Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Branding - Essay Example In this context, brand name will become the trademark of the company as it exclusively identifies the brand owner as the commercial origin of products or services associated to the brand. Once a brand become very familiar in a marketplace, it gets brand recognition. When a brand becomes so popular that it enjoys a great deal of positive sentiment in the marketplace, it is said to have achieved brand franchise. This means that the brand is recognized, without the name of the company associated to it. The total value of the brand to the brand owner is termed as brand equity. It reflects the power of the brand's recognition. This concept is brought out in the book 'Brand harmony' by Steve Yastrow in which he states" The strength of a brand impression in the mind of a customer is not a function of how many times the customer has seen an ad for a product, or how powerful the message in that ad is, but by how well all experiences the customer has with the product blend to tell one cumulative, sensible story." Looking back in time to what the term brand just means, in those days, brand was a term used to denote a mark burned on the skin with a hot iron. In today's world what this term has been transformed into is a tool, which is used to create a lasting impression in the minds of consumers and to create an enduring emotional association in the consumer with a particular company or product. The phrase "brand image" gained popularity when sales patterns began to show that feelings and visuals associated with brands were powerful motivators to for consumers to purchase a particular product. So what is to be understood from the use of brands as an effective marketing tool is that people don't just buy products, they associate a product with certain values which they believe and so they buy products whose brands represent things they value and like. These values could be something like money, intelligence and so on. A brand is also seen to gain importance when it is associated with an actual person who has the same type of attributes with which a company is trying to brand a product. Let's take Chunky Soup and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb as an example. Both of them represent the qualities hearty, strong and reliable and brining them together in this way is a very useful way of sending this message to the public. When such ideas are used to build a brand's image, the brand equity turns into a source of competitive advantage and future earnings according to David Aaker1., who is a national authority on branding A look at the concept of brand extension and multi-brands There is a profusion of products in the market today, and many of them are no different from the rest of the group to which they belong. If you go into a local sandwich shop because you want to have some bottled iced tea, you will be seeing a lot of different brands such as SoBe (hip, lizard cult), Tazo (Zen and the art of tea), or Snapple (down-home, New Jersey attitude). All these brands are selling the same thing, which is sweetened flavored tea. The only way that any one of these products can appeal to you over the other is through their brand appeal, and with this we come back to the point that a brand is a very effective marketing tool. According to David A. Weinstein2, in a consumer economy which is highly competitive

FISH! Philosophy of Teamwork Essay Example for Free

FISH! Philosophy of Teamwork Essay FISH! is a philosophy people around the world are implementing in workplaces and educational facilities to help foster fun and teamwork in their business. This philosophy is interesting and has been successful. The founders Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen pulled together to create three books on teamwork which are named _Fish!, Fish! Sticks and Fish! Tales._ In these books they give pointers and tell stories of how making work fun and working as a team creates success. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) The idea of this philosophy emerged in 1998 from a film produced by John Christensen. The film is about Seattles World Famous Pike Place Market. John translated and depicted through his film that even in a workplace where fishmongers spent smelly 12 hour shifts stocking, selling, and packing fish that amazing things can happen when people accept the invitation to: 1) Be There for their co-workers and customers, 2) Play, 3) Make someones day and 4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) After the film appeared the book _Fish!,_ this has been on the best sellers list and translated into 17 different languages. Today the Fish! Philosophy has flourished among corporate and educational markets throughout the world. We are not afraid to use words like love, soul, and spirit because those are an essential part of our humanity. But these values are just as important to businesses†¦We are on a journey together. (Christensen, 2007, p. 1) Lundin, Paul, and Christensen believe that there are four secrets and strategies for a better way to create fun and teamwork in businesses. First, be there for co-workers. The biggest ways to do this is by smiling and acknowledging people while walking by them. Say hello, converse with co-workers, be friendly and help co-workers laugh. Take the time to listen to people around the workplace. When seeing a co-worker not happy, go up to them and give them a pat on the back and a compliment. Make an effort and try to get to know everyone. Show up for work to help the team. A team is not a team with people missing. These are all some of the things we can do to be there for co-workers. These strategies are used worldwide and seem to help. The second strategy is to play at work. Playing helps energize the workplace. Some examples of play are telling jokes to co-workers, maybe even pass around appropriate jokes (no personal jokes), saying things throughout the day to help people laugh. Have theme days where everybody dresses up differently. Having office parties helps unite play and team because everyone gets together. Create bulletin boards and decorate the office with fun stuff ensuring everyones involvement. Making work fun helps work to get done and makes people want to participate in a team. Third, make someones day which is easy to do and makes the team run smoother. Several ways to make someones day are as easy as saying hello, complimenting their looks, bringing baked goods to work, having a candy bowl out for others to enjoy, thanking people for the small and often overlooked things they do for us, acknowledging others accomplishments, being nice, and by simply volunteering our time. When working as a team it is very important to remember team means we not I that is why it is so important to help the team work easier. (Morton, 2007) Fourth, choose your attitude. Attitude plays an important role in teamwork as well. The good thing about attitude is you can choose a new one. Some ways to keep a positive attitude and help support the team are start each day with a personal positive thought, go to work with a positive attitude, put on a smile, start the day with a laugh or by being helpful, think positive. If you feel yourself getting a bad attitude change it so it does not affect others, be pleasant even if your day is not going well,  leave home at home and last walk around, speak to co-workers and wish them a good day. Successful teams all over the world are using these strategies and making them work. Some of these teams are Ford Motor Company, Wells Fargo, Sprint, the U.S. Army, the May O Clinic, Harley-Davison, the National Weather Service and Verizon Wireless. (Lundin, Paul, Christensen, 2000) An article about Verizon Wireless struck an interest to me. It tells about how the Fish! Philosophy has helped the Southfield Verizon Wireless office. Call centers can be tough. Upset and angry customers call with billing and service questions, even problems. They chew up whoever answers the phone and results can hurt the company. They could have loss of customers, revenue, and employees. In a Southfield Verizon office receiving approximately 5,000 calls a day, you would probably expect it to be a stressful and frustrating place to work but due to them applying the Fish! Philosophy they say no. Instead the cubicles are decorated with cartoon fish and lessons for employees are taped on construction paper, employees can look forward to special days such as Mardi Gras, Black History and many others. Not only are they just all around happy, out of 273 employees, most appear happy. Verizon started using _Fish!_ in 2002 and reported results have been excellent. There was a significant decl ine in the call centers complaints. The Southfield Verizon center that uses this philosophy ranks top amongst the companys other 24 four call centers for solving customer problems on the first call. (Morath, 2005) How amazing that a philosophy developed from watching quaky workers at Seattles Pike Place Fish Market have fun, interact with customers and become a tourist attraction even though very smelly and not the cleanest place, tends to inspire, motivate, and engage employees through a system that makes work fun by rewarding creativity empowering employees. Most of all they keep employees and even more important they work as a team. (Morath, 2005) These are just some of the many successful companies using the Fish! Principles and this philosophy continue to grow. Teamwork is a vital part of life and we apply it everyday. We use it all over the place,  why not have fun while doing it. (Tucker, 2007) Doing this research on _Fish!_ not only interested me but has taught me a great deal. I have learned some very helpful tips in just this little time and if applied might truly help me not only in my job but with life and lifes struggles. Being part of a team is better than trying to accomplish tasks by oneself. I plan to keep learning and applying the Fish! Philosophy and the four principles; Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose the right attitude to enhance my life and work. References Christensen, J. (2007). _FISH! Philosophy: What is FISH!._ Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www.charthouse.com. Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., Christensen, J. (2000). _FISH_! New York, NY: Hyperion. Morath, E. (2005). Fish Philosophy catches on_._ _Michigan Live, 2005_, Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www.mlive.com. Morton, B. (2007, August 11, 2007). Team big concept in todays workplace; (Final Edition). _Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask, 2007, August_, Pg. F.20. Retrieved August 13, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1319529891). Tucker, C. (2007, March 21). Having fun at work and play; Fish followers; Fish! Philosophy helps workers have fun. _York Daily Record,_ p. 6. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from ProQuest database. (Document ID: 1240070001).

