Need to know Essay

Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement. Readers use a variety of reading strategies to assist with decoding (to translate  symbols into sounds or visual representations of speech) and comprehension. Readers may use morpheme, semantics, syntax and context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words. Readers integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema (schemata theory). Other types of reading are not speech based writing systems, such as music notation or pictograms. The common link is the interpretation of symbols to extract the meaning from the visual notations. The history of reading dates back to the invention of writing during the 4th millennium BC. Although reading print text is now an important way for the  general population to access information, this has not always been the case. 2 With some exceptions, only a small percentage of the population in many countries was considered literate before the Industrial Revolution. Some of the pre-modern societies with generally high literacy rates included classical Athens and the Islamic Caliphate. Scholars assume that reading aloud (Latin clare legere) was the more common practice in antiquity, and that reading silently (legere tacite or legere sibi) was unusual. In his Confessions, Saint Augustine remarks on Saint Ambrose’s unusual habit of reading silently in the 4th century AD. Currently most reading is either of the printed word from ink or toner on paper, such as in a book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or notebook, or of electronic displays, such as computer displays, television, mobile phones . Handwritten text may also be produced using a graphite pencil or a pen. Short texts may be written or painted on an object. Often the text relates to the object, such as an address on an envelope, product info on packaging, or text on a traffic or street sign. A slogan may be painted on a wall. A text may also be produced by arranging stones of a different color in a wall or road. Short texts like these are sometimes referred to as environmental print. 3 Sometimes text or images are in relief, with or without using a color contrast. Words or images can be carved in stone, wood, or metal; instructions can be printed in relief on the plastic housing of a home appliance, or a myriad of other examples. A requirement for reading is a good contrast between letters and background (depending on colors of letters and background, any pattern or image in the background, and lighting) and a suitable font size. In the case of a computer screen, not having to scroll horizontally is important. The field of visual word recognition studies how people read individual words. A key technique in studying how individuals read text is eye tracking. This has revealed that reading is performed as a series of eye fixations with saccades between them. Humans also do not appear to fixate on every word in a text, but instead fixate to some words while apparently filling in the missing information using context. This is possible because human languages show certain linguistic regularities. Reading is typically an individual activity, although on occasion a person will  read out loud for the benefit of other listeners. Reading aloud for one’s own use, for better comprehension, is a form of intrapersonal communication. Reading to young children is a recommended way to instill language and expression, and to 4 promote comprehension of text. Before the reintroduction of separated text in the late middle Ages, the ability to read silently was considered rather remarkable. 5 I. READING TECHNIQUES i. The purpose of this technique is to help you interpret the context of the reading. To sink in the information’s you need to know. You can also easily interpret those books you can read.  ii. You can learn more effective ways to speed up your reading skills and getting knowledge further. A. Have him read aloud. 1. This forces him to go slower, which gives him more time to process what he reads, which improves reading comprehension. Plus, he’s not only seeing the words, he’s hearing them, too. You can also take turns reading aloud. 2. To enhance fluency. Fluency is an essential part of successful reading. Fluency is based on automaticity (a reader’s ability to recognize words automatically). If children are to become both automatic and fluent readers, they need practice. Preparing to read a text aloud expressively provides children with the time and means to recognize words automatically and to read a text with a high percentage of accuracy. 6 3. To strengthen comprehension. When children use techniques for expressive oral reading, their comprehension of what they are reading dramatically increases. Since fluency is closely tied to comprehension, when children become smoother and more accurate readers they will also become more knowledgeable ones. 4. To develop critical reading skills. For children to read expressively, they must make conscious decisions about how to  read and what they should emphasize while they are reading so that they can effectively communicate both the surface and deeper meanings of a text. 5. To develop other important reading skills. When children prepare to read expressively, they will develop competence in grammar, memory, attention, sequencing, and understanding cause and effect. Reading well takes time, focus, and attention; and if children are going to read aloud well, they must give the requisite time, focus, and attention to prepare the text. As children prepare a text for oral reading, they will gain a greater  understanding of how grammatical and rhetorical structures (sentences, stanzas, and paragraphs) work and how the sequencing of words and ideas plays an important role in the delivery of meaning. 7 6. To build confidence. When children read with expressive skills, they will also develop more confidence in themselves as readers. No longer limited either to rapid word-calling or to stumbling over print, children will discover that, with practice and guidance, they can become more fluent, purposeful, and effective readers of the kinds of print material that had previously frustrated or befuddled them. B. Provide the right kinds of books. 1. Make sure your child gets lots of practice reading books that aren’t too hard. She should recognize at least 90 percent of the words without any help. Stopping any more often than that to figure out a word makes it tough for her to focus on the overall meaning of the story. 2. Almost any book can help build vocabulary and improve writing skills. It was advisable reading as many different genres and as many different books as possible. 3. Letting them choose their own books as soon as they start showing a preference for one over another. If a book is beyond a child’s reading  ability, it can be read to him or her now. 8 4. Finding out what students is interested in, and choose books that are related to his interests either an informational book or a novel in an area of specific interest. 5. Find picture books because of the subject or artwork, will be just right for a young reader , An interesting story in a beautiful, well-illustrated book offers the students an aesthetic experience to enjoy over and over again. 6. Pick books depending on your reading level, no matter what your age. C. Reread 1. If you don’t understand what you are reading, read over the sentence(s) again. Try reading the words out loud to yourself. If you still don’t understand something, ask a good reader nearby to explain the sentence(s) to you, or simply pick up a book that is easier to read and more appropriate to your reading level. 2. Feel free to use your finger as a pointer. It will keep your eyes focused on the line you are reading, improving your understanding. 3. To gain meaning from text and encourage reading comprehension, your child needs to read quickly and smoothly – a skill known as 9 fluency. Rereading familiar, simple books gives your child practice at decoding words quickly, so she/he’ll become more  fluent in her reading comprehension. 4. The more you read you the more you will remember them. Some of the experts suggest reading a chapter twice and then reading it again before a test. This technique is definitely effective; it is time-consuming, especially if you read slowly. D. Study Reading Vocabulary 1. As your student reads books, have her make a list of words that were difficult or unfamiliar in the book. Make flashcards of these words, spend some time together talking about the meanings and looking them up in the dictionary. Take turns showing the cards and guessing the words and meanings. As the student masters each word, remove it from the deck and put it in a place of honor. When the whole deck is mastered, celebrate with a special reward. E. Participate in Library Reading Programs 1. Most libraries offer organized reading programs during school breaks for students based on their school levels. Many of these 10 programs are themed and showcase some of the best works for children and young adults. a. The library staff may host activities based on books and have special events and field trips designed to help students explore the literature on a deeper level. Librarians are  usually happy to help your child and can help find ways to involve all levels of readers within an age group. F. Mind mapping 1. A mind map is a non-linear diagram that makes it easy to capture key thoughts and connections between ideas in a graphical / visual format. Starting with an idea, concept, or question in the center, you capture information by connecting key concepts and thoughts to the central idea. More detailed information related to these thoughts is then captured in branches that radiate out from the key concepts, away from the central idea. a. It is a useful technique to use while reading, since the  non-linear format allows you to view the entirety of your notes at a glance, then easily place new information in the appropriate branch or make connections between ideas. 11 It’s also a useful technique when solving problems or planning projects: start with a question or project description, then capture all ideas or necessary tasks in the appropriate branches. G. Scanning 1. A technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what you’re looking for, so you’re concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions. Once you’ve scanned the document, you might go back and skim it. a. When scanning, look for the author’s use of organizers such as numbers, letters, steps, or the words, first, second, or next. Look for words that are bold faced, italics, or in a different font size, style, or color. 12 b. A process of quickly searching reading materials in order to locate specific bits of information. When scanning you  don’t start from the beginning and read to the end. H. Skimming 1. It is another technique whose purpose is to gain a quick overview in order to identify the main points. When skimming, you will often skip words, sentences, and paragraphs. a. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research. b. The students may read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you’re seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used to review graphs, tables, and charts. 13 I. Make your own study guide 1. An extension of the concept of composing questions about your reading, this technique involves creating a set of possible test questions and answers and studying from those. Determine what your professor is likely to ask, compose questions, and write the  answers under them. Study from your study guide until you feel you know it well. Then create a version that omits the answers and see how well you do answering the questions. Those you miss are the ones you need to study more. J. Recite and teach material to others 1. Many experts swear by the effectiveness of reciting important parts of the reading orally[md]not reading aloud, but reciting section summaries you’ve composed yourself or questions and answers you’ve posed about the reading. Since you might find it awkward to recite aloud with people around, you may want to find a private place. In the same vein, teaching the material to others can dramatically boost your memory of it. Study groups are an excellent setting for doing so. If all else fails, consider teaching concepts to your dog or one of your stuffed animals. K. Keep reading 1. Try to read as much as you can on your free time. Reading will help you in lots of ways; your vocabulary will become larger and 14 more sophisticated and you will notice your grades change for the better in school. Have fun reading. II. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENT READING i. The students nowadays are just refusing to read, Psychological studies have  shown that children who become adults who do not read very well are less successful in life than their peers. Of course we can break the reasons why students hate to read down to both medical and psychological factors: 15 A. Medical 1. They may have difficulty seeing the text and need glasses. Or they may have an organic brain disorder B. Psychological 1. They may be a developmental or learning disability such being mentally handicapped or they may have a learning disability such as dyslexia making it extremely difficult to read. a. Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability  that impairs a person’s fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, [1] and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, processing speed, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, language skills/verbal comprehension, and/or rapid naming. C. Other psychological factors 1. They are simply distracted. In the past there were fewer distractions. Today there is TV, video games, and so on, which can take them away from reading. a. Nowadays there are internets that they can read far quicker, you do not have to read books. D. Lack of self-confidence 16 1. They may feel embarrassed to read out loud which is also related to self-esteem. Some kids will say they don’t like the sound of their voices. They may compare themselves to better readers and feel they are not as good. This may not even be the case. They may be just as good as the other readers. Only, they just fail to see it. E. Boredom 1. They get bored with reading and once the students lose interest in reading it is hard to get them back on board. Some of this boredom can be attributed to the dullness of the classroom reading assignments which have very little to do with the lives of the students who are reading them. F. Lack of practice 1. If the students are not motivated to read they will not practice. Motivation decreases with age. Even high school students who are good readers can feel like they are climbing a mountain when they have to read a chapter from a book. Without practice students will not develop the required skills and ease of reading. They will not read fast and later on in life this will also affect their university studies when enormous amount reading is requires in many disciplines. 17 a. The ability to read well and comprehend what is read is also crucial for adults in the work, environment, social  environment, and at home. III. TIPS ENCOURAGE THEM TO READ A. The first step to read to your child at an early age. 1. Many people have fond memories of their parents reading them bedtime stories, and reading to your child will help foster a love of words and reading. B. Fill your room with books 1. Kids who grow up with books all around them learn to think of books as friends, and allies in their pursuit of adventure and learning. a. The books like encyclopedias, dictionary, atlas, newspapers, magazines, almanac and etc. C. Be a good reading â€Å"role model†. 1. Let them see you reading, and how much you enjoy reading books  and magazines. a. Encourage joining you as you read; it can be your â€Å"bonding time† with them. D. Introduce them to books that match their interests and hobbies. 18 1. Show them how a good book can expand their knowledge in a particular area, and expand their horizons as well. E. Encourage them to find new books on their own to read. 1. While showing your books is a good way to build their interest level, a child who finds new books on their own can benefit from an increased sense of independence. 2. Let them to choose their own interest book. F. Get your child a library card. 1. Show them how a library can be a place of wonder and excitement, and can open up whole new worlds of learning to last a lifetime. And then put the library in your schedule, so you will be sure to visit frequently together. G. Setting limitations 1. Set limits on the amount of time your child spends in front of a television or video game console. a. There’s nothing wrong with watching television or playing video games, if you want to child to develop good language and learning skills, make sure they spend just as much time reading a good book. b. They might not like it now, but chances are they’ll thank you for it later in life. H. Leaving books 1. Leave books in the bathroom within easy reach of the toilet. You are quite likely to pick one up and read it. 19 2. Put books on the breakfast table. You are reading the backs of cereal boxes already. If you have a few books right in the kitchen, these will probably end up on the morning reading menu. a. If you don’t read, it’s unlikely your children will, either. Set a good example. I. Be comfortable 1. Therefore it is wise when you are comfortable reading general material to increase your reading speed as soon as possible. 2. Use a spreadsheet creatively. Try to read 15 to 20 minutes a day. Also, don’t judge a book by its cover. a. Spreadsheet is a grid that organizes data into columns and rows. Spreadsheets make it easy to display information, and people can insert formulas to work with the data. 3. To get the most comprehension, avoid lying down while reading. While reading in bed can help you relax and fall asleep, you can retain more information by having a good posture while reading. a. For example, sitting straight up and keeping your feet flat on the floor can increase your alertness. b. Make sure to choose a place that is comfortable for you for  the length of time you are going to read your book. This can be a couch, a chair or a bed. 20 Temperature is the most important factor to get comfortable reading. You can adjust the temperature the way you like it to be. If it’s too cold or too hot, then it will make getting comfortable to read a lot harder. The temperature is on you to decide. 4. Clothing. This is also another important factor to getting comfortable to read. You don’t want very tight or too lose clothes that make it not comfortable to read. a. Try wearing pajamas or just sweat pants and a t-shirt. Anything you are comfortable with. 5. A nice refreshing drink. This step is optional to you. It can depend on where and what time of day or year it is. Hot and warm drinks are great for those cold or cool nights or days. Cold drinks are perfect for those warm hot days and nights. 6. Book. The main thing you are getting ready to read. It can be a book you wanted to read for a long time or just to read for fun. Make sure it’s the book you really want to read. a. Bookmark. This is also optional but highly recommended to have with you when you need to get up and take a break or use the restroom and you don’t want to lose the page you are on. 21 7. Glasses and contacts. This step is for people with glasses and contacts. Make sure your glasses and contacts are clean enough for you to be able to read the words on the pages of the book. You don’t want dirt to make it hard for you to read. 8. Position is a key to get comfortable to read. You can adjust your position when you are reading to make it comfortable. It can be reading on your back while leaning back on something comfortable, sitting, standing, lying on your stomach, or lying on your side. It’s your choice of position you are comfortable with. a. But as much as possible do not lying on the bed because you will quickly fall asleep. b. Take a place that have more lights, IV. STUDY WELL BY READING 22 i. By reading you can gather information not even as faster as on the internets but you can learn more from reading. It can improve your vocabulary, grammar and enhancing your self-confidence especially when you speak. ii. In doing any works it is advisable to read, by this you can get the exactly meanings or knowledge you want and you will be having an advance thought from it. A. Get all materials. 1. If you want to study properly, don’t just bring your book. You will need a notebook and pencils, pens and highlighters. a. Highlights will help you pay more attention when reading rather than reading passively. B. Read it once. 1. During this, read for content. Try to understand the overall message or story. Put a * with a pencil when you read something that you think are important, rare, or stand out. If you want, just read a page at a time. C. Read it again. 1. Read over, and see if the points with the * are still that important. If they are, highlight them. There should be no more than 10 lines on a page that is highlighted. The highlighted points would help 23 you find important quotes or sentences when you need them later  on, or to study for exams. a. You can skip reading it again, and only have to read the highlighted important points. D. Take notes. 1. Pull out your notebook and summarize what you read. Try to make it as short and precise as possible. a. You can make jot notes or a paragraph, whichever is easier for you to read later on. E. Study. 1. You already read through the passage twice and used your own mind to rewrite and make notes, so it should be stuck in your head. But remember to review every 2-3 days to make sure you don’t forget. a. You can recite it with anyone as much as possible. b. Avoid any distractions. Don’t read for 2 minutes and text for 2 minutes. Your mind must be 100% on what you are reading. V. ADVANTAGES HAVING LIBRARY AT HOME i. The environment within the library itself highly motivates as there will be alot of focused people who will be down to serious business and thus you will feel motivated to do likewise. 24 ii. A proper library should have all the books you require thus you won’t have to spend much time looking for the books you require. A. You more likely to pick up ‘other’ books. 1. If you have a reasonably large collection of books at home, you and other members of your family will be exposed to newer  authors, genres and styles of writing. And if there is a reading culture at home it will help people pick up books belonging to diverse settings, eras and techniques. a. They are more likely to choose books addressing different issues. For instance, a young adult who only devours say a college romance can be exposed to comic fantasy and steam punk or even poetry. B. More chances of rereading a book 1. Chances of rereading or in other words revisiting what you just read are higher if you own the book and if the book is well within reach. So chances of pulling out a motivational book from your  personal library when you are feeling low are higher when the books are just stacked and kept away in your cupboard. a. Some people are in the habit of marking important lines, writing foot notes especially beside their reads so that they can glance at what they picked up from the book. This is a great practice and truly ensures that you make the most of 25 what you have read and pick up books from your personal collection. C. Discussing with friends 1. Once you to get into the groove you could have a monthly book reading and eventually kids will follow suit. If you have good  books at home they will be exposed to newer names, authors, genres, lessons all encouraging. D. Treasuring books 1. If you keep your library well, kids too will learn to treasure books and keep them well organized. They will eventually learn valuable lessons from the books they read and will learn to love their books too. 26 CONCLUSION: Reading can be a tool, to achieve success. it gives us a lot of information and ideas that we can use to our everyday life. By reading we can increase our self-confidence with this we can competitively speaking in any people. It can be improved or vocabularies, grammars, and know more languages. There lots of more if we read we can bring out the best on us, but the problem nowadays of the students they loss of attention in there reading habits, instead of reading to get the information they need they prefer to use the internet, we all know that all of our need ideas can’t be get in them. Are can be solve by using the techniques that are written ahead. Your friends and family can motivate you. As I’ve said it can be your â€Å"bonding time†. Reading is much fun as you think, if you just explore your imagination while you read. If you will be reading my work I’m sure you will learn more from it. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: 27 A special thank you goes to those who contributed to this paper: My sister Roby Jane Gayas valuable comments and sharing her knowledge. To my friends who directly contribute to the development of my research and a special thanks’ to my family supported on me all through the way. REFERENCES : Cornelissen PL, Kringelbach ML, Ellis AW, Whitney C, Holiday IE, Hansen PC (2009). Aleman, Andre. ed. â€Å"Activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus in the first 200 ms of reading: evidence from magnetoencephalography (MEG)†. PLoS ONE 4 (4): e5359. â€Å"NINDS Dyslexia Information Page†. National Institute for Neurological. Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved November 12, 2011. Sanabria Diaz G, Torres Mdel R, Iglesias J et al. (November 2009). â€Å"Changes in reading strategies in school-age children†. Span J Psychol 12 (2): 441– 53. PMID 19899646. Carver, Ronald P. (1990). Reading rate: a review of research and theory. Boston: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-162420-X. Legge GE, Mansfield JS, Chung ST (March 2001). â€Å"Psychophysics of reading. XX. Linking letter recognition to reading speed in central and peripheral vision†. Vision Research 41 (6): 725–43. doi:10. 1016/S0042-6989(00)00295-9. PMID 11248262. http://www. wikihow. com/Improve-Your-Reading-Skills. http://esl. about. com/od/englishreadingskills/a/readingskills. htm 28 http://www2. le. ac. uk/offices/ld/resources/study/reading http://www. pickthebrain. com/blog/improve-reading-comprehension/ http://www. wikihow. com/Category:Improving-Reading-Skills http://braindance. com/bdiread3. htm http://www. bookchums. com/blog-detail/about-books/advantages-of-a-wellstocked-home- library/Mjgx. html Mind Maps as Classroom Exercises John W. Budd The Journal of Economic Education , Vol. 35, No. 1 (Winter, 2004), pp. 35-46 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Article Stable URL: http://www. jstor. org/stable/30042572.

