Complexity of Poetry Essay

Poetry is a way for the reader to openly interpret a poem in almost any way they see fit. Because there is so much freedom of interpretation with poetry, there leaves a lot of room for discussion and opposition. Billy Collin’s poem, â€Å"Introduction to Poetry†, breaks down the basic ways for interpreting and understanding a poem. In summary, he explains that the reader cannot focus on trying to figure out one specific meaning of a poem, but instead, try to piece together small parts to understand a deeper meaning. Collin’s rules on how to interpret a poem can be applied to Hughes’s poem about a young student writing a poem for homework. Instead of looking at Hughes’s poem as a whole, the reader can better understand it by breaking it down and figuring out why each line is important and how it ties together with the poem as a whole. Understanding Collins rules to interpret a poem, help the reader decipher Hughes poem on a deeper, more academic level. Langston Hughes’s poem explains how a black, twenty two year old man and the rest of his white classmates are given an assignment to write a paper. The narrator, who is also the student, explains his thoughts about the assignment and how him being the only colored one in his class might be reflected on his grade on the assignment. At the beginning of the poem, he explains how he has to get to class everyday by traveling across some of the â€Å"better† parts of town. The student goes on to explain how even though he is colored, he likes the same things and has the same wants as everyone else. He states that he is no different than the rest of his class and that he too has knowledge to share. By stating this, the student is expressing to the reader how he thinks him and the instructor are equal. In the last few lines the student writes, â€Å"As I learn from you, / I guess you learn from me† (37-38). This explains how even though their skin color and age is different they are still able to learn from each other. The student has a somewhat optimistic and confident tone throughout the poem. He is aware of his capabilities and knows that he can be just as successful as anyone else. Billy Collins â€Å"Introduction to Poetry† explains how whenever people analyze a poem they do not try to find the true message of it. By writing, â€Å"But all they want to do / is tie the poem to a chair with rope / and torture a confession out of it,† explains how the majority of people are lazy and want everything handed to them effortlessly (12-14). This last stanza explains how some people look at poems from one point of view and expect the meaning of the poem to be written out for them. The author is stating that people should look at the poem from different angles just as one would look at the world from a color slide. He tries to explain to the reader that if one were to interpret the poem from a whole new approach, then they could find a deeper meaning than just the surface meaning. After reading Collins â€Å"Introduction to Poetry†, the reader should have a better sense of how to interpret Hughes’s poem. Throughout the first part of Hughes’s poem the reader may think all of the characters background information including his address, age, and hometown is pointless. After reading an entire stanza about this â€Å"pointless† information the reader may try to stop understanding the poem before they even finish it. If the reader uses Collins instructions about analyzing a poem, they may find that all of this â€Å"pointless† information is actually important and helps contribute to the characters feelings of insecurity. Collins poem explains that not all poems have one specific answer or meaning the writer is trying to get across. Keeping this idea in mind, the reader may realize that Hughes’s poem, in fact, does not state an answer or solution to the characters mixed feelings. Although both of these poems leave room the readers own special interpretation, there is a basic meaning and idea to each one. Both of these poems fit well together because Collin’s thoughts and ideas can be directly applied when reading Hughes’s poem. The poems are an effective example of how even though a poem may seem short and simple, there is usually a deeper and greater meaning beneath the surface.

Position Paper Ap Government

Luke sawyer 12th grade 11/8/12 AP government Position paper I believe that Barack Obama is the most qualified candidate to run for the president of the United Sates of America. I believe that his plan of moving forward will indeed move us forward. Obama has interesting views that I agree with, and you should consider them, as did I. The first issue is innovation, more jobs and reviving manufacturing and the auto industry. Since Obama became president both manufacturing and the auto industry have had a total of 1. 5 million new jobs.The second issue is taxes. Taxes are necessary, but no one wants them. Obama plans to cut taxes for every American worker and provide small tax cuts for small businesses. He is also asking the overly wealthy Americans to pay a little bit more in order to pay away our debt. A third issue is to end the war, and bring back our troops from Afghanistan. Obama plans to end the war by 2014 and use half the money that would be spent on the war, and use it for road s, bridges, runways and schools and the other half on paying the deficit.The next issue is energy, which is a big issue now that fossil fuels are running low. Obama plans to put aside oil companies and start investing in cleaner sources, to become a global leader in clean energy. Obama plans to protect our climate by taking steps into cleaner energy including oil, gas, clean coal, wind, solar, biofuels, and nuclear energy. Also creating jobs and businesses, while improving the environment and national security. With schools advancing and new knowledge being obtained, Obama plans to make college more affordable.He plans on doing this by cutting the tuition fee in half. He also plans to establish a college tax credit for the students and families worth up to 10,000 dollars over for years of college. He also plans to enforce the state and local government to improve the quality of teachers, while giving the local and state governments resources to reward and attract better teachers. Ob ama also plans to recruit 100,000 math and science teachers so we can out-compete countries in fields like science, technology, engineering, and math. Lastly, Obamas health care plan strengthensMedicare for the seniors, and it helps young people get the health insurance they need. The Affordable Care Act is helping people with Medicare save on the care they need to stay healthy. Obama plans to lower the costs on prescription drugs, and monthly premiums. Obama is also putting an end to health insurance company’s charging women more than men for the same coverage. Sources: http://www. barackobama. com/plans/ http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-250_162-57538698/what-are-obamas-and-romneys-plans-for-the-next-four-years/ http://www. businessinsider. com/obamas-plan-second-term-economy-jobs-election-2012-10? op=1

Rhetorical Analysis of Fdr’s First Fireside Chat

A Rhetorical Analysis of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Fireside Chat President Franklin Roosevelt’s â€Å"First Fireside Chat† is a reassuring piece that inspired the nation in a time of need using his voice that projected his personal warmth and charm into the nation’s living rooms to explain the banking crisis. He slowly and comprehensibly informed the American people on what has been done and to explain the complex banking system while using rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos to effectively restore American faith in the United States government and banking system.Roosevelt won the 1932 election after a landslide victory over his predecessor Herbert Hoover. At this time, America was going through one of the toughest times inside its own borders ever: The Great Depression. Roosevelt's First Fireside Chat on March 12, 1933 marked the beginning of a series of 30 radio broadcasts to the American people reassuring them the nation was going to recover as he shared his hopes and plans for the country. Roosevelt was simply telling the people what he was doing and why.This level of intimacy with politics made people feel as if they too were part of the administrations decision-making process and many soon felt that they knew Roosevelt personally and most importantly, they grew to trust him. Only eight days after his inauguration, President Roosevelt took to the air waves to let Americans know how the country was doing. Millions gathered around their radios to listen in. The President explained to the country in simple terms why so many banks had failed and why he had decided to close them down on March 6 (the so-called â€Å"bank holiday†.He then described the measures that Congress was taking to make sure that a banking crisis would not happen again. Roosevelt used ethos multiple times in his speech to establish his credibility and honesty. After his introduction Roosevelt told America, â€Å"And I know that when yo u understand what we in Washington have been about, I shall continue to have your cooperation as fully as I have had your sympathy and your help in the past week. This was an effective use of ethos because he draws the distinction between conventional knowledge and new insight that he provides throughout his speech. Another example of effective ethos can be found towards the end of his speech when Roosevelt told America, â€Å"I hope you can see, my friends, from this essential reticle of what your Government is doing that there is nothing complex, nothing radical in the process. † This summed up the knowledge he shared in the banking system and instilled a sense of integrity in the government.Throughout the chat Roosevelt used his knowledge to teach the American banking system and explained thoroughly what went wrong while using some of the most commonly words in the English dictionary, which appealed to a large audience that effectively established personal credibility. Alo ng with ethos, Roosevelt used logos in his speech to successfully show that his plans for America were logical and reasonable. Roosevelt used logos to logically organize his speech to effectively inform America of the Emergency Banking Act and his possible solutions.Roosevelt told America at the beginning of his speech, â€Å"I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, and why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be. † Roosevelt starts with this sentence because little hope and despair fill American hearts who need explanations for the failure of banks and Roosevelt comes out right away with what he’s about to say. The way Roosevelt structured the speech with upfront communication portrayed him as a very organized and upfront leader.Also in the beginning of his speech he says â€Å"First of all let me state the simple fact that when you deposit money into a bank, the bank does not put the money in a safe deposit vault. † Following th is quote he states exactly what is done with your money and why. Roosevelt used logic to make a statement that everyone can agree with and relate to provide a sense of unity. Roosevelt used logos throughout his speech to show Americans that he is both logical and reasonable.On top of logos, Roosevelt’s most effective rhetorical appeal in his first fireside chat is pathos. He appeals to pathos the most throughout the speech because he wants the concerned citizens to feel comforted. He explains towards the end, â€Å"After all, there is an element in the readjustment of our financial system†¦ and that is the confidence of the people themselves†¦ it is up to you to support and make it work. † This is where he makes the people feel important that draws attention to the audience’s desires to make it out of the banking crisis.Immediately after he inspires in unity as he concludes â€Å"It is your problem, my friends, your problem no less than it is mine. To gether we cannot fail. † Roosevelt used inclusive and emotional language such as â€Å"my friends†, â€Å"we†, and â€Å"together† while referencing to what Americans desire in their future, which made people want to act. Roosevelt used pathos effectively throughout his speech to draw attention to the desires, emotions, and beliefs of the audience.Shortly after Roosevelt was inaugurated on March 4, 1933, Roosevelt addressed a worried nation over radio broadcast in his First Fireside Chat that brought his charm and personal warmth into living rooms. With his effective use of pathos, ethos, and logos his rhetorical appeals helped describe the crisis, restore American confidence and faith, and lay out solutions that he is going to use to fix the problem. Worried and impoverished Americans cherished a voice of hope that called for action when leadership meant the most during the worst economic times our country has faced. Word Count: 974

