Cjus 230 Final Paper

The Effects of Family Structure and Values on Juvenile Delinquency Christina M. Bracey 201240 Fall 2012 CJUS 230-B02 LUO Professor DeBoer Liberty University Online October 12, 2012 Abstract The changes in family values and structure in the United States has helped contribute to juvenile delinquency today. Society needs to recognize problems within the home before trying to find solutions to problems for todays at risk youth in America. Major structural changes inside of the home could adversely affect the raising of juveniles leading to delinquency.Some of the issues I will discuss in my paper are divorce, child abuse, mothers working outside of the home, and single-parent homes. Ineffectively raising a child can cause low self-control and low self-esteem while increasing the risks of delinquency as well. I will argue that with proper supervision, counseling, and monitoring of the behavior of the juvenile, it is possible that society can help eliminate some of the crimes committed by juvenile delinquents. Thesis The changes in family values and structure in the United States has helped contribute to juvenile delinquency today IntroductionFamily Structure has changed noticeably in the United States over the past several decades. It refers to various family characteristics that affect relationships and how families function. These characteristics include family size, family disruption, and birth order. High rates of divorce, single-parent housing, the spreading of non-parent families and step-families, and the propagation of cohabitation now delineate in American family life. Changes in family structure can be devastating to a child’s well-being, and have the potential to contribute to juvenile delinquency.The Family and Delinquency Widespread agreement among social scientists and the general public lead experts to believe that family plays a key role in child development and socialization. There are two sides however to families; the first being a place w here members love, care and provide for one another promoting healthy human growth. The second side reveals conflict, a lack of support, and violence. Families are extremely influenced by the political and economic context within which they operate (Elrod & Ryder, 1999, p. 53).A family’s place within the political and economic structure is important because such placement determines the family’s admittance to connections with other institutions. These institutions can consist of school, work, church and voluntary associations. Also, such institutions can be useful resources for the family and can promote access to other resources. The family not only determines the economic status within which the juveniles live, but is also the primary molder of a child’s personality, values, and behavior (Elrod & Ryder, 1999, p. 54).A variety of criminological theories assume that family plays a significant role in the prevention of delinquent behavior (Elrod & Ryder, 1999, p. 54). Family Size and Delinquency Larger families tend to produce more juvenile delinquents than smaller families. Being a middle child is also more predictive of delinquency than being either the youngest or eldest (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 283). One common explanation for this issue is a straining of resources in larger families and the inability to provide appropriate parental supervision.Green & Gabbidon (2009) suggest that middle children are more likely to be present during the times of strain; older children leave the home first and younger children remain when there is not as much demand for parental resources (p. 283). Exposure to Violence, Abuse, or Neglect Most studies find links between exposure to violence or abuse and later possibly offending (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 282). Exposure to marital violence during childhood has been notably associated with committing marital violence as an adult. An estimated 30% of abused parents abuse their children—a rate of 1 5 times higher than non-abused parents† (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 282). Women that were physically abused during childhood are more likely to experience domestic violence as adults. Abused mothers that did not abuse their children tend to have had a non-abusive adult in their childhood or had a stable relationship pattern as an adult. Children that were sexually abused are more likely to succumb to delinquency, suicidal ideation, and prostitution (Green & Gabbidon, 1999, p. 82). Exposure to Poverty Poverty has been linked to crime for many years. Approximately 18% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 283). Juveniles that grow up poor have a number of negative life outcomes, including delinquency. The impact of socioeconomic status suggests that economic strain plays an important role likely because increased stress decreases effective parenting, a situation that leads to delinquency in children (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 283). Impact o f Community on Juvenile DelinquencyResearch throughout neighborhoods has produced significant results on determining the impact of a community on juvenile (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 283). Collective socialization has a beneficial impact on the rate of delinquency among these youth. An extensive study of African American families showed that children who lived in a community high in collective socialization were less likely to associate with delinquent peers even when controlling for other important factors (Green & Gabbidon, 2009, p. 283). Theoretical Reasoning to Understanding Delinquent BehaviorThere are many theories that focus on families being the central reasoning behind juvenile crimes. Generally, families are considered to be the primary factors in socialization. The impact of family in juvenile delinquency has been theorized and investigated for many decades being that crime commonly runs in families. Parental criminality is one of the most vigorous and most consistent con jectures of a child's delinquency (Greene ; Gabbidon, 2009, p. 281). Biological Theory â€Å"The so-called traditional family, with a male breadwinner and a female who cares for the home, is a thing of the past† (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 94). This particular type of family structure can no longer be considered normal. Sex role changes have created a family in which the mother now plays a greater role in society and the economic process. The number of households that have children living with both parents has substantially declined. â€Å"Early social science researchers asserted that the â€Å"broken home† was the single most important factor in understanding delinquency† (Burfeind ; Bartusch, 2011, p. 185). Less than half of the children born today will live continuously with their mother and father throughout their childhood.A disturbed home environment is believed to have a significant impact on delinquency. Family is the contributing unit towards chi ldren’s values and attitudes that mark the paths throughout their lives. According to Seigel, Welsh, and Senna (2003), children who have witnessed a family breakup are more likely to exhibit behavioral problems and hyperactivity than those of intact families (p. 196). Often times, family disruptions are correlated with hostility, conflict, and attachment. Children whose parents divorced are thought to have less supervision and a greater risk of falling for peer pressure.Past research examined the effect of family structure on delinquency by comparing single-father, single-mother, two-biological-parent families, and stepfamilies (Burfeind ; Bartusch, 2011, p. 185). The highest levels of delinquency were found in single-father families and the lowest levels being in two-biological-parent families, while single-mother families and stepfamilies were in the middle. â€Å"The absence of a parent was associated with lower levels of involvement, supervision, monitoring, and closenes s† (Burfeind ; Bartusch, 2011, p. 185).Parental absence undermines direct and indirect control leading to higher levels of delinquency among youth living in single-parent families as compared to two-parent families. Not all marriages end and divorce; some continue to live in an atmosphere of conflict (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 198). This conflict is known as intrafamily conflict and it common in many American families today. Studies have shown that children growing up in dysfunctional homes and witness disorder or violence, later display behavioral problems and emotional issues (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 98). Pre-existing family problems can cause delinquency; however, it may also claim that children who act out put a sizable amount of stress on a family. Psychological Explanations â€Å"Many scholars, policymakers, and laypersons have argued that there are individual differences in intelligence, personality, or other factors that not only separate delinquents f rom all other youths but that are, directly or indirectly, the causes of their delinquency† (Shoemaker, 2010, p. 61).The earliest attempts in isolating the psychological or mental conditions of delinquent behavior, was the development of the concepts of moral insanity. It has been proposed that delinquents and criminals that were deficient in basic moral skills inherited this condition (Shoemaker, 2010, p. 61). According to psychologists, many delinquents have poor home lives, destructive relationships with friends, neighbors, teachers, and others in authoritative positions (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 83). The relationships that these youth have with these individuals symbolize a disturbed personality structure.A youth’s personality is defined by negative and antisocial behavior characteristics, and since delinquent behavior occurs in every race, ethnic group, and socioeconomic group, psychologists believe it is a function of emotional and mental disturbances. Man y delinquents do not demonstrate notable psychological issues; however enough do give clinicians a strong influence on delinquency theory (Siegel, Walsh ; Senna, 2010, p. 84). Psychology is a diversified and complex discipline in which more than one psychological perspective exists.The three prominent psychological perspectives on delinquency are psychodynamic, the behavioral, and the cognitive (Siegel, Walsh, ; Senna, 2010, p. 84). The psychodynamic theory suggests that law violations are a product of an abnormal personality that formed early on in life. This personality controls human behavior choices. â€Å"The basis of the psychodynamic theory is the assumption that human behavior is controlled by unconscious mental processes developed early in childhood† (Siegel, Walsh, ; Senna, 2010, p. 84). Behavioral psychologists believe that a person’s personality is learned through life experiences with others.Behavior is initially triggered by a stimulus or change in oneâ⠂¬â„¢s environment. If a certain behavior is rewarded by positive reactions, that behavior will continue and eventually be learned. The cognitive theory allows psychologists to focus on mental processes and the way people mentally represent the world around them including how they solve issues (Siegel, Walsh, ; Senna, 2010, p. 84). During the decision making process people engage in a series of cognitive thoughts. First, they encipher information so that it can be interpreted. Then they search for a response and decide what the most appropriate action is to take.Finally, they act on the decision that they made (Siegel, Walsh, ; Senna, 2010, p. 89). It is suggested that using this approach, juveniles will be better conditioned to make appropriate judgments. Social Disorganization Delinquency that is primarily the result of a breakdown of institutional controls is known as social disorganization. â€Å"The individuals who live in such situations are not necessarily themselves persona lly disoriented; instead, they are viewed as responding â€Å"naturally† to disorganized environmental conditions† (Shoemaker, 2010, p. 101).Social disorganization is associated with a lengthy list of collateral social problems, residential instability, ethnic/racial conflict, and family disruption (Siegel, Walsh, ; Senna, 2010, p. 110). Social Control Theories attempt to find factors that contribute to an individual becoming deviant. Hirschi’s Theory states, â€Å"Delinquent acts result when an individual’s bond to society is weakened or broken† (Whitehead ; Lab, 1999, p. 93). An underlying presumption is that behavior is controlled by the connections a person has to the conventional social order.Deviance is exposed when the level of control over an individual diminishes to where that person is free to choose prohibited activities. Hirschi explains four outlines of bonds: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief (Whitehead ; Lab, 1999, p. 94 ). A bond is fundamentally a result of socialization that takes place during childhood. The first bond, attachment, is the failure to care about what others think about the individual’s behavior and views. The second bond, commitment, demonstrates the individual’s ability to work towards acceptable goals.The third bond, involvement, uses the individual’s energy and time in socially acceptable behaviors. The fourth bond, belief, opens doors for the individual for deviant and delinquent behavior. Later in Hirschi’s career, he proposed that single parenting may be just as effective as dual parenting (Leiber, Mack, ; Featherstone, 2008, p. 4). Hirschi’s Theory tried to explain why an individual is deviant and how they became the way they are. Poor socialization is the easiest explanation; however, the theory fails to prove how this happens. The relative impact of the four elements of bond is left unexplained.Drift Theory Episodic Deviance is another ar ea of concern. Youths tend to sway between delinquent and conventional behavior. Using the control theory, this drift between the two cannot be explained when an individual chooses to commit a deviance. Such drifts can only be explained by suggesting that the bond is strengthened and weakened easily and more often than none. According to Whitehead ; Lab, 1999, â€Å"A final concern is that the theory assumes all bonding is to conventional, nondeviant lifestyles† (p. 95). It is possible that the juvenile is being raised in a household with parents that are deviant.The theory suggests that a juvenile in such circumstances will be bonded to deviance. Labeling Theory The Labeling Theory is the view that formal and informal reactions to delinquency can influence the attitudes and behavior of delinquents (Shoemaker, 2010, p. 259). Frank Tannenbaum introduced â€Å"dramatization of evil,† in which he suggested that officially labeling someone as a delinquent can result in the person becoming the very thing that they are labeled (Shoemaker, 2010, p. 259). A basic presumption regarding the labeling theory is that initial acts of delinquency are caused by a wide variety of factors.The primary factor in the recurrence of delinquency is the fact of having been formally labeled as a delinquent (Shoemaker. 