Singapore Footwear Analysis

Chapter 2 Market Analysis 2. 1. 1 Footwear Market Size The global consumption of footwear showed a steady growth between 2004 and 2007 but the global recession caused output volumes and consumer spending across a wide range of products, including footwear, to weaken in 2009. The USA, EU and Russian markets contracted in 2008 after good growth. Whereas the Asian and Brazilian markets continue to grow as a rising number of low-middle class people replace their flip-flops by closed shoes. A more important driving force to the global footwear market is the fast growth of very affluent people in the emerging economies buying luxury footwear.In 2008, the global footwear market was estimated at USD 201 billion and 7. 3 billion pairs, an annual average growth of 1. 4%, compared to USD 190 billion in 2004. The rising number of workingwomen, the trends towards casual footwear, the increasing affluence, and footwear as a fashionable status symbol, growing awareness about healthy and active life style, rising population and disposable income levels, were driving this growth. According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, the global footwear market was worth USD 185. billion in 2011 and is expected to reach USD 211. 5 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 1. 9% from 2011 to 2018. Global spending is expected to be moderate in 2012, as industry revenue for the Global Footwear Manufacturing industry increases by 2. 2% in the current year to total USD 122. 9 billion, up from USD 107. 4 billion in 2007. This represents annualized growth of 2. 7% in the past five years. As consumer spending power in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world steadies, demand for basic, non-discretionary footwear will continue to remain low.Furthermore, Transparency Market Research also stated that, in the overall global market, Asia Pacific is expected to maintain its lead position in terms of revenue till 2018. It is expected to hold the largest share at 4 2% with 30. 1% of the global footwear market revenue share in 2018 followed by Europe with 21% of market share. 2. 1. 2 Footwear Market Segmentation The footwear market is segmented into Men, Women and Children. Women’s footwear, excluding athletic footwear makes up the industry's largest product segment, with an estimated 26. 3% of industry revenue in 2012.Due to rise of economic independence and demand, new products are being launched more frequently in the women’s footwear segment than the men’s and children’s sections. There is a large variety of footwear for women, which are categorized by types and styles. Most types of them are designed for specific activities but, on the other hand, in the same activity, there have many styles in it. For this reason, both of the categories are somewhat overlap. Therefore, in this chapter, women’s footwear is categorized into types as followed: * Athletic shoes * Boots * Casual shoes * Comfortable shoes Dres s shoes * Job-specific shoes * Office and Professional * Sandals * Specialty and Special Needs 2. 1. 3 Footwear Market Growth Rate Packaged Facts expects the global footwear market to grow at a substantially slower clip between 2008 and 2013 compared to previous years. The global economic environment will likely put a damper on consumer spending putting pressure on all measures of the footwear including frequency of purchase, unit consumption and pricing. Regionally, markets will be affected to varying degrees and at various points in time as the global economic slump orks its way through international markets. For instance, the Asia-Pacific region may take longer to slow down and may not be as severe as other regions. Global Footwear Retail Market Forecast, 2008-2013 (in billion $) Source: Packaged Facts On a unit volume basis, Packaged Facts expects global unit volume consumption is expected to reach 12. 1 billion pairs in 2013, which is equal to 3% growth thereafter the United St ates and Europe return to more modest growth rates and emerging economies see consumption rates rise. Global Footwear Retail Unit Volume Forecast, 2008-2013 (in millions of pairs)Source: Packaged Facts As a whole, the footwear Industry is in the mature stage of its life cycle. The number of producers is rising and there is still positive growth in both industry revenue and value added. However, the barriers to entry are not insurmountable. Since global population continue to increase, World Resource Institute expected world population to rise five-fold in 2050, and footwear is a product required by most customers in the world, therefore, a base level of footwear purchases will repeatedly exist. 2. Singapore Market – PEST Analysis In this chapter, PEST analysis is used to assess the current in Singapore market. Political and Legal, Economic, Social and Technological factors are examined and described. Before starting up new business in oversea, location is one of the important issues, which we have to seriously consider. As the crisis in both the US and Europe are affected the economy all around the world, Asia market is still in good condition besides it is easier for business to succeed when operating in a healthy business environment.As for Singapore, The World Bank-International Finance Corporation (IFC) has ranked it as the easiest place in the world to do business and ranks as the world’s top logistic hub. Singapore has stable, diversified, growing and supported by regulatory environment that is transparent and balanced. As a result, Singapore succeeding became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. 2. 2. 1 Political and Legal factorsDue to the government who has set up several organizations in helping the business system, in The 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, Singapore is ranked as the second freest economy in the w orld. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, it also shows that Singapore is an enterprise friendly country as it consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Moreover, In Singapore, the state has taken on the role of promoter and practitioner of Corporate Social Responsibility, a logical development in view of the dominant role of the government in the local economy.The Economic Development Board Act exists to stimulate the growth, expansion and development of Singapore’s economy. Likewise, the emphasis of the regulatory policy of Singapore Ministry of Finance (MOF), which related with Companies Act, Business Registration Act, Accountant Act and Currency Act, is mainly focusing on development rather than control. These benefits help offering a healthy business environment for both local and foreign invertors. Singapore’s government also has great influent on business environment by providing well-served air, sea and telecommunication s connectivity.One of the most essential connectivity is broadband network, which is sufficient for every business need. Singapore has one the world’s busiest port, with the hub for about 400 shipping lines to more than 700 ports worldwide. Not only seaport facilities, Singapore also has Singapore Changi Airport, which is renowned as worldwide leading air hub for its efficiency and excellent services in cargo handling. The congregation of superior infrastructure and global industry professionals has made Singapore of the best destination of doing business. . 2. 2 Economy factors According to the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore, in the past decade, Singapore’s economy grew by an average of 5% per annum. Singapore's small population and dependence on external markets and suppliers has pushed it towards economic openness, free trade and free markets. This, as well as government policies that patronize economic development, have been key success factors in Singapore's hi storically strong economic performance. Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy.It is open and has corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. Singaporean economy depends heavily on exports, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing financial services sector. Real GDP growth averaged 5. 9% between 2007 and 2011. According to a report published by the World Bank, Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product was USD 239. 70 billion in 2011, about 0. 39 % of the world economy. Singapore GDP Source: www. tradingeconomics. om / World Bank Singapore is also known for low tax regime. The personal income tax rates start from 0% and are capped at 20% for residents while non-residents are taxed at a flat rate of 15%. The corporate income tax rate in Singapore is approximately 8. 5% for profit up to SGD 300,000 and a flat 17% above SGD 300,000. The GST or VAT rate is 7%. Moreover, there is no dividend tax, no estate duty, and no capital gains tax. The economy contracted 1. 0% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but rebounded in 2011.Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity. Singapore has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Share of GDP by industry Source: Department of Statistics Singapore As from the graphs above, even vary along with global economic situation, Singapore’s economy is considered as one of a great place to invest with strong emerging economy in every business sectors. . 2. 3 Social factors According to Department of Statistics of Singapore, the total population was 5. 31 million as at end-June 2012. There were 3. 82 million Singapore residents, comprising 3. 29 million Singapore citizens and 0. 53 million permanent residen ts, and 1. 49 million non-residents. Female residents outnumbered their male counterparts in Singapore further. The sex ratio was 970 males per 1,000 females in 2012. Chinese formed the majority at 74 % of the resident population, followed by the Malays with 13 % and the Indians with 9. %. The proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 years and over rose from 9. 3 % in 2011 to 9. 9% in 2012. Sex Composition of Resident Population Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Age Distribution of Resident Population Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Singapore Residents by Age Group, Ethnic Group and Sex, June 2012 Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, SingaporeSingapore Manpower Research and Statistics Department also stated that Singapore Nominal incomes rose strongly in 2011, amid a tighter labour market with more residents employed i n both professional, managerial, executive ; technician (PMET) and non-PMET jobs in 2011. The median monthly income from work of full-time employed residents rose by 8. 3% over the year to USD 3,249 in 2011, Taking headline inflation into account, the median income rose in real terms by 3. 1% in 2011. Distribution of Resident Labour Force by Age, 2001 and 2011 (As at June)Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 2. 2. 4 Technology factors As Singapore proceeding into globalization and networked economies where competition and collaboration are in the same page, the presence of a strong technological infrastructure is crucial and unavoidable. The changes of technology are not only refer to the changes in production techniques, production equipment and communication, it also leads to improvement of production and services as well. Besides, it helps speeding up the movement of the information including improvement of the analysis information. Singapore’s extensive infrastructure set up is one of a fundamental attractiveness for foreign investment. According to the 2010 Infocomm Usage by Households and Individuals Survey, Singapore has put in place an advanced and reliable Infocomm infrastructure that has met the needs and demands of the economy and society. The proportion of resident households with Internet and broadband access at home reached 82%. The National Infocomm Infrastructure (NII) started as a key initiative of the IT 2000 Master Plan, with the building of a high-speed nationwide broadband network as a major milestone in its development.Again, Singapore has also grown to be one of the major global telecommunications hubs in the region and is well positioned as a hub for international capacity. Over the last few years, Singapore has also grown to be a trans-cable hub where regional submarine cable systems and international cable systems interconnect. In addition, Singapore government also emphasizes on i ts strength and makes the most of its electronic performances by providing useful resources and information online.For example, the Custom Office of Singapore provides e-service transactions through its website in order to facilitate all investors and remain as a global trade hub trusted by foreign trading partners and business operating in Singapore. 2. 2. 5 Conclusion From the factors analyzed above, it can be concluded that Singapore government has play an important role on its business success both domestic and international. With government’s policies, it has created an enterprise-friendly environment for invertors worldwide.Singapore extensive connectivity, together with a pro-business environment and legal and regulatory framework, make it an ideal circumstance for doing business. 3. Market trend Howard Davis, a professor of footwear design at Parsons School of Design, told Footwear News in 2005, â€Å"Self-adjusting shoes will be shoes of the future because the consu mer will demand real and serious comfort. † Not only comfort, the industry’s demand is primarily driven by fashion and demography. Newcomers with more fashionable product may thrive at the expense of a fading rival.The profitability of individual companies depends on their ability to design attractive footwear lines and remain at the forefront of consumers' consciousness. Consequently, designers attempt to combine comfort and style by using new technologies, with predictions that customized fit could be soon become more popular and more widely available. As for Thai footwear trend through the world financial crisis, the Department of Export Promotion has assessed the impact and suggested that Thai firms has to seek for new market replacement in order to gain and maintain market share apart from European and US market that are in their downturn.Other than maintaining the share, Thai firms have to be prepared to reap the opportunities from new impact of economy under the Asian Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. 4. Key Success Factors In order for March Shoes to accomplish its marketing objectives, the key success factors are the elements that are highly necessary. There are a few factors include: * Access to distribution channels * Access to targeted market * Understand actual customer behavior The key success factors might be changed from time to time, the company must continue to plan ahead beyond present needs, and keep pace with rapid technological changes.