Intervention paper( group therapy) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intervention paper( group therapy) - Essay Example You can start to tell the child that they have the ability to create their own lives. They learn that there are choices and perspectives that they will learn to make and see. They are filled with a self-determination to make them do what they need to do and to find a way or they may find that they have the ability in how we make the interpretations they need to make in the situations, events, and relationships they make in their lives. The therapist will show the child how to make those interpretations and decisions in a more socially appropriate manner. You can tell the children that their actions have consequences. You can teach encouragement and cooperation so the child can learn proper motivation and to have a better understanding of themselves. This is a chance to let the child or children get to know each other and begin to interact with each other. It is a time to ask questions and hopefully get answers and be able to share their feelings of what is going to happen while in the group. It is a chance to express and teach the rules of the group. This could also be the time to show them (the children) around the therapeutic playroom to show that it is a safe place to express themselves in many different ways like art, music and dramatic play activities to let them feel empowered to be themselves and to be comfortable, which is the main thing so they will tell their stories. The child has the power in these sessions. In this first step this is when rapport is being built and building encouragement. Step 1- Giving Instructions-- Give each of the children a pencil or crayons and several sheets of paper. You can ask them to draw a picture of everyone in their family for you. You can tell them that the family members must be doing something and they should be whole people and not stick people. Give them gentle reminders of these rules as the activity continues. Step 2- Drawing-- While the children are drawing their

Advanced financial planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Advanced financial planning - Essay Example Everyone has heard this word and knows about it. It simply means that money fetches money. The rate at which it fetches is known as interest. The rate is measured in percentage. Surely, higher the rate, larger the benefit flows to you. Understanding Effective and Nominal Interest Rates.Let us understand the difference between actual and nominal interest rate. Supposing your credit card company charges you interest of 2.5% per month. That means that nominal interest per year is 30 percent; however, effective interest rate is something else and can be calculated as,Effective interest rate= (1+ i/n)n -1 (Effective and Nominal†¦)Where, i is nominal interest per year and n is number of periods of compounding. In our case, i=30% or 0.30 and n=12 Effective interest rate= (1+0.3/12)12 -1= (1.025)12 -1 =1.378-1=37.8% It means that though the company informs you about charging 30 percent nominal interest; in real terms, they are charging you at the rate of 37.8 percent.Compounding: This i s also known by most but understood and grasped by few. Compounding of the money is the most fascinating phenomena that bring enormous benefit to you. Do you know that the compounding has a very important dimension in terms of time? Effect of the money fetching money increases manifold when it works for a longer time.The biggest hurdle that haunts most of the people in the life when they start investment is its smallness. Every big thing initially starts small. The time, energy, and efforts put at the beginning do not seem to justify small returns that any business or investment may offer. People get first thought in the mind "For such a small return should I devote my time and spare the money, which otherwise can better be utilized to get more enjoyment in life." Quick answer surfaces, "Sacrifices are manifold compared to the benefits." The thought of this kind wins over the future benefits that may accrue after a few years. Thus, the person tends to postpone a small but a significant beginning, which is capable of transforming his or her fortune. This issue has to be understood thoroughly before it really happens with you stopping your small beginning for big gains in the future. The point to be noted here is that every tycoon or for that matter every big investor always starts small-- as small as you can ever think of but with the passage of time and their perseverance they become big. I am reminded of an ancient story, which I cannot r esist sharing with you. Once there lived a painter who fell upon such tough times that he was unable to earn

For The Sake Of Harmonising Asylum And Refugee Policy In Europe Is The Essay

For The Sake Of Harmonising Asylum And Refugee Policy In Europe Is The Returns Directive Fit For Purpose - Essay Example In other words the Returns Directive aims to harmonize asylum and refugee policy among the Member States. However, the Directive has been the subject of criticism, particularly from Non-government Organizations and human rights groups internationally. A major concern as expressed by the UNHCR is the Returns Directive mandate that Member States recognize return decisions made by other Member States. Such a mandate means that harmful decisions on asylum will have application across the EU. Therefore if the purpose of the Returns Directive is to ensure the harmonization of refugee and asylum policies relative to the protection of the interest of the concerned, it would appear that the Returns Directive fails in this regard. If decisions that are harmful to the individual refugee and asylum seekers are to receive common recognition, the Returns Directive is going to achieve an unintended and diametrically opposite purpose. In general, the Returns Directive sets out the rules for the proc edure to be adopted relative to returns. This includes the return decisions,4 bans on entry,5 and provides that nationals from third countries who stay on an irregular basis ought to be permitted between a week and a month to organize their own departure prior to forced exile.6 In many ways these procedural guidelines do not deal with substantive issues and as such do not provide for a harmonious method for exacting asylum and refugee policies. To begin with there are no guidelines for regulating how forced departure should be practiced and whether or not refoulement should be denied in cases where return could result in serious consequences for the asylum seeker or refugee. The emphasis therefore appears to be security and border control in Europe.7 Secondly, the requirement that a refugee or asylum seeker be released without more after being held in detention for 6 months appears to have some practical difficulties.8 Mole and Meredith explains the difficulty with Article 15. Artic le 15 provides that once a detainee has been held for the maximum period, he/she must be released regardless of any justifications on the part of domestic authorities for the refugee or asylum seekers’ continued detention. This means that a refugee or asylum seeker could be released without valid documentation, or in circumstances where he or she is violent, has no methods by which to support himself/herself and certainly has no place to live.9 It is difficult to imagine how Article 15 purports to achieve harmonization of European policy on asylum and refugee policies that seek to protect the interest of those individuals. Article 15 effectively ensures that the asylum seeker and the refugee are placed into the general population once the detention reaches a 6 months at his/her own peril and in circumstances that are burdensome to the wider community. It would appear that the only method by which Article 15 can achieve the main purpose of the Returns Directive is to encourage Member States to forcibly return the asylum seeker or refugee to their country of origin as quickly as possible. As previously noted, this practice is also inconsistent with the Returns’ harmonization of policies intended to protect the interest of the individuals concerned. In fact the Returns Directive, thus far reflects the opinion of Schain’s, that the Returns Directive is more concerned with border control and security.10 Moreover, Article 15(5) which provides for a limited period of detention, contradicts Article 15(4) which provides: When it appears that a reasonable prospect of removal no longer exists for legal or other considerations or the conditions laid down in

Community Care for Health Professionals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community Care for Health Professionals - Essay Example Social service providers are required by the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, to educate carers about the right to an assessment. Under the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, Rena can seek an assessment programme to determine whether she can provide or continue to provide care for her husband. Local authorities can make assessments on the basis of legislation that addresses the issues such as Part III NAA, s.2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 or Schedule 8 of the National Health Services Act 2006. While making such assessments, the needs of the carers must be considered (Great Britain, National Health Services Act 2006 ). The Children Act 1989 provides voluntary and preventative measures that help to maintain the integrity of families. S.17 imposes a general duty on the local authorities that requires them to promote the welfare of children in need. They must ensure that the families of these children take adequate care of them (Great Britain, Chil dren Act 1989). Moreover, this duty also applies to the provision of service plans for children. Section 18 of the Children Act 1989 imposes a duty of care on local authorities with regard to preschool and other children. As such, local authorities are duty bound to extend these services to children in the age group of five years or less than five years, within their operational jurisdiction. They are also under a duty to take care of children who have not joined or who do not attend schools (Great Britain, CA 1989 ). Schedule 2(8) and (9) specify the services to be provided to children in need. These include advice, guidance, counseling, and help at home. S.17(10) provides the definition of a child in need (Great Britain, CA 1989). In the case of Chloe and Lily, their parents are in hospital under the care of their grandmother. The latter had found it difficult to take care of these children who were very young. In addition to this, her husband was ill. This is the situation of the ir family, and obviously, the children can be deemed to be children in need.

