Crisis in Rwanda Brief Background Essay

The pre-colonial Rwanda was characterized by a fluid of ethnic divisions between the majority of the population (Hutus, comprising of about 85% of the population in 1999) and the minority of the population (Tutsis, comprising of about 8-14% as per the time of the genocide in 1994), and could not reportedly be considered as separate tribes. Inter-communal conflict did not exist. These existed even though Tutsis were dominant in the small Rwandan aristocracy. According to Wrage (2000), mass murder similar to the one in 1994 was unheard of and there were no common ethnic lines before 1960. The records of Belgium indicate that Rwandans had a sense of belonging to their nation. The Belgians, who took over the country during the World War I from Germans who had colonized the country from 1894-1916, ruled the country until their independence in 1962. The Belgians granted preferential status to the Tutsis and this was the root cause of the massive killing which led to a loss of about 800,000 people (Jones, 2000). According to Prunier, the Belgians highlighted the differences that existed among the two tribes and Tutsis (who had an appearance more like the Europeans’ compared to the Hutus) were considered the master race and were granted preference in the Belgium’s Rwandan auxiliaries by 1930. This earned them hatred from the Hutus. The identity cards introduced by the Belgians in 1933 designating people as Hutu, Twa or Tutsi played a role in the genocide because it helped genocide architects distinguish their Tutsi victims. The more educated and prosperous Tutsis led struggle for independence after the World War II and the Belgians switched to allege to the Hutus. In between 1959 and 1962, revenging Hutus murdered about 15,000 Tutsis and made more than 100,000 to flee to the neighboring countries. The assassination of the President Habyarimana on 6 April 1994 seemed to have been because of his acceptance to accommodate the Tutsis’ Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in the Rwandan government by signing a peace treaty, which was not welcome by some Hutus including those powerful in the government. RPF was formed by Tutsis in Uganda and had plans to invade Rwanda and overthrow the president. The opposing Hutus seemed to give a solution to the problem, instead of welcoming them. Tutsis were killed massively, and some Hutus who were assumed to be Tutsis. The daily death rate is said to have been at least five times that of the Nazi death camps and the most concentrated incident of genocide in human history, together with that of the Soviet prisoners-of-war (Prunier, 1995; Gourevitch, 1998). Implications of the genocide: Current issues that are affecting Rwanda to date that need more attention The Rwandan government released figures of a first major census in February 2002, aimed at an effort to establish the number of those who lost their lives during the genocide. The findings asserted that about a seventh of the population-1 million, and seventy four thousand people-lost their lives. Among these, 94% comprised of Tutsis. Men were the major target in this genocide. The number of men can only be estimated and there are suggestions that they were 75-80% (Jones, 2000). The Rwandan work force was affected whose effects on economy may be felt to date. According to Prunier, the Rwandan economy stills remains badly hurt and no signs of quick recovery. Many teachers died in the genocide and this has led to suffering of the education sector. Hutu and Tutsi extremists link solution to annihilation of the other, and this could lead to another wave of killings. Issue 1: Loss of human labor necessary for growth of the Rwandan economy, due to the massive killing in the 1994 Genocide killings †¢ An estimated number of males killed consisted of 75-80% of those who died in the genocide. There are reports that indicate low percentage of adult male, such as the 20% of adult men consisting of 20% of the whole population in Gitamara district in Central Rwanda (Gough, 2000). This was because of the gendercidal killings which have led to demographic imbalance which may continue for longer (El-Bushra; cited in Jones, 2000). It is obvious that the killings resulted to loss of human labor in all sectors of the Rwandan economy. Low food productivity in highly attacked areas has been linked to physical inability of women. Issue 2: The number of the HIV and Aids victims in the present Rwanda is partly because of the genocide killings †¢ Women were forced into sexual relationships with the killers with the threats that they would be killed if they refused (Jones, 2000). This resulted into transmission of the killer disease. Rapes, forced â€Å"marriages† and mutilation of the vagina and pelvic areas with weapons was also experienced by women (‘Shattered Lives: Sexual violence During the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath’, 1996). According to McGreal (2001), orphans whose fathers were killed by machetes and mothers by HIV would be in tens of thousands. In 2001, two thirds of the tested 1200, of the 25000 Tutsi women belonging to the Widows of Genocide organization (Avega) were HIV-positive (McGreal, 2001). Issue 3: The current indication of lack of trust, and suspicion may indicate that there is potential for another massive killing like that experienced in the 1994 †¢ According to Jones, many Hutus feel proclaimed guilty by association, many Tutsis’ convictions that repressing Hutus will assure them of their survival, and the belief by extremists on both side that annihilating one another is the only solution. The situation may spark another wave of killings. Recommendation Regarding Crisis in Rwanda The following are recommendations that may alleviate the current situation in Rwanda, regarding the economy, security stability and sexual violence and HIV and AIDS illnesses. †¢ Recommendation for the sexual violation 1. The families of those whose rights were sexually violated continue to suffer to date. The government should strengthen its support for the children of the families where rape cases were witnessed resulting in the contrasting of the HIV and Aids. The government should put in place a national program to search for the victims regardless of their tribe and support their children by funding for their education to completion. 2. The government should encourage and fund support programs by the local authorities for the women who were mutilated on their genitals and who experienced gang rape. The support program must include compensation to the victims which will help them establish business and other self-help ventures. The people who were the sources to root causes of the genocide event like Belgians, and who participated in one way or the other must come in and support the country in compensating for the victim. †¢ Recommendation for the shortage of labor 1. The government should continue to invest on current-technological labor force while the population balance is set to increase in the near future. The government should identify areas that were massively affected and launch special programs to ensure production of food and other labor shortages are catered for. 2. The government should look for outsourced labor from the neighboring countries to take care of the human power shortages like lack of enough teachers and other personnel in other fields. Besides, the government should focus more resources on funding the education system to raise more professions. This is by funding education for the poor and the economically disadvantaged that form the majority of the population. 3. The government should ensure that the public and the private sectors have arrangements to work through out for 24 hours to increase man hours for production and rendering of quicker services. The government should also look for the possibilities of removing all the barriers affecting or delaying production processes and investments in any way. †¢ Recommendation on potential for another genocide event 1. The government should have institutions that are all-inclusive in all sectors for different social groupings. The government must always venture into constructive consultative means of making its major decisions in order to avoid conflicts on political issues and defiance by the masses which may be linked to certain interest groups like the tribe groupings. Besides, criminals must be deals with as provides the law without any discrimination, favor or fear. Those who were involved in the genocide and are yet to be prosecuted must be made to carry their own cross without any consideration to their political inclinations and background. This is by ensuring that the country has an all-inclusive, proper constitution and judicial system. Bibliography Chris McGreal. â€Å"A Pearl in Rwanda’s genocide horror†. The Guardian. UK, December 5, 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. gurdian. co. uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4313577,00. html Gough. â€Å"Husband-hiring hastens the spread of Aids in Rwanda†. The Guardian. February 8, 2000. UK Gourevitch Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, p. 3 Jones Adam. â€Å"Case Study: Genocide in Rwanda, 1994. † 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. gendercide. org/case_rwanda. html Prunier G. â€Å"Rwanda’s Struggle to Recover from Genocide,† Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 Prunier G. The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide. Columbia University Press, 1995. p. 261 Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence During the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath. Human Rights Watch, 1996. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www. hrw. org/summaries/s. rwanda969. html Wrage. (2000). â€Å"Genocide in Rwanda: Draft Case Study for Teaching Ethics and International Affairs. â€Å"

