Perks of Being a Wallflower Context Analysis Essay Example

Perks of Being a Wallflower Context Analysis Essay The Perks of Being a Wall? ower: Context Analysis Paper ! Stephen Chbosky, a 29 year-old ? lm director and screenwriter published his ? rst semi-autobiographical novel in 1991, The Perks of Being a Wall? ower. He later directed the movie in 2011 and released it in October 2012. The central theme of the story revolves around the struggle to understand the terrible things that inevitably happen to those we love and to ourselves. It unfolds through a series of letters written by the main character, Charlie, addressed to us, the reader, that detail his painful yet joyous freshman year of high school. Chbosky frames the ? m only loosely in this way, preferring showing over telling — we never see Charlie talking to the camera. The novel has been a â€Å"backlist staple for the publisher, consistently selling between 70,000 and 100,000 copies in paper each year through the outlets recorded by Nielsen BookScan† (C. J. , 2012). According to Anthony Ziccardi, v-p and deputy publi sher of Simon Schuster, â€Å"it has always been a big seller in the college market. † The movie tie-in edition, with the lead actors on the front cover, sells just as frequently as the original. It’s do doubt that the rhetor of Perks of Being a Wall? wer hit success with his novel, but the movie proves to do the same. ! This striking theme and complex plot of a typical, teen â€Å"problem† story doesn’t dwell on a divorce or accidental pregnancy. This story has â€Å"developed a cult following it† as a teen reader responds how it does more, â€Å"it reminded me of me and my friends, totally and completely† (Spitz, 1999). The ? lm functions similarly. It’s unique yet edgy, which makes it different and relatable at the same time. Even though Chbosky studied ? lm speci? cally, his ? rst novel was a huge success. This single literary work in erotic ? ction transforms marvelously onto the big screen. We will write a custom essay sample on Perks of Being a Wallflower Context Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Perks of Being a Wallflower Context Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Perks of Being a Wallflower Context Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I think that his ? lm background is largely to thank for this. Not many writers can direct their own movies. Chbosky’s young age and talent allow him to reach a young adult audience in a way many cannot. I believe that he created this work of rhetoric, the ? lm as well as the novel, to portray a stark realness to the story of a coming-of-age 15 year-old boy where so many can relate. ! Mr. Mudd Productions, producers of Juno, sought to hire Chbosky to create the ?lm adaption. The producers of the ? lm, John Malkovich, Lianna Halfon, and Russell Smith then hired him to write the adapted screenplay and to direct the ? lm. Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller starred in the ? lm. The production even waited for Emma Watson to ? nish with Harry Potter before beginning. The ? lm was shot in the Pittsburgh area from May 9, to June 29, 2011 and set in the early 1990s. A few scenes from the characters’ adventures with the The Rocky Horror Picture Show were ? lmed at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont. Chbosky had seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show when he was younger in that theater and found out it was reopening, so requested to rent it for ? lming (Fischer, 2011). ! Interestingly, the novel was semi-autobiographical. In an interview with Tara Aquino, Chbosky explains that it was always intended to become a movie and â€Å"thought of the title 21 years ago† (Aquino, 2012). Though it was always his plan to write a produce a great narrative, what made him begin writing in the ? rst place was initially a bad break up. He needed something to give himself hope. Charlie, the main character, struggled similarly in trying to answer the question of why good people allow themselves to be treated less than what they deserve. Throughout the writing process, Chbosky was able to ? nd a better place. The audience is coming-of-age young adults. He was able to hit his audience perfectly. So many people still come up to him and let him know how much the books helped them in hard times to not feel alone. That reward alone is enough Chbosky claimed and helps him â€Å"feel far more connected to people than he ever did† (Aquino, 2012). Though many producers wanted to take over the adaption of The Perks of Being a Wall? ower, Chbosky couldn’t let it go. The casting was very important to Chbosky, because he wanted not only people that reminded him of his own life but also generous and real people. He met with Emma Watson once and knew she was a perfect character for Sam, exploring the wilder side of herself. The main character, cast as Logan Lerman, is actually really con? dent in real life. Chbosky wanted to have him audition as Patrick at ? rst, be Lerman knew he wanted Charlie. Finally, Ezra Miller’s charismatic personality put him as Patrick. ! Stephen Chbosky and Logan Lerman certainly shared a bond. Chbosky put a lot of faith in Lerman to embody a character that Chbosky sees in himself. He said their relationship developed quickly and evolved over time. He recalls a photograph of the two of their backs, and â€Å"what’s amazing is—I had no idea this was happening—we both have roughly the same posture, and we started to meld. I don’t know if he was getting things from me or if it was just a natural kind  of camaraderie, but it de? nitely happened† (Aquino, 2012). Chbosky even remembers how special it was on the set for these actors who have never had a proper prom or graduation to experience these things on and off-screen. Chbosky shared one of the most locations of ? lming with the three cast members the ? rst night of ? lming. He took them through the Fort Pitt Tunnel which brought them closer â€Å"but also made them understand [his] vision for the movie and how beautiful [he] felt the movie was† (Aquino, 2012). I think this is an extremely mportant moment for Chbosky in really expressing what the story of The Perks of Being a Wall? ower means to him by letting the kids feel it for themselves. Watching the actors come together and be there for each other in the short time they had for ? lming really gave him a sense of contentment that they were becoming the characters he remember s years ago during his hard, yet joyous days. I believe that all young adults who have either read the book or watched the ? lm can connect with these characters. Chbosky’s number one goal was to help people with or without friends not feel so alone. The actors played a huge role in the ? m’s success for achieving that by staying true to Chbosky’s vision in the novel and carrying over its dif? cult and confusing reality to the big screen. ! As mentioned before, the novel earned great success, before and after the ? lm. Entertainment Weekly gave the ? lm of an average ‘B’ rating. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, Amy Biancolli, applauds the ? lm for steering away from â€Å"following certain narrative conventions so closely, that we think we know what’s coming around every bend. With The Perks of Being a Wall? ower, when something different hits us, the impact leaves a bruise† (Biancolli, 2012). This ? lm ? nds an unexpected freshness in the old cliches by remaining attentive to all that happens within and between unhappy teenagers. One of the ? lm’s major critiques is that it isn’t strong on plot — all of the energy and likability doesn’t sustain the movies second half, which tries to present wishful fantasies as sort of realistic developments. Also, the lead character is frustratingly passive at times. Sometimes an inexperienced ? lmmaker can use a helping hand from his cast. Luckily, Stephen Chbosky got that from Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller and Emma Watson in the adaptation of the popular novel. This was only Chbosky’s second time in the director’s chair, and like his main character, he’s a little unsteady on his feet. I think this in an interesting comparison, because thanks to Chbosky’s stars, the ? lm — like the book — sets itself apart from other comedy-drama coming-of-age ? lms as a smartly observed study of a troubled teens ? rst year in high school. When Charlie is distant, the camera remains as a ? y on wall. As he becomes more engaged, the camera draws closer to him and his friends, creating real intimacy between viewer and characters. The ? m, just like the novel, succeeds so well because of the connection and relation between Chbosky and his characters. So though Chbosky is new to the industry, in a way, the ? lm is able to develop better because of that. Also, the ? lm lacks necessary creativity to be considered a classic. NY Daily News says that, â€Å"though the ? lm is set in early ’90s Pittsburgh, it’s lacking the creative details required of a classic. And the ones we do get tend to feel off: Would Sam and Patrick, vinyl devotees who adore The Smiths, really be so entranced by Dexys Midnight Runners and so mysti? d by David Bowie? † Other than lacking experience and a few creative details, critiques commend Chbosky on recreating a unique narrative on the pleasures of friendship and the wisdom gained from adolescent misery. ! Stephen Chbosky, the semi-autobiographical writer and director of The Perks of Being a Wall? ower, creates an artifact worth watching. This being his ? rst novel and second time as a director, the 29 year-old produces the novel and ? lm to reach a troubled young adult audience to remind them that they are not alone. He does so by closely selecting his characters for the ? m adaption and, more so, mirroring his central character’s emotional state. Chbosky primary mission succeeds: To show how loneliness can become companionship, and to acknowledge that by surviving together, we can rise above adolescent despair. The Perks of Being a Wall? ower has a kind quality almost unheard of in American movies of this genre.

