A Current Issue of Global Concern

A Current Issue of Global Concern: The Significance of Education for Peace and Stability in Afghanistan  © Over 30 years of war and instability have ruined the infrastructure of all spheres of Afghan life. Education has probably been the sector that has sustained the most devastation in Afghanistan. Educating the Afghan populace – especially the young generation – is a critical facet toward engendering enduring peace and stability, alleviating endemic poverty, and resuscitating economic growth in the country.From this writer’s personal awareness, in Afghanistan today most schools lack proper teaching facilities and materials (apart from the usual facilities this would include current library holdings, computerized language labs, computer labs etc) . But perhaps most important of all †¦in Afghanistan †¦there is a critical shortage of qualified teachers. Teachers with current qualifications reflective of those which would be demanded, at a minimum, in n eighboring states †¦let alone the rest of the world.Beyond the issue of availability of adequate educational opportunity however, the educational crisis in Afghanistan is further acerbated by societal circumstances. This writer is certain most readers will be aware of the circumstances which prevail in Afghanistan but, according to a report by Surgar (2011), Afghan parents are reluctant to send their children to school buildings which – because the populace is aware of the grim inadequacy of the schooling facilities – are strikingly empty of activity and children.The Surgar report underpins this writer’s own research on the ground in that it reveals that the quality of Afghan education is â€Å" low† and in most cases a striking non-existence of textbooks and of proper curricula and syllabi is evident. Another issue that has a bearing – but which has not figured prominently in discussions about the re-engineering of the Afghan educational syst em – relates to the socio-cultural bias that many Afghans have toward the education of females, especially in the conservative and remote areas of the country.This is another challenge that the Afghan government needs to wrestle with. According to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund the disparity between the enrollment (at schools offering even the most basic educational facilities) of girls’ and boys’ is enormous. In 2009 the enrolment of young Afghan girls constituted only 35% of the total primary school enrollments (UNICEF, 2009). This percentage swells in some rural provinces in the south of the country such as in Zabul Province. Due to growing instability 90 out of 100 girls are not in schools in that province.As an average only 50% of all children receive schooling in Afghanistan (IRIN, 2011). Beyond early School education †¦in Afghanistan today there are other significant education related challenges that need to be addressed. Among them is the desperate circumstance surrounding availability of higher education opportunities   (certificate, diploma   and degree programmes)   for those Afghans who have actually made the difficult, and sometimes perilous, journey through early school †¦to qualify with a High School qualification.Part of the issue is an epidemic of despair that, for those who complete early schooling †¦high school †¦ and do not have the resources to proceed further with their education, there are virtually no employment opportunities upon graduation. This situation, obviously, only lends to the damaging environment of thought that education does not do anything to better ones lot in life. Further looming education related problems continue to surface in Afghanistan. According to the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan (2010), the number of high school graduates will reach 600,000 students by 2014.These are young eager Afghans on the brink of adulthood who should be ab le to look to their own country for the provision of further, higher education opportunities with which to prepare themselves to compete in a world filled with others of their own age who are forging ahead armed with modern further education qualifications. Under normal circumstances the half a million or more Afghans who will seek admission to college or university should not – if proper strategic planning had been evident †¦if the governmental will had been evident – have been a problem. Unfortunately such is not the case in Afghanistan.As of this time of writing – in January 2011 – the currently existing public and private universities do not have the capacity to cope with such a huge number of potential new applicants (MoHE, 2010). Although, the Afghan government sponsors higher education of some Afghan students by sending them to countries such as the United State and India,   in a nut-shell this alternative is disastrously expensive for Afgha nistan, and, in most cases, futile. Most Afghan students studying abroad – upon earning whatever qualification they had sought – often do not return to Afghanistan after completion of their education.This writer is personally aware that many seek asylum in the host countries (personal research, 2010). Despite the fact that – since the fall of Taliban in 2001   – the Afghan education sector has – according to the nation’s Ministry of Education – witnessed substantial progress in, for instance,   the amount of overall enrolment in some form of educational pursuit (7 million),   the training of teachers, and the construction of over 4,500 schools (Afghanistan Ministry of Education, 2010); Afghanistan sustains the highest illiteracy rates in the world for both men and women.More than 11 million Afghans over the age of 15 still cannot read or write. In rural areas, where the majority of Afghans live, 90 percent of the women and more than 60 percent of the men are illiterate (REAC, 2010). This situation has created a perfect opportunity for the opposition of the Afghan government to exploit the unawareness of the locals and use them for political and personal agendas (Time, 2010). It is this writer’s strongly-held personal belief that Education has a pivotal impact on peace and stability.If the Afghan government – and the international community which spends billions in Afghanistan facing the enemy militarily – want to bring peace and security to Afghanistan, they must play a strong, supportive role in pressing the Afghan authorities to focus upon educating Afghans. In essence there needs to be a sea-change in the much promulgated strategies we fall victim to so often from supposed experts. The essential need is that there MUST be greater and better educational opportunities inside the country.It is patently obvious that in this vital period of national re-building the authorities have many other vital imperatives to address. Hospitals, transportation infrastructure, etc. But in ignoring the country’s precious resource – its young.. its youth †¦and their education †¦Afghanistan is breeding further problems. The high rate of unemployment and crisis-level –lack of availability of opportunities to higher educational institutions simply means more foot soldiers for the enemy (Associated Content, 2007).The opposition †¦ fighting in Afghanistan†¦ easily recruits disaffected, disgruntled, under-educated, and under-utilized young Afghans and uses them against the Afghan government and coalition forces. Even the encouraging strides to provide more schools, colleges and universities, made by the Afghan education authorities are, to this writer, insufficient. Far too often (public, state-funded) Universities from the Coalition countries float into Afghanistan and enter into arrangements with local government universities.This is not necess arily what is needed. The Afghan Education authorities should not – in this era of resuscitation – try to go it alone. They should encourage private higher educational organizations – who may be more apt to develop genuine long-term relations – given their personal investment not garnered from government coffers – to invest in the country †¦to open degree programmes in discipline areas which will train Afghans to take their place in the global arenas of business, commerce, international trade, international relations, and leadership.The Afghan Education authorities should encourage international private education entities to invest in the nation and its people by making the currently extraordinarily- difficult approval process much leaner and rational. As the new school year begins in Afghanistan, The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) released Report Card: Progress on Compulsory Education. The new report urges policymakers to work harder to address urgent and long term education needs in the country. Oxfam International is one of the Consortium members.The report card (for grades 1-9) recognizes that Afghanistan has made progress in enrollment, but finds key gaps in school completion rates, policy management, quality of education and available resources. * Despite the increase in school enrollment, more than half of Afghanistan's children don't attend primary school. Less than 34% of those enrolled are girls. * Drop-out rates are high, particularly among girls. Of those attending primary school, only 9% go on to secondary school. * Female teachers are scarce. In one province there is one female teacher for every 152 male teachers.Increasing the number of female teachers is essential to increase the enrollment of girls. HRRAC recommends that international donors honor their commitments to provide sufficient and long-term funding for Afghanistan and ensure adequate steps are taken to increase the enroll ment of girls and improve the quality of education. The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium is a group of Afghan and international organizations working in the fields of humanitarian relief, reconstruction, human and women's rights, peace promotion, research, and advocacy.It was established in early 2003 to engage in proactive research and advocacy on human rights issues over a sustained period. Opposition within Afghanistan to girls’ participation in education predates the Taliban. Historically, education for girls was rare in rural Afghanistan and almost exclusively confined to the capital. In 1919 King Amanullah seized the Afghan throne and began a rapid development of the country’s secular education system, with a particular focus on expanding education for women.During this period shortly following independence from Britain, women and girls were encouraged in their scholarly pursuits. This shift, however, directly threatened the centuries-old practice of traditional male-oriented madrassa (religious) education among many of the ethnic tribes in Afghanistan. Amanullah’s experiment with a secular approach to education, along with other reforms prohibiting polygamy and bride price — the provision of money to the wife’s family upon marriage — aroused protest from the country’s religious establishment, who eventually supported the overthrow of the king.Nadir Shah, who took power following Amanullah, was more cautious in his attempt to introduce educational opportunities for women. Nevertheless, over the course of the twentieth century, and in particular during King Mohammed Zahir’s long reign between 1933 and 1973, Afghanistan’s education system steadily expanded even as it continued to be influenced by demands from the country’s conservative cultural and religious authorities. By the 1970s, women made up over 60 percent of the 10,000 students who studied at Kabul University.The ri se of the Soviet-backed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1978 brought large-scale literacy programs for men and women, again alongside the abolition of bride price and other reforms beneficial to women. During this period leading up the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, reforms in areas such as education stirred resentment among religious and tribal leaders in the rural areas. Although full implementation of these reforms were limited by political exigencies, women were able to experience expanded access to education and also the opportunity to actively participate as university faculty staff.During the Soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989, Afghans lived through a devastating war fueled by external forces and funding from multiple countries, among them the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and China. Islamic militants, or Mujahideen, thrived in rural areas and constructed their own revolutionary army with the goal of overturning all socialist policies suc h as those governing women’s rights in general, and access education in particular. With the fall of the Communist government in 992, the country was divided among warring factions, many of them religiously inspired Mujahideen groups ideologically opposed to modern education and to education for girls. Millions of Afghans, particularly the educated, emigrated to other countries. Many of the schools not destroyed by war were closed due to lack of security, the lack of teachers and teaching material, or simply because of dire poverty. Education under the Taliban went from bad to worse. The Taliban focused solely on religious studies for boys and denied nearly all girls the right to attend school.During the Taliban’s rule, only about 3 per cent of girls received some form of primary education. The prohibition of female education, coupled with the cultural mandate that women receive their health care from female health care providers, resulted in a vulnerable population re ceiving care from poorly-educated providers. Twenty-three years of war have destroyed the infrastructure of the education system and further increased the illiteracy rate in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the participation of children and adults in education has improved dramatically and there is great demand.Afghanistan has one of the youngest populations on the planet. Unexpectedly large numbers showed up when schools reopened in 2002, and enrollments have increased every year since, with the Ministry of Education reporting that 5. 2 million students were enrolled in grades one through twelve in 2005. This includes an estimated 1. 82-1. 95 million girls and women. An additional 55,500-57,000 people, including 4,000-5,000 girls and women, were enrolled in vocational, Islamic, and teacher education programs, and 1. 24 million people were enrolled in non-formal education programs.These numbers represent a remarkable improvement from the Taliban era. More Afghan children are in school today than at any other period in Afghanistan’s history. In 2003, in response to the lack of educational opportunities in Afghanistan for the general population and especially for females, the United States Agency for International Development funded the Afghanistan Primary Education Program (APEP). APEP offers emergency access to accelerated elementary education for out-of-school youth between 10 and 18 years of age, focusing on females.Between 2003 and 2005, APEP supported accelerated learning programs for 170,000 over-age youth in more than 3,000 villages in Afghanistan. Located at Kabul University, the Women’s Teacher Training Institute opened in September 2004. The institute is currently operating programs that aim to teach basic literacy to Afghan women in rural areas and to reduce maternal and child mortality. Despite numerous positive steps forward in education for Afghan women and girls, persistent violent attacks on schools by resurgent Taliban and other forces co ntinue to force some schools to close.In a statement released in June 2006, Ret. U. S. Gen. Barry McCaffrey stressed the comparative superiority of the Taliban’s equipment and tactics to those of the NATO-trained Afghan National Army (ANA). â€Å"They are brutalizing the population,† wrote McCaffrey of the Taliban, â€Å"and they are now conducting a summer-fall campaign to knock NATO out of the war, capture the provincial capital of Kandahar, isolate the Americans, stop the developing Afghan educational system, stop the liberation of women, and penetrate the new police force and ANA. Summary AIL works to empower Afghans by expanding their educational and health opportunitites and by fostering self-reliance and community participation. What is the issue, problem, or challenge? Afghan women and children had no access to education for a decade. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the Afghan Institute of Learning organized Educational Learning Centers (ELCs) to bring women life-saving healthcare and education. AIL helps local leaders start ELCs and decide where and what services to offer.AIL has requests for ELCs from many communities that have not historically been open to education for women. AIL now supports 44 ELCs in Afghanistan and refugee camps of Pakistan. How will this project solve this problem? AIL’s ELCs serve 350,000 women and children each year with medical and reproductive healthcare, health education, skills training, teacher training, leadership/human rights classes, pre-school through post-secondary education, and fast track classes. Potential Long Term ImpactBecause AIL is run by Afghan women and respectful of Afghan culture, conservative villages trust AIL to begin services for thousands of isolated women in dire need. Other NGOs and the Afghan government now use this model for women’s services. Project Message Our eyes are opened. Now we can read and write. Actually, now we have come to know the value of an edu cated person in a society. We thank AIL for enlightening rural areas with the lights of education. – Salma, woman in a literacy class in a rural ELC