Comparison of the Man He Killed, the Send-Off and Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay

The Send-Off, by Wilfred Owen, is an ironic and dark humoured description of how the soldiers we’re sent off to the battlefront, during World War I. In this poem, Owen conveys to us that the soldiers are being sent to their doom. From the very start we sense the soldiers’ lost fate. The soldiers go to the train, they are singing joyfully, as if they are being sent to a country picnic, but of course the narration is omniscient, we know what lies ahead of them, and so simultaneously the lanes are darkening around them. This poem actually conveys a message that war is not as glorious and honourable as it is always portrayed as. Even the title, The ‘send-off’ could mean two things. Firstly, it could mean that the soldiers were being sent off to war. However, it could also mean that the soldiers were being â€Å"sent off† to their deaths. This emphasizes the fact that war actually is not what it is portrayed to be. It is not glorious and honourable to fight in war but the people and soldiers going through it suffer greatly and most do not survive. Similarly, â€Å"The Man He Killed† also portrays war negatively which is reflected through the poets choice of words describing war such as, â€Å"quaint and curious war is!†. However, ‘The Man He Killed’ focuses on the senselessness and futility of war, where a man has killed another quite simply because they were fighting on opposing sides in a war. Likewise â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† illustrates the harsh reality and brutality of war but in this poem the poet writes about an actual event in war that he has witnessed. ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ describes a mustard gas attack on a group of war-weary soldiers. Owen’s painfully direct language combines gritty realism with an aching sense of compassion.

