Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon Research Paper

Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon - Research Paper Example He took over the responsibility of the secretary to the state and as the president’s advisor. This paper will highlight the contribution of President Nixon and Kissinger in the events surrounding the cold war. Kissinger was responsible for the implementation of majority of the diplomatic decisions that he discussed with the president. Although they worked together and made very crucial decisions, they did not trust each other. There was distrust between them and behind each other’s name; they threw insults at each other. President Nixon took advantage of the Jewish factor in Kissinger. Nixon always suspected that Kissinger was not completely honest with security matters. Despite this distrust, they plotted out a Cambodian mission during the Vietnam War. America indulged in the Vietnam War in support of the southern Vietnam that had not conformed to communism. The Vietnam War had its influence from the cold war. The Soviet Union had exerted its influence on the northern Vietnam while America was supporting the south. The two global powers sought to establish allies in this war depending on the whether country was willing to adopt communism or capitalism (Tudda, 2012). One of the policies involved the detente policy between the Soviet Union and China. Nixon and Kissinger wanted to establish a solution to the increasing tension in the cold war that was persisting at the time. Since America’s economic growth was becoming very slow during Nixon’s second term, he sought to establish ways in which he would reduce the tension of the war without additional expenses on the military (Tudda, 2012). Therefore, Kissinger and Nixon plotted the detente strategy. Implementation of the detente policy involved secret travels and negotiations with China. This strategy sought to convince the Soviet Union and China to withdraw the communist influence on northern Vietnam. Both Kissinger and Nixon made efforts to rebuild the strained relationship with China in order to ease the cold war tension. Although the initial attempts found China unyielding, the persistent diplomatic persuasion from Kissinger and Nixon would bear fruit in the end. However, it was not easy because Taiwan emerged to be an issue. There was a debate on whether Taiwan would adopt the policy as part of China or as an independent identity. It became confusing to determine whether the Sino-American negotiations were seeking to establish a solution for only China or the solution would apply to Taiwan (Burr, 2002). Nixon and Kissinger targeted to use the polycentrism of the socialist society to their advantage. Their China negotiations opened a triangular front of diplomacy. The strategy’s main objective was to open up ways in which America could continue exerting its foreign policies. In addition, the new policy would minimize the use of weapons by the two global powers. Some analysts view the strategy as one that implied level of political maturity. Others quest ion the real intentions of Kissinger and Nixon. However, it commendable that the policies eased the tension of the war largely giving the American people some hopes (Banyan, 2007). In addition, Nixon and Kissinger made more move s in ending the Vietnam War. Both South and North Vietnam and Cambodia had formed Indochina. The southern and northern Vietnam were fighting to gain autonomy from the

Final Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Project - Coursework Example Provide outstanding new method of music education for students, excellent instructors and new experience for students. Full services to help students applying schools in any country to study music and students can feel safe being with us. b. We want to be the leader of Chinese music education, and make the revolutionary change. Every employee must be highly educated and/or has an international view of music education. We will arrange visits to US music schools for faculty and staff training later in time. The employees are able to express suggestions for improvements. Each leader will be specialized and expertise on required field of knowledge. Mostly the executive board is responsible for the operation of the corporation; employees’ input is encouraged, could be reported straight to the upper level of operation and is delivered to the executive board. We believe this structure would work better with our company since the amount of our employees is going to be large. Best-experienced instructors graduated from great music schools aboard and are great performers; employees are able to offer bi-lingual classes and western educational style classes. Staffs are able to connect and corporate with famous music schools aboard for summer programs and master classes. Textbooks are originally imported from music schools in western countries. Employees that are teaching in the classes are able to operate high-tech equipment. Employees are supposed to have overseas experience, are fluent in English and Chinese in case of dealings with foreign employees. They also have to have the ability to judge the level of people’s work and class quality. c. Right now we only have 4 employees and 5 members (customers); we had 10 members for our summer master class. We are looking to expand to at least 20 faculty instructors in our first Shanghai’s Center, and around 100 members, for summer master class we will look into 50 members. 3. AL is primarily for

The Principle of Fidelity | Comparison to Socrates

The Principle of Fidelity | Comparison to Socrates While some try to escape prison when they are imprisoned for a crime, Socrates argued for his imprisonment. Socrates provides Crito with three reasons for staying in prison, Principle of Filial Piety, Principle of Fidelity and Non-Malificence argument. For the purpose of my argument, I will show how the Principle of Fidelity and Principle of Filial Piety are flawed arguments. In this paper I will outline arguments mentioned in Taking Rights Seriously by Ronald Dworkin in order to show why Socrates should escape from prison. For the Principle of Fidelity, Socrates provides two premises and a conclusion. In his first premise he argues that because he remained in the city of Athens and did not challenge its laws, it constitutes an agreement to abide by its laws (Rodde 23 Jan. 2013). In his second premise he states that as citizens, we ought to abide by our agreements (Rodde 23 Jan. 2013). Thus, if he escapes from prison, he will break the law, therefore, he should not escape from prison (Rodde 23 Jan. 2013). However, I argue that the Fidelity Principle argument is not a fair one on the basis that it assumes that regardless of the laws of a country, if you live in the society you must abide by the societys laws, thus agreeing to the laws as being just laws. Furthermore, the government is appointed and chosen by the majority rule and regulates its laws for its citizens. When there is a relationship built between the state and its citizens, an automatic agreement occurs. While the citizens have a duty to the state, the state also has one to its citizens of treating them justly under the law. Socrates strongest argument is the Principle of Fidelity as he argues that we must keep our promises (Plato 29-30). Nonetheless, Socrates admits that he was put in jail on wrong terms (Plato 29-30). The wrong imprisonment automatically voids the agreement that Socrates has with the state. Because the state broke faith with Socrates by unjustly accusing and sentencing him, why then is it okay for Socrates to break faith with them? Dworkin argues, in practice, the government will have the last word on what an individuals rights areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but that does not mean that the governments view is necessarily the correct view (Dworkin 34). In this phrase , Dworkin argues that there is a difference between moral rights and legal rights and that although we are in an agreement with a government, our own individual rights should not be ignored. By Socrates keeping his end of the promise to the government, he assumes that the government ought to be moral and that the government acts for its citizens: he who has experience of the manner in which we order justice and administer the state, and still remains, has entered into an implied contract that he will do as we commend him, and who he disobeys us is, as we maintain, thrice wrong (Plato 30). Here Socrates outlines the rules outlined by the state to its citizens and he argues how citizens must abide by those rules, however, if the state is an unjust state, should one still abide by its rules? Dworkin beautifully shows how an act such as Socrates based on the Fidelity Principle ignores ones moral rights as he argues that an individual who believes that the governments view is always the right view must believe that men and women have only such moral rights as government chooses to grand which means that they have no moral rights at all (Dworkin 34). Here Dworkin explains that by ignoring our moral rights and allowing the state to assign moral rights, we have no rights at all. Therefore, as citizens have obligations that they must meet to its government, the government has obligations that they must fulfill. The state broke the obligations that they had to Socrates by imprisoning and executing him on false accusations, this also showing that the law was flawed and unjust. However, we should not ignore Socrates argument that even though the state broke fidelity with the law that does not mean that he should break faith with the law. While in conversation with Crito, Socrates explains that he is a man of his word (Plato 29), however, he fails to mention that he is binding himself to an unjust law. This further questioning the legitimacy of the Principle of Fidelity as it seems to strongly support some claims while ignoring others. Socrates second argument is the Principle of Filial Piety. Socrates first premise for the argument is that the relationship between a state and a citizen is similar to the relationship between a parent and a child (Plato 29-30). The second premise states that a child ought to obey his/her parents; therefore, a citizen ought to obey the state (Rodde 23 Jan. 2013). However, the Filial Piety is a flawed principle because it is an argument from analogy. Analogies always fail because two features can never be exactly identical. Yet, Socrates assumes that parents orders are always the right orders. Socrates disregards the concept of error and poses the concept of perfectibility on a role that never can be perfect. The notion of perfectibility becomes more problematic when Socrates compares the relationship of a citizen and its state to a child and its parent: in disobeying us he is disobeying his parentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we are the authors of his education (Plato 30). Here Socrates explains t hat the control the state has over his life is similar to the control that parents have over their children. However, by giving the state this sort of power he denies his own rights as a citizen. Dworkin argues that, a man has a moral right to speak his mind in a non-provocative way on matters of political concern and that is an important right that the state must go to great pains to protect (Dworkin 36), this is not the case for Socrates. Socrates exercised his rights as a citizen and was punished, however, according to Dworkins thought the state made a mistake when imprisoning him for speaking his mind. In addition, there is an assumption that the parent (state) has hierarchical power; therefore the child (citizen) is below the law (state). If this were the case, then why did Socrates speak against the state (his parents)? The Filial Piety argument becomes problematic as Socrates contradicts his own actions of speaking against politicians. Socrates argues that he has to obey the law unconditionally because the law has parental rights over him (Plato 30); therefore, he is a slave to the state. Socrates argues that he is a free man to leave if he chooses to (Plato 30-31), but how can he argue that he is a free man if the state who, according to him, have parental roles over him, have subjected him against the law? When can these rights be restricted? According to Dworkin, rights can only be restricted if: values protected by original right are not at stake in this case, if marginal cases are permitted and granting right affects competing rights and if marginal cases are permitted and produces costs to society are beyond cost of granting right (Rodde 28 Jan. 2013). With Dworkins idea in mind, I believe that Socrates has imprisoned himself more than the actual government because he appoints the government as his parents through his own analogies. To conclude, I believe that Socrates should escape from prison because the Principle of Fidelity assumes that a law is always just. While on a moralistic view we may argue that Socrates should not escape from prison based on this argument because he has to show the importance of maintaining his promise, instead by not escaping he ignores the law. For example, laws are created to maintain an orderly society in which punishments are involved, creating a dichotomy between right versus wrong. By only considering the idea of keeping ones promise in his argument, Socrates opens the way for people who have been illegally convicted to ignore the entire law system which is created in order to distinguish between right and wrong, and simply do as the state says to due to a natural binding between the person and the state. He ignores the manipulations of the state and ones desires to live. Also, Socrates argues for the Principle of Filial Piety as an important argument. However, the argument is created on an analogy which cannot sustain itself because Socrates compares his relationship to the state as a parent child relationship, but fails to question the way the state sees the relationship with its citizens. Lastly, Dworkins idea of immoral rights versus legal rights and his limitations of when rights can be restricted highlights how although some actions may be immoral, they are not illegal (Dworkin 35), therefore Socrates should escape from jail. [Word Count: 1474]

