Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a socio-political protest against the policy of racial segregation and discrimination campaign in the public transport service of Montgomery city, Alabama in 1955. It lasted for one whole year starting at December 5, 1955 and ending at Decenmer21, 1956. The sentiments of the Afro-American community were cooled down by a United States Supreme decision that declared segregation in public transport as unconstitutional. The main cause of the protest and boycott of transport system was racial discrimination. This segregation was a source of bitterness and pathos for the Afro-Americans community for a long period of time. The city bus service was making a mockery of Afro-American as they were harassed by white drivers. They had top pay the fare at the front door whereas they had to reboard from the rear-door.   They used to sit behind a barrier that segregated the white community from the black one. This barrier was always moved toward the rear end to accommodate more white customers. On the bus, blacks sat behind a mobile barrier dividing the races, and as the bus filled, the barrier was pushed back to make room for white passengers. This stated resentments of the black residents of Montgomery city got an impetus in the arrest of Rosa Parks. She was taken into custody on December 1, 1955 on the charges that she refused vacate her seat to a white passenger. She was penalized 10$ in addition to $ 4 court charges. This decision flamed the feelings of the Afro-American community who had already planned to set a protest against this uncivilized practice. So the same day, on December 05, 1955, almost forty two thousands Black residents of the city started the boycott of city bus transport in order to protest racial segregation and racially discriminatory law of Alabama state. Rosa Parks was also an enthusiastic adherent of the protest campaign. The first occurrence of protest was a one day boycott by a local women’s rights organization, Women's Political Council to show solidarity with Rosa Parks. The council’s president JoAnn published and distributed 52,000 fliers that prompted Montgomery‘s Afro-American community to stay off public buses on the day of the Rosa Park’s trial. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) local section, that was hankering after an issue to involve the court into a legal and constitutional debate over the issue of racial segregation took advantage of the situation, started preparing for the legal challenge. After the conviction of Rosa Parks, the local black leaders congregated to arrange a mass protest and an extension of the bus boycott. They further established Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to forward the interest of the Afro-American community at the national level and elected Luther King Jr. as its president. This protest continued for 381 days during which Black community used other mean of conveyance like taxis, carpooling, and walking through miles. Their efforts and sacrifices bore fruit when they ultimately succeeded in their struggle to desegregate seating on public buses, not only in Montgomery, but throughout the United States through a decision made by Supreme Court. As it is stated earlier that Black organizations like NAACP and other community leader started thinking on various legal measures to challenge the Alabama bus segregation laws and to eradicate the segregation. For his purpose, they based their case on Fourth Amendments that declares equal laws for every citizen of America and  Ã‚   wanted a clear judgment in this regards over the discriminatory laws of Alabama State. But real solace came through another case Browder v. Gayle that was filed on February 1, 1956, in the U.S. District Court. Browder was a Montgomery housewife who was denied the equal right of bus service under the discriminatory law and Gayle was the mayor of Montgomery. In June, 1956 ruling, federal court declared the segregated seating as unconstitutional but an appeal was forwarded to the United States Supreme Court. However, on November 13, 1956, the superior court endorsed the lower court's ruling. This was a great triumph for the Afro-American community as they won the struggle for their rights. The Montgomery Bus Boycott cast deep imprints U.S. history and equipped the Black leadership with an impetus to carry on their civil rights struggle. It had implications that reached far beyond the desegregation of public buses. Luther King established himself as the leader of a national stature. The protest boosted the Civil Rights Movement and created a mass awareness about the struggle of Afro-American community and highlighted their pathos and miseries. It further provided confidence to the Black people that they can win their rights by constant struggle. In the words of King: â€Å"We have gained a new sense of dignity and destiny. We have discovered a new and powerful weapon—non-violent resistance.† Reference Burns, Stewart. (1997) Daybreak of Freedom: The Montgomery Bus Boycott. The University of North Carolina Press.

Challenges of the Lgbt Population on College Campuses

Challenges of the LGBT Population on College Campuses A review of the Literature Challenges of the LGBT population on College Campuses A Review of the Literature The need for institutions of higher education to stay relevant dictates that change is necessary. For most, it will require a concerted effort to embrace diversity. Racial and ethnic diversity have historically been the most widely addressed dimensions of diversity. However, as institutions continue to advance their efforts, they create a more welcoming campus climate for all individuals and groups.A current focus of diversity efforts includes the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. This review will look at the issues and challenges of the LGBT population on college campuses; mainly covering the need to ease the levels violence and harassment on campuses and the desire for inclusion and social justice, and suggesting strategies to address these issues. Due to the nature of the coming out process, there are fundamental challenges to learning the experiences of the LGBT population.The labels lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender as sexual identity labels present particular problems: A student may be able to articulate feelings of attraction to the same-sex, though are reluctant to adopt the label of lesbian, gay and/or bisexual (Rankin 2003). The challenges that the LGBT population face are neither new nor surprising but the need to address them is certainly relevant (Thiel, 2010). In fact, it appears that for as much progress that has been made on some campuses, there has been no progress on others.The presence of violence and harassment, as well as the desire for inclusion and justice, indicates the need for attention and research as a chilly campus climate can make for a distressing experience for LGBT students, faculty, and staff. As might be expected, LGBT students’ perceptions of the campus climate and their experiences differ from those of other members of the campus community (Rankin, 2003; Liang & Alimo, 2005). Some LGBT students feel that they are treated different because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.They have difficulty achieving their full academic potential and trouble fully participating in the campus community (Rankin, 2003; Brown, Clarke, Gortmaker, & Robinson-Keilig, 2004). In a study by Liang & Alimo (2005), students shared that they had been discriminated against, physically assaulted and harassed in residence halls, and marginalized in their classes. Physical and verbal anti-gay and lesbian harassment has been documented on all campuses where research on the LGBT population has been conducted, and these behaviors seem to be on the rise nationwide (National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, n. . ). This homonegativity affects LGBT individuals’ physical as well as psychological health (Liang & Alimo, 2005). The LGBT campus experience is at best benign and at worst hostile (Rankin, 2003). Among these challenges, Ran kin (2003) states are mental health issues, discrimination, relationship issues, and harassment/abuse. Likewise, LGBT faculty, staff, and administrators may suffer because of the same prejudices, limiting their ability to achieve their career goals and to mentor or support students.Because the LGBT population is an invisible minority, LGBT individuals may experience anxiety about who knows their sexual orientation or gender identity and who they can safely share that information with (Rankin, 2003). In addition, individuals who identify as LGBT are often at higher risk for substance abuse and suicide because of these issues and the lack of a positive support system. LGBT individuals do not share the same protections as other minorities groups in the United States.While it is no longer legal to discriminate based on race, skin color, ethnicity, disability, age, sex, or veteran’s status, it is still legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Relations hips may also suffer. A LGBT’s social network may ebb and flow drastically as they come out to individuals they consider â€Å"friends. † LGBT individuals may lose some friends and gain others as they come out. This could drastically change their social network.Similarly, LGBT individuals often face rejection from their families. This can manifest as a loss of financial assistance, being â€Å"kicked-out† of the home, or being completely cutting off from all communication and ties to their families. Harassment and abuse can also be a problem. LGBT individuals may face harassment in many different forms. LGBT individuals may encounter increased negative attitudes, jokes, verbal taunting, or bullying because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, n. d. ).In addition, LGBT individuals may be intimidated or blackmailed by others who threaten to â€Å"out† them if they do not do something. This population may also be targets of violence. They could be targeted because they may be seen as â€Å"weaker† or less likely to either fight back or report the crime/incident (Thiel & Diehl, 2010; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, n. d. ). LGBT individuals are less likely to report these incidents because they do not want to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to authorities for fear of further repercussions from colleagues, friends, or family.Research shows that involvement in college life positively affects the LGBT experience (Rankin 2003). In addition, there are indications that the campus climate affects students’ social and emotional development, as well as their academic performance (National Lesbian and Gay Task Force, n. d. ). It also appears that there is much more in the way of student support on college campuses than there is faculty support. It is no surprise then, that the student experiences are somewhat better while the faculty experiences a chillie r climate (Brown et al. 2004). These findings suggest that an effective strategy for improving the campus climate for LGBT students needs to include system-wide efforts and involves promoting the acknowledgement, acceptance, and affirmation of all people. Campus diversity leaders and student affairs professionals will likely to be the most receptive, while some faculty and administrators will be more supportive than others will be (Brown et al. , 2004).Other recommendations to improve the campus climate for LGBT students include recruiting and retaining LGBT faculty, staff, and students, demonstrating institutional commitment to LGBT issues and concerns, integrating LGBT issues and concerns into the curriculum, providing educational programming on LGBT issues, and creating safe spaces for dialogue and interaction (Rankin, 2003; Liang & Alimo, 2005; University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008).Incorporating sexual orientation and gender identity topics into student, parent, faculty, and st aff orientation courses is important, as is informing parents of LGBT students about resources and services available on campus for their child (Angeli, 2009). Freshmen seminars and other first-year courses could be important venues for discussions of LGBT-related topics. Residence hall assistants (RAs) are also an important target group for training, as RAs are often a first esource for LGBT students dealing with coming out issues (Brown et al. , 2004). Other recommendations for improving student recruitment are as follows: Improve accessibility to LGBT information on college web sites (create one if there is not), attend national LGBT recruitment fairs, and work with the LGBT Campus Center to create a recruiting pamphlet on LGBT life on campus. For campuses without an LGBT Campus Center, the school should work to create one.LGBT Centers exist to reduce violence and harassment, and aid in the effort to promote inclusion and social justice (University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008). To ensure fair and equal treatment in the classroom, the main priority for faculty is to involve the students in the process of teaching/learning. With the many races, cultures, and groups that make up classes, having a continually engaged classroom is a challenging proposition at best and no one wants to feel marginalized.Additionally, when discussing current events, include LGBT issues as one of the topics, and be very clear with your students that homophobic and heterosexist comments and actions are not acceptable (Lock Haven University, 2000). Another initiative that could help support the LGBT student population while at the same time demonstrate institutional commitment to would to create â€Å"safe spaces† or â€Å"safe zones† where faculty/staff/students can choose to make their office or department a place for mentoring, peer counseling, dialogue, and interaction with LGBT students, faculty, and staff (Angeli, 2009).Faculty/staff leaders should work closely with campus diversity leaders (and the LGBT Campus Organization, if there is one) to ensure the inclusion of LGBT faculty and staff in the campus’ various recruitment efforts and to provide programs and services important to LGBT faculty and staff retention. This would include working to achieve domestic partner benefits for LGBT and other unmarried campus faculty and staff, and the creation and funding of an LGBT faculty/staff mentoring program (University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008).Such initiatives should be the combined efforts of administrative, faculty and staff representatives (University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008). Encouraging openly LGBT students, faculty, and staff to join and lead university committees and organizations without fear of repercussion is also a step in the right direction (Angeli, 2009). Campus administrators should enforce local anti-discrimination laws and policies on campus, ban discrimination in instructional materials and textbooks, and encourage th e use of materials that reflect gender diversity.Angeli (2009) reported that not all campuses have established such inclusive policies, and this leaves LGBT students without many options for repercussion when they experience discrimination. For example, hateful graffiti on campus should be removed quickly and those who did it punished appropriately. Sexual orientation and gender identity could be considered its own demographic and colleges should collect and report LGBT data in the same manner as gender, race, ethnicity, and disability data (Angeli, 2009).As more surveys and forms include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, and, as campuses provide assurance that students’ privacy will be protected, it is likely that data that are more complete will become available. In other words, as the climate becomes â€Å"less chilly,† more students, faculty, and staff will feel more welcomed and, thus, more likely to share more about themselves (Angeli, 2009). P ositive attitudes of heterosexual peers can help to provide a campus climate that is welcoming and more supportive of the LGBT population, which may facilitate the development of a positive identity (Liang & Alimo, 2005).Heterosexuals have a large role in perpetuating this climate, as they have been the source for much of the homonegative behavior (Liang & Alimo, 2005). If the campus promotes itself an advocate for justice, it is not enough just to change a policy or to use ‘buzzwords;’ a new culture/atmosphere has to be created. Implementing such a campus-wide approach will necessitate support from top campus administrators (Rankin, 2003; Tierney, 1992).In addition, just because an anti-discrimination statement has been updated to include sexual orientation & gender identity, this does not mean inclusion, or even a consistent welcoming climate (University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008). Not seeing any progress in any of the areas discussed above is an indication that the campus has not yet integrated LGBT issues into the university’s understanding of its responsibilities to create a diverse and inclusive climate (Lock Haven University, 2000; University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008).The right thing to do is to create a more welcoming campus climate for all individuals and groups by reducing violence and harassment, and advancing social justice and inclusion efforts. All groups deserve this consideration because they matter. References Angeli, M. California Postsecondary Commission at its meeting on June 9, 2009. Access and equity for all students: Meeting the needs of LGBT students. Retrieved online on March 24, 2010 from http://www. cpec. ca. gov /completereports/2009reports/09-14. pdf Brown, R. D. , Clarke, B. Gortmaker, V. , & Robinson-Keilig, R. (2004). Assessing the campus climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) students using a multiple perspectives approach. Journal of College Student Development, 45(1), 8-26. Liang, C. T. H. & Alimo, C. (2005). The impact of white heterosexual students’ interactions on attitudes toward lesbian, gay and bisexual people: A longitudinal study. Journal of College Student Development, 46(3), 237-250. Lock Haven University Safe Zone. (n. d. ). Originally written by Troy Gilbert of StanfordUniversity, then modified by Martha Ann Spruill (Jan 14, 2000), then modified again for the LHU community. Retrieved online on March 24, 2010 from http://www. lhup. edu/safezone/support. html National Lesbian and Gay Task Force. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 23, 2010 from www. thetaskforce. org /issues/hate_crimes_main_page/overview. Rankin, S. R. (2003). Campus climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people: A national perspective. New York: The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. www. ngltf. org Thiel, M. J. , & Diehl, S. (2010).Campus gay and lesbian issues in the new millennium. Retrieved on 3/20/2010 from http://www. gvsu. edu/allies/index. cfm ? id=80B3F0D0-A5DC-ECEE-44313D44883F471B University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. (n. d. ). Issues/concerns for the LGBTQ Population. Retrieved March 23, 2010 from http://safezone. uncc. edu/allies /ally-manual/issues. University of Wisconsin Madison Faculty Document 2056. (2008). Report of the committee on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Retrieved onlineMarch 23, 2010 from http://acstaff. wisc. edu/FacDoc2056LGBT-AR07. pdf