Position Paper: Hunger

October 5, 2012/Position Paper English 10 Thesis Statement: The government should make the education more accessible to alleviate hunger. Outline: I. Hunger in the Philippines II. Cause of Hunger A. Poverty in the country B. Unemployment in the country C. Incapability in acquiring quality education III. Accessible education for all people as solution in alleviating hunger Menu for the Day: Education for All People One major problem in our world today is hunger. Let us use Philippines as an example. In the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS), 23. 8 % of Filipinos or estimated as 4. million Filipinos experience hunger at least once in past three months. This latest hunger rate surpassed the highest record of 23. 7 % in December 2008. (Flores, pars. 1-3) This only shows that a lot of people experiences hunger in our country right now. What could be the probable causes of this? Let us discuss each probable cause one by one using statistics. One evident cause I see for this is poverty. In another survey conducted by SWS, 51 % or estimated 10. 3 million Filipino households considered themselves poor, lower by 4 points from 55 % or 11. 1 million families in March.Also stated in the survey, about 39 % or about 7. 9 million Filipino families rated themselves â€Å"food-poor†, lower by six points from 45% or 9. 1 million previously. (Flores, pars. 1-3) Even though we can see improvements in the rates, it is still not enough to say that we are alleviating it. Another cause I see is unemployment. In a survey by National Statistics Office (NSO), the unemployment rate dropped to 6. 9 % compared to last year’s 7. 1 %. The poll showed that Metro Manila registered the highest unemployment rate at 10. 4 percent. Among the jobless, 62. 3 percent are male and 37. are female. More than half—51. 7 percent—are between 15 to 27 years old. Among educational groups, 32. 8 percent—or almost a third—of the unemployed are high school gra duates, 13. 8 are college undergraduates and 21 percent are college graduates. (Caraballo, pars. 1-4) Another cause I see is number of people who can’t acquire quality education. The Filipinos start off with 80% of them going to the elementary schools. However, the percentage decreases directly to only 48% of them going to the high schools. It even decreases down to 20% of the Filipinos, who go to the colleges and the universities.Even though students go to the schools to study, the books they use have several errors with unreliable information, grammatical and spelling errors. (Kim and Reyes, pars. 2) These three causes are inter-connected to each other, meaning one causes the other. The incapability of most people to acquire quality education results to unemployment since these people doesn’t have enough skills to get their desired job. Also, good job opportunities have large demands that those who didn’t acquire quality education are the least opportunity in the employment.Because of people don’t have jobs, this make them incapable in producing enough income to support their families, which is poverty. Poverty then leads to hunger for they don’t have enough money to satisfy their need for food. If the causes of hunger are inter-connected with each other, then same are the solutions. The government should first make the education here in the Philippines more accessible. If every member of the society has enough skill to get their desired job, there will be less people who are unemployed.If every individual in the working force have jobs, they will be capable in providing the necessities of their families including food. Thus, alleviating the hunger in our country even in the world. Works Cited: Caraballo, Flores, Helen. â€Å"Self-rated Poverty Down – SWS. † The Philippine Star. The Philippine Star,2012. Web. 29 June 2012 Flores, Helen. â€Å"SWS: 4. 8 M Families Experience Hunger. † The Philippine Sta r. The PhilippineStar, 2012. Web. 9 May 2012

Various History Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Various History Questions - Essay Example Passage into the American colonies during the period of colonization was only possible for the wealthy, and this prevented those from the lower economic rungs from booking passage into the colonies. In order to entice potential laborers into the colonies, the system of indentured servitude was conceptualized; and soon after, these individuals became an integral part of the colonial economy (PBS, 2011). An indentured servant’s life would come about due to skilled and unskilled laborers finding themselves without work. Due to the necessity of finding any type of work to support themselves and their families, indentured servitude came about. There are various advantages and disadvantages to this practice. It is advantageous because it provides immediate economic relief to jobless laborers (PBS, 2011). In effect, it gives them the opportunity to gain employment, even with their salaries being less than ideal for them and their families. It is a preferable choice for them as compar ed to their unemployed status, to which they credit more undefined hardships. Disadvantages to this practice are however also apparent. For one, it is a practice open to abuse because employers are paying these laborers less than what they deserve. Although the laborers are indeed able to fill in their temporary needs; in the long-run, they are not getting what they fairly deserve for their labors. Consequently, they are enriching employers who are only after their cheap labor and hard work. This is a practice which can be considered the precedent for slavery, and in the years which followed the transport of Black Africans to America and the British Empire, slavery eventually found its unfortunate place. But there is no denying the travails that these indentured servants went through with their work and accommodations being less than ideal; they were also treated harshly for their wrongdoings (PBS, 2011). These laborers also had difficulty in eventually gaining freedom from their se rvitude; however, it was still a better deal than the conditions seen among slaves who were not given the right to be free of their slavery. 2. How did life in the British colonies contribute to creating a unique American identity? How do you see that identity manifested in modern American society? The life in the British colonies contributed in creating a unique American identity. Originally, the colonies were fashioned by ideas of prosperity, literacy, and improvements in religion and thought (Teacher Web, n.d). Land ownership in the colonies was also seen as a means of becoming wealthy. In turn, wealth was seen as part of one’s social status, and the colonies were in the middle of these ranks. Land ownership was also associated with the right to vote, hence, land ownership was a highly sought privilege. It motivated many men to work hard and to seek improved lifestyles for themselves and their families (Teacher Web, n.d). The colonists felt united as Americans before the s tart of the revolution; however, they had a longer time in gaining their identity as a people. They were also highly suspicious of each other, and this caused delays in their identity as colonials. However, these delays were eventually resolved as they started to preserve their rights and to express actions seeking to gain their independence from Britain. It was important for them to put aside their differences, unite against

Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project - Assignment Example This may require careful selection of the parting line for the part. You may create cooling channels if needed. (15 marks) In this project, it is assumed that all the appropriate dimensions and any essential data related to injection moulding requirements given are in standard SI units. All the appropriate cutting tools and machine parameters for the NC machine should also be selected appropriately. An appropriate size of the block material should be selected and justified. The physical machining of the parts is not necessarily required. The group report shall be presented in both hardcopy and softcopy with the names of two students and their ID. It should be properly documented and submitted before the due date with the following details: This project will generally revolve around the design and manufacture of injection mouldingparts for LG G2 phone with the aid of design and manufacturing modules of Creo Parametric-2.0 CAD/CAM system. To support the work carried out, this project will also include: The design process of the case, a literature review of the work carried out based on some given review questions, methodology of the design and the recommendations given after the use of Creo Parametric-2 system in the modeling the product. A brief conclusion will be drawn from the project that has already been completed on the most probable implications of the used of CAD/CAM technology in the industries. We would wish to appreciate the work done by Professor Syed Masood in offering insight and guidance in this course. Through his efforts, we have managed to gain a lot of knowledge on the use of advanced CAM/CAD and Creo Parametric-2 system in this project. The completion of this project has helped us gain a lot of skills in the design and drawing of complex designs and the processes necessary in manufacturing. We would also

Is this a great essay or what Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is this a great or what - Essay Example It is a kind of printed appearances on topical contemporary questions. In fact, it is the time in Twain’s life and work, which is marked by satirical rage, bitterness, and despair, sharply contrasting with the prevailing view of the writer as a laughing humorist, which has been living in the readers’ minds for a long time, and making late Twain one of the truly tragic figures of American culture. In particular, in his essay â€Å"The Damned Human Race† he questions the status of man as a supreme being in the hierarchy of living creatures of planet Earth. In typical to him unmasking manner of that period of creativity, Mark Twain brings into being a great American essay extremely conforming to the standards of writing an essay according to Lapham’s notion. The first obvious Lapham’s norm, which is brightly represented in Twain’s â€Å"The Damned Human Race†, is writing an assay as a depiction of thoughts through their audition on the paper or any other way. It is some sort of improvisation, or rather a flurry of speculations on a concrete acute topic. As we can see from the analyzed essay, Twain represents his own vision, his own understanding of the origin of a mankind through making contrasts of parallel lines of behavior patterns of human beings and animals. His striking and challenging idea becomes that particular fact that comes from his own supervisions and serves as an unpredictable concept, which makes people’s minds to protest or question their precede knowledge of the issue. And this is a specific feature of an improvisational manner of reflections. The central point for Twain’s argument against the highest nature of men is their cruelty, meanness, and consumer nature in comparison with hig her principles of animals’ existence, dictated by the laws of nature only. In a point of Twain’s fact, humans enslave each other on the basis of dependence and money ranking; kill dissidents and representatives of other religious

Care of the highly dependent postoperative patient Essay

Care of the highly dependent postoperative patient - Essay Example He had a bloc resection of rectal cancer and had been treated with sigmoid colectomy. Right hemicolectomy fallowed by HIPES (treated intra peritoney chemotherapy) solitary liver metastasis. The patient came into recovery room breathing spontaneously. His blood pressure was110/60. His pulse 82, resps 9, SpO2 with oxygen 40% via face mask. Right Jugular CVP line left hand arterial line, intercostals x2, bupivacain 0.25%. Silicon drain and abovac plasma lite 1000. I.V. continued. CVP and arterial line has been attached to monitor. First 1/2 hour patient observation was done every 5 min.-ABCDE was administered. After 15 min. BP-high, puls-100, RR-normal. On question are u in pain, patient answer severe pain. Morphine PCA attached and explained how to use, continued with boluses of 2.5mg, morphine via PCA pump. After 1/2 hour arterial blood gas sample done, showing respiratory acidosis. Patient is with urinal catheter, urine output monitoring hourly. Fluids maintenance done, fluid balance monitoring hourly for 24 hours. This paper explores the post operative care of this patient. Variables such as the level of debility before surgery, operate complexity and severity of underlying cirrhosis appear to significantly influence the rapidity at which a patient progresses through his or her early postoperative recovery stage (Leaper, & Whitaker, 2010). Most of the key liver resections are attributed to the liver’s regenerative capacity. They are well tolerated by patients and it is rare for patients to experience biochemical abnormalities. Patients having compensated liver cirrhosis and the complications that come with it are more susceptible to intraoperative blood losses that make the organ functions to deteriorate and lead to the loss of its reserve capacity to withstand stress causing life-threatening complications (Leaper, & Whitaker, 2010).