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

Digestion - Essay Example The digestion of carbohydrates starts from the mouth where the teeth and tongue have their specific functions. The teeth are used for the process of grinding the food which helps in splitting down the large carbohydrate molecules into smaller ones known as disaccharides and monosaccharides. Saliva has a special enzyme known as amylase which helps in breaking down the bonds found in the molecule of starch. The carbohydrates then reach the stomach where the process of digestion stops because of the acidic environment found there. These molecules are then pushed into the small intestine where the pancreatic juice neutralizes the hydrochloric acid of the stomach so that the enzymes can work on these molecules. Pancreatic amylase and salivary amylase start working in the small intestine and hydrolyze the large carbohydrate molecules into oligosaccharides. These oligosaccharides are then digested by oligosaccharidases which helps in forming disaccharides. These disaccharides are then diges ted by disaccharidases into basic units which can be then absorbed. Hexoses and pentoses are easily absorbed in the small intestine by the transporters through a symport mechanism. After absorption into the blood stream the carbohydrates are processed in the liver to form glycogen or form glucose from other monosaccharides such as fructose or galactose. The monosaccharides are also used to form the nonessential amino acids inside the body (Ganong 2005) The digestion of the proteins starts in the stomach where the enzyme pepsin works on the proteins to break the peptide linkages formed between amino acids. The low pH in the stomach helps to maintain the functionality of the enzyme pepsin. The remnants of digestion are then moved to the small intestine where pancreatic enzymes act on them. Trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase act on the remnants to digest them further so that they can be absorbed. These enzymes break some of the molecules into the basic units of amino acids. It is throu gh sodium dependent or independent transport mechanisms that the amino acids are transferred into the intestinal lumen. Most of the amino acids are absorbed in duodenum and jejunum whereas only a small amount is absorbed in the ileum. After the absorption the amino acids are moved into the muscle cells or liver where they can be used to form protein or glucose for energy purposes (Ganong 2005) The digestion of lipids starts from the stomach by two enzymes namely lingual lipase and gastric lipase. Gastric lipase is usually inactive under normal conditions but the lingual lipase helps in digesting about 30% of the lipids in the stomach. A major portion of the lipid digestion starts in the duodenum when pancreatic lipase acts on the lipids. This pancreatic lipase helps in forming fatty acids and 2 monoglycerides. Because of the insoluble nature of fats it becomes very difficult for them to cross the luminal membrane of the small intestine. It is here that the role of bile salts comes i nto play when it emulsified the fats into micelles. These micelles then move down the concentration gradient carrying the triglycerides into the enterocytes. After the absorption of fats they are transported to the liver where they are processed to be used by the adipocytes for storage or cardiac muscles for energy (Ganong 2005) Vitamin A, D and B12 are all found in the meal consumed by Jane. The vitamins do not have to be digested in order to get absorbed. Vitamin B 12

Law of Succession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Law of Succession - Essay Example The witness must not only sign at the bottom of each page but also in the place indicated as â€Å"witness to sign† along with name, address, occupation, the date and the place. (www.wills-scotland-co.uk0. n this case ,Harold should sign the Will at Maria’s office or at Barbaras house and both the witnesses namely Barbara and her husband Paul should sign the Will immediately after Harold, and they should not leave the room before the signing the Will. Further , Barbara and Paul should not sign at the back of the will and should sign at the bottom of each page but also in the place indicated as â€Å" witness to sign† along with name , address , occupation , the date and the place. Only two. Both the witnesses must be present at the same time when a testator signs the Will. In Re Bravda (1968), it was held that where the Will was witnessed by four witnesses and two of them were beneficiaries and hence the Will was declared as void. (www.funtriva.com). Revocation of a Will includes rules relating to how a valid Will is made unmade or invalid. Section 18 and 20 of the Wills Act 1837 deal with revocation of a Will. However, in case of any dispute, the courts will interpret the rules which offer some quiet challenge and interest in the subject. It is normally revoked ipso facto due to a latter or subsequent marriage. Section 18(1) of the Wills Act 1837 states that though a voidable marriage makes a Will invalid but a void marriage does not revoke a will as held in Re Roberts.1 Under Wills Act 1963, the second instrument is effective to cancel the first Will, if the second Will adheres with any law concerning the legality of the first one, though not effective by the law concerning its own validity. (Collier & Collier 275). In general, a revocation clause will cancel all earlier testamentary aspirations, If intended or worded to act so, but may not be effective if a divergent intention is apparent as

Is the Cost of College Too High Annotated Bibliography

Is the Cost of College Too High - Annotated Bibliography Example Crouch, Michelle. "10 Reasons to Skip the Expensive Colleges: Are Ivy League schools really worth the price?" Reader’s Digest. September 2011. Web. 16 October 2013.The author disclosed ten reasons why it was argued that parents and decision makers of students pursuing higher education should think twice before opting to enroll in Ivy League schools due to exorbitant costs of college education. The strengths of the article, therefore, lie in clearly enumerating rationales for seeking other alternative options for pursuing higher education rather than setting their minds on Ivy League Schools. Likewise, at the end of the discourse, the author provided a link to the list of affordable colleges which could be considered as alternative options. The weaknesses that were noted include the lack of citations and a reference list where readers could verify the authenticity of the information that was provided; as well as the lack of statistical information that could validate arguments from an authoritative perspective. Overall, the discourse could still be used in the current research as a source of inputs for writing the proposed recommendations or courses of action, which could include the recommended option of seeking other least expensive educational institutions which could also provide an equally rewarding educational environment. Likewise, some examples that were noted could also be used; as long as these could be aptly verified as to their authenticity and reliability prior to inclusion in one’s research.