The Nature Of Prejudice Psychology Essay

The Nature Of Prejudice Psychology Essay In the multi cultural setting, prejudice has become normalized and has synchronized into our daily lives due to the efforts of authorities to harmonized people together. However, given that everyone comes from a very different and diverse background and family situations, there are bound to be misinterpretation and assumptions that we make on a daily basis that is somewhat skewed towards or against a different group. And with the efforts of the authorities to sanction prejudice, it does not necessary mean that prejudice has withered off but instead it may have become an innate thought that has continued on. In this essay we will look into the psychological theories, concepts and researches to understand the continued existence of prejudice and discrimination within each person, even though our modern society views it as undesirable. The Nature of Prejudice In a personal context, a persons behavior towards a certain group of people or people with distinct differences can be due to the social schemas that a person develops with time, through experience and or through social influence. Prejudice can be described as a negative attitude or observable behavior towards a certain socially defined group or members of that group. It is also known as prejudgment, the emotions felt or behavior portrayed cannot be quantified nor can it be justified. Even though in the modern society, prejudice and discrimination are seen as inappropriate or undesirable, it does still exist within each person and they vary in magnitude and severity individually. In this essay, we will cover the psychological theories, concepts and researches to understand the continued existence of prejudice and discrimination within each person, even though our modern society views it as undesirable. In the research done by Kenneth Clark (1914 -2005), on the effects of prejudice, discrimination and segregation have on child development, he demonstrated the effects by observing the responses of black children, age between two to seven, when they are presented with two sets of dolls, differing only by the dolls skin and hair colors. And from the observation, majority of the participants would prefer the white dolls over the black dolls. Apart from that, the research also showed that thirty nine percent of the participants would choose the white dolls as a representation of themselves. It became apparent that the social norm that children were exposed to pre-defines the definition of being socially desirable and socially undesirable. It also meant to steer individuals towards changing themselves mentally and or physically to become socially desirable in order to belong and fit the social norm. And the idea of being socially desirable and undesirable brings about prejudice and the fo rmation of groups. A classic example and origin of social prejudice can be traced to the social inequalities which suggest and predicts women being assumed to perform better in a caretaker role because they are perceived to be unassertive and sensitive (Hoffman Hurst, 1990). The attitude of prejudice can be described as a composite of three factors the influence of social beliefs are seen to cause over generalizing of the behavior of a person and also result in stereotyping. The emotions felt by an individual such as hostility and fear, when a person is found to be in an unfamiliar situation, it predisposes a person to emotionally respond either to feel, think or to act in a way towards a group or an individual when exposed to a certain stimuli in a certain way. The observable actions can be observed through behaviors such as discrimination. Prejudice can also be examined in relation to three factors, the severity of prejudice, the level of discrimination and the formation of beliefs, and stereotyping. These factors make up the basic structure of forming prejudice, as a mental schema that a person can refer to as a guide when situation calls for them. The mental schemas will influence how a person react and interpret the various experiences. And the pre- assumptions or conceived ideas about a certain group of people tend to skew ones interpretation of the observed behaviors and prediction of future actions of the member of the certain group. Prejudice can be categorized into two different types, blatant prejudice and subtle prejudice. Blatant prejudice refers to the open rejection of a certain groups or refers to certain groups to be inferior to them. The actions of blatant prejudice can be easily observed and it is usually not withheld. An example of blatant prejudice can come in the form of riots and demonstration against an opposing group or member of that certain group (Pettigrew, 1998). The other type is subtle prejudice refers to negative emotions felt towards or against the other group or individuals which are usually being disguised or is being hidden behind other values that allow the individual to dislike that certain group in a less direct manner as oppose to blatant prejudice. Some examples of subtle prejudices are the belief that the certain groups are becoming too pushy in wanting more rights than the rest, the denial of discrimination and the resentment of favoritism (Lambert, 1998). Prejudice can also be unconscious to people who denies having any racial or gender prejudices, that they may still have negative associations linking to the socially defined group or individual. It is illustrated in the research and it had been observed that nine out of ten white participants of the research took longer time to link pleasant words with a black faces than linking pleasant words to white faces (Greenwald, McGhee, Schwartz, 1998). It demonstrates that even though individuals do not recognize themselves to be having any stereotypes or discrimination towards a socially defined group or individual, the unconscious behaviors that was observed illustrates that social beliefs and social norms do actually influences a persons judgment and unconsciously forming prejudice against it. The other factor that can influence prejudice is the environment that an individual is found to be in. It influences the prejudice behavior of the individual that can either be observed or remains undetected. For example a person will and can act non-prejudiced when the situation that they are in does not require them to. For example, an individual makes a non-prejudiced comment towards a prejudiced behavior, so as to not offend members of the other group. In the same direction, prejudice can also be strengthened in situations where the social norms that govern them are either weak or ambiguous and it becomes justifiable and deemed acceptable for negative behavior towards the socially defined group or individual. In social psychology there have been many theories formulated to define the formulation of prejudice. There is the Psychodynamic or personality approach according to Freud, prejudice is seen as a response to an unresolved conflict during the stages of child development. He refers it to as a combination of personality characteristics and that the incompatible and unconscious motives and urges which exist in our minds and depending on our relative strength, moral values and external reality either one of the motives and urges will dictate the conscious thoughts and actions (Freud, 1917). The socio-cultural approach suggests that the cultural factors influences and creates social norms which plays an important role as to how a person is predisposed to results in formation of prejudiced view of the certain group or individual. A theory derived from this is the scapegoat theory which suggests that prejudice can also be an expression of anger such that when things go wrong, the scapegoat will provide a convenient emotional outlet and target for this anger which manipulates and influence people to create a common goal for the group (Katz, Glass, Cohen, 1973). The cognitive approach refers to the information processing and cognitive systems of the brain where prejudice arises out of normal mental processes, which can be explain through stereotyping and categorization. Social categorization and stereotyping refers to the formulation of illusionary relation between a certain group and the perceived deficiencies. They also categorize people into certain groups and that they are categorized based on the social norms or traits they are associated with the others in the same group. People tend to favor those that are within their group than those people that are not within the group. Social categories are formed with association to stereotyping when we encode information in terms of social categories. Social categories are ingrained in a person that it is easily accessible and prominently that they are automatically used in social perception. The need to belong, dictates humans as group bound species in the search attain an identity of self when belonging to a group. This is associated with the negative out-group stereotypes and positive in-group stereotypes that the group which means to be mentally differentiating and defining the grouping of us and them which also leads to people showing favoritism to their own group when dividing any rewards (Wilder, 1981) . Stereotyping provides general expectations about a certain group and it simplifies perception and evaluation of the individual members. Stereotype can affect the type of information that the brain is attending to and how it is being interpreted, they are easily accessible, and prominent that it can automatically be used in social perception to reduce ambiguity during critical situations. The generalization are guided by two elements, the trait information concerning what people of the certain group are like and the expectation of how this group of people will act. Stereotyping is not easy to be modified and acts can easily and automatically trigger stereotyping. It will have an impact on the effects on a persons behavior and results in unintentional self-fulfilling prophecies and implicit behavioral effects (Mackie, Hamilton, Susskind, Rosselli, 1996). The most researched common stereotype is sexism, where males are more than always perceived and commonly linked to stronger traits and attributes and on the flip side, females are often perceived and linked to weaker traits (Fiske, 1998). This stereotype originates from the prejudicial perspective that females are valued lesser than males, which can be traced back in history that males had all along been the breadwinner and females plays the caregiver role and thus resulting in the stereotype of women represents weakness and are better in taking up a more subtle role. Another typical stereotype that is relative to us would be racism, which refers to discrimination against an individual on the basis of the individuals race. It is often being generalized that people from the same race shares the same set of characteristic traits like abilities and qualities. And that personality trait such as intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral characteristics are also inherited which in turn influence their reason to act, their practices and their beliefs. However, there are little or no scholarly evidence that agrees with the concept of race. The generalization forms an unintentional discrimination and stereotype towards a certain group and that people tend to make assumptions based on this stereotype. Racism assumption also includes discriminatory behaviors and beliefs that can be based on cultural, ethnic, or religious stereotypes. The relationship between stereotyping and prejudice can be explained through the dissociation model (Devine, 1989). Where stereotyping is the knowledge about the attributes stereotypically associated with a particular group and it is automatically activated with stimulus and it can be acquired as early as during child development before we can critically evaluate. And that it is more accessible with greater activation and stronger association overtime. Whereas, prejudice refers to the endorsement and acceptance or non-acceptance of the cultural stereotype and that activation of prejudice is known to be controlled and that activation must be with the inhibition of stereotype and it requires time and cognitive capacity. The research shows that both high and low prejudice persons has equal knowledge of the cultural stereotype. Also, both high and low prejudice person uses stereotyping to evaluate ambiguous behaviors. And that low prejudiced person exhibited more positive thoughts, belie fs and less hostile descriptions. The dissociation model concludes that the relationship between stereotype and prejudice is conditional on the task at hand and that stereotype can have effects on out decision without us making the explicit or conscious judgment (Devine, 1989). Social discrimination and prejudice can create a vicious cycle that entraps the individual or group within an illusionary boundary that is hard to get out from. An example of this cycle can originate from as simple as job discrimination, which determines how much wealth a person has and in turn determines the living environment of the person. The living environment also determines the level of education that the children will receive and thus affect the kind of job they will hold in the future, which sets them in a material disadvantage. And the types of discrimination also include reluctance to help, tokenism which refers to intentionally create a false appearance of inclusiveness and to deflect accusations of discrimination and reverse discrimination (Vaughan Hogg, 2011). And the victims of prejudice can also suffer from psychological disadvantages, low self-esteem, and depressed aspiration, and also include physical and verbal abuses. And the consequences of prejudice can range f rom the least serious type like pre-assumption and prediction of an individuals behavior from the certain group, to open discrimination of the certain group which could lead to violence against the group and ultimately, extermination of the group and its members such as the holocaust. It is then apparent that prejudicial behavior are almost inevitable for any individual given the different backgrounds and culture everyone had been brought up in, and the acquisition prejudice may well have happened even before we can comprehend anything. Which results in prejudice both conscious and unconsciously in the decisions that we make in our daily life. Therefore, society plays an important role to sanction and subdue any overwhelming prejudice against any social discrimination, and that every individual should make a conscious effort to avoid taking advantage of it as a vehicle for personal gains. And that even though many would publicly deny as having any stereotype or prejudice against someone, prejudice has always been an innate thought process that can and has influence our behaviors externally.

How the Castillo and Mother Church Work Urbanistically :: Mexican Cities Churches Architecture Essays

How the Castillo and Mother Church Work Urbanistically   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The role of the city is to be the center of economic, political, and cultural movement. Cities have a dense population compared to the area, so careful planning must go into its development. In the U.S. alone, 55% of the population lives in cities with more than 1,000,000 people, 78% in cities with more than 100,000, and less that 3% live in agricultural areas (Angotti, Tomas. 1993). Since it is so crucial for a city with countless numbers of inhabitants to work properly, there has to be certain building types to facilitate the lives of the people. One of the most important building types is the temple. Temples through out time usually work very similarly urbanistically in the sense that they are centers of religious practice and located in key areas. A temple is a symbol of the culture; it represents the people’s beliefs and how devoted they are to them. Temples have usually been elaborate and large scale; examples of this include the Temple of Kukulkà ¡n in Chichà ©n Itzà ¡, Mexico, and the Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts. The Temple of Kukulkà ¡n and the Mother Church in Boston are strikingly similar in many ways, including architecturally and how they are used by the people of the city.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chichà ©n Itzà ¡ was once one of the most powerful kingdoms of pre-Columbian America. In the time between the end of the Classic and beginning of Post-Classic period of Mayan history, around 800c.e. to 1100c.e, it was an important city for local politics, religion, and trade and was crucial to the Mesoamerican social structure. Since this city was so constantly populated, it had to be intricately designed. In order for this complex city to work, careful planning and organization had to go into the urban development in order to make this culturally diverse society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of Chichà ©n Itzà ¡ is quite unique when compared to other Mayan cities. Its architectural influences come from two different sources. Chichà ©n Itzà ¡ began in the Middle to Late Classic period when some of its Puuc and early Maya structures were built. The Puuc architectural style came from the hilly region west of Chichà ©n Itzà ¡, and consisted of buildings with different proportions and construction than the future buildings in the north of Chichà ©n Itzà ¡. Puuc buildings have rubble-filled concrete walls faced by a thin veneer of dressed stone. The exterior walls have plain lower facades supporting upper facades decorated with religious masks and geometric designs.

Reaction Paper to Jose Rizal film

The movie told us about the life story of Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero. The three-hour epic of the life and struggles of Rizal covered his life from childhood to death at the hands of the Spaniards. The film showed flashbacks showing â€Å"Pepe† as his nickname, is a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son. The movie introduced us to the life of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars.The life of the people in that time was not easy. They were bound to obey every law, every rule and every word of the Spanish friars and government even if the leaders were already oppressing their rights. The colonizers abused them in different ways. Even the Catholic Church used their powers to get what they want. Spain thought that they can fool everyone.It was shown in the movie how Rizal inspired the Filipinos to fight for their right. By writing his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, many Filipinos opened their e yes to what is really happening in their country. It led to the founding of Katipunan that aimed to revolt against Spaniards.The freedom we experience today, we owe it all to our heroes who fought for our motherland, either by weapons or by pen. Because of this movie, I did recognize the bravery of the people who gave their last breath with PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE in their mind. I learned so much about the past and its importance to our situation today. We may not be under any colonization now, but most of us are forgetting who we really are and what are we capable of. We are forgetting that WE ARE FILIPINOS.I hope that it is not only me whose patriotism and nationalism was revived by watching the movie. I hope that Rizal can still continue to inspire us to strive hard and finish our studies and to be educated by any means, either rich or poor. Because the more you know, the more you are equipped with knowledge which can defend you and even your country someday.