Concepts of Speculative Fiction Essays

Concepts of Speculative Fiction Essays Concepts of Speculative Fiction Essay Concepts of Speculative Fiction Essay Speculative fiction is a unique, amazing and awesome way to portray a piece of fiction, speculative fiction is a piece with many different genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, science fantasy, and superhero fiction. Speculative fiction takes our existing world and things and turns it into a whole new and different world that doesnt actually exist, usually speculative fiction has a purpose or a goal that the author want to portray. It turns it into a what if question. So what if you were 7’5ft? What if you had unlimited money? Many questions exist in this form and if the what if questions that put that exiting spin and different story lines on that piece of fiction. The Raven looks into universal issues because the main character is sad or mourning a loss of his wife that died recently and this led him to hear voices, and talking to a raven. People have the exact same issues and they experience the same thing as this because when they lose someone they wake up with the same kind of feeling or when they are really stressed out about an issue. When people lose someone or are under real bad stress they turn to drugs or some other form of painkiller, alcohol, etc. It doesnt tell us but he may also be on some form of drug but it does not tell us if he is or not. This could be considered a universal issue because so many people turn to those things. The author Allen Poe shows the weaknesses of society in todays world and makes us think about the way that we cope with losing something or being stressed out over something. It might not affect everybody, but most people if not all have had this experience and it they had to or will deal with the same pr oblem that Allen had to deal with. Allen Poe used very specific language to show the reader what he means; the reader has to focus on what he wants them to understand. He uses language or text that in todays world isnt usually used and it seems different to

Tax burden on the middle class Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tax burden on the middle class - Thesis Example The seemingly unfair rich-poor balance in the state and local taxes has spurred discussions across different economic forums. Such imbalance has contributed immensely to the regressive tax system evident in many states. The tax burden is huge on the middle-class and low-class. The research utilized existing literature to find out whether the middle-class paid more tax than the upper-class and the lower-class taxpayers. Specifically, scholarly journals that had analyzed the topic were critical to the research. Additionally, recent reports from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy were used in the research. The data is presented in the tables and graphs. The tax systems levy more taxes on the middle-class taxpayers than they do on the upper-class counterparts. A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy indicated that many state tax systems tend to charge the low-and middle-income families a higher tax rate than the upper class counterparts. According to the study, the imbalance has contributed to the widening income inequality gap in which the middle and low-income households feel the negative implications of differential taxation rates. The poorest twenty percent of the low-income earners pay approximately 10.9 percent of their income to the local and state taxes (Davis et al 3). Similarly, the middle twenty percent of the US citizens contribute 9.4 percent of their income towards the tax. On the other hand, the rich taxpayers pay a mere 5.4 percent of their income to the local and state taxes (Davis et al 3). Notably, the tax systems burden the middle-class, as well as, the lower class at the expense of the wealthy t axpayers. However, taxation system in California has attempted to balance tax rates among the three classes. In California, the poorest citizens pay 10.5 percent, while the top one percent residents contribute 8.7 percent (Davis et al 21). Nonetheless, the tax rate gap is arguably wide. The

Genesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Genesis - Essay Example First, man was made in the image of God as a proof that God has the ability to make decisions. This characteristic can also be seen in humans, as they have the ability to make decisions. This is an exceptional characteristic that is evident in humans. On one hand, humans have the freewill to make decisions, without any obligation from other animals. However, all the other creatures on the earth surface do not have such characteristics, as they are bound by nature. Similarly, creation of man in the image of God enhances the creativity of the Supreme Being. Humans have the ability to be creative in a number of aspects. Apparently, this aspect gave humans control over other creatures on the surface of the earth, since they lack such a character. In addition to this, humans have the mental and social capability, which is enhanced through speech. When looking at the book of Genesis, God communicated through speech. Since the word of God was immensely powerful, all the creation was made th rough spoken words. Ultimately, God gave man the ability to speak. This shows common characteristics in man and God. Making man in the image of God redeems human beings from the animal world. According to the story of creation, God is in ultimate control of all creation2. He has control over all activities, animals, plants and any other creation. However, after creating man in his image, God gave man control over the other creatures on the earth’s surface3. In essence, man was instated as the supreme control over all the creation on earth. This shows that God gave man the power to take care of all the creation, which is in resemblance of His character. Man was created in the image of God, which denotes the righteousness and innocence of God. As a fact, God is holy and supreme being with a moral compass. Initially, Adam was created as â€Å"very

To what extent can global geopolitics in the period since 1989 be Essay

To what extent can global geopolitics in the period since 1989 be described as a 'clash of civilisations' - Essay Example Between the 1940s and 1989, global citizens were held hostage to recurring conflict between the world’s two largest superpowers which never reached a full militaristic situation as a result of both superpower’s capability to impose mass destruction against the other (Gaddis 56). However, since 1989, many states have developed more technological capacity and economic strength, making powers other than the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc more influential in geopolitics. Since 1989, more geopolitical power spread throughout emerging militaristic and economically-sound states has changed the dynamics of political relationships throughout the world. This essay explores the Gulf War, theory regarding global capitalism and U.S. unipolarity to describe how geopolitics, today, has led to a clash of civilisations. Between 1980 and 1988, Iraq had been engaged in a lengthy war against Iran, sparked by unsettled border disputes between the two nations. Iraq, a once-wealthy and prosperous nation, was witnessing its economic strength diminishing as a result of continuously funding a costly military effort against its rival. During this war, Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil producers, began to fear that if Iran won this conflict, it would create an Iran hegemony that would ultimately threaten national security of Saudi Arabia and its oil-related revenues. Saudi Arabia had loans $26 billion USD to Iraq as a dual effort to ensure that the Shia in Iran would not gain substantial political power. Kuwait, another oil rich nation, had also loaned Iraq $14 billion USD to assist Iraq in its military objectives against Iran. By 1990, Kuwait refused to simply forgive this $14 billion dollar loan even though Iraq was convinced that the eight year-long war had achieved an oppression of Iran’s growing strength (Watson, George, Tsouras and Cyr 61). The Saudis, additionally, placed considerable pressure on Iraq to begin loan