2010, p. 260). Reiterated acts of delinquency are influenced by formal labels because they eventually alter a person’s self-image to where the person begins to identify themselves as a delinquent and act accordingly. The view of labeling aspect is that a negative self-image follows the act of delinquency rather than preceding delinquency. The labeling approach is dependent on certain criteria in addition to the behavior itself.One does not have to be officially labeled a criminal or delinquent in order to label him/herself as such. Schools and Delinquency Another institution with has a profound impact on the lives of juveniles is school. School is an important institution because it provides juveniles with the academic skills to effectively participate in society (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 61). Other reasons that schools play such important roles in the lives of juveniles is it has become the primary socialization institution. It is there that children learn attitudes, values, and skills that are necessary for their future in economic and social life.Much of the interaction between parents and children revolves around school related issues (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 61). A number of factors can be related to school failure and delinquency. Students’ feelings of belonging, commitment, and attachment to school reveal these factors are related to school violence, vandalism, and delinquency (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 63). Studies have found that students that dislike their teachers are more likely to be involved in delinquency than those who feel an attachment to their teachers (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 63).Students that are less co mmitted to school and their teachers and who feel alienated are more likely to commit disruptive or delinquent behaviors in and out of school. Many students drop out of school and believe this is a solution to the problems they have faced in school. Dropping out of school has numerous negative consequences for the juvenile. They face less job prospects and many times experience difficulty meeting basic income needs to survive. Besides the economic effect of dropping out of school, there are also substantial psychological and social consequences (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 64).Usually, juveniles that drop out regret their decision and typically show evidence of not being satisfied with themselves and their environment. They also have lower occupational aspirations than those who graduate from school, and also have lower occupational aspirations for their children (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 64). â€Å"Compared with students who stay in school, those who drop out tend to be from low socioe conomic status groups, to be members of minority groups, and to come from homes with fewer study aids and where there are fewer opportunities for non-school-related learning† (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 4). Juveniles that drop out are also more likely to have come from single-parent households where the mother works, resulting in less parental supervision. Studies have uncovered that when juveniles drop out of school, their involvement in criminal activities tends to increase immediately (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 65). Race and Juvenile Delinquents According to Burfeind ; Bartusch (2011), â€Å"The relationship between race and involvement in delinquency is not entirely straightforward† (p. 81). Minorities are disproportionately represented in arrest statistics.African American juveniles are arrested for a disproportionate number of rapes, murders, robberies, and assaults, while white juveniles are disproportionately arrested for arsons (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 40). The racial gap in juvenile arrest rates has broadened during the past decade with African American youths experiencing a steady increase in arrest rates. â€Å"African Americans have suffered through a long history of discrimination, which has produced last emotional scars† (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 42). Racism is an element of daily life in the African American community.This factor alone undermines faith in political and social institutions and weakens confidence in the justice system. These acquired attitudes are supported by evidence, that in some jurisdictions, young African American males are treated more harshly than members of any other ethnic group. Differences in racial crime rates may also be tied to frustration over perceived racism, discrimination, and economic disparity (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 42). Gender and Delinquency Official arrest statistics point to males being significantly more criminal than females.However, the arrests of female deli nquents in recent years have been increasing faster than those for males. â€Å"Between 1990 and 2000, the number of arrests of male delinquents actually decreased by about 3 percent, whereas the number of female delinquents arrested increased about 25 percent† (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 40). Age and Delinquency As juvenile offenders mature, their offending rates decline (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 43). Regardless of sex, race, social class, or intelligence, people commit less crime as they age.The aging-out process is referred to as spontaneous remission. According to this process, even the most continuing juvenile offenders will commit less crime as they age. There are a number of reasons as to why the aging-out process occurs. First of all growing older means that the offenders have to face the future. Secondly, with maturity comes the ability to resist the temptation to commit crimes as a quick fix solution. Some juveniles may turn to crime as a way to solve loneliness, problems with adolescence, frustration, and the fear of being rejected by peers (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 44).As the juvenile matures, more options become available to help solve these problems. Personalities can also change with age. Youth that were more rebellious as youngsters, may eventually develop increased self-control and be able to resist delinquent behaviors. Young adults become more aware of the risks and consequences that accompany crime. â€Å"As adults, they are no longer protected by the kindly arms of the juvenile justice system† (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 44). Early Efforts at Diversion â€Å"Efforts to divert children from normal criminal justice processing have a long history† (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 60). The development of routine diversion strategies and specialized diversion programs has significantly increased during the past twenty years. In order to regulate the number of diversionary responses available to communiti es, the commission proposed the establishment of youth services bureaus (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 161). The bureaus were intended to assist existing community agencies that dealt with juveniles in coordinating programs and services for both delinquent and non-delinquent youth (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 161).They were also intended to serve as an alternative to juvenile court processing, allowing hundreds of thousands of juveniles to be diverted from the formal juvenile justice process each year (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 161). The Effectiveness of Diversion Diversion Strategies and Programs uphold that such programs decrease the number of juveniles involved in the formal juvenile justice process (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 173). These programs are believed to reduce offending youths who receive diversionary treatment, minimize formal intervention, and are more cost-effective that formal processing (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 73). However, some evaluation studies have found that they fall short of their goals often. Some evaluation studies indicate that diversion programs can reduce recidivism or are at least as effective as formal processing (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 173). It is possible that diversion programs may deny juveniles due process. Diversion may be compulsive and consist of intrusive interventions, and possibly, the youth’s family may be required to participate. Coercion is problematic and all levels of the juvenile justice process (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 173).Research on diversion, in sum, has produced mixed results (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 174). â€Å"There are a number of problems that have been associated with diversion programs, but despite these problems diversion appears to have some merit† (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 174). Decriminalization Societal Reaction advocates point out that the criminalization of some behaviors often produces more harm than it does good. Behaviors such as running away and not attending school are objectionable in ma ny cases, but treating them as crimes does not always benefit the juvenile (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 65). Treating truants and runaways as juvenile offenders is expensive and ineffective. As a result, the societal reaction theorists leaned more towards the deinstitutionalization of status offenses (Elrod ; Ryder, 1999, p. 165). Prevention and Intervention With the important role family’s play in the socialization of children, several programs have been implemented to prevent family contribution to delinquency or to intervene once a problem has been realized (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 42).Years of program evaluations have produced a number of effective family-based prevention programs such as parent training on appropriate and effective child-rearing (Siegel, Welsh, ; Senna, 2003, p. 42). Conclusion According to the research conducted, family impact is wrong: parental absence is not importantly related to juvenile delinquency. Family interactions have greater influence o n delinquency. Children reared by competent, affectionate parents who avoid using physical forms of punishment are unlikely to commit serious crimes either as juveniles or as adults.On the other hand, children reared by parents who neglect or reject them are likely to be greatly influenced by their community environments, which may offer opportunities and encouragement for criminal behavior. Bibliography Shoemaker, Donald J. (2010). Theories of Delinquency: An Examination of Explanations of Delinquent Behavior 6th Edition. Whitehead, John T. , ; Lab, Steven P. (1998). Juvenile Justice: An Introduction 3rd Edition. Seigel, Larry J. , Welsh, Brandon C. , ; Senna, Joseph J. (2002). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and LawGreen, Helen Taylor, ; Gabbidon, Shaun L. (2009) Family and Delinquency: Encyclopedia of Race and Crime. Spohn, Ryan E. , ; Kurtz, Don L. (2011). Family Structure as a Social Context for Family Conflict: Unjust Strain and Serious Delinquency. Schroeder, Ryan D. , Osgood, Aurea K. , ; Oghia, Michael J. (2010). Family Transitions and Juvenile Justice. Elrod, Preston, ; Ryder, Scott A. (2005). Juvenile Justice: A Social, Historical, and Legal Perspective 2nd Edition. Burfiend, James W. , ; Bartusch, Dawn Jeglum. 2010). Juvenile Delinquency: An Integrated Approach, Second Edition Kierkus, Christopher A. , ; Baer, Douglas. (2003). Does the Relationship Between Family Structure and Delinquency Vary According to Circumstances? An Investigation of Interaction Effects 1. Canadian Journal if Criminology and Criminal Justice (405-429). Leiber, Michael J. , Mack, Kristin Y. , ; Featherstone, Richard A. (2008). Family Structure, Family Processes, Economics, and Delinquency: Similarities and Differences by Race and Ethnicity.