Evaluation of Hilton Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Evaluation of Hilton Hotel - Essay Example This work tends to explain some of the services offered by the company as well application of special evaluation techniques to ascertain some of its weaknesses and the provide solutions for such limitations. Human factor, as far as service performance is concerned, forms one of the basic areas to gauge a certain hotel. Hotel service evaluation is more subjective because it depends on opinions of several customers as well staff, and this might vary depending on individuals taste or preference. However, currently there are standard evaluation tools which produce a generalized result. Such evaluation tools are SERVQUAL and walk-through audit among others. In specific, the following discourse focuses on the hotel’s presence in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom offers a strategic market for Hilton. It contributes significantly to the clientele base of the hotel globally. One of the most amazing facts is the way the hotels blend in the local serene environment. For instance, th e London hotel has a bar which directly overlooks the Hyde park. Consequently, when one is in the bar, one gets to sight the Hyde park. This is just an example of how strategic the Hotels in the UK are placed. (D'ANNUNZIO-GREEN, 2004). The cultural as well as the historical position of London, for instance, makes the United Kingdom a leading tourist destination site. Consequently, the Hilton hotels in the region stand better chances in terms of revenue collection. Their profitability relies on how effective is the president of the hotels in the region planning to maintain their status. It is also important to acknowledge competitors like Lowry hotel in Manchester (Porter & Prince, 2010) Every customer will always have different opinion with regard to the satisfactions of the hotel services. This would depend on the staff hospitality, behaviour, experiences, and responsibility among other traits to do with the staff. Furthermore, facility’s communication strategies, safety, av ailability, and accessibility would determine the suitability of a hotel (Spector, 2005). The Hilton hotel is one of the largest tourist hotels in the region. In the current generation, tourists have greater expectations with regard to the quality of hotel services. In London, the hotel is in Westminster as well as West End. Therefore, in a bid to retain its clients, it ought to maintain the levels of quality services provided. The UK market is quite dynamic in terms of service provision in the hotel industry. The hotel management system is a dynamic system since it keeps changing with customers’ preferences. Humans like new fancy things, hence customers will always flock hotels with advanced amenities in transport, communication, entertainments and catering among other areas of service in such hotels. By conforming to the current trends, the Hilton hotels in the UK would likely perform better financially. Hilton hotel departmental managers have the role to listen to the clie nts and do as they wish to attract and maintain more customers. I would say this is not an easy task due to the fact that the majority of tourists or customers come from different countries or cities with different cultures, beliefs and style among other aspects. Furthermore, it would be expensive and time consuming to treat each customer according to his or her

Using appropriate frameworks, theories and models introduced in the Essay

Using appropriate frameworks, theories and models introduced in the course of the strategic module, identify the strategic challenges faced by the target organi - Essay Example While this move should enhance NTL’s short-term financial outlook and may generate a measure of excitement for customers and investors, the gains may not outweigh the long-term strategic liabilities inherent in both companies pre-merger and likely, post-merger. Fiscally, growth may prove to be a risky strategy for a company that has dealt with financial difficulty in the recent past. Yet, market conditions may have left NTL with little alternative but to seize growth opportunities when they are possible. This study will analyze how NTL’s recent acquisition of TeleWest fits and contrasts with the outline Bob de Wit and Ron Meyer present in their book Strategy Synthesis (2005). The book creates a fundamental framework for scrutinizing the strategic coherence from business, corporate, and network levels, the industry and international contexts, as well as the organizational context and organizational purpose. Because NTL is such a large and diversified organization, the unit of analysis will be mostly limited to NTL’s residential cable, digital television, and pay TV services within the U.K, all under the umbrella unit, NTL Cable PLC. It will begin by providing a general overview of NTL, and its recent acquisitions. The study will then analyze how actual events and strategies from NTL’s brain trust compare with the topical outline from de Wit and Meyer. Finally, this study will discuss the results of this analysis and provide a prognosis for the future of this grow ing company. A brainchild of the new global economy, NTL Incorporated (NTLD) is a U.S. company, founded in Delaware in 1993, as International CableTel, and headquartered in New York. The business opportunity was created in 1991, with British deregulation of cable and telecommunications services, and founder George Blumenthal’s 1993 acquisition of Insight UK’s cable systems and its roughly one million household customersi. Changing its

The Neo-Malthusian Population theory Essay Example for Free

The Neo-Malthusian Population theory Essay As stated the Neo-Malthusian population theory claims that poor nations are stuck in a cycle of poverty which they cant get out of unless some sort of preventative measures of population checks are engaged. The Malthusian model was developed two centuries ago by a man named Thomas Malthus. Malthuss model is based upon a relationship between both population growth as well as economic development. Empirical studies now-a-days show that the population theory model is quite flawed because of many factors that render even the two main variables in the theory (population growth and level of per-capita income) not fit to be used within the same conceptual frame work as there is no clear link between them. Egypt and Kuwait are perfect examples where the model would clearly fail to explain the unexpected link between population growth rate and comparative economic development respectively. As hitherto stated the Malthusian population theory is based on two factors; population growth and economic development. Primarily the theory at its core states that there is a tendency in countries unless there is a problem with the food supply that its population is going to double every 30 to 40 years. Based on this model of doubling growth rate; because of fixed factors such as land, food supplies and the population having less land to work on to because of the proposed growth rate, the individuals contribution to food production would go down. The theory further proposes that because the food supply could not match the growing population per capita incomes based at the time on an agrarian society, the end result accordingly would be a stable population which is barely leading a stable population that is living barely at subsistence level. Malthus felt that according to his theory that the only way to avoid being stuck in this loop of abject poverty was to engage in what he called moral restraint. Moral restraint is basically acknowledging the fact that our contribution to the population is leading the populous to a state of economic deprivation. In an indirect way as Todaro puts it Malthus was the father of the birth control movement, he furthermore stated that we are morally obligated to regulate birth rate because of the economic and social repercussions that accompany that growth. Modern day economists have named  Malthuss theory perhaps justifiably as the Malthusian population trap; justifiably named in my opinion because of the difficulty is reducing birthrates let alone the actual size of the population and escaping abject poverty. The Malthusian population theory is based upon two important factors that formulate its ideology: population and per capita income (based on aggregate production). The theory in detail states that at a very low level of per capita income, the population change will be zero and a stable population will exist, this is seen in the case of absolute poverty where the birth rates are equivalent to the death rates. The equilibrium between birth rates and death rates is reached quite simply because higher incomes means less starvation and disease so the more the population expands the more people will die because of starvation or other causes because there is only so much food to cover their needs. The theory also states that if the population achieves its maximum rate at an even higher per capita income it is still assumed that the population will remain at the same size and unlikely that any real change will be noticed until higher per capita incomes are realized. The other part to the theory states that there is a link between growth rates of aggregate income (when there is no population growth) and the levels of per capita income. A directly proportionate conclusion might easily be reached that if aggregate income is rising then per capita income has to be increasing and if the total population is growing faster than the total income, per capita income must be falling. The ideology of the theory doesnt stop here because it is based on the positive assumption that saving increases with the incremental increase of income. Quite simply countries that have a higher per capita income are assumed to be able to generate a higher savings rate and rationally more money is available for investment. It is assumed though that beyond a certain point in per capita income is supposed to level off and in some cases decline as new investments are made and more people are forced to work with fixed amount of land and resources. This is called the point of diminishing returns in the Malthusian model, the aggregate income growth is analogous of the total production curve, at least  thats how the basic theory of production goes. Quite simply when the population is growing faster than actual income, per capita will always fall, similarly when income grows faster than population it causes the equilibrium per capita income to rise. The pretence of the theory states that poor nations will never be able to rise above subsistence levels of per capita unless they apply a system of checks (birth control) upon the population. Without birth control nature has its own positive checks such as starvation, disease, wars that will do what humans fail to accomplish in birth control. The Malthusian trap as simple and as appealing as a theory concerning the relationship between population growth and economic development goes is based on simplistic assumption that Todaro and anyone with logic can curtail do not stand the test of empirical verifications. Malthus completely ignores the huge impact that technology has on hindering the growth-inhibiting factors of rapid population increase. Malthus had no way of knowing 200 years ago the effects that technology has on either raising the quality of land or the advancements that were to be made to tools to further enhance the production of the same amount of land. Rapid and continuing technological progress can be presented by a clear upward shift of income growth. Per capita has to grow over time hence giving a chance to all countries in escaping the Malthusian population trap. The second criticism of the trap is that he assumes that national rates of population increase are directly related to national per capita income. Clear research in LDCs show that there is no clear link between population growth rates and level of per capita income. With the institution of modern medicine and public health programs, death rates have fallen lower with no real relationship to per capita income levels. The real measure is not aggregate level of per capita but rather the real factor effecting population growth is how the income is distributed. If we were to take Egypt for example as you had suggested we would find that it had been trying to implement birth control programs as early as  1966, even though Egypt is looked upon as a successful model in decreasing its population, per capita income more than anything has been going down, simply because a population cant be decreased over night. Another important point that falsifies the model when we look at Egypt we find a rather strong economic buffer for the poor since expensive goods like bread and many medicines are subsidized by the government making it more likely that the population will not be naturally thinned out by means of positive checks as the theory curtails. If we were to look at purchasing power per capita of Kuwait we would find it $ 15,000 as apposed to Egypts measly $ 3,700. Kuwait also has a growth rate of 3.33 % as apposed to Egypts 1.66 %. The mere stating of these numbers completely falsifies the Malthusian model by all means here is a country like Egypt with a low population growth rate and a very low per capita income whereas Kuwait has a much higher growth rate but also five time the per capita income that Egypt posses. The theory overlooked not only technological aspects but completely over looked rentee economies like Kuwait have populations that can never be effected by supply of food. The Malthusian model is well based in theory and looks quite good on paper however it hardly holds water when applied to either real life nations or when critically analyzed as I have attempted to during the writing of this paper. Quite notably countries like Egypt and Kuwait completely bring the theory to its feet without much effort. I believe that when Malthus wrote his theory 200 years ago this was by all means a complete revolution even in the ideology of thought when he tried to find out why some nations remained poor no matter what they did.