London – Stan Marshal

The city of Lonetown, now in its 21st century, is one of the most popular, urbanised capitals of the world. It is a place of opportunity, commotion and great excitement, bringing the public together from all four corners of the world. The towering landscape and the everlasting history not only anthropomorphises the exciting and unique British quality of life but also the many doubts that are brought about by such a popular city overall. The barriers that block such this metropolis from the exceptional and idealistic world that we exceptionally want to live in, strangely enough relegate Lonetown to the abysmal and diabolical mess that many people could say was beyond the bounds of possibility. Every insignificant feature that we see in daily British society has some kind of improbable flaw in it, for example; the car that an ordinary person drives brings a source of freedom, fun and, worst of all, road tax. It would be such a disappointment to ruin such an enormously popular city like Lonetown through problems that appear from certain individuals from the depths in society. Nevertheless, we could say that Lonetown is climbing the stairway that leads to the turbulent, hellish point in civilisation rather than the divine utopian society that we all long for, where the devil himself is omnipresent and wicked. What is strange is that few people perceive, let alone care. The drinking, drugs and explicit language set bad examples to the new and forthcoming generations of citizens, yet this is so widespread that society altogether is worsening. Stan Marshal and Louise Clark are two characteristic examples of different people with separate philosophies, who expose the detrimental aspects of society in a battle between what is right and what is wrong. Stan Marshal, a person at the peak of his career and preparing for his spectacular fifth concert. The fans loved him but their parents ostracised him. It was not surprising since he had the looks and the style to be the talented hip-hop rap singer that he is. The teenagers loved his down-to-earth attitude of drinking and drugs, and the shocking language in his songs. On the other hand, Louise Clark, an upbeat single mother, was forced to take her son to the concert promised to be incredible and breathtaking. She was obviously against this and the influence this particular rap singer had on her children. After all, a single mother taking care of three children was a strenuous job and she had passed the last few years without her husband by her side. Everyday was like dija-vu, waking up at six o'clock in the morning and spending the day vacuuming, washing, cleaning and feeding her children. Living in the dilapidated side of Lonetown, she had to handle everything there was- alcohol, drugs abuse and unemployment. Her only hope and motivation now was for her children not to grow up to be the failure that she now is, however this seemed rather bleak considering her eldest child, Michael, seemed obsessed and somewhat manipulated by Stan and his hip-hop music. It is astonishing what a little public acclaim can do. Stan's uprising popularity was not only because of his distinct music to the younger generation but also his momentous yet obscene lifestyle. His consistent intake of alcoholic drinks, smoking cannabis and injecting heroin was not really surprising. It was by this process that made him into such an unusual person, which accordingly made him attract attention easily. Some would say he lived life on the edge, taking extraordinary risks quite recently and eventually ending up in the middle of a clash between two gangs. Parents believed that wherever he walked, he carried trouble along with him, which is why they tried to prevent their children from coming into contact with him in any way. However, every crime that a teenager does at some point in their life is influenced either by peer pressure or by a person similar to Stan's character. This is the reason why Louise felt the need to take a stand. Not only was she apprehensive by the fact that her son was listening to his music, but also the way it may affect her two daughters- Lisa and Rachael and whether they would be manipulated by Stan's crude temperament. With the concert finished, Stan's follower waited for him to leave. They were so devoted to his brilliance in hip-hop music that they were inclined to wait a day if they needed to for his autograph. Michael and his mother were amongst the multitude of people, who fortunately had a clear view of the Limousine and the door Stan was supposed to depart from. Louise was astonished to notice that she was probably the only parent to come to the concert, and worst of all she did not like it. It started with the foul words, as he appeared on the stage with his trademark item- the chainsaw. It ended yet again with the offensive words and to top it all off, some drinking and drugs. Louise wanted to carry Michael away as quickly as she could straight from the moment Stan's obnoxious figure appeared on the stage. Nonetheless she couldn't firstly, because it was Michael's birthday and secondly, because she was interested in the impact Stan made on these pitiful teenagers. Finally, twenty minutes or so after the concert, Stan appeared, cameras flashed and girls screamed. It was quite a spectacle, however it took little time for Stan to walk to his car without somehow caring about the people who surrounded him. He was in the music business for his image, popularity and money and cared little about the assembly of people surrounding him. This is why Louise really felt the need to do something and to make at least one ignorant child in the swarm aware of the kind of character Stan was. She felt the urge of inflicting some kind of damage to his dim-witted character, yet it seemed unwise considering he carried a chainsaw with him. At least she tried to make herself prominent in the mass crowd. Although there were policemen in the way of both Stan and Louise from confronting each other, they still exchanged looks, both realising that they were the opposition's antagonist. Stan made little response in the presence of Louise, however he had a feeling of scepticism and doubt. Louise, on the other hand, felt even more displeasure by looking at his face. She expected a grin from him, almost a smirk of triumph because of his ascendancy and his organisation of loyal fans. She felt the need to retaliate with vengeance or retribution because the way he, like other artists, made a disgrace of society and musical culture overall. So what was her course of action now- to bring to an end his vulgar music and his influence to the teenagers or to leave him with his mass popularity. The answer was easy: to overthrow Stan. To diminish his popularity. To topple his image.

Reducing the Risk of Ventilator-acquired Pneumonia Research Paper

Reducing the Risk of Ventilator-acquired Pneumonia - Research Paper Example This paper stresses that  ventilated patients have different factors that increase the chances of acquiring the disease. One of the main factors is aspiration of infected oral and gastric secretion. The main method used in the study involves the measure of the current degree of bed head evaluation in the trial that was in the ICU. There was measure of the degree of bed elevation measured on a random selection of patients with the use of a protractor and a plumb line.  According to the study findings there are different factors that were considered in the research. The exclusion criteria include the previous intubation within the last 30 days, severe obese patient who were not in a position to tolerate head elevation to 45 degrees, recent abdominal surgery with vacuum dressing that needed change in the position of the patients to renew the dressing or gain a seal. The variables that were recorded in the study included pressure that was to track the use of inotropic therapy. This e nsures that patients that were nursed at 45 degrees did not need additional support. The other variables that were recorded at the end of the research included the sex of the patients, the diagnosis of the patients whether surgical or medical, the white cell count, the temperature of the patients, ventilation, antibiotics, sedation score and Chronic Health Evaluation. The results of the study were taken after 72 hours after the study endpoint was reached. The research took a total period of 3.5 months.