Marketing plan and analysis of Al Hilal foods

Marketing plan and analysis of Al Hilal foods The brand has great opportunity to grow in cities other than Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad and Multan as they have created much credibility in big cities of Pakistan. 11 Also it has opportunity to GO GLOBAL. Customers outside Pakistan have more loyal behavior towards Pakistani products so there is a chance for this brand to grow globally. 11 Threats: 11 3.Understand the construction of a marketing plan 12 3.1 Produce the marketing plan for your organization 12 Executive summary: 12 Current market situation: 13 SWOT analysis: 13 Objectives and issues: 14 Marketing strategy: 14 Action programs: 15 Controls: 15 3.2 Risk in marketing plan and Mitigation strategies: 15 Risks: 15 Mitigation strategies: 15 3.3 Importance of each component of the plan: 16 4.Understand to Promote the Marketing Plan in Support of Strategic Objectives 16 4.1 How the plan supports strategic objective: 16 Plans of Fresher and their support to objectives: 16 4.2 Outline an approach to gain agreement of the marketing plan: 17 5.Conclusion 17 6.References 19 Introduction to Al-Hilal Foods Al-Hilal foods is a Pakistani company owned by Mr. Ch. Farrukh Sattar. The organization exited about 10 to 15 years ago. At that time it made only one product line i-e Sultan Ghee. After flourishing in that field it introduced its new product line i-e 100% pure juices a brand named as FRESHER in 2009. The brand flourished in just one year through WORD OF MOUTH marketing strategy and gave a tough competition to other big brands like Nestle, Minute Maid etc. Al-Hilal is listed a listed company. Fresher was first introduced in 5 flavors that are Mango Guava Peach Strawberry Orange After fabulous success of these all flavors Fresher introduced a new flavor called FALSA. As Fresher gained success within period of only one year they introduced new brands in 2010 names BOOMER and COOLER. Boomer is a fizzy drink and has 3 flavors Orange Lemon Cola While Cooler has 4 flavors that are Apple Orange Pineapple Grapes The Fresher company is working hard day by and moving forward in the field of 100% pure juices. Mission: Their mission is to promote locally. Vision: Their vision is prosperity of Pakistan. ( Ref. 7) Understand How The Marketing Plan Supports Strategic Objective 2.1 Explain how the strategy of your organization Impacts Upon marketing planning: Strategy: Strategy is a long term actions/plans which are made by some organization to achieve their peculiar targets/goals. (Ref- 1) According to Michael Porter the strategy is all about the mixture of different activities which are differentiated from competitors to pronounce unique mix of value. To him its all about differentiating yourself from customers as well as competitors. (Ref-2) Without a strategy the organization is like a ship without a rudder, going around in circles Joel Ross Michael Kami Marketing strategy: A marketing strategy is a process or model to allow a company or organization to focus limited resources on the best opportunities to increase sales and thereby achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. (Ref-3) The set of objectives which an organization allocates to its marketing function in order to support the overall corporate strategy, together with the broad methods to achieve these objectives Chartered institutes of marketing The above two examples show that , marketing strategy is actually the strategy that support overall corporate and which a company has to use efficiently to market its products on best opportunities while converging the limited resources to achieve its goal. Marketing planning: Marketing planning is a logical sequence and a series of activities leading to the setting of marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them (Ref-4) Now we can interrelate all the above terms with the help of diagram below. Business Goals Market Strategy Marketing Mix Marketing Plan The above diagram shows that an organization has to set business goals which are actually the target of company or mission statement. The next level comes of marketing strategy which is esteemed rule that company has acquired to market their products. After establishing the market strategy company moves forward towards marketing mix in which it define the whole marketing mix i-e Product, Pricing, Place and Distribution. Afterwards the process of writing of marketing plans comes in which company has to describe the whole market activities which are used to acquire business goals. (Ref-3) 2.2 Impacts of strategy on marketing planning: Under this heading the strategies of organization will be discussed and the impacts of that strategies on the marketing of organization will be noticed. What effect that strategies will throw on organizations long run and short run will also be discussed. Here we are talking about Fresher marketing plans. As described earlier it is a Pakistani local company that is making 100% pure juices and this is one of the marketing strategy of Fresher that make it distinguishes from others. The company has many competitors in the same line of 100% pure juices i-e Nestle, Shezan, Minute Maid etc. But the Fresher is successful yet to maintain the no. 1 position in the brands of 100% pure juices. And also Fresher is successful to maintain its positioning against Nestle and other strong brands like Minute Maid. The benefit what Fresher will get due to this strategy is that competitors are not attaching it from all the sides. Only fresh juice companies are interested to attach its strategies. It has no concern with any other product line of competitors. Another strategy of Fresher is that they are using PET BOTTLES instead of juice boxes which made their product easy to use for the customers and the look of their brand product is totally different from others. They are also using SHRINK WRAPS for the packaging of their products. The one more thing that makes their product discriminate is tags hanged with the bottle of juice on which a little description of brand and ingredients are written. These tags make the look of the product more elegant and it again helps to make a strong positioning of the brand. The promotion strategy that Fresher following is WORD OF MOUTH. They are using any other strong promotion strategy which again differentiate the brand from others in market. But as they are not focusing the advertisement strategy now when they that much stabled in market, they can spoil their positioning as well. Fresher has strong distribution strategy which has been helping the brand to be strong so far i-e they used ROLL OUT strategy of distribution. They started the distribution of their product from their own city and then they spread it in other cities with the passage of time when they had grown enough in the market. The strategy has a benefit that other strong competitors like Nestle, Minute Maid etc didnt notice such small brand and didnt take action for that. In the meanwhile Fresher entered in the market and had got a strong market positioning. Fresher had got another benefit of this strategy that is they maintained their resources with it. They started distributing their product in their city only and when they have earned enough money they spread it over other cities of Pakistan as well. 2.3 Component parts of a marketing plan: Parts/Categories with which a marketing plan is made up of are called components of marketing plan. Here the heading will elaborate all of its parts one by one. Executive Summary: It is the first component of the marketing plan which explains the summary of the whole marketing plan for the quick review by the management of the company. Mostly three issues are mentioned in this part. The Challenge Challenge consists of a little elaboration of product for which marketing plan is made and the summary of goals such as sales figures and strategic goals.. Company Analysis Company analysis mostly consists of the answers to following questions What are goals of the company? To what thing it focuses more? What are the strengths of that company? From what culture it belongs? What are weaknesses of the company? And in what market shares it exists? etc. Competitor Analysis In competitors analysis a short report about competitors weaknesses, strengths, market position and market shares is presented. (Ref-5) Current marketing situation: Its a marketing audit which shows the current market situation of the company by comparing it with the past situation of its own and with the market situation of competitors. It presents data about the market, product, competition and distribution. SWOT analysis: SWOT analysis is basically the analysis in which strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the product (to be marketed) are given to have a complete look on companys analysis. The firms internal environment presents strength and weaknesses while external provides opportunities and threats. Objective and issues: This heading defines the objectives of company in different areas such as market share, sales, profit etc. Also this category will deal with all the issues and problems that effect these objectives. Marketing strategy: In this category a marketing strategy or approach is recommended to achieve the particular objective. It is the main and important part of marketing strategy structure. The strategies will elaborate the marketing mix (product, price, distribution, promotion) as well. Action programs: In this step a report is given about details of marketing strategy. The report answers such questions like how will all plan start? Who will do it? What will be the cost of all plan? Etc. Controls: Indicates how the progress of the plan will be monitored. 2.4 Risks and advantages in the devised marketing plan: Risks: Fresher is having a big threat in the market due to its lack of advertisement strategy now when it has gain that much credibility. Other competitors in the market has built strong image through their advertisement promotion strategy. Now it is the time when Fresher might think of making a strong and highly attractive advertisement to throw behind all the competitors. Fresher is not having a properly educated team of employees and it dont have proper departments such as HR department, RD department, Marketing department etc. So the employees working in the competitors firm are more competent and they can make proper decision at proper time. Fresher has to work on it as well. It may form a proper team so that they can compete in the leading market. As Fresher employees are not that educated in their particular field, they have disagreement in the selection of strategies. This is the major risk for the Fresher in the market as it can lead to fall of the company. Advantages: Fresher has specialized workers only in the field of making juices. Their worker knows the formula and they are best trained workers in juice making as they have to make only one product line at one time and they concentrate fully on it while competitors of Fresher have more than one product line so their workers have less command on juice making. The earlier promotion strategy of Fresher (word of mouth strategy) is quite impressive as no competitor can concentrate on upcoming new brand in this way. It gave Fresher to expand rapidly in market. The different packaging of Fresher bottle made them different and they expand undoubtedly in the fresh juice market. The biggest advantage to Fresher was the introduction of 100% fresh juice first in the market which make them differentiate from the competitors and thus they expand rapidly. 