I Am Sam Reaction Paper

ENGLISH 2 Chu, Jensy P. February 28, 2013 TTHS 1-2pm Prof. Bernardo I AM SAM -Reaction Paper I. SUMMARY The movie revolves around a mentally challenged man named Sam Dawson. He has a 7 year old daughter, Lucy who in under unfortunate circumstances was taken away from him. Now he asks help from a well-known lawyer, Rita and fights for custody over Lucy. With the help of his friends and loved ones, they do their best to get Lucy back. On the way, rough challenges comes their way but strengthens their bond and love for each other. II. PERSONAL REACTIONThe movie is a very touching, spectacular and award winning motion picture I’ve seen in my whole life. For it touched my heart and made me realize facts about life. This movie has such sad and funny parts and the acting is absolutely fabulous. All in all, This movie tells an amazing story and is never boring. I really loved the movie. The actors portrayed their roles perfectly. Sean Penn did a wonderful job in portraying a mentally challenged man. Like when he was about to give up when he saw Lucy with her new family, there was a moment that the camera focused on his eyes. You can really see the warmth he injects into his acting.Now Lucy played by Dakota Fanning for me exhibits a depth of soul which made her acting a stellar work. At such a young age, to be able to act like that is very impressive. And Rita played by Michelle Pfeiffer, her acting is skillfully acted out. She can show different emotions perfectly. From the cool composed lawyer to a troubled wife and mother. And the supporting actors did a brilliant performance too. I also love the soundtrack associated with the movie. The music is such delight. Every song is a rousing piece made up of either cheerful fluffiness or emotional embodiment in which it suites the scene quite nicely.Examples are the song Blackbird and I’m looking through you, this two songs I really like. I really loved the movie but I was a bit dismayed with the ending. The en d, in particular was unrealistic yet satisfying in a certain way. It didn’t really say what happened. It just showed what happened not how it happened. Other than that I’d give the movie a two- thumbs up. Indeed the movie is a piece of artwork. To those who want to be moved and get teary eyed, to those who wants to laugh at life. I recommend everyone see it. If you don't, you're missing out.

Effects Of National Culture Essay

Since 1988, our world has changed in a myriad of ways. As dictatorships have risen and fallen and new democracies have formed, the political culture of our society is much different than in the years of the late Cold War. In addition to political changes, new technologies, including the world wide web and satellite communications have allowed people in different nations to communicate much more effectively. This research in this paper is very outdated, not taking into account the new market, trade laws, interest rates, or other economical factors of today’s international business world. The article, â€Å"The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode,† was written in 1988 by Bruce Kogut and Harbir Singh, of the Stockholm School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. The authors believed there were several means of entry into foreign markets, including joint ventures, wholly owned greenfield (start up) investments, and by acquisition. The authors examined these methods in depth and analyzed the means by which the businesses not only started up, but operated in foreign markets as well. The authors reviewed statistics, data, and literature, and formed hypothesis as to which methods were being used most, and in what industrial sector(s). The first means that some businesses entered and operated in a foreign country is through the acquisitions method. The acquisitions method entails purchasing a sufficient amount of stock to control the primary shares of a certain company. This method might be considered â€Å"buying out† a foreign company already in existence. However, as currency exchange rates and interest rates fluctuate on a daily basis, this would be trickier in today’s market. For example, 20 years ago, the dollar, the Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, and the Indian Rupee were worth very different amounts. More importantly, the Euro was not in use, as many of the countries in Eastern Europe in particular, were under communist control. Today, as countries have become more aware of these fluctuating rates, it might be harder or riskier to enter a market through the acquisitions method. In addition, free trade laws and regulations also regulate who can buy what and how much in a foreign market. The second means is a joint venture method in which two or more firms share the assets and profits of a certain company. Again, the same problems might exist as in the acquisitions method, with fluctuating currency exchange rates affecting profit. For example, if a business operated in both China and the United States, as economies changed and foreign tax laws changed, the company could fall under financial strain. The influence of firm experience on entry choice has played a prominent role in several of the studies employing the Harvard Multinational Enterprise Data Base. In their pioneering study on the ownership structure of American multinational firms, Stopford and Wells [1972] found joint ventures, relative to wholly owned activities, were less likely to be chosen, the more central the product to the core business of the firm and more experience the firm had in the relevant country. Similarly, they found that marketing and advertising intensity, as well as research and development intensity, discouraged the use of joint ventures. (Kogut & Singh 1988) This mindset would make sense, as it is hard to run a successful business in one culture, let alone worry about marketing, advertising, and research costs. It also would make sense that two countries might not respond the exact same way to a business plan and marketing techniques. The third means of entry is a greenfield, or start-up, investment, completely new to the foreign market. While some of the challenges of tax laws, currency exchange, and interest rates would also affect this means, the biggest obstacle might be the cultural barriers. Although the world is getting smaller each day thanks to the internet and satellite communications, hundreds of languages and dialects are still spoken throughout the world. This might lead to a communications problem if a foreigner attempted a greenfield investment. Besides language barriers, marketing and advertising techniques would need to be researched in order to be effective in a new country. The authors argue that joint venture is almost a cross between the two other methods, greenfield, and acquisitions. Many studies, as discussed later, have treated greenfield and acquisition as representing alternative entry modes, with joint ventures being only a question of the degree of ownership. This approach implies that entry and ownership involve two sequential decisions, the first deciding whether to invest in new facilities or to acquire existing ones, the second one on how ownership should be shared. Whereas such an approach is clearly defensible on both theoretical and empirical grounds, we treat joint ventures as a choice made simultaneously with other alternative modes of entry. (Kogut & Singh 1988) For this reason, joint ventures can be described as a gray area in foreign business acquisitions. For example, if a company bought out another one, or merged with another company, while retaining some of the business practices and/or staff, it would probably be considered a joint venture. The authors theorize that Greenfield entry is the best way, or at least that was what they believed in 1988. Due to the difficulty of integrating an already existing foreign management, cultural differences are likely to be especially important in the case of an acquisition. Indeed, empirical studies on mostly domestic acquisitions have shown that post-acquisition costs are substantial and are influenced by what Jemison and Sitkin [1986] call the organizational fit of the two firms. They define organizational fit as â€Å"the match between administrative practices, cultural practices, and personal characteristics of the target and parent firms† (Jemison and Sitkin 1986, p. 1471. Sales and Mirvis [1984] document in detail the administrative conflicts following an acquisition when both firms differ strongly in their corporate cultures. In contrast to the integration costs of an acquisition, a joint venture serves frequently the purpose of assigning management tasks to local partners who are better able to manage the local labor force and relationships with suppliers, buyers, and governments [Franko 1971; Stopford and Wells 1972]. Thus, a joint venture resolves the foreign partner’s problems ensuing from cultural factors, though at the cost of sharing control and ownership. Unquestionably, a joint venture is affected by the cultural distance between the partners. But such conflict should not obscure the original motivation to choose a joint venture because the-initial alternative of integrating an acquisition appeared more disruptive than delegating management tasks to a local partner. Of course, a joint venture may be troubled not only by the cultural distance of the partners, but also due to concerns over sharing proprietary assets. A wholly owned greenfield investment avoids both the costs of integration and conflict over sharing proprietary assets by imposing the management style of the investing firm on the start-up while preserving full ownership. (Kogut & Singh 1988) In 2008, businesses would face some of the same challenges as in 1988, such as the cost of integration, conflict of sharing proprietary assets, and administrative and management differences. However, as more and more businesses have gone global, most countries would have contracts and lawyers defining clear parameters on such details. The authors came to this conclusion by testing two hypothesis. The first focused on cultural differences. Kogut & singh (1988) said that, â€Å"The greater the cultural distance when the country of the investing firm and the country of entry, the more likely a firm will choose a joint venture or wholly owned greenfield over an acquisition. † This hypothesis primarily focused on the costs of running and managing a business from a greater distance. The second hypothesis as stated by Kogut & Singh (1988) stated that, â€Å"The greater the culture of the investing firm is characterized by uncertainty avoidance regarding organizational practices, the more likely that firm will choose a joint venture or wholly owned greenfield over an acquisition. † As with all unknowns, a foreign company could not be expected to know the exact way a business and marketing plan would be executed and responded to in a foreign market. Basically, the data found that uncertainty was the main reason companies tended to shy away from acquisitions and enter the market through a greenfield or joint venture method. This reason would still hold true today as the world market fluctuates and recessions come and go. The studies also noted that the methods of entry into a particular market varied depending on the product, service, or industry. There is a clear difference in industry patterns among the modes of entry. Joint ventures are relatively more frequent in pharmaceuticals, chemicals and electric and nonelectric machinery. Acquisitions occur primarily in natural resources, financial services, and miscellaneous manufacturing industries. Chemical and electrical machinery are especially attractive industries for greenfield investments. At a higher level of aggregation, acquisitions tend to be relatively more common than other modes of entry in nonmanufacturing sectors of the economy. (Kogut & Singh 1988) The article, since it was written 20 years ago, analyzed data primarily from the industrial sectors of resource, paper, chemical, petroleum, metal, rubber, machinery, electrical, transportation, and instrumentation. It had some analysis of data in communications, wholesale, financial, and other services. Now, in 2008, the list would include a lot of new data for technology, automobile, computers, and pharmaceuticals, to name a few. The list would also be inclusive of customer service outsourcing, a practice common among many technology and computer companies. Furthermore, new sanctions have been imposed on some natural resources. It may not be possible, for example, for a foreign company to come in and control an oil field, a diamond mine, or a rainforest. Such companies might be required to work jointly with a company in the nation they wish to do business, thus keeping it a joint venture somewhat. In 2008, any analysis of entry into foreign markets would also mention the oil trade, and the complexities that accompany it. As the recent conflict in Iraq has shown us, cultural differences and political challenges may hamper easy trade and setting up business in a middle eastern country. In the next few years, as new automobiles are developed to hopefully not be as oil-dependent, the market will change yet again. Another difference in automobiles are the influx of foreign cars to the United States, and the continual race to develop the most fuel-efficient car amongst competitors throughout the world. The article analyzed data primarily from the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. It found differences based on these countries. Again, there are strong differences among the modes of entry. For Japan, 46 of its 114 entries are joint ventures. Whereas Japanese acquisitions are not common, Japanese firms have a high proportion of the wholly owned Greenfield investments. Scandinavia and, especially France, also lean towards joint ventures. United Kingdom represents the other extreme; 111 of its 141 entriesare acquisitions, with the remainder evenly divided between joint ventures and greenfield. (Kogut & Singh 1988) Twenty years ago, the European Union was not in existence and many Eastern European Countries were under communist rule, thus meaning they had very different laws, regulations, and business practices than they do today. The Euro was not yet a currency, so trading and doing business amongst European nations was also very different. Also, the article makes little mention of a very new powerful force in the global market: China. As China has made tremendous economic and technological gains in this decade, it has begun to not only dominate the world market, but also branch out and do business in foreign countries. This relationship is reciprocal as European and American businesses are also looking to enter the Chinese market at the same time. Another item the article looked at which is very different today than 20 years ago is the size of businesses. They sought to understand whether or not larger businesses entered a market usually one way, while smaller businesses did something else. Obviously, while larger firms may have had more resources to acquire, smaller firms may have had the flexibility to do so more frequently. It stands to reason that the larger the investing firm, the greater its ability to acquire. Despite the logic, the empirical evidence is mixed. Dubin [1975] found that smaller firms tended to acquire relatively more frequently than large firms, though he did not control for other factors. In his cross-sectional tests, Wilson (1980) confirmed Dubin’s findings. However, these studies drew upon entry data of the largest corporations of the United States and other European countries. Caves and Mehra [I9861 study did not restrict their attention to entries of the larger corporations. Their results showed that the size of the entering firm is positively and significantly related to entry by acquisition over greenfield. Because acquisitions require generally more financial and managerial resources than joint ventures, size of the foreign firm’s assets should be positively correlated with the tendency to acquire. Conversely, acquisitions are discouraged, the larger the assets of the American partner, target firm, or investment size. (Kogut & Singh 1988) In 2008, this may or not be the same, as firms in certain industries may have grown and merged, while others may have decreased in size and split up into more specific companies. Also, the lending practices and investment practices are different today than they were 20 years ago, so a company may have more ways through which to acquire start-up capital necessary for operating in a foreign market. The article also examined why certain companies may enter a foreign market. Twenty years ago, not all countries possessed the technology, skills, or resources needed for some businesses. This caused companies to enter foreign markets to get what they were lacking in their own country. The previous empirical studies have assumed, however, foreign entry was usually for the purpose of market access or low cost manufacturing. Clearly, foreign entry into the United States may be motivated in order to source technology or purchase brand labels. The more diverse motives of investing in the American economy make it more difficult to sign the structural variables. For example, firms from R&D-intensive industries might joint venture if they possess the requisite technologies but lack the marketing depth. Or they may tend to acquire if they are investing for technology sourcing. Similarly, firms from marketing-intensive industries might engage in a joint venture if they possess the brand label but lack other resources along the value-added chain. Or they may acquire if they are investing for market penetration and lack label recognition. Stopford and Wells [1972] found that American firms pursuing an advertising-intensive strategy tend to full ownership of their overseas subsidiaries. Their data is drawn, however, from a time when American firms were investing overseas with clear strategic advantages. For our study, it is equally likely that foreign firms are investing in the United States for technology and brand label acquisition as for the exploitation of their proprietary assets. No prediction is made, therefore, on the signs of the coefficients for R&D and Advertising. (Kogut & Singh 1988). In 2008, as natural resources have been discovered in other parts of the world and new technologies have emerged, countries that were formerly primarily importers are not exporters, and countries that primarily exported, now import more from elsewhere. As the playing field changes every year, it’s important to note that countries will be continuing to search for the next best place or resource to help grow their company. Also, thanks to the internet and a computer-savvy generation, it is possible that some countries will not need outside help advertising or marketing, or with brand-name recognition. If the article were to be re-written today, obviously new data would need to be collected reflecting the changes of the last 20 years, including new industrial sectors, new companies, and more countries. The researchers would need to also differentiate between a few things. First, they would need to look at a specific industry, because, as they stated, the means of entry vary greatly depending on the industry. For example, one might enter a foreign banking market very different than had they entered a foreign market strictly to utilize their natural resources or labour force. Also, the article did not look enough at the cultural aspect of the business world. It would be remiss not to notice that there are some cultures who object to foreigners doing business in their country and would not respond to foreign business plans. For example, the United States and European nations might successfully acquire or start a business in China or Japan, yet not be as successful in a Middle Eastern Country. In conclusion, considering the article is over 20 years old, and the data was even older, the authors did a great job of analyzing data and investigating business trends and foreign market entry modes. It provides a great insight into the past and the mindset of the times, before new trade laws, instant communication, and most importantly, new products and services used by people worldwide. As societies change every day, as third world countries become first world, and new drugs are developed to cure a myriad of conditions, the only certainty is that 20 years from now, we will be in a very different business world as a result of our actions today. REFERENCES Caves, Richard. E. 1982. Multinational enterprise and economic analysis Cambridge, U. K. : Cambridge University Press. Dubin, Michael. 1975. Foreign acquisitions and the spread of the multinational fi. D. B. A. thesis, Jemison, D. B. & S. B. Sitkin. 1986. Corporate acquisitons: A process perspective, Academy of Management. Kogut, Bruce, and Harbir Singh. 1988. The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode. The Journal of International Business Studies k S. Mehra. 1986. Entry of foreign multinationals into U. S. manufacturing industries. In M. Porter, ed. , Competition in global industries. Boston: Harvard Business School. Sales, A. L. & P. H. Mirvis. 1984. When cultures collide: hues in acquisition. In Managing organizational Stepford, J. & L. Wells. 1972. Managing the multinational enterprise: Organization of the firm and ownership. New York: Basic Books.