This paper needs to be written on the topic of what changes one can Essay

This paper needs to be written on the topic of what changes one can expect when they move out of their parents home and on to their owen. See below for more details - Essay Example Generally, the advantage of living independently is that you learn how to manage your expenses, prepare your own food, manage your time to do household chores, be responsible in paying the bills on time, and to keep a job to sustain your daily needs. On the other hand, the disadvantages of living apart from your parents would sometimes prompt you to get a job and forget about going to college; this happens at times since teens cannot support their own studies unless they get help from their parents. Another disadvantages of moving out of your parents’ house is to maintain the security of your place; this means that you must always be cautious at all times for your security since you are not familiar with the neighborhood and the nature of the people in the community. Another inconvenience in living on your own is the time management; you must expect to have less time for studying and your social life since the household chores would take up some of your time unlike when you ar e in your parents’ house where your mother or your housekeeper usually performs these tasks for you. The first matter to consider before making that big decision is how to sustain our daily necessities. To do this, we need to find a good paying job that can cover the expenses for the rent, food, clothing, transportation, water bills, and electricity bills. Search for jobs in newspapers and online job portals. If you are lucky enough to find a good job, you must be ready to present the required documents for your job application. Some requirements for a job application includes: a copy of your birth certificate; your Social Security Card; your Driver’s License; a copy of your Diploma, your GED or certificates you have received from trainings you have attended (Surviving the Transition). Other requirements include your resume that contains information about your education and your work experiences; a well-composed

Renewable Energy Future for the Developing World Essay

Renewable Energy Future for the Developing World - Essay Example The greatest concern of the major multiples, especially Tesco in regards to political activity, relates to the rulings of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission which can prevent supermarkets from establishing themselves in certain locations because of anti-competition legislation. Similarly, legislation relating to anti-competition activities, such as price fixing and cartel-like activity, can prompt investigation from the Government body known as the Office of Fair Trading (OFT 2011). However, such investigations on a national scale are relatively rare and the large supermarkets are seldom investigated for such activity. There is also a need to consider legislation and regulation, the UK food and retail sector is covered by numerous laws, codes of practice and regulations. One such regulator, Food Standards Agency, has a statutory right to protect the public the consumer in relation to food and drink such as correct labelling, food sell by dates, hygiene etc. There is also European legislation, General food law and Codex (Food Standards Agency 2012). ... K economy has been in and out of recession since 2008, interest rates have been reduced to historic lows to try and stimulate growth and minimize the rise in unemployment, which has risen sharply since 2009 (BBC 2012a). Although the UK food and retail market itself has remained relatively stable because people need food, there have been marked shifts in consumer spending habits as consumers cut back and â€Å"trade down† from premium brands to supermarkets’ own branded labels, or even switch to cheaper rivals (Hall 2011). This is set against the context of rising raw material prices thanks to bad weather, the costs of which have been pushed onto the consumer. For example, according to the RPI (Poulter 2011), the average cost of a basket of â€Å"staple goods† has risen an average of 28% in real terms. It is also important to note this is closely linked to social issues such as changing consumer habits and a decline in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). In addition to these trends in the retail sector, considering performance of the sector over the past 40 years (See Figure 1), it is expected that there will be the lowest ever growth recorded for 2012 in UK’s retail sector history. The growth rate for 2012 is expected to remain 1.2 %, which is although higher than that of 2011’s growth rate (0.9 %) (SAS 2011). Figure 1: UK Retail Sector’s Growth Rates for Past 40 years (SAS 2011) Social For the UK food retail industry, it is fair to suggest that the recession and subsequent level of decreasing economic growth has caused consumers to become far more price conscious. They are demanding greater value for money and supermarkets are responding with aggressive price cuts and price wars in order to attract and retain customers (Wood 2011). As yet it is too early to determine

Basseri of Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Basseri of Iran - Research Paper Example The author analyzes the aforementioned aspects in a view of general concept of the Basseri tribal organization as an example of tribal chiefdom form. In the end, the conclusion is reached according to which the Basseri may be regarded as one of the vivid examples of this form of societal organization. Keywords: ethnography, nomadic societies, pastoralism, chiefdom, tribe, Basseri Basseri of Iran As the study of the social structure of the Basseri tribe by Barth (1961) is one of the classical examples of the research in the field of ethnography of nomadic peoples of Iran, it is instructive to closely analyze the modern state of the Basseri people. In this essay, I will deal with the various aspects of social life of the Basseri, focusing on their subsistence patterns, but paying appropriate attention to their kinship practices, social and political organization. Accordingly, the essay will be divided into four sections in which the relevant aspects will be analyzed. My basic argument with regard to the Basseri is that they represent a stage of development transitional between the primitive lineage form and more developed chiefdom organization, which is itself a necessary prerequisite to the fully stratified society, and the organization of the essay will reflect that argument. Subsistence Mode The traditional mode of subsistence of the Basseri strongly depends on the use of extensive pastures, as the pastoral produce is the most important component in the maintenance of their socio-economic structure. Their socioeconomic structure evolved on the basis of limitations and opportunities provided by the climate and ecological conditions of South Iran; therefore, their economy is strongly dependent on following the patterns of natural changes. As Cohen (1976) observed, the subsistence of the Basseri nomadic community is generally derived from their herds of sheep and goats, while the use of dairy products and the meat obtained through market exchange with the surroun ding populations complement it (p. 276). The Basseri also use the other domesticated animals, including horses, dogs, donkeys and camels, but they do not play direct role in the subsistence of the tribe. The migratory patterns of the tribe are especially interesting from the point of view of the researcher. According to Barth (1961), the forced sedentarization of the Basseri under the reign of Reza Shah led to the decline of their economic life, and it was only after 1941 that they returned to their traditional migratory practices (p. 3). The traditional territories of the Basseri lie in the hot and arid lands near the Persian Gulf, encompassing both salty deserts of Larestan at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 ft. and the mountainous areas near Kuh-i-Bul, with the highest altitude of 13,000 ft. (Barth, 1961, p. 3). The diversity of this terrain forces the Basseri to undergo seasonal migration so as to provide subsistence to their flocks of sheep and goats. According to Cohen (1976), th e area of the tribe’s migration stretches from the southwestern part of the Iranian Plateau to the coast of Persian Gulf, going through the Zagros Mountains (p. 276). With the beginning of the summer, the Basseri begin their coordinated movement from the lands adjacent to the Gulf to the territories of their winter pastures, where the climate allows the flocks of their

Sexuality and Teen Pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexuality and Teen Pregnancy - Essay Example I would understand her need for autonomy but would also make her understand that autonomy does not mean engaging in dangerous activities that would risk her future prospects. The concept of teenage pregnancies has always been considered as undesirable in all ages (Holgate, Evans & Yuen, 2006). Actually, the teenagers are pressurized from the society to bring out their sexualities and develop relationships at an age when they have not yet completed their education and are unemployed. Big credit goes to the mass media which has arose feelings of sexuality in teenagers through advertisements and shows that the teenagers see and fantasize ignoring the fact they are too young for it. The sexual urges cover themselves under the name of love and as a result a total demoralization of the society occurs when teenagers make each other sexual objects rather than citizens. Apart from the risk of pregnancy, another important physical issue that is involved in teenage sexual relationship is regard ing the sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS (Talashek, Norr & Dancy, 2003, p.207). It is such a dreadful disease that is not curable, so why should a teenager like Sally take such a big risk? There are mental issues involved in teenage pregnancies too. Getting pregnant would be a total disaster of Sally’s personality if she wanted to step ahead in her educational career. Wilson and Huntington (2006) have discussed in their study how the passing decades have stigmatized the teenage pregnant mothers and what negative social outcomes they suffer from that make them undergo social exclusion and reduced opportunities in education, training and employment.

The Creation of Identity through Retail Design and Technology Dissertation

The Creation of Identity through Retail Design and Technology - Dissertation Example When looking at retail shop designs and technology, it can be seen that there is a specific focus on influencing the brand in a positive or negative manner. When the designs and technology are incorporated into the brand to show a sense of identity and the correct qualities, then it makes a difference in how consumers respond to the main trends. More important, there is the ability to create more relationships between the brand, consumer and overall identity of specific components that are a part of the retail store. The purpose of this research study will be to define how the retail design affects brand and how it creates specific associations with those that are interested in a specific product. The first definition provided will be based on creating an understanding of design and how it reflects brand as well as identity. There will then be an analysis which is based on the online and technological aspects of design and a store, such as the framework used for design and the way in which the layout of a website store should reflect the physical presence. This will be followed by creating a unique identity through the use of retail designs, specifically by using colors, layouts and other aspects to show what the store offers.

Drug Usage Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drug Usage - Article Example Marconova is also one such offshore company that is concerned about the health and drug usage among employees of Heerema Marine Contractors. Marconova is handling its first project on Heerema Marine Contractors, so it wants to take extreme care of the fact that employees work efficiently. Marconova had conducted similar kind of test last year on the employees of Heerma Marine Contractors, which were conducted at three different locations and included all employees working under Heerma Marine Contractors. Marconova has an experienced team of doctors and nurses, who offer their services worldwide. They are usually responsible to conduct test and present reports and suggestions to the employees. The person who is responsible for testing makes an announcement one hour before the test and then urine samples of the employees are taken for the test. These tests try to find out the usage of drugs and narcotics among employees. Drug usage develops addiction of the substance used, and the empl oyee or individual is forced to use the substance again and again. This addiction is very problematic for the employees as they lose control of their self. It also deviate attention from the work and reduces the effectiveness of employees. It is important to note that the drug usage among people and employees have been increasing significantly in past few years. It is important that the problem is assessed and strict measures are taken in order to prevent future problems. According to the results of the test taken by Marconova, 2% of the samples were found positive, showing usage of drugs. It is learned that one of the causes of Exxon oil spill is the usage of drugs by its employees, which led to negligence of different operational aspect.

Self Disclosure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self Disclosure - Essay Example Self disclosure is a major decision on the part of the personal as its sharing is liable to make the person vulnerable. There are different types of situation that may warrant self disclosure of confidential information. According to Fisher, an eminent psychologist, 'Pick someone you can trust... Try to gain enough understanding and objectivity that you can then develop a strategy for further disclosure" (Fisher, 1994). The most important is the sharing of intimate details of one's personal health and family history with the physician or doctors or counselors who need the information to diagnose the medical illness. Patients afflicted with HIV/AIDS, mental illnesses, substance abuse and other sexual diseases, generally do not prefer to share this information with heir friends and relatives for fear of being treated as social pariahs. The social stigmas attached with the diseases makes people wary of sharing this vital information which is not only dangerous for the person concerned b ut it also threatens the well being of the people associated with it. It is therefore, important that such people disclose this information with their friends so that both of them can take appropriate precautions while maintaining their relationship. Another area where self disclosure becomes important is the marriage or part... But it is equally true that self disclosure is not risk proof and may become counter productive and adversely effect the relations. But overall, self disclosure, within the marital relationship, is considered to be a bonding factor and encourages trust building that helps overcome their differences. The advent of internet has redefined the communication and has become one the most powerful tools of information. While easy access to information through internet has been hailed as the most radical process of dissemination of information, the lack of effective control over the same has become a cause of great concern with the increasing cases of variety of cyber crimes. Identity theft and identity fraud are cyber crimes that have serious repercussions on the society as people's identity and their confidential information is used by the cyber criminal to committed different types of illegal activities. Hence, discretion is self disclosure is advisable. Conclusion One can therefore conclude that self disclosure that leads to sharing of personal information amongst the friends and acquaintances is not always a straight option and might involve huge adverse ramifications for the person. The self disclosure of confidential information makes people susceptible to blackmail by vested interests and people must use their discretion and divulge information that is necessary and pertains to the issue in question. Reference Fisher, D. (1994). A psychiatrist's gradual disclosure. New York State, Office of Mental Health, OMH News, 6(9), 16. Available from: [Accessed 19 February,