2.5 SWOT analysis of Fresher Juices: The company is new in market and has no good setup so they have not worked on their SWOT analysis by themselves. I made its SWOT analysis by my own conclusions and analysis of the company. Here are some strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities for the company. Strengths: They have short brand name which a basic strength of Fresher. Brand name is thus easy to remember by customers so its demand in market increases. And it is also flourishing in middle and low class segmentation of customers (as the customers in such classes are mostly uneducated) just because of its short brand name and easy memorizing quality. Short brand name also creates word of mouth easily. The highest market share in the product line of 100% pure juices is gained by Fresher. It has best attractive packaging of its juice bottles so far that is a main strength and attraction of customers towards this brand. Its availability is much good as compared to other brands in the market. Weaknesses: The brand is new in the market so it is not financially strong as compared to competitors. It will take some time to become financially strong for which it has to strong its marketing. Advertisement is weak and now when the brand has earned much credibility its essential for it to make powerful advertisement to make it more strong and reliable as brand has less or near to no TVC recall. Positioning is the major weak point of the brand. They have to make it strong to further grow in the market. Opportunities: The brand has great opportunity to grow in cities other than Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad and Multan as they have created much credibility in big cities of Pakistan. Also it has opportunity to GO GLOBAL. Customers outside Pakistan have more loyal behavior towards Pakistani products so there is a chance for this brand to grow globally. They can launch more brands as well which is again a great opportunity for the company to grow. Threats: Fresher has promoted its products only through word of mouth so its a great threat for it. Other competitors that are promoting their products through advertisement and other strategies of promotion can gain more repute. If a pre-established brand of outside the country launches its product here in Pakistan, there would be a great threat for Fresher as it is a new brand here. The strengths and weaknesses come from internal origin of organization while opportunities and threats come from external origin of organization. Helpful to achieving goals Harmful to achieving goals Strengths: Short brand name Highest market share Packaging strength Availability strength Weaknesses: Financially weak Weak advertisement Weak positioning Opportunities: Growth in small cities of Pak Go global Launch more brands Threats: Lack of promotion strategies Other brands Understand the construction of a marketing plan 3.1 Produce the marketing plan for your organization Executive summary: Challenges: The companys product is 100% pure juices and its target customers are mainly diet conscious people, children, upper class, upper middle class and middle class society. But it can also target to lower class customers easily as juice is a thing which a normal person use in everyday life. The product is already differentiated from others because it falls in 100% pure juice category. And Fresher was the first to start this category in Pakistan. Company analysis: The Fresher is a new company in 100% pure juices product line. The company has high market share due to its previous marketing strategies in which main one is word of mouth through which it was promoted and gained the high market share rank. The companys weaknesses are finance, weak advertisement and weak positioning. Here we are designing some strategies by which its growth rate can increase and it can maintain its market share. It can make its advertisement strong and so its positioning too. Competitors analysis: Freshers competitors are companies who make 100% pure juices like Nestle, Minute Maid etc. Now if we come to Nestle, the company has a big weakness that it is dealing with 100% pure juice as well as nectars on the same time which make their focus diverted to both lines in the same time. While its strength is, it has a strong brand positioning earned by other product lines first. Market share of Nestle is lower than that of Fresher but market position is strong enough. Current market situation: The current market situation of Fresher is going not that bad when we talk about its distribution in big cities. The Fresher has the highest market share in product line of 100% pure juices while all other competitors have left behind. The demand of Fresher is also increasing day by day due to its good taste and flavors. Its giving a tough competition to its competitors in the market. Competitors didnt notice it first because it used only word of mouth marketing strategy first and took benefit of this strategy to achieve its goals. But in promotion the other companies (competitors) are moving forward to it now as it is lacking its interest in promotions. The Fresher has best packaging as well. SWOT analysis: Strengths: Short brand name Highest market share Packaging strength Availability strength Weaknesses: Financially weak Weak advertisement Weak positioning Opportunities: Growth in small cities of Pak Go global Launch more brands Threats: Lack of promotion strategies Other brands Objectives and issues: The main objective of Fresher is to maintain its market share in the line of 100% pure juices. Then it also wants to expand its business in other cities as it is a good opportunity for it to grow more in the market. The increase of sales is required for the increase in profit. To make strength of positioning. Now the main issue is that the other companies in the same product line are also struggling hard to compete the market share of Freshers. The Fresher has to maintain its demand by which it can maintain its market share. The issue concerning the expansion of the brand in other cities is to face the other local brands in those cities. Marketing strategy: Fresher makes following marketing strategies to achieve its goals. Fresher has to focus on advertising strategies such as TVC, radio commercials, Print media ads etc. Ads can be made more attractive by using advertisement marketing strategies such as humor, fun, models or TV actors etc. The attractive the advertisement will be the more the customer will be attracted towards the product. They can use different distribution strategies to promote their brand more e.g they can distribute free samples in the areas where product is not known enough. They can fit stalls in main areas/markets of different cities for the promotion. As children are more attracted towards juices and pure juices are good for their health, they can conduct different activities for children to attract this group of consumers. Also the fresh juices are mostly used by diet conscious people so Fresher can also use the same strategy of activity conductance for these consumers as well. In this way they attract their most targeted customers. All these strategies can help to achieve goals of company. Attractive advertisement and free sample distribution can help to expand business in small cities and activity based strategy can help to increase sales. Hence all these type of strategies can be used to increase sales, increase in profit and to maintain the high market share. Action programs: Now it is turn to plan the actions. Fresher can appoint workers to fulfill these strategies. First of all Fresher has to maintain proper departments such as HRM department, RD department, Marketing department, Finance department and so on like this. Then Fresher has to assign them their duties. Human resources department will manage human resources which are one of the major sources Fresher needs. Marketing department will implement these strategies and will check the results. Finance department will assign finances to each department and make a check and balance on it. Plan can be started from distribution of the products as free samples. So that more and more people in other cities can know about the brand. It will increase sales and profit as well. Now this finance can be invested on advertisement and other strategies and so on. The cost of all the strategies will be planned by finance department and marketing department as these are marketing strategies. Controls: The system cant be effective and efficient until and unless it is supervised and controlled properly. So the control in implement of these strategies is also very important. Here marketing managers of Fresher will be the persons who look after all these things and implement strategies. 3.2 Risk in marketing plan and Mitigation strategies: Risks: Risks in above strategies are only few. As company is not financially strong as compared to its competitors so might it cant afford advertisement expenses. The other risk could be short term effect (which is never been required) of some strategies like activity based strategy etc. Mitigation strategies: If finances do not allow Fresher to make an attractive advertisement then Fresher can go for rank purchasing in commercial complexes like Hyperstar, Metro etc as it costs less than that of advertisement. The benefit of this strategy will be that the people of every targeted market of Fresher can gain knowledge about the product easily. It would be a long term effect of marketing strategy. Activity based strategy would be short term strategy so instead of this we can use another strategy in which Fresher can appoint some of its employees ( sales persons) to sale their product at low price or less profit by going door to door in different colonies of different cities. It could have a long term effect on consumers mind. 3.3 Importance of each component of the plan: First component is executive summary. The summary explain the whole summarize data of the plan in short form so that the reader or to which report is being presented can save his/her time and he/she can found what is written inside the report and whether the report is meaningful or not? The executive summary has a lot of importance in marketing plan as it contains companys challenges, companys analysis and competitors analysis. 2nd component of the plan is current market situation. It is necessary to provide so that a marketer or person who has to act upon the plan should know that at what level the company stands and what level they have to move to increase growth rate of the company. The third component of the plan is SWOT analysis. Mentioning it in the plan in necessary because it helps to analyze the strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats of the business with the help of which a person can make marketing strategies. The forth component of the plan is objectives and issues which explains all the goals and their related problems in plan. The fifth component of the plan is marketing strategies. This is the main step in the plan to which company has to work to achieve goals. The sixth step is action programs. The step is important as it tells that how to implement these strategies and who will implement them and what will be the cost of all strategies. The final step is of control. This is also one of the major step of the plan as it is necessary to tell how to control the whole strategic system and who will control it? Understand to Promote the Marketing Plan in Support of Strategic Objectives 4.1 How the plan supports strategic objective: Plans of Fresher and their support to objectives: Fresher is assigned following plans. Attractive advertisement The attractive advertisement of fresher can attract more and more customers towards the brand which will help to increase the sales. Increasing sales maximize profit and when company earns more profit it will be able to expand its business. The advertisement can help in building strong positioning as it contains slogan and jingles through which an image that is different from its competitors can build up. The better positioning will help to maintain market share. Streghthen positioning, profit maximization, expansion of business Distribution of free samples Again its the marketing strategy that will help to maximize sales when people around will try the samples and will be attracted. Maximize profit will lead expansion of business and strong market share. Activity based marketing Activity based marketing strategy can only help to achieve goals in targeted consumers market by increasing sales at that category of customers. Rank/Shelves booking This strategy can be useful for better positioning of brand as it creates a good image of the brand. The most visible shelves will be booked by Fresher, the more consumers will be attracted towards the brand. Personal sales Again this marketing strategy will increase Freshers sales and its demand and again the profit will be increased. Actually all the strategies are made up to maximize the profit first and then other effects accompany it. 4.2 Outline an approach to gain agreement of the marketing plan: Conclusion In this assignment we learned about strategic marketing, How marketing plans supports strategic objectives, How a marketing plan is constructed and How to promote the marketing plan in support of strategic objective? We chose Fresher, A Pakistani 100% pure juice company and looked upon its marketing strategies, what Fresher is using now and what should it use in future to promote itself more. Fresher is well known company of Pakistan whose marketing system is not that good while it needs a perfect marketing system now when it has gain that much credibility. Though marketing managers are working in the company but company is not showing enough results in this field due to which there are chances of their fall down in future. Fresher is using some excellent marketing strategies such as WORD OF MOUTH, ROLL OUT strategy, SHRINK WRAPS, PET BOTTELS, TAGS, 100% pure juices etc But we suggested some more marketing strategies to them by our own study and analysis. We made a marketing plan in which some marketing strategies were suggested such as ATTRACTIVE ADVERTISEMENT, ACTIVITY BASED PROMOTIONS, SHELVES BOOKING in markets, PERSONAL SALES and DISTRIBUTING FREE SAMPLES to increase its sales and profit. As Fresher has high market share so these strategies will help it to sustain the market share and to increase growth rate of it. At the last we made a marketing plan and saw that how these plans support objectives. We also discussed the SWOT analysis of the company which tell us that company less threats and less weaknesses and more strengths. We also discussed risks regarding strategies but they very low.