Trafficking Of African Women and Girls Essay Example for Free

Trafficking Of African Women and Girls Essay Part 1: Problem: Human trafficking tarnishes the global scene today, as slavery used to decades ago. The women and girls are vulnerable to exploitation within the country as well as out of the country. The trafficking of women and girls for prostitution is a big business. The horrific experiences of migrant women and girls, who have very little choice or control over their lives is a sad tale. Women are made to work in extremely exploitive conditions of sexual exploitation, forced to risky practices, high levels of exposure to HIV, threat, violence and even murder. The trafficking of women is th third largest profit making business which runs in the form of organized crime. It is just little behind the practices in the field of drug deals and arms deals. Human trafficking denotes business with human souls and spirit, which is inhuman. Africa needs to establish stronger laws against trafficking of women and girls, supported by Commonwealth, Amnesty International, Human Rights and other world forums. International Law under the rules defined by human rights with the support of United Nations, needs to play a very proactive role in safeguarding and protecting the victims who have been subjected to trafficking. The doctrine of International law needs to be more defined to help and support individual within the state rather than the protection of the state alone. In the past â€Å"International Law was notorious for the ease with which it sanctioned violence against non-western people† (Bal Krishnan Rajagopal, 2003.p.11) in the colonial set-up. The advocates of International Law should avoid the previous path of resistance to interfere in the issues related to domestic events and violence. Rather it should actively get involved to address such issues and help the government and the local bodies take effective steps to control such problem. The law enforcement authorities need to put together an effective plan to ensure safety and forced exploitation. The cross border laws need to get tighter so that loopholes may not be wrongfully used by people to migrate across borders illegally for better prospects and then being exploited to prostitution and forced labor. The universal definition of trafficking as formulated by Human Rights can be briefed in this summary and statement. It defines trafficking in persons as the employment, carrying, transfer, possession or delivery of persons, by the use of intimidation or compulsion in which some kind of kidnapping, cheating, deceit, oppression and exploitation is used. It further states that any exchange (giving or receiving) of expenses in the form of payment or profit to induce a person to give consent in the situation when a person is having control over the other person, for the deceptive purpose of exploitation ( even if the person has given consent) comes under the practice of trafficking. Exploitation has been further expanded to define exploitation for the purpose of prostitution which means sexual exploitation in various models. It also includes forced labor of services, slavery or practices similar to slavery in some form of servitude. This definition has been formulated as the draft of the international definition of trafficking so that there is universal understanding with clear guidelines which can help identify the problem of trafficking in different regions and different communities. This can help prevent, stop and punish the trafficking persons especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. (Raymond and Hughes, 2001) The international recognition of a common definition would help come to uniform legal action taken against the perpetrators so that effective law and enforcement can be executed. Some of the key questions which have been addressed are who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation whether it is across borders or within countries, with or without their consent, through force, fraud, deception or abuse of the victim who is vulnerable. Human trafficking is what leads to prostitution, so any measures taken to make anti-trafficking policies should take into consideration the issue of organized prostitution and domestic trafficking. Human Rights legislation against trafficking must apply to the international as well as domestic women across the platform. (Raymond and Hughes, 2001) Human trafficking is one of the most inhuman and harsh crimes which give rise to innumerable victims, mostly young women and girls, who are forced into prostitution or forced labor. They have to live their everyday life under threat, violence and captivity with no hope and no direction as to where there life will lead. This is a life worst than an animal. Most of the exploiters are men or sometimes women who have been through such abuse themselves. Mostly this results from a rosy dream to have a better life, a financial burden, acute poverty and abuse. Human trafficking is mostly an underground activity involved in providing sexual services to legitimate clubs, brothels and agencies. The most unique aspect of this type of trade is that in this case a human body is traded instead of commodity. (2006) Part 2 International Law:Migration It is very urgent to recognize that women rights should be applied universally to grant women equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity like all other deserving human beings. These rights and principles are enshrined in international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1993). This resolution will strengthen the process to address that violence against women is an obstacle in achieving equality, development and peace, so serious strategies need to be implemented to fight violence and abuse and exploitation against women. Most of the women who entered United States came on tourist visas and overstayed their visas. Sometimes they would use fraudulent travel documents. Some of the legal means by which they entered United States were on spousal visas, student visa, and work permit and on rare occasion with an immigration green card. These variety of different ways in which a person can enter another country, are major loopholes which are used by the traffickers to be successful in their mission. It requires more strict check on the part of the law enforcement and immigration officials. The success of the trafficker is often supported by the network of the local legitimate businesses such as hotels, bars, travel agencies which flourish as the result pf cooperation and corruption of the immigration and law enforcement agents worldwide (Raymond and Hughes, 2001). Trafficking flourishes for the major part because the victims want to migrate to a particular country other than their own for innumerable reasons. This requires cooperation and great deal of border crossing from one country to another. It is greatly affected by the demand and the supply, as determined by the current wave. The demand and the supply aspect of human commodity has not always been the same. Over last twenty years four waves have been seen to influence the migrants heading to Europe. The first wave was characterized by women from Far East, especially from the Philippines and Thailand, this was immediately followed by the second wave of women originating from Latin America, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, the third wave consisted of women from Africa, and in particular Ghana and Nigeria followed in nineties by women from Ukraine and Moldova. (2006). Most of the trafficking groups have networks which are of a multinational and multi-ethnical nature; this makes the cross-border operation an easy route for vast majority of trafficking cases. Most of the people who are involved in this discreet business and perpetrate trafficking are restricted to the confines of the geographical boundaries of the country or the countries where the victims are recruited, the countries where they are transported and finally the countries where they are ultimately and eventually exploited. Very few traffickers have moved up to the level of international scale of operation and network, where they recruit and transport to different countries. Some of the names which crop up significantly in this field are the Albanian traffickers, the Nigerian traffickers and the Turkish traffickers (2006) The general studies in organized crime reveal that women are not very involved in the crime activities, but in the world of human trafficking which is dominated by male, women play the roles of the accomplices in three different ways: they are the recruiters, sometimes former victim becomes offenders and in case of Nigerian groups: women play very important role in trafficking as a culturally embedded involvement. The strategy used by the trafficking organizations is to deploy women as the recruiter to help them get the first initial contact, which can further be manipulated to overcome the initial suspicion of the victim. Thus women play the safe role to entice, comfort and then exploit the other women. Several reports mention that women are used as a trap by showing off their wealth and social status, to get the younger women to aspire and aim for the same glitter and shine, leading to the path of darkness and dungeon. In Nigeria these women perpetrators play a very important role and are referred to as Madame. These Madame’s are former victims and they work as intermediary between the prostitutes and the traffickers. Nigeria plays a very significant role in the organized trafficking specially in the European countries. The study done by the Nigerian Ploice Force and the Women Trafficking and Child Labor Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) has come up with the estimate that the number of women who are trafficked out of the country shows sharp increase in the numbers from 1126 in 1999 to 5000 in the year 2001. Nigerian women constitute to about 80% of the workers in the sex industry of Italy. Some of the other European countries which are common destinations for these women are Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria and the United Kingdom. The destinations vary in their acceptance and legal privileges. Italy is the only European country where majority of legally resident Nigerians are women. (2006). There is a clear connection between the trafficking and its roots in Nigeria, this is directly related to high level of corruption in both public and private sectors. The trafficking is a self propelling vicious cycle, which moves on from victims becoming trafficker. It always begins with a pact, which keeps on increasing with penalties and punishments, and the best option to clear the debt is to continue to work for freedom and eventually become a Madame. In Nigeria traffickers do not always have to recruit victims; many times victims come to them. It is a very open trafficking market, where many times girls are put under pressure by the family to get involved with trafficking. . â€Å"In Nigeria the ‘classy lady’ is called the Italo: women who return to Nigeria after a couple of years of prostitution in Italy†. (2006). International Law needs to play a dynamic role in the internal momentum to curb corruption and support international institutions to take active role in creating awareness and safeguarding the rights of its women and girls. There are several push and pull factor of economic, political and social nature which encourages the victim, to fall prey to the trafficker. The victims are vulnerable and dependent on the trafficker for they are involved in a business which is illegal and ill-reputed. It is a very complex regulation issue for the law enforcement authorities to control and regulate the complex nature of human trafficking. The migrant women and girls have very limited choice or control over their lives. In this new era of globalization, these women and girls are the new slaves of the contemporary era. The attractiveness of this industry on the international level as an organized crime network is estimated at $7 billion USD. The monetary return keeps the practice alive and creeping at a very high rate. A trafficker can buy a girl in China for $20/- to $30/- USD and can sell her in San Francisco for $3000/- USD. Monzini, Paola (2005). Human trafficking, the modern euphemism for slavery, is a major problem in Africa. The trafficking in women and girls is now considered the third largest source of profit for organized crime, behind only drugs and arms. This situation has resulted in a very high number of women who are forced to compete for work in the conditions of excessive social exploitation and are forced to risky practices which ultimately leads to very high levels of HIV, brutality and slaughter. The practices which are considered standard in this kind of marketplace are often very harsh and extremely brutal. It is like slow, dark and dreadful death of the body and the soul (Mon zini, Paola (2005). The term declaration of â€Å"violence against women† implies any act of gender based violence which causes or is likely to cause any kind of physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to the women. These acts are very well defined as acts of intimidation and force or illogical withdrawal of the freedom in the public or the private life. Women like men are allowed to have pleasure and gratification just like men. They also need the security of all human rights and fundamental freedoms which are considered necessary for good living. They need for their growth and development freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. They need the sanction of the same rights as the right to life, equality, liberty and security as an individual. They also need the right of equal protection under the law, freedom from all forms