Wealth distribution in the PRC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wealth distribution in the PRC - Essay Example This meant that there was no competition in the production process. Government ownership of land also led to inefficient production which led to waste of resources. The last one is the economic collapse of 1970s and 1980s which caused economic decline that previously acted as a way of distributing wealth. Unequal wealth distribution is the situation where the gap between the rich and the poor is reasonably large. The World Bank defines poverty as spending less than one dollar per day. This is a situation which is common with most people who are affected by unequal wealth distribution. In china, unequal wealth distribution has caused a number of negative factors in education, housing, transportation, employment, and human rights (Wang 43). Unequal wealth distribution means that the children of the poor parents cannot get a decent education. They thus turn to government school which are often crowded. In these schools, the government is not able to supply enough classes, teachers, and other infrastructure that are needed for a good learning environment. Public schools are also associated with adverse ratios all facilities which mean the children will not get the necessary skills needed to compete in the world. Therefore, the child will end up failing examinations and thus not proceed to the next level of education. At the end of the day, the child is left without education and thus end up poor as his or her parents. Lack of education will then drive the child to do other ill activities such as crime and drug abuse (Gollier 19). The poor are often said to be living in informal settlement in most countries of the world. This is because they cannot afford the necessary material to put up a decent house. They also have no land where they can practice farming and put a decent house. They thus migrate to the urban centres to search for informal jobs. In urban centres, a decent house is very expensive which the poor cannot afford (Zhong et al 25). They

Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Discuss the variety of influences to which Pip is exposed during the course of Great Expectations as he approaches adult-hood, and the ways in which the readers opinion of Pips character might alter as the story develops. Charles dickens is one of the worlds best-loved writers, and Great Expectations may be one of his most autobiographical works. The Narrator of Great Expectations, Pip, is in contrast, a man of many faults, who hides none of them from the reader. If Pip is a self-portrait, Dickens must have been a reservoir of inferiority complexes, guilt and share. Many other aspects of Great Expectations are autobiographical too. Although Dickens wasnt an orphan as Pip is but he may have well felt like one. Dickens mother apparently was a careless housekeeper. Pips sister who a few times mentions that she brought him up by hand, keeps a spotless house but she doesnt know how to make it a home. In her mind, the sole ingredients of child rearing are a firm beating and a dose of tar-water. It could be that maybe she is deliberately cruel, or maybe she has just mistaken notions of how to run a family. Pips childhood wasnt so great and as a reader will find out that he doesnt have a good perspective on Mrs. Joe. This can be any more than children do on the adults closest to them: And where the deuce ha you been? was Mrs. Joes Christmas salutation, when I and my conscience showed ourselves. (Pg. 22) When Dickens was working in the blacking warehouse at the age of twelve he was lighten up as Pip was being lighten up when he was an apprentice to Joe as a blacksmith. While Pip the narrator recognises Joes goodness, Pip as a character continues to go on treating him badly. There is a point in the story when the reader will observe that Joe forgives Pip for his behaviour. Later on Pip keeps on being a snob and for Joe its something he has to live for. Joe shows a lot of love and affection for Pip: But I did mind you Pip, he returned with tender simplicity Dont cry, old chap! (Pg. 48) Joe has a very neutral relationship with Pip although he seems to find it really hard and struggles to guide Pip and try to follow Joes example of goodness. He appears to be often weak; he lets himself be defeated by Mrs. Joe, Pumblechook and even Miss Havisham. This could be why Pip seems to dislike Joe, as he gets older. Also seeing as Pip isnt consciously virtuous, it becomes difficult for Joe to attempt to teach him. Pip is seriously disgusted with Pumblechook throughout the whole book. When as a boy, he instinctively dislikes the way Pumblechook moralises and lords it over the family. I believe it is at this point where Pips snobbish behaviour may have sharpened due to the original circle of changes and I think Pumblechook patronising and insulting Pip at the same time has given him the snobbish character: But I dont mean in that form, or, returned Mr. Pumblechook, who had an objection to being interrupted Not bringing up by hand then. Not a bit of it! (Pg. 27) At the beginning of the story in a vivid scene, Magwitch appears to be a threatening, violent character to Pip. The reader can recognise at the same time that Pip does not know that Magwitch is a big, cold, hungry and desolate. When Pip lives at the forge in the marshes the setting has influenced him. It is a gloomy spooky area with convicts. It seems that it all leads to death and punishment i. e. Mrs.Joes beating and tar-water. When it comes to Magwitch appearing from a graveyard he is like a zombie. He becomes dead when the reader carries on to read the story because Pip forgets about him and Magwitch disappears for a long while. During that time of his absence Pip then catches to encounter Miss Havisham. When Magwitch does come into sight once again when Pip is in London, Pip is looking at a much more altered version of Magwitch. At this time Magwtichs importance to Pip grows even larger as the reader will discover about Magwitch and the affect of his money to Pip. Now because of this Magwitch turns out to be a similar yet a much useful character in Pips life. Also the relationship between Pip and Magwitch strengthens and Pip commences into showing devoted attention to him. Even later on Pip is interested in almost everything that Magwitch offers to attempt to say to him. He is willing to listen to him and he becomes sympathetic towards him. When Magwitch is on the deathbed Pip is telling the story of Estella and explaining how much he loves her to him. He tries to make him happy. Dickens piles on the details about Miss Havisham, it is like as it if she irresistibly fascinates him. The more he describes her, the more intensely she stands out, looming as a weird, powerful image colouring the mood of the entire book: Look at me, said Miss Havisham. You are not afraid of a woman who and very sorry I cant play just now. (Pg. 58-59) Pip is influenced by Miss Havisham in a way to love Estella and thus he is convinced by her to love Estella even through the toughest situations. He gains to be confident with her but its strange because he can list Estellas main faults- proud, selfish, cold, cruel and unloving: Love her, love her, love her! If she favours you, love her giving up your whole heart and soul to be smiter- as I did (Pg. 240) Miss Havisham is very unpredictable and it could be why that I reckon Pip most frequently misunderstands her influences to him. She can be pretty random and she can say random, embarrassing, issuing imperious commands: Sometimes I have sick fancies, she went on, and I have a sick fancy that I want to see some playplay, play, play! (Pg. 59) Now because of her out-of-the-ordinary behaviour the reader can never tell or predict what she will be like. This can confuse Pips liking for her and then it makes the reader feel sceptical about them. The different element of Pips personality seems to be constantly in conflict. For example, when he first learns that he has expectations of a great fortune, his mind goes off in a dozen different directions- selfishness, joy, guilt, suspicion, embarrassment and fear of his own fortune. When he moves to London, he leaves all the people who still affect his life:

Comparative Criminal Justice: United states and China

Comparative Criminal Justice: United states and China Compare and contrast two different types of criminal justice systems. The two criminal justice systems that shall be discussed in this paper are those of the United States and that of the Peoples Republic of China. When comparing and contrasting these two systems one should start with the premises that both are instituted in their reciprocal countries in the attempt to curb the proliferation of crime, offenders and deter potential offenders. Both the U.S. and Chinas criminal justice systems make use of a court system, police enforcement organizations and detention and correctional facilities on a regional biases. However this is as much as similarities go as the two systems are radically different since they are based on ideologically opposing government structures. The U.S government is based on a free market capitalist economy supported by a representative democracy. On the other hand that of China is founded on a social communist ideology. As for demographic figures, the U.S. has roughly 355 million citizens while China has over one billion, which makes up one fourth of the world population. Klaus MÃ ¼hlhahn (2009), in his book Criminal Justice in China, states that Peoples Republic of China (P.R.C.) was established as a socialist country in 1949. From that point onwards efforts have been made to enact basic laws concerning criminal justice administration and enforced nationwide. The U.S. government is hierarchally based on a unified organization where power is shared between the federal and state governments. Therefore this means that the political system secures autonomy of each state in the U.S. but at the same time adopting a centralized government (Gaines and Miller, 2006). The U.S. justice system is derived from the British common law tradition. Common law is the law that is agreed upon by the common people and exists in two forms, Lex Scripta (written law) and Lex non Scripta (unwritten law). On the other hand MÃ ¼hlhahn (2009), says that the Chinese justice system is quite difficult to put under one unitary system. This is due to the fact that the Chinese criminal justice system was repeatedly reorganized in the wake of political changes and internal party disputes. MÃ ¼hlhahn (2009) also notes that the Chinese justice system under socialism is not an independent administrative system but was integrated into a network of social control and political mobilization. The Chinese Criminal Law is based on the ideological precepts of Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong. Its tasks are to use punishments to resist against all revolutionary or criminal acts in order to safeguard the system of the peoples democratic dictatorship. The police forces of the United States are the successors of Militias originally instituted in the early colonies to protect the population and control the Native Americans. The different forming States developed their own security forces and these operated autonomously. Major cities instituted their own police forces, which functioned under the control of a city government (Gaines and Miller, 2006). Currently the U.S. police forces are structured on local/city/county and federal/state levels, thus having a federal system. All local policing duties are shared between local municipalities and counties. Cities, towns and villages have the capability to institute their own police forces, while others, usually rural localities, rely on a county Sheriffs department for the task of enforcement and policing. Usually the size of police forces in the U.S. is directly proportional to the population of the area being controlled. The 50 States forming the U.S. also have their own police forces that are ascribed to different regions and often patrolling undeveloped rural areas. The job of such agencies include investigating crimes against the state such as alcohol licensing violations or welfare fraud, fish and game violations, and highway traffic infractions (Gaines and Miller, 2006). According to a statistic of the U.S. Department of Justice (2008), on average the ratio of police to population in the U.S. is about 2.3 officers per thousand residents, however larger cities have higher ratios. That force ratio has remained steady for nearly three decades at around 2.21-2.34 police officers per 1000 civilian population. Next up on the U.S. hierarchal police system is the Federal Governments police force that subdivided into various other agencies. There is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is independent of any administration. The F.B.I. intervenes when federal laws are infringed, an interstate crime is committed, or if national security is threatened. However the last case scenario has been taken over by the Department of Homeland Security established after the attacks of September 11th 2001. The U.S. has about 20 federal law enforcement agencies, which also include the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Marshals Service. Further more there exist the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Treasury Department, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm Agency and the U.S. Customs officials that deal with border violations while the Immigration and Naturalization Services deal with illegal immigrants. However this specialization of the diffe rent policing agencies has its drawbacks. Problems can arise due to jurisdictional issues, when what one should really take care of is the upholding and maintenance of the law (Gaines and Miller, 2006). The P.R.C. employs around 2 million police officers, of which most work is small offices that serve communities of roughly 10,000 citizens. The main policing agency in the P.R.C. is the Peoples Armed Police (PAP), which includes about 700,000 officers. This agency was instituted in 1983 and was formed by incorporating disbanded units of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on domestic defence duty and armed frontier defence and fire fighting. The rise of the PAP shows how Chinese leadership in many ways is more concerned about domestic security than foreign threats (MÃ ¼hlhahn, 2009). The PAPs main task is to deal with domestic disturbances, by acting as riot police, guarding government compounds and also foreign embassies. It usually handles border defence but is called in sometimes to back up local police. Recently it has been employed to suppress anti-government protest. The Public Security Service (PSB) is both a local police and the Chinese equivalent of the CIA in the U.S. The P. R.C. justice system also employs paramilitary armed police and more than 1 million security guards. Quasi-police force known as cheng guan also operates in China. These carry out tasks deemed unpopular by the citizens, such as collecting fines and tax money, often these are just thugs hired by the official police. In December 2008, the Chinese government announced the creation of a new special unit aimed at cracking down on gun-related crimes and organized crime such as organized prostitution, gambling, drug production and trafficking. The public security budget was raised by nearly a third in 2009 to $4.2 billion in part to address concerns about unrest in Tibet and western China and trouble brought about by unemployed workers and other problems associated with the economic crisis in 2008 and 2009 In the past, police agencies in the US have been accused of corruption and the Good-Old Boy network of hiring practices. Recently, charges of racism, racial profiling, and use of excessive force have been made by concerned citizens and organizations. Family members of crime victims often become infuriated with police for their incompetence and unwillingness to make an effort to solve crimes that affect them. Chinese police have a reputation for being corrupt and connected to smuggling. They are regarded with suspicion by ordinary Chinese, particularly in rural areas. Police have traditionally been more involved in maintaining government control than solving crimes. As for the US court system, this is a dual judiciary system, of which the two constituent parts (federal and state) function independent of each other. The federal judiciary system includes district courts, circuit courts of appeals, and the United Stated Supreme Court. The state system includes trial courts at the local and state levels, intermediate courts of appeal, and state Supreme Court (Gaines and Miller, 2006). The primary agents working along each other are the judge, prosecutor, and defence attorneys in the U.S. system. As already stated the U.S. follows the principles of Common law, that were inherited from English jurisprudence. This tradition holds that a decision taken in court is always made on the basis of the Rule of Precedent. This means that each case previously resolved serves as reference and guide for new cases. New aspects of law may be determined or discovered and thus a precedent arises. The U.S. justice system allows for presumption of innocence until proven guilty, plea-bargaining, trial by jury, and the right to a speedy trial (Gaines and Miller, 2006). Such aspects make the justice system in the U.S. more flexible and makes it easier to meet citizens the needs. The penal system of the U.S., like the judicial system, branches into federal, state and local levels. The prison system is supported by governmental funds, in the form of tax revenue from federal (corporate income), state (sales) and local (taxes) revenues. Is also receives funding through Inter-governmental transfer, in the form of federal grants and state grants. Sentences in the US justice system tend to be significantly longer than in China and many states have adopted the three strikes law which forces judges to sentence a defendant to life imprisonment for their third felony offense. The penal system in the US is facing major problems due to overcrowding, gang and drug activity within the prisons, the imprisonment of mentally ill individuals, increase of sex offenders, and extremely violent offenders. Privatization of the prison systems is being adopted in many regions of the country as prisons are becoming more and more overcrowded. Juvenile offenses and crimes in the US vary in each state and all are dependent on the age of the defendant. For example, in New York State, a juvenile status is considered if the individual is more than 7 but less than 16 year old, unless it is murder then the individual can be 13 or if charged with rape then the defendant can be as young as 14. Contrary to the French system, the tendency in New York and possibly in the rest of the US is to treat the offender as an adult and increase the levels of punishment including incarceration. Gaines, Larry K. and Roger Le Roy Miller, Criminal Justice in Action (2006). http://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=33 http://www.lectlaw.com/files/int10.htm Klaus MÃ ¼hlhahn, Criminal Justice in China: A History, Harvard University Press (2009)

US Army Total Quality Management Essay -- essays research papers fc

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION Throughout their military careers military personnel will always face some type of inspection, whether it's internal or external. Today, some units are inspected at least four times a year in supply operations, for example, Command Supply Discipline Program, Command Inspection Program, Command Logistics Review Program, and maybe the Supply Excellence Award. How does the unit prepare for all these inspections? The unit faces many great challenges. There are a lot of steps taken to prepare for inspections. There are many checklists to follow but not enough time and personnel to accomplish these many tasks. There are many subjects areas which, the unit must cover that might be inspected. AR 11-l (Command Logistics Review Program), AR 735-5 (Policies and Procedures for Property Accountability), DA PAM 710-2-l (Using Unit Supply System Manual Procedures), and AR 710-2 (Supply Policy Below the Wholesale Level) are the governing policy documents and should be understood prior to an inspection. There are a lot of non value added procedures and many tasks that overlap, where in some cases the distribution of soldiers is not according to the need of each work place. There are many soldiers assigned to tasks different from what 1 they are supposed to do, which results in no incentive for performing better. In other words, the soldiers consume their energy striving to overcome problems inherent in the supply system instead of trying to maximize the effectiveness of supply operations. A transformation in the supply operations in the units could be achieved by the adoption of a new management philosophy that could help provide greater efficiency. Currently, one of the most advanced philosophies in the managerial field is the Total Quality Management (TQM) concept. But how compatible is the TQM philosophy to the units under the current circumstances? Can the adoption of this concept help the units to overcome their problems? What changes are necessary for a successful implementation? There is a need to examine the applicability of the TQM concept to supply operations. PURPOSE The purpose of this research is to evaluate potential of TQM for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of supply inspections. What is Total Quality Management? Total Quality Management is the process of improving the organization performance at every l... ... commanders and soldiers. For example, if there are areas of the inspection, convert five areas to TQM philosophy. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. BOOKS Aguayo Rafael, Dr. Demins: _ The American who taught the Japanese about Quality First. Carol Publishing Edition, 1990. Brocka, Bruce and M. Suzanne. Qualitv Manauement: Implementinq the Best Ideas of the Masters. Richard D. Irwin, INC., 1992. Carman, Jamess M. "TQM as a Survival Strategy: the Southern Pacific Experience." California Manaqement Review, Spring 1993. pp. 118-132. Dessler, Gary "Managing Quality and Productivity" Human Resource Manauement Prentice-Hall, Inc., 6th edition, pp. 309-323. B. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS PenDell Pittman and Pat O'Farrel, "Transforming Government: Putting People and Quality First", Coverinq m the Bases: _ _ A 14 Step Guide to TQM Implementation (Sixth Annual National Conference on Federal Quality, July 20-23, 1993). United States Office of Personnel Management, Federal Total Qualitv Manaqement Handbook, (Federal Quality Institute, May 1991). Research report, Total Qualitv Manaqement (TQM), An Overview, Anthony Coppola, Air Force Systems Command, September 1991, p. 7.