Clinical Depression :: essays research papers

Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes. The biologic basis of Clinical Depression originates in the brain. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nerve cells, called neurons and of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit messages from one neuron to another. Two of these neurotransmitters are not produced in sufficient quantities in a depressed person’s brain. Because of this lack, too few messages get transmitted between neurons and the symptoms of depression occur. In Clinical depression the chemicals in the brain are out-of-balance. New technology allows researchers to take pictures of the brain that show activity levels in the brain. These imaging techniques such as f-MRI and PET scan actually create images of how active different parts of the brain are. Some studies with these kinds of techniques have suggested that the patterns of activation in the brains of depressed people are different than those who are not. These tests can help doctors and researchers learn more ab out depression and other mental illnesses. Since this research is fairly new, it is not yet used to diagnose clinical depression. Strong evidence suggests that clinical depression runs in families. Still, just because a person has family members with clinical depression does not guarantee that he or she will develop it. Similarly, you may get it even if no one else in your family has had it. People with high levels of stress are much more likely to develop depression that those who do not. Though most people go through a "down" period after a particularly stressful event like a divorce or death of a loved one, sometimes extremely difficult stresses can trigger depressive episodes in certain people who are susceptible to the illness.

Accountability and Transparency in Public Procurement

Accountability and transparency in public procurement Police chief Hemant Karkare died with bullet proof jacket at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on 26/11/2008 at 22:45 PM while attacking pakistani terrorists. Bullet Proof jacket was such low quality that does not work! From the above example, we can easily understood the Public procurement is how much transparent in our country. Moreover, It was not published in any newspaper that who is/are accountable for that Bullet Proof jacket(s). Nobody was accountable nor anybody got punishment!!! We can make a lot of SWOT analysis upon accountability and transperancy, public procurement vs. ommercial procurement etc. but the question is what’s the thresold limit of compromising. Not only India, most of the countries alongwith international agencies such as UNDP and the World Bank are in the process of harmonizing and perfecting their approaches to the diagnosis of financial accountability. Such as World Bank’s Country Financial A ccountability Assessment (CFAA) (CFAA assess the risk that public funds may be used illegitimately, inefficiently or ineffectively, by comparing the financial management standards and practices of agencies using funds against an international or ‘best practice’ standard. Sustainable Public Procurement is one major way of seeking to achieve the UNDP’s good governance goal of â€Å"realizing development that gives priority to the poor, advances women, sustains the environment and creates needed opportunities for employment and other livelihoods. † The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the first legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. As of 12 July 2012, the convention had been ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to by 161 countries as well as the European Union.On Dec 20, 2011 the Europian Commission officially announced its proposal for the new procurement directives. Literature review Literally accountability mea ns the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable i. e. responsible, by both its people and its elected bodies, for its choices and actions. Transparency denotes the free access to governmental political and economic activities and decisions. Procurement is everything associated with an incoming invoice. This holds true for goods, services, and works.In public procurement transparency and accountability have been recognised as key conditions for promoting integrity and preventing corruption, balancing with other good governance imperatives, such as an efficient management of public resources, providing guarantees for fair competition etc. In order to ensure overall value for money, the challenge for decision makers is to define an appropriate degree of transparency and accountability to reduce risks to integrity in public procurement while pursuing other aims of public procurement. Who is accountable?Every person who is in a position of power on trust is accountable for the u se of that power. Within the execution of any system, there is a hierarchical structure by which each level is accountable to the next higher level, from desk clerk to the cabinet. For instance, the clerk who failed to maintain up-to-date records, the Officer who failed to supervise the Clerk, the Head of Department who is answerable to Parliament, but failed to get sufficient trained staff etc. and so on. But it is easy to pin down who is accountable. Public Procurement & Transparency The goal of Public procurement are : ) serving the organisation, b) appropriate use of public funding, c) efficient use of public funding, d) accountability, e) value for money etc. But the real picture of public procurement is horrible ! The most common practice is â€Å"Low Bid† or H1 bidder. But the â€Å"low bid† is equated to a poor quality standard have often soured the public perception of the profession, even though the interpretation of some of these decisions may have been repo rted out of context. Even through e-procurement always there is a gap exists. Secondly supplying Low quality by paying bribe to govt. fficials is a very common practice. Generally Political powerholder to government servants are engaged in circumvention of their own laws. Lot of examples are failure of budget estimates of revenues and expenditures, avoidance of credit limits through an accumulation of unpaid bills, transfer of amounts toward the end of the year to deposit accounts to avoid lapse of funds, manipulation of performance data and associated means. Hence economic growth and policy measures may not be formulated. General public may not always know what the government is doing.While some countries review of the estimates by the audit agency, or through an assessment by credit rating agencies but this practice work against financial accountability. There are vital gaps in most public budgets and accounts. In several cases, they do not provide information on tax expenditures, outstanding guarantees, non-financial assets, and liabilities including contingent ones. Public procurement operations are subject to various controls: local controls, accounting controls, controls made by fiscal authorities, as well as external controls and audits.As public procurement has become more decentralised, a key concern is the lack of co-ordination between various controls, which has led to some loopholes and overlaps in controls over the procurement process. Only a few countries have mechanisms to ensure coordination of control. A related difficulty is to maximise the use of information produced by different controls. Demand for Public Procurement Public procurement created by external demands. As we know that these are transparency, integrity & accountability. Transparency refers to openness and equal opportunities for all interested bidders.Integrity refers to avoiding improper, wasteful or corrupt and fraud practices. Accountability refers to the fact that public pro curement authorities are responsible for effective, legal, and ethical way of procurements. Public procurement is affected by distinct internal demands. This is serving multiple political goals. This complicates public procurement, because sometimes it is not clear to identify the influence of political powers on public procurements. The second internal demand is serving a large amount of stakeholders. These various stakeholders may have different objectives.Ultimately Common public suffers. There are other factors also affects on the procurement process. 1) Demands on the process from legal regulations. 2) Public procurement is restricted from engaging into long-term relationships with their suppliers. 3) Absence of a perfect competition in public procurement may affects by various ways. Benefits of accountability Poverty is the biggest challenge facing the globe in the new millennium. Government is less accountable and responsive to citizens. All the citizens do not get equal acce ss to government services.Conversely, improvements in governance are associated with higher per capita income, higher adult literacy, lower infant mortality and reduced poverty. Fiscal transparency is a necessary condition for sound economic governance. Timely publication of a budget document enables the market to evaluate government’s intentions and allows itself a constructive discipline on the government. Transparency increases the political risk of unsustainable policies. A transparent public financial accounting policy makes it possible to determine what the government has done and to compare budgeted and actual financial operations.Further, open procurement policies not only facilitate the achievement of basic macroeconomic policy objectives, but also increase the productivity of public expenditure. One of the underlying objectives of improved transparency and accountability is to reduce the extent of corruption in the management of governmental affairs. Points to ensur ing accountability and transparency in public procurements are : Accurate records: A pre-condition for accountability and control. Internal control: A management instrument for improvement. External audit: Must for SWOT analysis.Challenging procurement decisions: Complaint and recourse mechanisms with ensuring public scrutiny. Hence the steps to be taken are: a) Strengthening parliamentary control in big infrastructure projects. b) Governments to reduce the high costs and the distortion effect of corruption in public procurement. c) Ensuring transparency at all phases of procurement, from demand creation to contract management and payment, through unrestricted access to all documents for the Monitor and for all activities, which brings both policy and technical expertise to the project. ) Providing adequate incentives and sanctions for both the public authority and bidders i. e. equal opportunity; f) Provide the right environment for detecting corruption and protects against it. Bes ides raising awareness about the structure and the application of the public procurement systems, we should follow the International common methodology for benchmarking and assessing public procurement systems. The Capacities of Supporting Transparency and Accountability by our civil society is the strength of novel and innovative progress. PARTHA MUKHERJEE [email  protected] com (1018 words)