of discrimination, the right to seek the best physical and mental health, right to work in just and humane conditions. They specially need the right to be protected against torture or cruelty, where inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment is practiced. The state has the responsibility to attack such practices of violence against women and should restrict any such customs, traditions and religious practices which enforce such inhuman practices. State should immediately and forcefully intervene in curbing any such practices by introducing a sound policy which enacts without delay to eliminate violence against women. The different branches and the specialized agencies of the United Nations within their respective fields of operation should acknowledge the recognition of the rights and principles which has been mentioned and acknowledged within the Declaration. The Declaration is like the flashlight highlighting the misery of the women and showing them the course of action which could save them from this peril. It gives the essential guidelines for awareness and self recovery (1993). Part 3 Viable Change: Poverty, social disruption and family pressures and even natural disasters sow the seeds for the practice, while armed conflict, corrupt governments and a universal demand for cheap labor help reap the crops of new victims. Africa needs to establish stronger laws against the trafficking of women and children on and from the continent as well as better child-labor laws, a former U.S. ambassador to Madagascar told members of the newly reconstituted Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations. One should investigation into the causes and forms of violence against women, looking at the relationship between poverty, militarization and discrimination.. Amnesty International shows how women have led campaigns against all forms of violence and have achieved dramatic changes in laws, policies and practices. This is an inhuman condition which cannot be allowed to emerge, as it tarnishes the color of human race and civilized society. There is a complex push and pull factors which determine the nature of trafficking and the vicious cycle which it creates. It is a complex mixture of circumstances and the reasons why people want to leave their country to migrate to another country with dreams of better and brighter future. Some of the key factors which push the victim to take such a drastic step can be categorized as socio-economic push factor which is a lure to amore wealthier country for escape from poverty and desire for better or wealthier lifestyle. Sometimes the decision to migrate is backed by desire to support the family financially and dream to ensure better future for the children. Some just want to have high social status with modern and emancipated lifestyle. In some societies and cultures women are not given the freedom to growth and good life. These cultural factors can push a woman to leave their woman-unfriendly atmosphere where she does not have the same chance as men to education and career. Political circumstances, turmoil and civic unrest can also be factors which may motivate a woman to take refuge to some other country where difficulty and threat to life would be less. Some of the other factors which might play a significant role in migration could be alcoholism, drug addiction, criminality, maltreatment in the social proximity of a person. These factors lead to unemployment and poverty, which leads to migration and trafficking. Some of the pull factors are opportunities for better life and future, with employment and lack of poverty. The prospect of brighter and wealthier lifestyle in the west is a great lure. The demand for prostitutes and the demand for services, in wide variety of areas can be a temptation for taking the step to leave the security of the country to migrate in another country. (2006). A very serious concern for national and international institutions should be the health effects of sex trafficking and prostitution. The investigation in medical and social sciences indicate rates of high incidence of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in certain populations of women in prostitution. The physical and emotional effects and aftereffects of trafficking and prostitution on women is also a great concern for health care providers and social service providers. A considerable number of women suffer from various health problems related to violence and sexual exploitation. The nature of their injuries is similar to those of women who are battered, raped and sexually assaulted. Their situation is grim and their plight is miserable. The fundamental source of trafficking is the lack of awareness, insufficient support, lack of education, vulnerability of women as a gender. On an international scene explosion of organized crime and easy access to transportation of â€Å"Humans: women and girls† across border with a promise for better and brighter picture. The dependant status of this gender further encourages trapped into such practices, even without conscious will. The national consciousness’, international legal support and geographic migration laws have to join hands to bring about effective change in the depressing condition of women and girls in Africa. The human rights should play a forceful role backed by powerful countries to support in aid and legislation with severe penalties for the offenders. This is an inhuman condition which cannot be allowed to emerge, as it tarnishes the color of human race and civilized society. Countries, organization and people should unite to fight against and encounter the grim condition emerging on the African soil. One should tap into the greatest resource in Africa: Women and give them a bright and promising future. Rajgopal, offers great insight into this field with his research experience in South and Southeast Asia, South Africa and Brazil. His current investigation into four areas of research: : new democratic and legal strategies for making operational the socio-economic rights, especially rights to water, food, land, housing, and environment in India, South Africa and Brazil; the impact of globalization and decentralization on protection of human rights; the accountability of international organizations; and corporate compliance with human rights law. He helped establish first human-rights field office in Cambodia Helped establish the first human-rights field office of the United Nations in the mid-1990s and has been a consultant to several international organizations and NGOs on development-related human rights and legal issues. Member of the Asia Advisory Board of Human Rights Watch, the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law and the International Advisory Board of the Robert Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. The idea of International Human Rights is western in origin; rather non-western societies did not have a conception of human rights. Now that the world has become so global the countries should unite to fight this war of exploitation and slavery hideously practiced by the traffickers hiding under the mask of businesses, law enforcement and predators. Jack Donnelly puts it. â€Å"human rights represent a distinctive set of social practices, tied to particular notions of human dignity, that initially arose in the modern west in response to the social and political changes produced by modern states and modern capitalist market economies†. (Bal Krishnan Rajagopal,2003, p.175) International Law should find a way to penetrate and resist the violence and torture of any kind inflicted on any woman and girl, in any country, by implementing forceful laws which issue severe penalties, restrict illegal migration and punish the organized trafficking institution. The government should protect the victim, raise their realistic awareness and provide safer domestic environment. The recognition of the rights and the penalties for the offenders can ensure the safety of these victims, who are waiting to be saved from the tyranny of physical torture, psychological degradation and social elimination. They deserve a normal human life like every other individual and they should be guaranteed this without condition. Annotated Bibliography 1. Akintunde, Dorcas Olu Labeodan Helen (2002) WOMEN AND THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE IN TRADITIONAL AFRICA. Nigeria, Sefer Books Ltd. This is a collection of essays first presented at the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians on February 5, 2002. These papers look at a variety of issues concerned with womens rights in Africa. The authors describe the realities of equal rights policies, sex and power, cultural roots of insecurity. 2. Amnesty International (2004) ITS IN OUR HANDS: Stop Violence Against Women. United Kingdom: Amnesty International. This is an investigation into the causes and forms of violence against women, looking at the relationship between poverty, militarization and discrimination. Amnesty International shows how women have led campaigns against all forms of violence and have achieved dramatic changes in laws, policies and practices. 3. Bal Krishnan Rajagopal.( 2003) International Law from Below : Development, Social Movements and Third World Resistance. United States, Cambridge University Press. The emergence of transnational social movements as major actors in international politics as witnessed in Seattle in 1999 and elsewhere has sent shockwaves through the international system. Many questions have arisen about the legitimacy, coherence and efficiency of the international order in the light of the challenges posed by social movements. This ground-breaking book offers a fundamental critique of twentieth-century international law from the perspective of Third World social movements the first ever to do so. It examines in detail the growth of two key components of modern international law international institutions and human rights in the context of changing historical patterns of Third World resistance. Using a historical and interdisciplinary approach, Rajagopal presents compelling evidence challenging current debates on the evolution of norms and institutions, the meaning and nature of the Third World, as well as the political economy of its involvement in the international system. 4. Commonwealth Secretariat (2003) REPORT OF THE EXPERT GROUP ON STRATEGIES FOR COMBATING THE TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. United Kingdom: Commonwealth Secretariat. The trafficking in women and girls is now considered the third largest source of profit for organized crime, behind only drugs and arms. This concise report describes the political and social background to the trade across the Commonwealth and looks at prevention strategies and assistance to victims. Bib 5. Hallam, Rebecca (1994) CRIMES WITHOUT PUNISHMENT: Sexual Harassment and violence Against Female Students in Schools and Universities in Africa. United kingdom: African Rights. This is a discussion paper addressing the widespread and persistent problem of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls in educational institutions in Africa. The paper also deals with wider problems of teenage pregnancy and lack of sex education in schools, and the specific problem of rape by forces of the state, such as soldiers and policemen. 6. Human Rights Watch (2002) THE WAR WITHIN THE WAR: Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Eastern Congo.USA Africa Watch/ Human Rights Forces on all sides in the Congo conflict have committed war crimes against women and girls, Human Rights Watch said in a new 114-page report. The report documents the frequent and sometimes systematic use of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Rwandan-occupied areas of eastern Congo. 7. Monzini, Paola (2005) SEX TRAFFIC: Prostitution, Crime, and Exploitation.United kingdom: Zed Books. The trafficking of women and girls for prostitution is big business. This book focuses on the experiences of migrant women and girls who have very little choice or control over their lives. Women are forced to compete for work in conditions of extreme sexual exploitation, often being exposed to risky sexual practices, high levels of HIV, violence and murder. This book examines the techniques of recruitment, methods of transportation, and forms of exploitation abroad, and focuses on womens own experiences of migration. It explains the mechanisms of supply and demand and assesses attempts at controlling trafficking and strategies for resistance and change. 8. Oguli Oumo, Margaret; Molokomme, Imelda M.; Gwaba, Monde M. Mogegeh, Valencia K.D (2002) PROMOTING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO COMBAT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE: A training manual. United Kingdom: Commonwealth Secretariat This is a manual promoting an integrating approach to combat gender based violence with governments, non governmental organizations, private sector and international organizations working together. It includes instructional material and case studies for training trainers, middle level professionals, development workers and extension agents 9. (20 December 1993). Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from Office Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights Web site: www.ohchr.org/english/law/eliminationvaw.htm (1993) 10. Raymond and Hughes, Janice G. and Donna M. (March 2001). SEX TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Web site: action.web.ca/home/catw/attach/sex_traff_us.pdf (Raymond and Hughes, 2001) 11. (2006). TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS:. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from Assesing Organized Crime Web site: www.assessingorganisedcrime.net/publications/AOC-DLV17-vR3.pdf