“Monologue for an Onion” by Suji Kwock Kim

Poetry is a wonderful vehicle for layering meaning through metaphor.   Kim, in â€Å"Monologue for an Onion† uses the simple action of peeling onion as a metaphor for complex and hurtful relationships between people.   She artfully weaves images and meaning between the action and the relationship it stands for. Generally, a metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things.   In this poem, the speaker is represented as an onion, which represents a person who is being victimized by the one who is cutting up the onion, the peeler.   This is the basic metaphor, but the levels go even deeper.   The metaphor is the action of peeling the onion by, presumably, another person.   This other person is the one with whom onion is in a relationship.   The action of the poem depicts the final confrontation in the relationship which ends in the tragic destruction of the onion.   It is as if the peeler, one person, actually consumes the other. First, the onion itself represents a person who is being torn apart or torn down. The first person point of view is that of the onion.   On the surface, the onion is apologizing for making the peeler cry.   Most people will tear up when peeling an onion from the acid it emits.   However, in this case, the onion is making an apology to the peeler for causing this reaction, though it can be interpreted as less than sincere. Like the onion, this first person speaker has several layers of herself that remain, for the most part and by her own choice, hidden from others’ view.   Only those that get close to the onion can get to know her innermost layers.   However, in this poem, the person whom the onion represents is being made to forcibly reveal her innermost layers to the peeler before she is ready.   She accuses the peeler from â€Å"†¦peeling away my body, layer by layer,† (line 3).   The relationship between these two individuals is of utmost importance when analyzing the poem’s presentation of the metaphor. According to the speaker, the peeler is intent on reaching the innermost part of her being.   Onions are composed of many layers and anyone who has peeled them apart layer by layer knows what a lengthy task that is.   The speaker knows what it is that the peeler seeks; â€Å"Poor deluded human:   you seek my heart† (line 6).   The speaker is clearly not ready to reveal her â€Å"secret core† which she claims to be a â€Å"pure union of outside and in† (line 5-6). It should be noted that union and onion differ by only one letter, possible indicating that the speaker feels at one with herself and her being and that the peeler is seeking a union, or oneness, with her by force.   Most people understand the love and pure, truthful emotions is not something that can be forced. This insistence by the peeler, and the references to blades and cutting actions reflect their violent and abusive relationship. The attitude of the peeler is very obviously one of frustration.   He has resorted to â€Å"chopping† and â€Å"slashing† as the poem progresses.   His intent is focused on getting to the core of his partner before she is ready to let him.   Here, the tears are not from the acid of the onion, but from her acidic refusal to let him get close to her. He is the type of individual that won’t take no for an answer.   He wants all of her, immediately, and is willing to resort to violence in order to get it. Though the reasons are not explicitly stated as to why she is not willing to allow him into her heart, her scorn for his attempts are obvious.   Her apology in the opening lines does not seem heartfelt, but rather sarcastic.   After all, would an onion apologize to the one that was tearing it apart?   Probably not.   Therefore, the apology is more than likely bitter.   She wants him to share the pain that she is feeling by his constant probing, by his â€Å"blade of fresh desire† (line 26) by his hunger â€Å"to know where meaning/Lies† (lines 20-21). However, one could also respond that many times the abused person in a relationship is made to feel like the violence was caused by her, that she made her partner anger.   In this case, the onion might have actually apologized in the past, but she is clearly at the end of her proverbial rope now.   She uses insults to refer to him, such as â€Å"poor deluded human† (line 6), â€Å"Idiot† (line 10), and â€Å"poor fool† (line 28).   She is no longer willing to allow this intrusion, this violence.   She says â€Å"Enough is enough† (line 15).   She does this even even if it means her own demise. The attitude of the onion, the speaker, is one of coldness, as if she really were an inanimate object.   Perhaps this pattern has repeated itself to the point that she is immune.   She does not beg or plead for him to stop, but chastises him for seeking something that he will never be able to find.   She calls his search a â€Å"fantasy† (line 12) and him a person who is â€Å"lost in a maze of chambers, blood and love† (line 29).   This is a metaphor within a metaphor because, ironically, she is describing him as a heart, which is exactly what he is seeking from her.   She, however, has tired of his senseless, emotionally draining, and possibly even violent demands for her entire being.   She offers herself up as a sacrifice, a martyr even, but never lets him into her core. The two individuals for which the peeling an onion metaphor are unique.   The onion is a person who has many aspects to herself, many of which she simply reserves for herself. She does not delude herself that true love or perfection exists.   She comments that â€Å"You must not grieve that the world is glimpsed/Through veils.   How else can it be seen?†Ã‚   (lines 16-17), meaning that everyone looks at others through their own glasses.   Their sight will different based upon those glasses or veils.   She understands this and refuses to give in to a society which is demanding that she be an open book. The partner, lover, in this poem does believe in these fantasies and is insisting that the speaker conform to this belief as well.   All the while he is violently attempting to plunder her soul, he is weeping.   Why?   The speaker surmises that he is weeping because he realizes deep down that his quest will be futile.   She offers that â€Å"ruin and tears your only signs of progress† (line 14-15).   All he has of her heart after his savage attack is â€Å"onion juice/Yellow peels, my stinging shreds† (lines 21-22) which are not signs of love and union, even though the peeler may rather have the onion’s â€Å"blood’ rather than nothing. The peeler, then, is really the one in pieces, not the onion.   The onion knows who she is and is secure in herself.   The peeler is the one â€Å"divided at the heart† (line 28).   She accuses him of forcing love, of not understanding love, and of not being true to himself, if he knows how to be true to himself:   â€Å"You are the one/In pieces.   Whatever you meant to love, in meaning to /You changed yourself: you are not who you are† (line 23-24). This poem creates a metaphor which compares peeling an onion to the destruction of a relationship between two individuals.   One of them is secret and the other demanding.   This combination can never last.   In the poem, the end is violent, ending with the â€Å"death† of the onion.   Sadly, all too many relationships end up this way.   Kim brilliantly uses this metaphor to portray the destructiveness of this type of relationship.   