Imperialism in the 19th century Essay

There was a great deal of Imperialism in the 19th century, led by mostly westerners from Europe. Imperialism is the act in which one nation extends its rule over another. Imperialism had a substantial effect on the 19th century throughout the entire world by bringing upon changes to many different countries, for better and for worse, especially to Africa. Prior to the nineteenth century, westerners did interfere with many of the affairs of nations outside of their boarders, so signs of imperialism are shown many times throughout history. Examples of this would be the European colonies in the Americas and also influence in Asia. Whenever a western country was involved with the economy of an outside country, There were many reasons for Imperialism, two of which were economical and political. What better way to boost an economy than to open markets in other areas of the world? The colonized nations had abundant supplies of resources that could not be found in Europe, which is what first attracted the westerners. Because of imperialism, not only did Europeans have access to resources in Africa and Asia, but they also had access to cheap labor by forcing the natives of the lands to work for little or no money. The desire of power and security for the military were also causes for Imperialism. By having control over distant lands, it would be a benefit, militarily, to have bases spread out around the world, especially during times of war. (Wakefield, Edward Gibbon A Letter from Sydney and Other Writings on Colonization) Racism on account of Social Darwism was another major factor contributing to Imperialism. Social Darwism (â€Å"survival of the fittest†) led to the Europeans’ belief that they were of a higher race and it was their duty to go into other areas and improve the lives of the people who inhabited those lands. Improving lives meant spreading western religion (Christianity), culture, and influence. The following quote from The Backward Peoples and Our Relations with Them by Sir Harry H. Johnston shows an example of how westerners thought: â€Å"†¦Let us proceed to define who and what these backward or unprogressive peoples are and to what extent they may be considered to be retrograde and ineffective as compared with the dominating white race.† There were many other examples of writing, such as The White Man’s Burden by Rudyard Kipling, which supported the belief of white men being of some supremacy and of the white man’s need to colonize. Nationalism also played a role in support of racism by allowing people to become extremely confident in their nationality and in turn, creating a form of the feeling of superiority. (Johnson, Sir Harry H. The Backward People and Our Relations with Them) There was a lot of competition between the different European states economically and politically. Imperialism made this competition worse by creating another factor to contend over. Obviously a nation with many colonies throughout the world would be more powerful than one with very few colonies. So, when one western nation begins to take over foreign lands, it would only be natural for many others to follow the example as to not be left behind in the competition and for their own economic wealth. This occurred during the scramble for Africa, wherein European nations raced to gain control over different areas in Africa. During the mid nineteenth century, Europeans were beginning to colonize along the coast of Africa, but couldn’t go much further because disease would spread, quickly killing of much of the European settlers. Since at the time Europe was going through the Industrial Revolution, there were many advances not only made technologically, but also in the field of science and medicine. With new technology, goods could be mass produced in factories and so a surplus of goods was often an occurrence. Europeans turned to Africa for new markets as to make money off of their surpluses and Africa also was rich in natural resources to fuel Europe’s many growing industries. Since new medicines had been discovered, Europeans could move further into Africa and stay for longer periods of time. In addition to advances in medicine and in industry, new weapons were developed, which could easily defeat those of the Africans. This allowed for larger European settlements to be set up in Africa and hence, the race for territories began. Another reason for the scramble for Africa was the fear of upsetting the balance of power. Every European nation was concerned about their rivals  becoming more powerful than they were. The main nations involved were Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. During the late nineteenth century, all of these countries, and a few others went into a â€Å"scramble† to claim territories in Africa. (Mastanduno, Michael â€Å"Imperialism†) The scramble for Africa began with an attempt by King Leopold II of Belgium wanting to gain control of the area of the Congo Basin. Tensions arose between the British and the French, because of the British gaining more control over Egypt, which was the country they had once had joint control over the finances of. France was also competing with Italy in northern Africa, so tensions were strong everywhere. Germany felt pressured by the other European nations who were gaining control over territories on Africa. Bismarck, who happened to be ruler at the time, declared control over three territories in eastern and western Africa, which caused even more strain between European nations. Since the control for African territories arose very quickly, the Berlin Conference was set up to discuss the policies of claiming lands in Africa to avoid any more bitter rivalries. (â€Å"The Scramble for Africa† The Economist) Fourteen European countries and the United States were in attendance at the Berlin Conference that took place between 1884 and 1885. Boundaries were determined and also rules for trade and for future conquest within Africa. Of the countries present at the conference, only half of them had their own colonies in Africa and none of the represented nations were the nations colonized or any other African nation. What basically came out of the Berlin Conference was the Berlin Act, which called for free trade in the Congo basin and free navigation along the Niger among other things. When it came to the rules of further domination in Africa, each country had to inform the other countries whenever they took over an African territory and had their decision to colonize had to be based on â€Å"effective occupation†. Freedom of trade was declared with all nations and also, it was agreed that slavery and the slave trade would be suppressed. (Mastanduno, Michael â€Å"Imperialism†) Imperialism affected colonized nations in many ways especially economically, politically, and culturally. There were often many positive and negative  affects of imperialism on the colonies that were taken over. The culture and religion of the colonized people was often condemned to try to have the people move in the way of the westerners. In Africa, economically, Africans made very little profit off of the goods they produced. All of the capital went to the Europeans. Also, before colonization, Africans traded within the continent, but this practice was ended once the westerners became involved in their affairs. So if anything, the colonial period, was one of economic corruption, rather than economic development. (Boahen, A. Adu, ed. General History of Africa (Abridged Edition): VII Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935) Colonization in Africa led to an overall increase of the African population, which could be thought of as a positive social affect. The quality of life was improved in terms of there being hospitals, a sewage system, and sanitary facilities and there was also an increase in employment opportunities. Western inventions such as the steam engine and other machinery were introduced to Africa. Christianity and Islam were spread and so was western education. Colonialism caused a change in the social structure of Africans was it allowed mobilization between the classes. Social class was not determined by birth, but by a person’s success individually. (Boahen, A. Adu, ed. General History of Africa (Abridged Edition): VII Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935) Behind all of the positive social effects, there were many negative ones. A larger division was created between those who dwelt in urban areas and those in rural areas. Western education had made the barrier between these people larger. Colonization allowed for the rich, white Europeans to take over all of the good and fertile lands and also allowed them to monopolize in trade in Africa. Even though there were educational institutions set up, they were inadequately spread out and didn’t have much of an effect on Africa as a whole. There were still very large illiteracy levels. Also, there was no emphasis made on technical or industrial education, which would’ve been more useful. Racism was stressed during imperialism in Africa and created a sense of inferiority for the people who inhabited the continent at the time. (Boahen, A. Adu, ed. General History of Africa (Abridged Edition): VII  Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935) Politically, colonialism in Africa created a larger degree of continuous peace and stability than there ever was before. There were now definite boundaries in Africa, which was a good call in terms of organization. There was also a new found nationalism that spread throughout the continent. On the other hand, a lot of the political changes were negative. Because of boundaries set up by the westerners, many ethnic and religious groups were torn apart, which affected the lives of the natives on a personal level and created many disputes. The boundaries also did not ensure that natural resources were distributed evenly, which would serve as a problem since the economy of Africans was dependent on what they could gather from their land. Africans lost their independence and were basically ruled by the white colonial leaders, who also owned almost all of their property. For a long time, the people of Africa had lost their right of liberty. (Boahen, A. Adu, ed. General History of Africa (Abridged Edition): VII Africa under Colonial Domination 1880-1935) In conclusion, imperialism was an enormous part of nineteenth century history. There were many different reasons for western nations wanting to colonize and many different outcomes that came about from colonization. Imperialism showed many affects toward all of the nations involved whether they were being dominated or doing the domination. The scramble of Africa was an example of what occurred in western imperial rule and clearly shows the positive and negative consequences of imperialism.

Poland essays

Poland essays In this centrury it seems that Poland has come in a full circle. It started out as an average European country and eneded up as the same: a country with a healthy acconomy, stable social structure, and viable government. The most interesting part of history is not the parts that are described like that. It is the same with Poland: the most interesting historical events have thrown the country into turmoil, even into war. They have, as a country, had to recognize such problems as racism and unfair prejudice based upon faith and ethnicity. They have also had to overcome being conquered, several changes in government, and political upheaval. In the process, the people have had to change their ideological practices, if not change their beliefs. Sometimes they embraced ideas and systems thankfully and gladly. Other times they had to be forced. Such times as those could be tragic or celebratory and, on ocassion, they were both. Historically, Poland has been an area of conflict because of its flat terrain and the lack it has of natural borders on the northern European border. Indeed, the history of Poland is one of the most engrassing national histories this century. The people reflect this in their collective identity. They have recovered from genocide and war to become a very cohesive group of people, both politaically and ethnically. We should applaud them for their terrific efforts to recover and remain a strong nation. My report is about Poland, the country today. I will write about their economic successes and weaknesses and their strengths in many other areas as well. Personally, I am very proud of their effort and I think of this report as a tribute to the Polish people perseverence. Poland is a nation of many faces, with mostly Polish people, there are also a very few German, Ukranian, and Byelorussian in residence. 95 percent of the people (and about  ¾ of those people are practicing) are Roman Catholic. Small minorities of Ea...