American Politics and Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Politics and Foreign Policy - Essay Example The concluding section will draw upon all of this information and the global arguments will be considered when making a finalization about the matter. In April this year, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will consider withdrawing from Europe's key arms control treaty in response to United States' plans to install missile defense systems in Eastern Europe (Danilova, 2007). The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, which was signed in the last few months of the Cold War, has been considered as the foundation of stability in Europe. It places limits on the number of conventional weapons and foreign forces that can be deployed among member nations (Navosti, 2007). This particular aspect provides the backbone to the matter. In the first indication that the United States was losing patience with Moscow's inflexibility on the issue, Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, described Russia's fears simply as "ludicrous" (Columbia Tribune, 2007). "The Russians have thousands of warheads," she told a press conference in Oslo prior to a NATO meeting. "The idea that somehow you can stop the Russian strategic nuclear deterrent with a few interceptors just doesn't make sense" (Columbia Tribune, 2007). Mr. ... Mr. Putin said he had decided to declare a moratorium on an updated version of the treaty because NATO powers had failed to ratify it (Danilova, 2007). The United States and its NATO allies said they would not ratify the treaty until Russia withdrew its troops from Moscow-backed seceding republics in Georgia and Moldova - an argument the Russian Kremlin dismisses as a pretext to allow Washington to boost its military presence in Eastern Europe (Navosti, 2007). Background on the Treaty Negotiated and signed during the final years of the Cold War, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty is often referred to as the "cornerstone of European security" (Crawford, 2002). According to the Reuters Fact box (2007) the treaty, signed on November 19, 1990, eliminated the Soviet Union's overwhelming quantitative advantage in conventional weapons in Europe by setting equal limits on the amount of tanks, armored combat vehicles, heavy artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters that NATO and the former Warsaw Pact could deploy between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains (Crawford, 2002). Designed to prevent either alliance from concentrating forces for launching a blitzkrieg-type offensive, the treaty employs a system of concentric zones mandating smaller deployments of tanks, ACVs, and artillery the closer one moves toward the center of Europe (FAS, 1999). While the threat of such an offensive all but disappeared with the breakup of the Warsaw Pact and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the CFE Treaty's weapons limits and inspection regime, which provides an unprecedented degree of transparency on military holdings, continue to play an important role in Europe (FAS, 1999). CFE states-parties overhauled the treaty in November 1999,

Farm Resource Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Farm Resource Appraisal - Essay Example Measurement of assets and liabilities of the farm give its clear financial standing which can help identify and solve farming issues. Data for appraisals can be collected from farm records, production and market research and from other consultant agencies. This information can be collected in the form of surveys and interviews. General physical and technical information has to be collected on the farm visit such as soil characteristic, climate and weather, land characteristics, production capacity, production technology and labor inputs. Soil characteristics encompass soil type, texture and soil analysis. Climate takes into account factors such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, droughts and hurricanes. Slope, topography and land elevation fall in land characteristics while yield per acre or hectare is covered in the productions capacity. Production technology accounts for the harvest and post-harvest operations, diesel control and fertilizers. Finally details of labor such as its s ource, distribution and gender are covered in the labor inputs. To prepare a farm resource appraisal, farm visit is necessary and along with the general physical and technical information, farm records and accounts information is also necessary. It can help farmers manage the farm properly since farm records and accounts can assist in measuring economic performance, meeting legal requirements etc. Moreover, operational records serve as a key factor in managing everyday activities of the farm. Financial records on the other hand can be used to evaluate the farm and for tax purposes. Some of the operational records are the farm map, field material input record, labor records and livestock records, income records and farm expense records. Balance sheet, on the other hand is the most commonly used financial record. It states the assets and their sources of financing. It is primarily used for taxation purposes. The farm map should be relative to the scale and must highlight field and oth er major areas of the farm. Field material input record provides information on material inputs such as fertilizers and seeds. Labor records gauge the workers-days per task information. Livestock records provide the information related to keeping livestock. Lastly, revenue and cost are covered in income and farm expenditure record. Sample records (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2006) of field material input, labor, income and expenditure have been presented below for better understanding. Field Material Input Record (figure 1) Area Planted: Date Input Quantity Price per unit Value                                              Total             Labor Record (figure 2) Area Planted: Date Task Persons/ task Hired Value (labor days)          No./ day Cost/ day Value                                                                   Total                   Income Rec ord (figure 3) Area Planted: Date Product Sold Stored       Quantity Price/unit Value $                                                       Total                Farm Expenditure Record (figure 4) Area Planted: Date Item Quantity Price / Unit Value                                                             Total             Farm Inventory The next step is the farm inventory count, recording resources and methods of valuation. The ideal time for farm inventory is a few weeks before

Driving School case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Driving School case - Essay Example (Pollack) The first phase, Strategic Marketing Analysis, includes observing every element of the marketplace such as target market, industry growth, market size as well as competitors. This is considered as the "Opportunity Analysis" stage when the firm is able to identify if there is indeed an opportunity in the market (Pollack). In the case of Advanced Driving School, the company has passed this phase as it has identified its target market, growth potential and existing competition. According to Oliver, the firm's core market is primarily comprised of fleet-drivers whose trainings are sponsored by fleet operators. Apart from this, the company also caters to private motorist and motor manufacturers. Indicative of the bright prospects in the industry, Oliver forecasts that profits would increase exponentially on the second year of sales. The company has also considered its competitors and identified its competitive edge. As cited by Oliver, quality of service provided by other driving schools remain questionable since they do not use qualified instructors as opposed to the company's high ranking former police instructors. The second phase, dubbed as Market Entry Strategy, involves the actual development of strategy. This stage entails the review of product strategies, presentation of service offering, pricing scheme, enticing customers and determination of the place where the service would be rendered (Pollack). Given the case facts, Advanced Driving School is within the middle of this phase. Although it has budgeted for marketing, considered the above elements and recognised the problem with regard to its current location, the company does not have a concrete marketing program that would enable it to completely penetrate the market and establish a strong foothold in the industry, especially in the long run. To be able to successfully maintain sustainable demand, the firm should first solidify not only its current sales strategy, but its overall marketing program as well. The company should be able to design the effective marketing mix to satisfy the wants and needs of its target market. (Burns & Bush) Only when Advanced Driving Schools has come up with its marketing strategy can it advance to the third phase, i.e. Strategy Implementation. In this stage, the firm should be able to integrate the Four Ps in concert with one another to be able to execute an effective marketing program. (Pollack) Question 2: What needs to be done to develop Advanced Driving School's sales and marketing activities in order to significantly increase sales In order for the firm to continuously boost sales, Advanced Driving School should ensure that its sales and marketing activities are apt for its intended market. In this regard, prior to undertaking is sales and marketing program, the company should assess the preferences of potential customers. As such, the company should primarily consider conducting marketing research. Through this process, the firm would be able to gather significant information which would help determine potential clients' wants and needs, and design marketing strategies that would

How a project manager may resolve some of the major potential Essay

How a project manager may resolve some of the major potential challenges involved in the initial stages of the of the project from a socio-organizational perspective critically evaluate the above question - Essay Example All of these four above cases are examples of project management. Without any doubts, in today’s ruthless, competitive, and fast-paced corporate world, project management is surrounding us from all possible directions. In fact, the concept of managing projects, plans, ventures, and events has been there on the scene since centuries. The Hanging Garden of Babylon, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal of Agra, the Great Wall of China, and others are all examples of great project management since these projects are examples of efficient work by the managers of that time, considering all their constraints (Heerkens, pp. 20-28, 2007). However, for the past few decades project management has strongly evolved as a prominent subject and has acquired its place as literature in philosophy. Experts differ in the definition as they have diverse opinions on many subjects. Yet after combining those definitions, it would not be wrong to say, â€Å"Project management is the application of skills, techniques, and tools to enable activities to attain project requirements. Project management is achieved through integration and application of project management practices of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing† (Portny, Portny, Mantel Jr., Meredith, Kramer, & Sutton, pp. 9-45, 2007). Considering this description in mind, as said earlier, projects, project managers, and projects management is everywhere, surrounding us from all possible directions. Every software engineer, mechanical engineer, Research and Development Manager, financial expert, planning manager or other, who is in middle of coming up with a new product is also facing the elements of project management in some way or the other. Gone are the days when jobs were simple, straightforward, and repetitive. The competition is just getting tougher and tougher by every day and organizations are hungry for new ways to assure their survival. History speaks that change