Strategic human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic human resource management - Essay Example Huge amount of change also leads to uncertainty in the mind of its employees. Another problem that might arise is the resistance to change from the current situation to the new. With the informal means of communication being replaced by more formal communications, it is possible that the efficiency of the employees might decrease who have been used to communicate in a particular way. In addition, the inclusion of new product lines lead to a requirement of new skills. These skills can be obtained either through training and development of the current employees or through recruitment from outside, both of which will lead to increased costs. Steps to develop an effective HR Plan The company is going to undertake a large number of changes in the near future and it is important that an effective HR plan is defined to manage this change. In order for the plan to be successful, it is important that the organization involves all the related stakeholders. There are four major areas where the organization needs to work: Leadership alignment and stakeholder engagement, Training & education, Communication & branding and Organization redesign. The diagram on the next page shows the various activities that shall be done along with the project: Figure 1: The change management plan for Natural Knibbles Role of the HR plan in achieving its new strategic objectives The HR plan developed above will enable Natural Knibbles to achieve its strategic objectives. With the leadership alignment, the key executives will be well prepared to lead the change and cascade initiatives within the organization. All other employees will be kept involved in the change process through stakeholder engagement. Training and education throughout the change process will educate the employees on their new roles, responsibilities, the benefits of the change being undertaken and the usage of various tools that might be required after the implementation of change. It is also important that proper informatio n passes to all the relevant stakeholders of the process. Proper communication and branding will enable the management of the organization to inform the employees of how the change being implemented helps the organization achieve its mission, vision and goals. Communication is also necessary once the change has been implemented to ensure proper feedback from the employees. With the introduction of new product lines, the organizational structure needs to be redefined with new roles, responsibilities and hierarchies. It is necessary that the employees are communicated about the same clearly. The organization is envisaging large change in the way it operates and it is necessary that they implement this HR plan to make it successful. Data to be included in HRIMS and its advantages An HRIMS is intended to manage employee data in an electronic format. The organization will like to store employee information like personal details (family details, dependent details, date or birth etc.), pro fessional details (competencies, qualifications, previous employment details etc.) and payroll related data (bank account no. earnings and deduction details, tax details etc.). Implementation of HRIMS at Natural Knibbles will allow the organization to keep all its employee data at one consolidate location thereby reducing data inconsistency and receptiveness. HRIMS will also allow the organization to reduce the paperwork and the related administrative effort that is required for the same. Storing personal details will

Ch. 15 From the earliest art to the Bronze age Essay - 1

Ch. 15 From the earliest art to the Bronze age - Essay Example The Peliolithic era coincided with Stone Age just before man starting herding and practicing agriculture. Other art forms that were evident in the early Neolithic era were pottery and the construction of megalith and sculpture (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 240-245). In addition, the chapter focuses on Venus of Willendorf, which has also been referred to as the Woman of willendorf. Made between 25,000 and 28,000 BCE, the Woman of Willendorf is the earliest female figure made by humans and was estimated to be about 11.1 centimeter high. The statuette was found by workman Johann Veran in 1908, during an excavation that was conducted by several archaeologists, including Hugo Orbermaier. The statuette was found in Paleolitihic site which was within the vicinity of Willendorf, a small village that was located in Austria. The chapter reveals that the Woman of Willendorf statuette was curved from oolistic limestone which, the archaeologist discovered that it was not from the local area. The statuette also had red orchre tints on its surface. The Woman of Willendorf was seen as a Great Woman Goddess and, the statuette was used by the local people for religious purposes (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 245-246). The art displayed in the Iranian western plateau was temples of massive structures which were constructed in the valley of Mesopotamia. These structures took after the shape of terraced-step pyramids; each of the terraces represented a level that carried stories of the people residing near the plateaus. In fact, the terraces represented the hierarchy on gods at different platforms, and they were erected at the centre of each city, state, taking the shape of the rectangle. It is believed that Ziggurats had a possible inspiration in the construction of the biblical story. The Ziggurats embodied the idea of the â€Å"sacred mountains† that acted as a connection between the heaven and

Puerto Rico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Puerto Rico - Essay Example San Juan (Wikipedia, 2006) is the capital city, and it is located on the north coast. Along the years, manufacturing has replaced agriculture as the main industry. A significant component of the economy is tourism. Spanish and English are the official languages. A small minority use English as a primary language, but the large majority living in metropolitan areas are bilingual. Most of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholics. As of 2002, the literacy rate of the population was 94.1%. According to the Wikipedia (2006), "Puerto Rican athletes have won 6 medals (1 silver, 5 bronze) in Olympic competition, the first one in 1948 by boxer Juan Evangelista Venegas. Although boxing, basketball, and baseball are popular, traditionally baseball has been the most popular sport." During the Pre-Colombian Era (Wikipedia, 2006), Puerto Rico was first inhabited by the Arcaico, the Igneri, the Carib and the Tano Indians. As time passed, the Tanos became the dominant inhabitants of the island around 1000 AD. They maintained this dominant presence until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1493. The Tanos were Arawak Indians, and they called the island "Borikn". Some people say that it was discovered by Martn Alonzo Pinzn in 1492 when he separated from Christopher Columbus in order to explore on his own. Columbus came to the island on November 19, 1943, during his second voyage to the Antilles.

Women in Mathematics, Science & Engineering Essay

Women in Mathematics, Science & Engineering - Essay Example Lewis (2011) documents 10 women who have made contributions to the field of mathematics for as early as 355 AD. These women include Hypatia of Alexandria (370 – 415 AD), a Greek philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, Elena Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684) an Italian mathematician, theologian and Composer, Maria Agnesi (1718-1799) an Italian claimed to be the first woman university of mathematics. Others include,Sophie Germain (1776-1830) a French mathematician, Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780-1872) a Scottish and British mathematician also known as "Queen of Nineteenth Century Science," Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) a whose the Ada computer language after, Charlotte Angas Scott(1848-1931) an English, American mathematician and educator, Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850-1891) a Russian mathematician, Alicia Stott (1860-1940) an English mathematician and Amalie Emmy Noether (1882-1935) a German, Jewish, American mathematician (Etzkowitz, Kemelgor and Uzzi 45-100). Notably there are a number of wo men who have participated and made considerable contridutions in the field of sciences as early as the medieval age. Trotula di Ruggiero was the chair at the Medical School of Salerno in the 11th century. She has been credited in influential texts in obstetrics and gynecology (Leigh 65-80). Dorotea Bucca was also the chair of philosophy and medicine at the University of Bologna from 1390. Other women physicians from Italy included Abella, Jacobina Felicie, Alessandra Giliani, Rebecca de Guarna, Margarita, Mercuriade, Constance Calenda, and Calrice di Durisio among others. The participation and contribution of these Italian women physician was attributed to the liberal approach of the Italian Universities. Other notable achievements by women in science and physics in the nineteenth century include Florence Nightingale credited in pioneering nursing as a discipline; she was also a pioneer in public health and a statistician. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first British woman with medical 1865. In America it was Elizabeth Blackwell. Astronomical photography was also pioneered by Annie Scott Dill Maunder. In the 20th century women notables in science include Marie Curie a Nobel price winner in Physics in 1903 (physics), and chemistry in 1911. In 1939, Lise Meitner credited for pioneering nuclear fission. Margaret Fountaine has made significant contributions in botany and entomology (Leigh 65-80). An analysis of female Nobel Prize laureates’ shows out of the fourty one women who have won the prestigious award between 1901 and 2010, sixteen of them have been in the field physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine (Ruth 100-150). Despite the above success stories there are several challenges that have inhibited women from pursuing Sciences and Mathematics. They include stereotypes, cultural practices, social prejudices, preferences and tastes, family orientation, the church etc. For instance St Thomas Aquinas was of the view that women were incapable of ho lding positions of authority, some cultures discourage women from participation in fields and activities regarded to as manly, some prejudices that a female is a weaker sex thus cannot comprehend technical aspects of science, there are workplace discrimination based on gender etc. (Ruth 100-150). 2.0 Challenges, issues and opportunities The issues of underrepresentation by women in sciences start early. In the US, girls account for athird of the students opting for physics at the high-school level. Those who secure placement in computer