The Apportionment Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Apportionment Problem - Essay Example This is so that they could have more than one representative, as Five would technically have .07! Changes in population would cause this apportionment to be revisited occasionally and again, the US method of a census every decade determining representation would be the best bet. The biggest problem with this is the method is absolutely unfair in that four states (3, 4, 6 and 8) will control 65% of the votes. However the method seems to work quite well in the US where states like California and New York likewise have a large representation. Yet the country’s multiple party method seems to work quite well, for Congressional votes are generally along party lines and seldom do all members from one particular state band together (Theriault). Of course appeasing State Five by adding seats so that it could have equality in Congress could very well result in what is known as an Alabama Paradox. This occurred for that state in 1880, whereby adding seats to Congress so that Alabama could gain actually caused it to actually lose a seat, due to the mathematical statistics (Janson). Another methodology would be the Huntington-Hill, a more complex formula that utilizes square roots but which is also more equitable (See Table 2) (US Census). Based upon the calculations I have listed, apportionment is the best answer for fair and equal representation of each state. No matter how else it is drawn smaller states such as Five will always face having less representation (Much as Montana and Wyoming only also have one vote whereas minute Rhode Island has 2). The only other way would be to divide the 100 seats by the number of states (10 each), just like the US Senate has a standard of two per state, no matter the

Cultural Economy of the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural Economy of the Media - Essay Example This study stresses that  since advertisements and consumer culture is an ongoing system, customers must be constantly motivated to buy and spend more money on products. It follows then that new strategies must be used to hook these buyers by replacing old goods with new ones and also being constantly in touch with current trends in terms of goods and services. The need for new inventions has pushed the advertisement market into new heights whereby the targeted customers are confused. This means that the targeted clients are more likely to look for new adverts just like looking for new products. Indeed, overcoming ideas to circulation of capital has led to the rise of commodity culture based on a high turnover of signfieds and signifiers.As the research highlights that  hidden beneath the innovations that create new images and colourful presentations are less than normal and discontinuous stories which define the society. The excitement found in this adverts are packed through te chnological fantasy to suit different segments if client base. Recognisable and traditional representations in seasoned advertisements are usually anchored on a combination of new ideologies as well as enduring ideologies.  This then brings about the sense of contoured cultural meaning which integrates different meanings to bring about relativity and conventionalism.  Ã‚  It is not surprising that businesses usually exploit dominant ideologies at the expense of the important elements of promotion which are expected to be dominant in adverts. (Caraher, Landon an

Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Research Paper

Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Islamic Fashion - Research Paper Example The paper "Consumer Attitude and Preferences Towards Traditional and Modern Islamic Fashion" concerns the Islamic Fashion. The objective of this study is to identify the behaviour, attitude and preferences of Muslim consumer towards traditional and modern Islamic fashion. In order to meet the defined objective of the study, this research attempts to explore the factors, which influence the Islamic women’s fashion from traditional context to modern context. At the same time, the study identifies the trend in the Islamic fashion market. Moreover, study investigates the societal factors as well as legal factors, which can influence the buying decisions of Islamic women in case of dressing and fashion related aspects. According to Hanzaee & Chitsaz (2011), it is identified that Muslim population believe that to ensure ‘Mohammed’s privacy’ and to create a distinction between the public and private life, it is essential to adhere a specific clothing style as arti culated in the Islamic holy book. According to Badawi (n.d.), the Arabic word hijab which signifies head covering or veils is religious attire for Muslim women who they are required to wear according the Islamic beliefs and customs. . Apart from this, through maintaining the clothing style Islamic people can also protect their own honour. Rather, several academic literatures have represented Islamic clothing style as a symbol, which is specifically designed for not to express one's sexual activity or desires. Badawi (n.d.) claimed about Muslim people.

Mexican Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mexican Politics - Research Paper Example This country’s 2006 election was chaotic and led to months of disputing the outcomes of the elections, where riots were held all over the capital streets. There have been some deep-seated political problems that Mexico has been trying to shed off, although at a much slower pace due to its entrenched customs (Carruthers, 1996). The politics of this country are influenced by so many factors and the war against narcotics that was started by PAN government led by Filipe Calderon in 2006 when it took over leadership of the government. The narcotics war has led to serious concerns over the future of Mexican political stability and has put bear many unanswered questions. The militarization of the narcotics war has led to some political pundits arguing that Mexico could soon be classified under failed states. This label seems very disturbing and paints the country as being on the verge of collapse, which might not be the case. However, there are numerous challenges that the political platform of Mexico faces when issues of social order and political stability are considered. The political future of this Mexican state is of importance to its Northern counterparts (Manaut, 2004). A factor that has always posed challenges to those who get into analyzing the politics of Mexico is the fact that Mexican society is complex in nature and its massive geographic size, as well as demographic figures, is quite phenomenal. It has over 32 states with an estimated 112 million people and has a metropolitan area that hosts over 21 million inhabitants (Merrill & Miro, 1996). This country has over 62 indigenous languages, although Spanish is the most dominant of them all. 60% of Mexicans are Mestizos, 30 % are Amerindians, while 10% are groups of European, Asian, and others. It has a federal form of government, a system that makes it possible for it to accommodate this demographic diversity and size. Mexican politics is quite an interesting field of study (Hal, 2010).   Analysis Mexico is a country that has very sharp definitions of regionalism and these regional variations have had a serious impact on the political landscape of this country. Many observers argue that this regionalism is to blame for the civil conflicts witnessed in the past and currently being seen, and also gives this as the best explanation for Mexico fitting well in the states where an assertion of authority by the central government is necessary. This was most evident during the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas in 1990. There was also the need to suppress Yucatan during the Caste War of the 19th century. As is the case with many federal governments, Mexican states that are away from the capital city have expressed issues with the service given by the federal government and feel they have not been well served. This has led to the central government’s ineffectiveness to administer these marginalized states and some basic facilities such as schools have failed, leading to high levels of discontent (Harvey, 1994). An interesting twist to the politics of Mexico is the claim of democratic governance since independence.  Ã‚  