Heritage Assessment Assignment Essay

Growing up, it never was as apparent that the families and friends that you associated with shared different beliefs, were from different cultures, and were just different from you and from your family. Children do not tend to recognize such differences, but as growing adults it becomes ever apparent that being â€Å"different† and accepting these differences is just a part of life. Perhaps kids just do it without thinking about it? Heritage assessments promote understanding of another’s beliefs, traditions, health practices, as well as helping to better understand one’s own heritage. This paper will address and identify the common health traditions based on cultural heritage of three culturally different families by using the heritage assessment tool. Nice intro! Heritage assessments are very important tools in regards to evaluation of a person as a whole and targeting aspects of a person that may not be as evident or understood if not properly assessed. Attempting to assess and learn about one’s heritage is useful in determining one’s core beliefs and understanding the significance of how their heritage and culture plays a part of whom they are and what they believe. Identifying one’s heritage can assist in understanding their current cultural practices and why they may practice certain beliefs. The culture in which we are raised or in which we work greatly influences our beliefs, values, and behaviors. Assessing our individual cultural heritage is the first and most important step to identifying what may cultivate or block our communication with and care of a person from another culture (Wintz, 2009). The heritage assessment was an important tool in providing a deeper understanding of the families that were interviewed. These families appeared to be from different cultures while also having different backgrounds and beliefs. While it was apparent that these families might have some similarities, it was expected that more differences would be discovered. Comparisons of common health practices such  as health maintenance, health protection and health restoration would be assessed. These health practices assessed would be evaluated in a more complete technique, as these health practices would be assessed in the physical, mental and spiritual sense. The three families that were interviewed were the Smith family, the Scott family and the Martinez family. Health maintenance is basically the traditional beliefs and practices, such as daily health-related activities, diet, exercise, rest used to maintain health (CULTURALCARE Guide, n.d.). The three families that were assessed provided different insight to their views of health maintenance. The Smith and the Scott family viewed health maintenance in a more similar manner due to their religious beliefs being similar, as they both identified themselves as being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). However, even though the Smith and Scott family shared similar religious beliefs, there were apparent differences in their health maintenance routines. The Smith family comes from a mixed background of Hispanic and German heritage. They are very conscientious of their physical health in regards to diet and nutrition, as they make intense efforts to exercise multipl e times a week and cook highly nutritious meals. They closely follow their church’s counsel on choosing healthy foods, avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other harmful substances to the body and going to bed and arising early. On the other hand, the Scott family whose heritage is dominantly English/Caucasian does not fully observe the importance of exercise, proper nutrition and proper sleeping habits in their daily routines. They do not show a strong emphasis on exercising and often eat fast food and make unhealthy nutritional choices and tend to stay up late and sleep more than is needful, which slightly goes contrary to their church’s beliefs. However, the Scott family does choose to avoid tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances to the body like the Smith family. The Smith and the Scott family closely identified their religious practices in the LDS church as an important staple of health maintenance, in the spiritual aspect, as both families are active in their church and attend their meetings at least once a week. While the Martinez family considers themselves somewhat religious with their Catholic beliefs, they didn’t correlate their religious beliefs with their health maintenance practices. The Martinez family does not often promote exercise in their family or  healthy nutritional habits. However, in opposition of the Scott family, the Martinez family rarely eats fast food and often prepares homemade meals. But, the Martinez family has Mexican heritage and cooking with lard and fats are a big staple in Mexican food cooking and did not consider their cooking as healthy. They considered themselves to be social drinkers and habitual tobacco users, as they were raised with these substances in their households. The aspect of health protection was more important in the Smith and Scott’s family’s health practices but was not as duly noted in the health practices observed in the Martinez family. Health protection is defined as important activities of public health that eliminate possible risk of adverse consequences to health attributable to environmental hazards (Public Health, n.d.). The Smith and Scott family closely related that by avoiding the usage of tobacco and alcohol as well as other harmful substances (drugs, etc.) this would aid in protecting their health. However, the Smith family also attributed frequent prayer and church attendance as means of protecting their health, while the Scott family did not show such correlation during the interview. The Scott’s mainly focused on the physical side of health protection, rather than the spiritual side. The Martinez Family viewed health protection in slightly different ways than the other families. They often wore crosses around their necks because they believed this offered protection to them, as the cross symbolizes Jesus Christ’s dying for mankind on the cross. They believe that Jesus Christ will protect them in their health if they have faith. They do not believe in the nutritional aspects of health protection as much as the spiritual aspects. They do believe that by observing the practice of à ¢â‚¬Å"Lent† once a year that this will aid in health protection. Therefore, the Smith and Martinez closely related health protection with their religious practices. Health restoration is defined as traditional beliefs and practices concerning the activities, such as folk remedies, modern medicine and healers, that must be used to restore health (CULTURALCARE Guide, n.d.). In regards to health restoration, the Smith family was the only family that preferred to use a trained medical doctor in the healing of their ailments, as they have great health insurance and believe strongly in the healthcare system. The Scott family focused mainly on natural remedies for healing in regards to health restoration, as these practices have been passed down from generation to  generation. The Scott family does not have health insurance. The Martinez also does not have health insurance. The Martinez family primarily focuses on the body’s own strength in healing itself and does not readil y accept modern medicines used in today’s healthcare system. The Martinez family was the only family open to the use of an exorcist when healing is not achieved, as they believed that demons could consume the body to make one sick or afflicted. The three families views of health restoration showed more differences than similarities. The traditions observed were closely related to the Martinez Family’s Mexican heritage, as they identified themselves closely with the Mexican culture and traditions. The Martinez family supports many of their culture’s traditions as it relates to their Mexican heritage. They viewed the holiday of â€Å"Dia de los Muertos† as one of their most cherished holidays, as the holiday focuses on the assembly of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The Martinez family had great respect and appreciation for their ancestors and for their Mexican heritage. However, the Smith and Scott family’s cultural beliefs were more so influenced by their religious beliefs, rather than by their diverse heritage backgrounds. The Smith and Scott Family chose Christmas and Easter as more cherished observed traditions, as the LDS church focuses on the importance of these holidays. It was apparent that the Smith family showed more inter est in their religious backgrounds and history of their religion, rather than their actual heritage. The Smith family was also a relatively â€Å"new† addition to the LDS church as their ancestors were not of the LDS faith; rather they were of the Catholic faith. However, the Scott family had ancestors that were a part of the LDS church ever since the church was first organized in 1830. However, despite the history of membership that the Scott family had, the Smith family proved to be more devout to the LDS church in every aspect of the church’s beliefs. The identification of the health traditions and practices that were observed by these families aided in my own personal cultural heritage understanding, as I could relate to each family in at least a few ways. My respect for various cultures grew and I was also more inclined to accept and have deeper respect for my own heritage and culture. I enjoyed reading your analysis of the three families you  interviewed. References: CULTURALCARE Guide. (n.d.). CULTURALCARE Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_spector_cultural_7/94/24265/6211875.cw/index.html Catholic Online. (n.d.). FAQs About Lent. Easter / Lent. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/faq.php Cultural Diversity in Nursing Practice. (n.d.). Cultural Diversity in Nursing Practice. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/Positions-and-Resolutions/ANAPositionStatements/Position-Statements-Alphabetically/prtetcldv14444.html Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Glossary of Terms. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/php-psp/ccph-cesp/glos-eng.php#h Wintz, S. (2009, July 1). Cultural & Spiritual Sensitivity . A Learning Module for Health A Learning Module for Health Care Professionals Care Professionals . Retrieved March 8, 2014, from http://www.healthcarechaplaincy.org/userimages/Cultural_Spiritual_Sensitivity_Learning_ %20Module%207-10-09.pdf

Love Art 12 Best Art Blogs to Follow

Love Art 12 Best Art Blogs to Follow Nowadays there are so many art blogs, its hard to find the most interesting ones to follow. This is why, we have gathered our favorite blogs about paintings, photography and street art. Check them out, have fun and explore! Paintings and Fine Arts Paintings do not live in museums only. There are a lot of blogs that can show you real masterpieces of present and past and tell their stories. Here are some blogs about fine arts you have to check out: 1) Painters Table painters-table.com Painters Table is an online magazine for art lovers, curators, artists and people interested in painting. It is a great platform for exploring different blogs, which mostly focus on painting. It offers a huge variety of reviews and interviews with the most talented modern artists. 2) New American Paintings newamericanpaintings.com/blog New American Paintings is a great resource for discovering American artists. This periodical showed more than three thousand painters from different parts of the United States. If you like modern art, you should definitely check their blog! 3) Two Coats of Paint twocoatsofpaint.com Two Coats of Paint, based in NYC, was created by artist Sharon L. Butler in 2007. It is a place where art enthusiasts can share news, reviews and their comments about painting. 4) Carol Marines Painting a Day (or almost) carolmarine.blogspot.com Carol Marine loves to paint. So she decided to share her experience with other people. Shes been creating one small painting almost every day. Shes been posting her works on her blog since 2006. Carol is very inspiring, especially for people, who always procrastinate! Photos Are not that much into fine arts? All right then. We have something interesting for you to offer. Check out these best blogs for photography lovers: 1) Thomas Hawks Digital Collection thomashawk.com Thomas Hawk is a talented photographer from San Fransisco. He has more than 100,000 pictures on Flickr. His goal is to share one million hand crafted and lovingly created† pictures with people. His photographs mostly focus on America. 2) Samantha Murphy| Real Picture Blog realpictureblog.tumblr.com Samantha is a traveler from Chicago. She posts a lot of pictures from her amazing journeys in her Real Picture Blog. Samantha wants to share her experience with the rest of the world. Her pictures inspire people to start travelling! 3) My Life is a Trip mylifesatrip.com My Life is a Trip is a multimedia travel diary by Jen Pollack Bianco from West Coast. She is a photographer and a writer, who started traveling and posting great pictures from her adventures. 4) Adventure Freelancer adventurefreelancer.com Adventure Freelancer blog belongs to Jeff Bartlett- an adventurous photographer/writer, who started a blog to get people inspired to explore things around them. He likes to share pictures and stories about the outdoors. Street Art A lot of people notice some awesome graffiti on the street. Do you want to check the best street art around the world? 1)Vandalog blog.vandalog.com Vandalog began in 2008. This blog is created for people, who want to keep up on whats going on with street art. And you can find a lot of great stories and coverage of graffiti and experimental visual arts. 2) Streetsy streetsy.com Streetsy is a blog for people interested in the worlds coolest street art. Artists share their works and fans posts pictures of street art they liked. They also have an account on Flickr with more than 400,000 awesome graffiti pictures. 3) Street Art Utopia streetartutopia.com Street Art Utopia is a blog with a lot of street art photos and videos. People share street art works, they particularly liked, from all over the world. You can explore new trends in urban art and how it affects the world around us. 4) Brooklyn Street Art brooklynstreetart.com/theblog Brooklyn Street Art captures a creative spirit from the streets, studios and galleries around the world. The audience can check out new techniques in urban street art and graffiti. Do you have your person favorites? Maybe you follow some awesome blogs too? Let us know in the comments!