The Genetic Basis of Adaptive Melanism on Pocket Mice Essay examples --

Introduction What's the problem? Examples of animals adapting to the environment have been known as far back as the case of the black peppered moths of England in the mid-1800s. In that case, entire populations of the black peppered moths were observed to change color in response to changes in their environment. More recently, bacteria have been known to develop resistance to antibiotic drugs, insects have developed various forms of resistance to insecticide, and plants have adapted to accommodate higher levels of heavy metals in the soil and water. The problem is that it is difficult to locate the genes that stimulate adaptation for three reasons: 1. Traits must be identified based on how they affect fitness and their ecological relevance. In other words, we need to find a trait that clearly makes a difference in whether or not the animal survives. 2. It is challenging to analyze phenotypes when there is little information known about genes. With the moths, nobody knows which of the moth's genes are responsible for the changes in color, so a genetic analysis is extremely difficult to do. 3. Most fitness-related traits are a mixture of many genes. This makes it hard to pin down the adaptations as a result of the actions of one gene. So where do the mice come in? Dr. Nachman's research explores the connection between genotype and coat color in four populations of rock pocket mice. Rock pocket mice live in rocky habitats in the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. In the 1930s, classical studies revealed that there was a close correlation between the color of a mouse's coat, and the color of the rocks the mouse lived on. Light-colored mice... ...is mice, the alleles did not appear to be responsible for any changes in coat color. The similarity between coat color of the dark mice at Pinacate and the dark mice at Armendaris is probably due to convergent evolution. The Armendaris mice probably evolved the same adaptation (dark coat color) through a separate genetic mechanism. An interesting research project might be to determine the genetic basis of adaptation in the Armendaris population, and make comparisons. Any such results would be enormously useful in showing how evolution affects individual genes. References Nachman, Michael W. Hope E. Hoekstra, Susan L. D'Agostino. "The genetic basis of adaptive melanism in pocket mice." www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0431157100. Feb. 26, 2003. Purves,William K., et al. Life: The Science of Biology Sixth Edition. Massachusetts: Sinauer Assoicates, Inc. 2001.