Crime against Humanity Essay

In the history of International laws, the foundation of the term â€Å"crime against humanity† can be said to be weak. The concept of the term has also been changing overtime. The term has also been interpreted differently through generations. The confusions and the unresolved principle of the crime were burdened by its features common to war crimes. Aside from that, traditional laws were controlling and perceived as the most applicable law during war times. However, through the development of war, crime against humanity has finally been clarified through the several laws adopted and cases decided during the period of wars. Hence this paper will present crimes against humanity, its origin, elements, and its development. Body The term â€Å"crime against humanity† was created as a result of the mass killings perpetrated against Armenian in 1915. The massive killings in the Ottoman Empire were strongly condemned by the governments of Russia, British, and France by branding the acts as â€Å"crime against Christianity† (Cassese, 67). However, such term was perceived to be discriminatory as it implies excluding Muslim. Eventually, the term â€Å"crime against humanity†, which was suggested by French Minister Delcasse was adopted (Cassese, 67). However, the problem with the term was its implication as it does not specify clearly the meaning humanity, if it refers to human being or to the philosophical concept of humanity. Eventually, an international tribunal was established primarily to hear and try offences in violation of the laws of humanity. Crime against humanity was, however, confused with war crimes under the customary laws because of several similarities. Some of the common features include odious offences constituting as a serious attack on human dignity or â€Å"grave humiliation of one or more human beings† (Cassese, 64). In addition, the events of killing were systematic or sporadic. More importantly, such acts should be punished even if perpetrated in time of peace (Cassese, 64). Furthermore, the victims should be civilians and does not necessarily include military men. Despite the initiative to punish crimes which are perceived as inhumane, many still committed barbaric acts and acts that are strictly prohibited by the traditional international law for political and racial reasons (Cassese, 68). As a result, the 1945 London Agreement, embodying the International Military Tribunal Charter, strengthened the campaign against commission of crimes against humanity (Cassese, 69). Interestingly, elements of the crime against humanity were established. The subjective elements of the crime include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation or forcible transfer or population, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance of person and other inhuman acts of similar character and gravity. Meanwhile, persecution is defined as â€Å"gross or blatant denial, on discriminatory grounds, of a fundamental right, laid down in international customary or treaty law, reaching the same level of gravity as the other prohibited acts† (Cassese, 80). Crime against humanity has also subjective elements which are necessary to be established in order to make the perpetrator liable. The first element is intent which refers to the perpetrator’s intention of committing such act. Second element is the perpetrator’s awareness of the serious consequences of his acts (Cassese, 81). Third element is the agent’s awareness of the relationship between his misconduct and a policy or systematic practice (Cassese, 81). Last element is that the perpetrator must possess a racist or inhuman mind. Underlying these elements is mens rea which is the intent and awareness of the inhuman act and its consequences in a broader context (Cassese, 82). Furthermore, the intent must be criminal, specifically discriminating, harassing or causing the victim or a religious, political or cultural group to suffer serious injury. Notably, an individual acting in his own private capacity may commit crime against humanity. However, it is necessary that the act has been done in unison or is supported by a general state policy (Cassese, 83). The crime can also be perpetrated by state officials in their own private capacity but should be supported by an â€Å"explicit or implicit approval or endorsement by state or governmental authorities† (Cassese, 83). On the other hand, victims are traditionally civilians. Meanwhile, civilian refers to â€Å"persons other than lawful combatants, whether or not such person were civilians fighting alongside enemy military forces† (Cassese, 86). However, through development, military men were also considered as victims of the crimes against humanity. It is also noteworthy 1949 Geneva Convention included unarmed military combatant due to injury or imprisonment under the concept of victim of crimes against humanity (Cassese, 90). Furthermore, the inclusion of the military combatant as victims is applicable even during time of peace. The reason behind it is because military combatant are merely protected by the international laws of warfare but are not protected from the abuses acts from individuals or state authorities. Hence, the protection afforded by the law on crime against humanity should extend to civilians, including military combatants and even in time of peace. Additionally, through the adoption of international treaties protecting human rights and prohibiting crimes that amount to violation of rights. Through the laws adopted by the United Nations, crimes such as torture, apartheid, and genocide, has already been proscribed and made strictly punishable. With regard to element of mens rea, crimes against humanity must be coupled with knowledge of the attack and that it must be part of the widespread attack on civilian population (Cassese, 93). As to the requisite of attack, customary law requires that an attack against civilian should be promoted actively by the state. But under the new law, the requisite has been narrowed down because an attack that has been condoned or tolerated by the state does not automatically become an attack amounting to crimes against humanity. The attack should also involve multiple commissions. Interestingly, the concept of persecution has also been narrowed by the new law. Under the new law, persecution will only fall as a crime against humanity if such would result in the egregiously violate the basic human right, part of widespread or systematic practice, and if discriminatory intent is involved. It can be observed that several drastic changes had been made in the crimes against humanity. Conclusion The historical development of crimes against humanity shows that the term has been established on a weak foundation. Apart from that, the purpose of the term was merely to define the mass killings committed by the Ottoman Turks against Armenia. The statement was originally use for the purpose of defining such crime. But then, changing â€Å"Christianity† into â€Å"Humanity† has complicated several international laws. However, through the weak foundation of the â€Å"crime against humanity† a stronger law to proscribe inhuman, illegal, and lawless actions by private individuals and government authorities has been established. It is also noteworthy that in order for an act to fall as a crime against humanity, several essential elements. It noteworthy that despite customary laws governing the acts of states and people during wartime, the massive killings were not prevented. However, it is also worth noting that the Allies were vigilant enough to act on the abuses committed, especially by Germans. Today, the historical background of crime against humanity and its principle itself has been serving relevant role in the international law. Work cited Cassese, Antonio. International Criminal Law. London: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Prepare for a job interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prepare for a job interview - Essay Example It is best to show up in business attire. Colors should be light and decent. It is best to wear shades of white, black, blue and grey. The candidate should not consume a heavy meal prior to interview, though a light snack is obviously recommendable. The candidate should try to assess the field specific questions he may be asked, and have answers ready for them. Also, the candidate should do a bit of research on the company (All Business, 2011). This practice raises the confidence level of the candidate. During interview, the candidate should try not to speak wrong about a concept if the concept is unfamiliar. A â€Å"sorry† is better than saying something that does not make sense. The candidate’s confidence is extremely important for an interview, and that should be displayed anyway. Finally, the candidate should maintain a nice and decent tone throughout the interview. References: All Business. (2011). Ten Tips on Preparing for a Job Interview. Retrieved from http://ww w.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-job-interview/11120-1.html. Pollick, M. (2010). How can I Prepare for a Job Interview? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-prepare-for-a-job-interview.htm.

Cleopatra Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cleopatra - Research Paper Example Her family, the Ptolomies, had taken over the Egyptian throne after Alexander the Great won the territory. Although they continued the pharoic tradition of royal inbreeding, the family didn’t seem to adopt many of the other Egyptian traditions, continuing to speak Greek and maintaining their close ties with the Empire, but Cleopatra changed much of these customs. Unfortunately, though, she was to be the last pharaoh of Egypt, living her life from 69-30 BC. Her life and exploits became legendary as did her beauty, the tool she used to gain the degree of influence she had over the other rulers of her time. According to historic sources, Cleopatra began her reign in Egypt as a co-ruler, first with her father and later with her brothers, whom she married according to tradition. She was only 14 years old when she was first given a throne at her father’s side and 18 when he died, leaving the country to her and her 10 year old brother (Perry et al, 2004). At this time, the country had already been struggling for several years and the Egyptian throne, as always, remained an unstable place. From 51 BC to 48 BC, the brother-sister and husband-wife team officially ruled jointly over a country that was troubled by famine, floods, political conflict and economic issues, but Cleopatra made it clear on a consistent basis that she had no intention of giving her younger brother greater authority over her or in sharing his bed (Dudley, 1960). Troubles only escalated when she took her brother’s name off of official documents and his face off of the national coin finally instigating a reb ellion against her among the eunuchs of the palace. Although she tried to resist their forces, she was eventually forced to flee with her sister Arsinoe as her brother Ptolemy was restored to the throne (Green, 1990). This might have been the end of her career had her brother been more mature or more politically astute, but it was largely through his actions that Cleopatra was able to