Political Parties and Unfair Elections Essay

This party system was the first ‘truly national system’, consisting of the Democrats (followers of Jackson) and Whigs (opponents of Jackson) fairly balanced in most regions (Wilson and DiIulio, Jr. 196). The Civil War split the political parties in several ways. There was a deep difference in opinion between the parties over the issue of slavery and sectionalism. Both parties tried to ‘straddle the issues’ to avoid dividing their followers and losing the election to their rival (Wilson and DiIulio, Jr. 196). But the old parties divided and new ones emerged. As a result of the Civil War the modern Republican Party began as a third party. The Republican Party’s strength lay in the North; Abraham Lincoln did not receive a single electoral vote from a Southern state in 1860. The Democrats in the North divided into War Democrats, who supported the war effort but claimed the Republicans were doing a poor job of leading the Union, and the Peace Democrats, or Copperheads, who opposed the war and were suspected of disloyalty to the Union. To win the election of 1864, the Republicans reorganized themselves as the Union party to attract votes from the War Democrats and nominated War Democrat Andrew Johnson for vice president. When Lincoln was assassinated, Democrat Johnson became president. Following the Civil War, Republicans moved quickly to consolidate their control of the United States government. They quickly added a series of Western states to the Union, states that they expected would remain firm in their support for Republicans. The Republican Party’s pro-business positions played well in the industrial North and Midwest, while the Democrats held the â€Å"solid South. † The large number of immigrants who came to the United States, together with the growing industrial workforce, laid the basis for strong, largely Democratic political machines in New York, Chicago, and other large cities (CliffsNotes. com). So at this point there were basically two political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. The Democrats dominated national politics for the next 20 years. Democratic dominance collapsed in the 1960s in response to the Vietnam War. There was unprecedented rioting against the principles of the war and Democrats blamed their party for the riots and the rise in unlawful behavior and protests. Due to that fact, support of the Democratic Party sharply declined. From the 1968 election of Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory, only one Democrat attained the White House: Jimmy Carter, whose term spanned 1976 to 1980. The Electoral College is a major factor in sustaining a majority two-party system, but does not necessarily keep elections fair. If the popular vote in a state is very close, the winner gets all of the state’s electoral votes. This makes it extremely difficult for a third party to win, i. e. the two-party system is reinforced. In many cases the Electoral College system has failed so far as keeping elections fair. Two instances in particular reveal the inadequacy of the Electoral College procedure. An example of a popular third party candidate that was denied any serious validation as a Presidential candidate would be Ross Perot in the 1992 election. Perot garnered almost 20 percent of the popular vote across the country but did not receive a single electoral vote due to the Electoral College rules. This discrepancy between electoral and popular votes has led to many wanting to put an end to the Electoral College system and replace it with popular voting. Another example of the failure of the Electoral College system was exemplified in the 2000 election, when Al Gore was not chosen to be president although he had the popular vote of the country. A systematic conspiracy to heavily manipulate the vote in the critical state of Florida to favor Bush in the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential election ultimately resulted in a Bush victory. The blatant manipulation methods used were enough to swing the election to Bush and away from Gore. The evident fraud in the voting process and the failure of the courts to intervene in a proper and non-partisan manner cost Gore the Presidency. When it became apparent on November 8, 2000 that neither Gore nor Bush had the majority of the electoral votes required to win the Presidency, the state of Florida became the focus of attention. Both candidates needed a majority in Florida to win the White House, but voting irregularities prevented the final tally from being reached for over five weeks. What voters didn’t realize was that the voting procedure wasn’t the only problem in Florida, but that the process to insure George W. Bush’s victory had been in place for over two years before the election. Florida Governor Jeb Bush, George W. Bush’s brother, was elected in 1998. He immediately put a plan into action that would help his brother gain the Florida electoral votes in the 2000 election. Gov. Bush let special interest groups know that they expected political donations of $2 for every $1 donated to Democrats or defaulters would lose access to the governor and the legislative leadership, and their businesses would tank. The Governor also began replacing   Ã‚   Democrats throughout Florida state government, his first purge of Democratic voters. Governor Jeb Bush’s next step to eliminate Democratic power in Florida was to appoint staunch Republicans to control Florida’s educational system, including state senator Jim Horne as Florida’s first Secretary of Education and most of the individual university presidents. He accomplished this feat by eliminating the Florida Board of Regents. The board was replaced by separate boards of trustees at all ten of the state universities According to Lance deHaven-Smith, in his book entitled The Battle for Florida, â€Å"the governor was given the power to make all the trustee appointments†. This created an enormous source of new patronage and also undermined the political neutrality of the state universities. With the Board of Regents out of the way, Republicans quickly replaced many of the university presidents with political insiders. (deHaven-Smith, 2005) The Florida Republican Party then began a drive to disenfranchise Democratic voters. They paid a private company to purge the voter registry of all ex-felons, even though Florida courts twice ruled that ex-felons whose civil rights had been restored before they came to Florida were entitled to vote. This would benefit the Republicans because blacks made up more than 50% of the ex-felon list and 9 0% of the black Florida population voted Democratic. In 1999, newly-elected Secretary of State Katherine Harris paid Data Base Technologies (DBT) $4. million to compile the most extensive scrub list possible. Race was a big factor in compiling matches for the list. After the election, DBT testified before a congressional committee that Florida officials had ordered them to eliminate voters by making incorrect matches. The information was gathered from the Internet and no verifying telephone calls were made. Five months before the election, Harris (who coincidentally was co-chairing the Bush presidential campaign) sent the list of 57,700 names to all the precincts with instructions to remove those voters from the rolls. Greg Palast revealed the story of the scrub list in The Observer, London, November 26, 2000. The story was ignored by American mainstream press. Palast has since provided irrefutable, hard evidence of fraud. His most recent estimate of qualified Florida voters barred from casting a ballot in Election 2000 stands at 90,000. On January 10, 2001, NAACP lawyers sued and won their case against DBT, Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and