Liberal Theory Essay

This memo outlines the liberal approach to theorizing international relations. Like realism, institutionalism, or non-rational approaches, it is a name given to a family of related theories of international relations. Here it will not be used, as many use it in international relations, to designate theories that stress the importance of international institutions. Nor to designate theories that stress the importance of universal, altruistic or utopian values of a liberal sort, such as human rights or democracy. Nor to designate theories favored by left-wing (â€Å"liberal†) political parties or policies in the US. Instead, it is a theory that stresses the role of the varied social interests and values of states, and their relevance for world politics. Liberals argue that the universal condition of world politics is globalization. States are, and always have been, embedded in a domestic and transnational society, which creates incentives for economic, social and cultural interaction across borders. State policy may facilitate or block such interactions. Some domestic groups may benefit from or be harmed by such policies, and they pressure government accordingly for policies that facilitate realization of their goals. These social pressures, transmitted through domestic political institutions, define â€Å"state preferences† –that is, the set of substantive social purposes that motivate foreign policy. State preferences give governments an underlying stake in the international issues they face. Since the domestic and transnational social context in which states are embedded varies greatly across space and time, so do state preferences. Without such social concerns that transcend state borders, states would have no rational incentive to engage in world politics at all, but would simply devote their resources to an autarkic and isolated existence. To motivate conflict, cooperation, or any other costly foreign policy action, states must possess sufficiently intense state preferences. The resulting globalization-induced variation in social demands, and thus state preferences, is a fundamental cause of state behavior in world politics. This is the central insight of liberal international relations theory. It can be expressed colloquially in various ways: â€Å"What matters most is what states want, not how they get it. † –or- â€Å"Ends are more important than means. † Liberal theory is distinctive in the nature of the variables it privileges. The liberal focus on variation in socially-determined state preferences distinguishes liberal theory from other theoretical traditions: realism (focusing on variation in coercive power resources), institutionalism (focusing on information), and most non-rational approaches (focusing on patterns of beliefs about appropriate means-ends relationships). In explaining patterns of war, for example, liberals do not look to inter-state imbalances of power, bargaining failure due to private information or uncertainty, or particular non-rational beliefs or propensities of individual leaders, societies, or organizations. Liberals look instead to conflicting state preferences derived from hostile nationalist or political ideologies, disputes over appropriable economic resources, or exploitation of unrepresented political constituencies. For liberals, a necessary condition for war is that social pressures lead one or more â€Å"aggressor† states to possess â€Å"revisionist† preferences so extreme or risk-acceptant that other states are unwilling to submit. Three specific variants of liberal theory are defined by particular types of preferences, their variation, and their impact on state behavior. Ideational liberal theories link state behavior to varied conceptions of desirable forms of cultural, political, socioeconomic order. Commercial liberal theories stress economic interdependence, including many variants of â€Å"endogenous policy theory. Republican liberal theories stress the role of domestic representative institutions, elites and leadership dynamics, and executive-legislative relations. Such theories were first conceived by prescient liberals such as Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, John Hobson, Woodrow Wilson, and John Maynard Keynes-writing well before the deep causes (independent variables) they stress (e. g. democratization, industrialization, nationalism, and welfare provision) were widespread. This essay introduces the liberal approach in three steps. It presents two distinctive assumptions underlying and distinguishing liberal theories. Then it further explicates the three variants of liberal theory that follow from these assumptions. Finally, it reviews some distinctive strengths that liberal theories tend to share vis-a-vis other types of international relations theory. Two Unique Assumptions underlying Liberal Theory What basic assumptions underlie the liberal approach? Two assumptions liberal theory make are the assumptions of anarchy and rationality. Specifically, states (or other political actors) exist in an anarchic environment and they generally act in a broadly rational way in making decisions. 2] The anarchy assumption means that political actors exist in the distinctive environment of international politics, without a world government or any other authority with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. They must engage in self-help. The rationality assumption means that state leaders and their domestic supporters engage in foreign policy for the instrumental purpose of securing benefits provided by (or avoiding costs imposed by) actors outside of their borders, and in making such calculations, states seek to deploy the most cost-effective means to achieve whatever their ends (preferences) may be. Liberal theory shares the first (anarchy) assumption with almost all international relations theories, and it shares the second (rationality) assumption with realism and institutionalism, but not non-rationalist process theories. Liberal theories are distinguished from other rationalist theories, such as realism and institutionalism, by two unique assumptions about world politics: (1) States represent social groups, whose views constitute state preferences; and (2) Interdependence among state preferences influences state policy. Let us consider each in turn. Assumption One: States Represent Societal Preferences The first assumption shared by liberal theories is that states represent some subset of domestic society, whose views constitute state preferences. For liberals, the state is a representative institution constantly subject to capture and recapture, construction and reconstruction, by domestic social coalitions. These social coalitions define state â€Å"preferences† in world politics at any point in time: the â€Å"tastes,† â€Å"ends,† â€Å"basic interests,† or â€Å"fundamental social purposes† that underlie foreign policy. Political institutions constitute a critical â€Å"transmission belt† by which these interests of individuals and groups in civil society enter the political realm. All individuals and groups do not wield equal influence over state policy. To the contrary, their power varies widely, depending on the context. Variation in the precise nature of representative institutions and practices helps define which groups influence the â€Å"national interest. † Some states may represent, ideal-typically, the preferences of a single tyrannical individual, a Pol Pot or Josef Stalin; others afford opportunities for broad democratic participation. Most lie in between. The precise preferences of social groups, weighted by their domestic power, shape the underlying goals (â€Å"state preferences†) that states pursue in world politics. Sometimes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other actors may form transnational alliances to assist social forces. â€Å"State-society relations†Ã¢â‚¬â€the relationship between a state and its domestic (and transnational) society in which it is embedded—lies at the center of liberal theory. [3] Liberals believe that state preferences cannot be reduced to some simple metric or preference ordering, such as seeking â€Å"security† or â€Å"wealth†. Most modern states are not Spartan: They compromise security or sovereignty in order to achieve other ends, or, indeed, just to save money. Nor do modern states uniformly seek â€Å"wealth. † Instead they strike rather strike complex and varied trade-offs among economic, social and political goals. Nor, finally do they seek â€Å"power† in the sense of â€Å"domination†: Many countries would clearly rather spend money on â€Å"butter† rather than â€Å"guns. To see how consequential the variation in goals can be, one need look no further than the implications for international relations of Germany’s evolution from Adolf Hitler’s preference for militant nationalism, fascist rule, autarky, and ruthless exploitation of German Lebensraum under Das Dritte Reich to the social compro mise underlying the postwar Bundesrepublik Deutschland, which favored capitalist democracy, expanding German exports, and peaceful reunification. Similarly one can look at the striking change in policy between Maoist and post-Maoist China, Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, Imperial and post-Imperial Japan, and so on. Assumption Two: Interdependence among State Preferences Influences State Behavior The second core assumption shared by liberal theories is that the interdependence among of state preferences influences state behavior. Rather than treating preferences as a fixed constant, as do realists or institutionalists, liberals seek to explain variation in preferences and its significance for world politics. The precise distribution and nature of the â€Å"stakes† explains differences in state policy and behavior. States, liberals argue, orient their behavior to the precise nature of these underlying preferences: compatible or conflictual, intense or weak, and their precise scope. States require a â€Å"social purpose† — a perceived underlying stake in the matter at hand — in order to pay any attention to international affairs, let alone to provoke conflict, inaugurate cooperation, or take any other significant foreign policy action. If there is no such interdependence among state objectives, a rational state will conduct no international relations, satisfying itself with an isolated and autarkic existence. Conflictual goals increase the incentive for of political disputes. Convergence of underlying preferences creates the preconditions for peaceful coexistence or cooperation. The critical theoretical link between state preferences, on the one hand, and state behavior, on the other, is the concept of policy interdependence. Policy interdependence refers to the distribution and interaction of preferences—that is, the extent to which the pursuit of state preferences necessarily imposes costs and benefits (known as policy externalities) upon other states, independent of the â€Å"transaction costs† imposed by the specific strategic means chosen to obtain them. Depending on the underlying pattern of interdependence, each of the qualitative categories above, the form, substance, and depth of conflict and cooperation vary according to the precise nature and intensity of preferences. The existence of some measure of divergent fundamental beliefs, scarcity of material goods, and inequalities in domestic political power among states and social actors renders inevitable some measure of pluralism and competition among and within states. Unlike realists such as Waltz and Morgenthau, liberals do not assume these divergent interests are uniformly zero-sum. At the same time, liberals reject the utopian notion (often attributed to them by realists) of an automatic harmony of interest among individuals and groups in international society. Nor do liberals argue, as realists like Morgenthau charge, believe that each state pursues an ideal goal, oblivious of what other states do. Liberals argue instead that each state seeks to realize distinct preferences or interests under constraints imposed by the different interests of other states. [4] This distribution of preferences varies considerably. For liberals, this variation—not realism’s distribution of capabilities or institutionalism’s distribution of information—is of decisive causal importance in explaining state behavior. A few examples illustrate how liberal theories differ from realist, institutionalist or non-rational ones. We have already encountered the example of war in the introduction, in which liberals stress states with aggressive preferences, rather than imbalances of power, incomplete information, or non-rational beliefs and processes. Another illustration is trade policy. Economists widely agree that free trade is superior welfare-improving policy choice for states, yet trade protection is often practiced. To explain protectionism, liberals look to domestic social preferences. An important factor in almost all countries is the competitive position of affected economic sectors in global markets, which generates domestic and transnational distributional effects: Protectionism is generally backed by producers who are globally uncompetitive; free trade by producers who are globally competitive. Moreover, even if the state is a net beneficiary from free trade, domestic adjustment costs may be too high to tolerate politically, or may endanger other countervailing domestic social objectives, such as domestic social equality or environmental quality. Certain domestic political institutions, such as non-parliamentary legislative systems, which governed US trade policy before 1934, grant disproportionate power to protectionist interests. This differs from realist explanations of trade protectionism, which tend to stress the role of â€Å"hegemonic power† in structuring trade liberalization, or the need to defend self-sufficient national security within the prevailing zero-sum geopolitical competition, perhaps by maintaining self-sufficiency or by aiding allies at the expense of purely economic objectives. Institutionalists might cite the absence of appropriate international institutions, or other means to manage the complex informational tasks and collective action problems—negotiation, dispute resolution, enforcement—required to manage free trade. Those who focus on non-rational theories (psychological, cultural, organizational, epistemic, perceptual or bureaucratic) might stress an ideological disposition to accept â€Å"mercantilist† theory, shared historical analogies, and the psychological predisposition to avoid losses. To further illustrate the importance of patterns of policy interdependence, consider the following three circumstances: zero-sum, harmonious and mixed preferences. In the case of zero-sum preferences, attempts by dominant social groups in one state to realize their preferences through international action may necessarily impose costs on dominant social groups in other countries. This is a case of â€Å"zero-sum† preferences, similar to the â€Å"realist† world. Governments face a bargaining game with few mutual gains and a high potential for interstate tension and conflict. Many ancient cities and states, including those of Ancient Athens, often imposed imperial tribute on defeated neighbors or, in extremis, killed the male population, cast women and children into slavery, and repopulated the town with their own citizens—a situation approximating zero-sum conflict. Today, it might still be argued that there are certain cases—trade in agricultural goods by industrial democracies, for example—where entrenched national interests are so strong that no government seriously considers embracing free trade. In the case of harmonious preferences, where the externalities of unilateral olicies are optimal (or insignificant) for others, there are strong incentives for quiet coexistence with low conflict and (at most) simple forms of interstate coordination. For example, advanced industrial democracies today no longer contemplate waging war on one another, and in some areas governments have agreed to mutual recognition of certain legal standards without controversy. One case of mixed preferences is bargaining, where states can achieve common gains (or avoid common losses, as with a war) if they agree to coordinate their behavior, but may disagree strongly on the distribution of benefits or adjustment costs. Under such circumstances, one of the most important determinants of bargaining power is the intensity of the preferences of each party; the more intense their preference for a beneficial settlement, the more likely they are to make concessions (or employ coercive means) in order to achieve it. Another situation of mixed motives is a situation where interstate coordination can avoid significant risks and costs, as in agreement to avoid naval incidents at sea, or to share information on infectious diseases. In such situations, institutional pre-commitments and the provision of greater information can often improve the welfare of all parties. Liberals derive several distinctive conceptions of power, very different from that of realism. One form of international influence, for liberals, stems from the interdependence among preferences that Keohane and Nye (Power and Interdependence) call â€Å"asymmetrical interdependence. † All other things equal, the more interdependent a state is, the more intense its preference for a given outcome, the more power others potentially have over it; while the less a state wants something, the less a state cares about outcomes, the less intense its preferences, the less power others have over it. Situations of asymmetrical interdependence, where one state has more intense preference for an agreement than another, create bargaining power. In trade negotiations, for example, smaller and poorer countries are often more dependent on trade and thus benefit more from free trade, and thus tend to have a weaker position and make more concessions in the course of negotiations. Enlargement of the European Union is a recent instance. Relative preference intensity can also influence the outcome of war, but in a different way. Nations are in fact rarely prepared to mortgage their entire economy or military in conflict, so their power depends not on their coercive power resources, but on their resolve or will. This is why smaller states often prevail over larger ones. Vietnam, for example, did not prevail over the US in the Vietnam War because it possessed more coercive power resources, but because it had a more intense preference at stake. From Assumptions to Theories Taken by themselves, these liberal assumptions—the international system is anarchic, states are rational, social pressures define state preferences, interdependence among preferences dictates state behavior—are thin. They exclude most existing realist, institutionalist, and non-rational theories, but they do not, taken by themselves, define very precisely the positive content of liberal theory. Some might rightly complain that simply pointing to state preferences opens up an unmanageably wide range of hypothetical social influences on policy. Yet, in practice, research has shown that, in practice, the range of viable liberal theories that test out empirically are relatively few, focused, and powerful. Three broad variants or categories of liberal theory exist: ideational, commercial, and republican liberalism. At the core of each lies a distinct conception of the social pressures and representative institutions that define state preferences, and the consequences for state behavior. Some of these have proven, empirically, to be among the most powerful theories in international relations. Let us consider each in turn.