The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay Example for Free

The Carbonated Soft Drink Industry Essay The first drinkable â€Å"man-made† carbonated water was created by â€Å"British chemist, Dr. Joseph Priestley, in 1767. † â€Å"German-Swiss jeweler, Jacob Schweppe, was the first large-scale commercial producer of carbonated waters, and is often referred to as the father of the soft drink industry. The first known US manufacturer of soda water, as it was then known, was Yale University chemist Benjamin Silliman in 1807, though Joseph Hawkins of Baltimore secured the first US patent for the equipment to produce the drink two years later. † Pharmacies nationwide around the 1820s provided the beverage as â€Å"a remedy for the various ailments, especially digestive. †1 As sugar and flavorings were added customers increasingly consumed them for refreshments, although they were still being sold for their therapeutic value. In the late 1800s, several brands emerged that are still popular to this day. â€Å"Pharmacists experimenting at local soda fountains invented Hires Root Beer in Philadelphia in 1876, Dr. Pepper in Waco, Texas, in 1885, Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886, and Pepsi-Cola in New Bern, North Carolina, in 1893, among others. † Analysis of the Soft Drink Industry. â€Å"The carbonated soft drinks market includes standard and diet colas, fruit-flavored carbonates, mixers, energy drinks, and other carbonated soft drinks. † The global carbonated soft drinks â€Å"market grew by 0. 4% and generated total revenues of $146. 4 billion in 2006. Market consumption volumes increased with compound annual growth of 1. 3% to reach a total of 155. 4 billion liters in 2006. The performance of the market is forecast to accelerate slightly, with an anticipated compound annual growth of 0. 7% for the five-year period 2006-2011 expected to drive the market to a value of $151. 4 billion by the end of 2011. †4 â€Å"The global carbonated soft drinks market was close to stagnation during the 2002-2006 period, as poor revenue performance in lucrative but mature markets, such as the US and Japan, were only partially outweighed by dynamic growth in markets such as China. Similar behavior is expected going forward to 2011. †4 Of all the various carbonated drinks offered in the market today, â€Å"the standard cola segment was the largest in 2006, with total sales of 67. 6 billion liters, equivalent to 43. 5% of the market’s overall volume. The fruit flavored carbonates segment contributed to a further 34 billion liters in 2006, equating to 21.9% of the market’s aggregate volume. Brazil Canada, Mexico and the US form the most lucrative market for carbonated soft drinks, generating 58. 5% of the global revenues; Europe accounts for 31% of the global market value. †4 â€Å"Players in this market may opt for an integrated business, in which they sell ready-to-consume drinks to retailers, or they may adopt a business model in which they sell raw materials, syrups, to a network of bottling companies, which may be independent or owned to some extent by the players. †4 A Five-Forces Analysis of the Soft Drinks Industry Revenues are extremely concentrated in this industry. The main players in this industry are the Coca-Cola Co. , PepsiCo Inc. and Cadbury-Schweppes. â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company is the global market leader, with sales equating 47. 1% of the market volume. PepsiCo. Inc. is a significant competitor, with a 22% market share by volume [and Cadbury-Schweppes accounts for 8. 8% of the total market share by volume. ]†4 There is a tough competition between the existing companies in the industry and a moderate degree of rivalry. The inputs for the soft drink industry are primarily sugar and packaging. These can be purchased from many sources on the open market. Aspartame, an important ingredient, â€Å"[is] available from only one or two viable companies upstream. † However, there are substitutes, like saccharine, available in case the price for aspartame goes high. In case sugar becomes too expensive, the firms could easily switch to corn syrup, as they did in the early 1980s. Hence, supplier power is moderate. For more than a decade the soft drink industry has sold their products to their consumers through five principal channels: supermarkets/hypermarkets, mass merchandiser, fountain, vending machines and convenient stores/gas stations. Supermarkets/Hypermarkets are principal customers for the soft drink industry. They do not have much bargaining power due to their tremendous degree of fragmentation. Their only power is control over shelf space that can be allocated to the various products; this power does give them some control over profitability. However, consumers expect to pay less through this channel, as a result of which prices are usually lower, resulting in a somewhat lower profitability. National mass merchandising chains such as Wal Mart have a higher bargaining power. Due to their scale and the magnitude of their contracts they can negotiate more effectively. As a result of which they are not very profitable for the players of the soft drink industry. The least profitable channel for soft drinks is fountain sales. Profitability at these locations are so abysmal that they are considered to be â€Å"paid sampling† by the soft drinks industry. However, these channels are considered to be important as an avenue to build brand recognition and loyalty. â€Å"While fast food chains make 75% gross margin on fountain drinks, the soft drink industry only makes 5% margin. † Vending machines are considered to be the most profitable channel for the soft drink industry. There are no buyers to bargain with at these locations, players of the soft drink industry directly sell their products to consumers through machines owned by bottlers. Prices at vending machines are usually high. The final channel to consider is convenience stores/gas stations. The players of the soft drink industry directly negotiate with the owners of these channels. Profitability for players is relatively high and the â€Å"retailers at these channels vary proportionately. Consumers are likely to be strongly influenced by brand, and this weakens buyer power: retailers need to stock brands popular with consumers, even if these are more expensive. †6 The only buyers with dominant power are fast food outlets. Despite this, they only account for about 20% of the total soft drink sales. Overall, the buyer power is moderate. Through the early 1960s, soft drinks were synonymous with â€Å"colas† in the mind of consumers. Over time, however, other beverages, from bottled water to teas, have become more popular. There are also other substitutes for soft drinks, like alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, energy drinks, vitamin waters and coffee. Leading players like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have responded by expanding their product offerings through alliances (e. g. Coca-Cola and Nestea), acquisitions (e. g. Coca-Cola and Minute Maid), and internal product innovation (e. g. PepsiCo created Orange Slice), thus capturing the value of increasingly popular substitutes internally. Despite all this, â€Å"in several countries consumer health concerns over the high-sugar content of many soft drinks is causing a decline in sale. † In order to tackle this problem, â€Å"leading manufacturers are developing their product ranges accordingly. † For example, Coca-Cola responded by introducing Coke Zero, which is â€Å"sugar-free. † The demand for the product has grown steadily since it was introduced in 2005. Overall, the threat from substitutes is moderate. It is possible for a new player to enter the soft drink industry as â€Å"an entirely new start-up, or as an existing company diversifying into carbonated soft drinks manufacturing. However, the new player would have to overcome the tremendous marketing muscle and market presence†4 of leading players like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and few others who have established brand names that are as much as a century old. These players have maintained strong relationships with their retail channels and would be able to defend their positions effectively through discounting or other tactics. Overall, there is a weak likelihood of new entrants. The Coca-Cola Company There are few companies, if any, across the world with more recognizable brand names than Coca Cola. The name in itself is likely worth far more than the total assets held by Coca Cola, Inc. Coca-Cola Company is involved in marketing, manufacturing, and distributing nonalcoholic beverages as well as their syrups and concentrates across the world. They offer a vast array of bottled and canned beverages. The company is mainly involved in carbonated beverages, known as soda as well as a myriad of other names, but also produces noncarbonated beverages such as juice, energy drinks, ready-to-drink coffee and tea, water, and flavored water. Completed beverage products are sold mainly to distributors, while their concentrates and syrups may be sold to bottling and canning operations, and fountain wholesalers and retailers as well as distributors. Coca-Cola Company, which is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, was founded in 1886. They have 90,500 employees world-wide. Coca-Cola’s Business Strategies Ever since its advent, Coca-Cola’s strategies have been winning ones. The history of Coca-Cola reveals how national markets in soft-drink brands developed. â€Å"Asa Candler, [founder of Coca-Cola,] underestimated the importance of the bottling side of the business and in 1899 sold the national rights to bottle Coke for a fairly small sum to Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, who then started a national network of bottlers, creating the basic franchising format by which the industry is still run. †3 One of the main reasons Coca-Cola licensed bottlers to mix the product, package, and distribute it within a specific territory, was to limit the cost of transportation. Today, this model of selling syrups to bottlers who then mix the product, package, and distribute it, is widely used by almost every soft drink industry in the world. In the long run, this complete alignment of Coca Cola and its bottlers has proved to be a winning strategy. Coca-Cola is a brand name that’s known widely throughout the globe. The company has a competitive advantage based on differentiation over other soft drink industries. They are able to set prices at the industry average and gain market share since their customers are willing to choose their products over their competitors. Coca-Cola has been successful at retaining their differentiation position by satisfying their customers’ needs, although this resulted in some higher costs in some of their value chain activities. For example, when Coca-Cola realized that their customers were looking for drinks other than just â€Å"cola† they responded by expanding their product offerings by introducing several different types of carbonated drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks and bottled water, tea and coffee. Some of these were organically started while others were started via acquisitions and alliances. Today, Coca-Cola sells more than 400 brands in 200 countries. The strategy has greatly improved Coke’s competitive position. The other factors that help them retain their differentiation position are: their premium brand image, their products are considered to be of high quality and they are easily accessible. In the 1980s and early 1990s, then CEO Roberto Goizueta built an international expansion strategy around the central brand—Coca-Cola. Today the company is well positioned in key emerging markets such as China, Brazil, Russia, Turkey and Argentina. In 2007, these emerging markets recorded strong double digit growth in volumes. It looks like Coca-Cola will continue to benefit from the underlying growth in the consumption of soft drinks in these markets. Coca-Cola’s strategies have definitely helped them achieve their goals in being the leading beverage company in the world. They were ranked number 1 in the â€Å"Ranking for the Food Beverage Industry categories of Best EthicalQuote Progress and Best Reported Performance in Geneva-based Covalence’s Ethical Ranking 2007. † They also ranked number one in sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas. Coca-Colas strategies, besides helping them achieve the number 1 rank in the beverage industry has also helped them achieve their financial goals, despite cut-throat rivalry with other beverage companies, as we can see from the table below. Their most competitive competitor is Pepsico, Inc. Pepsico, Inc. ’s beverage division is involved in more or less the same activities as Coca-Cola Company—manufacturing, marketing, and selling beverage concentrates, syrups, and finished products including carbonated beverages, energy drinks, water, and juices. The major difference between Coca-Cola and Pepsico is that Pepsico also has a huge snack division. Despite Pepsi’s strong portfolio, Business-Week and Interbrand, a bran ding consultancy, recognizes Coca-Cola as the leading brands in their top 100 global brands ranking in 2006. They valued Coca-Cola at $67,000 which was well ahead of Pepsi which has a ranking of 22 having a brand value of $12,690 million. Coca-Cola’s strategies have helped the company hold the title as the leading beverage company in the world and also maintain a very strong financial portfolio. According to the 2007 annual report for Coca-Cola, obtained from their website, the company’s earnings per share growth for the year alone was 19%. Other impressive growth rates include their net operating income and revenue growth of 20% and 15%. Source: www. coca-cola. com From the above table we can see that Coca-Cola’s revenues, net income and assets have grown over the years. Their profit margin for 2007 however is lower than that of 2006. A profit margin of 20. 7% means that, Coca-Cola has a net income of $0. 207 for each dollar of sales. This also means that Coca-Cola has increased its net income in 2007 by diminishing profit margins. Although the difference in profit margins for 2006 and 2007 may appear to be small, it affects the company’s financial portfolio significantly. So, why is the leading company in the beverage industry, despite having a stellar performance facing a decrease in their profit margin? To help us answer this we will look closely at the company’s various resources and capabilities with the help of a SWOT Analysis. SWOT Analysis Although Coca-Cola’s â€Å"strong band value facilitates customer recall and allows Coca-Cola to penetrate markets, the company is threatened by intense competition which could have an adverse impact on the company’s market share. †8 SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that helps in evaluating the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a company. The SWOT analysis deals with the firm’s internal characteristics: strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats presented by the external environment. StrengthsWeaknesses Leading brand in the beverage industry Increase in revenueNegative performance in North America Decline in profit margin OpportunitiesThreats Room to grow Aging of baby boomersFierce competition Slow growth of carbonated beverages Strengths. Leading brand in the beverage industry Coca-cola is the world’s leading brand in the beverage industry. There are not many products that have a recognizable brand name as Coca-Cola. â€Å"The company has a leading brand value and a strong brand portfolio. †8 They have been recognized as the leading industry by many national magazines and have been honored with awards in different categories. â€Å"Furthermore, Coca-Cola owns a large portfolio of product brand. The company owns four of the top five soft drink brands in the world: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta. †8 Coca-Cola’s brand name is their key differentiator from that of the company’s competitors; this has helped the company beat their competitors in the market place. Their strong brand image has helped them introduce new products in the market like, Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, etc. The company has also been able to â€Å"make large investments in brand promotions. The company’s strong brand value facilitates customer recall and allows Coca-Cola to penetrate new markets and consolidate existing ones. † 8 Increase in revenue In 2007, Coca-Cola recorded total revenues of $28. 86 billion, an increase of 20% from 2006. Three segments (Latin America, Eurasia and Bottling Investments) of the company experienced double digit growths in their revenues from 2006. Both Latin American and Eurasia grew by 24% each during fiscal 2007, over 2006. During the same period, revenues for bottling investments grew by 53%. Together, the three segments of Latin America, Eurasia and bottling investments, accounted for more than 35% of the total revenues during fiscal 2007. â€Å"Revenues growth in [these three sections] contributed to top-line growth for Coca-Cola during 2007. † 8 Weaknesses Negative performance in North America While Coca-Cola had robust revenue growth in some of their business sections they had a negative 1% unit case volume growth in one of their business section—North America. The performance overall in this section was not as expected, they had a 1% increase in their operating income and a moderate 11% increase in their revenues. North America is one of Coca-Cola’s core markets generating 25% of total revenues during fiscal 2007. Hence, â€Å"a strong performance in North America is important for the company. † 8 This slow and negative performance in North America can â€Å"impact the company’s future growth prospects and prevent Coca-Cola from recording a more robust top-line growth. † 8 Decline in profit margin Despite having an overall increase in revenue of 20% for fiscal 2007, from 2006, Coca-Cola’s profit margin for the period was 20. 7%, a decrease of 3. 4% from 2006. We can tell from this that looking at the earnings of a company often doesnt tell the entire story. Increased earnings are good, but an increase does not necessarily mean that the profit margin of a company is improving. We can see in this case, that Coca-Cola had a lower profit margin from 2006 despite having higher revenues and income for 2007. This only means that Coca-Cola had costs that have increased at a greater rate than their sales; thus leading to a lower profit margin. This is an indication that costs need to be under better control. Opportunities Room to grow According to Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Coca-Cola Company, â€Å"Consumer spending for nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages is growing at 6-plus percent per year—the highest among consumer packaged goods. †7 Coca-Cola’s international market is thriving, led by double digit growth in developed markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China. Latin America was the second most profitable operating group for Coca-Cola in 2007. The company is looking forward â€Å"to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; [they] are strategically investing in [their] infrastructure and route to market to connect [their] brands with consumers in the Pacific operating group. [The company’s] balanced portfolio, geographic diversity and changing global demographics position [them] well to continue growing [their] business. †7 Aging of baby boomers The aging of the baby boomers, which includes US citizens born between 1946 and 1964, began crossing the 60-years mark in 2007. â€Å"Most of the 78. 2 million strong baby boomer generations will turn 60 in the next two decades. †9 This is likely to increase the sales of â€Å"health-related goods and services on a US-wide basis. †7 This generation of baby boomers will provide Coca-Cola the opportunity to market its Minute Maid rage of fruit juices and juice drinks, particularly those rich in vitamins.