Bush loyalist Clay Roberts, Director of the Division of Elections. (Palast, 2003)   On Election Day 2000 in the state of Florida, however; Republican voters stood in short ines and used up-to-date equipment. The machinations of the Republican Party paid off in black districts. Highway patrol officers flagged down voters at roadblocks and checked their drivers’ licenses while others waited in long lines to vote on ancient machines. Innocent citizens were turned away and informed that their names appeared on the ex-felons list when they showed up to vote. Republicans found other ways to disenfranchise opposition voters. Two-page ballots with misleading directions were printed in Austin, Texas (the center of the George W. Bush presidential campaign), returned to Florida, and distributed in black districts. Some votes were simply later trashed by ballot handlers. In Duval County, 27,000 ballots were discarded, over half of them from black precincts in Jacksonville. No official challenges were filed within the 72-hour time limit, so thousands of mostly Democratic votes were lost. Sixteen-thousand votes for Gore disappeared overnight from the ongoing Volusia County tally and were reinstated only when an election supervisor questioned the subtraction of already registered votes. No voting machine company representative or election official was able to explain what happened. (Dover, 2002) Around 8 p. m. on Election Day exit polls from Voter News Service projected a Gore victory, but Bev Harris uncovered an CBS news report revealing that the erroneous subtraction of Gore’s votes in Volusia caused the election to be called for Bush. For several hours the race was too close to call, but shortly after midnight, Bush’s numbers plunged rapidly and Gore gained the lead. Despite Gore’s numbers, at 2:16 a. m. Fox News announced that Texas Governor George W. Bush had won Florida and the other television networks repeated Fox’s false information. (Harris, 2004) Gore heard the fake news of his defeat, phoned his congratulations to Bush and was prepared to deliver his concession speech to the nation. At that point, Gore’s chief advisors in Florida told him it was much too early to concede formally and advised him to hold off since there were still 360,000 uncounted votes. Out of 6 million votes cast in Florida, Bush’s lead was reported to be a mere 537 votes. The Florida Constitution had no provisions for a statewide recount, so Gore asked for a partial recount in four southern counties where glaring irregularities had shown up. The last thing the Bush team wanted was a fair recount. They complained to the press that Gore was a sore loser, and the press largely agreed. (Posner, 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On December 8, the Florida Supreme Court overturned a circuit court decision and ordered a manual recount. Based on findings in the circuit court trial, Gore was awarded 393 votes, reducing Bush’s lead to only 154 votes. That’s when the Bush camp went ballistic. (Simon, 2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The National Party sent out-of-state operatives to intimidate Republican county clerks to amend over votes in Republican counties, to amend incomplete absentee ballot applications, and to accept late-arriving military ballots lacking signatures. When the recount actually began they became more radical, charged into the county administration building, threatening county canvassers, and halted the recount of Miami-Dade ballots. Despite court orders, eighteen counties never attempted a recount. The Bush campaign team and lawyers circulated misinformation about Florida’s election laws, about the reliability of manual recounts (both Jeb and George W. claimed that only machines could count accurately), and about the likelihood of a constitutional crisis. (Zelden, 2010) The Florida Constitution specifies that the intent of the voter be paramount during ballot recounting. Because electronic machines had repeatedly failed to read, discern intent, and count ballots accurately, manual recounting was mandated. The law was actually quite clear and no constitutional crisis was imminent. That did not stop the Bush team from pressing the issue, for they wanted the U. S. Supreme Court to intervene and prevent the recount. Republican leadership called the legislature into special session while the judiciary branch still addressed election issues, an extraordinary move. Speaker of the House Tom Feeney, Jeb’s bosom political buddy, took the podium and criticized the Florida Supreme Court decisions. He warned that if the dispute continued to December 12, Florida’s electoral slate would be excluded from the Electoral College vote. Florida had submitted its election results as they were certified, so the electoral slate was never really in danger. The Bush legal team, determined to delay or stop the recount, appealed to the U. S. District Court of Appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, and the U. S. Supreme Court. The justices had no business interfering in the election. The U. S. Constitution authorizes Congress to settle election disputes, not the Supreme Court. The first two courts denied the appeal. Then the U. S. Supreme Court gave them the nod. From that moment, the fix was in. Zelden, 2010) Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas had close relatives working for Republican organizations and should have recused themselves. Antonin Scalia’s son Eugene is a Washington law partner of Theodore B. Olson, the attorney who twice argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of George W. Bush. Scalia’s son John is an attorney with the Miami law firm that represented Bush in Florida. Clarence Thomas†™s wife, Virginia, worked for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and had been helping to collect applications from people seeking employment in the Bush administration. But they, along with the three other right-wing judges on the court, issued a ruling instructing the Florida courts to find a recount method that would apply â€Å"equal standards. † The decision came down at 10 p. m. on December 12, 2000, two hours before the deadline to submit voting results. In short, the U. S. Supreme Court ran the clock out on American voters and handed Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to George W. Bush. (Thoreau, 2007) Reviewing the actual results of the statewide examination of 175,010 disputed ballots, on November 12, 2001 Robert Parry, www. consortiumnews. om, cleared away the media fog: â€Å"So Al Gore was the choice of Florida’s voters — whether one counts hanging chads or dimpled chads. That was the core finding of the eight news organizations that conducted a review of disputed Florida ballots. By any chad measure, Gore won. Gore won even if one doesn’t count the 15,000-25,000 votes that USA Today estimate d Gore lost because of illegally designed ‘butterfly ballots,’ or the hundreds of predominantly African-American voters who were falsely identified by the state as felons and turned away from the polls. Gore won even if there’s no adjustment for George W. Bush’s windfall of about 290 votes from improperly counted military absentee ballots where lax standards were applied to Republican counties and strict standards to Democratic ones, a violation of fairness reported earlier by the Washington Post and the New York Times. Put differently, George W. Bush was not the choice of Florida’s voters anymore than he was the choice of the American people who cast a half million more ballots for Gore than Bush nationwide. † Although the 2000 election was a travesty, one positive outcome was the renewal in the nation’s interest in The National Popular Vote bill.