Teen Mom and Effects on American Culture

American teenagers take a lot of things for granted, but what we don’t take into consideration is what would happen if these things suddenly disappeared. Teenage life consists of school, jobs, driving, friends, sports, and going out with friends. We never consider others’ way of life. In some cultures, they are just fighting to stay alive, while others don’t have the freedom to go out with friends, or play a certain sport. They are so consumed in family life or their future jobs that they have no social life. No one ever thinks what would happen if their way of life was completely turned around.This concept is shown on a reality television show called 16 and Pregnant. It follows a group of teenage girls throughout their pregnancy and a few weeks after. It shows the trials, worries, and changes in these girls’ lives. There is also a follow up show called Teen Mom that follows 4 girls from the first season of the show. I will be expanding on these girls†™ lives from the beginning of their pregnancy to their lives now. Maci Bookout was just your ordinary teenage girl. She was an excellent student, played softball, and was very popular. She had big plans to go away for college and be a typical college student.This is the way the typical American is viewed. But things suddenly changed for Maci when she discovered she was pregnant. All her dreams and aspirations soon faded away and she had to consider her life with a baby. Maci comes from a middle upper class family, so concerns for money were minimal, and she didn’t have much of a struggle, other than with her baby’s dad, Ryan. But she couldn’t go away to college; she was just worried about graduating high school. She had to quit softball, and her friends soon turned on her. Her life was completely changed with just one decision.She took her teenage years for granted, but once she became a teen mom, that was all she wanted back. Amber Portwood was a big party gi rl, who didn’t care what others thought of her. She would party instead of doing homework, and didn’t have many friends that truly cared about her. She viewed life as a big party, and didn’t take it seriously, until she had to. She became pregnant at 16 and her whole life was changed. She dropped out of high school, and moved in with her boyfriend, Gary. They were from a lower class family, so they struggled with money. Gary and Amber soon both were working, and had to leave their aughter with Gary’s mother. It was obvious from the start that Amber and Gary were not meant for each other, because they would often get into fights. Fights started to get physical and Amber soon saw herself sitting home alone while Gary took their daughter and left, after many months of physical abuse. Amber knew she had a problem, and needed help, but she realized it too late. Gary broke up with her and she was alone, and without her daughter. She took her teen years for gran ted, and instead of living life to the best of her ability, she tried to grow up too fast, and got what she wanted.Farrah Abrams was the popular cheerleader in high school. She had great friends and an amazing boyfriend. She had big dreams of going to culinary school, becoming a chef, and opening her own restaurant. All those dreams were put on hold when she discovered she was pregnant. Things became even worse when the father of her baby, and boyfriend of 1 year, was killed in a car accident. 2 months later, her daughter, Sophia, was born. She had to go through the loss of her boyfriend, and the birth of her daughter. Soon after Sophia’s birth, Farrah began to miss her boyfriend and saw herself going out more, and leaving her baby with her mother.Farrah’s mom constantly had to remind her daughter that she was now a mother and couldn’t just go out with friends anymore. She was from a very wealthy family and had no problems with money, but all her other problems took the place of money problems. Farrah and her mother did not get along very well at all. She was constantly disrespecting her mom, and her mom was constantly nagging her about everything. When Sophia was almost 1 year old, Farrah’s mother punched Farrah. Cops came to the house and arrested her mother, and Farrah didn’t see or speak to her mom for months.Farrah had a successful life planned out for herself, but now she’s unsure of whether or not she’ll ever reach her goals. Catelynn Lowell is an ordinary girl. She doesn’t have any special gifts or talents, she’s just a teenager. She and her boyfriend, Tyler, were dating 3 years when she discovered she was pregnant. Ironically this was a good thing for her. She had no plans or goals for her life, because her mother and step-father (which is Tyler’s real dad) are both drug addicts and have never been strict on Catelynn about anything. Being pregnant made Catelynn realize she needed to do something with her life and not turn into her mother.She and Tyler talked for months, and both decided that they needed to give their daughter, Carly, up for adoption, because there was no way they could raise their daughter in the living situation they were in. Catelynn and Tyler are both from very low class families, and could barely provide for themselves, so they knew their daughter would be very unhappy. While it was a difficult decision, they also knew it was the best one. Catelynn and Tyler will be graduating from high school this year, and have many goals they’re eager to achieve. The similarities and differences between these girls are many.Amber dropped out of high school, and missed out on graduating. Will she ever get her GED? Farrah is the only one who does not have a father in her baby’s life; will her baby ever have a father figure? Maci seems to have it all together, but does is she really happy not being with her first love? Catelynn and Tyler gave their daughter up for adoption, and while it was a smart decision, will they later regret it? All these girls’ lives will be affected forever because of the decisions they’ve made. I believe this show takes the concept of the average American teenager, and adds some reality into it.While not all teen girls become pregnant, it’s amazing to see that this is what it take to make some teens grow up. Other cultures would think that this is just crazy because these girls took for granted the fact that they had people who loved them, a house to live in, and a chance for education. American culture is very different from other cultures, just in the fact that we don’t value things that should be valued, such as family, morals, and God. If we viewed life a little more seriously, and not as a game, then we may be a much stronger, happier nation.

Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone Park Essay Example

Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone Park Essay Example Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone Park Paper Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone Park Paper Wolf Reintroduction To Yellowstone Park Ted Fessides Ecology, Summer Semester 2011 Professor Thomas Heasley July 15, 2011 Contents Introduction3 History4 The Cons of Wolf Reintroduction6 Pros of Wolf Reintroduction7 Summary9 11 Reintroduction of Wolves at Yellowstone Park Introduction While highly controversial, the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park has provided many beneficial ecological changes to the entire parks ecosystem. After a nearly 70 year absence, in January of 1995, 14 wolves from separate packs were captured in the Canadian Rockies and transported to Yellowstone National Park in the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (Sanders par. 2). The Canis Lupus or more commonly known as the gray wolf is the largest wild member in the Canine family. While once covering vast areas of the North American and European continent, the grey wolf was hunted to near extinction in the 1900’s due to mostly folk lore and fear. There were at least 136 confirmed kills between 1914 and 1926, and by the 1970’s biologist could find no evidence of a wolf population in Yellowstone Park. (National Park Service par. 1). Wolves were highly populated when the park opened in 1872 but due to predator control measures, lack of legal protection for the species, and the classification as a nuisance animal all played factors that led to their absence in the park. It was for this reason that the gray wolf was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1974 and it has taken until 2008 and more than 27 million dollars to bring the species back into a suitable population and remove them from the endangered list (Associated Press par. 12). The move to reintroduce the wolf was very controversial with conservational and environmental groups pushing and supporting the measure but many ranchers and farmers in the area being very wary of it. But there was no denying that the ecosystem of the park had changed since the wolves’ absence, with a large increase in the elk and coyote population but a steady decline in beavers and certain native insects, trees and shrubs. History In 1987 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) introduced a plan to Congress to reintroduce an experimental population of wolves into Yellowstone. In 1991 Congress authorized funds to conduct a study of introducing wolves back into the park in a joint plan between USFWS, National Park Service (NPS) and the U. S. Forest Service (National Park Service par. 4). Finally, in 1994 the Secretary of the Interior signed off on the Final Environmental Impact Statement or FEIS, allowing the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone (National Park Service par. 4). In 1995 the Canadian Government allowed capture of 14 gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. Wolves were captured from many different packs due to the difficulty in trapping an entire pack and also to diversify the DNA pool for future breeding (Sanders par. 3) The wolves were divided up into three groups and placed into three one acre acclimation pens in the Lamar Valley of the park and readied for a soft release. A soft release involves holding animals temporarily in suitable habitat to get them acclimated to their new surroundings and to discourage widespread dispersment that often happens with hard release, which involves transporting animals to their new home and releasing them immediately (Sanders par. 35. 38). Hard release is also less successful due to the territorial instincts of wolves, with wolves killing or fighting any other olf that may enter their territory. The wolves that were released outside the park in Idaho were given a hard release and mostly scattered and did not develop a pack bond like those in the acclimation pens (Sanders par. 39,41). According to Mike Smith, who works for Yellowstone Park, â€Å"In general, the acclimation has worked very well, In fact of the 31 wolves brought in from Canada, there was only one wolf who did not take to soft release, that wolf was #27 who killed almost 50 sheep a few weeks ago and had to be destroyed† (Hamann par. 5). While in the acclimation pens the wolves were fed a diet of elk and other road kill with wolves typically consuming 21 to 32 pounds of meat in a single feeding. In March of 1995, three of the packs were released in Yellowstone, but with one issue; the wolves refused to exit through the gate because they had associated it with humans, forcing the park rangers to cut a hole in the side of the enclosure for them to escape (Sanders par. 11). Once the wolves were released two of the packs left the park and set up their territory leaving only one group initially setting up inside the park. On May 3, 1995 female wolf number nine gave birth to eight puppies, the first wolves to be born in the park in nearly 70 years. The mother and pups were recaptured and taken back to the acclimation pen, until the pups were weaned (Sanders par. 15). The reason for this recapture was because at this time, this wolf and her eight pups counted for almost 50% of the park’s wolf population. Since this time there have been no other human interventions preferring to let nature take its course on the population. In 1996-1997 a second group of wolves was captured and brought to Yellowstone for introduction via soft release with two more acclimation pens being built, bringing the total to four. In the winter of 1997-1998 the reintroduction of wolves was stopped due to the high success of the wolf packs breeding and the pups surviving on their own. The breeding and pup survival was so high in fact that in just ten years the gray wolf was taken off the endangered species list and it’s status changed to threatened in the reater Yellowstone area. It is estimated that since the initial introduction of 66 wolves in the mid 1990’s the population has soared to an estimated 1500 in the Idaho, Wyoming and Montana area surrounding the park (Associated Press par. 1). The Cons of Wolf Reintroduction Of course the reintroduction of the gray wolf had many critics, from neighboring ranchers and farmers concerned for their livestock to residents concerned for their children and pets. In an open forum meeting in Grangeville, Idaho it was shown how much public education was needed when the local school superintendent raised concerns over rural children at bus stops being targets even though there is not one verified report of a human attack by wolves in North America (Wolf Reintroduction: How the wolves came back par. 4). It was again the fear and folklore surrounding the wolf that made the public uneasy and in need of education. As the debate over wolf reintroduction continued, the rancher’s opposition to wolf recovery centered around two fundamental issues. First, they were concerned about wolf predation and whether or not they, personally, would be able to manage depredating wolves. Second, they were concerned about their rights to federal landsprobably their biggest concern. A rancher from Dillon, Montana, expresses his fear, We are more worried about the land grab with the wolf than we are depredation. Ranchers, loggers and other industrial interests that utilize federal lands were concerned that the lands they were accustomed to using would be restricted from further use because of the wolf. Neither this concern regarding land use rights nor the concern over depredation could be answered easily (Wolf Reintroduction: How the wolves came back par. 6). To help alleviate the ranchers concerns, Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit organization supporting wolf reintroduction launched a program to compensate ranchers and farmers who lost livestock to wolf depredation. AS of 2002 DOW had paid out approximately 270,000 dollars to ranchers in the Northern Rockies region (Wolf Management par. 7). Another major concern was that of native species population with the reintroduction of the wolf. There was much concern over what would happen to the native population of elk, bison and other carnivores, such as the grizzly bear, coyotes, red foxes and others that live in the park. It was speculated that their populations would all drop dramatically with the reintroduction, as wolves can overhunt large animals like deer and antelope. To go along with that concern was also those of the big game hunters who claimed that the wolves would be directly competing for the same big game animals they were, which in turn would decrease the numbers of hunters and the money they spend and contribute to the greater Yellowstone area. One other large issue is the large amount of money it takes to reintroduce a species. This is money that the government could use towards larger and more important issues facing this country. As stated earlier it is estimated that as of 2008 approximately 27 million dollars of federal money has been spent to support the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park (Associated Press par. 12) Pros of Wolf Reintroduction One of the biggest pros since the reintroduction of the gray wolf into the greater Yellowstone area is that of the economic impact it has had on the region. A survey conducted in 2005 by Yellowstone staff estimates that wolves bring in approximately 22 to 48 million annually (John W. Duffield 17). This is done by the wolf presence, which leads to increased visitation to Yellowstone Park, which in turn leads to increased spending in the communities surrounding the park, and increased recreational enjoyment for residents and visitors alike. Another benefit of the wolf reintroduction is an improvement on the ecosystem of Yellowstone; in 1995 when the wolves were reintroduced there was only one colony of beavers in Yellowstone Park. Ten years later there are nine colonies of beavers, all due to wolf depredation on elk. After the removal of wolves from the park the elk herds grew, these larger herds grazed heavily on willow and elm trees which the beavers depended on. Another factor was that with the wolves out of the park the elk did not have any pressure from predators pushing them around the park, which in turn led to them staying in one area and over grazing (Farquhar par. 2). Because of he increased beaver population and dispersement through the park, their dams have many positive effects on the ecosystem, such as, â€Å"they even out the seasonal pulses of runoff; store water for recharging the water table; and provide cold, shaded water for fish, while the now robust willow stands provide habitat for songbirds† (Farquhar par. 12). The dams also trap sediment, replenish ground water, and cool water temperature which has a direct effect on Yellowstone cutthroat trout, moose, waterfowl, muskrats and ot her rodents and numerous insects and amphibians (Ecological benefits of wolves par. ) Another benefit was that a study done by University of California at Berkley found that decreased snowfall and increased wolf population has greatly benefited other carnivores and scavengers from ravens to grizzly bears. â€Å"Instead of a boom and bust cycle of elk carrion availability-as existed before wolves and when winters were harder-theres now a more equitable distribution of carrion throughout winter and early spring† said Chris Wilmers in the on-line journal Public Library of Science Biology. He added that scavengers that once relied on winter-killed elk for food now depend on wolf-killed elk. This benefits ravens, eagles, magpies, coyotes and bears (grizzly and black), especially as the bears emerge hungry from hibernation’ (Farquhar par. 23). The most recognized and well-documented ecological benefit of wolves is that they have resumed the important role of maintaining healthy wildlife herds in the northern Rockies by selecting young, old, physically impaired, or diseased animals. By reducing prey numbers, dispersing these animals on the landscape, and removing sick animals, wolves also may reduce the transmission and prevalence of wildlife diseases such as chronic wasting disease and brucellosis (Ecological benefits of wolves par 2). Summary The return of the wolf to the greater Yellowstone area has had significant ecological benefits in a relatively short period of time. Ecological concerns contributed to the decision to return wolves and should play a role in how states manage this keystone species. Although it is easy to focus on the perceived negative impacts of wolves, it is important to recognize the actual benefits they provide to our ecosystem. By regulating wildlife herds and reducing the prevalence of diseases, revitalizing riparian areas, reducing coyote densities, providing food for scavengers and indirectly improving conditions for a host of other species, wolves play an essential role in maintaining the ecological health and integrity of the landscape. From an economic standpoint, the cost of reintroduction is far outweighed by the benefits of increased tourism and the money they spend. When it comes to livestock depredation, wolves garner a great deal of attention yet they are only one of many concerns for ranchers in the greater Yellowstone area and have less of an impact than often is perceived. Livestock is more likely to be lost because of inclement weather, disease, and domestic dogs than it is by wolves. Environmental Issues The thing I was most impressed by from writing this report was that of how by introducing one species into an ecosystem or should I say reintroducing a species was the snowball effect it had on other species in that system. I knew of the reintroduction of the wolves to Yellowstone Park but I thought it was only about returning a native species to its original habitat. I was amazed at how the ecosystem has not only grown but flourished with their reintroduction. Wolf reintroduction has grown the local economy in the greater Yellowstone Area through tourism and increased recreational activity. It has benefited the ecosystem through increased beaver numbers which in turn has improved the stream live. Through the decrease in the elk population the trees and shrubs have been able to grow benefiting numerous woodland animals. This story is one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century that continues today. Associated Press. Western Wolves coming off the endangered list. 27 Feburary 2008. msnbc. com. 9 July 2011 . Ecological benefits of wolves. November 2009. JHalliance. Org. 9 July 2011 . Farquhar, Brodie. Yellowstone National Park Wolf Reintroduction is changing the face of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. 2006. Yellowstone Park. 9 July 2011 . Hamann, Jack. Wolves return to Yellowstone sparks controversy. 12 November 1997. CNN. 2 July 2011 . John W. Duffield, Chris J. Neher, and David A. Patterson. Wolf Recovery in Yellowstone: Park Visitor Attitudes,Expenditures and Economic Impact. The George Wright Forum (2008): 17. Maughan, Ralph. History of the Greater Yellowstone wolf restoration. n. d. 6 July 2011 . National Park Service. Wolf Restoration. n. d. 2 July 2011 . - . Wolves of Yellowstone. n. d. 3 July 2011 . Sanders, Kevin. Yellowstone-Bearman. 2009. 2 July 2011 . Wolf Management. April 2003. Montana fish, wildlife and parks. 8 July 2011 . Wolf Reintroduction: How the wolves came back. n. d. www. uidaho. edu. 9 July 2011 .

How to Grade Papers and Assignments When Homeschooling

How to Grade Papers and Assignments When Homeschooling For classroom teachers, grading tests and papers is second nature. However, if you are a homeschooling parent, you may be unsure about the best way to figure percentage grades, letter grades, and grade point average. You may not even be fully convinced that assigning grades is necessary, choosing instead to work to mastery on each assignment. How to Calculate Percentage and Letter Grades If you decide to grade your students’ schoolwork, use these simple steps to determine the percentage and letter grade for any assignment or test. To calculate a grade, you will need to figure out the percentage of questions that your student  answered correctly. All you need to know to find the grade is the total number of questions on the assignment and how many answers are correct. After that, you will just need to plug a simple equation into a calculator and convert the percentage to a letter grade. Heres how: Correct the paper.Determine the number of total questions.Count the number of questions answered correctly.Take the number of correct answers and divide by the total number of questions. (Example: 15 correct answers divided by 20 total questions equals 0.75)Multiply this number by 100 to turn it into a percentage. (Example: 0.75 multiplied by 100 equals 75%)Grade ranges often vary among professors and teachers. However, a typical, easy-to-use grade scale is: 90-100% A80-89% B70-79% C60-69% D59% and below F Using the examples above, 75% would earn a C letter grade. How to Calculate GPA If you’re homeschooling high school, you will likely need to figure your student’s overall grade point average (GPA) for his high school transcript. Calculate the cumulative GPA  by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of credit hours attempted. A typical grade point scale is: A 4.0B 3.0C 2.0D 1.0 There are variances for /- grades that will vary based on the percentage grade scale you use. For example, if you use the ten points per letter grade scale, a 95% might indicate an A- which would translate to a grade point of 3.5. Here’s how: To figure out your student’s cumulative GPA: Determine the total number of grade points earned. For example, if your student received three A’s and one B, his grade point total would be 15 (3x4 12; 1x33; 12315).Divide the grade point total by the number of credits attempted. In the example above, if each course reflected one credit hour, your student’s GPA would be 3.75 (15 grade points divided by 4 credit hours 3.75) Why Do Homeschoolers Need Grades? Many  homeschooling families choose not to bother with grades since they don’t move on until a child fully understands the concept. Working to mastery means that the student would ultimately never earn less than an A. Even if your homeschooling family works to mastery, there are a few reasons you may need to assign percentage or letter grades for your students. Some students find the challenge of getting good grades motivational. Some kids like the challenge of seeing how many answers they can get correct. These students  are motivated by earning high scores. This may be especially true for kids who have  been in a traditional school setting  or those who homeschool using a more school-at-home approach. They don’t see the point of completing worksheets or tests if they dont receive a grade for their work. Grades can provide valuable feedback for these students to understand how they are performing.   Grades provide an objective means of assessing student performance. Many homeschooling parents find it difficult to strike a balance between being overly critical and overly lax about their student’s academic performance. It can be helpful to  create a grading rubric  so that both you and your student know what’s expected. A rubric can help you assess your student’s work objectively and force you to focus on specific issues. For example, if you’re working on teaching  him to write a descriptive paragraph, a rubric can help you stay focused on descriptive elements and ignore run-on sentences or grammar errors until another assignment. High school students may need grades for their transcript. Even if you prefer not to assign  grades in your homeschool, homeschoolers who will be applying  for  college admission  may need them for their high school transcripts. Some  courses may be difficult to assign a  percentage  grade, particularly more  interest-led topics. An alternative is to assign  a letter grade based on your student’s understanding of the topic and the effort put forth in doing the work. For  example, a strong understanding and effort  might earn an A. Solid knowledge and a decent but not outstanding effort might earn a B. You might assign a C if your student understands the topic well enough to move on without repeating the course and/or  you would have liked to have seen more effort applied. Anything less would mean repeating the course.   Some homeschooling laws may require grades. Your state homeschooling laws may require submitting grades to the county or state school superintendent, umbrella school, or other governing bodies.   Assigning percentage and letter grades doesnt have to be difficult. These simple steps can make it easy no matter which route you choose. Updated by Kris Bales