Using Mobile Technology and Mobile devices in the workplace Essay

Using Mobile Technology and Mobile devices in the workplace - Essay Example In fact, a research carried out by the Foresights Networks and Telecommunications, Q1 2011, indicate that 64 percent of all firms in North America and Europe identify the provision of adequate mobility support for their staff as a top priority (Wright, Mooney, & Parham, 2011). Memorandum To: Leslie Anderson President, SC Technology Company From: Lehua Lashua IT Administrator Subject: Mobile Devices in the Workplace Date: November 14, 2012 Executive summary The benefits that come along with mobile devices and mobile technology usage at work places are many and influence the employee’s accessibility, quality, and ability to make meaningful decisions based on the given information timelines. People use mobile devices in addition to other office tools to mediate the tasks and activities required to fulfill certain responsibilities at work (Brennen, 2011). Thus, it is essential for organizations to apply the use of mobile technology and mobile devices with respect to the need to achieve goals set and objectives allocated by an organization. Today’s world is so technologically vibrant such that in order to attain the set targets and meet every customer’s demand, organizations should find it imperative to adopt and integrate the application of mobile devices and mobile technology.... This report will seek to propose why organizations such as SC Technology Company need to acquire, integrate, and coordinate the use of mobile technology and mobile devices at workplace. Introduction As mobile technology continues to advance and mobile devices become much cheaper and evolve with regard to their portability, interfaces, bandwidth, features, and context awareness, people are constantly making these devices part of their social and professional worlds. The introduction of the so-called â€Å"Smartphone† has irreversibly revolutionized the way people conduct business. Whilst laptops and desktops continued to dominate the last decade and half, the advent of mobile computing technology has become much more novel, changed the presentation even though not necessarily the way people currently do business (Wright, Mooney, & Parham, 2011). Exponentially, the business world has injected new and sophisticated technological devices and other products that are transforming th ey way companies view profit margins, competition, and time. The application and use of mobile devices have erased working boundaries and replaced them with substantially portable, integrated, and accessible gadgets. These devices are suitable for doing away with the distance involved in cases where employees used to take time and resources before realizing the intended objectives (Katz, 2011). Purpose The main of this essay is to prepare a report based on an ongoing research regarding the application and use of mobile devices and mobile technology in workplaces (SC Technology Company). It will also report on how mobile technology and mobile devices can help increase an organization’s productivity and

Social Media in Meaningful Ways Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words - 1

Social Media in Meaningful Ways - Assignment Example In conclusion, recommendations are made on how learners can make meaningful use of social media.All kinds of media play crucial roles in our modern world. Whether newspapers, radio, television or more recently web-based systems, they all they reflect the culture they are in, but they also help to shape that culture. The work of Marshall McLuhan in the middle of the twentieth century helped us to understand that the way we relate to these media is also in itself a valuable aspect of our culture. One can think of traditional uses of media like sending a postcard or making a phone call to one’s mother on her birthday. Often it is not what we say that is of value, so much as the fact that we choose to make contact via a particular medium. Media change the way we interact with the world and with each other. This is what McLuhan means with statements like â€Å"the medium is the message† (MacLuhan, 1964, pp. 7-21). His work has focussed attention on how the use of technology changes our understanding of the world. With concepts like â€Å"the global village† and â€Å"surfing the electronic waves† he anticipated the information age and reflected on what it means for mankind to be using all sorts of new technology. MacLuhan would not be surprised to note that the information superhighways are littered with tweets and chat conversations that contain little more than formulas like â€Å"Hi, what are you doing, I am on the bus, See you later.† The fact and frequency of communicating are what is important, and the way it builds relationships at a distance, not the actual message that is conveyed. MacLuhan even thought about the implications of cyberspace and virtual reality before these phenomena came into being. Students can be overwhelmed when there are too many choices and can be confused by material that is too difficult. Fortunately, the learner is not alone in his or her journey,   because social media like YouTube and Facebook p rovide a band of fellow travelers ready to help in any voyage of discovery. Sensible use of social media opens a door to truly collaborative learning, and so long as educators and students alike are able to open their minds to new ways of locating information, ways which permit collaboration instead of solo study methods, the benefits of using social media for educational purposes will be immense.

Business Law Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Law - Term Paper Example Yes, the surveys of the Coca Cola consumer experts can be admitted to court. According to the Federal Rule of Evidence Rule 702, expert testimonies that will assist the trier of fact based on sufficient facts or data are admissible to court. The survey must be a product of reliable principles and methods applied reliably to the facts of the case. Statement of Facts This office is considering whether to prosecute the Pepsi company for false advertising. Coca Cola company discovered that months ago, Pepsi company distributed a mailer directly to consumers as part of their campaign. The mailer focused on Coca Cola causing obesity and compared it to their own product. The mailer stated how Coca Cola products can make the consumers fat due to excessive sugar content. The mailer was distributed across the country to more than 1 million consumers between January 2011 to March 2011. ... Discussion It is very clear that Pepsi committed false advertising by distributing mailer that claimed Coca Cola’s products can cause obesity. In order to prosecute Pepsi for violating the Lanham Act, the company should be able to prove that the defendant made a false or misleading description in a commercial advertisement. This advertisement actually deceives and should likely influence the purchasing decision which injures the plaintiff as a result. Scotts Co. v. United Industries, 315 F.3d 264, 272 (4th Cir.2002). The challenge in this case is to prove that the advertisement or the mailer is intended to mislead or confuse the consumers upon a claim of implied falsehood. In short, a court may find the mailer statements literally false but absent a literal falsehood, statements can only be said impliedly misleading if presented with evidence of actual consumer deception. PBM Products LLC PBM LLC v. Mead Johnson Company, No. 10–1421 (4th Cir. 2011). In your case, since Pepsi did not literally and expressly stated that Coca Cola is harmful and can cause obesity, the company needs to supply evidence that the misleading statements made through the mailer confused and deceived the consumers. The court must determine if claims are made unambiguous and false. There are times that a literally false message may either be explicit or conveyed by necessary implication only. If advertisement is considered in its entirety, the consumers will know that the claim is clear and unambiguous. In the case of the mailer statements made by Pepsi, there is no express statement that Coca Cola is harmful and can cause obesity. But the relationship of the statements made shows

Write about 5 artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Write about 5 artist - Essay Example It is at Yale that Bartlett fully understood the progressive approach to modern artistry. This combined with the vibrant art scene in nearby New York was instrumental to her development as an artist in those early years (37). Bartlett’s first solo exhibition in 1970 at Alan Saret’s loft and a later exhibition in 1974 at the Paula Cooper Gallery showcased her unique artistic concepts. Her work which incorporated the use of various systems to create order and at the same time oppose it made her an icon in the world of art. She was bale to explore the use of different materials and the conceptual process to make objects and images. This post-minimalist and realist painter is well known for her interiors and landscapes which are created in a way that explore the relationship between the object and the painted image. She used materials such as pen and ink, pencil, brush and ink, gouache and oil pastel to create her paintings. (Gaze 218). One of her most famous works is the gigantic mural situated at the Federal Building in Atlanta, Georgia. She created this two hundred foot mural in 1981. Since then, she has been creating works of art which all have characteristics of her use of mundane objects. Bartlett’s paintings can be found in various public collections in Museums such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the walker Art center in Minnesota, Honolulu’s Contemporary museum and the Tate Gallery in London (Gaze 219). In the world of art, Julian Schnabel is considered as one of the most outstanding artists of the 20th century. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1951 to Jack Schnabel and Esta Greenberg. He resolved to be an artist while he was still a young boy. After receiving his B.F.A from the University of Houston, he joined the Whitney Museum of American Art under the inde[pendent study program. He had his first show as a solo artist in 1975, and thereafter he traveled to

Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience Research Paper - 1

Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience - Research Paper Example In addition to that, the slavery which caused intense issues in England motivated Thoreau to write this article. After seeing and experiencing the intolerable environment, Thoreau first gave a speech in 1848. This speech later took form of an essay and then was known as the â€Å"Civil Disobedience†. According to Thoreau, a man’s own opinion matters a lot and is in no way derogatory to the political decision. If a political decision is taken for the mankind, a man’s own decision is also very important for himself and his loved ones. So it is wrong to nullify that personal decision in order to bring their (governments’) own perspective. As Thoreau says: â€Å"[i]t is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right... Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice† (Thoreau). Thoreau goes on to say that an individual should not be tagged as a traitor or rebel only because he disagrees with the government’s point of view because he has the right to have his own opinion and to practice his own beliefs. Thoreau’s writing style, when it comes to this essay, is quite blunt and straightforward. Moreover considering the political upheaval of that time, the American Mexican War and the issue of slavery, writing this essay was a gigantic and a bold step. In his essay, Thoreau also gives references to the Massachusetts environment and writes: â€Å"who (people of Massachusetts) are more interested in commerce and agriculture than they are in humanity, and are not prepared to do justice to the slave and to Mexico,  cost what it may... There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them† (Thoreau). Thoreau shares his opinion about the