Black Relaions in Brazil Essay

Black Relaions in Brazil Essay Black Relaions in Brazil Essay Black In Latin America / Brazil: A Racial Paradise? In Brazil, Professor Gates explores how this â€Å"rainbow nation† is waking up to it's legacy as the world's largest slave economy. An estimated 4.8 million African slaves were brought to Brazil over 500 years ago when Portuguese slave trades were high with the country and sugar farming was the countries number one resource. The slaves brought with them their religion, culture, and music. Approximately 75 million people remain in Brazil with ties to African descent and Brazil is the second largest black population in the world next to Nigeria. Brazil was the last country in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery in 1888. However, they were the first to claim that they were free of racism a declare there nation a racial democracy. Many of the countries African descendents believe this is a myth and believe that racism does exist within Brazil. The Brazilian people themselves do not distinguish race as we do here in the United States, the refer to racial categories as color s such as â€Å"Moreno† or â€Å"Negro† but in different shades, but never distinguish anyone differently based merely on the appearance of their skin tone. According to Joao Reis professor of history at the Federal University of Bahia, their were ten times as many slaves brought to Brazil as to the United States during the history of the slave trades because the Portuguese controlled many of the ports in the Caribbean and Africa during the time period of 1502-1867 which gave them easier access to transport slaves the shorter distances to Brazil. Also, slavery was much more barbaric in Brazil because the slaves were easily replaced. Plantation owners did not allow slaves to be armed, so the slaves found a way to organize and learned how to defend themselves through learning Capoeira. The art form is known by quick and complex moves, using mainly power kicks, leg sweeps, knee strikes, take downs, elbow strikes, punches, and head butts. It was a form of training used by the slaves and disguised as a dance when the Calvary came in case they had to defend themselves. This art form is still practiced today in Brazil. The film also gave some information about Candomblà © wich is an African religion with oral tradition, mainly practiced in Brazil by the â€Å"povo de santo.† It is based on the soul of nature. The film also described Chica da Silva who was a woman born into slavery, that became one of the most powerful women in colonial Brazil when she started a romance with her very wealthy owner Joao Fernandes de Oliviera who was a diamond mine owner and one of the richest men in colonial Brazil who fell in love with her and set her free. When the churches condemned his actions, he built his own church and went against them for her. Together they had 13 children; raising them in white society and refusing to be treated as colored. Professor gates also spoke with Dora Alves (a black activist and hair stylist) who believes

Jonathan Edwards, In the Hands of an Angry God. essays

Jonathan Edwards, In the Hands of an Angry God. essays Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards was a sermon given by the Puritian minister Edwards. In this sermon Edwards uses the fear that God at anytime can punish the wicked to keep his people under control. This was a practice used by the puritians to make the people live correctly under that laws of the Bible and of the church. This essay will point out examples of this in his sermon. Edwards begins by using a simple Bible verse from Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 35. It says, Their foot shall slide in due time. He uses this short and simple verse to explain to his congregation that at anytime, God could decide that it was their appointed time to leave this world. Edwards concludes that this verse is referring to the punishment and destruction that the Israelites were exposed to. He thinks that because the Israelites were exposed to so much destruction that they would fall, just like a person walking across a slippery floor is always in danger of falling. He then says that no one is able to predict whether he will stand or fall, and he uses Psalm 73:18-19: Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them into destruction. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment. Up till now, the Israelites have manged not to fall because God has always been there to give them a hand, and has kept them from falling. Edwards surmises that on e day at Gods appointed time, he will no longer help them and they will be allowed to fall. He ends his sermon with the thought that, There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God. Edwards wants his people to always be warey that at anytime God can take away there lives and that they should always be ready for this. He paints God as a cruel ruler who enjoys playing with the life of his people. I think that he does this so that the people will fear...

Comparison of two works in Museum of Modern Art Term Paper

Comparison of two works in Museum of Modern Art - Term Paper Example The paper "Comparison of two works in Museum of Modern Art" compares Fernand Leger’s "Woman With a Book" with Meret Oppenheim’s "Red Head, Blue Body". Painters use the techniques they employ in their paintings and the features of the society they portray in the same. The discussion below therefore analyses features of two paintings developed in different times with the painters employing particular techniques in ensuring the efficacy of the artifacts. Woman With a Book painted by Fernand Leger in 1923 and Red Head, Blue Body painted by Meret Oppenheim in 1936 have fundamental differences and similarities that help portray the social, cultural and technological development in the art within the decade that separates them as the discussion below portrays. Just as the name suggests, Woman With a Book, is an artistic oil on canvas painting of a woman holding a book. The painting depicts the painter’s artistic intuition and urge to create a new style in painting there by debuting the mechanical age. In the painting, Fernand Leger portrays his artistic skills as he employs particular elements in developing the painting. He employs such elements as appropriate shapes and colors thereby developing effective foreground, middle ground and background in his artifacts. These enhance his communication as he envisioned the final artifact. The choice to use oil on canvas is appropriate, as it has contributed to the longevity of the painting in the museum. Oil on canvas was a major discovery in the early years of art.

Constitutional Court in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Constitutional Court in Europe - Essay Example The need for an effective and uniform EC law applying within national legal orders in compliance to a voluntary limitation f sovereignty by Member States is critical to the concept f integration. By considering the fact that supremacy is ultimately perceived throughout national courts to be a monolithic holy concept which bears tremendous implications if removed or limited, the question is then raised as to how Member States receive the 'supreme nature' f Community Law. In attempting to clarify the need for a supreme legal authority for integration, I will examine the supremacy f EC law and state its Treaty position with particular emphasis on significant case-laws that have shaped the supremacy debate. Furthermore, I will observe the Constitutionalization f the Treaty system, looking at the interplay f the doctrine f direct effect and doctrine f supremacy; under what conditions Member States might be provoked to challenge the authority f the ECJ; the expanding competence f the ECJ which now includes a political and judicial interplay f decision-making; and conclude with a look at what the Constitutional Treaty would have signified in terms f legalizing the doctrine f suprem acy and how the rejection has started questioning whether the Community law should be considered above and beyond national laws and if it has gone too far already. The role f the European Court f Justice in developing the legal means for the integration process and constructing a constitution from the Treaty f Rome is a fundamental factor in the eventual expansion f the Community into its form as a Union f soon to be 27 Member States. In order to understand the evolution f the ECJ from its initially idealized form designed by the Member States so that it "could not significantly compromise national sovereignty or national interest", to a judicial organ that entailed national legal organs to acknowledge its supremacy through "significant nonincremental adaptation f Community law, abandoning deeply entrenched, constitutive principles", an insight into the logic behind legal integration needs to be discussed. In respect to the relationship between legal integration and Member States, the neofunctionalist model f integration seeks to explain the role f both supranational and subnational actors and why nation-states accept the eventual infiltration f the Community law into the spheres f their national laws, which demands full jurisdiction and a limitation to their sovereignty. Legal integration, as perceived by the neofunctionalist model, is a two way process in which supranational and subnational actors both seek to further their own interests by respectively accepting and acceding certain rights and obligations in return for long term benefits, in a "'functional domain' shielded from the interplay f direct political interests". By building on this

The effects of child abandonment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The effects of child abandonment - Essay Example Child abandonment is a situation where a parent agrees to have no role in his childs life. This doesn’t only involve the failure to support a child from financial point of view but from emotional side as well. It is quite obvious that a child needs both of this parents to grow with self-confidence and self-esteem and that’s why abandonment leaves a child with so many questions. These questions create an extremely bad impact on the life of a child and sometimes it becomes difficult for him to get rid of the resonance of his excruciating memories of the past even in the old age. Divorce is getting quite common in todays world but if divorce results in abandoning parent, it can have huge impact on a child. Many children start to think that they are left alone. That’s true for children between the ages of 3-7. In this situation a child starts taking him as a reason for divorce and separation. This can further aggravate the situation and can prove to be obliterating for mental and emotional growth of a child. It is also relevant to mention that a child starts to think that if his parents can leave one another then one of them can leave him as well. That proves to be a real shock to the system and a child becomes more introverted. The problem is that children don’t become able to understand that different dynamics are associated with spousal relationship as compared to child-parent relationship. Now it is clear that there are certain effects of abandonment and a child has to face those implications for most part of his life. But, the question is that whether or not something can be done to save a child from having a bleak future. That’s the statement of purpose for this particular research paper and the answer will be found by exploring the comments made in previous researches and other sources. The effects of abandonment are multifold. But, the purpose of this research

Law of Corporations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law of Corporations - Case Study Example In the changing conditions for forming a new company and listing the company in stock exchange for trading its share it has become statutory to show the track record of the trading. To fulfill such conditions promoters are required enter into contracts on behalf of the company. "A promoter stands in a fiduciary relationship towards his company. A contract made between him and the company is voidable at the company's option unless he has disclosed all material facts relating to the contract to an independent board, and the company has freely agreed to the terms." [L.S.Sealy, Cases and Materials in Company Law, 2001 (p.35)] Promoters hold fiduciary relationship towards the company that they form. This fiduciary relationship is the development equity law. Equity law imposes on persons holding in fiduciary relationship a duty of care to protect the interest of such company, and its stakeholders such as shareholders. The law imposes a duty on them to disclose all the material facts of contracts they make to an independent board, and the company accords free acknowledgment of the terms of contract, else such contract is voidable at the option of the company. In such condition promoters are liable for breach of such contract but not the company. Duties of promoters is elaborately described by the court in Erlanger V New Sombreno Phosphate Co2 case. Erlanger V New Sombreno Phosphate Co2: In this case a syndicate led by Erlanger, a banker formed a company. The syndicate acquired an island for producing phosphate for a lease of 55,000 for the company, which they intended to form, prior to incorporation the new company. The promoters nominated three directors of the newly formed company among them one director was independent of the syndicate and remaining two directors are mere puppets of Erlanger. The promoters have sold the lease of the island for 110,000 at double the price they have acquired. The board of directors ratified the transaction without making any enquiry into the transaction and this transaction was undisclosed. Public have subscribed for shares. Later the phosphate shipment failed. The shareholders have removed the directors nominated by the promoters and new directors were appointed. The new board of directors has brought the proceeding before the court. The Court has laid down what position the promoters to be placed and what duties they owe to with reference to the company, which they proposed to form. The court said (a) The promoters stand in a fiduciary position, (b) the creation and moulding of the company is in their hands, (c) they are vested with powers of defining (i) how the company starts its existence (ii) when it starts (iii) in what shape it starts (iv) under what supervision it shall start and act as trading corporation. (d) Promoters shall take care while forming the company that they provide board of directors who (i) are aware of the fact that the property, which the company is asked to purchase is of the