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis

Learning the Importance of Breakeven Point Analysis Breakeven point analysis is a very important tool, especially if you are preparing a business plan, to figure out the volume of sales your arts and crafts business needs to make in order to cover both your variable and fixed costs. At breakeven point, your arts and crafts business has made or lost no money. This is important info for you, the business owner, as you have to be able to handcraft your arts and crafts items at a price that your customers will pay while still providing an adequate amount of income to cover your personal living expenses. Once you get the hang of it you will find it quick and easy to figure breakeven point using an Excel spreadsheet. Breakeven Point by Item or Entire Business When discussing breakeven point analysis with clients, the goal is to figure it for either their entire business or by-product. While its more difficult to figure breakeven point for every item you make (this is more of a job costing extravaganza), its not impossible. Later on, well show you how to do a rough breakeven by item. Exploring Breakeven Point Analysis Consider the following scenario: One day a potential client walks through the office door, who is wondering whether they should go ahead and open an arts and crafts business. The clients main concern is whether they will be able to cover all their business costs. They also want to know how many arts and crafts items they will have to sell to pay themselves a certain amount of income each month. They have done their preliminary research, including lining up raw materials suppliers and getting price lists from those suppliers. Importantly, they have also found out what they need to do to become a wholesale customer of the suppliers and discount terms. The craft business owners have also made prototypes of the items to get an idea of how much raw material will be needed if the business goes into production mode. Walking Through Breakeven Point Facts Using a handy-dandy spreadsheet program, were going to present a step-by-step guide to breakeven point analysis for our fictitious new arts and crafts client - Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. Before we set up breakeven point analysis for them, we need some basic cost facts and figures: Variable expenses are those expenses that are tied to the number of units sold. For each clock that Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. makes they figure there is a cost of $25.00 for the combined total of material and labor.Fixed expenses are those expenses that do not change based upon the increases or decreases in the sales of your desks. A very good example of this is rent expense. Oak Desk Clocks lease calls for a monthly rent payment of $1,000. So, no matter if Oak Desk Clocks sells one clock or a million, the company is still responsible for the fixed amount ($1,000) in rent payments each month. Setting Up Breakeven Point Analysis Shown below are the initial entries we plan to make into a breakeven point spreadsheet for Oak Desk Clocks, Inc. None of these entries require any formulas - these are just the assumptions the owners of Oak Desk Clocks have made based upon their research into the clock-making industry. Sales price per clock is $35.00 with an expected increase in sales price of 10% per year.Variable costs per clock are $25.00 with an expected increase in the price of raw materials and labor of 5% per year.Fixed costs per year are $75,000, which Oak Desk Clocks feels will remain constant over the next five years.Advertising expense of $15,000 will be a major expense in the first year of business but should decrease by 12% each year over the next five years.

Letter of intent - pharmacy residency program Essay

Letter of intent - pharmacy residency program - Essay Example My decision to pursue PGY1 residency program at CSMC stems from the multidisciplinary relationship that exists at the medical center, which is essential in allowing healthcare professionals play a fundamental role in patient care and management. As PGY1 resident, I believe that rotation opportunities and exposure to general hospital practice, teaching faculty and other challenges will enhance my skills and shape my skills in these areas. Consequently, I believe that my tenure at CSMC will open new opportunities for me in the future. Most important, I hope to gain considerable skills as a pharmacist, which would enable me to deliver critical services in areas of my interests such as infectious disease, critical care, and transplant pharmacy. While taking my clinical rotations at CSMC, I gained immense experience from working with pharmacists and physicians as it took part in developing appropriate therapeutic interventions. In particular, I learned how to tailor and optimize clinical therapies and minimize adverse effects of selected drugs on patients. Moreover, I took part in the delivery of more than 60 interventions. As result, I developed an intense passion and appreciation of pharmacy and the role of pharmaceutical care on patients. These experiences, I believe, will bolster my learning during my PGY1 residency program. Ultimately, I see myself honing my patient-specific skills not my to mentioning perfecting my decision making process. Considerable skills, attributes, and values strengthen my suitability for the PGY1 residency program. Firstly, I am many fundamental skills, which would allow me learn quickly and conceptualize new concepts in the program. Secondly, my time management skill, work ethics, and passion for pharmaceutical care stand to establish me as one of the leading students in the residency program. Given that CSMC is a leading teaching

Academic software Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Academic software - Coursework Example In this paper we specifically highlight the benefits of Inspiration software to both teachers and students. Inspiration provides teacher with lesson plan books and visual learning tools. The lesson plan books give teachers practical ideas and step-by-step directions on how to engage students in activities that inspire creativity, thinking and learning. Teachers are also provided with examples of templates and diagrams that they can use to develop students’ cognitive abilities in a wide-range of subjects and topics. Teachers are therefore able to be more effective with regards to transferring knowledge to their students. Furthermore, by supporting visual learning Inspiration software caters for students with learning challenges such as autism, dyslexia, visual or auditory processing disorders and so on. On the other hand, the students benefit from the ability to visualize and develop their ideas using visual maps, and to communicate these ideas with their teachers or fellow stu dents. One challenge that many students face is visualizing what the teacher is explaining especially if it is a new concept, but with Inspiration the students can see what the teacher is explaining for example in courses such as Biology or Chemistry.

Evaluate the main factors you would consider for market selection into Essay

Evaluate the main factors you would consider for market selection into an emerging market country of your choice - Essay Example Before a business can fully begin operations in a foreign, a number of options must be explored and entry models developed and adopted that fit the market in question and its dynamics. Emerging economies have been at the centre of the current wave of international investment due to the potential they hold in terms of investment opportunities and the available market. The emerging economies are blocked together form the BRIC block, which has countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and china. India is currently one of the fastest growing economies with significant business potential due to its high population and political stability (Milhaupt, 2008). Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Indian growth and macroeconomics trend 4 Emerging markets entry modes 6 Trade theory and competitive advantage 8 Socio-political, cultural and demographic considerations 9 Conclusion 13 Bibliography 14 Introduction Block and Quayle (B & Q) is a British based multinational with subsidiaries in china, Ho ng Kong and Taiwan where the company offers its home improvement and DIY services. However, as a means of surviving the current economic instability and seeking new markets, the company seeks to open a new subsidiary in India to tap on the enormous potential the country (Kleinman & Hall, 2007). The business must also develop a much informed entry approach into the economy to help resume normalcy faster once the operations begin officially. In this paper, the factors affecting entry into the international market and more specifically emerging economies will be evaluated. This evaluation will majorly focus on the strategies that B & Q should develop in their quest to enter the Indian market (Bihar, 2013). Indian growth and macroeconomics trend The surging growth of the Indian economy has made it quite easier for multinationals and other smaller firms from other countries to invest in the country and tap on the enormous potential the country presents as an emerging economy. Currently, there has been a significant craze in the development of trade ties between emerging economies and firms from developed countries and this has been attributed to the positive trend of such economic blocks. The broadening economic recovery of India has created significant confidence between investors and other international firms and this explains the current surge of multinationals in the country. India has repositioned itself as one of the major international hubs of investments due to its large human resource, available market for goods and services and positive trends towards development (Sathyamurthi, 2012). The country’s growth rate has been on a positive trend heading towards double digit growth index with the international monetary fund placing the country’s growth index at 8.2% in 2011 financial year. The Asian development bank estimate that Indian middle class has the potential of growing from 1.2 million in 2030 to more than 1.4 billion in 2050, a figure that will translate into an increased national gross domestic product (Sathyamurthi, 2012). According to a study conducted by the oxford economics, Indian growth trajectory promises a better future which the multinationals like B&Q can explore to increase their profitability. In 2010, the country’s economic output stood at Rs 67 trillion, a figure that is expected to expand to over Rs 144 trillion in 2020. This, coupled with the positive demographic trends posted by the country depicts a future with a population

Obamas Seven Wasted Years Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obamas Seven Wasted Years - Essay Example For example, a report released by the National Federation of Independent Business indicated that 85% of the organizations that hired or were trying to hire new workers in the month of November reported that there were only a few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were advertising. Such a report must scare the American society because it is an indication that the educational and professional development system in America has a certain gap. The most concerning aspect of such statistics is that when America is lacking in certain professional qualifications, other major economies in the world such as in Asia and Europe are continuously ranking high in the education quality offered to their people. For example, it is almost certain that students in the same grade in countries such as South Korea, China, and Singapore will outperform their American counterparts in subjects such as mathematics and science. Such information has been in the public limelight for the longest now, but the actual results have just started to show up. The American education system could be deficient in some aspect, and it is a time the gap is discovered and addressed if the future of the nation as the giant global economy will be sustained. According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, only too few students study science or technical subjects in the U.S., such that businesses and organizations cannot find enough workers in these fields. The state of any economy is just as healthy and vibrant as its workforce.