The Forms Of Femininity In Shakespeare English Literature Essay

The Forms Of Femininity In Shakespeare English Literature Essay Many modern critics claim that Shakespeare was a pioneering feminist. Shapiro claimed that Shakespeare was the noblest feminist of them all (Shapiro,1994,p111). Whilst this claim is supported by various Shakespearean works, this essay will consider that whilst his works can be interpreted as displaying feminist attitudes, whether these females are punished for displaying this transgressive behaviour. Over the centuries various empires and societies, such as classical Rome and ancient Egypt, were been built upon the foundation of a patriarchal society. These societies were sustained through the oppression of women, as they were continually treated as second class citizens, which pushed women towards acts of rebellion when they felt particularly mistreated. These settings therefore made an excellent backdrop for Shakespeare to project the attitudes of a male-dominated seventeenth century society. This technique occurs throughout Shakespeares plays, but is particularly evident in Titus Andronicus, where Tamora is motivated to act against a patriarchal society by the restrictions that she is forced to adhere to. Her actions are then punished by further repression, depicting the infectiveness of her actions against the dominant patriarchal order. Antony and Cleopatra also illustrates this battle of femininity against a patriarchal society, using Romans once again to represent the domineering male force. Shakespeare allows both Antony and Cleopatra to break free from their stereotypical roles by inverting their genders, to create two characters that possess traits from both sexes; so they refuse to fit into their traditional roles. Lastly I will look at Gertrude in the Hamlet, where Shakespeare depicts the effects of one womans transgressive actions on the patriarchal order. To appreciate why the actions of women in these plays are so subversive, and to comprehend the reactions of the male characters in the plays, it is vital to understand the position of women in Shakespeares society. Despite that both of Shakespeares plays were not set in the seventeenth century, his depiction of women would have been influenced by the society in which he lived. The general view was that there was a hierarchy of genders, with males at the top, in Miltons words Not equal, as their sex not equal seemed (Milton, 2008, p41). Society established woman as weaker, inferior and in need of masculine guidance and this was voiced as firmly by women, as by men (Keeble,1994,106). This essay will portray how the female characters transgressed from their stereotypical roles, and consider how and more intriguingly, why, these characters were punished for their perceived transgression. Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra is believed to have been written in 1606 after a distinguished sequence of tragedies including Othello, King Lear and Macbeth (Farrell, 2004, p23). Shakespeare uses the play to consider the effects of a patriarchal society, and skilfully inverts gender roles so that it is the male, Antony, that is the victim. The patriarchal society of Rome expects Antony to only display his masculinity, and not to succumb to feminine qualities such as passion, feelings and love. When he develops a powerful love for Cleopatra, Antony is no longer able to abide by the stifling society, where the role of lover is considered inferior to a mans political responsibilities. The opening lines of the play demonstrates the rising disapproval of Antonys unconventional, or feminine, behaviour which is not confined within the measure of patriarchy, Nay but this dotage of our Generals / Oerflows the measure (Shakespeare, 2001,1.1.56). The males view Antonys dedication to Cleopatra as disgraceful, His captains heart become the bellows and the fan / To cool a gipsys lust (Shakespeare, 2001, 1.1.22). Antony also occasionally judges himself by these standards of patriarchy, such as at the end of the play where he is miserable and shamed by his reduced political power. He then becomes envious and irrational and claims that Cleopatra has emasculated him, O thy vile lady, / She has robbed me of my sword (Shakespeare, 2001, 4.14.2). Eventually Antony chooses love over political power, as Antony is not debased by his loss of power, but rather, through his love of Cleopatra develops a stronger sense of manhood, ran alternative masculinity(Woodbridge,1994,p34). However the reaction of the males within the Roman society shows that this feminine transgression is not suitable for a male in a patriarchal society. Whilst Antony displays feminine characteristics, Cleopatra transgresses her female role by exhibiting masculine virtues to counterbalance Antony and provide a relationship of surprising equality. Cleopatra, and the relationship, does not abide by the restrictions of a seventeenth century, patriarchal society. Their relationship blurs the roles of male and female by inverting gender roles, Cleopatra embraces masculine features, as Woodbridge states, Antony and Cleopatra can cross gender boundaries without losing their sex roles as man or woman (Woodbridge,1994,p45). This gender inversion is physically depicted in the scene where Cleopatra, wore his sword Philipan(Shakespeare, 2001, 2.5.30), this displays how Shakespeare clearly identifies masculine qualities within a female. Unlike many of Shakespeares female characters, Cleopatra dominates the play in terms of individual presence and theme. Also Shakespeare provided the audience with a real woman, as opposed to a stereotype, Velma Ri chmond claims further that in Cleopatra we can find Shakespeares finest embracing of the feminine(Richmond, 1991, p139). Cleopatra is a mixture of political prowess and sexual power; however this sexuality is condemned by the males in the play as she is referred to as a whore (Shakespeare, 2001, 1.1.1.32) and a strumpet (Shakespeare, 2001, 1.1.1.32) throughout the play. However this sexual power is presented positively on occasion, such as Enorbarbuss description of her: Age cannot wither her,   Nor custom stale her infinite variety. Other women cloy   The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry Where most she satisfies. For vilest things   Become themselves in her, that the holy priests Bless she is riggish. (Shakespeare, 2001, 2.2.43). Cleopatra declines to obey to the stereotype of a woman created by a patriarchal society, and uses her natural sexuality to gain power rather than allow it to be detrimental to her character. She also is intent on accomplishing a political role, despite the objections of the patriarchal men. This is clearly depicted when Enoebarbus attempts to stop her from carrying out her political role, and Cleopatra responds in a furious tirade: A charge we bear ithwar, And as the president of my kingdom will Appear there for a man. Speak not against it. I will not stay behind (Shakespeare, 3.4.44) Cleopatra therefore forces her admittance into the male arena against the wishes of the patriarchal society. Obedience and silence were very much part of the patriarchal conception of femininity, a conception of which Cleopatra refuses to adhere to. She contrasts the traditional silent woman; Cleopatra ensures that her voice is heard. She mocks Antony and quarrels with him. Challenging him with a masculine aggression when they argue I would I had thine inches. Thou shouldst know/ There were a heart in Egypt(Shakespeare, 2001, 1.3.10). Spirited and passionate, such displays of assertion as her physical attack on the messenger informing her of Antonys marriage to Octavia are a far cry from the passive silent role of the feminine in patriarchal society. In passionate disbelief and anger, she draws a knife on the messenger and strikes him with her bare hands. Charmian tries to appease her by telling her Good madam keep yourself within yourself (Shakespeare, 2001, 2.5.55), but Cleopatra e scapes the bounds of self-composure and the repression of self-hood. Shakespeare uses Cleopatras death to portray her final act of disobedience against the patriarchal society, as she emphasizes her individual identity. Her death develops into a victory over Caesar, who symbolises patriarchal Rome, as when the guard is confronted with the sight of her death he exclaims Caesars beguiled(Shakespeare, 2001, 5.2.33). Cleopatras death allows her to rise above the repression of society; she embraces her death as positive rather than with sadness: My desolation does begin to make a better life . . . And it is great   To do that thing that ends all other deeds, Which shackles accidents and bolts up change (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.2.76) Even in death Cleopatra merges both feminine and masculine features, as she declares to take on male qualities of rationality and strength, I have nothing of woman in me. Now from head to foot/ I am marble constant (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.1.22). She chooses to reject the traditional feminine qualities of water and the changeability of the moon (Ott,2001,p21) and changes herself into air and fire (Shakespeare,2001, 5.1.43). Therefore she embraces masculinity and Rome by dying in the True Roman fashion (Ott,2001,p20). However Shakespeare is also able to illustrate her portrayal of the power of womanhood, by adapting the image of death into a portrait of sensuality and motherhood. The pain that she suffers is described as a lovers pinch (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.1.10) and the asp is depicted as a baby at my breast/That sucks the nurse asleep (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.1.9). Her death is so poignant that even Caesar, the symbol of patriarchy, acknowledges her valour and the irrefutable dignity of the woman who Took her own way (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.1.68). This representation of womanhood shows how Cleopatra transcends the stereotype of women in Shakespeares time. Despite that she meets her death at the end of the play; Shakespeare ensures that her mixture of masculine and femininity is ultimately respected by Caesar. She escapes punishment for displaying masculine traits, and hence transgressing her role of female, by having the power to take her own life. The respect shown by Caesar is perhaps Shakespeares own view, that this woman, who refuses to abide by the role that a patriarchal society has given her, should be admired. The description throughout the play of Cleopatra shows her in a strong and positive light In Titus Andronicus, the character Tamora does not abide by the role of a proper woman in a seventeenth century society. Tamora feels as though she has been ill-treated and repressed by the acts of a patriarchal society. Her actions in the play are an attempt to gain some kind of equality, however ultimately she meets her death as a consequence, perhaps proving the futility of such resistance in a male dominated landscape. The death of Tamoras son Arlarbus, we have performed/Our Roman rites: Alarbus limbs are lopped/And entrails feed the sacrificing fire (Shakespeare, 2001, 1.1.145) serves as the basis of the plot, as Tamora plots her revenge on Titus for this act of barbarity. However Tamora must establish herself within the patriarchal society to gain the necessary power to exact her revenge. This movement corresponds to the masculinisation of her character; as Lavinia says to her O Tamora, thou bearest a womans face, before being interrupted (Shakespeare, 2001. 