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

Psychology - Essay Example The people of age range from 25 to 55 years will be the units of analysis for the present study. The questionnaires should be delivered to the respondents through mail and e-mail, along with instruction page for filling the questionnaire. The research instrument will comprise of six questions, and the respondents would be requested to return the same after replying to all the questions. After the gathering of data, it would be compiled in tabular form in order to interpret the results and compile the findings, on the basis of which the suggestions would be made. Introduction Myths and misconceptions maintain imperative significance in the discipline of psychology. It has aptly been observed that people just believe in a statement provided it has been supported with the so called notion. Similarly, since majority of the individuals sticks to traditions, customs and conventions, they view it hard to refute the theory has been in vogue for the last many years. Consequently, the same not ion is accepted to be true without making any investigation of the source from where it has been extracted or cited. For instance, Freud’s Oedipus complex theory, presented in the background of Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, has been taken as a reality that the children have sexual attraction towards the parent of his/her opposite gender. Somehow, Kohut believes that the story’s most significant genetic feature is that Oedipus was a rejected child and a replacement is needed for the Oedipus myth. (Leaming et al., 2009) Moreover, it is a universally accepted perception that women appear to be more emotional and sentimental than men, and always prefer their feelings to intellect while making decisions in life. However, the experiences of real life counteract the very myth by nullifying it through researches, which state that observing of intellect or feelings has no strong association with the gender of the observer. Similarly, it is an extensively established myth, in the light of the theory articulated by 20th century American psychologist William James, that an overwhelming proportion of the individuals use up to 10% of his brain power throughout his life. Thus, 90% of the brain power remains unconsumed altogether. Somehow, no scientific research method or tool is available to endorse the same notion on humans. Consequently, myth has obtained the status of a proved theory, which is vehemently believed by the people without discrimination. Similarly, the people see eye to eye with the myth that expressing one’s anger through words is extremely supportive in mitigating the annoyance and thus turn the person cool and calm subsequently. It is therefore the therapists and counselors used to suggest the use of some object to be kicked and battered for releasing one’s anger. As Psychology Today (1983) asked, "If you could secretly push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you press t hat button?" 69% of responding males said yes, 56% of women. However, in real life, people seldom take killing the other into serious consideration, and their anger calm down within moments or minutes. It is therefore the same myth has been counteracted with the latest theory that anger is sure to perish

Elaboration Likelihood model analysis Term Paper

Elaboration Likelihood model analysis - Term Paper Example Today businesses are constantly developing new persuasion mechanisms to market their products and services. They are looking for innovative ways of creating and delivering the content of the message. They aim to capture the audience attention, create assurance, spawn preferred attitudes, create social norms and eventually influence behavior. In this paper, I will explain the theory of elaboration likelihood model and show how it explains the persuasive strategy apparent in a television ad campaign for Budweiser puppy love commercial. A lot of research studies conducted in this field of persuasion indicates the challenges of developing a persuasive message. The results are varying particularly on issues dealing with public policies (Rucker & Petty, 2006). These results are linked to the thinking of the early 1970s researches about persuasion. The variables suggested by researchers during the 1970s continue to be investigated till now; they include message characteristics. This will encompass its credibility, attractiveness, emotional appeal, the mood it creates, and the channel used to present the message (Petty, Barden, et al., 2009). The assumption was that these variables achieved a single goal, which is persuasion. They could produce only one outcome, the effect of the persuasion message would be either successful or reduced. Some studies show that including only positive arguments in the message improved persuasion efforts. However, other studies found no similar benefits of incorporating positive aspects only; sometimes it reduced the effect of persuasion efforts. Some studies found also that incorporating negative aspects enhance the impact of persuasion rather than reduce it as earlier thought. The contentious issues in these results were the uncertainty on how these negative effects were relayed and steps involved in conveying them (Wagner & Petty, 2011). It was due to the

Law of Corporations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law of Corporations - Case Study Example In the changing conditions for forming a new company and listing the company in stock exchange for trading its share it has become statutory to show the track record of the trading. To fulfill such conditions promoters are required enter into contracts on behalf of the company. "A promoter stands in a fiduciary relationship towards his company. A contract made between him and the company is voidable at the company's option unless he has disclosed all material facts relating to the contract to an independent board, and the company has freely agreed to the terms." [L.S.Sealy, Cases and Materials in Company Law, 2001 (p.35)] Promoters hold fiduciary relationship towards the company that they form. This fiduciary relationship is the development equity law. Equity law imposes on persons holding in fiduciary relationship a duty of care to protect the interest of such company, and its stakeholders such as shareholders. The law imposes a duty on them to disclose all the material facts of contracts they make to an independent board, and the company accords free acknowledgment of the terms of contract, else such contract is voidable at the option of the company. In such condition promoters are liable for breach of such contract but not the company. Duties of promoters is elaborately described by the court in Erlanger V New Sombreno Phosphate Co2 case. Erlanger V New Sombreno Phosphate Co2: In this case a syndicate led by Erlanger, a banker formed a company. The syndicate acquired an island for producing phosphate for a lease of 55,000 for the company, which they intended to form, prior to incorporation the new company. The promoters nominated three directors of the newly formed company among them one director was independent of the syndicate and remaining two directors are mere puppets of Erlanger. The promoters have sold the lease of the island for 110,000 at double the price they have acquired. The board of directors ratified the transaction without making any enquiry into the transaction and this transaction was undisclosed. Public have subscribed for shares. Later the phosphate shipment failed. The shareholders have removed the directors nominated by the promoters and new directors were appointed. The new board of directors has brought the proceeding before the court. The Court has laid down what position the promoters to be placed and what duties they owe to with reference to the company, which they proposed to form. The court said (a) The promoters stand in a fiduciary position, (b) the creation and moulding of the company is in their hands, (c) they are vested with powers of defining (i) how the company starts its existence (ii) when it starts (iii) in what shape it starts (iv) under what supervision it shall start and act as trading corporation. (d) Promoters shall take care while forming the company that they provide board of directors who (i) are aware of the fact that the property, which the company is asked to purchase is of the

Elaboration Likelihood model analysis Term Paper

Elaboration Likelihood model analysis - Term Paper Example Today businesses are constantly developing new persuasion mechanisms to market their products and services. They are looking for innovative ways of creating and delivering the content of the message. They aim to capture the audience attention, create assurance, spawn preferred attitudes, create social norms and eventually influence behavior. In this paper, I will explain the theory of elaboration likelihood model and show how it explains the persuasive strategy apparent in a television ad campaign for Budweiser puppy love commercial. A lot of research studies conducted in this field of persuasion indicates the challenges of developing a persuasive message. The results are varying particularly on issues dealing with public policies (Rucker & Petty, 2006). These results are linked to the thinking of the early 1970s researches about persuasion. The variables suggested by researchers during the 1970s continue to be investigated till now; they include message characteristics. This will encompass its credibility, attractiveness, emotional appeal, the mood it creates, and the channel used to present the message (Petty, Barden, et al., 2009). The assumption was that these variables achieved a single goal, which is persuasion. They could produce only one outcome, the effect of the persuasion message would be either successful or reduced. Some studies show that including only positive arguments in the message improved persuasion efforts. However, other studies found no similar benefits of incorporating positive aspects only; sometimes it reduced the effect of persuasion efforts. Some studies found also that incorporating negative aspects enhance the impact of persuasion rather than reduce it as earlier thought. The contentious issues in these results were the uncertainty on how these negative effects were relayed and steps involved in conveying them (Wagner & Petty, 2011). It was due to the

Faculty Attendance System Using Automatic Image Processing Essay Example for Free