Youth Homelessness in Hawaii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Youth Homelessness in Hawaii - Essay Example This paper has addressed homelessness amongst the youth in Hawaii, from various angles. The paper starts with an introduction to the issue, then looking down the historical perspective of homelessness in the United States. This is then followed by a narrowed down approach to homelessness among youths in Hawaii. The causes and the impacts as well as the demographics of the issue have been discussed. The paper ends with an insight into the social manner in which this issue can be approached. In this regard, the arenas of social policies have been visited, that is macro, mezzo and micro methods into intervening homelessness. Introduction According to the United Nations and the Conference for European Statisticians (CES) (2009), homelessness can be categorized broadly into two categories; Primary homelessness; this is also referred to as rooflessness. This refers to the group of people who live in the streets without any shelter that would qualify for a living quarter (United Nations, 20 09). Secondary homelessness; these are people who have no usual residence are usually hopping between various types of accommodation that would cater for them such as homeless institutions. The category also includes those who are in various private aboard but cannot quote a usual address during census (United Nations, 2009). Homelessness, can thus, according to the above two approaches, be defined as the condition of lacking a regular dwelling. Legal definitions of this term are very broad and vary from country to country. Various conditions lead to homelessness with the condition proliferating in the mid 80s due to strenuous economic conditions. Most countries, however, have put in place various measures to cater for the homeless. This is mainly and in form of provision of basic life commodities as food, clothing and shelter. This is done by community-based organizations through volunteers or through government agencies. According to Basuk & Rosenberg (1988), homelessness was a pr evalent issue in The United States in the 80s. In their article, they acknowledged presence of about a third of the homeless living in America. Despite these alarming figures, little was known in terms of the causes of the situation, consequences, and the antecedents of the problem. According to research, there are so many conditions being faced by the homeless that are still unmet. This paper focuses on homelessness in Hawaii. The paper will focus on the effects of the situation, demographics, economic trends, effects on families, and other related effects, and the social concern at various levels. Homelessness in Hawaii There has been a large increase in the number of homeless youth in Hawaii. The issue has trickled to Honolulu, a major city in tourism. The increase in the number of homeless people in Hawaii has led to a major outcry from concerned groups such as the church, public service, leaders of the community and the general public. Incidentally, the issue of homeless people in Hawaii is slowly becoming a public issue considering the high rates of publicity that its facing. Such continual cycles of homelessness within the youth in Hawaii is leading to deteriorating behaviors and a rise in crimes. It is a behavior that inflicts on youth in such a manner that one may find some running away from their homes due to the various problems. There are more detrimental effects of homelessness to the community such as increase in insecurity, and poor health and sanitation. It is a common factor to see homeless youth living in sewer lines (Kidd, 2006). Social personnel have the liability of abating this situation through looking into various solutions such as safe housing, access to health care, and maybe try to unite some of the homeless with their families, where

Achitecture in the Modern Arab and Islamic World Essay

Achitecture in the Modern Arab and Islamic World - Essay Example id to contain the head of John the Baptist, a man honored as a prophet by the Christian and Muslim faithfuls, as well as some fragments of Syrio-Roman, which still remain in the structure. The mosque stands on the site of a 1st century Hellenic temple to Jupiter and of a later church of St. John the Baptist3. The mosque occupies a huge quadrangle 515 by 330 feet (approximated at 157 by 100m) and contains a large open courtyard surrounded by an arcade of arches supported by slender columns4. The Liwan, also known as the hall of worship, runs through the length of the south side of the mosque. This section has three divisions of long isles by rows of columns and arches. The marble grilles that cover the windows in the south wall are part of the earliest examples of geometric interlace in Islamic architecture5. On the other hand, the walls of the mosque once covered with more than one acre of mosaics depicting a fanciful landscape thought to be the Quranic paradise, though only fragments survive to this day. Timur destroyed the original construction of the mosque in 1401, but the Arabs rebuilt it, then it later suffered major damages from a razing fire in 18936. This undertook another reconstruction project even though it was impossible to restore the magnificent structure back to its origi nal splendor. However, the Umayyad Great Mosque of Damascus still stands as an impressive architectural monument of Islam. As mentioned earlier, the mosque underwent a number of reconstructions but these did not destroy its basic plan7. The original setting of the mosque contained an arcade of the sanctuary faced and it comprised of one pier alternating with two columns. This changed subsequently to piers only. The mosque also contains a range of different arch forms used in the arcades inclusive of round, slightly pointed arches, and semi-circular horseshoe. The walls of the mosque have decorations of glass mosaics similar to those in the Dome of the rock8. These mosaics contain

The Impact of European Influence on the Sioux and Iroquois Nations Essay

The Impact of European Influence on the Sioux and Iroquois Nations - Essay Example They had an intricate democratic system of government within the confederacy. The Iroquois were divided into 3 different clans: the bear, the wolf and the turtle. These clans were not segregated from one another; rather, they were a support network to others within the same clan providing lodging and food for one another while on hunting trips. This support system allowed the trade patterns of the Iroquois to encompass hundreds of miles. The Iroquois society was closely tied to the natural environment. Villages were primarily located near waterways as the canoe was a primary mode of transportation. The women were responsible for planting and harvesting of their staple vegetables: corn, beans and squash. The men hunted deer and bear and fished, providing meat for the family. The land of the Iroquois was rich in a variety of natural resources which were traded within the Nation as well as to the Plains Indians to the west and the tribes to the south. Some of the more important trade it ems included quartzite, copper, jasper and flint. The Northern Plains was home to the Sioux Nation (Oceti Sakowin). Their land was vast, mostly consisting of open plains. Family was central to the Sioux. Mutual respect between the sexes was evident in their daily lives. Unlike the Iroquois to the east, the Sioux tribe was nomadic, following buffalo herds which were their primary source of meat.

FDI, Setting Up a Business in a Foreign Country Term Paper

FDI, Setting Up a Business in a Foreign Country - Term Paper Example In this regard, South Korea is considered a favorable destination for foreign direct investment. For effective entry into the South Korea business, Snap Fitness requires a strategy for entry into the country’s market. There have been previous reports of companies that failed in such attempts but Snap fitness will not. The strategy for entry will involve all stakeholders in the Snap fitness business. The entry into the business will have to involve the locals. It is only when the locals are involved that they will feel free to adopt technology that Snap Fitness is introducing. The method that the company is going to use is that of partnership. For the company to secure a place in the Korean market, it will be appropriate that Snap Fitness seeks partnership with other fitness companies in the country. Therefore, Snap Fitness will identify the company to partner with before the entry. Entry into a new market is always coupled with challenges and risks. Snap Fitness entry into South Korea is no different. The company expects to find already established market for many of its competitors and an uncertain population. There are also risks of partnering with a non-performing company that can ruin the whole plan or make it significantly expensive. However, this remains the most appropriate mode of entry given that the country is a multicultural state and for Snap Fitness to gain a competition base with rival brands. The other benefits of partnership are that we will be able to connect easily with the local consumers who are the target segment through using of the market language. The above method has been documented to have worked with other brands such as MacDonald’s, which established itself into the Korean market by using culture as an asset and not a risk (Lim, 2004). They first used educated locals to learn the cultural requirements of Koreans, and then established products that are culturally acceptable. They sold Korean delicacies to the locals and within