Harlem Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Harlem Renaissance Essay The Harlem Renaissance was a significant event in the history of the United States of America. The Harlem Renaissance centered on the culture of African-Americans and took place at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. This era gave rise to music, art, and literature in African-American culture. Winning the Civil War meant that African American were now free and could, at their risk, go anywhere they wanted. This is when the Great Migration all started. The Great Migration was when large groups of blacks moved in Northern cities like Chicago and New York in massive numbers for jobs because the South had been victim to a crop infestation. Many of them moved particularly to a large neighborhood located in the northern section of Manhattan called Harlem, also known as â€Å"the capital of black America†. By this time, chances for employment and education were available for African-Americans, and many of them expected the same treatment and life the white Americans had be given. This was not to be the case when Plessy v. Ferguson case went to the Supreme Court and the decision had been held that racial segregation was â€Å"constitutionally acceptable†. African-Americans were heartbroken; they wanted equality and all they had been given nothing close to the life of the white Americans, not even a secure environment to live. Though they did have some rights, such as, all African-American men could vote, African-Americans, all, could receive better education, and they got better jobs, but that still seemed to be not enough. African-Americans wanted to part ways with their clingy stereotypes and define themselves as something better. They wanted to be something more than just a â€Å"negro.† The African-Americans didn’t want to be like their white suppressors, but wanted to create a new meaning to what it meant to be black. Starting in the early 1900s the African-American middle class started a push towards racial equality. W.E.B. Du Bois was the central leader of the movement. He collaborated with other African-American activists and white civil rights workers in New York to review the difficult challenges facing the African-American population. 1909 the NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was found by the group working with Du Bois. This group was specifically organized to advocate civil liberties and fight for African-American rights. Although this cause was thought to be supported by all African-Americans it was not the case with Jamaica-bred Marcus Garvey. Garvey started the â€Å"Back to Africa movement,† which initially was him saying that he thought all African-Americans should just pack up and leave the states because they weren’t welcomed. Garvey founded the UNIA-ACL, or Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which promoted the â€Å"Back to Africa† slogan. Garvey said it was to encourage African-Americans to come together and feel pride in their roots. These groups, although not all supporting staying and fighting, helped the African-American population develop a sense of empowerment for African-Americans everywhere. The Jazz Age was an explosion of African-American culture into music. Just at the end of WWI, there was an economy boost and a change in society. During this time Americans started to relax and take up hobbies. The Prohibition had just been ratified, although it didn’t ban alcohol it made it extremely difficult to get, legally. That is when alcohol clubs, called â€Å"speakeasies† were created. â€Å"Speakeasies† gave Americans the chance to socialize with other, engage in drinking, and go against traditional culture. Some might have even called them Modernist. There was a certain speakeasy in Harlem called the Cotton Club. It’s them as the look of a plantation in the South. They only allowed African-American musicians to play there and only allowed white Americans, with some exceptions, wine and dine there. One talented jazz musician would be Duke Ellington. Ellington was a wiz at playing the piano; he actually played at the Cotton Club from for four years. His band stomped to theatricality routines in numerous shows. Forms of art gave some African-Americans a break from reality. Artists painted things from African-American nightclubs, to African-American toiling in the fields. Aaron Douglas was a famous artist whose work exercised the ‘New Negro’ idea. The ‘New Negro’ idea correlated with Dubois idea of â€Å"twoness† idea, which meant the finding of one’s individuality with a divided awareness of one’s identity. Douglas painted murals, building, and created illustrations for many African-American books. In 1940 Douglas moved to Nashville and founded the Art Department at Fisk University and taught for twenty nine years there. Douglas said, â€Å"Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting blacklets bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected . Then lets sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Lets do the impossible. Lets create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic, which means, let’s make something incredible out of tragedy. Writing also became a major step forward in the Harlem Renaissance, especially since during this time most African-Americans were illiterate. African-American writers talked about the past of black culture. They wrote about slavery and the effects it had on society today, etc. Common themes of these books ranged from alienation, to wanting to be individual. The most famous African-American writers include: Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, and Zora Neale Hurston, just to name a few. Zora Neale was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She believed in the motto, â€Å"I want a busy life, a just mind, and a timely end.† Zora wrote to preserve African-American traditions and to contribute to new literature. Langston Hughes was a writer who collaborated with Hurston and other artists in his book of poetry entitled The Weary Blues. Hughes also wrote an essay called â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,† where he told people what he saw as ‘mountains’ facing African-American writers. In his essay, Hughes mentions a young poet he spoke to and says how the poet wanted to be known as a poet, rather than a â€Å"Negro poet,† which is clearly understandable since there was still racial tension during this time. In conclusion, the Harlem Renaissance was a major event in the history in the United States of America because it brought a culture together using simple things, like music, art, and literature. If it had not been for the Harlem Renaissance, who knows what might’ve happened to the African-American culture, where it might’ve been at this point in time without the occurrence of the Harlem Renaissance. It brought together a race that has, over the years, been beaten, cursed at, talked about, and slaughtered for the comfort of others, and just a simple melody of a song was able to bring them closer together after being ripped apart.

