. A number of companies also attempted to launch different versions of picture phones in the 80s and early 90s and experienced the same fate (Floyd, 2001). Still, AT T re-launched the picture phones in the early 90s and experienced the same results. Despite of market failure, the company has b een adamant in re-launching this product in the market. Even with the present age of internet based mobile phones, picture phone’s time has not come. At the moment consumers are scrambling for smart phones, but they are still uninterested in picture phones. Therefore, new products that do not conform to the consumers’ needs and wants are bound to fail. Companies nowadays are starting to embrace tools of marketing research to establish consumer preference and need/wants (Floyd, 2001). Apple PLC is an example of a company that has been able to understand consumer behaviour in the mobile phone market. Its success is attributed to their market penetration strategy. The company is taking advantage of the computing revolution taking place at the moments by providing relatively cheaper and portable alternatives to laptops and desktops. In addition, the company has a tendency of introducing new features or quality devices which conforms to the current consumer needs and wants (Spark, 2009). The earlier smart phones that dictated the market were blackberries. They were viewed as top technological phones since they were able to combine normal phone features with PDA. Blackberries were replaced by I-phones. Apple I-phones are the greatest success story in the mobile phone history. Currently the company is introducing Android powered I-phones with the most powerful hardware and software (Spark, 2009). Conclusion In the past years, most marketers relied on daily contacts with the consumers to understand them. However, as companies and marketers expand, they normally lose contact with the consumers. This is the reason why most of these companies and marketers have resorted to consumer research since it is the only way they can learn more about consumer behaviour. Companies that actually understand how consumers respond to their products and services in the market are likely to gain competitive advantage over its rivals. Consumer behaviours are significantly in fluenced by cultural, social and psychosomatic elements. Therefore, companies must consider the needs and wants of the consumers first before developing any marketing strategy. The needs and wants of the consumers vary considerably depending on internal and external factors. As a result, companies must identify with how consumers transform marketing and other factors into buying response. When product managers are asked if a specific strategy will generate the desired outcome, they would generally say that it depends on: the product or service, targeted consumers, the message and the design of the strategy. All the above mentioned elements form the marketing mix. Conventionally, marketing mix include the 4Ps (Product, price, promotion and place) and are used to position product brands and to create value for these brands alongside the strategies used. In the case of our study, mobile phone companies in the Asian market can generate high volumes of sales if they set their priorities right. A number of literatures in our study have emphasized that individuals cannot be classified as a single entity since numerous internal and external factors influence their purchasing decision. Therefore, the mobile phone companies have to meet the needs and wants of the mobile phone consumers taking into account the consumers attitude, reference groups and motivational and emotional attachment to the product. The concept of reference groups has an enveloping effect on marketing studies. Reference groups have been used as a foundation for numerous marketing studies in different fields. But for our case he asserts that reference groups influence individuals in a number of ways including needs for social approval. Consumers apply both comparative and reflective assessment when purchasing a product. Although some consumers may decide to follow reference group(s) with caution, those who are more vulnerable to peer influence will always strive to satisfy the expectations of the refe rence groups by abiding by their norms. These norms normally function without verbal interactions or thinking. Companies apply their knowledge of motivation and emotions to formulate their marketing strategies. They can find ways of stimulating consumers’ emotions and motivating them to fill the need provoked by these emotions. Consumer attitude represent how the consumers perceive the products and services in the market. Companies must carry out marketing research to establish how there products and services are generally perceived in the market and make necessary adjustments. 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