Free Essays on Gathering Of Old Men

A Gathering of Old Men by Earnest J. Gaines is a great novel about race relations in the south. The novel begins with a child narrator who relates the report that there has been a shooting on a Louisiana plantation, and a white, Cajun farmer Beau Boutan, is dead. He has been killed in the yard of an old black worker, Mathu. Because of the traditional conflict between Cajuns and blacks in South Louisiana, the tension in the situation and the fear of the black people is immediately felt in the novel. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else. Gaines uses the fifteen narrators to deal with the changing relationship between the Cajuns and the blacks in Louisiana. As each narrator picks up the story, we see the tension between the past and the present, the conflict between the whites and the blacks. This allows Gaines to set up the unfolding of the depths of character and the courage of the men. Mapes, the white sheriff who traditionally dealt with the black people by the use of intimidation and force, finds himself in a frustrating situation of having to deal with a group of black men, each carrying a shotgun and claiming that he shot Beau Boutan. In addition, Candy Marshall, the young white woman whose family owns the plantation, claims that she did it. As each person tells the story, he takes the blame and, with it the glory. Gaines technique allows the characters to reveal themselves and their relations with others. We hear the story through the voices of the old black men, a black woman, a child, and the white narrators. We not only see the conflicts of the blacks, but also the conflicts of the Cajuns as well. It is very interesting the Gaines didn’t give the three main characters a voice. The reason that I think that he did it this way is because Mathu knows what really happened. He is the only one who knows who killed Beau Boutan. By coming at the main characters like this Gaines heightens the effect... Free Essays on Gathering Of Old Men Free Essays on Gathering Of Old Men A Gathering of Old Men by Earnest J. Gaines is a great novel about race relations in the south. The novel begins with a child narrator who relates the report that there has been a shooting on a Louisiana plantation, and a white, Cajun farmer Beau Boutan, is dead. He has been killed in the yard of an old black worker, Mathu. Because of the traditional conflict between Cajuns and blacks in South Louisiana, the tension in the situation and the fear of the black people is immediately felt in the novel. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else. Gaines uses the fifteen narrators to deal with the changing relationship between the Cajuns and the blacks in Louisiana. As each narrator picks up the story, we see the tension between the past and the present, the conflict between the whites and the blacks. This allows Gaines to set up the unfolding of the depths of character and the courage of the men. Mapes, the white sheriff who traditionally dealt with the black people by the use of intimidation and force, finds himself in a frustrating situation of having to deal with a group of black men, each carrying a shotgun and claiming that he shot Beau Boutan. In addition, Candy Marshall, the young white woman whose family owns the plantation, claims that she did it. As each person tells the story, he takes the blame and, with it the glory. Gaines technique allows the characters to reveal themselves and their relations with others. We hear the story through the voices of the old black men, a black woman, a child, and the white narrators. We not only see the conflicts of the blacks, but also the conflicts of the Cajuns as well. It is very interesting the Gaines didn’t give the three main characters a voice. The reason that I think that he did it this way is because Mathu knows what really happened. He is the only one who knows who killed Beau Boutan. By coming at the main characters like this Gaines heightens the effect...

Add math project

Obesity can lead to various health problems. My school has decided to carry out a â€Å"Healthy Lifestyle Campaign† with the aim to create awareness among students about obesity-related health problems. The Body Mass Index (BMI) gives an indication of the physical state of person as being underweight, normal, overweight or obese. BMI can be calculated by using the following formula: BMI = History Body Mass Index (BMI) The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet index, is a measure for human body shape based on an individuals mass and height. It was devised between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing â€Å"social physics†. At first BMI was used by epidemiologists in studies of population health, but was quickly adopted by doctors who wanted a quick and easy way to measure body fat in their patients. By 1985, the National Institutes of Health began defining obesity according to body mass index. At first, the thresholds were established at 27. 8 for men and 27. 3 for women. Then in 1998, the NIH consolidated the threshold for men and women even though the relationship between BMI and body fat is different by sex and added the category of overweight. The new, drastically lowered thresholds were now 25 for overweight and 30 for obesity. Body mass index (BMI) is defined as the individuals body mass divided by the square of their height. The formulae universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of . A frequent use of the BMI is to assess how much an individuals body weight departs from what is normal or desirable for a person of his or her height. The weight excess or deficiency may be accounted for body fat although other factors such as muscularity also affect BMI significantly. Who regards a BMI of less than 18. 5 as underweight may indicate malnutrition, eating disorder, or other health problems, while a BMI greater than 25 is considered overweight and above 30 is considered obese. These ranges of BMI values are valid only as statistical categories BMI Category below 18. 5 Underweight 18. 5 24. 9 Normal Weight 25 29. 9 Overweight 30 and above Obese BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of mass (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colors for different BMI categories. A graph of body mass index as a function of body mass and body height is shown above. The dashed lines represent subdivisions within a major class. For instance the Underweight classification is further divided into severe, moderate, and mild subclasses. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. It is defined by body mass index (BMI) and further evaluated in terms of fat distribution via the waist–hip ratio and total cardiovascular risk factors. BMI is closely related to both percentage body fat and total body fat. In children, a healthy weight varies with age and sex. Obesity in children and adolescents is defined not as an absolute number but in relation to a historical normal group, such that obesity is a BMI greater than the 95th percentile. The reference data on which these percentiles were based date from 1963 to 1994, and thus have not been affected by the recent increases in weight. Obesity is another term for excess body fat. Normal body fat percentages range from 18%-23% in men and 25%-30% in women. Men with body fat percentage greater than 25% and women with a body fat percentage greater than 3% are considered obese. Obesity occurs when intake of calories exceeds the daily caloric requirement. The National Institute of Health (NIH) classifies obesity as a chronic disease, which requires a lifelong effort. If an individual has excess body fat can be determine by various methods. These methods include body density using underwater body weight, dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), measuring skin-fold thickness, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The DEXA test and weighing an individual underwater are most accurate methods, although they can be expensive, time consuming and are not always practical. The two most common methods for measuring a person’s excess body fat are using a weight-for-height tables and body mass index (BMI) measurement. The weight-for-height tables provide a range of acceptable weights for a person of a given height. There are many versions of these tables with different weight ranges, which limit their use. Because of variability of these tables, BMI has become the measurement of choice for many doctors and researchers. BMI is calculated using a mathematical formula that accounts for a person’s height and weight. BMI is equal to a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters squared (BMI=). Aim The aim of this project work is to investigate the relationship between height, weight and BMI with students’ health condition. The purpose of this campaign is to create awareness among students about obesity or underweight related to health problems. We should select an appropriate balanced diet to avoid from being a victim to such illness. Nutritional guidelines play an important role in helping us to make informed choices about our nutrient intake. The foods that constitute a balanced diet should contain the major nutrients which include carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, as well as vitamins, minerals, water and dietary fibre. A balanced diet is essential for the healthy growth and development of the body. The objectives of carrying out this project work are: 1 To collect data on the heights and weights of students. 2 To calculate BMI of each students. 3 To represent data using various methods. 4 To relate students’ knowledge with the data obtained. 5 To suggest ways to practice healthy lifestyle. The methods of research are as follows: 1 To obtain the height, weight and BMI of 50 students in Form 1 and 50 students in Form 5. 2 To tabulate the data consisting the height, weight and BMI of this 100 students. 3 To convert the data and represent it using three different statistical graph. 4 To find the mean, mode and median of BMI for the 50 students from each group of students. 5 To calculate the variance and the standard deviation of BMI for this students. Statistic : Finding mean, mode and median of ungrouped data and grouped data. Finding interquartile range, variance and standard deviation of ungrouped data and grouped data. Finding gradient according to the data. Mean Mean for ungrouped data: Adding up all the values in a set of data and sum in then divided by the number of values, we shall obtain the mean of the set of data. Hence if

Liberian Production and Export of Rubber and Economic Growth Term Paper

Liberian Production and Export of Rubber and Economic Growth - Term Paper Example Economic and productive activities collapsed as looting and vandalism became the norm. GDP and GNP fell by over 90% in less than two decades (Radalach). This was reversed by the inception of Ellen Johnson Sir leaf as the President in January 2006.Since then the country has been in peace and great achievements have been made in the economic recovery especially in the agricultural sector, mining industries, infrastructural growth and education among others. Agriculture has been the biggest sector in the economy of Liberia with rubber being the main cash crop for export. The current government has introduced policies to foster peace, launch reconstruction and development, and build strong systems for governance and democracy. (Daft) The most important issues for Liberia’s continued growth and prosperity and unity for peace is through the establishment of the foundation for rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth. The government has established the implementation of poli cies plan aimed at both political stability and inclusive economic recovery that are mutually reinforcing, and that to sustain development over time, it has embarked on rebuilding institutions and physical infrastructure and invest in human capacity through strong health and education programs. Its initial strategy following the inauguration was articulated in its â€Å"First 150-Day Action Plan,† describing the steps that both the government and the donor community would participate in during the period from January and June 2006. This was coupled with the development of an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, this was finalized in 2007 and its purpose was to cover the period from late 2006 through mid-2008. The government is furthering this by working on the modalities of poverty reduction strategies that covered the period between 2008 and 2010. All three of these strategies are organized around a framework with four basic pillars. †¢ Expanding peace and security. â₠¬ ¢ Revitalizing economic activity †¢ Strengthening governance and the rule of law †¢ Rebuilding infrastructure and providing basic services The governments financial situation and limited personnel been has increased the governments need for the international support since the international community would play a big role in Liberia’s reconstruction through resource mobilization and manpower for the growth of the country. As a result the government at an early stage has introduced mechanism to closely monitor the donor activities. The new Liberian government is working on a different model that ensures effective coordination and consistent approaches both between the government and the donors and across government agencies. It is establishing a structure in which the decisions are made by a small group, chaired by the government rather than a donor that could execute decisions more quickly and easily. It also wants an administrative structure that is consistent wit h the substantive structure of growth and development of agriculture and other pillars of the economy. The government is working to involve the entire population so that the country’s population is involved in the employment of youths to avoid the return of Liberia’s conflict as a result of political and economic exclusion of large segments of society that characterized the countries previous unrests. Land and property