2.2.135). This disruption of normative gender traits in part relates to the threat Tamora poses as a sexually experienced woman, compared to the submissive Lavinia. This factor, combined with her visibly feminine position as a mother, leads Titus to form his unique, cannibalistic strategy for revenge. The insult that Lavinia throws at Tamora is based upon the presumption of a binary system (Ott, 2001, p77). Lavinia is the obvious stereotypica l female; this is evident from the beginning of the play where she is the victim of a patriarchal struggle and the bargaining chip (Ott, 2001, p77) in a matrimonial dispute. Tamora contrasts Lavinia, in that she possesses the sexuality and body of a woman, but as revenge consumes her she abandons the restrictions placed upon her and transgresses her feminine role. Tamora and Lavinia serve as polar opposite representations of women, the active Tamora and the passive Lavinia. Shakespeare effectively gives a platform to question gender identity within the play: When agreed-upon identities or agreed-upon dialogic structures, through which already established identities are communicated, no longer constitute the theme or subject of politics, then identities can come into being and dissolve depending on the concrete practices that constitute them (Butler,2004, p28) This is relatable to Tamora as her character is a stereotypical woman that has been unhinged by her vengeful actions. The obedient identities, which come into being and dissolve(Butler, 2004,p28), rely upon the supposition of other characters; most strongly in the character of Tamora, as the volatile nature of her character is shown to be based upon her visual female features, and the performative expectations set upon her as a woman. According to Butlers theory the continuing violence and vengeance compromise the concrete practices that create identity. The incessant compliance to the female role shown by Lavinia, after her rape and maiming, seal her fate as she is killed by Titus at the end of the play. Whilst Tamoras choice to refuse the female role ensures that she meets a similarly grisly fate. Shakespeare uses both female characters as bodies on which he can project the power of a patriarchal society upon, as Tamoras rejection of it is contrasted to Lavinias acceptance of it. Tamoras clearest rejection of the patriarchal society is her sexual freedom, as Renaissance society viewed women as possessed of a powerful, potentially disruptive sexuality (Henderson, 1985, p66). An example of this disruptive power is when she gives birth to a child fathered by Aaron, the child is described as as loathsome as a toad/Amongst the fair-faced breeders of our clime, (Shakespeare, 2001, 4.2.59). This suggests that the child has a mixed ethnicity; her transgressive actions are damned by the patriarchal society: DEMETRIUS: By this our mother is for ever shamed. CHIRON: Rome will despise her for this foul escape. NURSE: The emperor in his rage will doom her death. (Shakespeare, 2001, 4.2.111) Society may have had a different reaction if Saturninus had been culpable of having a secret child, however as Tamora has shown her sexual freedom through her actions, she will be condemned. Her promiscuity marks her as a threat to the male controlled society as it signifies that she will not allow a man, or society to control her. Her control over men is demonstrated repeatedly as she manipulates Saturninus, Aaron and her sons. Her affair with Aaron is a direct attack against the oppression the Romans would attempt to force on her. Tamoras reaction to her newborn son is a fascinating example of female independence; she realizes the danger that giving birth to a mixed race, bastard child will place her in and she refuses to be caught in this trap. Tamora instead opts to save herself, by sacrificing her child, The empress sends it thee, thy stamp, thy seal/ And bids thee christen it with thy daggers point (Shakespeare, 2001,4.2.61); while this action seems cruel and heartless it is st ill a self-governing move. Women were expected to be wives and mothers, and a womans child should be her most cherished possession In Titus Andronicus Shakespeare uses both of the main females bodies as physical metaphors for the dominance of males in society. Lavinias body is used as an inscriptive site; Titus asks Saturninus Was it well done of rash Virginius/To slay his own daughter with his own right hand/Because she was enforced, stained and deflowered? (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.3.25) before carrying out the duty of Roman patriarchy. The laws of men are written upon Lavinia, with her stumps, disfigured mouth and knife wounds. Tamoras body effectively transforms into a vessel, as when she dies her stomach is filled with her sons remains, the punishment that Titus finds compulsory for transgressing against the patriarchal law. Whilst Tamora is punished harshly for her transgression, Lavinia also suffers despite fulfilling her role. In Shakespeares Hamlet, there are two main female characters. Ophelia embodies femininity, as she obeys the patriarchal society that cares for her and flourishes within its strict boundaries. Gertrude juxtaposes Ophelia, as Shakespeare uses the same technique found in Titus Andronicus, whereby he uses Tamora and Lavinia as a binary pair to highlight the effect of patriarchy on both the passive and active. Gertrude is negating to the traditional standard of femininity, her rejection of her gender role eventually leads to the collapse of the patriarchal ordered power structure as well as her own demise. Ophelia is shown to be willing to comply to the patriarchal society, for example when Polonius instructs her not to see Hamlet anymore, she replies I shall obey, my lord, (Shakespeare, 2003, 1.3.139). Gertrude contrasts her attitude and defies the expectations of her role as a woman; she is not admired for her beauty, and most importantly she does not attempt to hide her sexuality. When she marries Claudius, Hamlet accuses her of living in in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed (Shakespeare, 2003, 3.5.91). Whilst Gertude may be hurt by these words, she does not deny his accusation. She recognises her identity and does not attempt to lie and conform to what society and Hamlet wants her to be. Gertrude shows more transgression from her feminine role as she rebels against religion by marrying her own brother as this was considered incestuous as Claudius marries his sometime sister. Gertrude is duly punished for her transgressive actions at the end of the play ,as she insists upon drinking poisoned wine despite her husband informing her do not drink(Shakespeare, 2003,5.3.122). It is fitting that her final act of defiance leads to her downfall. She falls dead, revealing Claudius plan and assuring his death. Her disobedience is responsible for causing the death of the king and the collapse of the patriarchal hierarchy. Because of her powerful political position, Gertrudes refusal of her prescribed role has grave consequences. The patriarchal nature of the social order emphasizes and rewards the obedience of women. Butlers theory can again be applied to Ophelia, as she commits suicide when she loses her father, as he is the source of both order and authority. Her identity dissolves when he is gone as his patriarchal views where the concrete in her life, and her personality. Gertrude meets her death as she refuses to bow to authority. She transgresses from her role as a woman by rejecting it and openly exuding her sexuality, similarly to both Tamora and Cleopatra, and is punished for her continued disobedience when she accidentally poisoned. Shakespeares punishment of female transgression is a complex subject to surmise. Whilst the three transgressive female characters in the three plays all meet their death, and hence can be considered to be punished by Shakespeare for transgressing their feminine role, it is not that black and white. Cleopatras death differs from both Tamora and Gertrudes death as she retains the power that she exhibits throughout the play, by taking her own life. Whilst Tamora and Gertrude are punished for transgressing their female role, Cleopatra escapes this fate Caesar, and shows respect for the woman who Took her own way (Shakespeare, 2001, 5.1.68). This could be construed as Shakespeare implying that women should not be chastised for not conforming to the standard female role, but instead be respected. This creates an intriguing dilemma when reading Hamlet and Titus Andronicus as Tamora and Gertrude deaths are not of their own will, and it can be interpreted is their punishment by society for th eir overt sexuality and disobedience to the patriarchal order. However both women are joined in death by their polar opposites in Ophelia and Lavinia, two women who complied implicitly with the rules of society, and fulfilled their expected role. This essay has considered that by applying Butlers theory, it can be concluded it is because of Tamora and Gertrudes transgression that women who obey society are harmed when it is brought down by others. This makes the two women culpable for their deaths, and adds another dimension to the debate as these women have been punished, yet they did not transgress from their prescribed role. This leads me to conclude that whilst some critics may laud Shakespeare as the first feminist, his ultimate stance is one of confusion. Whilst Cleopatra is presented as a woman able to embody both male and female attributes, she ultimately dies, even though it is by her own hand. Tamora and Gertrude also meet their death for transgressing their role; hence my conclusion is that Shakespeare displays the punishment of these women to show that their society is not ready to accept a woman like Cleopatra who is shown to be equal to man, as seventeenth century society is still stuck in the same rigid, patria rchal power structure as depicted in ancient Egypt. His presentation of her is undeniably one of admiration, which leads me to conclude that his punishment of women, innocent or guilty of transgression, is a depiction of a society not yet ready for a trasngressive woman, equal to man and that in seventeenth century society Women who comply with the social order are lost without it; those who defy it can know no other fortune than to be lost within it( Dollimore, 2003, p211).