Faculty Attendance System Using Automatic Image Processing Essay As technology grows fast, certain advancements are being developed nowadays and life is getting even better to live with. It makes every task as easy as possible and nothing seems too tiring if human tasks are aided with technology. It can be applied in any aspects of life. Computer technology would be the first on the list that provides great potential for improving effectiveness and efficiency of the information system. The use of computer has not become a major tool to simplify job and task. There is no doubt that computer technology has had a great impact on society and also brought many technical developments with it. It has brought many changes to the way we live as individual as well as members of societies and organizations. It has had major effects and changes on the economy, health, education, industry, agriculture and many other fields. The ability of computers in gathering, processing, presenting and sending large amount of information has had major changes in the way large organizations as well individuals organize their lives. Computers are at work, in schools and many other places. The human face plays an important role in our social interaction, conveying people’s identity. Using human face as a key to security, the biometrics face recognition technology has received significant attention in the past several years due to its potential for a wide variety of applications in both law enforcement and non-law enforcement. As compared with other biometrics systems using fingerprint/palm print and iris, face recognition has distinct advantages because of its non-contact process. Face images can be captured from a distance without touching the person being identified, and the identification does not require interacting with the person. In recent years, face recognition has attracted much attention and its research has rapidly expanded by not only engineers but also neuroscientists, since it has many potential applications in computer vision communication and automatic access control system. Especially, face detection is an important part of face recognition as the first step of automatic face recognition. However, face detection is not straightforward because it has lots of variations of image appearance, such as pose variation (front, non-front), cclusion, image orientation, illuminating condition and facial expression. With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, facial biometric recognition technology has become more sophisticated and perfect. As the worlds most cutting-edge biometric technology and image processing technology, facial biometric recognition technology will play a unique and irreplaceable role in todays public security prevent, arrest fugitives, network security, financial security and many other areas. It is a milestone of development and progress of human society science and technology. It will be widely used in public security, aviation, ports, customs, banks, large enterprises, large-scale conferences, high-end clubs, important streets, docks and other places of security. It will bring revolutionary changes for safety defend and prevention of the current complicated domestic security situation. Face recognition serves the crime deterrent purpose because face images that have been recorded and archived can later help identify a person. Many citizens express concern that their privacy is being compromised by the use of surveillance technologies by corporations and the state. Some fear that it could lead to a total surveillance society, with the government and other authorities having the ability to know the whereabouts and activities of all citizens around the clock. This knowledge has, is and could continue to be deployed to prevent the lawful exercise of rights of citizens to criticize those in office, specific government policies or corporate practices. Many centralized power structures with such surveillance capabilities have abused their privileged access to maintain control of the political and economic apparatus and curtail populist reforms. Facial recognition can be used not just to identify an individual, but also to unearth other personal data associated with an individual – such as other photos featuring the individual, blog posts, social networking profiles, Internet behavior, travel patterns, etc. – all through facial features alone. Moreover, individuals have limited ability to avoid or thwart facial recognition tracking unless they hide their faces. This fundamentally changes the dynamic of day-to-day privacy by enabling any marketer, government agency, or random stranger to secretly collect the identities and associated personal information of any individual captured by the facial recognition system. Purpose and Description Nowadays, industry is experiencing many technological advancement and changes in methods of learning. With the rise of globalization, it is becoming essential to find an easier and more effective system to help an organization or company. In spite of this matter, there are still business establishments and schools that use the old-fashioned way. In a certain way, one thing that is still in manual process is the recording of attendance. Face detection is a computer technology that determines the locations and sizes of human faces in arbitrary (digital) images. It detects facial features and ignores anything else, such as buildings, trees and bodies. Dealing with this matter, the proponents thought of an easy way to do the checking of attendance. This study entitled is intended to develop an attendance monitoring system to be used inside the school vicinity of Batangas State University JPLPC Campus for better management of employees. We come up with a computerized attendance-monitoring system using image processing. It serves as a timed log-in/ log-out system that is set up as a computerized database. This system maintains a daily record of a facultys arrival and departure time from work. Aside from the records of time and date, our system features the name, position and the assigned number of each staff. So it also serves as an identification profile system. The system also protects the employees by providing the exact number of hours they worked, making it much more difficult for employers to cheat them out of their wages. This thesis features all important facts about our system as well as its importance.