Synthesis and Purification of Nitrophenols

Synthesis and Purification of Nitrophenols Abstract Ortho and para-nitrophenol was synthesized using an electrophilic aromatic substitution of phenol and dilute nitric acid. Isolation of the crude product used a dichloromethane followed by a short vortex and sodium sulfate for water removal. Separation of the ortho and para products was completed using column chromatography to collect the eluent in ten vials; vials #1-5 collected o- and vials #6-10 collected p-nitrophenol. Thin layer chromatography confirmed synthesis of o-nitrophenol collected in vial #3, 4 and 5 and p-nitrophenol in vial #7.1H NMR showed o-nitrophenol being the spectrum with more peaks, due to the asymmetric structural difference creating more nuclear environments for the proton to participate in. Introduction Phenols, due to their rich electron density, are highly susceptible to undergo electrophilic substitution reactions. The hydroxyl group on the aromatic ring of the phenol promotes charge delocalization; thus, allowing for stabilization through resonance.   One such electrophilic substitution reaction is that of nitration. First, an electrophilic attack of the phenol takes place, resulting in a carbocation intermediate stabilized by resonance1. Next, the nitronium ion nitrates the phenol ring, producing p-nitrophenol and o-nitrophenol (Figure 1). The hydroxyl group of the phenol is an ortho para director; therefore, the meta isomer is not produced. However, by products such as 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2,4,6,-trinitrophenol may be present in excess amounts of nitric acid. Once nitration is complete, the crude product can be purified through column chromatography and monitored through TLC. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a chromatographic technique used to separate the components of a mixture using a thin stationary phase. TLC functions on the same principle as all chromatography: a compound will have different affinities for the mobile and stationary phases and this affects the speed at which migrates2. After a separation is complete, individual compounds appear as spots separated vertically. Each spot has a retention factor (Rf) which is equal to the distance migrated over the total distance covered by the solvent. The Rf formula is2 In this experiment the difference in Rf values will allow for identification between o- and p-nitrophenol. When comparing two different compounds under the same conditions, the compound with the larger Rf value is less polar because it does not stick to the stationary phase as long as the polar compound, which would have a lower Rf value2. Column chromatography is a useful analytical technique for small-scale separation and purification using similar principles as TLC3. The polar, stationary phase remains either silica gel or alumina and the mobile phase can be dichloromethane (DCM)/hexane or DCM/ethyl acetate depending on the polarity of the sample. Therefore, the more polar isomers will adsorb to the silica gel and take longer to elute than the less polar isomers3. In the above reaction, the ortho product should elute first as it is less polar than the para product. Results Total percent yield using mass values Table 1 Table 1: Mass of fractions #1-10 Vial Number Empty Clean Vial (g) Dry Vial Weight (g) Product only (g) 1 13.3497 13.4663 0.1166 2 13.3357 13.337 0.0013 3 13.1605 13.1608 0.0003 4 13.0819 13.3543 0.2724 5 13.2054 13.3147 0.1093 6 13.2838 13.6743 0.3905 7 13.2007 13.5176 0.3169 8 13.0464 13.0977 0.0513 9 13.3157 13.4682 0.1225 10 13.5818 13.8376 0.2558 Table 2. 1H NMR spectrum of o-nitrophenol Atom Atom is part of a group Peak multiplicity Peak observed (ppm) Peak calculated (ppm) A Hydroxyl Singlet 10.7 10.84 B Arene Doublet 7.15 7.07 C Arene Triplet 7.0 6.59 D Arene Doublet 8.2 8.00 E Arene Triplet 7.6 7.22 Table 3: 1H NMR spectrum of p-nitrophenol Atom Atom is part of a group Peak multiplicity Peak observed (ppm) Peak calculated (ppm) A Arene Doublet 8.15 8.24 B Arene Doublet 6.8 7.0 C Hydroxyl Singlet 5.45 6.0 Table 4: IR spectrum of o-nitrophenol Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range2-4 (cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape Aromatic alcohol O-H Stretch 3240.31 3550-3500 Weak Broad Aromatic C=C C=C Stretch 1613.37 1600-1430 Medium Sharp Aromatic nitro NO2 Asymmetric Stretch 1530.13 1540-1500 Medium Sharp   Ã‚   Aromatic nitro NO2 symmetric Stretch 1471.31 1370-1330 Medium Sharp Table 5: IR spectrum of p-nitrophenol Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range2-4 (cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape Aromatic alcohol O-H Stretch 2999.35 3550-3500 Weak Broad Aromatic C-H In plane C-H   bending 1259.93 1275-1000 Medium Sharp Aromatic nitro NO2 Asymmetric Stretch 1517.92 1540-1500 Medium Sharp Aromatic nitro NO2 Symmetric Stretch 1326.38 1370-1330 Strong Sharp Aromatic C=C C=C Stretch 1600 1600-1430 Medium Sharp Figure 2: TLC plate A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure 3: TLC plate B Table 6: Rf values Compound Retention Factor (Rf) Relative Polarity o-nitrophenol 0.93 Less polar p-nitrophenol 0.07 More polar Discussion In this experiment a nitrophenol synthesis was carried out. The total percent yield is 42.7% as evident in Equation 2. Equations 2 and 3 show o-nitrophenol yield being 54.66% and p-nitrophenol being 45.34%. It could be assumed that not all of the organic matter was collected during the crude isolation phase. Two TLC analyses were performed to further determine the identity of o- and p- nitrophenols. The analysis on plate A determined that the fractions collected correspond to o-nitrophenol. This was concluded based on the distance the spots traveled up the plate. The o-nitrophenol complex is less polar than both the silica gel on the TLC plate and the p-nitrophenol complex. Therefore, it was expected to travel further up the plate. The fractions collected on TLC plate B correspond to p-nitrophenol; this complex is polar and adheres to the polar silica gel of the plate. The Rf value (retention factor) obtained for o-nitrophenol is 0.93. The Rf value obtained for p-nitrophenol is 0.07. Compounds with larger retention factors are less polar as they do not stick to the polar solvent. The fractions collected on plate A are all pure as only one spot is observed per lane. Lanes 1 and 2 do not show any spots because the fractions were collected too early and no product exists. The only pure frac tion collected on plate B is the one in lane 7. Lanes 8, 9, and 10 each have multiple spots suggesting that by-products are present. Lane 6 does not have any spots meaning that only solvent, not product exists. To confirm the identity of the product, 1 H NMR spectroscopy were used. The 1 H NMR spectrum of p-nitrophenol it is easily distinguishable because it contains only 3 observed peaks- A, B and C at 8.15 ppm, 6.8 ppm and 5.45 ppm accordingly. Peak A is a doublet and belongs to the protons adjacent to the deshielding nitro group. The proton pair adjacent to the hydroxyl group show a doublet signal at 6.8 ppm on the spectrum. The singlet showing lack of splitting must belong to the hydroxyl group, but it is far below expected values of around 10 ppm4. This is due to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding in this compound. The spectrum for o-nitrophenol has five observed peaks. The hydroxyl group is just above 10.5 ppm, which is in normal range. Peak D which is a doublet belongs to the proton closest to the nitro group at 8.2 ppm. The triplet directly across the nitro group peak E has a values of 7.6 ppm. This value generally would be expected at 7.0 ppm, but the ortho and para positions are more deshielded due to the resonance structure observed in Figure 4 and 5. Comparing resonance structures of p-nitrophenol and phenol explains why pnitrophenol is more acidic (Figure 4, Figure 5). Phenol can donate an electron pair to the aromatic system from the hydroxide group. P-nitrophenol has a ring deactivating nitro group that withdraws electron density from the aromatic system. This allows the hydroxyl proton to be removed because of the partial positive charge on that side of the system. The conjugate base is then stabilized by the nitro group taking away an electron pair from the negatively charged oxygen to form a double bond with the ring system. The stable conjugate base means that it cant form a new bond with the free proton, thus making p-nitrophenol more acidic than phenol. However with phenol, there is no electron withdrawing group, allowing oxygen to retain its negative charge. The conjugate base formed is very unstable and will immediately bond with any available proton. Also, o-nitrophenol has the nitro group in close proximity to the hy droxyl, thus allowing for intramolecular hydrogen bonding to occur. This slightly lowers the acidity of o-nitrophenol compared to pnitrophenol because the hydroxyl proton is made unavailable by the negative oxygen on the nitro substituent. Whereas in p-nitrophenol, intermolecular bonding occurs between other p-nitrophenols contributing to the overall stability of the compound. The IR spectrum of o-nitrophenol was given; however, the IR spectrum of p-nitrophenol was obtained experimentally. The IR spectrum for o-nitrophenol shows the following stretches: O-H stretch; C=C stretch; aromatic NO2 asymmetric stretch; and an aromatic NO2 symmetric stretch. The O-H stretch is caused by the hydroxyl group on the phenol ring. The observed value is 3240.31 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 3550-3500 cm-1. The peak was broad and exhibited strong intensity. The C=C stretch is caused by the aromatic ring of the phenol. The observed value is 1613.37 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 1370-13130 cm-1. The peak was sharp and exhibited medium intensity. The aromatic NO2 asymmetric stretch is caused by a nitro group. The observed value is 1530.13 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 1540-1500 cm-1. The peak was sharp and exhibited smedium intensity. The aromatic NO2 symmetric stretch is also caused by the nitro gr oup. The p-nitrophenol IR spectrum exhibited many of the same peaks. The observed peaks are as follows: O-H stretch; C-H bending; aromatic NO2 asymmetric stretch; aromatic NO2 symmetric stretch and C=C stretch. The O-H stretch is caused by the hydroxyl group on the phenol ring. The observed value is between 3726.38 and 2999.35 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 3550-3500 cm-1. The peak was broad and exhibited weak intensity. The C-H in plane bend is caused by the aromatic ring of the phenol. The observed value is 1259.93 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 1275-1000 cm-1. The peak was sharp and exhibited medium intensity. The aromatic NO2 asymmetric stretch is caused by a nitro group. The observed value is 1517.92 cm-1; this corresponds to the literature value range of 1540-1500 cm-1. The peak was sharp and exhibited strong intensity. The aromatic NO2 symmetric stretch is also caused by the nitro group. The observed value is 1326.38 cm-1; this corr esponds to the literature value range of 1540-1500 cm-1. The peak was sharp and exhibited medium intensity. Conclusion The synthesis of o- and p-nitrophenol was performed using an electrophilic aromatic substitution of a nitro group in dilute acidic conditions. This was followed by column chromatography to separate the o- and p forms and TLC to confirm that the synthesis and purification was successful. The capture of o-nitrophenol and of p-nitrophenol was successful due to having product in vials #3,4,5 and 7 as seen on the TLC plates (Figure 2 nand 3). IR spectra of o- and p-nitrophenol also confirm a successful synthesis due to the differences in the aromatic OH streches (Table 4, Table 5). The experiment may be considered a success because of the differences between the IR spectra confirming the synthesis of o- and p-nitrophenol. The IR spectra may be improved by more homogenous packing of the column. Also, waiting to collect a darker yellow elute may have increased yield of o-nitrophenol due to not capturing only solvent in vials #3-4. References Stawikowski, M. Experiment 5: Synthesis and Purification of Nitrophenols; BlackBoard. Touchstone, Joseph C. Practice of thin layer chromatography. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1983.Print Smiley RA Ullmanns Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. John Wiley and Sons . Richards, S. A., and Hollerton, J. C.. Essential Practical NMR for Organic Chemistry (1). Hoboken, GB: Wiley, 2010, 2.

Sub-plots in Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Sub-plots in Hamlet    There are many things that critics say make Hamlet a "Great Work," one of which is the way that Shakespeare masterfully incorporates so many sub-plots into the story, and ties them all into the main plot of Hamlet’s revenge of his father’s murder. By the end of Act I, not only is the main plot identified, but many other sub-plots are introduced. Among the sub-plots are trust in the Ghost of King Hamlet, Fortinbras, and the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. These three sub-plots are crucial to making Hamlet the master piece that it is. In the times that Shakespeare lived ghosts were a readily accepted idea, but one had to be wary of them because it was difficult to decipher a good ghost from a bad one. Horatio, Hamlet’s best friend, first brings that question into our mind when the Ghost is asking Hamlet to follow it. Horatio warned: What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord, Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o’er his base into the sea, And there assume some other horrible form Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason And draw you into madness? Think of it. (68) Hamlet disregarded Horatio’s warnings, followed the Ghost of his father, and heard of the murder that took place. This is where he learned of his quest to revenge his father, the main plot of the play. But Hamlet still wasn’t sure of the validity of the Ghost, so he decided to put the Ghost’s accusations to a test. "There is a play tonight before the King: One scene of it comes near the circumstance Which I have told thee of my father’s death. . . Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt Does not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a damned ghost that we have seen" (156). By having a group of play... ...For many authors, to take so much as a word out of their work it is destroying it. For plays though, it is meant for words to be changed and added, but not for whole plots and sub-plots. To take out such a big section of a play is disastrous because it leaves the reader and audience with unanswered questions. The sub-plots add to the plot complexity, let the audiences become more involved, and let them all leave feeling that they had seen some characteristic of themselves in the play. This is what makes a play great, and makes the audience want to see it over and over again. Even a seemingly needless character can relate to someone. The more sub-plots (ones that are well worked into the play) the more people that can relate, the better the play. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Durband, Alan, ed. and modern translation. Hutchinson & Co.: London. 1986.

Light Observations :: essays research papers

Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation. Light Observations :: essays research papers Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation.