History And Pestel Analysis Of Russia Economics Essay

History And Pestel Analysis Of Russia Economics Essay This document is an overview of political, social, economical, legal and technological of Russia. The federation of Russian or Russia is the country which located in the north of Europe and Asia. It is considered as the bridge between those two continents. The country was found in the 12th century, in the history of this state, the country had been through different regime of politic, from Russia imperial era to the Soviet Union, post Soviet democratic till the federation of Russian today. The country shares borders with fourteen different states such as Norway, Finland, China, North Korea and so on. Russia also shares the marine border with America and Japan. It is the biggest country in the world with 17,075,400 square kilometres. Russia is one of the countries which are really rich in natural resources. Russia is the land of winter but it does not mean that they have snow all over the year. Russia has variety weather, depends on the region. It can be death cold in the far north to dramatically hot in the desert of the south part. In the country, there is only two distinguish weather which are winter and summer, the other two does not last for long and is not really well defined. The capital of Russia was named after the Moskva River which starts from East Europe and flows into the Russias central. The name Moscow was found by Goerge I, Yuri I Dolgorukiy in 1147. Even Russia is a big country; the population is just in the rank of 9th in the whole world with 141,927,297 people. In each region they have their own language but Russian is the official language of the winter land. People here follow dissimilar religion, even though there are four main religions which are Orthodox, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. The currency of Russia is Rouble. Comparing to other currency such as US dollar or Europe, this currency is currently not a strong one. The natural resources, agriculture and technology play an important part in the economy of this country with the estimation of GDP in 2010 is $15,807. The main partners in export are CIS, China, The US and Japan. According to the development of the economy, Russia is considered as the strongest growth amongst the developing countries. The living standard of Russian decreased after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it started to improve from 2007 and now it rank at 65. It is the result of the development in economy and politic strategy. The life expectancy for men is 59 years old and 73 years old for women. Furthermore, the culture side of this country is very comparable to others developed countries. Russia becomes a destination which attracts tourist and other social and culture activities with international scale such as the winter Olympic 2014 in Sochi which will contribute an important part in building up the image of the Russia. From all points of view, Russia is one of the strongest developing countries. With the policies which focus on attracting investors, on the near future, Russia will be on the list of new developed country. This is the main background of the country with some interesting fact of it, further on in this document; each sector will be discussed in detail. Reasons for Selection Russia is a developing country with rich in history and tradition. This country in this new century has lots of opportunities and challenges. It plays an important role in the social and political of the world. Russia is the member of different important organization in the world such as World health Organization (WHO), United Nation (UN), G8 and G20. This gives Russia a possibility to contribute as well as give out its opinions for the development of the world in term of social, health care, political and economic. In this report, I and my group mates chose Russia as our country for the international trade project is because of three main reasons. First of all, it is a big country with more than fourteen millions of population, this country have the policies in economic which are supportive for the national as well as the international investors. They update the policies bases on the development of their economic in order to facile and make Russias economy more attractive to investo rs. Further, looking to the growth of the business as well as their competitive currency, it is really a promises land for people who want to create wealth and business. Not to mention the fact that they have a big improvement in the economy despite all the natural disaster that happened during summer 2010 and the economy crisis that affects the economy and trade of countries all over the world. Below is the graph which shows the growth of GDP in Russia over years. Russia-GDP-Growth-Rate-Chart-000001.png From the graph we can see that even 2010 is not a successful year for Russias agriculture because of the weather and climate issue; the extension of GDP in the 3rd quarter of the year is at 2.7, which differentiate the country from others which play main roles in the economy. This figure is a strong proves for all the investors about Russias economy. Last but not least, Russia has an advantage of their geographical location. As being mentioned in the first part of this document. Russia is the connection between Europe and Asia. This is the advantage that not all the country can have. It enables Russia to trade easily with countries in Asia such as Japan, China and North Korea as well as other countries in the north of Europe and countries in the European Union. It brings good opportunities for Russia to exchange and gain experiences from the developed countries in Europe. It is an opportunity and also a challenge for this country. PESTLE Analysis: Political In 1993, after the crisis in the constitution of Russia and with the support from most part of the population, the 12th Dec 1993, Russia was officially became the federation of Russia with semi presidential republic. They keep going with the same regime until today. It is very important to have a constant regime and policy to attract more investors. It is also important to have the policies which provide more benefit and advantages for people who want to contribute or get into the business. The current president is Mr Dmitriy Medvedev and the prime Minister is Mr Vladimir Putin. According to Mr Putin, they do not want to have the copy of the USs political system. Russias government has it own system which closes to its convention and situation. The advantage of Russia is that it is consider as the country which will take charge of all the roles of the Soviet Union in different international organization. Russia continues the commitment of the USSR with United Nation Security Council and the seats of USSR in other international organization. Even though Russia is a federation but there is still the involvement between the main government and the region or local government. According to the Human Rights Watch, Russian citizens do not have freedom. Despite the fact that they have a very strong judicial system, the rate of prisoners in Russia is still high at 628 out of 100,000. It leads to the fact that the prison is not in the good condition and sometime over loaded. Russia has an open foreign relationship strategy. Until the year 2009, they have official relationship with 191 countries and 144 embassies. It is a good opportunity for the trade and economic of the country, not mention to the fact that Russia is playing a very important role in preserving peace and safety of the world. Another advantage of Russia is that they implemented the technology and the militaries force from the USSR. This country has the biggest store of nuclear weapon with the military which includes navy, ground force and air force. Russia is one of the countries with well developed and home-grown arms industry. They also have the plan of growing their military and put more invest on that until 2015. Russia is in the world first rank of producing and exporting weapons. They are not only producing enough for their own need but also for selling to 80 different countries around the world. It contributes a considerable part in the revenue of this country. The development of t echnology in military is also support to the position of Russia in the World. Under this regime and maintain the same foreign relationship policy play the major role in the stability and growth of the countrys economic. With the strong and peaceful relationship with others countries, it is push factor for Russia to expanse the economic as well as attract more and more investors from inside and outside of the country. The political side takes the main role in order to run the business of the whole country. It is the main feature to keep the stability of the social as well as the economic. The investor need to have the impression of safety and security as well as the space to growth inside the country in order to persuade them to invest in the country. Economic: The economics of Russia depends mainly on the natural resources. There are two major resources are oil and gas. This country has the GDP in the rank of 10th.biggest in the world. Russia is the country with the advantage of natual resources, the big area with the area for agricuture 4th largest in the world and a perfect location between Europe and Asia. Despite all the advantage that the country has, its economic is not comparable to other countries in Europe. It is because the growth of the economy of Russia is depending the price of the oil in the market. Russia-GDP-per-capitaConstant-Prices-Since-2000Chart-000001.png It is shown from the chart that the economy is growing instantly. The problem of Russias economic is that it is too dependent on the price of crude oil. In order to cope with this situation, the government need to have a conventional budget to deal with the productivity of the lalor. Along with that, they should have a reasonable tax system and a suitable monetary policy that make the ruble become the competive currency but also make sure the price is not to low. In order to have a strong economy situation, they also need to pay more attention on the education of the new generation. The change of the political regime and the economic system lead to the fact that they need more people with open minded, flexible and willing to learn and be active in the econmic. It is another weakness that make Russia position is lower than others european countries. Another challenges for Russias economy is that the process of tranforming from communism to free market was later than the other countries in the West. Russia got into the post industrial economic after other so that there is the gap between Russias economic growth compare to other developed countries . Russia is the country with resources, high technology and lobor. In order to fulfil the space between Russia and other contries, Russia need to have a policy that get them out of the Soviet Unions shadow. They need to chose the right market for their product. Social: From 1990, with the changes in the regime of politic, the society stepped forward. They convert from a society with autocratic structure to a society with democratic character. This change enlarges the gap between the poor and the rich people in the society. Even there is no obvious classification structure in society, the stratification is judged by wealth. The most obvious evident of capitalism in the society is that people started to spend in a wasted scale with expensive cars, clothes and outfit that a normal Russian can not afford. The revolution in society structure leads to the changes in mentality and mindset. For example, People have different perception toward the family plan. From 1990, the rate of birth is decreasing remarkably, along with that is the increasing of death rate. The death rate is raising cause of the health care system. In Europe continent, Russia is one of the countries that being affected strongly by HIV and alcohol poisoning. 300px-Natural_Population_Growth_of_Russia.PNG   Ã‚  Birth rate   Ã‚  Death rate   Ã‚  Natural growth rate A part from that, we can not mention to the development of the social activities. The development of entertainment and social activities contribute a main part in the improvement of Russians living standard. Russia is well known with literature, music, ballet dance with all the famous artist, composers, and philosopher such as Leo Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky, Pushkin and Lenin. Russia is also known for all the sport even with international scale such as summer Olympic in 1980 and winter Olympic which will be hold in 2014. The life in some of the big city such as Moscow, St Petersburg is as lively as the life in New York. Moscow and St Petersburg are the most popular venue for MICE industry (Meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibition) with professional service, high technique support, good facilities as well as social activities. Russia is a folklore country which is always a mystery for everyone to discover. Technology: Russia is a country which is rich in science tradition. The technology sector of Russia started to be recognized from the early of 18th century and continue to develop until today. Russia has a good reputation on science and technology with the contribution of Mikhail Lomonosov, Pafnuti Chebychev and so on. They many impressive work of art in different filed such as Mathematic, Chemistry, Structural engineer, earth science and aerospace engineer which contribute a significant part in the development of the countrys technology. Because of the advance in this field, it contributes to the position of Russia in many different international organizations. The well developed in military materials and weapons add a stronger voice to the role of maintaining peace and security of Russia and all the countries around the world. In the 20th century, the whole world was surprised because of their advance in aerospace engineer. Russia was the 1st country who sent people in the space. Not to mention the fact that Russias air craft is on the list of the most produced air craft. The 20th century is not only the notice moment for the development of technology for Russia itself but also for the whole world with a new generation of knowledge. Even they have a good base and remarkable success in technology but somehow it does not contribute much to the revenue of the country. In contrast with the development of the technology is the economic. They have the economic which mainly depends on exporting oil and other natural resources. The development and success of the economic is totally depending on the price of the product in the market. Russia can not take the initiative on the growth of economic and which direction will it go. In order to be more active in the economic, it is the must for this country to focus a pro duct where they are really in advanced compare to other countries. Noticing the important role of technology and its effect to the development of economic, the president, Mr Medvedev has paid more attention on the modernization and advance technology such as Rosnano and Nano technology. The government started to put more fund on this field and they are ready to support any of Russian who want to develop their career in this field. The aim of this is to get the best out of the Russia. Looking back to the Soviet Union era, compare to now, and the technology industry of Russia is far behind other countries. Technology has to be things that made in Russia and by the innovation of Russian. The most important thing at the moment is that they need to motivate people, they need more innovation which can be leapfrog their own success in years behind and also to conquer with the well developed science and knowledge of other Western countries. The president wants to