Hotel Industry E-Marketing

Hotel Industry E-Marketing Hotel Industry E-Marketing E-marketing is the new trend of marketing extensively acquiring by hotel industry. The traditional marketing strategy of hotel industry now not performing very well. In place e-marketing is taking the drivers seat. The purpose of the research The travel industry survives as one of the better performing sectors in e-commerce. With no fulfillment and no need for online payments, the hotel industry is well positioned to capture the full potential of ecommerce while avoiding many of its risks. â€Å"Currently, in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea, approximately 5% to 10% of all lodgings are booked through the Internet, with 2004 estimates approaching 20%. This would follow the U.S. trend where hotels are reporting that up to 30% of all lodging is booked through online channels. Despite the burst of the Internet bubble, the promise of the Internet for hoteliers is still real: Online distribution can reduce costs, attract affluent customers and lessen dependency on more traditional and expensive distribution channels.†(Ref: www.igk.co.kr, available on 23/03/2008) Background â€Å"As of September 2003, 604 million people worldwide had internet access†. (Ref: -www.cyberatlas.com, available on 23/03/2008) The Internet is assumed to be an important channel for marketing and distribution of products and services. This is, among other things, due to the cost-effectiveness of the Internet and the convenience for customers. With the Internet marketers can reach out to a broad customer base, locate target customers, identify their needs and communicate with them at a relatively low cost. The Internet provides an opportunity for market testing and optimization. Increasing digitalization will make it progressively easier to experimentally alter particular aspects of a business and quickly observe how customers respond (Wyner 2000). Since the Web allows access to a plethora of information on different products, the hotel organization must encourage the potential consumer to use the Web site as both an information tool as well as a purchase option. This combination of information search and purchase process is an advantage over traditional retailing as online consumers have stated that personalized targeting is a reason they shop online. When consumers are more involved in the buying process it significantly improves brand recognition and recall. Research Aim Objectives/ Research Questions:- The main aim and objectives of this research was to find out the use, importance and impact of the E-marketing and traditional marketing in hotel industry, explore and analyze which one is the best suited of marketing used by the hotels and its contribution to marketing performance. And finally emarketing and traditional marketing has been compared to reach the desired goal. Research Hypotheses: In the light of the achieving the above aims and objectives, the following hypotheses had been constructed: Hypothesis (1): The level of use of e marketing and traditional marketing by hotel industry is significantly related to the hotel firm’s marketing performance. Hypothesis (2): E-marketing vs. Traditional marketing for the performance of the hotel Structure of the research The research is consisted of 5 chapters. In the first chapter is introduction of the topic, its background and the aims and objectives was described. Chapter 2 deals with the review of literatures in which all the variables are defined. Third chapter deals with the primary research done by the author and dealt with the findings and analysis of the hotels taken in the sample and the interviews had been put in to diagrams to have better understanding of the topic. Chapter four is dealing with the conclusion derived by the author on overall experience while developing the research; recommendations and limitations has been discussed in the last part of the research. Literature Review The researcher had identified a wide range of the literature review (in its wider broad sense which includes: Journals, Academic Books, theses and dissertations, short articles, e-databases, conference papers, etc). Background Marketing existed in society for millennia, ever since when people use to exchange from a product with other one, commonly known as â€Å"barter system†. Since after industrial revolution, market had taken a big turn and changes the meaning of marketing and gives a new definition to it. It’s been well said that marketing is not all about transaction; it’s also about developing relationship and ties with your guest or customer. And our international hospitality business is all about guest relation along with transaction and as we are involved in a transaction, thus we are engaged in a practice of commerce. â€Å"Commerce dealt with purchase and sale of good†. Before introduction of internet in the market, exchange of goods and services from producer to consumer was done through paper work and personnel contact â€Å"Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transactions lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.†(Ref: www.wikipedia.org, 23/03/08) â€Å"A small percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web. .†(Ref: www.wikipedia.org, 23/03/08) Research Aim Objectives/ Research Questions:- The purpose of this research was to find out the use, importance and impact of the E-marketing and traditional marketing in hotel industry, explore and analyze which one is the best suited of marketing used by the hotels and its contribution to marketing performance. And finally emarketing and traditional marketing has been compared to reach the desired goal. The research had adapted an interdisciplinary approach that makes use of hotel business enterprises marketing, E-marketing, IT, and information systems literature. This is in line with the point of view of Gatticker et al. (2000) who states that researchers should investigate the opportunities offered by the Internet using an interdisciplinary approach. At the same time, because E-marketing is a field that makes use of IT and IS, depending on that the research was considered the appropriateness of the various theories that underpin research into impact of e-marketing in hotel business. At same time the traditional approach of marketing has been compared to find out which one is the best suited for the hotel industry marketing performance. Consequently, the objectives of this research are as follows:- To clarify a conceptual model to understand and interpret the use of the traditional marketing and E-marketing in hotel industry. To focus this impact of e-markting and traditional marketing has been compared in a view to hotels performance and how they use this. To explore and analyze the importance and form of e marketing used by the hotel industry and its contribution to marketing performance of the hotel. To assess the existing awareness of the hotels in Delhi to the expected benefits of the using of e marketing. To identify the results of using e marketing. To evaluate the current practices of e marketing by the hotels of Delhi taken in the sample. To examine the impact of traditional marketing and E-marketing practices on marketing efficiency To achieve these objectives there was two hypotheses have been constructed to be tested during the research process. Research Hypotheses: In the light of the achieving the above aims and objectives, the following hypotheses had been constructed: Hypothesis (1): The level of use of e marketing and traditional marketing by hotel industry is significantly related to the hotel firm’s marketing performance. Hypothesis (2): E-marketing vs. Traditional marketing for the performance of the hotel Definitions â€Å"Electronic marketing (E-marketing) can be viewed as a new modern business practice associated with buying and selling goods, services, information and ideas via the Internet and other electronic means. A review of relevant literature revealed that definitions of electronic marketing vary according to each authors point of view, background and specialization.†(Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc, viewed on 24/03/08). Some of the definitions are as follows: Smith and Chaffey (2005) defines it as: â€Å"Achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies†. Strauss and Frost (2001) define it as: â€Å"The use of electronic data and applications for planning and executing the conception, distribution and pricing of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives†. The researcher had followed on Strauss and Frost definition in conducting the current research because: it takes into consideration all the element of E-marketing, all types of products, it illustrate the main objective of E-marking which is creating the exchanges that satisfy individual and hotel organizational needs. Moreover it is the official definition for E-marketing adopted by the E-Marketing Association. (Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc, viewed on 24/03/08). From the researcher point of view, importance and impact of E-marketing in hotel industry has changed the shape and nature of hospitality industry all over the world. Because the rapid proliferation of the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic communication has created a fast growing new electronic channels for hotel marketing. This rapid expanding use of the Internet and other electronic communication for hotel business purposes attracts hotel companies to invest in online presence (Liang and Hung, 1998). Marketing performance Nowadays the fact that a hotel firm survival depends on its capacity to ultimate service experience, create value, and value is defined by customers (Day, 1990), marketing makes a fundamental contribution to long-term hotel business success. E-marketing process used to evaluate marketing performance and effectiveness in hotel industry. On the other hand, when looking to the marketing performance and success measure there are many measures. Recently, in an attempt to organize performance measures Kokkinaki and Ambler (1999) have summarized it and established six categories for marketing performance and success measures which are: Financial measures / Competitive market measures / Consumer behaviour measures / Consumer intermediate measures / Direct costumer measures / Innovativeness measures. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004. pdfavailable on 12/03/2008) E-Marketing Performance Measures Standardized measures for E-marketing performance are both needed and necessary. The discussion of most of the researchers has centred on the following measures (beside the traditional marketing performance measures): Traffic Visit duration Conversion rate (visit to purchase) Catalogue size Sales value Number of transactions Number of users (as measured by the number of registered user accounts). E-marketing performance measures. Namely: Financial measures Competitive market measures Consumer behavior measures Consumer intermediate measures E-marketing measures, such as Conversion rate Traffic Visit duration Number of transactions Number of users (Ref: www.edamba.eu/userfiles/Hatem%20El%20Gohary.doc; available on 12/03/2008) â€Å"The World Wide Web (WWW), which is the main e-marketing element, launched and started at 1993.† (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) â€Å"Despite of the fast growth in e-marketing research in the last decade, it appears that only from the late 1980s researches on e-marketing and internet marketing begun to appear in the literature. Starting with the work of: Malone, Yates and Benjamin (1987 1989), crossing by the work of: White (1997), Samiee (1998), Wientzen (2000), Porter (2001), Siddiqui et al. (2003), Daniel et al. (2003), Smith and Rupp (2003), Smith (2004 a, b) and ending with the work of: Sheth and Sharma (2005), Sandeep and Singh (2005), De Kervenoael et al (2006), Flavià ¡n and Guinalà ­u (2006), Taylor and England (2006).† (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) The research studies investigated and covered a wide rang of e-marketing areas, such as: internet-marketing / e-mail marketing / intranet marketing / SMS marketing / extranet marketing. On the other hand, it is noticed that the literature in Internet marketing covers five main areas, which are: Internet marketing (IM) Environment, IM functions, IM applications and IM research. (Ref: http://www.brad.ac.uk/hub/studentnews/emarketing.doc; viewed on 30/03/08) E- Marketing components Customers (Buyers): impulsive, patient, analytical Sellers Products Infrastructure Front end The portion of an e-seller’s business processes through which customers interact, including the seller’s portal, electronic catalogues, a shopping cart, a search engine, and a payment gateway Back end The activities that support online order-taking. It includes fulfillment, inventory management, purchasing from suppliers, payment processing, packaging, and delivery Intermediaries A third party that operates between sellers and buyers Other business partners Support services (Ref:http://www.ionglobal.com/documents/rating_luxury_hotel_emarketing_practices_in_asia.pdf,available on 12/03/2008) Online Pricing Enz (2003) also addresses the issue of the networks identified by Dale (2003) above, which she claims are driving down hotel profitability. Noting that hoteliers use these networks without a clear understanding of their effect, she claims that they encourage competition based solely on price and urges a rethink of such hidden discounting. Citing forthcoming research from the â€Å"Centre for Hospitality Researchat Cornell†, she shows how price has become largely transparent and that consumers now book rooms at one price, shop around for better prices and then cancel and rebook. Rather than yield higher total sales, discounting simply displaces customers from one distribution channel to another. Any increase in volume fails to offset the revenue lost from the discounting. Claiming that this is true for all industry segments, regardless of occupancy rates, Enz maintains that hoteliers need to be more selective about the rates they provide to third party sites to insure that they are actually generating incremental revenues. (Ref:-www.emarketingassociation.com available on 14/02/20080 Pointing out that consumers frequently search multiple channels for the cheapest price, and expect cheaper prices online, O’Connor (2003) investigates if the behaviour of chain hotel brands conforms to these expectations. Using historical data, he surveys rates across five B2C channels to establish whether pricing is consistent across channels; whether one channel is consistently cheaper; and whether the apparent pricing strategy is logical from both consumer and hotel perspectives. His findings show that hotel companies typically use multiple distribution channels, and offer multiple rates across each channel. No channel consistently offers the cheapest price, but the analysis reveals differences based on market segment. Consumers are more likely to find cheapest prices on direct channels (chain website and call centre) at the lower end of the market, and conversely through intermediaries at the upper end. In other words, luxury hotels appear to be offering their cheapest pri ces though channels with the highest cost of distribution. O’Connor concludes that hotel companies in general do a poor job managing their distribution, and urges them to develop well though-out pricing policies that would encourage consumers to book through brand websites. Anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest that operators have followed this advice, as evidenced by the recent widespread use of â€Å"Best Rate Guarantees† on many hotel websites. (Ref:-www.emarketingassociation.com available on 14/02/20080 Litvin and Crotts (2003) focus on the potential use of online negotiation models in hospitality. While yield management varies prices relative to demand, the rate to individual customers is fixed; hotels set the price and potential guests accept their offer or stay elsewhere. In contrast, negotiation is normal with group sales (meetings, conventions, tour groups, and corporate travel accounts), and Litvin and Crotts explore the applicability of contemporary e-commerce negotiation models to group sales. They argue that the â€Å"Consumer to Computer† model, (buyers nominate a price, commit to the transaction and have their offer matched to potential suppliers) is inefficient. Only the highest bid is accepted, other potential customers are left unsatisfied and incremental revenue is lost as non-winning bids are foregone. â€Å"Online Requests for Proposal† (buyers detail their requirements, which are then forwarded to potential suppliers) help overcome these limitations, but generally only facilitate matching and have no influence over subsequent negotiations. Litvin and Crotts advocate an â€Å"Automated Business-to-Business Negotiation† model, whereby the facilitating company maintains a dynamic database of active purchase and sale intentions, which it cross-compares to seek potential transactions. Once detected, the negotiation process begins and the system attempts to bring buyers and sellers together by adding stated trade-offs as needed. As this takes place automatically, negotiation can occur simultaneously with multiple partners, increasing the likelihood of finding an appropriate deal. The authors argue that this approach is superior as it balances power differentials through matchmaking, and facilitates the entire process. Compiling a critical mass of potential buyer and seller transactions has limited the commercial success, so far, of this application. (Ref:-www.learnmarketing.net available on 14/02/20080 Hospitality Consumers and E-marketing Online Consumer Decision Making Several articles investigate how technology influences hospitality consumer decision-making. Seeking information is one of the first stages in the decision making process. Gursoy and Umbreit (2004) use 3,264 responses from a European Commission survey to investigate cultural differences in how travellers from 15 EU countries search for information, online and offline. They found five distinct market segments and suggest specific marketing communication campaigns for each segment. For example, travellers from Belgium and Italy use external information sources more often than other segments, while travellers from Denmark and Finland use the Internet most frequently. Marketers need therefore to align their marketing efforts with a cultures information search behaviour. (Ref:- Reid R. D. Bojanic D. C.(2006); hospitality marketing management; 4th edition; New Jersey; Wiley). Jeong et al (2003) explore the role of online information and behavioural intention, highlighting the importance of information satisfaction. They claim that this is a powerful determinant of behavioural intentions; lodging operators must ensure that websites satisfy visitors’ information needs in order to expect online transactions. Specific website elements to note include accurate and reliable information, and easy navigation. Susskind et al. (2003) investigate how apprehensiveness towards Internet use relates to information seeking, purchase intention and purchase behaviour. (Ref:-Mooij M. D.(2005); global marketing and advertising, understanding cultural paradoxes; 2nd edition; USA; Sageavailable on 14/03/2008) Drawing on three separate surveys to develop and refine two measures, General Internet Apprehensiveness (GIA) and Transactional Internet Apprehensiveness (TIA), their results support strong relationships between apprehensiveness and both online information seeking and purchase. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) Card et al (2003) also investigate the purchase decision. Surveying members of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, they found that six out of seven shopped online, with airline tickets the most common purchase, followed by accommodation, travel information, rental cars, event tickets, bus or rail tickets and package tours. They found differences between shoppers and non-shoppers based on personal characteristics, with the former tending to be opinion leaders, more innovative, involved in information seeking and used to TV shopping. Their results, however, showed no differences between shoppers and non-shoppers based on perceptions of online store characteristics. Fam et al (2004) also consider online store characteristics, in particular the role of consumer trust. Their study of New Zealand online accommodation providers and consumers suggests a chasm between actual practice and consumer wants. The latter demand significantly more trust features – guarantees, refunds, company information, privacy statement and email confirmations – than websites currently provide. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) Website Layout and Design in process of E-marketing To account for such differences between consumer wants and website offerings, hotels need to reflect upon their website design. However, research on effective hospitality websites is an ongoing quest. Several studies specifically examined website layout and design. The first two introduce the notion of the experience economy and suggest how Web technologies can reinforce the customer experience (Dubà ©, Le Bel, Sears, 2003; Stamboulis Skayannis, 2003). Websites, for example, should reinforce a hotel or resorts position by going beyond visual pleasures on the site and adding sensual, emotional and intellectual pleasures for online consumers (Dubà © et al., 2003). Other authors explore the practical and theoretical issues of howto accomplish this, investigating what features and functions hospitality operators should incorporate into their websites. For example, Jeong et al. draw upon past literature to develop six measures of website quality, namely information accuracy, clarity, completeness, ease of use, navigational quality, and color combinations. Responses from 1,743 US respondents suggest that website quality is an important antecedent of information satisfaction, which in turn is a powerful determinant of behavioral intention. Of the quality measures proposed, ease of use shows the strongest relationships with both information satisfaction and behavioral intentions. (Ref:http://web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf,available on 23/03/2008) â€Å"Chung and Law (2003) develop a performance indicator for hotel websites based on five dimensions of information richness – facilities, customer contact, reservations, surrounding area and website management. Gauging the importance of dimensions from a survey of hotel supervisors, they analyse Hong Kong Hotel Association member websites. Consistent with past research, the level of information technology application relates directly to the hotel category. Murphy et al. (2003) posit that hotels paying attention to email also pay attention to their websites. Measuring email responses and assessing the website features of Swiss hotels, they argue that hotels with professional email responses also lead in the use of websites. Based on their findings, they suggest that hoteliers focus on inexpensive features that show a significant relationship to quality email responses, such as brochure requests, online services, hyperlinks, and branded URLs. Alternatively, their results sug gest that hotels avoid questionable techniques such as animation, as it may reflect a bandwagon effect rather than add value. As in other studies, they found that hotel size and category relate directly to quality e-mail responses and the presence of appropriate website features.† (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Customer Relationship Management and E-marketing â€Å"Piccoli and colleagues (2003) review the risks and benefits of customer relationship management (CRM). This philosophy of intimate customer familiarity can lower marketing expenditures and increase sales through closer relationships and increased satisfaction. For this to occur, the entire hotel chain must cooperate in the collection, management and dissemination of customer information – an expensive and complicated process. They highlight a potential data-ownership dilemma caused by the structure of the US lodging industry in which owners, management companies, and brands cooperate in the operation of properties. It is inherently difficult for these three entities to share customer data. In addition to cooperating, they frequently compete with each other, which could limit successful CRM implementation. Piccoli et al argue that if these difficulties could be overcome, CRM would work best at the brand level, a claim supported by two case studies of brands with strong C RM programs – Wyndam International (Picolli et al., 2003) and Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos (Magnini, Honeycutt, Hodge, 2003). The latter also exemplifies how successful CRM relies upon data mining. This procedure applies artificial intelligence and sophisticated statistical techniques to customer data to perform five tasks: classification, clustering, deviation detection, associations and forecasting, and can be a valuable tool for hotels seeking to better understand and predict guest behaviour (Magnini et al., 2003).† (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Two articles investigate the implementation of a CRM system. Based on qualitative and quantitative research with Italian hotel operators, Minghetti (2003) proposes a CRM system and complementary matrix for evaluating guest information, which serve as a convenient blueprint for implementing or evaluating the CRM process. Louvieris and Driver (2004) suggest how the developing XML web standard could enable the CRM process. Consumers increasingly use a variety of devices (for example cell phones, Interactive television and kiosks) to access the web, and need different types of interactions, information and procedures depending on the relationship stage. They show how the current one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful. However providing the required personalisation to service each situation is difficult using current technology. They propose how the unique characteristics of XML, which uses content specific rather than stylistic tags, could help hotel companies implement the needed device specific and loyalty level personalisation. (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Finally, three studies investigate a subset of customer relationship management, online customer service. These use similar methodologies to test Swiss hotels (Frey, Schegg, Murphy, 2003), Tunisian hotels (Gherissi-Labben, Schegg, Murphy, 2003), and luxury chain hotels (Schegg, Murphy, et al., 2003). Swiss hotels showed the highest e-mail response rates at 71% with Tunisian hotels at a 45% response rate performing worst. Most respondents, however, gave sloppy and inadequate replies, which suggest a lack of focus on online customer service. The authors argue that email communication is business communication and use diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 1995) as a theoretical base to investigate differences in response rates and response quality. There were no significant differences in response rates but larger, higher rated and affiliated hotels tended to provide better quality responses. (Ref: web.biz.uwa.edu.au/staff/jmurphy/OConnor_Murphy_ijhm2004.pdf; viewed on 12/03/08) Some economic and human factors that affect hotel choice 1. Follow the money Travel decisions are not just about hotels: airline costs, car rental costs and entertainment expenses also drive how companies make choices for approved hotels, in what cities. 2. Familiarity breeds return The role of chain/brand hotel loyalty programs is a significant benefit to travelers. Companies of all sizes can exert influence over these programs – in some cases aggregating stay points for pooled corporate benefit, in other cases permitting travelers to retain points but only in approved locations/chains/brands. 3. Internal and External Roles Hotel selection is influenced by relationships that are cultivated over time. Full time corporate traveler managers guide purchasing decisions. Others within an organization may also greatly influence hotel choices. Corporations may use mega agencies to provide soup-to-nuts purchasing management. Mega agencies may be limited to making recommendations only. Mega agencies may be used for their buying power in selected markets and not others. Here again the total travel buy can influence both corporation and agency behaviors. 4. Power is Local – Sometimes overlooked and taken for granted is the principle of local selling: look in your own backyard. This backyard can extend many hundreds of miles in less densely populated area, or it can literally be next door in major centers of commerce. Inbound demand to hotels can be driven by external business factors pushing business to an area. Demand is also driven by factors that pull the business into an area. Local companies who supply good and services to larger corporations up the food chain can create a gravitational force on their customers. Examples of these include product demonstration facilities, heavy equipment sales, science