Rapid developments in technology

Rapid developments in technology Global trends and technological development and their effect on strategy and technology on organisations, with a focus on the Sony Corporation. Abstract In recent years there have been rapid developments in technology which have lead to the opening up of a global market. This has brought both opportunities and challenges to enterprises. Enterprises that want to operate globally have to plan appropriate business strategies. When formulating these strategies they have to consider the importance of the domestic and global situation of the enterprise. This study examines the effect of technological progress and global changes, with a particular focus on how they have affected the Sony Corporation. There is a discussion of Sonys business strategies and their strong points and shortcomings. The study ends with suggestions as to how Sony could resolve some of its recent problems. Introduction In recent years the phenomenon of globalization has taken place. This has come about because of rapid progress in technology and communications. Now the world has become one marketplace and goods and services which were available only in one place in the past can now be bought almost anywhere in the world. This has many advantages for industries as it has expanded their market, but it has also brought many challenges. Among the challenges which must be dealt with by companies wishing to enter the globalization are tariffs and international competition, particularly from newly industrializing counties (NICs) such as Malaysia, China and so forth. This has lead to many enterprises formulating global strategies and many of them have achieved success in the global market. However, to succeed in the global market it is not sufficient to have good global strategies; it is also necessary to be able to use these strategies in a balanced manner. The domestic market and the local culture are ke y elements which must be carefully taken into account in global strategies. Many enterprises look to the example of Japanese companies when determining their global strategies, as it is generally considered that their global strategies have been very successful and have permitted them to enter and succeed in many international markets. The principal focus of this study will be the Sony Corporation. There will be a discussion of Sonys management of new technology and globalization. Examples will be given of Sonys global strategies, and the advantages and disadvantages they have encountered due to these strategies will be presented and discussed. Globalization Every firm should understand the implications of globalization in order to develop a global strategy successfully. The term globalization signifies the increased mobility of goods, services, manpower, technology and worldwide. Globalization may be described as a process by which countries all over the world are joined in a worldwide interdependent community. This process is driven by a combination of economic, technological, socio-cultural and political factors. Raskin (2002) defined globalization as the worldwide integration of economical, cultural, political, religious, and social systems. He added that globalization, through the increasing integration of economies and lifestyles worldwide, leads to similarities in production and consumption patterns, and hence cultural homogenization. From an economic perspective, globalization signifies the convergence of prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits towards standards of developed countries (Ismail, 2003). Similarly, Theodore (1983) argued that the main factors driving economic globalization of the economy are movement of labour force; international trade; movement of capital; integration of financial markets; cross-border transactions; and free movement of international capital. Basic components of globalization are the globalization of markets and the globalization of production. The former signifies a move away from a system in which national markets are separate entities, divided by trade barriers and barriers of distance, time and culture, towards the merging of national markets into a single global market. The latter, globalization of production, refers to a tendency by individual companies to spread their production processes over various locations around the world in order to benefit from differences in cost and quality of elements of production (Hill, 2007). Drivers of globalization The principal driving forces that facilitate or support the extension of globalization are the following. Advances in transportation: A reduction in the cost of transporting goods and services from country to country assists in bringing prices in the country of manufacture nearer to prices in the export market. Developments in transport technology have lead to a reduction in the cost of transport as well as to an improvement in the speed and reliability of transporting both goods and people. This has meant that it has become cost-effective to access new and expanding markets, thus enabling companies to extend their business further than would have been feasible in the past. Technological advances: The huge reduction in the cost of transmitting and communicating information in recent years has played a vital role in the global growth of enterprises. This phenomenon has been called the death of distance, and is particularly noticeable in the growth of trade in knowledge products through the Internet. De-regulation of financial markets: The process of the de-regulation of financial markets has lead to the abolition of capital controls in many countries. Capital markets have opened up in both developed and developing countries, facilitating foreign direct investment and encouraging the flow of money across national borders. Avoidance of import protection: Many enterprises seek to avoid the tariff and non-tariff barriers imposed by regional trading blocs in order to gain more competitive access to rapidly-growing economies such as those in the emerging markets. Economies of scale: Many economists take the view that there has been a rise in the estimated minimum efficient scale (MES) related to particular industries. Technological changes, innovation and invention in various markets have been factors contributing to this increase. An increase in the MES means that the domestic market may be considered as not being large enough for the selling needs of these industries, making expansion into overseas markets essential. The effect of globalization on international business In recent years, companies have been required to deal with business issues in an international context due to the move towards globalization and internationalization as well as the nature of competition. The principal aspects of global business environments are the following. The forces of globalization Every aspect of the global business environment is affected by the drivers of globalization. Although globalization increases business opportunities, it also leads to an increase in competition. Companies must be aware of the basic and often sweeping changes in both society and commerce resulting from globalization (Wild, Wild and Han, 2008). National business environment Although globalization has initiated a process of homogenization among different cultures, political systems, economic systems, legal systems, and levels of economic development in different countries, many of these the differences remain marked and enduring. Any enterprise wishing to expand overseas must be aware of these differences, and be able to formulate and implement appropriate policies and strategies to deal with them successfully (Hill, 2006). International business environment The international business environment has both a direct and indirect effect on how firms carry out their operations. As can been seen by the long-term movement to less rigid national borders, no business can remain entirely isolated from occurrences in the international business environment. As globalization processes lead to the increasing interrelation of the flows of trade, investment, companies are required to seek production bases and new markets at the same time. Firms must monitor the international business environment closely to determine the impact it may have on their business activities (Wild, Wild, and Han, 2008). Management of international companies The management of a completely domestic firm is not at all the same as the management of a transnational one, as market rules differ and forms must take these differences into account. Thus, it is national business environments which define the context of managing an international firm (Wild, Wild and Han, 2008). Competitive Advantage in the Global Market In the global marketplace, it is vital for companies to sustain competitive advantage. The term competitive advantage was used first by Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School in the U.S.A. Basically, it means the place a company has in relation to its competitors in the same industry. Firms seek to obtain a competitive advantage and then to sustain it. According to Porter (1998), there are three ways that a firm can do these things. The first way is by cost leadership, which means that a firm will have cost advantage is it can offer the same goods or services as its competitors, but at less cost than them. The second way is differentiation. The differentiation advantage refers to when a company can offer better goods or services than its competitors, but for the same price. This company will then become a leader in the industry. The third way is focus. This means that a company can concentrate on a narrow part of the market, which is known as a market niche, to obtain competit ive advantage. Some of them may focus on cost and some of them may focus on differentiation (Porter, 1998). However, it is not easy for a firm to gain competitive advantage and it is even more difficult to keep it (Passemard and Kleiner, 2000). This is because if a company has a differentiation competitive advantage, soon another company will find how to make the same product with the same quality. If a company has a cost competitive advantage, then other companies will look for ways to make their products as cheap (ibid). However, there are several factors that contribute to a firm obtaining competitive advantage. One of these factors is having good resources. Another factor is having a skilled work force. Countries governments also can affect firms, as taxes vary much from country to country and some governments may offer tax incentives or subsidies to companies (Passemard and Kleiner, 2000). The advent of globalization has offered companies with markets all over the world. This has offered many opportunities to expand, but it has also faced them with challenges. According to Ari (2008), globalization is a process of increasing interconnectedness, integration and interdependence among not just economies but also societies, cultures and political institutions. He adds that a result of globalisation is that the borders between countries lose their significance and can no longer deter trade and communication. Regarding business and economics, globalization means that there is liberalisation of trade and creation of world markets (ibid). However, it also means that global industries are competing with all industries in the world. There are many strategies industries can use to obtain and keep competitive advantage in the global market. According to Porter (1998), companies should make their strategy on a basis of strong analysis of the industrys structure and nationally or internationally there are five forces that they should consider carefully, as follows: The threat from new firms in their industry. The threat of products that could replace their products. The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of customers. Competition between companies in the same sector Segal-Horn (1996) points out that companies must be very careful when they are planning global strategy because some strategies which are effective in one country are not effective in another country. Companies have to decide if they want to have one product and marketing strategy for every country or if they have to adapt their strategy for different countries. Adaptation is more necessary for some industries than for others. For example, requirements of steel are more or less the same globally, but there will be large differences for consumer products and food and drinks. Companies have to consider this very carefully. For example, if they can use the same advertisement all over the world it is much cheaper for them, but the advertisement may not be effective in some countries, so they would lose money (ibid). To make such a strategy it is necessary for companies to have very good information about the country they want to sell their products in, which is called market intelligence (ibid). They have to be careful not to miss the differentiation advantage in any country (ibid). To have such information, they must do much market research. Many companies find that it is useful to have a joint venture with a local company in the country because that company already has good information and expertise about the market there. De Toni et al (2008) state that In global industries, competitive advantage derives in large part from the integration and co-ordination on an international scale of various activities. According to Ward et al (1990) companies in a global market should have five competitive priorities, which are cost; delivery performance (dependability and speed); quality; flexibility (product mix and volume); and innovativeness. If companies are looking for cost advantage there can be many benefits to them from globalization. This is because the can choose to buy their supplies from the cheapest supplier in any country in the world and they are not limited to suppliers in their country, as they were in the past before globalization facilitated communication and transport (Ari, 2008). In addition, they can choose to produce their products in a country where labour costs are less than in their country (ibid). Moreover, they can also sell their products through the Internet and reach millions of customers that were impossible for them to reach in the past Sony Corporation Profile Sony was founded in Japan just after the Second World War by Ibuka and Morita and was known initially as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Company. At first their business consisted of radio repairs and manufacturing voltmeters in small quantities. However, Ibuka and Morita were interested in innovative electronics products and were also aware of the importance of international markets. They developed Sony into an international brand, expanding their business first into the U.S.A. and then into Europe. The companys name was changed to Sony Corporation in 1958. Currently, the Sony Corporation employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. It is one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and has six operating divisions, which are electronics, games, music, films, financial services and miscellaneous. Sony Electronics is one of worlds foremost makers of electronic products for both the business and individual consumer markets, while its games division produces, among other products, Playstation, and its music division is the second largest such company in the world. Sonys film division produces and distributes films for the cinema as well as for TV and computers and its financial services segment includes savings