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in strengthening beams in Essay

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in strengthening beams in the UK - Essay Example The material composites reinforced with carbon fibers have a higher tensile strength when compared to other materials. CFRP materials are thus very effective in areas exhibiting strong tensile forces. Although the tensile strength of steel is higher than that of FRP materials, steel is much stiffer and inappropriate to use in areas requiring some mobility. CFRP materials are less fragile and are able to absorb more shear forces compared to steel plates (Feih and Mouritz, 2012). These characteristics enable the designers to create products that are lesser in weight and in thickness. Corrosion resistance FRP materials have high abilities to resist corrosion compared to other materials including steel. This makes them appropriate to use in situations where corrosion is a concern for instance in the construction of bridges. Using FRP composites in outdoor applications thus guarantees long life and lesser expenses concerning maintenance. Enhanced Fatigue Life FRP materials are resistant t o fatigue and thus enable engineers to design flexible structures. The ability to absorb stress allows structures to have long life. This makes the FRP materials appropriate to apply in construction of bridges decks and the strengthening of bridges. ... Tailored characteristics FRP materials are flexible to use and customize according to the required design. Materials such as steel and concrete offer extra strength and stiffness that intrinsically compel the application of isotopic structural designs. In addition, the extra axial stiffness normally results to distress to attraction of forces in instances of seismic attacks. The FRP materials have an enhanced efficiency and viability even in seismic prone areas (Feih and Mouritz, 2012). Sustainability The application of glass-fiber FRP materials is characterized as sustainable and environment-friendly. In terms of energy consumption, the quantity of energy required to produce steel or aluminum is far much greater than that required for the production of FRP composites. Electromagnetic conduction FRP composites are non-conductors of electricity and can thus be applied in constructions around regions prone to electric shock including bridges in factories and along railway transactions. Disadvantages of FRP composites Although FRP composites have numerous advantages that make them ideal to use for construction work, they still have some setbacks, which make their application an issue. One of the disadvantages is that FRP composites are expensive compared to conventional materials such as girder. They are expensive in the short-term though if well maintained the long-term costs are negligible. FRP materials are guaranteed to long life. Although their application is easier and quicker, their lifespan can be short-lived when subjected to unfavorable environmental conditions (Feih and Mouritz, 2012). Applications of FRP The literature review has revealed various areas of application of the FRP technology. Some of the areas are

Developing Management Skills Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Developing Management Skills - Article Example The two components can be integrated in numerous ways that are structures, policies, values and Training and development practices that are being followed in the organization. Phase 2 that is the DO phase is all about selecting and implementing specific training programs and their content. The method of extracting the content for a training program is done from company's strategic objectives, culture, values and their decided skill needs. The most important training and development area is leadership training that is conducted by organizations through short courses. Mostly training and development resources are derived from inside of the organization and a minor amount is extracted from the outside environment. Phase 3 is the Check phase, unfortunately this is the most ignored phase in most organizations but organizations that give importance to this phase have developed successful Training and development programs. This relates to evaluation of the training and development program that is currently running. The aspects evaluated are whether or not the desired results of the training program are being achieved.