Contemporary Canadian Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Canadian Art - Essay Example This â€Å"something that can be conceived but not seen nor made visible† is often referred to as the sublime, a quality of transcendent greatness â€Å"with which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation† (Wikipedia, 2006). The presence of this sublime element was felt to inspire the imagination in a specific direction based on which elements remain visible or understandable. Its significance is in the way in which it brings attention to the uncertainty of meaning inherent in the work, such that no resolution makes itself apparent. The ultimate goal for artists of this period was to forget the training they received in art school in order to recapture the sense of wonder and imagination reflected in art produced by children or ‘primitives’, those who had received no art training. It was by forgetting the rules that the intuitive or sublime elements of art were able to shine through. Artists s uch as Canadian-born Joyce Weiland were able to circumvent the rules of established art by exploring their creativity in more than one medium, but not all artists found it necessary to forget what they’d learned. For a Canadian artist such as Norval Morrisseau, the self-taught nature of his art enabled him to create images that translated to the canvas directly from his heart. Yet each of these artists managed to convey a deep sense of spirituality and connection to the land of their birth as a comparison of Weiland’s painting â€Å"Experiment with Life† (1983) with Morrisseau’s â€Å"Shaman with Sacred Corn† demonstrates.

Ethical issues raised in contemporary media Essay

Ethical issues raised in contemporary media - Essay Example However, the real trouble begins when there is no limitation on what the press can print, because the press will become less reliable over time. In addition to the pressure from the need to attract advertisers, private media must sell copies, even if those sales do not generate the major income, because advertisers want wide dispersal of their ads. Advertisements are priced on two factors: the size of the ad and the circulation of the paper. Even where the press is privately owned, not government controlled and the owners try to insure objectivity, the news is still filtered. Someone chooses what news to present to the public. As long as there is a profit motive in any enterprise, total objectivity is impossible. In the media the big money comes from advertisements, and not subscriptions, so it would be nearly impossible for the media to publish any news which adversely impacts its advertisers. In a tight market where newspapers are struggling to survive, this is doubly so. The free press is not at all free: it has a cost. The main cost is watchfulness. Historically the press has the power to influence the public. In truly participatory governed countries, the press is mandated to provide objective reports on whatever happen in the world. Many of the journalists try to do this, but of late, credibility has been severely strained by the failure of some papers to stay objective. The Staples deal in 1999 is a case in point. The Los Angeles Times was reported as having devoted an Oct. 10 issue of its magazine section to coverage of the new Staples Center sports arena, under a deal to share revenues with the center. This is decidedly a conflict of interest for an objective newspaper. (Jurkowitz, Mark 1999) Worse than this kind of conflict of interest is the exploitation of the public in order to sell newspapers. Sensational stories sell newspapers. Tabloids sell well,

Contemporary Canadian Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Canadian Art - Essay Example This â€Å"something that can be conceived but not seen nor made visible† is often referred to as the sublime, a quality of transcendent greatness â€Å"with which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation† (Wikipedia, 2006). The presence of this sublime element was felt to inspire the imagination in a specific direction based on which elements remain visible or understandable. Its significance is in the way in which it brings attention to the uncertainty of meaning inherent in the work, such that no resolution makes itself apparent. The ultimate goal for artists of this period was to forget the training they received in art school in order to recapture the sense of wonder and imagination reflected in art produced by children or ‘primitives’, those who had received no art training. It was by forgetting the rules that the intuitive or sublime elements of art were able to shine through. Artists s uch as Canadian-born Joyce Weiland were able to circumvent the rules of established art by exploring their creativity in more than one medium, but not all artists found it necessary to forget what they’d learned. For a Canadian artist such as Norval Morrisseau, the self-taught nature of his art enabled him to create images that translated to the canvas directly from his heart. Yet each of these artists managed to convey a deep sense of spirituality and connection to the land of their birth as a comparison of Weiland’s painting â€Å"Experiment with Life† (1983) with Morrisseau’s â€Å"Shaman with Sacred Corn† demonstrates.

Our Buttocks Are Different Essay Example for Free

Our Buttocks Are Different Essay I have chosen Arthur Rimbaud’s poem entitled â€Å"Our Assholes Are Different†. The poem was originally written in French and has been translated in many different versions. Interestingly, the poem is also known as â€Å"Our Buttocks Are Not Theirs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and carries a significant reference to the poet’s personal life as he was an unabashed homosexual. The poem is also a reflection on Rimbaud’s tongue-in-cheek and witty sense of humor that is his unique trademark in all his writings. In this paper, I will discuss his usage of tone, imagery and symbolism. First I am going to analyze tone. The poem is spoken in a direct, straight-forward manner with feelings of animation, pleasure and amusement. The poet is clearly thrilled with the idea of peeping into other’s private moment of relief but instead of looking at them with disgust, the view provides him with romantic, happy, idle thoughts that remind him of freedom. The act of relieving oneself is actually a form of release and that the pleasure is both mutual, for the reliever as well as the watcher, â€Å"And in those happy floods that youth set free I watched the architecture of our crotch†. To the poet, seeing the buttocks is a way of appraising nature as it occurs upon him that not one buttock is similar to the other. It is interesting how he describes the buttock similar to our faces, with â€Å"a dimple indent’ and characteristic from one another, â€Å"Its forms to muscles, and a wickerwork/ Of hairs; for girls, the most enchanting lurk/ In a dark crack where tufted satin grows†. The smooth roundness and blushing cheeks of our buttocks reminds him of the â€Å"painted cherub on a Baroque shrine† known for their adorable exposed buttocks that are as chubby as the cheeks on their innocent, angelic faces. The touch and appearance of its softness from afar excites the poet as it inspires him the meaning of liberation, â€Å"If only we were naked now, and free†. And at the end of the poem the poet even sounds aroused when he declares, ‘to watch our protruding parts align;/ To whisper – both of us in ecstasy! †. Next I will analyze imagery. Rimbaud uses simple language to describe his emotions and responses to something we often keep private. As he begins with describing his habit of watching people urinating in private, he describes them as how he sees them with a touch of romanticism. The poet is descriptive in the physical attributes of the buttocks similar to if he were looking and describing a building, â€Å"I watched the architecture of our crotch/ Quite firm, in many cases, it owes its form to muscles, and a wickerwork/Of hairs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . While others would feel embarrassed to look, let alone illustrate, the sight of another’s private parts, Rimbaud is unabashed, telling them as God’s enchanting work of art as he sees them as ‘touching and wonderful innocence†. It is interesting how Rimbaud uses a small reference for relief (urinating) and transforms them into a bigger and more profound imagery such as freedom of the soul. And as one openly exposes oneself with his buttock, we might as well go completely naked to experience the ultimate form of relief – spiritual liberation. Next I will discuss symbolism. On the surface level, Rimbaud’s buttock is extremely physical: one sees another urinating and the buttock is exposed for all to see, perhaps unintentionally. However, on a closer inspection, the buttock signifies an opportunity to be free, not just for the observed but also the observer. From just the mere sight of a person’s buttock, the poet is saying we are hiding something so marvelous and beautiful to behold, thus, let alone an entire body that would be even more marvelous to be shared, â€Å"Oh! If only we were naked now, and free/ To watch our protruding parts align†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The buttock is an attribute we have behind us and that is constantly covered, like a best-kept secret. Yet it plays a crucial role for humans as it releases toxins from the body. And because it is always kept hidden, it becomes a wonder. And how we keep it â€Å"quite firm† or â€Å"a wickerwork of hairs†, is a reflection of who we are and our personality, much like a thumbprint. And thus, seeing glimpses of one’s crack is much like having a preview into one’s personality before you even get to know that person, and that creates another significant excitement for the poet. â€Å"Our assholes are different from theirs† reverberate a connotation of distinction. It is as if the poet is saying, â€Å"theirs† are different to mine. He describes the buttocks he sees and those of â€Å"young men† depicting them as filled with youth and â€Å"innocence†. And if he could stand naked among them, his bottom would be â€Å"whispering† to theirs – as if in humility – the joys and pleasure to be firm, carefree and adolescent again. There are no worries and no hassles in life, just liberation. This poem has an odd topic for discussion, yet it makes a lot of sense about wanting, needing, and appreciating freedom. And what is unique about its symbolism, is that the poet uses a simple concept to teach us about freedom from the simple act of urinating and relieving oneself. The problems we bottle inside us are similar to the urine we accumulate throughout the day. And as we operate in a cycle from drinking to urinating, we need to do employ the same method in other aspects of our lives. Yet we do not. Imagine if we had the same discipline with our problems and our life’s choices. We have the ability to purge out unnecessary â€Å"toxins† in our body such as hate, anger, tension, stress, frustration and sadness on a daily basis, we would be leading healthy lives and cancer would not exist. Silly as it sounds, the poem about our buttocks is a good reminder of the little pleasures in life we often take for granted. And poems such as this are a reminder of why Rimbaud was hailed a brilliant poet. He succeeds in bringing to life imagery and symbolism that would otherwise make no sense to us.