Summer Reading Response Essay Example for Free

Summer Reading Response Essay 1. â€Å"His manner The quiet air around. When he turned the light on in the small, callous washroom that night, Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father’s eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot.† The significance of this passage is the description of Hans Hubermann’s eyes as the color represents his worth and personality. It contributes to the characterization of Hans Hubermann. His eyes are described as â€Å"made of kindness and silver†. Silver represents riches and valuables and as seen later in the story, Hans Hubermann is someone that is very valuable and close to Liesel’s heart. He also demonstrates a quiet kindness as he agrees to take in Max regardless of the dangers that lie within harboring a Jew in those times. 2. â€Å"She remained on the steps, waiting for Papa, watching the stray ash and the corpse of collected books. Everything was sad. Orange and red embers looked like rejected candy, and most of the crowd had vanished. She’d seen Frau Diller leave (very satisfied) and Pfiffikus (white hair, a Nazi uniform, the same dilapidated shoes, and a triumphant whistle). Now there was nothing but cleaning up, and soon, no one would even imagine it had happened.† The colors in this passage, orange, red, and white, signify the destruction and death that was happening all around them at the moment even though the destruction was to a pile of books. It represents the turmoil in Liesel’s life and more to come. The â€Å"corpse of collected books† seems like a sort of foreshadowing as in the end, piles of corpses from Himmel Street. Then how everyone was completely ignorant to the burning of precious books, they are ignorant to the mistreatment of the Jews. The author’s use of similes joined together with heavy diction such as rejected, corpse, sad, and dilapidated leaves behind a mood of morose sadness. 3. â€Å"After a few seconds, he manages to scratch his head (the rustle of kindling) and he looked at her. His movements were fragmented, and now that they were open, his eyes were swampy and brown. Thick and heavy.† The author decides to focus on Max’s eyes and uses the adjectives swampy, brown, thick, and heavy. It gives the feeling of a person who has gone through much in his life. Also shown later in the book, brown represents a kind person who is close to the earth. Max always has Leisel give him the weather report as he cannot leave his hiding place to see outside. He is always kind to Liesel and even writes her a book for her birthday. His swampy, heavy eyes describe him as a person who has gone through sadness and suffering for the sole reason that he is a Jew. 4. â€Å"They keep triggering inside me. They harass my memory. I see them tall in their heaps, all mounted on top of each other. There is air like plastic, a horizon like setting glue. There are skies manufactured by people, punctured and leaking, and there are soft, coal-colored clouds, beating like black hearts. And then. There is death.† This passage is especially powerful in the way the author creates the mood and tone through the diction and description. The simile that describes the clouds as beating black hearts gives the feeling of death and evil. Black as a color represents death and evil. â€Å"There is air like plastic† gives the picture of the air suffocating the people that dwell within it. 5. â€Å"As he stood, Max looked first at the girl and then stared directly into the sky who was wide and blue and magnificent. There were heavy beams-planks of sun-falling randomly, wonderfully to the road. Clouds arched their backs to look behind as they started again to move on. â€Å"It’s such a beautiful day,† he said, and his voice in many pieces. A great day to die. A great day to die, like this.† The sky was described as blue and magnificent although the situation juxtaposes with the brightly described day. The author successfully adds in a piece of irony through the contrast of making the day beautiful while Max is think about what a great day it is to die. The cloud described as looking back gives the feeling of something of immense importance that is about to happen. The colors give off the mood of happiness and the imagery going with the sun create an image completely wrong for the situation.

Importance of Consumer Behavior to Marketers

Importance of Consumer Behavior to Marketers Previously marketers had only limited tools that allow them to affect customers, to make them do the purchasing process only. They were focusing on the product itself and how to change it to make more convincing to the customer, they were also modifying the prices to make it acceptable by the customers, they were looking for the best places to offer their products to make sure they have enough demand, and they were doing some promotion activities to motivate customers to buy their products. Importance of consumer behavior Consumer behavior is very important to marketers because it gives them a lot of extraordinary tools that allows them to manipulate and persuade customers. But with consumer behavior now, they can design and manufacture their products and services based on the needs and wants of consumers, they take into their considerations what the customer like or dislike, then they produces their products and services according to that. They can also understand the consumer purchase decision making process when a customer start asking himself what to buy and how to buy it, and when he start meeting with other people and friends who likes other types of products or services, that might change or affect his purchase decision also. Marketers now can understand how the consumer think and behave, and what are the reasons behind his actions, that allows them to make more marketing efforts based on their understanding to the consumer way of thinking, and even more, with in depth understanding to consumer behavior, they are able now to change the way the customer think and behave, to make him fit with their marketing goals and objectives. Importance of perception With consumer behavior, Marketers now can make consumers think that they want their products, even though they might not really want. This goal can be achieved using the fantastic consumer behavior theories and concepts. Starting with the perception concept in consumer behavior, which is the process by which consumers use and interpret their sensory system. Perception explains how consumers see the products and services of the company, and how they feel and think about it. The image is considered as the basic factor that affects the purchase decision for most customers. Customer now don ¿Ã‚ ½t only want to make the right choices, customers now wants to be perceived by other people and friends as being able to make the right choices and choose the right products. Marketers can successfully use senses as sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste to stimulate and motivate customers to try to examine their products and services. Marketers can do the marketing for their products in a totall y different way to create a distinct perception for their product to make it received by the customers more favorably. Marketers can also differentiate their message from other competitor ¿Ã‚ ½s messages to get more attention from the consumer. They can also make their products more expensive than other identical competitors ¿Ã‚ ½ products, and can make customers buy it just because they think that it is better because it is more expensive. Marketers can change the way consumers perceive their products and services. They are a lot of ways marketers can do that, they can successfully use the human sensory system to affect and manipulate consumers. They can use the vision sensory to change the way the customer think, for example they can change the design and shape of a container of product like perfume or juice to make it look bigger while actually it is still having the same volume or size, they can use some colors that can give a specific emotions to consumers, like giving pink colors to most female products like cloths, or even making mobiles and laptops with pink colors to attract female customers, or using black color to send a message of mystery or power about the product. They can also change the packaging by using an expensive finishing or packaging to give the impression that this packaging contains inside a luxury product or an expensive product, or they can change the packaging to make it look like other famou s products. Marketers also can change the touch of a product to make it different to give you a special implication, we can see that in manufacturing mobile phones for example, some mobile phones are being manufactured now with aluminum or glass from outside instead of plastic, this will result in giving the image of quality and power to the product and it will be accepted to be a high priced mobile phone. Marketers can also now choose the correct stimulus level that they want to expose to consumer sensory, they will make the stimulus level above the consumers awareness if they want the consumer to notice the change they made in the product if the consumer will like or accept this change, and they can make the stimulus level below the consumer awareness if they were afraid that the consumer will reject or resist the change. Importance of learning and memory Learning is the permanent change in behavior caused by experience, where memory is the process of gathering information and storing it over time to be available whenever we need it. Marketers can start using the learning and memory concept of consumer behavior to make the consumers learn about their products and their brand as well in the way they want. After choosing the correct stimulus to make the desired perception by consumers, marketers can start learning consumers about what their brand means, some companies try to attach their brand name to the meaning of quality, while some others try to make their brand name means variety, or any other meaning they want. If we look at apple, we can directly say that it means high quality and luxury computers, if we say Mercedes it means luxury cars and BMW means sport cars. That what marketers learned us about their brand names by successfully using the sensory system and stimulus. Not only that, after learning the consumers about the brand image, marketers can get use of the learning in many ways, they can use their brand name image to offer other product line, depending on that consumer have already learned that this brand name means good products like LG, or they might use their established brand name to add more related products like Apple, after they succeeded in their luxury computers and laptops, they have introduced their iphone and ipod and Apple TV and other products. They can even offer their popular brand name for rent for other companies who don ¿Ã‚ ½t have a popular brand, or a brand with negative image. Importance of motivation Marketers can also use the motivation concept of consumer behavior. Motivation process is what stimulates all types of consumers. Motivation happened when consumer have an unsatisfied need which result in a tension, then the consumer will make all the required effort to reduce or eliminate this tension to satisfying his need. Marketers can the different needs a consumer can have to persuade and motivate him to purchase their products. Marketers for example can use the biological or physiological needs such as need for water to offer their products that can satisfy this need like juices, so the consumer will be motivated to go for these products to satisfy his thirsty. Marketers also can use other types of needs to motivate consumers, like need for power when consumer wants to feel that they have mastery over their surroundings, marketers can offer products like muscle cars, or they can offer luxury resorts. They can also use the need for affiliation to offer products like sports equi pment ¿Ã‚ ½s and cloths. Marketers can also use the purchase situation involvement in their motivational tools, like offering special products for Valentine ¿Ã‚ ½s Day or mother ¿Ã‚ ½s day where the consumer will be purchasing in a different situation, he will be looking for more extraordinary and expensive jewelry or other gifts, while in other normal conditions he might be looking for a normal and low price gift. Sometimes also consumer could have a motivational conflict between his needs, even in this case also marketers can get use of such a situation, they can offer a products that can give solution for these conflicts, like when consumer want to have a heavy food but he is afraid of the calories, so marketers try to offer him a good food with no calories, or when consumer want to purchase cloths with animal leather finishing but he don ¿Ã‚ ½t like animals being killed for that, then marketers could offer him cloths with fake leather that looks exactly like real one. Conclusion As we can see, all these consumer behavior concepts can help marketers persuade the consumer behavior in many ways, they can change the way he sees the product, they can change the way he think or feel about a product, they can even motivate the consumer to make him willing to buy a product or service, they can also reach a point where finally they can make consumers buying products not for what they do, but for what they