Concert reviwe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concert reviwe - Essay Example On my side was a sexagenarian man and on my front, an eight year boy was dancing. They started a special jive in the middle of the flashing cameras. The performers made funny gestures in the spotlight. Jackson’s strange hair cut was quite noticeable. He wore boots which could be seen in the Tweet. Despite their kiddish appearance, their performance could by no means, be underestimated. The set of songs included Poison Oak, Orson Brawl, Ugly Girl, Reaper, Koldpix, Sleeping Giants, .38 Special, Wings on Fire and Thank You. The sequence might be different from the order in which the songs have been mentioned here. The morale of singers was praiseworthy. It takes a lot of guts to sing even a solo song live on the stage whereas this group sung a whole list of songs and the quality was only better than what it had been in the cassettes. The singers did improvisation on stage to include the colors of theatre and comedy in it. It takes a lot of bravado to do the improvisation in front of millions of people in the audience and yet make sure that the product comes out nice and appealing. Their switcheroos was the specialty of those monkeys. They kept exchanging the musical instruments throughout the show, yet they managed to make a wonderful show. The improvisation shortened the songs. With the Thank You song, the show was brought to a decent end.

A Critique of Plato's Just Society using the Notion of Fairness from Essay

A Critique of Plato's Just Society using the Notion of Fairness from John Rawls - Essay Example He viewed that there could be a harmony or just society, only when these inequalities were either factored in or eliminated, and this notion of 'fairness' will be presented as a fundamental critique of Plato. The most explicit discussion of the tripartite part of the soul, and the primacy of reason therein, occurs in the fourth book of the Republic (435b). One of the first preliminary aspects of the soul, is that although the parts of the soul are distinct in their virtues, Socrates also stresses that in the functioning of these parts, the soul must be considered as a â€Å"whole† [Plato, 1992, p. 436a]. What is implied by this, is as follows. If for example, one desired food, and this desire originated in the appetites, it would still require reason both to discern the means of satisfying this desire, but also it would require reason to know when one has had enough for the sake of health in which case, reason would act upon the ‘will’ to suppress desire, so to sp eak. This is a ‘chain of command’, so to speak, which will be explored both as it is outlined in this section of the Republic, but also in terms of how this is established in the three classes of the state [Haworth, 2004, p. 13]. Further, it is important to similarly stress that the appetites are as necessary for reason for the sake of surviving. In other words, someone who had no appetite would starve, just as someone who had no ‘will’ or ‘spirit’ would have no discipline to stop eating or drinking. Thus, Socrates stresses that although reason is given privilege within the scheme of the soul, he also stresses that all three aspects constitute the ‘whole’, and this ‘whole’ is necessary for surviving. In some ways, his position on the soul can be said to be a refutation of Thrasymachus' position from the beginning of the dialogue where he argues that the just society is the one ruled by the â€Å"stronger† [Adams and Dyson, 2003, p. 4]. Socrates defines this relation, using, for example, the compulsion to â€Å"drink† extending from the appetites or the â€Å"irrational† [Plato, 1992, p. 439d] part of the soul: â€Å"Doesn’t that which forbids in such cases come into play – if it comes into play at all – as a result of rational calculation, while what drives and drags them to drink is a result of feelings and diseases? Apparently† [Plato, 1992, p. 439c-d]. Although the surface appearance, suggests that there is a complete opposition between the appetites on the one hand, or, desire, impulse, etc.., and on the other hand, the rational component of the soul, it is as though there is a harmony of opposites which Socrates is arguing here. What is implied by this, is as follows. Even though reason and irrationality are opposed, they are united in the very functioning of the soul. While the appetites are controlled through the â€Å"spirit† or the will [Plato, 1992, p. 440a], it is reason which makes the decision concerning how much control, or when to control the appetites. Again, it is important that we have appetites, and that they are necessary for survival, which reason is aware of, for the same reasoning, that is, for the sake of surviving or health, they must also be controlled. In keeping with Socrates example of drinking, it is often the case that an alcoholic, who is overcome by their appetites, may end up dying or being sick at the very least. Thus, the relationship between the parts of the soul, can be described as created a

Social Psy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Psy - Essay Example The author will discuss a personal experience, the use by peers of alcohol and later drugs, that resulted in the author breaking free of conformist pressures and emerging stronger and more independent in the author’s social world. Too often, it would seem, individuals progress through life without careful reflection. People would appear to take individual changes for granted while simultaneously remaining oblivious to the events that contribute to or otherwise cause those changes. People sometimes claim feelings of powerlessness and impotence when living their lives, they feel unable to truly control their destiny, and life in many ways begins to feel somewhat random and meaningless. This personal position paper will argue, however, that life is not so random or unpredictable. More specifically, this paper will suggest that individual self-reflection, as it pertains to an individual’s interaction with different groups in the social world, can not only explain to some extant how different behaviors and performances become manifest but also how individuals may begin to control their behavior and destiny to a greater degree. As an initial matter, it is important to note that social psychology is concerned with how individuals fit into or otherwise interact with a social world. The social world concept, however is not monolithic; quite the contrary there are several social spheres, of different social worlds in which an individual does and may interact. The questions posed often relate to how an individual engages in self-perception, how individuals are influenced, as an individual relates and interacts with others in different social circumstances and settings. Generally speaking, therefore, a particular social world may be considered conceptually as the relationship and interaction of individual minds, particular