The low growth of women Essay Example for Free

The low growth of women Essay Due to the low growth of women entering in the politics, people all around the world are suggesting different approaches to enhance the growth of women in the political sector. Applying quota system is one of the approaches. The initiation of quotas in legislation for women puts forward a policy of precise means and goals. Due to the system’s affectability and efficiency the masses think that this approach will increase the representation of women in the politics. But these quota systems also face strong resilience and raise very serious questions. How to execute the quota policy? What happened to the countries who adopted the quota systems? What arguments come up for the use of quotas? Justification: The main thought behind using the quota approach is to encourage women to participate more in politics and work in political positions and also see to that the women are not only a few tokens in the political scenario. Quotas ensure that women are entitled to have a specified percentage of the associates in the legislative body, whether it is a committee, an assembly or a government. Quota systems help to raise the representation of women in the political world to ensure that women are not left out or being isolated and are at the every step of the political systems (Niven, 1998). Pros of quota system: ? Quotas will help to minimize the stress faced by the already present token women in the parliament or committee. ? It will help to raise the rights of women as a civilian in the same demonstration. ? The need of women’s experiences in the political life can be filled. ? It will help to represent the qualities and qualifications of women, which are the same as men, in the male dominated society. ? The fact is the political parties nominate the selections, not the voters, who only decide which nominee is elected. ? Conflicts may arise by applying quotas, but it would be temporary and will do a lot of good in the long run in the representation of women in the political frame. Opposing view point: According to Anna Balletbo and many others quotas are considered as double ended swords. Each end gives the male the upper hand over women. At one end, men think to empower the women by involving them in decision making and creating more opportunities for them. But at the other end, the men who are responsible for creating opportunities for women will try to find the women whom they can manage very easily and only allow the specific type of women who accept the domination of man over women (International IDEA, 2007). Cons of quota system: ? Quotas represent unequal opportunity for all as it is not purely based on merit and favors women. ? Quotas also represent an undemocratic atmosphere as the voters are not able to make the decision about who is going to be elected. ? Quotas simply shows that the political candidates are nominated because of their gender rather then their qualifications, which creates a system of unfairness as merit is not being preferred and people with higher capabilities and higher qualifications are brushed aside by the quota system. ? Women don’t want to get involved in politics because of the perception that women cannot be a part of government. ? Implementation of quotas will create many inter- party conflicts and lead to political instability. Conclusion: The primary objective of quota system is to increase the number of women in the political scenario and clearly represent the under acknowledge gender in the political system. A successful quota arrangement will allow the ample amount of qualified women candidates to be recruited by the political group or party, and a certain number of women will be in the part of the government instead of the few token one’s and lastly it will allow the elected women candidates to enforce their idea’s and their feminist thinking in decision making process. Just to pass a rule to allow women a 30 per cent seats in the parliament is not adequate. Implementation of the quotas is essential. Regulations should be kept clear cut, the vaguer they are, the more the risk of the non-implementation of quota regulations. Implementing the quota system will not silence its critics, as the regulatory body and the supporters of quota system need to understand, that their criticism is not temporary and have to be dealt throughout the future. By introducing quota system in the government bodies, in the past decade, has made considerable rise in the women politicians in most of the countries. These countries experienced a change in the policies and a significant growth in the women decision making. But it also depends upon the women as to how much they are loyal to their respective political parties and how much of the policy of quota is implemented (Tremblay, 2008). Through research it has been shown that women who are engaged in some sort of civil society work have got a higher chance of getting elected then the one’s who don’t and they also enjoy a greater influence on bills and policies then other women. Even if the quota system is implemented many hurdles are still to overcome in all the male-dominated societies. Reference: Niven, David. The Missing Majority: The Recruitment of Women as State Legislative Candidates. Praeger, 1998. International IDEA. Designing for Equality: Best-Fit, Medium-Fit and Non-Favourable Combinations of Electoral Systems and Gender Quotas. International Idea, 2007. Tremblay, Manon. Women and Legislative Representation: Electoral Systems, Political Parties, and Sex Quotas. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Starbucks Success Business