Occupy Wall Street Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Occupy Wall Street Movement - Essay Example The moral and economic implications of Occupy Wall Street movement are quite diverse in nature. The major facets of the movement are social and economic disparity, greediness, corruption and unwarranted power of business organizations on government. The moral issues of Occupy Wall Street movement comprise equality, care and freedom (Kaneck, 2012). The common concern recognized in the movement is the wealth gap between 1% (who are categorized as wealthy businessmen and bankers) and the 99% (who are the other citizens including the protestors). According to the protestors, the 1% has excessive wealth and authority and also has power over economic well-being of the nation. The protestors of Occupy Wall Street movement view the rich as frauds who misuse the economic systems and policies (Jickling & Hoskins, 2011). Thoroughly Analyze Each of the Implications Identified Above Against the Utilitarian, Kantian, and Virtue Ethics to Determine Which Theory Best Applies To the Movement; Thoroug hly Supported Your Position with Examples and Evidence Ethical theories have been considered for analyzing the protest movement. The above implications of Occupy Wall Street movement can be analyzed by using three major ethical theories which are Utilitarian, Kantian and Virtue Ethics. Utilitarian approach generally depends on the view that ethical activities can generate most of the good outcomes for society and economy. It is a general belief that society is the net outcome of individual choices for conducting certain activities. Utilitarian ethics possess the view that appropriate course of activities can enhance the value of individuals, increase the happiness and minimize the sufferings of people in a society. Kantian ethics is based on the thought of ethical responsibility. It proclaims that an activity can only be considered as ethical if it is conducted on the basis of duty, rather than on the basis consequences of such actions. The outcome of Kantian ethics is subject to th e statement that there is no inherent connection between happiness and virtue. It highlights the right activity over the good activity. On the other hand, virtue ethics concentrates on the role of an individual for defining or assessing ethical behaviors and activities. The differences between these three ethics depend on the way ethical problems are approached (Cobbett & Germain, 2012). With respect to the Occupy Wall Street movement, unseen events of bailout, movement of money and economic crisis are all agreed upon certain activities of people. Considering the above three ethical theories, utilitarian ethics best match with the implications of Occupy Wall Street movement. It can be observed that the objective of Occupy Wall Street movement is to minimize the corruption and enhance the participation of government in order to support the economic growth and to ensure equality of wealth and income. Furthermore, the moral and economic implications with respect to the minimization of unemployment, income inequality and equal wealth distribution can only be possible if utilitarian ethics is followed (Asanuma, 2011). Thoroughly Determine Who Is Responsible For Income Inequality And Wealth Distribution In The U.S. In Your Analysis, Make Sure To Include If This Is Something That Happened Suddenly or If It Built Up

Summary and reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary and reflection - Essay Example Even though the topic of the film was a contentious one, I found the movie to be insightful because I never considered some things to be racist. The most common one of these is when the white police officer manhandles a black woman on the pretext of possible drug use. There are many things in our daily lives that we do not recognize as being racist, even though many times they are. I most identified with Cameron, the husband of the black woman who was strip-searched, because he had to face a difficult dilemma. On the one hand, he could have prevented the police officer from assaulting his wife. The likely outcome would have been that he would be arrested. But, what he actually did was nothing at all. I would have done the same as him because police officers have the authority to do anything that they want because they are the law. I think that the director could have focused less on the divisions between white and black people because there are also many other cultures that can be racist. The characters in the movie were very stereotypical and I do not think that this helps ongoing racial

Oil and Gas Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Oil and Gas Management - Essay Example However things are not as simple as they might look. According to various examples and researches it is believed that countries that enjoy abundance in resources are on average less likely to attain economic development in comparison with countries that do not (Heum, Kasande, Ekern, and Nyombi, 2011). Porter (1985) has explored the progressions of various combinations of actions or activities that are performed in order to come up with the final product for the customers. The process involved different actions and services carried out on the specific product from beginning till the end i.e. from extracting the product till the product is manufactured and later distributed to the final customers. However the analysis of Porter can be significantly applied to separate entity or firm (single firm) and can also be applied on number of firms or organizations keeping one thing under consideration i.e. their interconnections amongst each other in the supply chain context or in simple words the link among manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and customers in a specific area or globally (Tordo, Tracy, and Arfaa, 2011). Meanwhile the value chain supply system of the oil and gas industry with reference to social value creation has been highlighted below Oil and gas sector value chain comprises of various procedures initiating from development, processing, transporting and marketing of the product (oil) to the end user or consumers. The process of value chain in the oil and gas sector begins from allocating areas in order to later search or explore those areas for oil and gas. However soon after the basic search for oil or gas, evaluations are carried out on the grounds or fields; development and production are the other two things that are carried out later. The overall procedure is also known as Exploration and Production (E&P) or in other words it is also known as

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy Essay

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy - Essay Example As the vast oil reserves were discovered, the economy or group of economies experienced significant changes in various macro-economic aspects (TÃ ©treault). From business point of view, oil is not only a fuel but also an object for trade. Many authors and academicians agreed that it a very important source of foreign exchange and contributor to economic development. Middle East’s aggregate oil reserves are accountable for approximately 66% of total oil supply in the world. Monopoly in oil industry has resulted in wealth creation at a rapid pace in majority of countries in the region. Apart from the vast reserves, another reason behind oil monopoly of Middle Eastern (ME) countries is that these countries have been a great support to the world economy during major oil and energy crisis in 1979-81 and 1985-86. However, the oil industry is also a reason of economic misery in the ME region, it has resulted in power intervention, political corruption and militarization (TÃ ©treault; Toft 7265-7274). Oil is considered as a resource of paramount importance in domestic as well as international economic and political environment from importers’ as well as exporters’ point of view. While oil is the main source of economic development and global recognition for ME countries, the ME economy does suffer from various disturbances as a cost of owning the largest reserve of the lucrative resource. It was observed during the study that the oil wealth has created national economic distortion and imbalance in power and wealth distribution. Keeping in view the disadvantages of oil as a source of economic development, the paper presents arguments against the heavy dependence of ME economy on oil as a source of economic sustenance. The primary reason behind tremendous importance of oil in the Middle East is its role in the world economy. Oil is a source of national importance not only to small developing economies but also to major developed economies such as

Summary and reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary and reflection - Essay Example Even though the topic of the film was a contentious one, I found the movie to be insightful because I never considered some things to be racist. The most common one of these is when the white police officer manhandles a black woman on the pretext of possible drug use. There are many things in our daily lives that we do not recognize as being racist, even though many times they are. I most identified with Cameron, the husband of the black woman who was strip-searched, because he had to face a difficult dilemma. On the one hand, he could have prevented the police officer from assaulting his wife. The likely outcome would have been that he would be arrested. But, what he actually did was nothing at all. I would have done the same as him because police officers have the authority to do anything that they want because they are the law. I think that the director could have focused less on the divisions between white and black people because there are also many other cultures that can be racist. The characters in the movie were very stereotypical and I do not think that this helps ongoing racial

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy Essay

Should the middle east countries depend on the oil for their economy - Essay Example As the vast oil reserves were discovered, the economy or group of economies experienced significant changes in various macro-economic aspects (TÃ ©treault). From business point of view, oil is not only a fuel but also an object for trade. Many authors and academicians agreed that it a very important source of foreign exchange and contributor to economic development. Middle East’s aggregate oil reserves are accountable for approximately 66% of total oil supply in the world. Monopoly in oil industry has resulted in wealth creation at a rapid pace in majority of countries in the region. Apart from the vast reserves, another reason behind oil monopoly of Middle Eastern (ME) countries is that these countries have been a great support to the world economy during major oil and energy crisis in 1979-81 and 1985-86. However, the oil industry is also a reason of economic misery in the ME region, it has resulted in power intervention, political corruption and militarization (TÃ ©treault; Toft 7265-7274). Oil is considered as a resource of paramount importance in domestic as well as international economic and political environment from importers’ as well as exporters’ point of view. While oil is the main source of economic development and global recognition for ME countries, the ME economy does suffer from various disturbances as a cost of owning the largest reserve of the lucrative resource. It was observed during the study that the oil wealth has created national economic distortion and imbalance in power and wealth distribution. Keeping in view the disadvantages of oil as a source of economic development, the paper presents arguments against the heavy dependence of ME economy on oil as a source of economic sustenance. The primary reason behind tremendous importance of oil in the Middle East is its role in the world economy. Oil is a source of national importance not only to small developing economies but also to major developed economies such as

Soviet Victory in the Eastern Front Secured Allied Victory in World War II Essay Example for Free