Nuclear weapons should be abolished Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear weapons should be abolished - Essay Example In addition, other nations have joined the nuclear weapons development bandwagon and are in the process of developing an arsenal of nuclear weapons, which can bring catastrophic losses of high magnitude. While realizing the fact that abolishing nuclear weapons does not fully guarantee a safe, secure, and peaceful world, this expose posits that abolishing nuclear weapons is a positive step towards guaranteeing a secure and safe world. It is crucial to note that, one reason that led to superpowers obtaining and building up their reserves of nuclear weapons was in order to deter their competitors from starting a full-blown nuclear war. According to Parrington, such a strategy in military parlance is the strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Parrington notes that, the operational doctrine of MAD aims at two nations employing a military strategy in which the two can totally annihilate each other in case of a full-blown war using weapons of mass destruction. Thus, this remains the main reason that the world has witnessed the proliferation of nuclear weapons with new countries building up their reserves preparing for any eventuality. However, there is a growing concern amongst the leaders of the world on the weapons landing in arms in the arms of terrorists and dictators. While the former USSR and USA were the pioneers in nuclear weapons, many countries have stepped up efforts towards building their nuclear m ight. Some of these countries include Iran and North Korea, which form an axis of countries branded as a danger to world peace and stability. Currently, countries have adequate nuclear weapons to annihilate each other, which by extension can result to a total annihilation of the world. Nevertheless, there is no assurance that the Mutually Assured Destruction strategy would work in the modern days since there lacks existence of a balance of power. On the other hand, rogue states may develop nuclear weapons and use them to strike other nations,

Genetically modified organism Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified organism Essay The controversy over genetically modified (GM) food, also known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), is viewed in diverse manners worldwide. Some individuals believe that GM food is more beneficial to society than not, while others bear strong beliefs that they may cause negative and harmful effects in the future. There are several reasons that could lead a person to believe that GM foods have a variety of advantages. However, there are various factors that could lead a person to believe otherwise as well. In the article entitled, â€Å"Counterpoint: Genetically Modified Foods Should be Carefully Regulated,† Sally Driscoll and David Morley discuss their opinions regarding GM food. Genetically modified foods are produced and sold nationwide. However, the United States government does not require GM food to be labeled as such. Therefore, when Americans purchase food, they are predominantly unaware of what they are buying and consuming. Everyone has their own opinion regarding this matter and whether or not the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) should regulate and identify GM food from the rest. Many argue that consumers should have the right to decide whether or not to purchase GM food as well. In order to do so, GM food would have to be regulated and labeled accordingly before placed on store shelves and sold to consumers (Driscoll Morley, 2011, p. 1). In the article entitled, â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods: An Overview,† written by Alex Rich and Tom Warhol, 92 percent of Americans feel GM ingredients in food products should be labeled. However, members of the FDA argue that GM food is indeed very similar to non- GM food and bears no potential risk. In other words, they feel labels are an unnecessary part of GM marketing (Rich Warhol, 2011, p. 2). Europe eventually made it illegal to sell GM food without labeling it. When labeling became mandatory, the sales of genetically modified food dropped drastically. Many Americans believe if this were to become mandated in the United States as well, many consumers (when afforded the opportunity to have a choice between the two) would chose food that does not contain GM ingredients. Since there is no way to differentiate between GM food and unaltered food, consumers that wish to steer clear of GM food purchase organic food (Driscoll Morley, 2011, p. 3). Research showed that several Americans do not have a side in the issue regarding GM foods. Studies showed the majority was actually â€Å"unaware of, an unconcerned about† GM cropping and marketing (Rich Warhol, 2011, p. 3). Critics of genetically modified food view this situation differently. They believe the primary reason Americans are so laid back with this issue is due to the fact that they are uninformed as to which products they purchase have been genetically modified (Rich Warhol, 2011, p. 4). In other words, how can Americans have an opinion on a topic they know nothing about and have never been educated on? Food is an essential and significant part of everyday life. For thousands of years, humans have been consuming the same types of food. However, genetics have become more advanced throughout the years, allowing scientists to alter plants and animals. Traditionally, animals are the subject of scientific research â€Å"but it is now humans who are being treated as guinea pigs, every time they are subjected to GM meats and other products. † In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed it safe for humans to consume cloned animals, while the USDA recommended that GM foods stay off the market indefinitely. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove that GM food will bear any negative long-term effects (Driscoll Morley, 2011, p. 2). Environmentally, some farmers believe herbicide and insecticide-engineered plants are not as beneficial to the environment as they are made out to be. This method discontinues weeds and/or insects temperamentally because it allows them to become immune to crops. However, because they build up a resistance to crops, additional pesticide spraying is needed regardless (Driscoll Morley, 2011, p. 4). Cross pollination is an area of major concern as well. For crops being grown outdoors, cross pollination can occur from the wind or insects. Because cross pollination is an event in which farmers have little or no control over, those who attempt to grow organic food should reconsider their techniques and produce their crops strictly indoors (Driscoll Morley, 2011, p. 3). This is the only true way to prevent these unwanted mishaps. In the essay entitled, â€Å"A Cure for World Hunger or ‘Frankenfood,’† Justin Petersen discusses the benefits and negative aspects of GM food. His argument solely depends upon the situation given at hand. If GM food can prevent malnourishment in some countries, why not produce mass amounts of GM food? However, why are Americans not demanding stricter regulations and research studies so they may decide for themselves whether or not they want to put these types of food into their bodies? These are some of the questions he attempts to answer and he also tries to inform his readers of both the negative and positive outlooks on GM food (Veit Gould, 2011, p. 519). For nearly twenty years, scientists have argued that GM crops can assist in the prevention and elimination of citizens starving in countries where the majority of the population is in poverty. Because GM food can withstand pests, diseases, and droughts, costs can be reduced and larger yields of crops can be harvested. This is one way to alleviate the amount of malnourished people residing in less fortunate countries. According to Petersen, in the year 2000, â€Å"more than 800 million people throughout the world were starving or malnourished, while five million children died each year as a direct result. † Although it is not guaranteed to end world hunger completely and indefinitely, GM technology is continuing to grow and advance (Veit Gould, 2011, p. 510). If utilized properly in underdeveloped countries for people in great need, GM food would terminate a significant amount of starving and suffering families throughout the world. The FDA does not test food for safety before it is placed on store shelves. Instead, they allow the companies themselves to test their own products. Many companies, however, voluntarily test their products before placing them on the market. There are allergens that are introduced into some genetically modified foods in certain companies but since they are not tested by the FDA, they cannot be placed on the labels. Therefore, buyers of the products are uninformed of the ingredients in their food, making those with allergies more susceptible to allergic reactions. As Petersen said, â€Å"That just underscores why it’s so important that the government require companies to test genetically engineered foods for new allergens (Veit Gould, 2011, p. 515). † Several people must consume certain specific GM products in order for a company to be absolutely certain of which proteins will and will not result in an allergic reaction. A recommendation made for the FDA is to â€Å"require companies to test every newly introduced protein to see if it resembles known food allergens (Veit Gould, 2011, p. 516). † Whether or not society is for or against GM food, it will always be an issue of growing concern. As advances in technology progress and people become more open minded about the situation, laws will either be created to provide certain regulations or people will just have to accept the fact that GM food is not labeled. If it is that much of a concern to an individual, organic food is always an option. While fortunate countries may be primarily concerned with government regulations, it would overall, as in Petersen’s essay, be a very beneficial idea for the less fortunate countries since they literally have people starving to death. Petersen’s essay best depicted the overall views of both sides. Several factors made it possible to decipher for oneself what is adequate. References Driscoll, S. , Morley, D. C. (2011). Counterpoint: Genetically Modified Foods Should be Carefully Regulated, 1-4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Database. Rich, A. K. , Warhol, T. (2011). Genetically Modified Foods: An Overview, 1-4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Database. Veit, R. , Gould, C. (2010). Argument: Reading, Writing, and Research. Writing, Reading, Research. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Project Report On Head And Shoulders Shampoo Marketing Essay