How advertising affect children obesity Essay Example for Free

How advertising affect children obesity Essay The impact of food advertisement on children’s health and eating behavior is a crucial interest, because of the rapid increase of obesity in children noticed in England, United States and many countries around the world (Reilly J et al, 1999). In addition to that, according to the international obesity task force report that nearly 20% of children (school-age) in Europe are suffering from obesity, Obesity overweight are defined as having an extensive fat accumulation and according to the world health organization obesity is defined also as body mass index greater than or equal to 25 and 30 kgm, in other words overweight and obese happen when calories intake is greater than the number of calories burned during activity and basic metabolic processes. This essay will examine the association between advertising and children obesity with highlighting the effect of the epidemic in the following way the first part will examine the influence of advertising on children in different aspects, and setting out recent data on the association between advertising and children obesity, the second part covers the risk of obesity in term of physical and mental health than the third part examine the different environment where the children’s are targeted and the last part include a recommendation and strategies for an effective prevention and management for the epidemic. A wide range of researches show that food advertising directed for children affect their food choice (Robinson, 2007) and children’s exposure to advertising has increased dramatically over the past years (Ekstrom, 2007). While marketing activities are more used to target tweens and teens, a considerable amount is spent every year by companies to advertise their unhealthy food, the major part was on TV advertisement, for example UK has spent 743 million on food and drinks advertising in 2003 and some data show that this number is increasing (ofcom, 2004). Television is still the most used for children’s aged between 2-13 years old and the advertisements display are still powerfully influencing (Story , 2004) in the way that 2 to 11 years old TV viewers are exposed to about 5500 food publicity yearly in the United States, in other words, 11. 5 minutes per day (Desrochers, 2008), a fact that challenge parents’ roles. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, it has been argued that advertising for really healthy foods like vegetables and fruits, known as â€Å"Go† products in the USA, are absolutely invisible. As expected most of foods advertised are considerably unhealthy which is high in sugar, salt and fat and low in essential mineral and vitamins. Although an empirical study shows that food advertised on TV conduct to a bad food choices (Taveras et al, 2006) and that proven overweight and obese children have a high recalling rates of the food advertised than children with normal weight (Halford, 2008). Many of advertisers claim that in order to improve the effect of advertising appeals for children like the case of celebrities and cartoons characters are substantial to get children’s view of products advertised. An analysis presenting a virtually version of advertising which one with and one without a celebrity character, demonstrates that products presented with popular character attract more children’s (Atkin Block, 1983; Ross et al, 1984). In addition, a study analysing parents and children in supermarket shows that children were influenced by premium offers (Atkin, 1978), an effective way of business marketing. Furthermore many substantial research demonstrates a relation between the duration of TV viewing and classes of obesity and overweight for children and adolescents (Anderson, Crespo, Bartlett, Cheskin, Pratt, 1998). However, a divided studies ignore any association between viewing TV to obesity (Kaur, Choi, Mayo, and Harris, 2003) leaded to prospective studies which was resulting after three year following that children’s or adolescent who watched TV more than two hours a day were twice probably occur overweight during the process of the study (Francis, Lee, Birch, 2003; Proctor et al. , 2003). These evidences confirm that excessive TV viewing leads to gain weight also it can affect on food choice and eating behavior. Overall, obesity rate in the U.S and many other European countries has risen to a worrying rate, many questions persist about the nature and the consequences of this epidemic. Children obesity may not result in known clinical indication until later in life, the physical and emotional effect coordinate often in children lives. A wide body of research showed that obese children and youth are stigmatized producing an opposite emotional consequences, for example low self-esteem, negative body image and depressive feelings (Schwartz and Puhl, 2003; Strauss and Pollack, 2003). However, the results of the studies on the emotional side of obese children are complex to summarize due to the variation of the study subjects including the differences between studies for example (age, gender, status, and obesity level) in spit of, many general statements can be made (Strauss and Pollack, 2003). In term of health Obesity is related with many chronic diseases and it increase risk of diabetes, cancer, cardio vascular problems and a lower life expectancy (James W, Jackson-Leach R, Mhurchu C, 2004). It has been found that obesity could be defined as disorders that affect multiple organ system. These disorders contain hypertension, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, impaired balance and orthopedic problems and some of this symptoms cause clinical condition in obese children and some do not (Dietz et al, 2003), a statistic in 2000 shows that 400,000 deaths were ascribe to unhealthy diet and physical inactivity in United States (Mokdad et al, 2004), whereas in 1990 it was estimated by 300,000 due to the same reasons it has been seen an increase of one-third (Mcginnis, 1993). In other words these factors represent the second major cause of death in America and its predicted to surpass tobacco as the first cause of deaths in the future (Mokdad et al, 2004). In addition, it has been argued that obesity involves immediate and long-term consequences (Finkelstein et al. , 2004). The United States spent about 98 to 129 billion on medical expenditures yearly financed by Medicaid and Medicare. Thus, this statement introduces obesity in view of a major aspect of health-care costs (Mokdad et al, 2004). In other hand, research psychologists have made a comprehensive limitation of youth children’s comprehension of advertised messages where there is many areas to investigate in, most researches on advertising to children include studies of television, however, in the interactive media field, advertising and entertainment have made a new unique way, for example advertising on children’s websites where it include games, cartoons, puzzles and activities that promote for the product related called â€Å"branded environments†; a key point of marketing in the new media environment that explain advertising strategies have become more obtrusive. Children are not targeted only in the home, as advertisers and sellers have found a new area in way all children can be reached which is the school classroom, a unique environment and due to the serious economic challenges that schools face, advertiser are progressively offering resources and founds in order to access to school children as audience for their products and commercials messages (of com, 2004) The issue of commercialization in school environment has already attracted some public attention and many citizen have already formed groups in different location. Therefore, effectively, they have declined the forms of commercialization in the educational environment with showing so far the impact of these practices on children’s. (of com, 2004) A variety of studies in the last decade have investigated the several effects of advertising, physical and mentally and increasing attention of the implication on children’s health, it is time now to think about how to reduce children obesity. As It have been mentioned early that there is a strong relation between TV viewing and child obesity, in a linked study, more than 60% of obese children could be related to excess TV viewing time (Gortmaker et al, 1990), The total pressure of ads on children’s diet is probably to be growing. In 2000 more than 75% of the commercialization budget for food and drink in Europe were used on TV advertising; it seems to be an effective measure to limit the exposure of children to ads (Lobstein, 2005). Therefore, a recent research demonstrated that a ban of fast food advertising on TV would decline the rate of overweight children aged 3 to 11 year in USA by 18% (Chou et al, 2008). Then, reducing ads of energy-dense foods on TV seems to have an even greater effect, whereas a recent study claims that if food commercial on TV were banned it will result on significant reductions of children obesity (Saffer H, Chaloupka F, 2000). It might be true that marketing budgets could be reduced but instead of that advertisers and promoters used to transfer the same message by different media, for example, the internet which is the new media environment â€Å"advergaming† (Powell L, Szczypka G, Chaloupka F, 2007). For example, in the UK, 13% of total amount spent on food, drinks and fast food advertising was by Internet (European heart network, 2005). Overall, limiting or banding the advertising of high-calories foods are urgently needed and it appears to be an important element that lead to make healthier diets for children’s. Comprehensive studies should be provided in order to combat children obesity addressing to all the causes of obesity, including strategies to motivate children to be more physically active. In some countries such as the UK, Germany and Spain are trying to restrict the activities of advertising industry, for example, a responsible self-regulation and by demanding them to present social marketing technique to advertise healthier food. Other countries’ governments are focusing on limiting food ads in schools like the case of Finland, where some countries have already banned food ads to children on TV (European heart network, 2005). While there are many challenges for the national policies in obesity prevention and the key player are governments, international organizations, private and non-governmental organizations, each country need to drive policy changes by their governments and its important to know that while health services takes usually a large part of national budget (European heart network, 2005). A change at many levels and in different environments are significantly required, for example in the home environment as improving the nutrition quality of family dinners with encouraging children to be more active in term physically as well as increasing the time that they spent outside playing can make a change. (Jeffrey et al, 2005) also the school environment is really important and the role of school in introducing an active lifestyle module in which children learns about the benefits of the healthier life style and physical activity for life. In the national level such as organizations and policy changes, a comprehensive modification is needed in the way to progress towards reducing of obesity through policy and system changes, for example encouraging children to go school by walking or by bike, increase the number of industry who product and advertise a healthy balanced product, improve the access of fruits and vegetables for a low-income population (obesity is related also with poverty) and increase the ability to afford healthy food at schools, supermarkets and farmers markets. The efforts have already begun around the world and the unique and ultimate solutions are still far, (Jeffrey P. et al, 2005). the aim of obesity prevention programmes is to limit or stop the increase of obesity and reduce the new cases of this epidemic in a population, from a scientific viewpoint the most effective way to use in evaluating obesity prevention programmes are the change in the average of the body mass index or succession in obesity rate. However in practical terms the incidence is rarely happened the rates of the prevalence of obesity is hard to decline in the short term cause firstly  losing weight is not that easy and it cant be expected that large number of obese peoples sick to lose weight just to cease to not be classified as obese, secondly the social environment and social behavioural are reflected on the population weight , at present many countries have strategies an policy to deal with the problem of obesity and some countries still need to tackle obesity effectively such as Australia, Canada and United Kingdom. However Singapore is one of the country that has achieved a degree of success through a coordinated system of healthy life covering all the different groups in the population for example preschool children, schoolchildren, young and adult peoples and recent result of the fit programmes are promising and declining rates of obesity has been noticed among primary and secondary school. In conclusion there is an important growth of children obesity in European countries and many countries around the world and after the examination of the different aspects of obesity and the association between food advertising and obesity levels some research has been demonstrating that the exposure to TV ads or network games could increase the chances of obesity and it might result in many consequence in term of physical and mental health, physical activity and healthy diet seems to be important to prevent the epidemic but a necessary significant study must set in place to fight the increase and seriously measures should be taken as a matter of urgency.