American Government essay

American Government essay American Government essay American Government essayExplain the reason/s why we need a government. Would you prefer to have unlimited freedom? Why/why not?The government is essential for the regulation of relationships between individuals within the society and maintenance of the existing social order. The government regulates legal norms and social relates to ensure that existing social norms and laws are respected and observed. Ideally, the government balances relations between individuals as well as between different interest groups. I would not prefer to have unlimited freedom because my unlimited freedom is the limited freedom of others. Moreover, my unlimited freedom will have corruptive effect on me since I will disrespect freedom of others.What is politics according to Lasswell? Use examples from the news to illustrate his definition.Lasswell views politics as the study of who gets what, when and how. For example, news coverage of the situation in Syria shows clearly which groups are involved in the co nflict, what goals they pursue, how they try to reach their goals and when specific actions take place.Explain three main characteristics of the type of government of the USA. Use examples from the news.The US is governed by many that is one of the main characteristics of the government according to the definition of Aristotle. The US government is right since it attempts to meet interests and needs of many and serves to fundamental principles of the US democracy. Finally, the US government is democratic because it is elected by people through the system of voting and elections. In such a way, the US is the democratic state run by many for the common good. American Government essay American Government essay American Government essay  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas are two representatives of two minority groups, who have reached the Supreme Court level in their career development but, in the course of their life and career, they had to overcome numerous biases and challenges, which they confronted to reach their personal and professional success and which they described in their autobiographical books.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, both books are very useful in terms of understanding the professional development and career progress of representatives of minority groups in probably the most conservative field, the US justice system. Both authors reveal the impact of their personal biases, determined by their cultural background and social biases and stereotypes, which also affected their life consistently. Moreover, both books emphasize the problem of integration of minority groups into the mainstream culture and rela ted difficulties and challenges rather than their career success. This is why books are particularly useful in terms of understanding specific issues minorities deal with in the US and give insights to how to overcome those challenges, biases and other issues that arise in face of representatives of minority groups in the US.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the lack of focus on professional challenges is the major drawback of both books. To put it more precisely, the authors fail to uncover how their minority background influenced their career development. For example, the authors do not reveal clearly whether they have faced discrimination or not. In addition, they do not provide clear recommendations on how to close gaps between the mainstream culture and minorities.Thus both books are useful in terms of the revelation of the adaptation of minorities to the life within the US mainstream culture. American government essay American government essay American government essayThe recent developments in several states enacting voter ID laws have led to different points of view of the public (Pintor et al., 2002; Malone Fredericks, 2012). The enactment of restrictive voter ID laws has led to the â€Å"disproportionate impact on the poor, elderly and communities of color; the undermining of collective bargaining by public employees; restrictions on reproductive health; and so on† (Malone Fredericks, 2012, p. 199). Voter ID laws are state public policies, which are vary from state to state. Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi and several other states have already enacted voter ID, requiring the photo ID at the poll stations.Some people state that ID laws are beneficial, while other believe that these laws are harmful. The pros and cons on both sides of the debate about these laws can be explained in the following way. The ID laws requiring presentation of the government-issued photo ID are aimed at combating voter fraud, but the pro blem is that these laws fail to actually prevent voter fraud. For example, the poor are unable to afford an ID, but many deceased people are found as voting after their death (Levin-Waldman, 2012). The statistics show that the states with ID voter laws demonstrated 37 % of voter turnout, while the states, which require no photo ID – 42% (Malone Fredericks, 2012).I would like to share my own experience with the relative difficulty of voting in my locale. I faced a wide range of problems at the polls, including malfunctioning voting machines, poorly prepared poll stations staff, aggressiveness of people outside the poll stations, too many people at the polls, lack of certification of voting machines, and inconsistent e-mail voting opportunities.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the debate over voter ID laws is not over. I believe that voting in the U.S. should be made easier. The ID voter laws should be reworked for better security and more accessibility.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells Innovation for the 21st Century