and loans. Under the miscellaneous division, Sony is involved in advertising and Internet-related business. For the financial year 2007-2008, Sony reported combined annual sales of  ¥8,871.4 billion with a net income of  ¥369.4 billion. Historical background The Sony Corporation has long been in the forefront of technological innovation and has devoted a considerable portion of its budget to research and development (RD) in order to obtain and keep its competitive advantage. Some of Sonys main developments were the following: In 1949 Sony developed a prototype for a magnetic tape recorder prototype in 1949 and introduced paper-based recording tape a year later. In 1955, the company introduced Japans first transistor radio and was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Sony Corporation of America (SONAM) was subsequently set up in the U.S.A. and the worlds first direct-view portable TV was introduced in 1960. Also in that year, Sony Overseas S.A. was set up in Switzerland; while a year later Sony became the first Japanese company to offer shares on the New York Stock Exchange in same year. Further technological innovations followed throughout the 1960s, including worlds smallest and lightest transistor television and the Trinitron colour television. Since then, the Sony Corporation have developed and produced the worlds first personal cassette player, the Sony Walkman, which was introduced in 1979, the worlds first CD player, launched in 1982. More recent innovations include the home-use PC VAIO in 1997, Blu-ray Disc drive Notebook PC in 2006 and the OLED television in 2007. The Sony Corporation also expanded into the mobile telecommunications business in 2001 with the establishment of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, while a year later it acquired one of its rival companies, Aiwa, through a merger. Sonys Global Strategies The World Marketplace In the 1950s Japanese products suffered from a poor reputation. In an effort to overturn this, one of its founders, Mr. Morita, went to the United States travelled to U.S.A to learn from companies there and with a view to introducing his companys products to the American market and beyond. In 1958, having obtained the licensing right to the transistor patent from U.S. company ATT, they developed the worlds smallest transistor radio, which they launched in both Japan and the U.S.A. It was at this point the decision was taken to change the companys name to Sony, as it was short, easy to pronounce and memorable. The intention was to make Sony an internationally recognised brand, and in this they have succeeded, as, according to Richard (2002), Sony has become one of the most widely recognized brands in the world (Richard, A. 2002). Global marketing and operations According to Kikkawa (1995), only nine major Japanese companies Sony; Toyota; Honda, Nippon Steel; Toray; Teijin; Sumitomo Chemical; Shin-Etsu Chemical; and Matsushita. Kikkawa argued that these companies succeeded in the international marketplace by supplying products globally and/or carrying out global operations. Sonys products have been developed to fulfil the requirements of consumers worldwide; therefore, the corporation can offer the same products all over the world. One instance of this is the Sony Playstation, which appeals to consumers in every country in the world. In its ability to anticipate and fulfil the requirements of consumers Sony has gained an advantage over its rivals. The strategy of innovation Masaru Ibuka, one of the founders of the Sony Corporation, stated that the key to Sonys success was never to follow the others. In effect, the companys central strategic advantage in its global strategy has always been continual innovation. Global expansion and market selection As far as global expansion is concerned, Sony has always given careful consideration to operating in markets they considered to be important and where they had reason to believe the companys products would be most in demand (Richard, 2002). This lead to the initial decision to expand first to the United States, where they could market their products while at the same time learning from U.S. technology. The rationale behind this was that it would easier to expand to other markets once they had established a strong brand name in the United States. This in fact proved to be the case and expansion to European markets soon followed, as mentioned previously. Advantages of Global Strategy Reducing costs Sony has used several elements global strategy to its advantage. For instance, every Sony factory is able to produce at full capacity due to Sony products being sold all over the world; this results in a reduction in production costs. In addition, although Sony has numerous product lines, they are standard worldwide. This means that Sony does not have the expense of producing several versions of a single product to suit various markets. Worldwide recognition As Sonys products are known, sold and serviced all over the world, brand recognition among consumers is extremely high. This results in increased sales, as consumers feel secure about purchasing Sony products. Enhancing competitive advantage In addition, in recent years Sony has been an enthusiastic participant in the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign, making efforts to produce energy-efficient products. The corporation is also involved social and environmental concerns through its active and high-profile Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. These activities have contributed greatly to Sonys ability to increase their competitive advantage over its rivals. Sonys CSR programme Sony developed their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in the awareness that the corporations business has direct and indirect effects on society and the environment in which their business is conducted. The programme is concerned with the interests of all the corporations stakeholders, such as shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, and local communities. This has contributed to the improvement of Sonys corporate value. The European Commission awarded Sony a Sustainable Energy Europe Award in early 2007, in acknowledgement of Sonys efforts towards increasing the energy efficiency of its products and its participation in the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign. By 2007, Sony had modified all their TV sets to consume less energy than the market average. This was a result of their research and development and lead to Sony TV sets increasing their market share. In this way, consumers can be satisfied that their television viewing is consuming a good deal less energy than previously, other stakeholders such as shareholders and suppliers are satisfied by the increase in sales of Sony TVs and electricity consumption also decreases. Another element in Sonys CSR programme is its improvement of its system for its employees to take leave to look after their children. Sony modified this system in the spring of 2007, with the aim establishing a working environment in which taking child care leave was facilitated. They also attempted to encourage fathers to become more involved in caring for their children. This modification has lead to an enhancement of the work-home life balance of Sony employees. It can be seen from these examples that Sony has made use of the advantages of globalization in its CSR programme to achieve a competitive advantage over its rivals. Disadvantages of Global Strategy While global strategy offers many advantages for international enterprises, it also brings with it certain disadvantages. These consist mainly of costs related to greater coordination, reporting requirements, and added staff. In addition, international enterprises must be careful to avoid the pitfall of allowing over centralization to lead to a reduction in the quality of management in any country, as this can result in quality toward individual country can be reduced due to which damaging the motivation and drive of local employees. There is also a risk inherent in offering standardised products, as such products may prove to be less appropriate in some countries than in others. Similarly, use of standardised marketing strategies may not always be successful, as, without cultural adaptation, certain strategies may be inappropriate in specific countries. Finally, the over-use of global strategies may also result in unnecessary or inefficient expenditure. In the case of Sony, a considerable portion of the corporations budget is spent on in RD to fulfil international requirements and this may have led Sony to over-diversify. In order to compete with global competitors, Sony has a finger in every pie, so to speak, and this may have led the corporation to stray too far from its core competency which is electronics product expertise. Moreover, the possibility exists that over-diversification may result in clouding consumers perceptions of the brand. Currently, Sony is facing a challenge to its market supremacy from the Samsung Company. In contrast to Sony, Samsungs global strategy consists of limiting its diversification and focusing its resources on a small number of dominant businesses. This strategy has so far proved very successful for Samsung. Recommendations Although the Sony Corporation has succeeded in building one of the most widely recognised brand names in the world, its market dominance appears to be based on increasingly unsteady ground. This is indicated by the fact that Sonys net profit for the third quarter of 2006 fell by 94% to  ¥1.7 billion, compared to  ¥28.5 billion for the same period in 2005 (Benson, 2006). This dramatic fall in profits may be attributed to the crucial strategic concerns confronting Sony. Sonys manufacturing process is in need of restructuring, as the quality of some Sony products has declined. This has resulted in damage to their reputation and a consequent decrease in the competitiveness of their products. For instance, Forbes magazine reported in October 2006 that 9.6 million Sony laptop batteries has had to be recalled as they were prone to overheating and were therefore dangerous. In addition, Japanese consumers expressed their dissatisfaction with the new system of the Sony PS3 (Wonova, 2006). It would appear from these examples that Sonys quality control system is not always as efficient as it should be. Apart from quality control issues, Sony has shown itself unable to respond rapidly and effectively to changes in market demand and its competitive advantage is therefore compromised. One example of this is the delay in the European launch of PS3 because of manufacturing problems (BBC, 2006). Sony was unable to satisfy the market demand, leaving the way open for rivals in the field such as Nintendo and Microsoft to increase their market share. Moreover, Sony did not respond as quickly as certain other television manufacturers to the increasing demand fro plasma television and therefore allowed their competitors to gain a head start on them in this market. Mintzberg et al. (1999) pointed out that the first mover may gain advantages in building distribution channels, in tying up specialized suppliers or in gaining the attention of customers, adding that the first product of a class to engage in mass advertising tends to impress itself more deeply in peoples minds than the second, third or fourth. Hence, Sony forfeited its competitive advantage and a considerable part of the market share in the games and television market. It is evident that Sonys operational strategy is deficient and requires improvement. In order to address these issues, Sony is putting into practice strategies from both the inside out resource-based perspective (Hamel and Prahalad, 1990; Barney, 1991) and outside in positioning perspective (Porter, 1980; Mintzberg et al., 1998), also known as the market-based perspective (Finlay, 2000). It has been suggested that combining these perspectives can optimise an enterprises capabilities and result in achieving and maintaining greater competitive advantages (Finlay, 2000; Thompson and Strickland, 2003; Johnson et al. 2005; Lynch, 2006). According to Hatch (1997) competitive strategy necessitates the exploitation of a companys existing internal and external firm specific capabilities and the cultivation of new capabilities. Sony should determine appropriate methods for managing external changes in the constantly shifting business environment, and also determine how to make full use of their existing capabilities and resources to respond effectively to this environment. Mor eover, Sony must be attentive to potential threats in the future and put in place the mechanisms required to neutralise these. Conclusion It can be seen that globalization brings both advantages and disadvantages for businesses. On one hand, they can sell their products in almost any country in the world, while progress in communication and transport means that they can choose cheaper suppliers and make their products in countries where labour costs are lower. On the other hand, it brings disadvantages in that they also have competitors from all over the world. Appropriate planning and implementation of global strategies within the constantly evolving environment of technology can provide enterprises with opportunities for survival and expansion in an increasingly competitive market. However, inappropriate global strategies which are not well-conceived or well-implemented can result in losses. Several factors could contribute to such losses including increased costs due to additional staff and insufficient attention to the requirements of the local market. It is vital that enterprises find an appropriate balance between over-globalisation and under-globalisation, although there are no precise guidelines for determining such a balance. Among the keys to obtaining and sustaining competitive advantage in a global market is careful planning and strategy, which includes obtaining detailed information about the target country and focusing on cost or differentiation advantage . References Ari, A. (2008). Globalisation. Online at http://www.geocities.com/anil.ari_global/index.html# Accessed on 10th August, 2009 Barney, J. B. (1991), Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 99-120. Barney, J. B. (2001), Is the resource-based view a useful perspective for strategic management research? Yes, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 41-56. De Toni, A., Filippini, R. and Forza R. (1999). Interational Journal of Operations and Production Management. Vol.12, No. 4, pp. 718 Passemard, D. and Kleiner, B.H. (2000) Competitive Advantage in Global Industries. Management Research News. Vol. 23, Issue 7/8, pp.111-117 Finlay, P. (2000), Strategic Management: An introduction to business and corporate strategy, Prentice Hall. Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. (1990), Capabilities-Based Competition, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 70, No. 3. Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. (1994), Competing for the future, Harvard Business School Press. Hatch, M.J. (1997), Organization Theory: Modern Symbolic and Postmodern Perspectives, Oxford University Press. Hill, C.W.L. (2007), International business: competing in the global marketplace, Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Johnson, G. (2005), Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases, 7th Edition, Prentice Hall. Kikkawa, T. (1995), Growth in cluster of entrepreneurs: The case of Honda Motor and Sony Lynch, R. (2006), Corporate Strategy, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall.<

Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Related researches in China In China, researches on students learning styles have attracted a lot of researchers to this area. The most impressive researches are conducted by Wang Churning (1988) and Hu Xiaoqiong (1997). Employing Reids Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSP), Wang Churning (1988) conducted a large scale research in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. The participants were 490 English major students from freshmen to senior students. Four conclusions were made from his findings: firstly, individual difference of learning styles did exist among English major students. The most favored style was tactile learning style and group learning style the least favored; secondly, the length of learning time could affect students learning styles and students from different grades had the tendency of presenting different learning style preference; thirdly, there were great similarities of learning styles shown by male and female students; finally, learning styles were related to the le arning achievements and visual learning style was always preferred by students who possessed low English proficiency of listening and reading. Hu Xiaoqiong (1997) also employed Reids Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSP), with some modifications, to conduct research on 236 students of English major, from freshmen to juniors. His findings further proved Wangs research finding that students preferred tactile learning style most during their learning process. Apart from this, he also stated that students of English major preferred multi-dimensional learning styles instead of a single one. Adopting Keef and Monk Learning Style Profile, Yu Xinle (1997) tested 149 students of English majors from three universities in Beijing. According to his findings, no correlation could be found between learning style preference and gender difference, and no significant learning style preference existed between male and female students. However, sequential learning styles and memory learning styles had significant correlation with English learning achievements. From the researches mentioned above, it could be concluded that researches on learning styles are relatively few and almost all the researches are conducted among English major students, and researches on perceptual learning styles of non-English major students are greatly lacking. Therefore, further researches of perceptual learning styles are extremely needed to be conducted and explored in great detail to non-English major students for their learning style preference. Chapter 3 Literature review on learning strategies The importance of learning strategy as the key variable to influence individual learning difference in the acquisition of second language area is a topic that has drawn the attention of researchers worldwide. The following view of literature will present a brief history of learning strategy from the mid- 1970s to the present. Background of learning strategies Teachers and researchers have long noticed the fact that only seeking for the perfect teaching models cannot assure the success of students language learning. Under the same language input, not all the students can achieve the same success as others; some students obviously learn better than others. Learning is a two-way communication. Teachers and students need to work together. Neither of them can make the final success of language learning with the neglect of the other. Oxford (1990) clearly states that research interest has been shifted from what students learn or acquire to how students gain language, that is to say, from the product or outcome of learning and acquisition to the process of learning and acquisition. In a word, the focus has shifted from teachers to learners, and from learning and teaching results to learning and teaching processes. Researches on learning strategy have started from the mid-1970s abroad. Since then, a great number of researchers have become int.: ested in this area. Researchers, such as Oxford Nyikos (1989), OMalley Chamot (1990), Oxford (1990), Wenden (1991), Nyikos Oxford (1993), Sa-ngiam (1994), Ehrman Oxford (1995), Eugene (2001), Nisbet (2002), Griffiths (2003) and so on, have guided the strategy research direction and have greatly contributed to the theory development. Their general research focus includes: studies on learning strategies employed by good or successful language learners, studies on learning strategy definitions and classifications, studies on influencing variables on learning strategy use and on the application of learning strategy theories to language learning and teaching. With the development of strategy researches, classifications of learning strategies have been constantly enriched and perfected. Rubin (1975) first, and shortly after, Stern (1975) publish their stud ies on the learning of good or successful second language learners, which starts the new threshold of research in second language acquisition (Cited by Oxford, 1990). On the basis of previous researches, Freeman (1991) briefly points out that good language learners have the characteristics of willingness and accuracy and have a strong desire to communicate even at the risk of appearing foolish. They also pay attention to language form and meaning in their conversation. Moreover, they practice and monitor their own speech and speech of others. In the 1990s, researches on learning strategies have achieved great success. OMalley Chamot (1990) and Oxford (1990) propose more impressive classifications of learning strategies that have led to a spate of significant researches in this field. Wenden (1991) outlines the schema of learning strategies that includes cognitive strategies (selecting input, comprehending input, storing input, and retrieving input) and self-management strategies (p lanning, monitoring, and evaluating). Cohen (1998) identifies that strategies consist of language learning strategies and language use strategies and states that the two strategies are the processes consciously selected by learners and can enhance students learning through the storage, retention, recall, and application of information. Another interesting topic related to learning strategies is strategy training. Different names have existed for the application of strategy use to learning, such as learner training, learning-to-learn training, learner methodology training, and methodological initiation for learners. OMalley Chamot (1990) state that learning strategies are not the preserve of highly capable individuals and could be learned by others. Oxford (1990) also emphasizes the teachability of learning strategies. Their views have laid the foundation of strategy training programs. Currently, many researchers are devoting themselves to designing and executing strategy training programs, especially for inexperienced learners. Definitions of different strategies Strategies The concept of strategy derives from the Greek term strategia which means generalship or the art of war. In nonmilitary settings, it means a plan, step, or conscious action toward achievement of an objective (Oxford, 1990). Researchers, such as OMalley Chamot (1990), Oxford (1990), Wenden (1991), Ellis (1994), and Cohen (1998), have contributed greatly to the development and application of learning strategy theories. However, in educational settings, it has been variously described as fuzzy (Ellis, 1994), no consensus (Wenden, 1991), and conflicting views (Cohen, 1998). Certainly, a brief review of literature will indicate the plethora of different terms for strategy, such as techniques, tactics, potentially conscious plans and so on. There is little consensus regarding what a strategy is. Defining strategy is a difficult task and each definition will cause the controversial views easily. Researchers always emphasize this or that aspect of learning strategies when rendering the definition. For example, Brown (1994) holds the view that strategies are referred to as specific methods of approaching a problem or task, modes of operation for achieving a particular end, or planned designs for controlling and manipulating certain information. However, Ellis (1994) proposes that strategies consist of mental or behavioral activity related to some specific stage in the overall process of language acquisition or language use. Cohen (1998) defines strategies as the process consciously selected by learners. From the above definitions, it could be noticed that Brown tends to define strategies just as behavioral actions. However, Ellis emphasizes both the mental and behavioral aspects. Cohen mainly focuses on the element of cons ciousness when rendering the definition, which is not mentioned by Brown and Ellis. The writer would like to define strategies as both mental and behavioral actions consciously selected by learners when solving the problems in this study. Learning strategies and language learning strategies Learning strategies have considerable potential for enhancing the process of learners language learning and help learners know how to learn more meaningfully, successfully and automatically. Same problems exist when researchers define learning strategies. Different researchers emphasize different aspects of learning strategies. For example, Weinstein Mayer (1986) hold the view that learning strategies are the behaviors and thoughts that a learner engages in during learning which are intended to influence the learners encoding process (Cited by Ellis, 1994); however, Oxford (1990) expands the definition as specific actions taken by the learner to make learning faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations; Cohen (1998) defines it as the conscious thoughts and behaviors used by learners with the explicit goal of improving their knowledge and understanding of a target language. Language learning strategies are language specific. Thu s the writer of this study is more likely to define learning strategies as behavioral and mental actions consciously selected by learners during learning process. And language learning strategies are behavioral and mental actions consciously selected by learners during language learning process. Classifications of learning strategies Different scholars classify learning strategies from different angles and a large number of classifications exist. In the following part, the more comprehensive and elaborate classifications will be discussed, including OMalley Chamots and Oxfords classifications. OMalley Chamots classification OMalley Chamots classification is based on information processing theory and draws on the work of cognitive psychologists who introduces and develops the concepts of declarative and procedural knowledge. Generally speaking, declarative knowledge can be described as a kind of factual information which is stored in the mind and is related to the question of what they are and procedural knowledge is about checking rules and is associated with the question of how to do. OMalley Chamots research project provides a rationale and approach in cognitive theory for discussing learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cognitive theory has explained adequately how information is stoizd in memory and what processes are entailed in learning. It states that learning strategies are stored in peoples mind in the form of declarative or procedural knowledge. In cognitive theory, learning strategies are represented as complex cognitive skills that follow the same general rules as other form s of procedural knowledge. Learning strategies begin as declarative knowledge and gradually go through associative, and autonomous stages with practice and experience. Cook (1993) further explains this by using Andersons three developmental stages theory in second language acquisition: firstly, in the declarative stage, intensive attention is involved to the new language and deliberate efforts are made to understand the new language; secondly, in the compilation stage, procedural knowledge is acquired and gradually less conscious attention is needed; thirdly, the automatic processing like native speakers is finally formed. OMalley Chamot (1990) illustrate learning strategies as mental and socio-affective processes, emphasizing learner interaction with the language in order to foster acquisition. They present three categories of learning strategies, including metacognitive, cognitive, and social/affective strategies. They point out that metacognitive strategy encompasses executive process that mainly includes planning, monitoring and evaluating strategies. Planning is the strategy used by learners for organizing of the written or spoken discourses. Monitoring is the strategy used by learners for checking ones comprehension during the process of learning. And evaluating is the strategy used by learners for checking the outcomes of ones own language learning. Cognitive strategies involve the direct manipulation of materials to be learned. Strategies concerning cognitive strategy are mental or behavioral aspects. For example, learners can link new information to previously acquired concepts mentally or physically so that they can group the learning items in meaningful categories or summarize the important information. Other frequently used cognitive strategies are resourcing, repetition, grouping, transfer and translation and so on. Social/affective strategies are used when learners interact with ot her persons in order to assist their learning. For example, learners often ask questions for clarification or use some kinds of emotional control to promote their learning. Oxfords classification Almost at the same time, Oxford (1990) offers more comprehensive and full-scale language learning classification. Her classification research on language learning strategies has great influence on second language acquisition. She makes a distinction between what she calls direct and indirect strategies and explains the relationship between them by an analogy of a theatre. Direct strategies consist of memory, cognitive, and compensation strategies. This kind of strategies deals with the new language and is like the performer in a stage play who works with the language itself in a variety ofà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬specific tasks and situations. Indirect strategies comprise metacognitive, affective, and social strategies and are compared as the director who takes the responsibility for the general management of the play. Firstly, three types of direct strategies are discussed, including memory, cognitive, and compensation strategies. Memory strategies are learning strategies that help students store and retrieve new information and mainly include strategies, such as grouping or inferencing, creating mental linkages, and applying images and sounds. Cognitive strategies are strategies that enable learners to understand and produce new language by a variety of different means. Summarizing and reasoning deductively are examples of cognitive strategies. Additional examples includ practicing, receiving and sending messages, analyzing and reasoning, and creating structure for input and output. Compensation strategies are strategies that allow learners to use the language despite their large gaps in knowledge base. Guessing intelligently, using synonyms, and overcoming limitations in speaking and writing are included in this type of strategies. Secondly, indirect strategies include metacognitive strategies, affective strategies and social strategies. Metacognitive strategies are language learning strategies, such as planning for language tasks and setting goals that provide a mechanism for individuals to coordinate their own learning process. Affective strategies are strategies that help learners gain control over emotions, attitudes, motivations, and values. To lower their anxiety, learners can listen to music or make positive statements or reward themselves to become high-spirited or try to take their emotional temperature to concentrate on their learning. Social strategies are strategies that involve interaction between and among learners. When they have classroom collaborative activities, learners could use social strategies to help them to obtain information they need, for example, strategies of asking questions, cooperating with others, and empathizing with others. The classification of learning strategies is still controversial. Oxfords classificatory system is different from OMalley Chamots, but there is similarity between them. For example, both of the two classifications include the category of metacognitive strategy which involves the process of thinking, planning, monitoring and evaluating. OMalley Chamots (1990) classification emphasizes more on metacognitive and cognitive strategies and lesser focus on social/affective strategies. In their classification, they provide cognitive theories to support the classification of their learning strategies. However, Oxfords classification is more comprehensive and offers six types of learning strategies with an emphasis both on direct and indirect functions of strategies. In addition, Oxfords classification addresses the social and affective components, which are less developed in OMalley Chamots classification. Moreover, Oxfords classification system can be measured by her widely recognized Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). For these reasons, Oxfords classification system and the accompanying strategy inventory are more acknowledged in the academic world and are always approved by researchers who are interested in this field. Related research in China Wen (2003) identifies two distinctive development stages of learning strategies in China. The two stages are respectively named as the budding stage and the full developing stage. The budding stage is from 1984 to 1992, and the full developing stage is from 1993 to 2003. In the former stage, Huang (1984) publishes her postgraduate dissertation An investigation of learning strategies in oral communication that Chinese EFL learners in China employ, which has laid the foundation of Chinese research on learning strategies. In the latter stage, a large number of researchers have made great contributions both in theory and practice in this field. It is worth noticing that researches of learning strategies in todays China have entered the flourishing age. In theoretical aspect, Wen (1996) has put forward the classification system of learning strategies. She classifies strategies into two groups: management strategies and language learning strategies. Management strategies comprise aim estab lishing, planning, strategy selecting, self-monitoring, self-evaluating and self-adjusting. Language learning strategies can be subdivided into traditional and non-traditional strategies. Traditional language learning strategies consist of form-focused strategies, accuracy strategies, and using-mother tongue strategies. Non-traditional strategies are made up of meaning-focused strategies, fluency strategies and mother-tongue avoidance strategies. Based on her classification, many studies are conducted, such as Wen Qiufang and Wang Haixiao (1996a, 1996b), Wen Qiufang (1996c), Qin Xiaoging(1998) and the like. Wen and Wang (1996) conducted the comparatively important research on sophomores of non-English majors and one of their research findings was that correlation existed between learners belief and their choice of learning strategies. There are a large number of empirical studies on learning strategies in different language learning areas. For example, Wu Yian and Liu Runging (1993) investigated the psychology and social-psychology factors that affected students English language learning. According to the results of their studies, the strategy use had no effect on English achievements. Liu Shaolong(1996) chose 7 adult middle school teachers to investigate the influence of background knowledge on learning strategy choice in listening. After data analysis, he pointed it out that background knowledge did have great influence on the choice of strategy use in listening. Hou Songshan (1998) examined the effect of task types and gender difference towards the choice of communicative strategy use. His participants were sophomore students of English major from PLA Foreign Language College. His findings proved that task types could affect the choice of communicative strategy use. Males and females had different choice of com municative strategy use. Wu Xia Wang Qiang (1998) investigated strategy use on vocabulary learning. He conducted research on sophomore students of non-English major students in Beijing Normal Universities. According to their findings, metacognitive and cognitive strategies were frequently used by students when learning vocabulary. And good language learners employed more vocabulary learning strategies than those of bad language learners. Wang Yu (2002) conducted strategy research on sophomore students in Suzhou University. His research findings were that strategies, such as metacognitive, form-focused, meaning-focused, using-mother tongue, and social/affective strategies could account for students different listening abilities to a large extent. Thus, according to Wen (2003), all researches of learning strategies fall into two categories: macro and micro aspects. In macro-aspect, researches usually focus on the general situation of learners beliefs and learning strategies; and in micro-aspect, researches often concentrate on the strategy use in different language learning areas, for example, strategies use in speaking, listening, reading and writing areas. References Brown, H. D. (1994). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. N.J.: Prentice Hall. Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching (3rd). New York: Pearson Hall Regents. Bailey, B. Onwuegbuzie, A. J. Daley, C. E. 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Creative Story: Positraction :: essays research papers