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry Abstract Women have an inherent love of beauty. The rapid economic growth, coupled with the huge development of cosmetics industry in China, contributes to the significant changes of cosmetics consumer behavior. Cosmetics have become a routine tool to make women more presentable. Understanding behaviour of consumers is a key to the success of business. As a huge potential consumer group, understanding of their attitudes and buying behavior towards cosmetics seems to be necessary. This study focused on investigating and analysing the purchasing patterns for female college students. Via the systemic study, companies will be beneficial to have a better understanding of college females in terms of cosmetics purchasing. The survey was conducted with focus group and questionnaires. The results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS and data were analysed by frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis and multi-respond analysis. Introduction 1.1 Research background With the expansion of social group and rising incomes, beauty consciousness among women has changed. Cosmetics entered into womens lives on a daily basis. The act of beautifying physical appearance not only becomes a distinct way to express ones image but also a pattern to show respect to other people (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Following decade of years tremendous economic development, the Chinese cosmetics industry is undergoing fast changes and advancement. It further enhances the consumption level of urban and rural residents, improve the consumption environment, optimize consumption structures, and contribute to expansion of the fields of consumption (Tao, 2005). Consumer categories such as cosmetics benefited from the rapid growth in consumer spending, and have become a huge money maker. Meanwhile, the increasing fashion and beauty consciousness, as a natural outgrowth of rising incomes, diversify consumers demands. Obviously, this potential has not only attracted international cosmetics companies, but also led to more domestic cosmetics producers trying to enter the market. As a consequence, competition will be further intensified among foreign and domestic companies. Previous research indicated that females spending on cosmetics still making up of the main income for the entire cosmetics market. An increasing number of female college students starting to show strong interest in enhancing their appearance through make-up (Huang, 2003). With a high level of interests in appearance, they have revealed a great potential. College students represent not only the remarkable consumption potential but also the future mainstream. Thus, the female college students patterns of consumption gradually become a major concern (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Studying consumer behavior enables companies to understand why consumers make the purchase decision and predict how they will react to promotional messages. On the purpose of maintaining and expanding market share, understanding of consumer behavior will be required to suit their changing needs. Therefore, research need to be conducted to provide cosmetic companies with basic data required in establishing marketing s trategies for advancement into Chinese market to tailor consumption patterns of female college students. 1.2 Scope and objectives of study When reviewing the literatures on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, the existing research related to Chinese cosmetic consumer is typically concerned with the entire market. Not many studies are available specifically focus on college students buying behavior. In the regard, considering the massive size of China, the present study limits itself to the female college students. By and large, this dissertation makes an attempt to investigate and analyse purchasing pattern of female college cosmetic consumers. In particular, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: To pinpoint and obtain a general picture of the cosmetics industry in China. On completion of this objective, the intention would be to get an insight into the cosmetics environment and the rapid growth trend of the industry so as to have a good knowledge base that can support the study throughout the dissertation. To investigate and analyse cosmetics buying behavior of female college students in China. The intention of this objective would be to a) understand how college student perceive cosmetics, b) identify their characteristics in terms of cosmetics purchase, and c) develop a greater understanding of motivation for purchasing, different factors involved in purchase decision of cosmetics and how product attribute, such as price, quality etc, effects buying patterns, thereby mapping out a model for female college students purchasing behavior. Based on the analysis of the research carried out, briefly propose a number of key recommendations enable companies in the industry to target their marketing strategies at college cosmetics consumers. The data that plan to be gathered for this research will be obtained from both primary and secondary resources. The secondary sources of data will be derived from published articles from internet database, journals and magazines, theses, and related studies on cosmetics. On the other hand, the primary source of information regarding the study will be gathered from focus groups and questionnaires, prepared by the researcher, which will be delivered to the respondents of the research. 1.3 Significance of study The boom of cosmetics industry in China has brought about changes in consumer behavior. The importance of the study cannot be understated. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the changing perception and behaviour of cosmetics buyers. Furthermore, there are a number of literatures that have discussed the female consumer behavior with regards to the purchase of cosmetics. This study will combine the relevant literature with own findings from primary research to provide an in-depth discussion. Therefore, the study will be significant in terms of better positioning of products and more effective marketing communication to tailor the demand of college females. This means that the findings will not only be able to benefit both foreign and domestic companies who have the willingness to enter the market but also various retailers who want to expand sales. Literature review Many theories have been proposed to explain consumer behaviors within certain industry area. Understanding todays consumer is the key to realising the future needs and expectations of beauty consumers, and is potentially relevant to improving marketing effectiveness (Tang, 2008). Previous studies hold that knowing the psychological process by which consumers make purchasing decisions enables marketers to grasp opportunities and even predict the shifts and future development trend of the consumer markets. Additionally, it exerts positive impact on improving cosmetics sales (Yau, 1994). Previous studies regarding the patterns of purchasing cosmetics à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬  displayà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ®Ã‚ µÃƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  2.1 Relationships between cosmetics and females à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤-à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã…’ à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ´Ãƒ ¦Ã… ½Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³consumer behaviorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ keralaà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ª300à ¥Ã‚ ­-à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å" ºÃƒ ¥Ã… ¾Ã‚ « Few systematic studies have examined that à ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€  à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ à ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ In this generation, cosmetics are used by women of practically all walks of life High-end cosmetics The desire to be beautiful could be considered a human tendency, as it is exhibited by almost every culture all around the world. KIRARA(PDF) Research suggests that beauty consciousness among people in general is changing. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) reported that peoples needs for appearances and materialism were increasing. That is human beings wanted to satisfy the need to look and feel good. This created a boom in the cosmetic and toiletries sector across the world. Chambers Encyclopedia defines cosmetics as (a) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance and (b) articles intended for use as a component of such articles. Now a variety of cosmetic and toiletries ranging from natural to sophisticated items are available in the market. The pattern and preference of use of these items vary according to different segments of gender, age and socio-economic class. When we review the literature on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, not many studies are available especially about Indian scenario. 2.2 Patterns of women purchasing cosmetics Most early theories of consumer behavior were concerned with the purchasing characteristics and influential factors. Schutte and Ciarlante (Schutte Ciarlante, 1998)argued that in China the purchase decision is typically based on the usefulness of the product such as its physical characteristics and price value. However, recent studies outlined by Liang (Liang, 2008) suggested that womens purchasing pattern differs with men. Their buying decision tend to influenced easily by the purchasing environment, and have more impulse purchase. Besides, generally speaking, females have strong self-awareness when purchasing, which means majority of the decisions were made on the basis of personal preference or subjective impression, sensation. 2.2.1 Characteristics of purchasing cosmetics In general, female invest more money on various cosmetic products and even spared no expense because they pay more attention to appearance than men (Huang, 2003). The characteristics of modern Chinese females regarding cosmetics purchase can be summed up in three points: Easily affected by market atmosphere Normally, products promotion, advertising and other factors can easily tempt young females to make irrational purchases. In a research by Cong (Cong, 2008), results showed that 56% of females bought unneeded or unexpected cosmetics products as a result of discount, followed by the purchase due to interests aroused by shop environment and sales exhibition (40.8%). Accounts for 22.8% of females who bought useless products or had irrational consumption were affected by advertisement. Thus, compare with men, female is prone to be encouraged over-consumption by commercial appeals. Mood consumption Female tend to have more generous sentiments in the process of purchase. Their certain desires are prone to be roused and affected by mental activities. Oliver Yau (Yau, 1994) contended that mood consumption normally occurs in two situations. One of which might be triggered by delusion under particular circumstance. For example, lots of females had encountered situation that unexpected spending happens after being paid out the salary. Another circumstance that contributes to mood consumption is likely to happen in the case of that female with unusual mood. Such as, a considerable number of female go shopping when they feel frustrated and happy. Relatively low loyalty to brands Chinese cosmetics consumers show less passion on being loyal to brands. They would like to try several brands to compare them rather than be from the same brand (Labbrand, 2009). Besides, another reason that contributes to low brand loyalty is seasonal consumption of Chinese consumers due to the significant difference in climate between summer and winter (Mo, 2008). Customers have to change their purchase habit to suit the season. For instance, customer tends to use more sunscreen to protect their skin and less oily cream in summer than they do in winter. 2.2.2 Purchasing influences As established by Access Asia Limited (Access Asia Limited, 2008), Chinese consumers heavily rely on products, stores and services they know and trust. The same philosophy is applicable equally to product brands, with word-of-mouth communication proving to be a pervasive reason for consumers to change brands and most potent marketing tools in China. This is supported by Xuecai Liang (Liang, 2008) who claimed that among the females, friends group plays a very important role on information communicating about different brands of cosmetics. Some people will only buy products that they have been recommended by friends. However, the increasing effects of advertising on the urban and younger Chinese buyer cannot be neglected as their media exposure increases (Yang, 2004). In addition, the physical characteristics like reliability, innovative technology and high brand profile are the important factors when make a cosmetic purchase, a study by Yuyuan Huang suggested that (Huang, 2003). Taking different attitudes towards local and foreign brands as example, Huang explained that foreign brand represent high quality and status at the Chinese consumers view, while local brand are perceived as shortage of these selling advantages, even both product sold at the same price. Besides, it worth to notice that local cosmetics consumers now are prepared to pay more for better quality, service, and convenience. The variety of choice is seen as another factor. According to Shen, Liu and Huang (Shen, Liu, Huang, 2005), majority of the consumers will prefer to shop in large stores when they can easily reach such places, whereas finding the lack of product choice in smaller stores (especially in terms of range of price) to be embarrassed. It can be argued that larger stores will provide more bargains, which means the products tend to have higher price value. Such stores are also considered as being more convenient to shop in, contributing to the flourishing development of the discount retailing sector over recent years (Access Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, in the eyes of Chinese consumer, the depth of communication brands had with their customers is vital. According to survey conducted by Labbrand (Labbrand, 2009), Chinese consumers have a strong demand to communicate with brands. For instance, they would like to receive inquiry from brand concerning their feeling about the products they use, or to be informed in time when brand have special events. Besides, consumers considered that from communicating