Soviet Victory in the Eastern Front Secured Allied Victory in World War II Essay I. Introduction The Second World War (1939 1945) was the most devastating and dreadful in the history of humanity. As the German troops and its allies advances in the western and eastern   fronts of   Europe as well   as in Africa , the Middle East and Asia, thousands of lives were lost and the damaged to property was almost incalculable.   Perhaps fifty million people died, both soldiers and civilians (Perry 713). In the early days and months of the war,   it seems that the Allied forces was in the losing end of the battle as European nations were invaded and occupied by the German Nazi forces.   The Allied powers (Britain and France) were no matched for the German army for the former were not prepared for the war. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union so that in the Eastern Front a fierce war broke out on June 22, 1941. Victory looks inevitable for Germany as they surrounded the city of Leningrad, and advances towards Moscow and Stalingrad. However, the Russian armies and civilians put up a courageous stand, refusing to surrender to Nazi troops for three years amidst the loss of lives in fighting and starvation. Soviet Union’s courageous resistance to German invasion was a major factor in the Allies’ ultimate victory in Europe, as the Germans suffered critical losses and depletion of resources on the war in the Eastern Front (Perry 700-713). This paper   discusses why the Soviet victory in the eastern front was critical for allied victory in the Second World War. The condition of the Allies in the western front is described as well as the situation in the eastern front where Germany suffered its major losses. II. Allied defeat in the western front By the time that Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, he was already successful in conquering and occupying most of Europe and rendered the Allied forces in the western front almost at his mercy. There are several reasons for this: A. Germany was prepared to dominate Europe Germany’s invasion of other European nations was planned in spite of the world’s efforts to prevent another world war. The Treaty of Versailles, as part of its provision for Germany, ordered the nation to reduce its army, limiting it only to 100,000 to   Ã‚  ensure that it will not indulge in another foolish idea of starting another war which the world had horribly witnessed and endured in 1914-1918.   However, Adolf Hitler, the German Fuhrer, rose to power in the early 1930’s. His first step in restoring Germany’s power was to rebuild its military forces, which the Versailles Treaty forbade. Under the Weimar Republic, Germany had begun secretly to rearm on a small scale. In 1935, Hitler openly declared that Germany would build a peacetime army of 550,000 men. This was a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles (Perry 696).   In 1939, the German Imperial Office for Economic Planning of Warfare published the results of the census. They had stated â€Å"In the course of Germany’s rearmament, the economic planning of warfare increasingly came to the forefront. As the experience of the World War has shown for a country as Germany a clarification of the economic problems of warfare is of paramount importance for the result of a war† (   Fremdling 3 ). Moreover, Hitler had assessed that a slow form of warfare will only deplete their resources and led the people to be discouraged with war. He had envisioned a quick invasion and occupation through the use of the nation’s resources, advance technology and preparation.   Hitler also prepared the people psychologically for the upcoming war. Propaganda campaigns were successively launched to prepare the population for wartime sacrifices (Overy 2000). Britain and France renounced German rearmament, but neither nation took action. Both wanted to preserve peace. Britain was not prepared for war and France was not ready to fight alone. Overall, in spite of its preparation, Germany could not be considered as superior to the combine powers of Britain or France or other European nations that it had invaded. The Germans had in fact fewer and poorer-quality tanks but they emphasized high standards of training and operational preparation and technical efficiency. Furthermore, the policy of appeasement, where peacekeeping nations granted Hitler’s demands to avoid war, had largely helped Hitler to occupy European nations and territories in the first days and months of the war. He then used the food resources of this conquered nations to feed his forces and use their weapons, fuel and machines for warfare (Perry 699). At the start of the war, then, the German army was already prepared to dominate Europe.   In the years following the First World War, they had studied their mistakes, especially with the use of trench warfare, and opted for Blitzkrieg, a lightning attack that employed tanks and mobility to defeat an enemy before help from the allies arrived. They spent years perfecting the use of the new weapons of war tanks, armored divisions and air power (Overy 2000; Perry 698). B. Allied powers   and Europe was   unprepared and opposed war Despite the increasing aggression of Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930’s, Britain and France were reluctant to opposed Germany. It was because they were not yet prepared for another war; for they had not anticipated that a war would break out so soon. They had dutifully observed disarmament and appeasement to avoid conflict in Europe especially as they had just witnessed the horrors of the First World War. So both psychologically and militarily, the two nations were not geared  Ã‚   for battle when Germany turned aggressive. Moreover, in the years after World War I, Britain faced staggering economic problems.   Merchant ships had been lost in the war and it was losing markets to other nations so that Britain had drastically reduced spending for armaments. Like Britain, postwar France faced economic problems, too, for under its soil most of the wars in the First World War were fought. Villages, farms and railroads had been destroyed. Retreating German’s had wrecked mines, factories, forest, and orchards. In addition, millions of young Frenchmen had been killed or wounded. To help them rebuild, the French had counted on Germany’s payment of reparations. In 1922, however, Germany declared it cannot pay no more. By the time Germany  Ã‚   threatened the peace in Europe, France was able to form a large army but it relied mainly on the defenses of the Maginot Line, its huge border fortifications. Built in the 1930’s the line was a series of massive forts and underground shelters, proceeded by minefields. It stretched the length of France’s border with Germany (Perry 699). Aside from the reluctance of the   two Allied superpowers ( Britain and France) to enter the war,   the early victory of   Germany was due to the fact that other   Europeans, including   the British,   thought that the treaty of Versailles were treating the Germans unfairly   hence,  Ã‚   there was a widespread   German sympathy at first. That is why Germany was unopposed when it invaded territories under the argument of self-determination (the right of national groups to determine their own political status, for example, Czech lands occupied by Germans would belong to Germany).   Besides, communism, led by Russia, was rising in Europe and to many people in Europe, Hitler’s fascism seemed more acceptable and stable (this was of course in the days when nations did not yet see how cruel Hitler really was)(Perry 670). C. United States noninvolvement The United States was a big help in winning the First World War for the allies. Like in the first war, United States at first did not interfere with what happened in Europe. In short, the American people once again wish to stay out of European wars.   In the 1930’s, many believed that US decision to participate in the   First World War was a grave mistake so that Congress passed the Neutrality Act that â€Å"isolates† the US from any armed conflict around the world. The provision of the Act does not allow the US to intervene, participate or interfere in a war between two countries (Perry 699). D. Nazi-Soviet Pact prevents Russia from stopping Germany Although the Soviet Union fought against Germany in the First World War, in the second war it agreed to enter in a Nazi-Soviet Pact.   This pact of friendship and nonaggression was signed between Germany and Soviet Union in August 1939. In this pact, the Soviet Union agreed, in return for half of Poland, not to interfere with Hitler’s invasion. Although Britain and France do not trust the Soviet Union, this move stunned France and Britain for they needed Soviet Union, which had a large army,  Ã‚   at their side especially to defend Poland. Therefore,   because the powers of the Soviet Union was put on hold as a consequence of the pact, early on the morning of September 1, 1939 ,   German troops marched into Poland, and German planes bombed railroad and cities. Country after country then fell to Germany and its allies, the Axis powers. In 1940, Nazi forces occupied Denmark and attacked Norwegian ports which were vital for German war effort. In the next month, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg also surrendered to Hitler, after heavy bombings had devastated cities and terrorized the civilian population. France then fell to German hands in June 1940. With the fall of France, Britain now stood alone to oppose Germany. Meanwhile, Germany became stronger as German troops were feed with the supplies of conquered lands and use their weapons for wars (Perry 700). III. Soviet invasion and victory in the eastern front Historians agree that Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union was Hitler’s biggest mistake (Perry 699). Hitler had ensured before that the Soviet Union will not interfere with his war plans in Europe and the latter had been successful in occupying almost all European countries, and even those in Africa, without any intervention of Russia. Yet he pushed beyond his limits and chose to takeover a country that had been unconquered in all wars, the Soviet Union. In this nation, Hitler squandered most of his military resources.   Two decisive battles that was a turning point for the Allies was the battle in Stalingrad and Kursk. A. Hitler’s ambition While British resistance continued in the western front, Hitler was planning to open a second front and attack the Soviet Union. Even though Hitler and Stalin had made a nonaggression pact, one of Hitler’s aims had always been to destroy communism and seize Soviet territory.   He wanted land for German settlers, rich grain fields to feed the German nation, and oil, and coal, and iron ore to supply the German war machines. To prepare the way for the invasion of the Soviet Union, Hitler’s forces occupied Bulgaria and overran Greece and Yugoslavia. By June 1941, Germany had 3,300 tanks, 5,000 planes and nearly four million soldiers (including from Italy, Romania, Finland and Hungary) massed long the Soviet border. Although Britain and other democratic western countries do not trust the Soviet Union, nevertheless, they were ready to extend aid when Germany attacked it. Soviet Union was included in the United States Land-Lease Act of March 1941, wherein President Roosevelt was allowed by the US Congress to sell, lease or lend military equipment to nations whose defense was vital to American security. Aid was estimated to have reached about $11 billion in war material under that program (Perry 703). B. Soviet Union Resistance and victory At first, it seemed that Hitler was unstoppable even in the eastern front. It was in December 1940 that Hitler planned to invade the Soviet Union after he was successful in the western front. His war tactics in invading Russia was no different from what he had used in the west, which was using blitzkrieg or â€Å"lightning war† that used quick massive attacks on land and in the air. He began his assault in June 1941 wherein he divided his three million forces into three groups to attack the north, center and south of Russia using a series of devastating pincer movements. The Soviets were surprised and unprepared for this invasion so that it took only four months for German forces to penetrate towards Leningrad and Moscow (Overy 2000). Soviet armies suffered enormous losses in the first months of the German offensive, holding back the invaders while slowly retreating. By the first week in October 1941, German troops were only fifty miles from Moscow. The people of the Soviet Union suffered great hardship. In September, German forces surrounded the city of Leningrad, trapping some three million people there with only enough food and supplies for a short time. The siege was not completely ended for more than two years. Nearly a million people died from starvation and disease (Perry   Ã‚  701; Werth 442). As the Soviet troops withdrew, they burned crops in the fields and destroyed equipment. These â€Å"scorched earth† tactics left no food or supplies for the advancing Germans. The arrival of autumn rains and winter snow slowed the German offensive, for blitzkrieg tactics were not effective on muddy, snowy roads. Fresh Soviet troops arrived from Siberia with winter equipment, while the Germans shivered in summer uniforms as the temperature dropped to 30 degrees below zero. The Russian winter stopped the German army much as it had defeated Napoleon’s Grand Army over a century earlier. The attacking Germans were nearing to their target but failed to capture it because of physical and mental exhaustion and shortage of personnel (Perry 701). Despite the setbacks of the winter of 1941-1942, the next spring and summer brought a new German offensive in the Soviet Union. The main target of the German attack was Stalingrad on the Volga River. The city was a vital center for north-south transportation by river, railroad and canal (Fitzgibbon 214). In late August, German troops reached the Volga. Six hundred German planes bombarded Stalingrad, enveloping it in flames and killing 40,000 civilians. By September 1, German soldiers were in the suburbs, but people would not abandon their city. Soviet soldiers and civilians fought house to house and street to street. In the words of a Soviet general, the defenders fought â€Å"for every brick and stone, for every yard of Stalingrad earth†. Stalingrad became no longer a town. By day, it was an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke. In late November, Soviet Marshal Georgi Zhukov brought in new troops. They began a â€Å"pincer† movement, closing in from two sides and threatening to trap the German Sixth Army in the city (Perry 702). Zhukov had stated â€Å"It was clear to me that the battle of Stalingrad was of the utmost military and political importance. The fall of the city would enable the German command to cut off the south of the Soviet Union from the rest of the country. We might lose the great waterway of the Volga River, on which a heavy flow of goods was moving from the Caucasus† (Slabad 132). Exhausted and short of food, medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition, the German commander begged Hitler to order a withdrawal. Instead, Hitler’s Lufwaffe commander, Herman Goering, tried unsuccessfully to send in supplies by plane (Perry 702). Finally, in February 1943, the remnants of the German troops in Stalingrad surrendered. In this surrender, it was estimated that 300,000 German soldiers from the German 6th Army was taken prisoner by the Russians and this capture was considered by most historians as one of the turning points for the fall of Germany. The German armies attributed this defeat directly to Hitler who had been undecided when and where to actually strike in the Soviet Union so that his troops had suffered in the Russian winter. Many had felt that Hitler had led his forces to danger in overstretched steppe of southern Russia. In addition, they blamed Hitler for interfering in military strategies when he took direct command of the German forces in December 1941. Nevertheless, in spite of this, there was a general belief among Hitler’s generals that the Soviet Union was weak in the south and therefore was not capable of any serious resistance (Overy 2000). Meanwhile, in 1943 the Germans attacked Kursk in Operation Citadel (the German code name for the Kursk offensive). Kursk was situated halfway between Moscow and the Black sea.   In this attack an order was issued that German tank production be increased to a capacity of 600 units per month.(Fitzgibbon 215). Around 900,000 German troops was deployed for this battle including 2, 700 tanks and 2,000 warplanes around Kursk (Dupuy Martell 76). The Soviets were not ignorant of this attacked for the Russian intelligence and Lucy spy ring delivered to them pertinent information regarding the details of the offense. The Germans planned the attack in Kursk well; they build a defense stretching 250-300 kilometers from west to east (Caidin 74). Yet the fierce resistance of the Russian army forced the Germans to give up long stretches of held ground and before long they had retreated in Dnieper so that instead of pushing inland in the eastern front they were repelled to the west (Overy 2000). Needles to say, the Soviet Supreme Command was victorious in the battle at Kursk and were now preparing to liberate Soviet territories that were overtaken by the Germans in the south. In 1943, two-thirds of those German occupied territories were liberated and slowly but surely the Russians were now pushing the battles towards the west, approaching the borders of other German conquered nations. The Russian offensive would eventually take them to Berlin (Perry 705). Yet Hitler’s potential to conquer Russia was big at first especially if he drove straight to Moscow, the heart of Russia, instead of maneuvering down to the south after he already incurred severe Russian losses. Winning Russia at his side would greatly increase his capacity to dominate all of Europe and remove the Russian threat. However, his mistaken military diversions in Russia had needlessly plunged his troops to face the Russian winter in summer clothing and made him lose war resources. The Soviet Union also had other advantages. The advantage of the Soviet Union to other nations in times of battle is that it is a big country of large army and fierce winter that can stop its enemies in their tracks. Instead of expanding its power, it is in the battle in the eastern front that Germany suffered it severest losses, for they had deployed millions of men there along with thousands of tanks. The Soviet Union was in fact the place where Hitler gambled in the war.   It is estimated that 80% of German casualties was incurred in the battle in the eastern front which   stretches 1000 miles (Perry 703).   Historians were unanimous in declaring World War II was won in the east (Overy 2000). Many historians agree that as long as Hitler was not in war with Russia, he had options and possibilities of winning the Second World War. And even if he did invade Russia, he should have gone to Moscow directly and convinced the Russian people that he was going to liberate them from Stalin’s communism but as such, he was already known for Nazi brutality (Perry 703).