Walmart Success In Mexico Canada And China Marketing Essay

Walmart Success In Mexico Canada And China Marketing Essay Global expansion has been gaining a lot of attention from all businesses that planned to expand abroad. Important factors that needs to be considered in the decision making process will be business strategies, entry modes, and threats and opportunities available in the markets. Appropriate strategies used will also help to minimize the risk of failure in the international markets. When a firm makes the right choice of business strategies and entry modes, the firm will then be able to succeed in the market and do well in the market as well. The choice of entry modes and business strategies will influence the future of the retailer in the targeted markets as well. Therefore, retailers who wish to go global should use the most suitable approaches to enter their targeted markets to ensure success to their business. Keywords: global expansion, business strategies, entry modes, threats, opportunities, Walmart Introduction Many researches had been done to study more about internalization of the retail industry and the majority of researches done are mainly used to describe the motivations and scales for international expansion by retailers (Akehurst Alexander, 1995; Williams, 1992). Besides that, many models of internalization explained the sequence of foreign expansion that shows that the companies who go international will do better in foreign markets that are similar to their domestic markets. This is why Walmart chose to enter the markets of Canada and Mexico (Johanson Vahlne, 1977). There are several reasons why international retailing had been a popular issue. Retailers who take the step to go into the international market is mainly because the domestic markets is saturated, needs for larger diverse investments, economic pressures and many external and internal forces that leads retailers to enter new markets and it is important for the retailer to choose the right market entry strategy into th e international markets (Sternquist, 2007). There are several researches done with a conclusion that retailers can minimize the risk of entry strategies by choosing the markets which are similar to the domestic market from the aspects of cultural, geographical and growth potentials. (Barkema Vermeulen, 1998; Welch Welch, 1996). Walmart is established in 1962, by Sam Walton. Walmart got its name from the family name Walton, giving Walmart the meaning of Waltons mart in long. Walmart is a strong company and it managed to survive in the 2008 recession hit in United States. Walmart had been growing fast throughout the years and the sales and market growth were increasing every year. For a fast growing retailer like Walmart, it is important to have use the best entry modes to enter a new market (Fred, 2011). Global expansion Global retail expansion has attracted many businesspersons, especially big sized companies which wish to increase their businesss profits and market share. Global expansion not only attracts large organizations but also small to medium-sized companies, some companies who are new to international expansion as well, and those who are in more mature organizations. The success achieved by newer specialty retailers in the international market, for example, Zara (Spain), HM (Sweden), and Shanghai Tang (Hong Kong) have motivated and created the way for other organizations to follow. However, there is also numerous numbers of well-known retailers who have failed in their expansion in certain global markets which is caused by several reasons, such as regulatory, legal and cultural challenges, competition, and trying to change shopping behavior (Cox, 2011). Besides that, retailers who made the decision to operate only in neighboring markets, as well as it is located geographically close to the ir home markets, will expect to face a lower level of such risks (Burt, 1993; Davis, Desai, Francis, 2000; Hollander, 1970: Knee, 1993; Robinson Clarke-Hill, 1990). Numerous top managers are also becoming more cautious on the problem of maintaining a common identity and culture in the process of trying to build up global enterprises (Joshua Chi, 2007). Moreover, it is very tough for businesses to make their decisions on choosing the most appropriate markets for their business development because there is no accurate and reliable information provided to the businesses. Domestic players in the markets will only portray the potentials side of the markets and hide the disadvantages just to attract businesses into the market (Jackson, Houdard, Highfield, 2008). Comparison of business strategies used by Walmart in Mexico, Canada and China There are different business strategies used by Walmart in Mexico, Canada and China. In Mexico, Walmart acquired Central American Retail Holding Co. who was struggling with accounting issues in 2006. After the acquisition, Walmart renamed the business with Walmart Centroamà ©rica. Central American Retail Holding Co. was previously the largest retailer in Central America. Walmart took the step where they re-launched the whole chain of retail stores under the Central American Retail Holding Co. with wider product assortments, and lower pricing strategy. The reason why they does this is because low pricing strategy is the basic strategy to expand Walmarts philosophy, Every Day Low Price to all part of the world (Basic Strategy: Be More Walmart!, 2011). Walmarts main strategy in Mexico is the multi-format strategy where through this strategy; Walmart can serve different groups of consumers at the same time being able to fulfill all the various needs of these groups of people. Bodega Aur rera in Mexico is the companys fastest growing format. There are three versions of this store. Bodega Aurrera Express stores are designed as very small outlets to serve urban areas such as Mexico City and Monterrey. Mi Bodega Aurrera is designed to serve rural towns and these stores created a great achievement for Walmart (Multiple Formats Equal Flexibility, 2011). In Canada, Walmart Canada is creating a new home branding effort that place the Better Homes Gardens license as the core for both hard and soft home categories (Wal-Mart International Improves Game, 2007). Every products offered has clear and obvious differences from any other products in the market and this will leave a strong image in the customers minds that these products were originated from Walmarts fashion and value chain (Wal-Mart International Improves Game, 2007). Besides that, Walmart Canada is implementing the use of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) which involves 20 stores and about 12 of their suppliers. This implementation was influenced by the parent country in United States where this system will help eliminate inventories out of stock. The implementation was an important step in the United States and it is important to Walmart Canada as well. Walmart Canada will focus on the use of this technology to improve their supply chain as well as customer se rvices. Equipped stores will be able to use the system to track tagged items in the stores and they can take necessary actions if anything happens. The system is a very important goal to be achieved by Walmart Canada because it can reduce errors occurred in manual restocking methods and the most important issue is that it can reduce over stock in the stores, and it can reduce unnecessary transportation caused which then leads to reduction in emissions of carbons (Mammarella, 2007). The success of Walmart can also be seen through its achievement in having a large grocery insert in its Canadian discount stores where the insert was called Grocery Shelf that provides a big return on capital at low risk (Orgel, 2005). In China, Walmart is targeting to be one of the national retail chains in the country with no interrelated national distribution system.  With this aim, it can be obvious that the rewards are huge, if Walmart is able to succeed. Besides that, the mainland retail market are estimated to be worth US$750 billion by 2008 and this will be a supporting point for Walmart to succeed.  The only thing Walmart need to be worried about is the distribution system.  This is because; the company has given in to unionization demands from the state-run, All-China Federation of Trade Unions, where it shows an important climb down from Walmarts anti-union US point of view (Distribution critical to Wal-Mart China strategy, 2006). However, Walmart will not be influenced. The marketing strategies used by Walmart for BRIC and other developing countries will still involve great huge discounts and great values on all of their products like how they do it in their home country, maintaining low prices ev ery day to all their customers, especially middle-class customers, on the same time, maintaining the growth of their profits as well. According to JPMorgan and analyst Charles Grom, Walmarts main objective for future success is not to overdo Target in the United States. They also said that, Walmart will start to work on more interrelated marketing strategies and merchandising messages to serve their low end customer as well, instead on just focusing on middle-class customers and this could implied to the BRIC countries Walmarts expansions as well (Frazier, 2007). Besides that, Walmart in China had a great success in using cost leadership and this strategy had generated huge revenues for Walmart in China. Therefore, Walmart planned to continue with the cost leadership strategy, as well as implementing a new strategy, that is differentiation (George, 2007). Comparison of entry modes Another reason for retailers to expand into the global markets is because the market in their home country is highly saturated and this created a more competitive market. Therefore, multinational retailers will choose to expand into markets which are less saturated than their home markets. For example, Sears, Kmart and Walmarts most successful expansion is to expand to Mexico and Canada, which is categorized in the North America region. How do multinational retailers choose their entry mode to the selected markets? Multinational retailers that are expanding to markets which are culturally diversified will choose to have a local joint venture with local retailers in the country to help them learn more about the country (Sternquist, 2007). Walmart in Mexico penetrated the market with a joint venture with its local player, CIFRA. CIFRA is the largest retailer in Mexico and Walmart is the largest retailer in the USA. With this reason, Walmarts decision to have a joint venture with CIFRA will definitely be a success because CIFRA will help Walmart have better knowledge on Mexican markets. In Mexico, CIFRA supplied Walmart will supplier connections, knowledge about the local culture as well as helping Walmart to work with local authorities. This will ensure successful expansion of Walmarts power in the Mexican markets, and Walmart can have the greatest influence in the shortest time period. In return of CIFRAs help, Walmart transfers their logistics knowledge to CIFRA which will also help CIFRA to improve on their supply chain management. (Sternquist, 1997). Under Walmarts agreement with CIFRA, Walmart opened membership warehouse clubs, known as Club Aurrera, which does catering to small businesses and selected groups of c onsumers. The first Club Aurrera was opened in Mexico City in December 1991. (Global Push Begins in Mexico, 2012). Besides that, CIFRA and Walmart also announced another two joint ventures, the first one is to start up a wholesale discount Aurrera stores, and the second one is to start up an import-export company that will provide CIFRAs Mexican suppliers to have access to other Walmart outlets in the United States (Millman, 1991). Walmart entered the Canadian markets through the entry mode acquisition. In 1994, Walmart announced its entry into Canada with the purchase of 120 out of 142 Woolco discount stores which are located on the north of the border from the Woolworth Corporation. In 1993, the Woolco stores had total sales of $1.14 billion (Woolco Purchase Yields Entry Into Canada, 2012). Walmart had avoided a time-consuming problem, which are faced by other American retailers who entered the Canadian market, which is to build up stores. Walmart had save their time because they took the step to buy the established stores of Woolco, where most of it had floor space of 100,000 square feet or more. Walmart had also benefited from the making choices for strategic and attractive leases (Woolco Purchase Yields Entry Into Canada, 2012). In 2011, Walmart Canada announced that it had also completed another acquisition from Target Canada with a total of 39 store locations which is currently occupied by Zellers (Canad a Newswire, 2011). Most multinational enterprises had the same thought that entering China is not an option for their business to expand, but it is a strategic necessity for the future of their business. The economy in China is growing rapidly that supports the living of the whole population in China, which is 1.3 billion. China is believed to be a country which has economic superpower and it is a very huge market in the 21st century (Schlevogt, 2000a, 2000b). On the other hand, Walmart is facing slow growth in the United States, and with these available attractive reasons, Walmart aimed to be the top in the retail sector in China with its acquisition of Trust-Mart (Naughton, Schafer, Ansfield, Lin, 2006). Other than using the acquisition strategy, Walmart also used the offshore sourcing strategy. Walmart sees that China is a major production or assembly source country and Walmart needed the help of China for the production and assemble of their products in the United States. Walmart then took the off shore sourcing strategy. Today, Walmart is the single largest export channel from Chinese manufacturers to the United States, with a record of at least 4% in Chinas overseas sales (Goldstein, 2003). Interestingly, Walmart does not have any manufacturing plants in China and it does not have a direct control over the production process of its suppliers in China. Instead, the suppliers are those who take control and responsibility to meet certain levels of requirements, for example cost, quality and delivery (Shih, 2004). With this strategy, Walmart can hold to their Everyday Low Price philosophy. This is because; Walmart can keep their production cost low, at the same time gaining the maximum benefits. Walmart also utilizes its strong bargaining position, at the same time maintaining a high level of ownership. This can be seen in their selling strategy, where Walmart buys the products at a cheaper price