Impact of Social Media on Business Marketing

Impact of Social Media on Business Marketing The subject of this report is the impact of social media, cloud computing, and video conferencing technologies on business marketing. The purpose of this report is to provide research for these three technologies and recommend how each one of them can be applied to our firms marketing efforts. Nine out of ten companies indicate that their social media activity has led to increased exposure, and according to research, half of them recognize improved sales (Holmes, 2015). Further, 92% of marketers conclude that the use of social media is critical to their business (Demer, 2015). Per Kevin Akeroyd of Oracle Marketing Cloud, cloud technologies require minimal capital outlay since servers and other hardware do not need to be purchased, updated, or maintained, cloud vendors update their software often, which improves adaptability, and integration with other cloud-based applications is usually streamlined (Springer, 2016). Findings from a 2015 Aberdeen survey confirm the advantages of video conferencing, as technology users were deemed to have 74% more success in engaging current sales prospects and were able to collect more new leads than non-users. The survey also found that those companies who employ video conferencing technologies as part of their overall marketing strategy e njoy 30% greater efficiency (as cited in Chang, 2016). I recommend that our firm establish a presence on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In todays day and age, with the incredible number of consumers using social media, and the time that they dedicate to interacting on the platform, I believe it makes perfect sense for our firm to utilize the marketing capabilities of this medium. Research has shown that most companies already employ social media in their overall business strategies, and those that do, have made gains in exposure, improved sales, and enhanced customer loyalty and conversion rates. These facts dictate that our business use social media as well to remain competitive. I recommend our company use an e-mail marketing application provider. It is my belief that we should approach this technology conservatively, beginning one application, so we do not commit too much of our marketing efforts or capital to marketing cloud applications. The e-mail service will prove beneficial, as it offers us an avenue to directly market to our current customers and leads, drive traffic to our website, and will save the firm in terms of print and mailing costs. The ability to automate this function will save our staff time, and the capacity to directly track the success from our e-mail advertisement will provide our marketers relevant information and help in determining if further marketing cloud application expenditures could be necessary and beneficial. I recommend that our company provide all marketing and sales personnel with video conferencing capabilities, including any necessary hardware and software. With this technology, marketers will be able to facilitate a face-to-face meeting with clients, prospects, each other, and sales staff from any location, and from nearly any internet capable device. This will save the company in the form of travel expenditures, as well reduce the amount of unproductive time spent traveling to meeting locations. More people will be able to be involved in key meetings and productivity of these meetings will improve, as an important aspect of communication, non-verbal cues, will be displayed. It is my belief that this technology is an important offering to our current and prospective clientele in terms of convenience. For instance, a client or prospect will be able to clearly view a product demonstration and ask any necessary follow-up questions from his or her home computer, as opposed to traveling to our office or some other meeting site. This may lead to improved customer relations. Further, as studies indicate, the employment of video conferencing technology in our marketing strategy can increase success in current and new lead engagement. The subject of this report is the impact of social media, cloud computing, and video conferencing technologies on business marketing. The purpose of this report is to provide research for these three technologies and recommend how each one of them can be applied to our firms marketing efforts. Social media utilization has provided increased exposure to firms, which has positively affected marketing efforts and correlated with improved sales. Also, social media marketing has also shown to improve customer conversion rates. Cloud marketing technologies are vast and companies are employing them for cost-effective, customizable advertising. Many providers are offering cloud-based applications to manage each facet of a companys digit marketing efforts. Finally, video conferencing technology is valuable when used as part of the marketing strategy. Research is showing that face-to-face interaction increases marketing productivity, decreases associated travel costs, and helps to more effectively engage customer leads. Social Media Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are being used by businesses as modern-day tools to network with and target consumers. Per a Pew Internet Project, seventy-five percent of adults in the United States, with access to the internet, are on some form of social media. Additionally, according to the Global Web Index, social media users log in an average of about 12 hours per week (as cited in Holmes, 2015). As detailed by Ryan Holmes (2015), these statistics are driving nine out of ten businesses in the U.S. to engage in social media marketing. Holmes (2015) notes, 90 % of businesses see increased exposure and more than half report improved sales from social media. In 2014, more than nine out of ten marketers said that using social media for marketing was critical in their business and eight out of ten believed their efforts on social media enhanced traffic to their websites. According to DeMer (2015), social media marketing has exhibited the ability to incre ase brand recognition and loyalty, facilitate additional opportunities to attract new customers, and improve customer conversion rates. In fact, according to some studies, social medias conversion rate, is 100% greater than that of traditional marketing (DeMers, 2015). Further, the barrier to entry in social media marketing is insignificant, as it is normally free to create an account, and social media affords marketers the chance to monitor consumer behavior, such as user comments, which may yield very precious feedback about their business. In a controlled, systematic study performed by Kumar, Bezawada, Rishika, Janakiraman, and Kannan (2016), the effect of firm-generated content, that is firm-initiated marketing communication of a select company, was tested in relation to consumer buying behaviors and profitability. In it, two test groups were established. The treatment group, which consisted of individuals who chose to receive the selected firms social media marketing content, and the control group, which consisted of those who chose not to. According to Kumar, et al., prior to the firms social media marketing engagement, both groups participants and their spending and cross-buying habits were statistically similar. Weekly overall spending for both groups was within $0.17 and the number of different products purchased (cross-buying) was within .13. The study concluded that, after the firm had embarked on its social media marketing campaign, overall spending for the treatment group rose to $15.96 per week. This figure was now $1.43 more than the control groups weekly spending. Additionally, the treatment group purchased an average of .59 more products per week than the control group. Last, the study also presented that those customers who partook in the firms social media contributed $1.02 more overall to the companys net profit (Kumar, Bezawada, Rishika, Janakiraman, and Kannan, 2016). There are a few negatives to marketing with social media. One is that users are able to post whatever they want about your business, so marketers can lose control of their messaging very quickly. This can be disastrous if a group of angry, dissatisfied customers begin posting negative reviews about the company. Also, while the cost of entry to social media platforms is insignificant, time does need to be invested to properly nurture the marketing campaign. Depending on resources, this may prove problematic for some firms (The Advantages and Disadvantages,n.d.). Analysis: It is apparent that social media is a powerful, contemporary, multi-faceted tool for our marketing department to employ. Based on the sheer number of individuals utilizing the platform and the time they spend being logged in, social media activity can expand our firms market through improved exposure. Also, as evidenced by the academic studies, social media marketing efforts can increase overall sales, profitability, customer loyalty, and the barriers to entry are insignificant. While there are a few potential pitfalls, it is clear that the advantages of social media marketing outweigh the disadvantages. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is the process of storing and accessing data and programs via the internet. The term cloud, in essence, is another word for internet. Cloud computing takes programs that are run on either a local PC or network server and migrates them to the internet (Griffith, 2016). The term marketing cloud refers to the combination of internet-based, digital marketing tool used to advertise to consumers and collect and manage their data. These tools range from a firms official website and social media pages to powerful, online software suites that, in real-time, track consumer data, such as website traffic, and integrate these analytics with the companys website, social media, and e-mail management. Providers, such as Salesforce and Adobe, offer individual cloud-based applications and program bundles (suites), which can manage each piece of a companys digital media. When employed in unison, these suites provide marketers a place to access integrated customer profiles and present co ordinated messaging across all digital marketing platforms (Kantrowitz, 2014). There are thought to be several key advantages to cloud marketing. First, cloud marketing can be more cost-effective than traditional marketing, as the company message is delivered digitally, rather than by a printed medium, such as a brochure or newspaper ad. This saves money on ad placement, as well as mailing costs. Further, according Kevin Akeroyd of Oracle Marketing Cloud, cloud technologies require minimal capital outlay since servers and other hardware do not need to be purchased, updated, or maintained, cloud vendors update their software often, which improves adaptability, and integration with other cloud-based applications is usually efficient (Springer, 2016). Cloud marketing software is also scalable and customizable, so small businesses, who may not want or be able to afford a full suite of programs like those provided by Salesforce or Oracle, can choose an application that directly fits their needs, such as an e-mail marketing provider, which can automate e-mails to cus tomers and leads and directly track conversion rates (Springer, 2016). Further, cloud marketing applications are convenient for employees who do a lot of traveling, as they can be accessed from nearly any device with internet capability (Kantrowitz, 2014). Still, as some cloud marketing analysts note, there are issues with moving marketing efforts to the cloud. Depending on the amount of existing data that may need to be migrated, the time and monetary costs can be substantial. For instance, some companies have millions of customer records that may need to be moved (Kantrowitz, 2014). Also, the safety of data that is stored in the cloud is a concern, as customer data breaches have become a major issue in the digital age. This could subject sensitive customer data, such as credit card numbers and e-mail addresses, to theft. By some, on-site data storage is thought to be more secure. Also, companies need to have quality customer data and enough content to maximize the usefulness of these platforms. As analysts note, without specific content for the target demographic, the effectiveness of this powerful software diminishes (Springer, 2016). Analysis: Marketing cloud technology offers an innovative set of tools for our marketers to use in expanding and solidifying the customer base. The scalability of cloud-based marketing applications is attractive us as a new business, as use can grow and expand as our company develops. Further, the reduction in physical marketing materials and associated costs and reduced need for large capital expenditures, such as servers, makes the marketing cloud a cost-effective option for our marketing efforts. There are a few legitimate risks that require examination before fully diving into cloud marketing, as data security is of extreme importance. Research of the different application providers and any history of past breaches should be performed. Video Conferencing Video conferencing is a technology that allows two or more individuals the ability to communicate, both visually and audibly, in real-time and from separate locations. The technology ranges from the broadcasting of static images and text between just two locations, to the transmitting of high-quality audio and video between a series of locations. With the greater availability of PCs and mobile devices with built-in cameras, and services which facilitate live video chat, the use of video conferencing has become pervasive in personal and business interactions (Rouse, n.d.). According to May Chang (2016), marketers are leveraging the advantages of video conferencing technologies in many ways. Video conferencing is being used by marketers to reach clientele and team members who are on the other side of the country and possibly world. Some of the premier modes of marketing utilization include live product demonstrations for prospects, web-based educational seminars, and on-demand marketin g presentations. This enhanced form of communication results in boosted productivity and can translate into more success by the sales team. Findings from a 2015 Aberdeen survey confirm some the advantages of video conferencing, as technology users were deemed to have 74% more success in engaging current sales prospects and were able to collect more new leads than non-users. The survey also found that those companies who employ video conferencing technologies as part of their overall marketing strategy enjoy 30% greater efficiency (as cited in Chang, 2016). Further, the face-to-face nature of video conferencing, with introduction of non-verbal cues, provides for richer communication between teams that cannot be in the same physical location. This is key, per Chang, as meetings where marketing strategy is discussed can be very intricate and passionate. This type of productive communication allows marketers to more quickly advance, comprehensibly define, and carry out their strategy (C hang, 2016). Finally, video conferencing technology can save marketers in terms of travel and other associated expenses, as meetings are able to be held from any internet-enabled location. While there are plenty of advantages to video conferencing technology, according to Loveleena Rajeev (2016), there are a few negatives for marketers to consider. One of the main drawbacks is technical difficulties that conference participants may experience. This can be the result of low-internet bandwidth, power outages, or software or hardware failure by any of the parties involved in the communication. Further, while communication is technically face-to-face, the lack of physical, personal interaction may hamper the effectiveness with which marketers can connect with their prospects or team members. As Rajeev notes, A handshake and an eye contact are essential aspects of many business meetings. Finally, depending on the extent of features required or desired by a firm, cost may be prohibitive, especially for small businesses and start-ups. Analysis: Video conferencing technology is a resource that our marketers can utilize on multiple levels. As research indicated, live, face-to-face communication can help our marketers more successfully pursue contacts and leads, as well as develop new prospects without having to travel. This saves our firm in terms of a host of marketing travel expenses. Furthermore, because video conferencing can provide deeper, clearer levels of communication, I believe that the technology can help our firms marketing department to more proficiently and successfully interact with each other, current customers, and leads. This, in turn, can positively affect our productivity and sales. While there are a few noted negatives to the technology, I believe, overall, it can prove as an advantage in our marketing efforts. Recommendation for Social Media: I recommend that our firm establish a presence on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. To implement this recommendation, a committee will be formed to better define our overall social media strategy and goals. Once clear goals are in place, the partners will interview current staff to determine if any individual has the knowledge and desire to undertake creating and managing each account or if a consultant may need to be contracted. Finally, an assessment of the firms current technology will be performed to confirm that we have all technical capabilities in place to move forward with the social media plan. Justification: As the number of consumers using social media has soared, and the amount of time that they spend on the platform increased, it has become necessary for businesses to develop a social media presence. As researched, many of the companies that market to consumers through social media recognize an upsurge in exposure, improved sales, and enhanced customer loyalty and conversion rates. Furthermore, the initial cost of social media marketing is minimal, as it is free to create accounts on most platforms. Finally, because we know that much of our competition will be using social media to develop and maintain their market, it is imperative that we do so as well. Recommendation for Cloud Computing: I recommend our company use an e-mail marketing provider. To implement, the partners will contract with an IT specialist to review the various application providers and their costs. The firms marketing department will consolidate all client and lead e-mail addresses on an Excel spreadsheet and present the partners with advertising content conceptualizations. Once a platform has been selected, webinars will be scheduled to train our marketing staff on how to properly set-up and utilize the application. Justification: While there are a myriad of cloud marketing options available to our company, and certainly research to indicate their advantages, at this point we are in the growing stage, and it is my belief that we should operate conservatively, begin with one application, and not commit too much of our marketing efforts or money to the marketing cloud applications. The e-mail service will provide us an avenue to directly market to our current customers and leads, drive traffic to our website, and will save the firm in terms of print and mailing costs. The application can be accessed from any internet-enabled location, which makes for convenient access to our staff. Further, the purchase can serve as a stepping stone to other marketing cloud applications. As our business continues to grow and stabilize, we can analyze the success of the e-mail service provider and determine if more cloud marketing applications might be beneficial to operations. Recommendation for Video Conferencing: I recommend that our company provide all key marketing and sales personnel with video conferencing capabilities, including any necessary hardware and software. To facilitate this process, the partners will determine who, in the marketing and sales departments, it will be critical to supply with access to video conferencing capacities. An IT specialist will be consulted to determine the most cost effective pairing of available hardware and software. Once this has been determined, we will contract to have all components properly installed and tested. Justification: I believe the use of video conferencing technologies will be beneficial to our firm in many ways. First, our marketers will be able to facilitate a face-to-face meeting with clients, prospects, each other, and sales staff from any location, and from nearly any internet capable device. This will save the company in the form of travel expenditures, as well reduce the amount of unproductive time spent traveling to meeting locations. More people will be able to be involved in key meetings and productivity of these meetings will improve, as an important aspect of communication, non-verbal cues, will be displayed. Finally, it is my belief that this technology is an important offering to our current and prospective clientele in terms of convenience. For instance, a client or prospect will be able to clearly view a product demonstration and ask any necessary follow-up questions from his or her home or office computer, as opposed to traveling to our office or some other meeting site. Further, as studies indicate, the employment of video conferencing technology in our marketing strategy can increase success in current and new lead engagement. As evidenced by my research, social media, cloud computing, and video conferencing are all technological tools that can be employed in some form to aid our marketing staff. Social media has proven to be a powerful outlet for company marketing efforts, with many business recognizing an uptick in overall exposure and customer conversion rates. Further, studies suggest those customers engaged in company generated social media content provide increased sales. Cloud computing has also become a popular technology for businesses looking to modernize their marketing function. The use of marketing cloud platforms is pervasive because internet-based promotional efforts are thought to be cost-effective, as physical marketing materials and expensive hardware are not required. The scalability of cloud-based application offerings is also attractive to small businesses, as programs and services can be purchased on an a la carte basis. Last, video conferencing applications have shown to be useful in firm marketing. Marketers have found, and studies have shown, that the face-to-face nature of meetings conducted via video conferencing allow for more productive communication and correlate to an increase in ability to court sales prospects as well as develop new ones. I believe each of my recommendations will benefit the firm and our marketing efforts in meaningful ways. At the very least, the creation of a social media presence will provide exposure to consumers that we may not reach otherwise. Research has shown the ability to leverage that exposure into elevated brand loyalty, new customers and improved sales. No doubt, many of our competitors are already using the platform, and to maintain competition, we should as well. Our firm can benefit from the e-mail service provider, as the costs of physically distributed materials will decrease substantially. More, the ability to automate this function and track its success will provide our marketers relevant information, save our staff time, and help in determining if further marketing cloud applications expenditures may be necessary and beneficial. Finally, video conferencing technology will provide our marketing team with the ability to hold face-to-face meetings with each other, or clientele, from any internet capable PC or mobile device. This will save the firm in travel costs and curb unproductive time spent traveling to and from meetings. The use of video conferencing technology will also provide for more meaningful, constructive communication, which research has shown to translate into greater success in engaging current sales prospects, an increase in the capacity to generate new prospects, and a boost in our internal productivity. References    Chang, M. (2016, May 13). Why Best-in Class Marketing Requires Web/Video Conferencing. Retrieved March 18, 2017, from http://theworkspacetoday.com/2016/05/13/best-in-class-marketing-requires-webvideo-conferencing-to-drive-more-meaningful-results/ DeMers, J. (2015, September 20). The Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing. Retrieved March 08, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/#2da0fda91f80 Griffith, E. (2016, May 03). What Is Cloud Computing? Retrieved March 14, 2017, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372163,00.asp Holmes, R. (2015). Why Businesses Cant Survive Without Social Media. Fortune.Com, N.PAG Kantrowitz, A. (2014). Pros and Cons of the Marketing Cloud. Advertising Age, 85(12), 30. Kumar, A., Bezawada, R., Rishika, R., Janakiraman, R., Kannan, P. (2016). From Social to Sale: The Effects of Firm-Generated Content in Social Media on Customer Behavior. Journal of Marketing,80(1), 7-25. doi:10.1509/jm.14.0249 Rajeev, L. (2016, August 13). The Various Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Conferencing. Retrieved March 18, 2017, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-video-conferencing.html Rouse, M. (n.d.). What is video conference (video conferencing)? Definition from WhatIs.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017, from http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/video-conference Springer, R. R. (2016). Is the Marketing Cloud Right for You?. Econtent, 39(5), 20-24. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from https://www.webpagefx.com/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing-advantages-and-disadvantages.html