Starbucks Success Business Starbucks first established in the year of 1971. There have three partners who are English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siege, and writer Gordon Bowker had expanded their first store named as Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Pike Place which locate in Seattles Pike Place Market. They were analyzing that each invest $1350 and they had borrowed $5000 from bank to hold the company of Starbucks. (Starbucks Corporation Company Background 1999) According to (Yahoo! Answers History Starbucks 2007), Alfred Peet had encourage them to open the store of Starbucks, so Alfred Peet was the first merchandise of green coffee that selling to them, so Starbucks is started to sell the high-quality coffee beans and equipment. However, they were suggesting changing their transaction object into growers of the coffee bean when they found out who the growers are. After few ten years, Starbucks could be a successful coffeehouse company with essential operation business in products and services, manag ement style, and marketing target. In 1982, Howard Schultz joins Starbucks. He was impressed by the popularity and culture of espresso bars in Milan, and therefore saw the establishment potential in Seattle. It was a success. In 1990s, Starbucks expands beyond Seattle, first to the rest of the United States, then the entire world. In 1996 Starbucks opened its first overseas store in Tokyo, Japan. Starbucks had to be well-known brand in the world with more than 13,000 stores in 39 countries. After becoming one of the first companies to offer stock options to its part-time employees, Starbucks becomes a publicly traded company. With the background of Starbucks Corporation, It was named as a name of character in a novel ‘Moby-Dick. Starbucks had owning 7,521 self-operated store and 5,647 licensed stores in 39 countries around the world. Beside that, when customer having their order at Starbucks, they are able to enjoying their order with an entertainment. Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company has ventured beyond the refreshments into books, music, and film and other. Refer to (HP, about Starbucks Coffee Company 2007), Starbucks Coffeehouse Company had business as leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee that they have expand more than 6000 retail locations in countries such as North and South American, Europe and so on. Starbucks has always provided the products which are the best coffee and fitness coffee experience offering to customer. Besides the quality of products, they also provide services as awesome environment, entertainment and social. What specially produce by Starbucks? There have drinks and foods serves out by Starbucks which are hot drinks such as drip brewed coffee, espresso-, hot chocolate and so on where the non-espresso-based drinks include tea, and ice-blended drinks. Starbucks also are offering foods to customer that includes pastries, sandwiches and salads. Besides drinks and foods, Starbucks has sales product to consumer such as coffee mugs and other paraphernalia that related to coffee beans. Comfortable environment offer to customer when they having their order in Starbucks with an entertainment. Types of entertainment are including music, books, films and other. (Wikipedia, Starbucks 2007) Specialty products of Starbucks are one successful key in business. According to . (Starbucks Corporation Product Line 1999)Starbucks stores serve a variety of very expensive and sweet drinks to customer. May be much of people have thinking that Starbucks products are quite expensive to purchase and only for rich family, but Starbucks have determined in their business plan, because they emphasize that the products they are produce are ever in quality and best. They are brewed coffees that will change in weekly to maintain their quality standard. Starbucks has expanding their various products due to season. Talent brewed by Starbucks such as cappuccinos has made with ‘dry, ‘wet, ‘extra hot, ‘soy, and ‘organic. Nowadays, ‘Frappuccino is high demand products offer by customer which that is combination with ‘frappe and ‘cappuccino, that have few types of Frappuccino such as Frappuccino blended beverage, Frappuccino Light blended beverage, F rappuccino Juice Blended with real fruit juice and ‘Power Frappuccino with nutrition as protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Other drinks like Tea have included â€Å"Chai Tea Latte†, a combination of black tea, exotic spices, honey, and milk; ‘Double shot as espresso drinks. In other way, foods of Starbucks cannot belittle, they are offering fresh breakfast as sandwiches, pastries, salads and other foods item like ice-cream, juices, and bottled water. As explain in easy ways, Starbucks is almost selling all the drinks are related to coffee beans. Besides products of Starbucks, services are also the element of successful businesses. One service of Starbucks is analyzed as ‘The Third Place. Meaning of ‘The Third Place is other place beside home and work. In the cafà © of Starbucks, they have provided outfitted with stuffed chairs and tables with hard backed chairs. These could upper-class of environment to comfort the customer. In the service, Starbucks has provide free electricity for customer and also wireless internet connection, so any customer who dont have internet service at home, Starbucks could allowed them come through surf net their laptop and have online. Starbucks is a common place for businessman to having their business and transaction with client, because of awesome environment and best quality of coffee. Starbucks has always provided fresh air and aroma in environmental. According to (Wikipedia, Starbucks 2007), Starbucks Company has noted a policy as ‘non-smoking in almost in all of their st ores, but this policy has never establish in countries such as Germany, Vienna and Mexico City. In such countries, Starbucks has smoking room for them normally on upstairs of outlet. The reason of smoking banned is because of the coffee aroma will be affect by smoke and no more adulterated. ‘The third Place is generally state by Starbucks to provide the personal entertainment where can fulfill the customer in their tea-time and they can have enjoyable with the music and magazine provided. There were many entertainments that provided in Starbucks store. Starbucks Entertainment was mostly selects the best in music, books and film to offer Starbucks customers the opportunity to discover quality entertainment in a fun and convenient way as part of their daily coffee routines. According to (Starbucks Company Profile 2007), Partnership of Starbucks has made an entertainment that may impact the entertainment industry with the music, labels and filmmakers. In provide additional entertainment to customer, Starbucks Entertainment has teamed with other corporation to create a iTunes store online, this could offering to customer in buying, download and preview the Starbucks entertainment such as music title and specially created play lists in a convenient online music buying experience. Starbucks has a successful image with their greater management style, but they will also incoming managerial problem. Starbucks has tried their best to increase market share of the non-coffee drinker. As people know, Starbucks is one of the most successful and admired companies in the world. Starbucks has grown from a single coffee shop in Seattle 33 years ago to 5,945 outlets in United States and 2,392 more in 28 countries. SWOT analysis is an analysis of the organizations strength, weakness, opportunity and threat that might lead to a restructure and successful solution to its internal and external problems. (SWOT Analysis Starbucks 2000) In the strength analysis, as people know, Starbucks Corporation is well-known coffeehouse in the world; of course Starbucks is making profitable business every year. According to (SWOT Analysis Starbucks Strength 2000), Starbucks has made a profit in excess of $600 million from sales of $5000 million in year 2004. Beside that, Reputation of Starbucks has built up because of the quality of products and services and also their market is going to everywhere has human lives in the world with almost 9000 cafes in 40 countries. In additional, Starbucks mention that they have a strong ethical value to a role of environmental leadership in their business that could effect to customer enjoyable and comfortable. Last strength for Starbucks is a respected employer that values its workforce, because of in the year 2005 Starbucks was one of the Fortune Top 100 Companies to Work For. Even though Starbucks has a lot of strength, but it still have such of weaknesses need to aware in business. Referr ing to (SWOT Analysis Starbucks Weaknesses 2000), To attract new customer, Starbucks has always produce creativity new specialty product but they emphasize that their innovation of new products may be stumble over time, so they need to develop another new product when previous products is outdated. Next weaknesses will be analyze is Starbucks has much dependant on the main competitive advantage, if other competitor has similar advantage to customer, Starbucks may getting risk in their business operation. Other weakness is the retail of coffee could slow the process of send into other sectors. Starbucks has over concern their business in the home market at United State of American with over three quarter of their stores; they should spread out more of their market to other countries. Furthermore, in opportunities analysis, Starbucks are always appreciating their opportunity coming, because they believe it will advantage to them. According to (SWOT Analysis Starbucks Opportunities 2000), Starbucks Company has created a service that customers can create their own music CD by using CD-Burning. This service has expanding in 2004 in one of their store ‘Santa Monica cafà © with Hewlett Packard. Besides, Starbucks has an opportunity that expands their new markets for coffee to India and the Pacific Rim nations for the beginning step. The company has retail their new products and services in their store which are Fair Trade and so on. Starbucks has taking their good opportunity to co-branding with other manufacturers and brand franchising to manufacturers to transmission drinks and foods; products and services. Furthermore, there has some threat that Starbucks would be taking. According to (SWOT Analysis Starbucks Threat 2000) Starbucks are suggesting to rises the cost of the coffee and other products. Besides that, Starbucks has never know what will be occur in the future, whether demand on coffee will be upward or other substitute beverage would be replace to coffee. Who can know the future? At last, Starbucks are successful on their business with conception in Pike Place Market since 1971, but its could also create much of competitors and copy cat refer to their talent of operation, may be the businesses would compete by other company in future. Besides planning strategy, human resources management is also the reason of Starbucks to be successful company. The value of Starbucks employees have acknowledge by the company. According to (Starbucks Company Profile 2007), Starbucks has more than 145000 employees which work about part-time or full-time in their entire cafà © and store. Average of Starbucks employees are 26 years old. Starbucks Company is providing the benefit package that includes healthcare benefits and stock option grants through Bean Stock to the employees. The chairman of Starbucks Schultz state that ‘They have the most knowledgeable workforce in their industry. Schultz emphasize that number of store they were opened is not main point, but they are concerned to growth and development of the employees. Furthermore, Schultz believed that their people are a core of successful reason. Employees have to know the basic knowledge as communication skill, ideas, commitment and connection that provide to customer. They would send employees to participate the training and development program. Every new employee will have at least 24 hours training time in first two to four weeks. There have six types of training included classes on history guide of Starbucks, drinks and foods preparation, knowledge in coffee, customer services provide to customer, retail skills of products, and a workshop called ‘Brewing the Perfect Cup. Each of training has to consume for 4 hour. (Starbucks Corporation Employee Training 1999) On-the-job training to employees of Starbucks has include employees has to maintain and self-improve from the job; listen and acknowledge; and can ask for help from their peer or coworker.Beside that, staffing of Starbucks, can only be two to four partners includes Assistant Manager or store manager in one stores. Any employee who completed the Coffee Master course can be high standing and known as ‘Coffee Master in other words is manager of Starbucks. Certification could be t aking from several tests. That is depending on how professional of employees in tasting, growing, roasting and purchasing of the products and services. Coffee Master has worn black aprons whereas normal employees are wearing standard green aprons. (Wikipedia, Starbucks 2007) Last element of successful key is the target marketing of Starbucks. To be maximizing their market, Starbucks has establish geographic expansion strategy in 1992 and 1993 that they has focus in a targeted area, this is because that has more convenience connection between stores and build up an infrastructure that is link together with the branches store. Starbucks would like to selected a large city to serve as a hub; teams of professionals were located in hub cities to support the goal of opening more and more again stores in the target region. Once the stores plant in entire hub areas, additional stores were slowly to spreading to other area as opened smaller surrounding the hub region area to widely area. (Starbucks Corporation The Store Expansion Strategy 1999) Starbucks has doing market research such as survey; questionnaire and observation by using ‘Customer Relationship Management to ensure the expectation of customer. As the information they have concern are about dimension of segmentation will be demographics include age and household status of customer to having their products. They are selected married couples age 25 54 with children to be their primary target market. According to the research, they found that these households spend more than other households on non-alcoholic beverages away from home. They are trying to consume the product to child with the coffee-free Frappuccino. Starbucks has also implement a strategy with some event to encourage parents buying a Frappuccino to their child as free game of soccer victory and even a trip to family on holiday. They expect that this could influence to child purchasing decision and always in the childs mind remain until when they are mature. (Starbucks: â€Å"The Non-Coffee Tre at† Segmentation n.d) In other of marketing planning of Starbucks is goes international. Starbucks can be well-known and making profitable business is depend on their market in other 39 countries. Nowadays, Starbucks has located many branch stores to international. According to (Starbucks Company Profile 2007) Time series of the Starbucks opened are following: The first branches that Starbucks opened in overseas were in 1996 which store in Tokyo, Japan and after store in Singapore. Year 1997: Philippines; Year 1998: U.K., Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand and Malaysia; Year 1999: Beijing, Kuwait, South Korea and Lebanon; Year 2000: United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain; Year 2001: Switzerland and Austria; Year 2002: Oman, Germany, Spain Mexico, Puerto Rico, Macau and Shenzhen, Greece and Indonesia; Year 2003: Turkey, Peru, Chile and Cyprus; Year 2004: France; Year 2005: Jordan, Bahamas and Ireland; Year 2006: Brazil and Egypt; Year 2007: Romania. Structure of Starbucks is also their market strategy that could attract the customer because of specialty building. According to (Starbucks Corporation Real Estate, Store Design, Store Planning, and Construction 1999), Starbucks had began to create their own structure of building starting from year 1991, they are build up an own in-house team of architects and designers to modified their building. They analyze that every stores has convey right image and characteristics. In different places, they would design different structure of building to coordinate to environment. Stores had to be custom-designed because Starbucks didnt buy real estate and build its own freestanding structures; rather, each space was leased in an existing structure and thus each store differed in size and shape. Most stores were located in office buildings, downtown and suburban retail centers, airport terminals, university campus areas, or busy neighborhood shopping areas convenient to pedestrian foot traffic. According to (Starbucks Company Profile 2007), Starbucks has many competitors, where the two largest competitors are Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, direct competitors such as fast food stores McDonalds and Burger King etc. and some small coffee shop. From the case, Starbucks is tried to push forward some and upgrade to different element compare to competitors. To ensure further market growth and be competitive, Starbucks is developing new products for non-coffee drinkers; they are producing the latest Frappuccino such as Java Chip Frappuccino, Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino, Strawberries Crà ¨me Frappuccino, and Cafà © Vanilla Frappuccino. Starbucks is taking a good competitive advantage to customer comparing to their competitors. They have several important points to maximize their customer by using brand experience, brand quality, guarantee health on product, and convenient access. In conclusion, people are recognizing Starbucks Coffeehouse Corporation is one of very successful businesses in the world. As reason of successful, Starbucks has mention that their businesses arent just for drinks and foods, but their main business purpose is to undertaking in an emotional experience of their operation. Beside that, they are guarantee the quality of their products and services and enjoyable environmental that could create a loyal customer. They also perceive the health of coffees to the customer and never affect to their healthy. Somewhere there has people to living; Starbucks would locate a store to those places. In many locations Starbucks offers drive-thru windows, which are more convenient then its competitors. Reference Answer 2007, Why has starbucks gotten so famous and how? where waz the first starbucks made?, Retrieved: 11 http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=1006052707796 A5 Consulting group n.d., Starbucks: â€Å"The Non-Coffee Treat†, Retrieved: 25 August 2007 from http://carmean.net/papers/Starbucks%20Marketing.doc Isidro, I 2006, Learning from Starbucks: 10 Lessons for Small Businesses, Retrieved: 22 August 2007 from http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol144/starbucks.htm Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P 2007, About Starbucks coffee Company, Retrieved: 13 November 2007 from http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2003/030415b.html Marketing Teacher Ltd 2000, SWOT Analysis Starbucks, Retrieved: 20 August 2007 from http://marketingteacher.com/SWOT/starbucks_swot.htm Starbucks Coffee 2007, Company Profile, Retrieved: 13 November 2007 from http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/Company_Profile.pdf The McGraw-Hill Companies 1999, Starbucks Corporation, Retrieved: 23 August 2007 from http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/thompson/11e/case/starbucks.html Wikimedia Foundation, Inc 2007, Starbucks, Retrieved: 14 November 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks

How Children Carry the Weight of Child Abuse Essay -- Long Term Impact

The spirits of children are shattered, tender hearts broken with words, and precious bodies riddled and limp from abuse. Eyes that should glisten with wonder and excitement are enveloped with dismay and destruction. Fathers physically beat their little girls. Mothers leave newborns in locked cars, and some parents degrade their children with verbal daggers. Child abuse is much more serious than people want to believe. Child abuse comes in different forms: neglect, physical, and verbal abuse. But what are even more serious are its effects: inability to properly function in society, fear of trust, and a broken self-esteem. We should all be there to help these children, by holding their hands, or even giving them a sincere smile. First, someone who suffers from neglect or other abuse as a child often has an inability to properly function in society. Parents who show little or no interest in their children's lives make them feel unimportant and often portray a distorted view of love. Their parents tell them that they will be at their basketball game and then fail to show up. They put social events, their jobs, or even their own lifestyle before their children. This continual act can cause the child to grow up feeling that they can depend on no one and that they are unworthy of love. They have problems making or even keeping friends, because they feel they will always be let down. Often in adulthood they tend to over compensate the loss they felt in their own life into their child's. They move heaven and earth, often to their own neglect, to be at every activity. They become driven by their own loss inside. Others who have gone through this often don't know how to love or even care for someone else in a relati onship. Their parents ... ...think about her and tries to act exactly like they want her to. It is as if she is like glass; you have to be very careful about what you say to her, because she could break and fall to pieces at any moment. Degrading remarks, time and time again, often leave people with a broken backbone, a shattered self-esteem. This part of them, the part that makes them believe in themselves, usually never heals to the fullest. People need to be aware that what happens to children, as they are growing up, can affect them in many different ways. Children should have wonderful memories of their life, but unfortunately the ones that suffered from abuse growing up, still struggle today. The memory of the mind works in mysterious ways and often never allows one to forget the past. They struggle throughout their life in dealing with society, fear of trust, and a broken self-esteem.

Comparison of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Comparison of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were both characters created by Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer is the main character in the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn is the main character in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were alike in many ways but they were also very different. One way in which Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are alike is that they are both very brave. In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim see a steamboat that had wrecked on the rocks and decide to check it out. Huck thinks that there will be lots of things on the wrecked boat for them to filch. Jim was a little nervous about infringing but Huck said that if Tom were there, he would have gone. Once they were on the boat they saw a fight. Huck was scared but he knew that if Tom were there he wouldn’t back out, so Huck wasn’t going to either. Another way that Tom and Huck are alike is that they are both always getting themselves into trouble. It seems that where ever they go, trouble follows them. They are also both interlopers and very fractious. Both of the boys are also very erudite (smart). In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck tricked the two men with guns out of finding Jim. He told the two men that it was his father back on the raft. When they said that they were going to go see for themselves Huck replied, â€Å" ...

Why do the works of salvador dali hold such an appeal for teenagers :: Essays Papers

Why do the works of salvador dali hold such an appeal for teenagers Salvador Dali Salvador Dali was born in 1904 and passed away in 1989. He had been what the critics call an eccentric genius, a self proclaimed madman, and had lived a life of fame and fortune, mingling with the zenith of society and living what is popularly known as the high life. He was renowned for his insanity, the king of the absurd, and this came through in his paintings as much as it did through what he said. He has become the ambassador for surrealist art and surrealist philosophies, and his works are still causing controversy 11 years after his death. Or still being admired 11 years after his death. Introduction To try to capture Dali, his life, his art, his reasons and influences and everything else that comes as part of the package, in four thousand words is a task to impossible to embark upon. That is why, when I decided to study Dali as part of my A – Level course, I knew that I would have to choose a specific period of his life and artwork, or ask a specific question just to make it even a vaguely possible task. A lot of my friends, myself, and lots of people within my age group with whom I have conversed, seem to share a liking for the works of Dali. He seems to appeal to this particular group in a way most other artists don’t. In this study, I intend to investigate the reasons behind this collective, yet mainly unspoken admiration for his work, through the analysis of some of his most famous and most popular works. I will try to find out what it is exactly which appeals to this age group, and why it appeals to them. Why does Dali have such an appeal for adolescents? This, at first, seemed to me a question that lacked relevance. Not because it is a silly question, or because it is not a worthwhile question, but more because I hadn’t noticed that it did appeal to adolescents. I knew that it appealed to me, but not in particular to others of my age group. But the more I listened to the thoughts and opinions of peers and acquaintances, the more I started to think otherwise.

Culture and Love Essay

The concept of love is perhaps of the widely defined and yet loosely given that concrete meaning. This is due to the fact that there are many ways that people define what love is in as much as there are many ways that people can show love. One of the strongest influences on love is culture. The way we show love can depend on our culture so that how we reciprocate love is also dictated by culture. Indeed, love and culture has defined meaning to each other and have, in many ways certain connectivity that adds meaning to each other. This is the reason why, the culture of love in many countries differ from each other. There would always be distinct features of love and of culture that define love in these countries. For example, in an article by Nevitt entitled, â€Å"Art and Culture of Love in Seventeenth-Century Holland†, he defined how the culture of love was during the seventeenth century in Holland by examining texts and artworks that described how love was manifested during that time, including courtship and how love is manifested. The concept of courtship is perhaps one that differs from one culture to the other. This is true because as one culture believes in the concept and importance of courtship, others simply do not. Nevitt interpreted these works which according to him show â€Å"how they both reflect and shaped the experience of love†. The thing portrayed in the paintings for example, is taken in the â€Å"context of the contemporary culture of love which manifested itself in the social practices of courtship and in a variety of amatory texts† (Nevitt). These paintings are very significant as it would have no inspiration for its contents if there would be no true meaning to it as shown and seen in the community that shower each other with love. Work Cited Nevitt, Rodney. â€Å"Art and the Culture of Love in Seventeenth-Century Holland. † 24 June 2009 .

All Quiet on the Western Front – Essay 9

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Much like the present, there is a sort of intangible space between the older and younger generations. In All Quiet on the Western Front, youths like Paul Baumer must deal with the disillusion they feel towards what they were taught to believe in by those of the older generation. Once Paul and his fellow classmates are shipped off to war, he and the others learn that some of the things they were taught could not be farther from the truth. The author, Eric Remarque, depicts this notion of a lost generation. He brings this idea to attention throughout the book in conversations between soldiers and through the thoughts of the main character, Paul Baumer. Remarque emphasizes separation between the older and younger generations caused mainly by the false romanticism the older generation attributed to war. Any thoughts the younger generation might have of glory or honor in war were immediately relinquished following first-hand experience. This sort of passed down propaganda aforementioned was and is an important societal issue. As seen in AQWF, this issue can ruin and even flat-out end lives. As shown in the book the decision of many young soldiers to enlist was directly influenced by parents or teachers: â€Å"Kantorek had been our schoolmaster†¦ He gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went under his shepherding to the District Commandant and volunteered. I can see him now, as he used to glare at us through his spectacles and say in a moving voice: ‘Won't you join up, Comrades? ’. † Although Kantorec may have been speaking out of ignorance, the harm had been done nonetheless. Through his naivete he still believed his lies to be true. In the book this is shown to be true of many of the older generation. It is seen when Paul comes back to his hometown after one year of enlistment and encounters a head-master: â€Å"He dismisses the idea loftily and informs me I know nothing about it [the war]. ‘The details, yes,’ says he, ‘but this relates to the whole. And of that you are not able to judge. You see only your little sector and so cannot have any general survey†¦ ’†. As you can see here the ignorant schoolmaster tries in vain to justify logically something he has come to believe illogically. It is most likely that his beliefs were derived from his parent’s generation, and he still has had no encounter with information that would change his views. This brings me to my next point. False information like this being passed down from generation to generation is what leads to widespread ignorance in a nation. An example of this ignorance is shown in a conversation Paul has with his mother when on leave. His mom asks, â€Å"’is it very bad out there, Paul? ’ Mother, which I answer that! You would not understand, you could never realize it. And you shall never realize it. † This ignorance can, in turn, cause the election of corrupt leaders and eventually the downfall of a whole country economically and otherwise. This is shown in AQWF by a conversation the young soldiers had. Due to first-hand experience they had shaken off their previous disillusionment and began to wonder what the point of this horrible war was: â€Å"‘Then what exactly is the war for? ’ asks Tjaden. Kat shrugs his shoulders. ‘There must be some people to whom the war is useful. ’ †¦ There are other people back behind there who profit by the war, that's certain,’ growls Detering. Once the youth come to the realization that they have been misled by the older generation the relationship between the two becomes strained. Parents, teachers, and elders, from which they were supposed to learn are now neither respected nor trusted. â€Å"The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds w ith a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief. † The younger generation refuses to listen to the older generation and they begin to act out in rebellion. Sound familiar? As you can see many of the ideas Remarque wrote about in Germany during the early 1900s, apply to modern day America. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many classes across the country today read AQWF. AQWF addresses an important and still relevant issue. That is there exists a wall between the older to younger generation that goes beyond just fashion or culture. How many times have you heard teachers complain of students? Or students complain of teachers? Or parents and children complain of each other? There is a reason for this. As in AQWF there are things being blindly taught by the older generation to the younger that are not entirely true. Whether it be important, like politics or religion, or just harmless wives tales, there is a feeling among the younger generation that some things that are being taught are just not true. Maybe with new technology granting access to more information will help further the search for truth and help diminish this wall between one generation and the other.