develop the technology side which already has the strong base, thanks to the Soviet Unions knowledge and development in this field. With all the work of science from years ago, it is very positive that Russia will take back its place of leading in the technology industry. He believes that with the technology of Russia can take advantage over the western with the advance technology. The success of this will push the expansion of trade and industry. It opens a new opportunities to grow in economic, which make the trade of this country becomes more and more initiative and be more active with the changes of market. With the success in this plan, there will be the big improvement in living standard, help the country out of inflation and the increase of unemployed rate. Legal: On the way of developing and transforming itself from a communism to a capitalist country, Russia also changed it law in order to be match with the new regime. The new law is more Western approach, very systematic and market oriented. It is totally different from the law of the Nordic countries. The new law of Russia is mainly base on the legislation, so that why there are still some gaps on the law system. The corruption rate is still high in the last few years: According to the transparency international organization, in 2010 the corruption rate of Russia is staying at the rate of 2.1 which consider as one of the country which have very high corruption rate. This takes into consideration for people who think about investing in this country. Above is the chart to calculate the degree of freedom in the trade and industry of Russia. In order to attract more investment, the government pass the law which make no different between foreigner investors and national investor. Even thought there are some areas that foreigner must have the improvement of the government in order to get into the business. It is the strategies that focus the investment of foreigner in some of the sector which are in need of it. There also some other restriction in term of ownership as well as payment. However, there is the need of changes to reduce the corruption as well as to be more open to investors. Balance of payments Russias Balance of payments history from 1995 ~ 2010 From year 1995 to year 1997, the current account of Russia decreased from 6963 million US$ to negative 80 million US$ because of the Economic crisis in 1997 which reflected less import and investment from foreign country. During Vladimir Putin Presidency, he had led Russians current account to a downward pressure on exchange rate and the opposite of upward pressure on Russians ruble. Therefore in year 1998, Russia exports and imports were growing because of the devaluation of ruble. Coming towards year 2003, Russias has grown from 35410 million US$ to 94367 million US$ in 2006. However, in 2007 the current account of Russia had shrunk by 18% to 78390 million US$. With the decreased of current account surplus, it reflected an increased in foreign reserves funds to 148.9 billion US$. In year 2008, the current account had a positive growth of 102400 million US$. The reason is because of the volume of exports and imports increased. Throughout the year from 1998 to 2008, Russia depends on their main export of oil and gas which gave them a positive surplus on current account and trade balance. Therefore in mid 2008, both economic and exchange rate policy had backed up by the balance of payments with the measures of government in order to overcome the crisis. However in 2009, Russian balance of payments was affected by the external economic situations as well as the loss of confidence by the investors towards the market of Russia. This had made Russias economy decrease in financial account operation. The current account dropped 50% to 47514 million US$ because of the economic crisis. In year 2010, the balance of payments increased by 47% to 77569 million US$. The total exports revenue has a number of 398 billion US$. Within this amount, 300 billion US$ came from oil and 98 billion US$ from the gas. Trade Balance Russias Trade Balance history from 1995 ~ 2010 Trade balance (in bln US$) From year 1995 until year 2000, the number of goods that exported from of Russia started to grow, where as goods the imports to Russia decreased. However starting from year 2000, Russias export rate maintain on a constant growth which reached 411 Billion US$ in year 2008. With this stable growth; it had led Russia to a stronger economy. In addition, with the substantial growth within year 2000 until year 2008, each of the years Russia had gained a lot of surplus, mainly because the exported goods was more than imported. In year 2000 until year 2008, the surplus had increased from 67 billion US$ to 131 billion US$. With the sufficient trade surplus, Russia invested a lot on their countrys resources such as gas and oil rather than invest on other economy sector. The investment had made Russia become the dominance player on energy resources. Besides that, Russias main revenue came from exported products. Goods that Russia exports such as petroleum products, wood products, metals, natural gas, grain, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures. Main imported were vehicles, plastics, machinery and equipment, medicines, iron, steel, consumer goods and metal products. The main export countries are Netherlands, Italy, Germany, China, Turkey and Ukraine. Russia chooses these neighbor countries because Russia has the fundamental pipelines and storage facilities to supply them with energy sources in the most cost effective ways. Therefore, Russia became dependent on European markets as well as the power to control over the domestic markets. In 2004, Exports earning started to have multiplier effects which generated above 50 billion US$ each year until year 2007. The main reason is because of the European Union, 29% of natural gas and 26% of oil are imported to European countries. In 2008, the energy sources demand had increased almost twice as in year 2004, 40% of gas and 33% of oil were exported to those countries. Moreover in year 2008, Gross Domestic Product of Russia reached to the highest point at 1.677 trillion US$, which had made Russia the worlds 8th richest country. Besides that, as the worlds 8th richest country, Russia made 471.6 billion US$ of export in 2008. Unfortunately the result turned out bad in year 2009. It decreased 37% and amounted 295.6 billion US$ export rate. Imports slightly decreased as well, from 291.9 billion US$ to 196.8 billion US$. The trade surplus decreased from 119.1 billion US$ to 91.8 billion US$. The main reason is because of the economic crisis on late 2008. The crisis effect the exchange rate badly, the value of Ruble it decreased from 24.853 Ruble per 1 US$ to 32 per 1 US$. One of the main reasons is because of oil prices, the price fall from $150 to $39 a barrel as Russia depend on energy sources market. The world crisis led Russians companies access to cheap foreign credit. Business, companies and employees started to reduced working day or even fired staff as well as the bank, they increased the interest rate caused less investment and scaled down mortgage program. Money value depreciated caused them to spend more on exporting their resources. Therefore, Russias capital flows reversed tremendously in 2009. Besides that, GDP (real growth rate) decreases from 5.2% from 2008 to -7.9% in 2009. A GDP decrease is because of negative result from exports, import, personal consumption expenditures and investment. On September 2008, Russians president Dmitry Medvedev ordered ministers to put in 500 billion Rubles of state budget funds into the market in order to rebuild the financial system of Russia. In 2010, Russias economic got back to the normal status because of the rising price of oil and improved capital inflows. Exports earning has a number of 350 billion US$ and 237 billion US$ on Imports. In year 2025, we predict that Russia will become the top 10 best economy country. The economy of Russia will be strong mainly because of the sufficient natural resources. Apart from that, it is the fact that the worlds oil resources is getting lesser and lesser, this benefits had given Russia to increase in their oil prices and generates more revenue in exports. In 2025, Russians oil and gas exports enabled Russia to become the energy dominance market in Europe once again. With location, currently Russia is in the middle of China and Europe which is the fitness location to trade. Despite of the location, we believe that Russias government will remove some of the import restrictions to improved relations mainly with China. With the investment flows from China, we believe that it will strongly boost Russia economic as China will be the most developed country in the future. The surplus will keep on track with strong exports and weaker imports. Therefore, we believe that in the next 10 years Russia will have a deficit free budget because of the exports of oil and gas as well as GDP maintained at 3.5%. In 2010, foreign investment in Russia accounted on 301 billion US$ while in the next 15 years we accumulated investment will grow twice as year 2010 to 600 billion US$. It is estimated that oil extraction in Russia could fall by 20% in year 2025. Besides that, Russias oil and gas pipeline and refineries almost reach the end of their vitality as well as the aging oil field had made the companies in Russia think that it is too expensive to discover new oil fields. As a result, we predict that in the future, Russia government will create better conditions for investor to invest in oil and gas system and bring in better technologies which can provide better return in gas and oil production. Although in year 2025, the global economic had regained its momentum as well as the global energy resources price had leveled off. Countries such as Iran maybe reentered the global gas and oil market. Therefore, there is an increase in supply of oil and gas which will result a decrease in energy prices. As a result, we predict that before year 2025, economic downturn once again occur which will badly affect the economics of Russia. In addition, we also agree with BRICS, they had forecast that in 2050 India and China will become the dominant ma rket of goods and services manufacturer. On the other hand, Russia and Brazil will become the dominant market of raw materials. Exchange Rates In 1998 Russia was undergoing a major financial crisis which in fact started in the Asian market. Russia mainly depended on their natural resources to keep the flow of currency stable.. Inflation during that period rose to roughly 84%, creating no value for the Ruble. Due to this the price structure for basic commodities also increase by over 100% as the currency value kept depreciating. Russia then regained stability as the demand for oil increased which enabled their exports to reduce inflation. During 2000 and 2002, the value of the Ruble became stronger leading to the exchange rates for other currencies. The Graph above illustrates how the exchange rate average was compared to the United States dollar and the Euro. The government mainly focused on reducing the inflation rate and believed that by doing this, it would have a positive impact on the exchange rate. Within the period from 2002 to early 2007 the USD dollar prices increased steadily. In late 2007 when the global financial crises hit, the value of the ruble decline and people began to exchange the ruble to the US dollar and euro. A plunge in the value of the USD was due to the financial crises but as towards the end of 2008, the values on the exchange rate increased The current position of the ruble is valued at 0.033 USD and 0.024 Euros. As Russia is considered to be a fast growing economy, the value of the ruble would gradually become one of the most dominant currencies to trade with. As majority of the European countries get their oil and gas supplies from Russia, they would as a result increase the GDP within the economy. Depending on how the US markets would be developing, if they become stronger and the value of the USD becomes much stronger then it would slightly depreciate the value of the ruble. Another factor would be the foreign investment which could contribute in determining how strong the value would get. The major benefit is the oil exports as that brings majority of the revenues towards the economy and future prospect of trade with major countries would be an assurance to the money supply stream. After the global economic crisis, Russia had to set its path to recovery, stabilizing all sectors which are their co-components holding their economy in place. Below shows a graph of the inflation trend throughout 14 years; In 1998 and 1999 we notice that the inflation had boost up tremendously due the Asian financial crisis. Moving from a centralized to a free market system, it was difficult for them to implement fiscal reforms which mainly emphasized in raising government revenues and relying on short term borrowing in order for them to finance their budget deficits. The major export earners having lower prices together with a lack of confidence levels from their investors made the situation even worse off. A sharp steep decline in the value of the ruble created hyper inflation within the economy. After recovering from the major financial crisis, the economy enjoyed a reasonable growth average for a strong 9 years. The inflation rate kept decreasing year by year as strategies were put in place to monitor key economic reforms such as labor, tax brackets, banking, and favorable prices implied to commodities. When the global financial crisis hit the economy, their stock market collapsed as top businesses began to sell their shares in order for them to pay off some of their debts to international lenders. The global demand, the prices of goods as well as the tightening of credit prevented the economy from growing. The major factor during 2001 and 2006 was of the government growing surpluses by saving some of the revenues from oil exports. The revenues were then generated into the economy in order not to face most of the impacts of the crisis. The inflation rate last recorded in 2010 was 5.5% and has now a very strong stable economy. They noticed that they had passed the crisis phase and as a result began to develop new strategies in order to overcome other pressures. As the government is monitoring the inflation rate carefully and with statistical data shows that the inflation rate has been kept at a minimum level and the government does control it even in crucial times. This would not be one major factor for them to consider as their GDP is increasing constantly though the financia l crisis which had a small impact on it. Looking at the GDP rates shows a marginal difference within the last decade. Again the recession played a part in lowering the standard of living in 1998 and 1999. A steep increase in investment enabled the GDP to increase severely and maintained the standard growth. By 2008 the GDP almost increase by 5.6% but the decline forced the value of the Ruble to decline marginal and as a result their dominating industry of oil and gas exports also crashed to a certain extent. Currently the GDP of real growth rate is approximately 3.8% and is said to increase it to 4.2% by the end of this year. The current GDP per growth rate Analysts believe that if continues growth of the GDP would be constant, Russia would be considered one of top 5 countries with the largest economy. They predict that the GDP will almost double within the future decade having a rate of 14 to 16%. The table below shows you statistics taken by the IMF and the World Economic Outlook. I strongly believe that the GDP would increase to that level as their exports are increasing for oil and gas. This is one major benefit which would help them in times of recession and also to maintain their GDP.