from China, and reselling them at a higher price in the United States and other pa rts of the world, at the same time gaining the profits and achieving their aim in providing the lowest prices. In other words, Walmart maintains a high level of ownership control but its management control is low (Goldstein, 2003). Comparison of opportunities and threats Threat and opportunity are two terms which are often used in terms strategic management in businesses (Mintzberg, Raisinghini, Theoret, 1976; Nutt, 1984). These categories are often used to make strategic decisions and it had become a necessity for firms to use these two terms to evaluate their selected markets. The results and issues obtained from environmental analysis are categorized as threats and opportunities faced by the business (Christensen, Andrews, Bower, Hamermesh, Porter, 1982). Opportunities Mexico In 2007, Walmart de Mexico had made a huge investment of $1 billion dollars for new developments and they opened 136 new units from all its existing business formats. This development includes opening of new units of 57 Bodega Aurrera units, 16 Walmart Supercenters, 6 Sams Clubs, 4 Superamas, 15 Suburbia stores and 38 Vips and El Porton Restaurants. The new stores opened spreads on two categories, the existing cities and new cities. The expansion in new cities can increase the firms coverage of new customers, and as for the existing cities, Walmart will have the advantage to dominate the market more widely. Besides that, the expansion of new stores will help boost the amount of new customer, as well as result in greater sales (DATAMONITOR: Wal-Mart de Mexico., 2008). The consumers today have changing preferences on choices of places to buy groceries and other daily products. customer now no longer prefer traditional retail, and they now prefer larger and more standardized hypermarket and supermarket chains, and the most important is the stores can offer lower and more attractive prices, as well as providing the convenience to the customers. In Mexico, the market share of modern formats of stores had increased almost 50% as compared from year 2005-2010. The change in the customers preferences will create an opportunity for Wal-Mart to expand its chains to more cities in Mexico (DATAMONITOR: Wal-Mart de Mexico., 2008). China Walmart Stores had signed an agreement to acquire a little stake of Yihaodian.com, Chinas largest online retailer. If the acquisition is successful, Walmart will have the chance to expand their business to the world of online shopping market, which will then generate more revenue. However, Chinas anti-monopoly bureau considers the acquisition might create an effect that exclude or restrict the competition of value-added telecommunications services market segments in China (China approves Wal-Mart control of Yihaodian., 2012). Apart from Walmart having control of services of Yihaodian.com, Yihaodian.com can also take the advantage of using Walmarts supplier and logistics resources to increase their stock-keeping unit by tracking the inventories closely using the system (Mass Grocery Retail., 2012). Another opportunity available for Walmart is the concept of discount store formats. Walmart can take the first step to start a discount store format expansion before other retailers do because the discount store format is now an attractive option for retailers in China. Walmart is the biggest retailer in China because of the acquisition of Trust-Marts 100-outlet-strong hypermarket network. Therefore, Walmart has the opportunity to expand in China, by launching a new discount compact hypermarket format formed under Trust-Mart in China (Mass Grocery Retail., 2012). Canada Walmart in Canada can expand its chain to the food retailing sector in Canada, since Target will be a competitor of Walmart in Canada. Walmart will have the competitive advantage over Target if they were to get involved in the food retailing industry because Target may be limited in food retailing (Orgel, 2011). Walmart Canada had announced the retailers planning of opening three supercenters in Quà ©bec. Walmart also ensures the quality of products they offer in the new store to gain customers confidence (Canada, 2011). Besides that, Walmarts low price strategy had given Walmart a great opportunity compared to other retailers in Canada, and this will ensure that Walmarts path in Canada will be stable (Swain, 1994). Another opportunity for Walmart in Canada is their decision to bring their warehouse club, Sams Club into Canada and this will help Wal-Mart by gaining increasing popularity in the market (Robin, 2003). Threats Mexico In February 2006, Mexicos retail association Asociacion Nacional de Tiendas de Autoservicio y Departamentales (ANTAD) sent many requests to the Congress to approved the proposals to upgrade the anti-monopoly laws to an international standards. This will affect Walmart de Mexico, because, if the laws are being approved, Walmart de Mexico will lose its advantage of its better technology and larger size as compared to other smaller retailers, to offer the lowest prices in the market. Walmart Stores is also facing this problem in the companys parent country in United States because, Walmart is a big retailer, and they are offering low prices and this will affect smaller retailers to quit from the industry. In this case, Walmart de Mexicos expansion plans in Mexico will be affected by the laws and regulations in Mexico (DATAMONITOR: Wal-Mart de Mexico., 2008). Other than that, another main issue that Walmart Mexico faces is opposition towards their expansion in Mexico, mainly from the government and local retailer. A slow growing economy will cause a lower purchasing power in a country. The economy in Mexico is an important threat to Walmart because the slow growth in the Mexican economy will affect the consumer spending and it will affect Walmarts growth in Mexico (DATAMONITOR: Wal-Mart de Mexico., 2008). Besides that, the intense competition in Mexico will also be a threat for Walmart. In Mexico, Walmart is also facing a strong competition from Mexican supermarket chains because the retail industry in Mexico is saturated. Some examples of Walmarts strong international and domestic competitors are Organizacion Soriana, Controladora, Chedraui, and Gigante. These retailers are having an intense competition with Walmart. The increasing competition from these retailers might affect Walmart de Mexico, especially in terms of profitability (DATA MONITOR: Wal-Mart de Mexico., 2008). China Walmart plans to expand bigger in China and the company had planned to open another ten stores throughout the urban areas. However, the effort faced some challenges, mainly from the government of China. Chinas state-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Union (ACFTU) had planned to take the action to sue Walmart as well as other non-Chinese companies if these companies do not have union branches in their Chinese operations. The main problem in this issue is, Walmart is well-known for their anti-union stance. In order for them to survive in the market, Walmart had agreed to respect the choice of their employees in China who wants to set up a union. This action may benefit China, but Walmart will have restrictions handling employee benefits and limited ways in resolving grievances. Even though there were many problems faced, as a multinational retailer, it is a must for Walmart to adapt to the specific markets they are operating in (Wal-Mart: in union with China, 2005). Canada Walmart Canadas largest threat will be the acquisition of Zellers Inc. by Target Corporation. The entry of Target Corporation will be another add-on to the intense competition of retailers in Canada. In the acquisition, Target took over 220 stores under Zellers, and this could impact Walmart as a big retailer because Target is growing fast after the acquisition (Orgel, 2011). The retail industry in Canada is very intense and saturated and the retail market is full of strong grocers and this will be a threat for Walmart because there will be more competition and this will slow down and eventually reduce Walmarts sales in Canada (Dunn, 2006). Besides that, Walmart also faces Canadas regulatory threats where Walmart needs to face the legal challenges from Saint-Hyacinthe certification (Springer, 2005). Besides that, Walmart is trying to introduce organic food in the country as well, and this will be a threat to Walmart because Walmart does not have a proper marketing strategy to market the product in their stores in Canada because there are other small-sized organic food suppliers which can offer a lower price (Goodbaum, 2006). Discussion Walmart is indeed a good example of a successful retailer that successfully expands and survives in the international markets. This also proves that there is the potential for retailers in domestic markets to expand their business into the international market with the condition that they use the appropriate marketing strategies and entry modes to penetrate the market. However, Walmart should also have sufficient information on the markets so that they can adapt into the market with lesser barriers. Walmart had been a successful retailer in the United States and today, and they are still growing across the world, mainly in United States, Canada and Mexico. Walmart also uses different types of marketing strategies and entry modes to dominate the markets, and this gives the large retailer a huge competitive advantage over other retailers in the market because, Walmarts philosophy, Every Day Low Price had been successfully applied throughout the world where this philosophy had helped Wa lmart greatly in surviving in different markets on the same time providing Walmart with a bright future. Walmart choices of strategies in the Mexican, Canadian and China markets also portray the firms success in adapting into the country. Walmart in Mexico used the multi format strategy to set up different types of stores to satisfy majority needs and demands of the markets, and this helped Walmart in achieving a greater amount of concentration of customers. The Bodega Aurrera store chains are proves the firms intelligence in dominating the market. These stores have different concepts such as discount stores and convenience stores that will serve different types of customers in different areas in Mexico. Secondly, in Canada, Walmart uses the retail format development strategy to approach the market. Walmart in Canda extend their offerings into the home furniture sector where these furnitures can only be found in Walmart. This will create brand awareness and brand loyalty towards Walmart in the customers. Besides that, Walmart also made full use of their satellite communication system to frequently check on the inventories in Walmart stores to decrease shortage in supply. In Canada, Walmart also have discount stores where these stores can generate high profits with low risks in the country. Thirdly, Walmart in China had achieved a huge success by using the cost leadership strategy in the country to attract more people. This is because, the population and economy in China is growing, and Walmart can have large sales volumes, with lower price, to achieve high sales records to maintain their sustainability. Other than these successes, Walmart had also used the appropriate entry modes to enter the markets. In Mexico, Walmart uses the joint venture mode with Mexicos largest retailer, CIFRA. This joint venture had benefited Walmart in the sense that, CIFRA can provide the firm with information on the markets in Mexico, and Walmart can save their time on the process of understanding the markets. This will give Walmart the advantage to grow faster in the market. The strategy used by Walmart in Canada is the acquisition mode, where the firm took over the operations of Woolco, a weak retailer in the Canadian markets. With this acquisition, Walmart does not need to worry on the locations of their stores, because the Woolco buildings were available, since the firm had took over them. In China, Walmart use the offshore sourcing strategy together with the acquisition strategy where Walmart can reduce their cost to find new locations, as well as reducing their production costs because production co sts in China is lower compared to the United States. From the different choices of entry modes that Walmart chose, all of the strategies are working well in different markets, where these strategies helped Walmart to have a strong base in the markets. Walmart have the potential in growing in the spread of their retail stores to outside their region. With the strong market base that Walmart is standing on, it will not be a major problem if Walmart were to expand into other regions in the world. However, Walmart needs to take care of the regulations of the countries they are penetrating, as well as the intensity of the competition in the markets. Conclusion Walmarts decision to expand globally had made a huge success to the firm and this can be seen in Walmarts domination in the markets. Walmarts success had been a glorious story in the business world for being able to sustain their businesses not only domestically, but also in the global context. The business strategies and entry modes used were wisely chosen and it ensures long term profitability to the firm. Even though there are challenges faced in the respective markets they penetrated successfully, Walmart still have outstanding performances in overtaking their competitors in the retail industry. Besides that, Walmart also have very strong strategic management skills because, Walmart choose their locations and targets countries carefully where this leads to the route of success for Walmart as well. Walmart success can also be credited to their efforts in satisfying their customers from all classes. Walmart offers a wide range of products where it covers all varieties of products, from the highest price to the lowest price which is still the lowest retail price in the retail industry. With this point, Walmart will have loyal customers that will make repeated purchases in the stores. Another notable success of Walmart is, the firm is able to survive even in the toughest period of the economy, during recession. Not all businesses can survive in the recession period, because during recession, the cycle of business processes will contract, which will result in slow business growth and there will be unemployment all around. Yet, Walmart still can survive and continue its business operations during the recession period. With only this point, Walmart is considered the most successful retailer in the retail industry for being able survive no matter what environment they are in.