A Birthday Remembered Essay

Love is very complicated, not just butterflies in one’s stomach, but it also involves a lot of pain. The pain is not easy to drain. We have to confront ourselves with the pain and get over it, but that’s easier said than done. We restrain our feelings and try to forget them. This only causes an even bigger pain. That is the situation for Ellen, the main character in this short story. Ellen’s love life has been complicated, she is a lesbian and obliged to listen to people’s prejudices. Her one and only love, Jackie, dies caused by an incurable illness and she is not allowed to bury her â€Å"She has not been allowed to do this one last thing for Jackie. To be with her during the last rituals.† (l.24-25). Because of Jackie’s former husband, Roger, whom she has left to live with Ellen, but he could not accept his wife being a lesbian, because of his man-stubbornness and he even tried to declare her temporarily insane (l.15). Jackie’s daug hter on the other hand thinks that what Ellen and Jackie had was wonderful and beautiful, but you don’t know yet if she’s a lesbian herself or a heterosexual (l.102). The short story is written in third-person (l. 8) â€Å"why shouldn’t she?† The narrator is not omniscient, but we have inner-angel from Aunt El since we only â€Å"hear† thoughts from her, and not from Tobie or Warrick. (line. 104) â€Å"She felt the shock of the words†. You can’t really tell if the narrator is reliable or not, since we don’t know which connection he has to any of those in the story. Neither does he try to make anyone to seem like the â€Å"bad guy†, but the narrator is making us feel sorry for Aunt El, for her big lost Jackie. (L. 24 & 89) â€Å"She hadn’t been allowed to do this one last thing for Jackie† â€Å"but we have to get used to living without loved ones†. The language used in this short story is very well written and is very descriptive, because of all the adjectives being used, which makes the story way more â€Å"living†. (l. 12) â€Å"Roger had been furious, appalled and ang ry..† although the story is very well written it’s also a bit harsh to understand, because of some of all these adjectives and expressions. At line 37 there might be a flashback â€Å"here’s to you, Ellen Simms, on your birthday†. See more: The stages of consumer buying decision process essay The reason that this maybe could be a flashback is firstly because of the changing of the type, at only that sentence, which might give an account of her past together with Jackie before her death. One thing that was striking me was that the story is written in the preterit, but at the same time the narrator uses direct speech, which I think is a bit odd, since you normally writes the whole story in either present or the past, and very seldom a combination of the 2 indication of times. We have two main characters in this story, who’s Aunt El and Tobie: Aunt El / Ellen Simms is an old women who lives by herself. She used to be heterosexual and lived together with a man named Roger. They had a kid together named Tobie which is 15 years old. Ellen chooses to leave Roger because she’s changing her sexuality, and becomes a lesbian and falls in love with Jackie. But unfortunately Jackie died one year from now on, which leaves her alone with Tobie, and chooses to return back t o the father Roger. Ellen is a very obliging and kind person. She really misses her old flame Jackie, and cares a lot about Tobie whether her sexuality is heterosexual or lesbian (l. 83) â€Å"suppose it had been a girl? People choose who they want.† She seems considerate, when she offers Tobie and Warrick a hot cocoa, and remembers that young’s always are hungry and decides to make them some sandwiches. Tobie is daughter of Ellem Simms and the late Jackie. She’s 15 years old, but doesn’t have an abundance of friends (l. 20) â€Å"Tobie never had an abundance of friends†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She has short blond hair, had lineament from her father and a nice smile (l. 53-55). She cares about Ellen, since she’s the only one who shows up at her birthday and brings a present, which she has been saving money, for about a week. The way she earns these money is through her job in the library (l. 68) â€Å"I’m a library page after school..† helpful is also a good word, that would describe, which you can see in the story, when she offers her help to go and make cocoa together with Ellen. It seems she trusts Ellen more than her own father, since she decides to show Warrick for Ellen instead of her father. The message in this short story, is that pain will always be there, but only temporary, but at the same time hard to get over. That love is a big (maybe the biggest) part of our life and we should not regret, but remember the good times you’ve had with those you’ve loved. Don’t take anything in vain, live your life. And it doesn’t care if you are a heterosexual, lesbian or gay, just as long as you are happy. The title of this story is â€Å"a birthday remembered† which I guess is chosen because of all the emotional feelings that’s stepping in strength through this story and especially the quote from the daughters side â€Å"I hope it will be as wonderful and beautiful as what you and mom had together†.