Creative Story: Positraction It was a cold night and Roger Katmandoo ( a 89 year old man) sat on his front porch. His rocking chair squeeked as he rocked back and forth. Right then a pair of hedlights came on and were shining right in Mr. Katmandoo's eyes. The headlights came closer towards Roger as the car's engine screamed. The car was right at the curb, and it keep going right up into Roger's yard. " Shit" he yelled as the red 67' Courger drove through his well kept lawn. "Jesus Palamesus" He hollared "U gonna die U sack of shit" Then the car stoped and flashed A gun out the winder as Roger pulled up a loose board in the floor of the porch and grabbed his machine gun. " Youin's best be gett'n out a here" he bluffed "or I will have to kick your little punk asses" Then th ecar speed off leav'n positraction tire marks all in Mr. Katmandoo's yard. Then when the car was half in the street and half in Roger's yard they all yelled "Hey Fuck-o" and speed off. "You little bastards callin me a buck-o" Roger yelled as his hudge buck teeth bit his bottom lip " I'll kick your ass". Then Roger jumped In his shit brown FORD truck and started the engine (well I mean tried to start the engine because he had to pull start it). Then he speed out of his driveway and took off with smoke coming from the tires (and from under the hood). He caught up with the Cougar and started hanging out the window trying to hit the car but he couldn't hold the steering wheel and do bash the car at the same time. So he got THE CLUB out from underneath his seat and put it on the steering wheel. So he got the Baseball bat and started hanging out the window hitting the car. The guy in the Cougar started swirved and Roger fell out of his car and flew underneath the wheel of the Cougar while he was yelling "I'll kick your ass" and crunched Roger leaving blood and guts all over the freeway. But Roger's skull stuck into the Cougar's hub cap. The cougar spun out of controll and flipped then hit the gaurd rail and went fling accross the freeway into oncoming traffic. And uuhh oh here comes the undertaker's truck full of dead bodies. Creative Story: Positraction :: essays research papers Creative Story: Positraction It was a cold night and Roger Katmandoo ( a 89 year old man) sat on his front porch. His rocking chair squeeked as he rocked back and forth. Right then a pair of hedlights came on and were shining right in Mr. Katmandoo's eyes. The headlights came closer towards Roger as the car's engine screamed. The car was right at the curb, and it keep going right up into Roger's yard. " Shit" he yelled as the red 67' Courger drove through his well kept lawn. "Jesus Palamesus" He hollared "U gonna die U sack of shit" Then the car stoped and flashed A gun out the winder as Roger pulled up a loose board in the floor of the porch and grabbed his machine gun. " Youin's best be gett'n out a here" he bluffed "or I will have to kick your little punk asses" Then th ecar speed off leav'n positraction tire marks all in Mr. Katmandoo's yard. Then when the car was half in the street and half in Roger's yard they all yelled "Hey Fuck-o" and speed off. "You little bastards callin me a buck-o" Roger yelled as his hudge buck teeth bit his bottom lip " I'll kick your ass". Then Roger jumped In his shit brown FORD truck and started the engine (well I mean tried to start the engine because he had to pull start it). Then he speed out of his driveway and took off with smoke coming from the tires (and from under the hood). He caught up with the Cougar and started hanging out the window trying to hit the car but he couldn't hold the steering wheel and do bash the car at the same time. So he got THE CLUB out from underneath his seat and put it on the steering wheel. So he got the Baseball bat and started hanging out the window hitting the car. The guy in the Cougar started swirved and Roger fell out of his car and flew underneath the wheel of the Cougar while he was yelling "I'll kick your ass" and crunched Roger leaving blood and guts all over the freeway. But Roger's skull stuck into the Cougar's hub cap. The cougar spun out of controll and flipped then hit the gaurd rail and went fling accross the freeway into oncoming traffic. And uuhh oh here comes the undertaker's truck full of dead bodies.