Essay --

Daniel Nitinthorn Professor John Ganim English 020A December 13, 2013 Progress of Literature Language and experimental form define the Modern period as ideas that were originally forbidden began to surface and writers especially began to express new notions of humanity through these developments. In William Butler Yeats’ â€Å"The Second Coming,† the reader gets glimpses of the combinations of religions and how they represent a cultural language that is on a different spectrum than writing in the Victorian era. Ulysses by James Joyce begins to experiment with form and surfaces ideas so novel that they are too vulgar to show to the general public. There is a change in the culture during this era that is shown through the the experimentation of writing and the topics being written about. â€Å"The Second Coming,† with its christian title refers to the British culture and how it will relate to the rest of the world. It is a poem that talks about the second coming of the savior who will only come after the beast of the apocalypse, or the antichrist. There is a notable change in the language as Yeats refers to this antichrist as looking like an Egyptian sphinx but relates both Egyptian culture and a Christian, British culture. While the Victorian era was heavily influenced by the idea of â€Å"otherness,† the Modern period began to see connections between all of the world’s cultures and how it relates to their own. One of these mixing of cultures comes when Yeats says, â€Å"The Second Coming! †¦A shape with a lion body and the head of a man† (2482). He shows â€Å"The Second Coming,† which is a Christian idea and then brings in the Egyptian sphinx. The mixing of these images presents a language that would not have been heard ear lier as this now relates two... ...ses, as it relates to â€Å"The Second Coming,† is a play on form of literature to help express new ideas that needed to be presented in this new era of culture The experimentation of language and form are focal points in the Modern period. As this new era was forming, there was a call for a new form of literature especially to fill the new literate classes that rose due to an increase in those who had access to education. This new form helped express new ideas of the era that would not have the same effect with earlier language. Ulysses is the major change in form that helped show human consciousness by spilling out the thoughts of the characters. New ideas about culture and humanity rose from â€Å"The Second Coming† due to the improvements in the English language. The experimentation of form and language allow literature to present emerging ideas in a newly formed era.