Feminist Perspective of John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums Essay

A Feminist Perspective of John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums   John Steinbeck, in his short story "The Chrysanthemums" depicts the trials of a woman attempting to gain power in a man's world. Elisa Allen tries to define the boundaries of her role as a woman in such a closed society. While her environment is portrayed as a tool for social repression, it is through nature in her garden where Elisa gains and shows off her power. As the story progresses, Elisa has trouble extending this power outside of the fence that surrounds her garden. In the end, Elisa learns but does not readily accept, that she possesses a feminine power weak for the time, not the masculine one she had tried so hard to achieve through its imitation. The work begins with a look at the story's setting. "The Chrysanthemums" was written in 1938, and the story takes place roughly around the same time. It is winter in Salinas Valley, California. The most prominent feature is the "gray-flannel fog" which hid the valley "from the rest of the world" (396). The mountains and valleys and sky and fog encapsulate everything inside as a "closed pot" (396). Inside this shut-off habitat the environment is trying to change. Just as the farmers are waiting for an unlikely rain, Elisa and all women   are hopeful for a change in their enclosed lives. Steinbeck’s   foreshadows, "It was a time of quiet and waiting" (396). The action of the story opens with Elisa Allen working in her garden. She is surrounded by a wire fence, which physically is there to protect her flowers from the farm animals. This barrier symbolizes her life; she is fenced in from the real world, from a man's world. It is a smaller, on-earth version of the environment in which they live. This man's... ...mean she couldn't still be strong. The peddler's business of selling his service of fixing pots closes women out of his world just as natural fog closes of the valley. Although we hope her tears can be compared to the pruning she does to her precious chrysanthemums, clipping them backed for future and stronger growth, Steinbeck leaves the reader questioning the future for women. Elisa's tears will not rid the valley of the fog, for as Steinbeck tells us in the beginning, "fog and rain do not go together" (396). While Elisa will continue to dominate her immediate surrounding inside the fence using her power from nature, but she will not gain power outside of it, in a man's world. Work Cited Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.

Global Information Infrastructure Essay -- Economy Information Papers

Global Information Infrastructure Introduction Regardless of a nation’s level of economic development; political, economic and social structure; and language and culture they are all seeking to develop and improve the quality of life of their citizens. At present, the industrialized countries have an overwhelming lead in development over most developing nations. However, modern information and communication technologies offer a significant window of opportunity for developing countries to accelerate their development in all spheres of economic and social activity and to narrow the gap between countries. The world stands today on the threshold of a Global Information Society. This position has been arrived at through the truly remarkable advances that have been made in recent years in the development of ICT as well as the construction and development of national and global information infrastructure. Through these developments it is now both technically and economically feasible to bring modern information and communications technologies to any part of the entire world. Equally as important, people around the world, including those in developing countries, are increasingly demanding access to the emerging global information network. Hence, communities in Mexico, for example, have installed personal computers and built microwave towers to communicate with the rest of the world, allowing school children to interact with other students all over the world and keeping farmers apprised of both local and world crop prices. Also, India launched a programme to link its biggest cities with a n ationwide network that will facilitate the dissemination of government information and provide an infrastructure for commercial applicatio... ...ing to Content: A Pilot Comparative Study. Paris: UNESCO, September 1997 (CII-97/WS/8). Financial Times. Monday, July 10, 1998. Gore, Al and Ronald H. Brown. The Global Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Cooperation, Washington, D.C.: United States Government, 1995. The New York Times. Monday, January 20, 1997. d’Orville Hans. Technology Revolution Study: Communication and Knowledge-based Technologies for Sustainable Human Development. Report to the assistant administrator and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS). New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 30 April 1996 UNESCO, UNESCO and an Information Society for All; A Position Paper, Paris: UNESCO, May 1996 (CII-96/WS/4). UNESCO, Information and Communication Technologies in Development: A UNESCO Perspective. Paris: UNESCO, December 1996 (CII-96/WS/6).

Personal Narrative- Shoulder Injury :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Shoulder Injury I felt it pop, and pain engulfed my shoulder like ants cover an anthill that has been stirred with a stick. It made me angry, but it didn't help things to get mad. There was nothing I could do but try to recover in time to start over. Giving up wasn't an option. My junior year in high school, I went out for basketball. I liked it for a while, but when games started I was on JV. It was okay, but I was only getting to play two minutes per game. This didn't make me very happy. With all the time that I was putting in to play, it just wasn't worth it. My dad told me to just stick it out. Some of my friends told me that I should just switch to wrestling. I didn't know if this was possible, so I talked to the coach. The coach said he would be glad to have me on the team, but I would have to talk to the counselor. I talked to him and explained why I wanted to switch sports and he gave me the go ahead. There was only one thing standing in my way: how was I going to persuade my parents to let me wrestle. I talked to my dad about it and he said that if that was really what I wanted to do then that would be fine. I decided that I would play one more game of basketball and if things didn't get better, I would switch. Things didn't get better. I went in o nce for two minutes. I got my weight certified and started wrestling over Christmas break. My first practice was horrible. The head gear straps made my head raw and I got my butt kicked. I didn't know anything compared to the other guys in the 135 weight group. I learned a lot from them, though, and as time progressed, I got better and could actually wrestle with them. I found that there were some moves that wouldn't work on me, because my shoulders were very flexible. It was great, because some kids were afraid that they were tearing up my shoulders, so, they wouldn't use some of the techniques that they regularly would have. Finally, I had enough practices to wrestle in a meet. I was nervous, because it was my very first meet, and it was a varsity meet that our JV was going to.