Whose history, which narrator? :: Essays Papers

Whose history, which narrator? Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children can be read, inter alia, as the unfolding of the twentieth-century India’s history. There is in the novel, virtually all of the twentieth century Indian history: the Jallianwalla Buch tragedy, Quit India movement, Cabinet Mission, freedom movement, Muslim League and its role, riots and bloodshed subsequent to the independence, Five Years Plans, reorganization of Indian states and language riots, Chinese aggression, the theft of the sacred relic from the Hazratbal mosque, Pakistan War, liberation of Bangladesh, the Emergency, the military coup in Pakistan in 1958, and various other historically important events. There are also typically Indian divisions and dissents, chaos and disillusion, communal tensions, religious fanaticism besides traditional values and modernizing efforts. One aspect Rushdie places emphasis on, is the close link between the history of India and the history of Saleem’s family. In the end, the former can be read as a family album. Saleem’s uncle, Zulfikar, is a Pakistani general who helps General Ayub Khan to plan the military takeover of 1958; his aunt is a mistress of Homi Catrak, who is shot by the husband of Lila Sabarmati, another of his mistresses (Commander and Mrs. Nanavati in real life); his classmate Cyrus Dubash becomes the founder of a religious cult that seems to be an amalgam of Guru Maharaj and Hatha-yogi Lakshman Rao who claimed he could walk on water; Saleem himself triggers off one of the worst language riots in Bombay; his mother was first married to Shcikh Abdullah’s right-hand man; the disappearance of the Prophet’s Hair is linked to his grandfather. In addition, Saleem belongs to an extremely peculiar group of 1,001 children born within the very first hour of India’s independence, on the 15th of August 1947, and capable of performing paranormal phenomena. Saleem, thus becomes an authentic representative of India, he is India. Rushdie is convinced that there is a connection between public affairs and private lives. They interpenetrate and that is how the writer needs to examine them, the one in the context of the other. In the light of this consideration we can read the passage in which Saleem declares: Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I’ve gone which would not have happened if I had not come.