Project Report On Head And Shoulders Shampoo Marketing Essay INTRODUCTION: Procter Gamble  (PG) is an American  company headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning  and  personal care products. In 2011, PG recorded $82.6 billion dollars in sales.  Fortune  magazine ranked PG at fifth place of the Worlds Most Admired Companies list, which was up from sixth place in 2010. Procter Gamble is the only Fortune 500 Company to issue C Share common stock. As of July 1, 2011, the company structure is categorized into two Global Business Units with each one further divided into Business Segments according to the companys 2011 Annual Report. Dimitri Panayotopoulos is Vice Chairman of Global Business Units. The following segment constitutes of PG business: Beauty segment Grooming segment Health Care segment Snacks Pet Care segment Fabric Care Home Care segment Baby Care Family Home Care segment Manufacturing operations are based in the following regions: United Sates of America, Europe, Canada, China (31 wholly owned factories and other part of Asia, Philippines, Africa, Mexico, Australia, Latin America. About the Brand: Head Shoulders  is a  brand  of anti-dandruff  produced by  PG Matt Elliott got Procter Gamble researchers to start making a new anti-dandruff shampoo in 1950. Nearly a decade of research went into making a new formula, which introduced  pyrithione zinc into the shampoo. It was first introduced to the U.S. market in November 1961 as a blue-green shampoo formula. Head Shoulders is the worlds number one anti-dandruff shampoo. A power brand from PG, this brand made it debuted in India in year of 1997. In the highly competitive shampoo market, which is estimated to be worth around Rs.1800 Cr, HS is a major player in the anti-dandruff niche. The entire shampoo market was dominated by HUL with whopping market share of around 46% when the brand was launched in India, the anti-dandruff market was in its nascent stage and dominated by Clinic-All-Clear. The high profile launch of HS fueled the growth of this specialty market. Now anti-dandruff segment constitute around 15% of the shampoo market moreover PG is the global market leader in the retail hair care market with over 20% of the global market share behind Pantene and Head Shoulders. According to PGs annual report of 2011, the Beauty and grooming market share which primarily deals with the beauty segment constitute of % of net sale of 24% and percentage of net earning account to 23% for PG. The prominent brand is Head and Shoulders in this segment. Strategic Planning Models: SWOT analysis of Head Shoulders: Strength Weakness International brand with great brand equity. Only segmented as an anti-dandruff shampoo whereas the competitor has wide range of shampoos with different features. Strong financial position in market. Mostly perceived as a harsh shampoo. Brand loyalty. Less emphasis on other new research based ingredients and formulas. High quality Services. More specific to male gender. Availability of products in different demographics areas, pricing and market good-will. Large network for distribution. Opportunities Threat With the inclusion of FDI policy, PG can revive its brand equity. Inflation in Indian economy. Expansion of market aimed towards all age groups, including middle aged women which has significant market share. High competitive market with new entrants like Loreal and Dove in shampoo segment. Have a great opportunity in new developing areas of India. BCG matrix of Head Shoulders: BCG matrix stands for Boston consulting group. This is also known as Growth-Share matrix. This matrix helps us to classify a business of a company in four categories namely- Star, Question mark, Cash Cows and Dogs. The details of each are given as follows: Stars: This tiles represents the high growth rate and high market share i.e. the business is leader in its area. Cash Cows: This tile represents high relative market share and low market growth rate. Question mark: Here the growth rate is high but the market share is relatively low. Dogs: This is segment where the growth rate is slow and has low market share as in the business is lagging behind considerably. Head and Shoulder can relatively be positioned in between the cross-sectional area of Question mark and Star. The reason can be: The market share of HS is low but the growth rate is high. HS needs to re-plan and revise it marketing plan as the opportunity is ample which can make into star category completely. Customer Value: Customer value can be defined as the consumer get in return to their money. The performance of a company is measured how the product or services gives the customer value in compare to what the competitor are offering. Here HS claims that the shampoo delivers 100% dandruff-free hairs even with low price, hence we can state that HS delivers good customer value and satisfaction level. The value delivery chains relates it-self to supply chain i.e. how it partners with suppliers and distributions from formulating raw material and distribution of its produced. HS being a PGs daughter company, takes a good leverage of good distribution channel and supply chain. Prominently HS sold in India is mostly shipped from Gulf countries. With the introduction of sachets of denomination Rs.1 and Rs.3, HS reached the rural market easily. With more and more free sample distribution and blind-test, the company is quite successful in value delivery chain. Marketing plan: HS is basically a product for men and women with dandruff and scalp problems. The want to acquire proper hygiene, maintain a healthy scalp and hair to gain the right confidence and have a sense of belongingness as they socialize/interact with other. The gap is that the other shampoo brands focus on enhancing or improving hair-condition. Marketing mix and Strategy : HS removes dandruff and stops it from coming back in just one wash, with a product range that suits various hair and scalp needs. It uses T.V ads, print ads, sponsorship, sales promotion and social media. HS hired actor Saif Ali Khan and actress Kareena Kapoor for their promotional activities. Nationwide distribution of HS is good. Marketing environment- Micro and Macro: There are two types of environment which company deals with macro environment and micro environment. Micro environment are as follows: Customer Stakeholder Media Public Competitor Supplier Employee Macro Environment Political Environment Technological Environment Socio-cultural Environment Economical Environment Consumer Buying Behavior: Men and women need to address their: hygiene, scalp health, social needs, self-actualization needs. They choose HS over other anti-dandruff shampoos because of the following reason: Product awareness, effectiveness, technology used, price, packaging, popularity of endorses, credibility of the manufacturing company. Men and women expect the following when the use HS: Dandruff elimination Revitalize scalp Remove itchy scalp Stop root cause of dandruff Stops dandruff from coming back Cools and refreshes the scalp Remove visible flakes More confidence in interacting and socializing with other people. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs: It probably safe to say the best theory of motivation is Maslows. Maslow hypnotized in every human being there exist a hierarchy of five needs. Physiological Safety Social Esteem Self actualization. Untitled.png Marketing Research: Marketing research tools used by HS- Quantitative tools- HS undertook research to generate new ideas for the product and market development. The researches engaged the customers in detailed discussion over different features of their products. As a result the personal interaction between the researches and the consumers was high, the major qualitative tools used by HS included focus group discussions in-home visits in context visits in-store interviews Focus group discussions: Here, a group of people who uses the HS shampoo in brought under a discussion about the every aspect of it including quality, after-use satisfaction, thoughts of the user etc. The discussion is presided by a moderator who takes notes and feedback of the customers. In-Home visits: This technique is more used in western countries where the product is taken to a home and then feedback is taken from a individual. In context visits: To observe to practical difficulty consumer faces. Apart from gaining information on the way consumer actually uses a product, the researcher elicits theirs opinions on the product and weather they wish to suggest any modification. In-Store visits: HS used this strategy extensively to gather the information from the consumer right from where it buys the product. The surveyor uses some questionnaires to know the consumers opinions which helps the company to develop further strategy. Segmentation, Target and Positioning: Segmentation: A market segment consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants. Rather than creating the segments, the marketers task is to identify them an decide which ones to target. The available segments of HS can be found based on demography, geography, pshychography or life style. But being an FMCG product a shampoo brand like HS the demographic and geographic segmentation is not as important as it based upon the life-style as well as customer preferences despite of their above segmentation. The core segments are Anti-dandruff black hair shiny hair low-price HS started operating in the anti-dandruff segment. As a added benefit it also emphasized on smooth hair. In India, shampoo of HS mostly segmented on basis of age and their wants. Its choose men and women of twenty to thirty-five age. Here they targeted them with different strategy like mind-set, social need and other factor. Target Market: Target market is the section of consumer which the business has decided to put marketing efforts. Target market is done after segmenting where they filter out the localized group and choose a particular section of consumer so that their product provides adequate brand equity and brand value. The target market for HS are the higher middle class people who are brand conscious, early adopter and who care about the overall health of their hair. HS targets the people of middle age men ( in the beginning) having scalp and dandruff problems. At the initial period of its marketing strategy, it showed advertisement which show the facts with only one use of the product, the shampoo gives almost 100% relief from shampoo. It introduced many other features like menthol, volume boost, hair-fall therapy for the college going youth and young professional with hair conscious. HS took the advantage of physiological mentality of this user group with adopting ads where prominent actors were used. Positioning Brand positioning refers to target consumers reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brands benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer. Brand positioning must make sure that: Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors ? Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market ? Is it appropriate to all major geographic markets and businesses ? Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and original products ? Is it sustainable can it be delivered constantly across all points of contact with the consumer? Is it helpful for organization to achieve its financial goals ? Is it able to support and boost up the organization ? HS is positioned as anti-dandruff product which clear flakes with one wash. As the market leader it has successfully acquired the niche market of anti-dandruff segment. The effective distribution channel and deep penetration in the rural market has boosted up the sales in past year making it a leader. According to annual report of HS 2011 the quote states HS was relatively small, primarily north American brand a decade ago. We invested in combination of marketing and product innovations and began to expand the brand globally. Since then w have more than tripled sales and HS is now the largest shampoo brand in the world. Questionnaires How often do you use a shampoo ? a. Daily b. Alternate c. Weekly d. Not in a regular basis From the 5 shampoo listed below which one you use? a. Sunsilk b. Pantene c. Clinic All Clear d. Head Shoulder e. Dove f. If any other, please specify: ______________ While buying a shampoo, which option you keep in mind ? a. Price b. Quality c. Brand d. Hair Type. While buying a shampoo, which of the below listed options, do you consider in hair type? a. Smell b. Moisturizing Capabilities c. Clarifying Capabilities d. Shine factor e. Shampoo Colour f. Volumizing Capabilities g. Other please specify ____________________ How many different shampoos have you used in the past 6 months? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 e. 5 f. Will you care to specify _______ 6. Do you prefer to buy a sachets or bottled one? a. Sachets b. Bottled 7. Are you concerned about any chemicals that could be considered harmful to your scalp? a. Yes b. No c. Please specify ___________ 8. How do you perceive Head Shoulder brand? Specify ________________________________ 9. Would you be interested in a free sample? a. Yes b. No 10. Have you ever taken a scalp or a hair quality test clinically? a. Yes b. No If yes, would you like to share you outcome? ___________________________________ 11. Who influence you to purchase a brand ? a. Family b. Doctor c. Advertisement d. Self e. Other Name: _______________________ Gender: Male/ Female Mobile Number: _______________ Email ID: _____________________