Research Paradigms and Concepts of Ontology and Epistemology

Research Paradigms and Concepts of Ontology and Epistemology Chapter 2: Research Methodology This chapter of our thesis will illustrate the methodology that was undertaken in order to conduct our research. This chapter is further divided into two sections. In 1st section of the chapter we will discuss theoretical methodology. It includes research philosophy, research approach and research strategy. In 2nd section of the chapter we will discuss practical methodology. It includes choice of the subject, preconception, perspective, literature, data collection and sampling of methods. Here we will not only describe the methods that are opted during our research process but also try to explain and justify why they are preferred over the alternatives methods that are available. 2.1: Theoretical methodology 2.1.1 Research philosophy During a business research it is imperative to think about different research paradigms and theme of ontology and epistemology. These research paradigms represent a parameter that controls the research carry out from research design to the conclusion and recommendations of the research. Thats why it is of great significance to understand these features in order to move in harmonious manner and actions leading towards unambiguous investigation and making sure that researcher biasnesses are minimized (Flower, 2009, p 1). 2.1.1.1 Epistemological Choice â€Å"Epistemological issue concerns with the question of what or should be regarded as acceptable knowledge in a discipline†.(Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 16). Eriksson and Kovalainen describe epistemology as â€Å"what knowledge is and what are the sources and limits of knowledge† (Eriksson and Kovalainen, 2008). It is important that the given piece of knowledge is studied in the relative manner. Epistemology is further divided into positivism, interpretivism and realism. Positivism: Positivism is the resultant of research in natural science where a hypothesis is tested that is derived from a prevailing theory. Positivism emphasizes that true and reliable knowledge is that which stands upon logic, practical experience and affirmative authentication. â€Å"The purpose of theory is to generate hypotheses that can be tested and that will be thereby allow explanations of laws to be assessed†(Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 16). Positivism is generally linked with quantitative research where one selects a theory and piece of knowledge, then collects data and interprets it and hence proves the hypothesis to be true or not. â€Å"The researcher seeking to adopt a decided positivist stance exercises choice of the study, the research objective to pursue and the data to be collected† (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 114). It is believed that the positivist researcher will use structured methodology with the aim of producing replicability. Interpretivism Interpretivism is a stance contrary to positivism and is also known as anti-positivism. Philosophers of social science believe that subject matter of a research in a social science that is undertaken upon some individuals and personals or institutions are different from that of the natural science (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 17). According to Saunders et al., (2009) phenomenology and symbolic interactionism are the two intellectual traditions that interpretivism comes from. â€Å"Phenomenology refers to way in which we as humans make sense of the world around us. In symbolic interactionism we are in continual process of interpreting the social world around us in that we interpret the actions of others with whom we interact and this interpretation leads adjustment of our own meaning and actions† (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 116). Realism: Realism is another branch of epistemology that is similar in nature to positivism. According to this philosophic position reality does exist independently of the human realization. There are two main types of realism. Bryman Bell, 2007 named them empirical realism and critical realism. Whereas Saunders et al., 2009 name them as direct realism and critical realism. Main difference among critical and direct realism is that critical realism claims that our knowledge is developed in two phases. Firts there is an object and substance we see and experience trough our senses and in second phase process goes on after the senses receive the sensations. Whereas direct realism claims first phase is enough and what we see is what we get (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 117). In epistemological consideration of our research we take the positivist position. The reason behind selection of positivist stance is what we studied in the literature we develop a hypothesis on the basis of prevailing theories and in our empirical findings we will test this hypothesis for acceptation or rejection. What we are going to study is the usefulness of banks internal evaluation model (CAMELS) with respect to external credit rating models such as PACRA and Moodys. Another reason behind selection of this stance is the use of secondary data and positivism is usually linked with researches that are quantitative in nature such as statistical tools and figures. 2.1.1.2 Ontology: This pillar of the research paradigm deals with the nature of social entities and realities. This raises the question of â€Å"whether social entities can and should be considered objective entities that have reality external to the social factors, or whether they can and should be considered social construction build up from the perception and actions of the social actors† (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 17). Above we discussed two aspects of ontology, are known as objectivism and constructivism respectively. In ontological consideration, our research thesis is objectivist in nature. For empirical finding of our thesis we will use statistical tools such as financial ratios. The result provided by these ratios will be rated on the scale of 1 to 5 based on the issued ranking system of CAMELS rating model. Then we will compare the result provided by CAMELS rating model with the issued ratings of PACRA rating agency of the same period of time. So it is obvious from our choice of ontological consideration that the research will be free from every sort of biasness of the authors. 2.1.2 Research Approach: At this stage of a research one has to decide on the basis of chosen theory thats is either learnt or contained in the literature that he/she will follow a deductive approach or inductive approach. In deductive approach one develops a hypothesis from the theory and devises research strategy to test the hypothesis to accept or reject it. Whereas in inductive approach one has to collect data, analyze it and develop theory based on the result of analyzed data (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 124). 2.1.2.1 Deductive approach: This approach represents characteristics of the correlation among theory and research. On the basis of gained knowledge that may be inferred from the theoretical reflection about the research field, one assumes a hypothesis that will be observed in empirical analysis (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 14). According to Robson (2002, cited in Saunders et al., 2009, p. 124) deductive research goes through 5 steps. First develop a hypothesis from a theory, second express the hypothesis in operational terms, third is hypothesis testing, fourth analyzes the particular result of the inquiry and in the fifth and final stage verifies or modifies the theory on base of your findings. Collection of quantitative data is an important characteristic of deductive approach although it may use qualitative data some times. In deductive approach highly structured methodology is implemented to assist replication to guarantee reliability. Generalization is another important characteristic of deductive approach (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 124-125). 2.1.2.1 Inductive approach: In inductive approach theory is developed on the basis of research observations. Researchers in inductive approach are predominantly concerned with the events that are actually taking place and deal with the small sample as against the large number in deductive approach. Researchers most likely use qualitative data in this approach. Structure of the research in inductive approach is more flexible as less generalized as compared to highly structured methodology and generalized characteristics of deductive approach (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 126-127). In our research we will use deductive approach and not the inductive approach. The primary reason behind selection of this approach is correlation among the theory and hypothesis. On the basis of studied literature and constructed theoretical frame work we have derived a hypothesis. Our thesis findings will lead us towards the acceptation or rejection of hypothesis which is superiority of banks internal evaluation models with respect to external rating agencies models. As we know that deductive approach is highly structured methodology so our thesis will follow the predefined structure.. 2.1.3 Research strategy: According to Bryman Bell, 2007 â€Å"by research strategy, we simply mean a general orientation to the conduct of business research†. Two separate clusters of research strategy are qualitative and quantitative research. Both quantitative and qualitative researches are different from each other not only on the basis of quantification and measurement of the result but also on the basis of epistemological and ontological foundations (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 28). 2.1.3.1 Quantitative research: Quantitative research is mostly used in deductive approach where the aim of the study is to test a hypothesis for proving a theory. In quantitative research analysis of the result is mostly in numbers and quantify. Another characteristic of quantitative research is size of the sample is very large. Quantitative research is subject to a very low level of biasness in the interpretation from the researchers as statistical tools are used for analysis of the results. Quantitative research is more generalizable. Quantitative research is more positivist in nature when it comes to epistemological orientation. While in ontological orientation quantitative research is objectivist in nature (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 28). According to Bryman Bell, 2007 quantitative research have 11 steps. Steps mentioned by them in their book Business research methodsare as follow 1st Theory, 2nd Hypothesis, 3rd Research design, 4th Devise measures of concepts, 5th select research site, 6th select research subjec t / respondent, 7th administer research instruments / collect data, 8th Process data, 9th Analyze data, 10th finding and conclusion and 11th is write up findings and conclusions. Fig 2.2 Based on the idea from Bryman Bell, 2007 the process of quantitative research. 2.1.3.2 Qualitative research Qualitative research is the contrast of the quantitative research in almost every aspect. Qualitative method is mostly used in inductive research where emphasis is on the generation of a theory that is based upon research observation. Analysis of the qualitative research is based upon the words and statements and mostly in textual form. Qualitative research is more interpretivist in nature when it comes to epistemological orientation. While in ontological orientation qualitative research is constructivist in nature. Size of the sample in qualitative research is small. Researcher in the qualitative research requires special skills for the interpretations of the results. Contrary to quantitative research, qualitative research is less generalizable and very low level of replicability. (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 28). Below is differentiation chart of quantitative and qualitative research based on different research aspects. Research Aspect Quantitative Research Qualitative Research Scientific Method Deductive Inductive Nature of reality Objectivist Constructivist Research objective Description, explanation and prediction Description, exploratory and discovery Nature of observation Narrow angle focus lens Wide angle focus lens Form of data Quantitative data Qualitative data Sample Size Large sample Small sample Data analysis Statistical tools Search for patterns, themes and holistic features Results General findings Particular findings Conclusion Statistical report Narrative report Self made chart based on the studied books and articles. In our research thesis we will use quantitative research strategy instead of qualitative research. Selection of quantitative research strategy is based upon number of arguments other than presentation of result in numerics and figures. As in epistemology consideration our research is positivist in nature and in ontological consideration we has opted the stance of objectivist, this is another reason for our selection of quantitative research. Our research is basically concerned with numbers and use of statistical tools to measure and analyze these numbers and figures. We have selected deductive approach which is usually related with quantitative research strategy and we argued about its selection in previous section. So keeping in mind our research question and objective we selected this strategy that will be appropriate and will guide us though out our research process. 2.1.4 Nature of Research The relationship between events or factors is often described, examine, and explain by the researchers. The research can either be descriptive, explanatory, exploratory or predictive nature. Nature of the research totally depends on research question. In descriptive research the researcher tries to identify or describe the events. For example in descriptive research if the question is â€Å"What is the present or past state of events?† for this the researcher selects the representative sampling of the people. Whereas explanatory research is for events to be explain by the researcher and look for fundamental reasons. Explanatory research is also referred to interpretive research. For example the researcher conducts explanatory research if they ask â€Å"Why have these events happened in the manner they did?†Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Or â€Å"What are the implications of these events occurring as they have? (Rubin et al, 2010, 198)†. Exploratory research is a type of research when researcher is unable to find any or very few prior studies about the research question. Exploratory study aspire researcher to look for the ideas, Patterns, or hypothesis, instead of testing or verifying a theory. In exploratory research typical techniques are used here researcher comprises observation, case studies, and previous studies. In this type of research the researcher uses both qualitative and quantitative data. Exploratory research totally focuses on achieving the imminent and acquaintance with the subject area to examine at later stage (Collis Hussey, 2009, p. 6). Predictive research advances one step further than explanatory research. Aim of the study is to create justification for what is happening in particular circumstances. Predictive researchis concerned with the anticipation of a possibility of some occurrence. Aim of predictive research is to generalize the investigation by forecasting some phenomena on the foundation of hypothesized, general relationships. Henc e we can say that solution provided by a predictive research in a particular situation can be applicable to some other problems of similar nature, provided that the solution is valid (Collis Hussey, 2009, p. 6). Nature of our research is exploratory in nature as we didnt find any previous research work on the same research problem. There are some articles and thesis that reflects the usage of camels rating model framework on any particular or limited number of banks. As in our research we will try to investigate the superiority of banks internal rating models with respect to external credit rating agencies, we found no research work in this particular field. Our research will open a new window of research in the field of banking rating systems. 2.1.5 Time horizon of research: Time horizon of research plays a very significant role for both authors of the research and readers of the research. From researchers point of view it is important to understand that what type and quality of data they are collecting for the research and how easily it can be collected. Some time it is very difficult and time consuming to collect the data spread over long period of time. From readers point of view time horizon of the research is of great importance as it shows credibility and quality of the research observations. According to Sunders et al. 2009 time horizon of the research can be divided into two types; cross-sectional research and longitudinal research (Saunders et al.2009, p. 155). 2.1.5.1 Longitudinal study Longitudinal study is such type of a research in which same sample of population is observed over a longer period of time. Longitudinal research is a type of observational research in which the subjects are observed without manipulations and hence can be argued that it has less potential to detect cause and effects relationships of variables as do by the experimental studies. In longitudinal research, researchers have the opportunity to observe changes and improvement that took place over the period of time (Lindborg Ohlsson, 2009, p. 15). 2.1.5.2 Cross-sectional study Cross-sectional research is a study of sample observations or of a population in which a researcher makes her/his study and get result for a short period of time or on a single occasion. From the population researcher takes sample and within that sample he/she distribute the variables, and sometime the variables which are predict and designated on the bases of reasonable information which he/she gets from other sources. Descriptive and exploratory studies are frequently cross-sectional. For example a single survey of a country to describe the population of the specific country at a given time. Cross-sectional study is also very close to explanatory studies. A researcher conducts a survey on national base to examine the nation problem at a given time (Hulley et al, 2007, p.109).   Keeping in mind above arguments about longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, we can easily say that our research is a cross-sectional study. As in our thesis we will manipulate one year annual financial reports for the year ended on 31st Dec 2010, and all 17 banks belongs from Pakistan. It would be of great significance to use annual reports of more than only year but the problem is at the same time we need to collect published credit ratings of banks for the same year and that was very difficult to collets as most banks do not keep their old records of ratings. As we discussed above that cross-sectional studies are mostly exploratory or descriptive in nature and our research is also exploratory in nature. 2.2 Practical Methodology: Selection of the research topic: Both authors of the thesis come from Islamic Republic of Pakistan where banking industry is on the boom despite of the general economic turmoil. As far as our educational background is concerned, one of the authors has done of BBA (Hons) with major in Finance and second author has done MBA with major in Finance, in which we studied several courses about banking and finance. This was the point where our interest was developed in the field of banking. Now being the students of Master in Finance, keeping in view our future professional careers in the field of banking and finance, we choose this research topic. As our research is focusing on CAMELS rating model that takes into account 6 important component of banking industry, it will give us better understanding and knowledge about performance of banking industry particularly in Pakistan. Another reason behind selection of this research topic is our personal curiosity about the ratings of the banks particularly in Pakistan. Preconception: Preconception about the research topic is quite important as it develops interest of the researcher and involves him neutrally in the topic. Both authors of the thesis worked as an internee in conventional bank in Pakistan after completion of their studies and have gained some practical experience of banking. In our practical experiences we observed that not all of above but some of these factors that are addressed in ratings models are of great importance for better performance of the banks. Perspective: Perspective provides point of view about the chosen field of study from several angles with different aspects, providing a pool of options from which the most suitable one is to be selected while keeping in mind your research question and purpose. Our thesis is based upon the superiority of CAMELS rating model results with respect to external rating agencies; we will be looking at it from internal point of view of the banks and their regulatory authorities. But it readers can also be external users such as rating agencies and will be useful for them as well. Data Collection Method: For any type of research study data collection is an important aspect. Data is the source from where researchers can get relevant information to answer the research questions. To gather applicable information researchers use primary and secondary data as a sources. Primary data is collected or perceived straight from the first time experience. Or we can say that data collected for the first time particularly for this research problem. The sources contained in primary data are questionnaires, observations, social surveys, experiments and interviews. On the other hand secondary data is published and the data collected by someone else in the past. We use the published and collected data by someone else to solve our problems but the problem might be different from others. The sources from which we can collect secondary data are articles, books, journals, and web-based data (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005, p. 91-102). Theoretical framework of our study that is based upon secondary data, we read all relevant literature to our study that gave us full knowledge and beneficial understanding of our research questions. On the basis of this further study should be conducted. Findings of our research are totally dependent upon secondary. Findings of our research are complex in nature but our secondary data will help us to achieve this objective. The electronic search engine is the main source in our study we used Umeà ¥ University electronic library, Google search, electronic books; we also use printed materials like books. Literature studied: Access to the relevant and authentic literature for a researcher is of great importance. It provides basis for the researcher to build upon the theoretical frame work of a chosen field of study and research design (Brayman Bell, 2007, p. 94). In the beginning of our research we studied some articles regarding the financial crises caused by the collapse of leading financial institutions of that time and banking industry of Pakistan afterwards we collected some articles and books through university archives database and internet search about research methods to construct research methodology chapter of our thesis and to guide us throughout our thesis. Articles are mostly collected from journals of Banking and Finance, journal of international banking regulation and the review of financial studies accessed through university provided logins on its database. It is a difficult task to gather relevant articles as one comes across so many articles that look relevant but they are not in rea l. We also studied some online books that are available via different websites such as www.book.google.com. We also gathered some material such as brochures and working papers about the procedures and methods used for ratings of financial institutions form rating agencies websites including SPs, PACRA, and regulatory authorities such as Basel and SBoP. The collected materials provide us better understanding and capabilities to work in the field rating systems.   Sampling: Sample is a subset of whole population that is selected to represent the population in any specific research to perform statistical inferences and to make judgments about the whole population on the basis of selected sample. For researchers it is very important to select appropriate sample from population to make inferences. There are two primary reasons why researchers select a sample for their research instead of studying the whole population, 1st it is very costly and 2nd is the time limitation for a research. According to Bryman Bell, sample is a fragment of population chosen for examination or research. Talking in a broader sense there are basically two types of sampling approaches: Probability and non probability approach (Bryman Bell, 2007, p. 182). Probability sampling is an approach in which each and every unit of population has equal chance of being selected in the sample and their probability of selection is greater than â€Å"0†. This is the most suitable approach that eliminates bias in sample selection and reduces sampling error. Simple random sampling, systematic or interval random sampling, stratified sampling and cluster sampling are some types of probability sampling (Brayman Bell, 2007, p. 182). Whereas on the other side non probability sampling is an approach in which probability of selection of elements is not known or some elements of the population have no chance to be selected as a sample. Referral (Snow ball) sample, quota sample, criteria sample, homogeneous sample, critical sample and matched sample are the types of non-probability sampling. Referral sampling method is also knows as snow ball sampling. This type of sampling procedure is used when it is difficult to find subjects or samples for the research. In this type of a research sample we cannot identify our sample in advance and important consideration is to find initial subjects and informants. From initial subjects we can ask to identify further subjects for our research sample and the process continues to go on like a snow ball (Swisher, 2010, p.1). In Quota samplingpopulation is first divided into subgroups based on some criteria and then subjects are selected as a sample from each group. Quota sampling can be further divided in two sub groups known as proportional and non proportional quota sampling. In proportional quota sampling, sample of every sub group of population is represented by its proportional weight age of the population. Where as in non proportional quota sampling a limit of minimum numbers of sample subjects are set as a standard and are not nec essary to represent its proportion in the population. It only has to justify that the chosen sample is able enough to represent a small group in a population. Heterogeneity sampling is a procedure when we select sample for our research that will represent every group of thought or variables of the population, on the other hand Homogeneous sampling is a procedure of sampling when we want to study about some specific factors or variables and their effect on the outcome that represent the population (Trochin, William, 2006).   Criteria sampling is a procedure to select sample from the population that is based upon some specified and thoughtful criteria. Criteria set by the researchers fulfilled by any subject that represents the population should be included in the sample and any subject fail to meet the criteria is not included in sample that will represent the population (Swisher, 2010, p.4). To make a sample for our research we have selected criteria sampling method. As we are working on the CAMELS rating model and its replicability to the results of the external credit rating agencies published ratings, so for that we have to work upon banks annual financial reports. Our criteria for the banks to be included as a sample is the availability of their audited annual financial reports for the year ended 31st Dec 2010. Total population of number of banks operating in Pakistan is 38. Out of 38 banks 5 banks are Islamic commercial banks and operating on Sharia standards that is to great extent different from commercial banks system. CAMELS rating model is designed for conventional banks and its applicability on Islamic banks is argued by several authors but contradicted by others. So for this particular reason we did not include Islamic banks in our sample. There are 6 foreign banks operating with in Pakistan as subsidiaries of other multinational banks, and these banks prepar e their annual financial reports and submit it in their Head offices that further add up in their consolidate annul reports. So there were some complications in collection of their annual reports and its interpretation. Because of this reason we did not include these foreign banks as our sample for our thesis. Further on searching for the annual audited financial reports of the banks, we find out that till date 10 banks did not published or announced their annual financial reports. As these banks did not meet with the predefined criteria of availability of their annual financial reports, they are also excluded and are not part of our sample. At the end we are left behind with 17 banks and their audited annual financial reports, so our sample includes 17 commercial banks from Pakistan.