Brand and Lifebuoy

Industry Overview: The bar soap industry in India is highly orgai&ed with an annual growth rate of 13% and over RS 9,193 Crores in 2007. The industry is fragmented to a moderate extent with a few international players having large market share and few local players occupying minor share. The largest companies in this segment are HUL, Wipro, Godrej, Nirma, and Reckitt Benkiser. The bath and shower products form bulk of this industry with a contribution of Rs 8,678 Crores1. The soap industry in India is classified into three categories based on the price Product overview: Lifebuoy is one of the oldest brands of soap bar that is market by the Unilever group. The original Lifebuoy was first produced in 1895 in the UK. Though the soap is no longer produced in the UK, it is still produced in many countries around the world and is the market leader in every Asian market that it is sold. The brand is very popular among the rural population with more than 50% of its sales in rural Asia. With a goal to provide affordable and accessible hygiene and health solutions to everyone. Lifebuoy sponsors a Health Education Program in India and has reached more than 70 million people with this initiative. Marketing history of lifebuoy Lifebuoy was launched in India in 1935. Originally Lifebuoy was positioned as a masculine soap with sports and fitness as the background theme in its advertisement. The epic 1992 football advertisement with the jingle ‘Lifebuoy hai jahan, Tandurusthi hai wahan' (Wherever Lifebuoy is, health is there) positioned it as masculine soap. The soap contained carbolic acid which gave it its typical red color and odor. Lifebuoy went through a major brand repositioning in 2002 when it shed it masculine image and positioned itself as a family soap. The company changed the colour, shape and odour of the soap to appeal to all members of the family. The company adopted a new jingle ‘Koi Darr Nahin' (No Fear)(sample adv) with 100% protection against germs as the selling point. Today Lifebuoy is an umbrella brand for different products like Hand Sanitizer, body wash, bar soap, hand wash, Men body wash and Clear skin. For the rest of our report, we will only discuss Lifebuoy soap bar and its post 2002 marketing strategy. Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy of Lifebuoy is closely linked with its vision of fulfilling the intrinsic desire of everyone to be clean, active and healthy. Segmentation and Targeting: The segmentation strategy of Lifebuoy is focussed on price and health awareness. Since the vision of the brand is to provide hygiene to all classes of the society purchasing power of the consumer is a major factor. A few pointers towards it segmentation strategy * Geographic region are of no significance * Demographic characteristics like Age, Family size, Gender and Occupation are not of any significance. * Lifestyle and persong^ty are of no significance Using the above information, the segmentation and targeting of Lifebuoy is given as below Geographic: Tier 2 cities, Semi-Urban and rural areas Demographic: Income group – Middle class and lower middle class behavioral: * Occasion – Regular * Benefits – 100% germ protection A brief on Psychographic profile of the target customer is given in the next section. Hence, Lifebuoy targeting strategy clearly falls in between selective specialization and full market coverage. Psvchographic Pro filing of Target segment The target segment of Lifebuoy is the semi-urban and rural households. A brief Psychographics profiling is done for the consumers, not based on any scientific study but on intuitive thinking. Purchasing decisions In this segment, the purchasing decision in the household for soap bars, in most of the households, is typically taken by the women in the house. Hence we attempt to profile the psychographics of women. Spending Habits The consumers in the segment are middle-income to lower middle-income group. The disposable of this group is meager . hence spending is mostly on barely necessities and on augmented products . Motive Every human being, who is part of the society, has an intrinsic desire to be clean due to health and social acceptance reasons. The primary motive behind buying the product is to fulfil this desire i. e. , be healthy and socially acceptable. Media Reach The consumers in semi-urban areas have fairly good access to all sorts of promotional media like TV, newspaper, radio and billboards. However a large portion of the target consumers are from rural areas which the reach of conventional media like television and newspaper is limited. Hence a separate stream of media has to be designed to reach out to the consumers to educate them on the benefits of using Lifebuoy. Activities and Interests The typical woman in the target segment would be housewife. Hence the activities that she would be involved in are very few. Also they would also have very little interests outside of their household chores. The data below is about how women spend their time and what sort of things that they would be interested in. A few pointers have been made as to how marketers can use this information for efficient marketing. Family care: The women in this segment are entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the family members especially children. Hence this emotion of the women has to be exploited while making advertisements. Work: A large number of women in this segment work in the unorganized sector as unskilled or semi-skilled labor to support their family. Since it is unorganized sector there is less emphasis on personal grooming and more on hygiene (matches with Lifebuoy's value offering) Television: A large number of the women in this target segment, especially in the semi-urban geographies have access to television and soap operas are very popular with them. Hence most of the companies advertising home needs use time slot during the soap operas. Household chores: Most of the women in this segment do the household chores including purchasing by themselves. Hence advertisements should be aimed at housewives directly. Financial planning: The spending power of the people in this segment is very low and hence cost savings are given utmost importance. Hence to entice housewives the product price should be kept very low Opinions Here we try to delve into what kind of views the women have about themselves and surrounding and how this views and opinions affect their buying pattern. 1. Health of the family is important than personal beauty. Hence women are more likely to buy a disinfectant soap than a beauty soap 2. Price can be low to a level where it meets the quality threshold. Anything below this threshold deemed of low quality. Hence both price and quality are important but price is given high preference. 3. More for less is always better. A bundle pack that offer discounts is better than a single pack. 4. Big shops and supermarkets stock only costly products. Hence a typical woman would visit a shop at the end of her street than visiting a supermarket. Hence companies should stock their products at every shop. 5)A brand that with high recall is of better quality than the one which is not. Hence brands should advertise to have a higher brand recall. Positioning Before evaluating the positioning strategy of Lifebuoy, it is important to assess the competitors and identify the factors that influence the purchase decisions of soaps. The main players that have significant share in the segments Lifebuoy operates in are 1)Santoor: Santoor is a sandalwood based beauty soap that is targeted at the woman and is the largest soap brand in South lndia. )Dettol: Dettol is an antiseptic soap from Reckitt Benckiser that has closely followed Lifebuoy in terms of product offering 3)No 1: Godrej No 1 is the most popular soap product from the Godrej house and is currently the third largest selling soap in India and market leader in Delhi, Haryana and Himachal Pradeshvl 4) HUL Products: Lifebuoy also competes with internally with other HUL products like Breeze and Rexona According to a literature research published in the IUP Journal of Management, the factors and attributes that influence the consumer behaviour of buying soaps are )Packaging and Promotion Schemes 2)Composition : Fragrance, Ingredients, Skin Type 3)Availability and Brand Recognition Additionally price and few functional attributes like hygiene and beauty have been considered. Since there is no data to draw quantitative perceptual/positional maps, we have evaluated the soap brands qualitatively based on the factors given above. Marketing Mix: In this section, we try to evaluate how the STP strategy influences the marketing mix of Lifebuoy and how it provides Lifebuoy advantages over its competitors Product: Lifebuoy is a bar soap that is aimed as a family soap with health and hygiene as its selling proposition. The soap was originally positioned as a masculine soap with fitness and health as the value offering. In 2002, the product underwent a major change shedding it legacy shape, colour and fragrance to make it more appealing to all members of the family. The product, since then, is positioned as family toilet soap with 100% protection from germs as it value proposition. As a product that is more than 100 years old and 75 years of presence in the Indian market, Lifebuoy is one of the most recognised products. Positioned as a family soap, Lifebuoy holds and advantage over its competitors as it appeal to all members of the family. This is really important as it fits well with the typical middle-class and lower-middle class households' habit of using the same soap by all the members of the family. However, Lifebuoy fails to attract beauty conscious women in the family. Also, many of Lifebuoy's competitors have products that have traditional ingredients (Sandalwood in Santoor and Godrej No. l) which Lifebuoy has not yet forayed into. Place Lifebuoy is positioned as soap for the semi-urban and rural population. With over 70% of India's population falling under this segment, it provides huge market potential for Lifebuoy. However catering to this segment brings logistical challenges. Lifebuoy enjoys a distinctive advantage over its competitors in this context as it is promoted by HUL, the largest non-tobacco FMCG Company in the country. Due to HUL's widespread distribution network, Lifebuoy is virtually available at every POS. Hence Lifebuoy is able to capture close to one-fifth of the Indian soap industry. Though Lifebuoy is present even in the urban markets it is pushed to the backseat as the focus of the company is to sell its other soap products like Lux and Rexona. Price Lifebuoy is priced in the mid-level segment. The current price of Lifebuoy soap is about Rs 14 for 100 grams. Lifebuoy is available in packs of various sizes (50gm, 75gm, 120 Gms, 4* 120gm family pack) and is affordable to people of all economic sectors. The competitors of Lifebuoy are priced slightly higher than Lifebuoy . The segment that Lifebuoy caters to is highly price sensitive and hence being priced lower than its competitors provides a distinctive advantage. Promotion Lifebuoy promotion through advertising is based on its slogan ‘Koi Darr Nahin' (no fear). Most of its advertisement focuses on cleanliness and hygiene as the central theme. The premise of most of its advertisement is about a child playing/working in dirt with his mom proclaiming ‘Koi darr nahin' to portray that there is no fear of infection as they use Dettol. Since, the primary target market of Lifebuoy is rural market which is not very educated about the benefits of Lifebuoy or cleanliness in general; lifebuoy has taken the initiative of educating the customers. The initiative called Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetana is the largest rural health and hygiene education programme ever in India and has already reached 70 million people till date† With an effective advertisement and CSR activities, Lifebuoy has been able to build up a formidable brand over its competitors. Competitive Strategy With about 18% of the total soap market share, Lifebuoy is definitely the market leader in this industry. The brand has been a pioneer in the mass rural marketing model and is also the price leader among its competitors. Let us at the various strategies that Lifebuoy follows to stay the top. Expand the total market Most of the customers in the target segment are not frequent users of soaps and use soap only for bathing purpose. Lifebuoy has made many steps in educating the customer on the importance of using soap at five key occasions †¢Before Breakfast †¢Before Lunch †¢Before dinner †¢During daily bath †¢Immediately after visiting the toilets Lifebuoy has been involved in many awareness programs which have been discussed in detail in the report. Through such initiatives Lifebuoy has been able to bring in new customers as well as increase the usage among existing customers. Defend Market Share: In the recent years, due to the introduction of many competitors, the market share of Lifebuoy has been on the decline. To defend its market share Lifebuoy has slashed its prices further to gain over competitorsvl†. The brand was also re-launched with an improved formulation that reduces mush and signals better consumer valuelx. Lifebuoy also introduced many variants of its soap with natural ingredients to defend its position against natural soaps like Godrej No. l and Santoor. Expanding market size: Rural segment, which forms the bulk of Lifebuoy's consumer share, is heavily influenced by product availability while making their purchases. The disposable income in this segment is very less and hence consumers buy products as and when they need it and do not stock extra at home. Hence if the product is unavailable on the shelf, they would buy any other product. Lifebuoy (HUL) therefore undertook projects to enhance the rural supply chain by a network of sub-stockists and ‘Project Shakti' in partnership with the Self-Help Groups of rural women. These Self-Help Groups acted as direct-to-home dealers. In rural India, women are the catalyst of change and that is why Project Shakti kept women in focus. Project Shakti has proved to be a great marketing venture for Lifebuoy since it works in both terms which is promotion as well as a distribution network with social welfare benefits. Through such innovative campaigns, Lifebuoy is able to expand its share in the years following its repositioning. However in the recent years the market share has been declining. Building Brand Equity Lifebuoy has been in India for over 75 years. Since then the brand has been able to connect to the consumers at an emotional level and develop a brand loyalty. Today the brand is market leader in the soap market with over 18% market share and has been repeatedly voted among the top ten most trusted brands in the country*. Though the brand had to undergo a re-positioning in 2002 and had to face a plethora of competitors, both external and internal to HUL, Lifebuoy has not only been able to survive but also emerge as the market leader. A few traits about brands have been given below. Brand Promise Lifebuoy promises to give 100% better protection from germs, which is repeatedly mentioned in its ads. The brand aims at providing health and hygiene to all members of the family by protecting from germs. The brand promise of Lifebuoy closely follows the mission of providing affordable hygiene to all the people of the world. Lifebuoy is the largest selling health soap in the world and has been proven to be effective against germs. Brand Archetvpe Lifebuoy should be regarded as the Caregiver as the vision of Lifebuoy closely matches the core desire of the Caregiver, to protect and care for others. Lifebuoy has been involved in bringing awareness among its consumers in the importance of health and hygiene. Many of its social awareness programmes have already been discussed. Brand elements In this section we look at the brand elements of Lifebuoy and how each element helps in building the brand equity Brand Name The name Lifebuoy is derived from ‘lifebuoy' which means’*† â€Å"a life preserver in the form of a ring of buoyant material†. The name is apt for the brand as it clearly conveys the message of health and hygiene and is as such a life saver. However in the Indian context, where most of the consumers in Lifebuoy's target segment are not highly educated, the brand name which is in English has very little or no significance. Logo : Lifebuoy's logo consists of a Red cross with Lifebuoy written across it. Red Cross is usually associated with ambulance and hospitals and as such indicates good health and hygiene. The logo is also very common and hence is easily recognisable and recallable, the two important characteristics that are necessary for any brand. The logo also means the same in all culture/geographies and hence can be used across the globe. Particularly in the Indian context, the colour red signifies simplicity, purity and holiness and protector from evil spirits which is evident from the fact that red is used in all auspicious ceremonies (bridal dress, thilak, sindhoor etc. . Hence it conveys the brand promise of Lifebuoy. Slogans/Jingle Over the years Lifebuoy has used many slogans/jingles that have helped it build its brand equity. The most popular of Lifebuoy's jingle was the one launched in the 1992 football advertisement â€Å"Thandurusti ki raksha karta hai lifebuoy, lifebuoy hai jahan tandurusti hai wahan† meaning â€Å"Lifebuoy protects good health, good healt h is where Lifebuoys is†. The jingle is particularly famous because it was rhythmic and catchy. It is easily one of the most recallable jingles of all times. It also clearly conveyed the brand promise and hence was able to spread brand awareness among the consumers. In 2002, after the brand underwent a change, the jingle was changed to â€Å"Koi Darr Nahin† meaning â€Å"No Fear†. The new jingle portrayed that by using Lifebuoy, there was no fear of infections. Hence, Lifebuoy has, over the years, used slogans that are attention getting and communicating the prime benefit to the consumer. Packaging:- Prior to 2002, Lifebuoy was sold in ordinary packaging and was red in color with a very strong smell due to the presence of carbolic acid. However, in 2002 the packaging was changed to make the brand more appealing. The logo was modernized to match the contemporary standards. The shape of the bar was also changed from brick to a more contemporary one to match the standards set by its competitors. The brand also focused on the rural consumers and introduced small sized packets at lesser prices to make it affordable. The following elements are not strictly part of typical brand elements. However, in Lifebuoy's context they are significant in differentiating the brand from its competitors. They also fit in the three criteria of brand building as they are memorable, meaningful and likable. Characters:- Traditionally, Lifebuoy has never used any celebrities or any characters in its advertisements. This was because the brand never wanted to position itself as premium brand and hence the use of celebrity did not fit in well with its image. Since its repositioning in 2002, Lifebuoy ads have always been revolved around middle-aged woman (mother) and kids. Effective Marketing:- Rural Marketing:- Since its repositioning, Lifebuoy's has focussed on the rural markets and built a strategy to spread brand awareness through TV and print media. It also launched Lifebuoy Swashthya Chetana, the first single largest rural health and hygiene educational program through which it has been able to reach 70 million people already. The campaign aimed at educating the community especially the children about the necessity of basic hygiene in maintaining good health. Since most of the people in the target segment did not have access to print or TV media, Lifebuoy designed innovative methods to reach to them. It used innovative communication tools at melas, festivals etc. to spread awareness about hygiene and health by product demonstrations. These techniques were used in order to change the hand-washing and bathing habits in rural India. For example, people in mela were asked to put their hands below a special camera where they could see the germs on their hands and were asked to wash their hands with Lifebuoy and see the difference. Hand-carts were also displayed at the company's stall for attracting more people. Lifebuoy tried to market the product not just at the point of sale but also at the point of consumption. Ideas like putting advertisement stickers on hand pumps, walls of the wells, putting tin plates on trees surrounding the pond were some of the innovative media utilised by Lifebuoy. Other media techniques used were shop-fronts and cinema van operations having films and audio cassettes with songs and dance sequences f)om popular films that comprised ads of HUL products during breaks. Through such innovative campaigns, Lifebuoy was able to reach out to customers who could not be reached through conventional media and was able to create a brand loyalty among the rural people. CSR work Since the launch, Lifebuoy has been involved in many health awareness programs. The brand pursues a social mission of bringing health to all the people around the world. †¢Lifebuoy has launched ‘Save the Children' campaign to spread awareness about prevention of diarrhoea. The programs aims at promoting handwashing with soap as the most economical way of fighting diarrhoea †¢It also conducts Global Hand washing Day, an event which aims at educating children about the importance of washing with soap and water. The event has been very popular and now holds the Guinness record of largest community hand wash event. Through Gurudwara, a promotional programme done with collaboration with Gurudwaras (Sikh temples) Lifebuoy has been able to create awareness among the rural population of Punjab. †¢Lifebuoy also launched ‘The Lifebuoy way of life' in Mumbai, a study aimed at understanding whether a bar soap when used as recommended for hand and body washing reduces d iarrhoea and/or acute respiratory infections in the target population. Lifebuoy also launched Lifebuoy active involvement in health awareness programmes has helped it develop a brand loyalty and value above its competitors.