Character Analysis of The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck Essay

Analysis of The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck â€Å"Apart from Mayor Orden, the characters in â€Å"The Moon Is Down† remain two dimensional† John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Moon Is Down† is a novel about human relationships, the relationships between a small town and its invaders, the relationships between town officials and the towns-people, and the relationships between the members of the invading army. Although it is a short novel Steinbeck has made a few strong and well-defined characters in these 122 pages. While there are many characters that only have a few pages in which to define themselves, the major characters seem to be very well thought out, and most are quite well rounded. Most of the characters in the novel receive a small paragraph with a description of who they are, these paragraphs are very detailed and help to make the character whole. They not only provide a description of what the character looks like, they give an insight into what the character is thinking. Even to small characters this adds a feeling of understanding on the part of the reader. It allows the reader, in some way, to have a connection to the character, and while the dialogue of â€Å"The Moon Is Down† may be a bit thin, it makes the characters seem more real. Mayor Orden is indisputably, not only the main, but also the most realistic of all the characters in â€Å"The Moon Is Down†. He was made to be Mayor of the town, and nobody would ever dispute his position, however, the first few pages of the book show Doctor Winter and the Mayor’s serving-man (Joseph) offhandedly referring to the Mayor as if he was a little apathetic and vague towards his own appearance. â€Å" ‘What’s the Mayor doing?’ ‘Dressing to receive the Colonel, sir.’ ‘... ...the towns-people pose, he does know that they are the one fault in his leaders plan. Steinbeck wrote this character with a clear insight into the human mind. Colonel Lanser doesn’t want to be in the town any more than he is wanted there, but a Colonel in an army must do as their leader instructs. â€Å"The Moon Is Down† may be a short book, but it does have a lot going for it. Though many people may find the dialogue a let down, the characters are strong, and full of hidden quirks. Steinbeck didn’t directly create â€Å"three-dimensional† characters, but rather let the readers do the work for him. The way this novel is written brings enough life to the story to make every character seem slightly more real, no matter how small their part to play was. Biliography =========== The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck. First published by William Heinemann Ltd. 1942.

Incarceration of African American Males Essay

Introduction The trend of African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 has seen a dramatic increase of incarceration. Attention has been focusing on areas of housing, education, and healthcare but the most prominent problem for African American males is the increase in the incarceration rate. African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 incarceration rate has been thought, by many, to be caused by economic factors such as under employment or unemployment, poor housing, lack of education, and lack of healthcare. Yet, others believe it is due to the imbalance of minorities within the criminal justice system, such as judges, lawyers, and lawmakers. This paper will explore two different outlooks; society has come up with so far, as to why African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29 are increasingly incarcerated. Finally, the information will give awareness to the problems that is faced by African American Males between the ages of 25 and 29. Prevalence – Problem 1 More than 40% of all American prisoners, men and women, are African American men, yet they make up just 13% of the U. S. male population (Roberts, 2004). This statistic does not include those African American men who are in local jails nor does it include those African American men under custodial supervision (Table 2). They enter the state and federal prison system, at the prime of their economic and reproductive lives and yet they exit prison behind both economically and socially. The high rate of incarceration among African Americans has been noted by the interconnection of poor economy, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, absence of a strong black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of combination of these factors. Statistics don’t even give African American males a good chance to stay out of jail. They have a one in four chance of being incarcerated, while Hispanic American males have a one in six chance, and white males only have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. The color of African Americans sets them apart and makes them targetable. Prevalence – Problem 2 There is evidence, in our American Justice System, of structural inequality as seen in the percentages of minorities to the percentage of majorities employed in high ranking positions, within the system. The percentage of United States judges by race are 79% Caucasian, 12% African American, and 2% Hispanics American (Federal Judicial Center, 2012), as for the thousands of lawyers in the United States it is approximate of 3% are African American (National Law Group, 2010-2011), and about 1 in 4 police officers are members of a racial or ethnic minority in 2007 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). An investigation into racial profiling showed that African American and Hispanic American offenders, who often are young unemployed males, are more likely than their white counterparts (Spohn, C., 2000). Their prison sentences are also typically longer or they receive differential benefits from guideline departures than do similarly situated white offenders (Spohn, C. , 2000). We must acknowledge the problems of racial disparity within the criminal justice system, communicate racial disparity within the criminal justice system with those we who are not informed of the problem, and stay committed to changing racial disparity within our justice system for change to begin. Causes In researching the high rate of incarceration in America it is more likely than not that the increase in African American Males being incarcerated is due to the War on Drugs (Table 1). It is public knowledge that drug crime ranks high among the effects of poverty. These poor neighborhoods not only endure crime they have poor schools, poor food, cramped living areas, and shortage of jobs if any jobs at all. Drugs and drug crime has become regularity in low income communities, arrests of Hispanics made up 55% of cocaine powder offences and 52% of marijuana offenses and 49% involving opiates: African Americans were suspected in 75% of crack cocaine cases; White males were suspected in 41% all methamphetamine cases (Motivans, M. , 2011). Decades of failed public and private remedies for chronic disparities and disadvantages in communities of color invite us to reexamine systems and institutions that provide and restrict opportunity in new ways (Lawrence, K. , 2011). The causes seem to be intertwined being poor equals, equals a poor education, equals lack of employment, and ultimately equals an increased rate of crime. Consequences The causes seem to be intertwined being poor, equals lack of education, which equals lack of employment, which equals increased rate of crime which equals impossibility to join criminal justice system. Also, many of these men are incarcerated while all the other non-incarcerated American young men are finishing school, starting careers, earning seniority at work, marrying and having children thus gaining capital. Even when released from prison, these men return back to their communities with a felony record that will pose extreme problems for them. The incarceration leads the released convict into a lower social class even if they were considered lower class Americans prior to their incarceration; they now are lower in social class standing in most instances. This leads to a poor African American community, perhaps as many as 50% of the male population will have been in prison. These incarcerated African American Males, who are in their prime of life, also are leaving half the families in this community facing such things as poverty, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, violence, absence of a strong black male role model, lack of access to education, or some type of combination of these factors. The community ultimately will become poverty stricken, struggling to survive, and ultimately vulnerable to the situation repeating. Solutions – How can this be changed? There are four key aspects to addressing racial disparity, in my opinion: 1. Acknowledge 2. Communication 3. Setback = Strength 4. Commitment Not only is the problem of racial disparity under recognized by society it is not being communicated effectively to make change. Majority groups needs to acknowledge racial disparity and minority groups need to communicate their knowledge regarding racial disparity. As each group majority and minority begins to become share their information with each other and work together for a common solution acknowledging there will be setbacks but with continued commitment systemic change will happen. Conclusion By refusing to tolerate disparate treatment of people of color or anyone within the criminal justice system we empower ourselves and our country. It is time that everyone including our legislators, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges work collectively and courageously to eradicate this negative stigma. Despite, America being known for its equal rights we are living proof that in this era inequality is a factor that cannot be taken lightly. The statistics that are surrounding African American males is astounding. We need to empower African American males with the knowledge that they have a one in four chance of becoming incarcerated. It is also important to know that Hispanic males have a one in six chance, and white males have a one in twenty three chance of incarceration. All of these statistics need to be addressed to empower each and every one us. Throughout history we have not seen a change in majority groups (White, Male) and minority groups (Women, anyone that is not White) although we have seen numbers of minorities increasing at a fast pace. Today, however, the election of Barack Obama, not once but twice, may set the new ideal of what an American actually is. As we embrace different cultures and their ethnic backgrounds society will prosper. As society increases their knowledge, in regards to each person’s differences, they will acquire greater strength and prosperity. The only issue, that can occur, will be in the short term empowering others to embrace diversity. When we look beyond short-term, focus will shift to diverse empowerment through embracing the knowledge of our differences thus making us stronger as a society. TABLE 1: BLACK PROPORTION OF DRUG ARRESTS, EXCLUDING MARIJUANA POSSESSION YEAR BLACK % 1999 40. 1 2000 39. 3 2001 39. 1 2002 35. 8 2003 33. 8 2004 33. 1 2005 33. 2 Data calculated from drug arrest figures by race provided by the Uniform Crime Reports division of the FBI TABLE 2: FBI CRIME REPORT Arrests By Race, 2006 [11,249 agencies; 2006 estimated population 216,685,152] Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 10,437,620. 7270214 2924724 130589 112093 100. 0 69. 7 28 1. 3 1. 1 Drug abuse violations 1376192 875101 483886 8198 9607 1000 63. 6 35. 1 0. 6 0. 7 DUI’S 1034651 914226 95260 13484 11681 100 88. 4 9. 2 1. 3 1. 1 Liquor laws 466323 398068 50035 12831 5389 100 85. 4 10. 7 2. 8 1. 2 Drunken-ness 408439 344155 54113 7884 2287 100 84. 3 13. 2 1. 9 0. 6 Dis-orderly conduct 5117264 325991 179733 7606 3934 100 63. 0 34. 7 1. 5 0. 8 (The FBI: Uniform Crime Report, 2010) References Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013, http://bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/index. cfm? ty=tp&tid=71 The FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2010, Table 43, http://www. fbi. gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u. s/2010/crime-in-the-u. s. -2010/tables/table-43 Federal Judicial Center, 2012, Overview of the United States Court System, http://www. fjc. gov/public/pdf. nsf/lookup/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf/$file/FJC_Standard_PPT_English_June_2012. pdf Lawrence, K. , 2011, Race, Crime, and Punishment: Breaking the Connection in America. http://www. aspeninstitute. org/sites/default/files/content/docs/pubs/Race-Crime-Punishment.pdf Motivans, Mark, 2011, Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/content/pub/pdf/fjs09. pdf National Law Group 2010-2011, http://blacklawyers. net/ Roberts, D. , 2004, Measuring the Social and Moral Cost of Mass Incarceration, in African American Communities, http://www. law. fsu. edu/faculty/2003-2004workshops/roberts. pdf Spohn,C. ,2000, Thirty Years of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process, http://www. justicestudies. com/pubs/livelink3-1. pdf.