Hydrogen Fuel Cells Innovation for the 21st Century In 1839, the first fuel cell was conceived by Sir William Robert Grove, a Welsh judge, inventor, and physicist. He mixed hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an electrolyte and produced electricity and water. The invention, which later became known as a fuel cell, didnt produce enough electricity to be useful. Early Stages of the Fuel Cell   In 1889, the term â€Å"fuel cell† was first coined by Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer, who attempted to build a working fuel cell using air and industrial coal gas. Another source states that it was William White Jaques who first coined the term fuel cell. Jaques was also the first researcher to use phosphoric acid in the electrolyte bath. In the 1920s, fuel cell research in Germany paved the way for the development of the carbonate cycle and solid oxide fuel cells of today. In 1932, engineer Francis T Bacon began his vital research into fuels cells. Early cell designers used porous platinum electrodes and sulfuric acid as the electrolyte bath. Using platinum was expensive and using sulfuric acid was corrosive. Bacon improved on the expensive platinum catalysts with a hydrogen and oxygen cell using a less corrosive alkaline electrolyte and inexpensive nickel electrodes. It took Bacon until 1959 to perfect his design when he demonstrated a five-kilowatt fuel cell that could power a welding machine. Francis T. Bacon, a direct descendant of the other well known Francis Bacon, named his famous fuel cell design the Bacon Cell. Fuel Cells in Vehicles In October of 1959, Harry Karl Ihrig, an engineer for the Allis - Chalmers Manufacturing Company, demonstrated a 20-horsepower tractor that was the first vehicle ever powered by a fuel cell. During the early 1960s, General Electric produced the fuel-cell-based electrical power system for NASAs Gemini and Apollo space capsules. General Electric used the principles found in the Bacon Cell as the basis of its design. Today, the Space Shuttles electricity is provided by fuel cells, and the same fuel cells provide drinking water for the crew. NASA decided that using nuclear reactors was too high a risk, and using batteries or solar power was too bulky to use in space vehicles. NASA has funded more than 200 research contracts exploring fuel-cell technology, bringing the technology to a level now viable for the private sector. The first bus powered by a fuel cell was completed in 1993, and several fuel-cell cars are now being built in Europe and in the United States. Daimler-Benz and Toyota launched prototype fuel-cell powered cars in 1997. Fuel Cells the Superior Energy Source Maybe the answer to Whats so great about fuel cells? should be the question Whats so great about pollution,  changing the climate  or running out of oil, natural gas, and coal? As we head into the next millennium, it is time to put renewable energy and planet-friendly technology at the top of our priorities. Fuel cells have been around for over 150 years and offer a source of energy that is inexhaustible, environmentally safe and always available. So why arent they being used everywhere already? Until recently, it has been because of the cost. The cells were too expensive to make. That has now changed. In the United States, several pieces of legislation have promoted the current explosion in hydrogen fuel cell development: namely, the congressional Hydrogen Future Act of 1996 and several state laws promoting zero emission levels for cars. Worldwide, different types of fuel cells have been developed with extensive public funding. The United States alone has sunk more than one billion dollars into fuel-cell research in the last thirty years. In 1998, Iceland announced plans to create a hydrogen economy in cooperation with German carmaker Daimler-Benz and Canadian fuel cell developer Ballard Power Systems. The 10-year plan would convert all transportation vehicles, including Icelands fishing fleet, over to fuel-cell-powered vehicles. In March 1999, Iceland, Shell Oil, Daimler Chrysler, and Norsk Hydroformed a company to further develop Icelands hydrogen economy. In February 1999, Europes first public commercial hydrogen fuel station for cars and trucks opened for business in Hamburg, Germany. In April 1999, Daimler Chrysler unveiled the liquid hydrogen vehicle NECAR 4. With a top speed of 90 mph and a 280-mile tank capacity, the car wowed the press. The company plans to have fuel-cell vehicles in limited production by the year 2004. By that time, Daimler Chrysler will have spent $1.4 billion more on fuel-cell technology development. In August 1999, Singapore physicists announced a new hydrogen storage method of alkali doped carbon nanotubes that would increase hydrogen storage and safety. A Taiwanese company, San Yang, is developing the first  fuel cell  powered motorcycle. Where Do We Go From Here? There are still issues with hydrogen-fueled engines and power plants. Transport, storage and safety problems need to be addressed. Greenpeace has promoted the development of a fuel cell operated with regeneratively produced hydrogen. European car makers have so far ignored a Greenpeace project for a super-efficient car consuming only 3 liters of gasoline per 100 km. Special Thanks goes to H-Power, The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Letter, and Fuel Cell 2000

Crisis in New England Fisheries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crisis in New England Fisheries - Essay Example This will be done on the basis of an article titled ‘Crisis in New England Fisheries’ and will also cover stakeholder issues, perspectives, concerns, interests, consequences, and the relevance of environmental science and ethics to the current situation. The said article appears as chapter 3 in the book ‘Watersheds 4: Ten Cases in Environmental Ethics’ by Newton et al. Summary of article: This article successfully puts across the seriousness of the situation, the consequences, and the probable outcomes of remedial actions. The paper starts with the depleted state of the fishing population and industry worldwide. The authors start off with the nature of fisheries worldwide before moving on to the specific case of New England Fisheries. According to them, nearly 90% of predator fish that is preferred as sea food has been depleted worldwide. This statement has been backed by other researchers, according to the Washington Post. The newspaper states that the world will be totally devoid of seafood by 2048 if not restricted and corrected (Eilperin, 2006). The total stock has fallen from more than 4 million tons nearly two and a half million tons in the North Atlantic Region where the fisheries in question is situated. The article then provides a detailed history of the fisheries about how it began and boomed starting from the mid 1860s. The area, accord ing to the authors was ideal for fish and its prey due to the climate, vegetation, the shallow water, and the currents. The boom which provided sustenance and livelihood to a larger number of fishermen, their families, and employees was cut down by the arrival of the large factory ships from primarily from Russia and Spain. These large scale fishing factories practically wiped out all edible and in-demand fish from the area in a matter of ten years. The Federal Government belatedly put a ban, through the introduction of the Magnuson Act, on banning fishing within 200

Principles of Time and Stress Management Assignment

Principles of Time and Stress Management - Assignment Example Based on the facts presented in the case, there is no evidence linking organization in which Chet works, Norris Company to his level of stress. Norris Company has a perfect structure with effective reporting chain hence providing every employee with room for growth and development. Every employee knows clearly his/her supervisor in addition to roles and responsibilities. Therefore, Chet’s level of stress is unrelated to the organizational (structural) problems of Norris Company. Instead, such stress level is his making. Some of the personal characteristics that are likely to interfere with Chet’s productivity and contribute to his level of stress include emotional intelligence, cognitive style, personal values, orientation towards change, and core self-evaluation. Chet does not seem to be in a perfect mood and sense in managing himself as well as a relationship with others. The lack or insufficiency of emotional intelligence is seen on how he casually relates to people within the firm. He is of very little concern. No wonder, when he was asked to go through the project he has done very little on the same. In addition, his personal values and cognitive style may cause the decrease in productivity whilst increasing the level of stress. Actually, Chet does not seem to be having the zeal of gathering and processing information, especially on assigned tasks. In any case, Chet’s orientation towards change is not very clear within the case. Therefore, these are personal characteristics with a possibility of affecting productivity and level of stress that Chet is currently experiencing.