with brand they can better compare and finally find the most suitable cosmetics for their specific needs and desires. Thus, it can be argued that companies who kept contact with consumers tend to have higher sales and brand loyalty. Industry review The huge advances witnessed over the past two decades have improved the living standards of millions of Chinese citizens. With the upgrade of living standards, private consumption among expenses has reached a higher level. The rise in private consumption translated into greater spending on personal care products in the booming cosmetics industry (Tao, 2005). In China, the development of the cosmetic industry has been to a new stage and it shows a sound momentum of growth. Market potential: Chinese cosmetic market continues to surge In recent year, the continuous rapid economic growth generates good environment and favorable development space for cosmetics industry maintaining a rapid rate of growth. In 2003, china had become the second-largest cosmetics market in Asia after Japan, and was the eighth largest in the world (Li, 2005). According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the Chinese cosmetics market generated total revenues of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥488.3 billion in 2007, representing annual sales grew by 26.3 percent over the same period last year. In 2008 and 2009, the sales grew by 22.2% and 17.2%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥596.5 and RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥348.2 billion in 2008 (HKTDC, 2009). At the same time, it has also been taken note that the performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, but still increase by approximately 13% annually (Datamonitor, 2009). Overall, the cosmetics industry is surely faster than the economic growth which means the long te rm potential of the Chinese cosmetic market is fairly vast. Additionally, given its population of approximately 1.3 billion, China has the largest market potential. Chinas share of the global cosmetic market may seem small compared to huge markets like the US and Japan, but with a population of over a billion people, the growth potential there is staggering, said Lenka Contreras, vice president and head of the Consumer Products practice for Klines research division (Pitman, 2005). Chinas cosmetics market is still far from saturation.à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ HKTDCà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦- ¥Ã‚ ¼Ã…’xx ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °!!!!à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¨datamonitorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸!!!!!!! Characteristics of chinas cosmetics market The consumer market development is vigorous With economy expanding and mass livelihood improving, awareness of personal well-being prompts strong and continuous growth in the consumer market. It not only reforms the consumption pattern but also drive the sales (Asia consulting, 2008). In that sense, it is predicted that the Chinese cosmetic consumer market is dynamic. Women stimulating the market growth Female is still an essential part of Chinese cosmetics market, especially those office ladies. As Chinese women are now increasingly beauty consciousness and awareness, the use of cosmetics has become a part of their daily routine (Fung, 2005). Accordingly, the rising proportion of young females in white-collar jobs has formed the loyal customer basis for this market, and the cosmetics sales have been driven. Their spending on cosmetic is outgrowing over other areas. National Bureau of Statistics has come up with data that shows women ages from 20-54 account for 27.21% of the total population. Being more economically independent, the enormous number of consumers in the group will generate huge demands than ever (HKTDC, 2009). The famous-brand effect appears day by day on the market The rising sales of famous-brand products reflected that customers attitudes concerning cosmetics have changed (Chen Xue, 2005). As the improving residents consumption level, people are willing to pay more attentions to those well-know cosmetic products which were considered with high grade, quality assurance and harmlessness. For example, customers will be highly delighted with brand-name products that can prevent wrinkles or keep moisture balance in the skin. Due to the impression lifted in mind, its sales increased dramatically and gradually become the main growth point of the entire market. Instead, few shows interest in low-end cosmetic products (China Consulting, 2008). Consumer In Chinese cosmetics market, consumers ways of spending are undergoing a significant change. Dianyi Zhang, president of China Cosmetics Association, claimed that modern customers behave more independently on consumption. Consumers tend to utilize different channels and rely on various measuring standard to get a pleasing cosmetics, rather than dependent on advertising. In addition, changes also occur on consumer group. Depending on the difference in requests on brand, quality, price and personal affordability, consumers were divided into low, middle and high classes. And, every class has a great number of loyal customers (HKTDC, 2009). Women of all ages were concerned with their lifestyle. The rising purchasing ability of women helped them to spend more on personal grooming. This grooming consciousness was encouraged by womens active participation in advertisement or fashion shows, such as the popular Fashion TV program (Pitman Simon, 2009). In china, consumption pattern of consumers is changing. The consumers have become globalized in their thinking and are ready to enjoy with some impulsive shopping. Access to various brands and products give them better knowledge towards cosmetics, due to fast-flowing information (Tang, 2008). Therefore, as a cosmetics producer, motivations and type of products purchased should be different depending upon the segment of consumer targeted. Competitive situation The business environment in China has been improving, especially since 2001, when the country joined the World Trade Organization. The commitment to opening its market in compliance with the WTO rules has further stimulated the market, with greater participation from international and domestic player. Consequently, competition between multinationals and local players is heating up across the country (Utsunomiya, 2003). 3.4.1 Foreign Brands Continue to Dominate in the Chinese Market International brands play a dominant role in the upper-end cosmetics market, such as PG (Olay), Unilever (Ponds), Shiseido, LOreal and Estee Lauder etc (See Table 1) , due to young womens pursuit of well-known brands in literary. These large multinational cosmetic players have entered the mainland market one after another to build their own manufacturing basis and sales network (Sunfaith China Ltd, 2005) and many of those players have been operating successfully in the China market, making their brands well-known and occupy about 80% of the total market share. According to certain statistics, the world top 15 brand of cosmetics had set up own specialty stores (HKTDC, 2002). Even so, those cosmetics magnates have accelerated expansion into low-end products. For example, Avon and LOreal launched low-end cosmetics one after another to suit the changing customers needs and purchasing behavior, and expand the market share (HKTDC, 2009). Table 1 Top Ten Preferred Colour Cosmetics Products, 2006 (Access Asia Limited, 2008) Brand % Share Maybelline 10.3 LOreal 9.9 Shisiedo 8.0 Lancà ´me 7.3 Avon 6.6 Està ©e Lauder 5.5 Yue Sai 5.1 Revlon 4.7 Amway 3.8 H2O 3.2 Others 35.6 TOTAL 100.0 3.4.2 Transformation of local Chinese companies is under way Compared with foreign companies domestic players have smaller market share due to several weaknesses. For instance, weak financial ability, lack of research and development capability, and lack of experience in brand management and marketing. Therefore, most of those players produce low-end product with only a small number making high-end product that can compete with foreign players (Li, 2005). Nonetheless, as the economic growth domestic companies has undertaken a transformation, gradually changed the impression with low quality and price, and entered into high-end market so as to become more competitive (Ocn, 2008). Facing with the open markets and trade liberalization in China, the previous mentioned increasingly fierce competition is inevitable. On the purpose of responding to the changing customer demands, market players have devised a variety of marketing strategies so as to create impressive product image in customers mind and drive them to spend more money on their own products. Distribution channel SWOT analysis of the female market Future develop trend http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Products-Markets/Asian-cosmetics-players-opt-for-natural-and-organic-standards Cosmetics players opt for natural and organic standards In karara (PDF) the main reasons for boom in cosmetic industry as increasing fashion and beauty consciousness coupled with rising incomes and focus on health and fitness. A natural and holistic approach attracts these women, especially where there is an interest in complementary health and in overall well being. 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Main issues that need to investigate include: Main characteristics of Cosmetics Industry in china What current market development trend is What Competitive situation is within cosmetics market Development opportunities of the cosmetics market within china This information will be helpful to better understand and form general perceptions of industry situation in china. There are several ways to obtain required information above. Data sources: Internet Databases Go to college library website and use its databases, such as: Marketline Academic Search Premier Business Insights Access Asia Series Business Source Premier To look for industry reports and e-journals those contain information regarding the Chinese cosmetic market. Find out information about the current cosmetics market and even see what demographics suit Shiseido to introduce the product to. Applying databases is a good way to get information due to its huge information storage volume and reliability. Most of them are academic-based, and have a comprehensive understanding on specific field. Websites: Look up necessary websites such as www.shiseidochina.com where might be possible to get some internal data sources. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company. Even, their past researches on consumer behaviors. The internal data sources might be sales marketing reports and accounting financial reports of the company. Magazines Newspapers It is also possible to look at some Chinese cosmetics industry magazines so that to acquire valuable industry information and some current cosmetic issues happened in china. Quantitative Qualitative methods In order to ascertain consumers cosmetics buying patterns and product satisfactions, quantitative and qualitative researches are both required to be implemented. It should be noticed that the understandings of consumers would exert significant impacts on companys marketing strategies. Besides, it is valuable for coming up with comments and suggestions to Client Company after analyzing Chinese customer. The main objectives of quantitative and qualitative research falls into several parts as followed: Motive of Purchasing Cosmetic Product Motives are defined as general drives that direct a consumers behavior toward attaining his or her need and the motivational drive directly affects the specific benefit criteria consumers use to evaluate products. Thus, understand buying motivations will provide evidences to Client Company to better position its products. Information Sources There are differences in using information sources among various age groups. Knowing customers through what kinds of channels to get products information could help Shiseido sell products more effectively to target audiences. Evaluative Criteria for Purchasing Cosmetics As for criteria for purchasing cosmetics, the responses will be in order of quality, price and volume of content. It is crucial to see what element is more important to customers when buying cosmetics. This will do company a favor to develop products or marketing strategies. Place of Purchasing Cosmetics In terms of the place of purchase, primary research should focus on finding out the reasons for selecting these places of purchase. Then, company can identify the perfect place to sell its products on the basis of information provided by survey. Satisfactions and dissatisfactions It is well known that satisfactions with a product will perform huge influences on its sales volume. This primary research should identify the level of satisfactions towards Shiseido and try to find out any aspects that consumers wish to see changes. Quantitative research Questionnaires As the measuring tools of this study, questionnaire based on previous studies and results of preliminary research were used. In this case, this study was carried out in the country of China. Therefore, questionnaire in English should be translated into Chinese. To reach a variety of different customers, questionnaires are supposed to carry out at different city within china so that to get as many points of views as possible. Questionnaire is consisted of 3 main sections: Section 1 is simply some questions on demographical characteristics of respondents like gender, age and occupation etc. to profile consumers. Section 2 emphasizes on customers buying behavior on cosmetics. As objectives mentioned above. For instance, purchase motivation information sources, evaluative criteria for purchasing basic skin care items and color make-up products, store type of purchasing cosmetic product and reasons for store selection persons to exert influence upon purchasing and satisfaction/dissatisfaction on cosmetics purchased. Section 3 focuses more on investigating customers perceptions concerning Shiseido products. Such as, customers brand awareness of Shiseido, brand image and brand position in customers mind. Additionally, the results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS. The analysis conducted in the study with SPSS statistics package includes frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis, analysis of variance and Multiple Range test. Survey In order to keep questionnaire short enough to maintain respondents interests, there must be some questions cannot be asked. Thus in this project, I will also consider conductin