Root Causes of Unemployment Among College Graduate - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1641 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/29 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Unemployment Essay Did you like this example? Higher study plays a centric position in the direction of an individuals expert life. Many human beings are about the view as the position about university lesson is in accordance with basically facilitate a graduates action looking endeavours. Others accept as true with so except this, the excellent ramifications a college can grant because of its college students are many. Firstly, that is colorful to that amount the primal objective on any university is in conformity with prize a successful postulant together with a professional degree. Although a dimension can also not warranty a job, that is, though necessary to hold one, so employers would no longer want in conformity with employ an odd without the appropriate kind on qualifications. Hence, agreement a college is in a position to make bigger work prospects regarding its graduates, humans are naturally intending in accordance with accept as true with up to expectation that is the solely assignment a college is guessed in conformity with fulfil. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Root Causes of Unemployment Among College Graduate" essay for you Create order On the mean hand, many believe up to expectation a degree is simply certain about the many advantages a college execute offer. Such as professional personality development; the value on as moves among tandem along so much about a sole degree. Of course, each are important, but besides the former, a graduate may also now not stand in a position according to acquire a location for himself of a expert setting. The principal purpose the helps this claim is as employers pray now not only the correct skills regarding a dynamic employe but additionally how many well she then she perform accommodation in imitation of the work surroundings concerning up to expectation precise firm. Having analysed both views, it appears so much besides supporting the graduates according to find higher jobs, a college do slave a whole lot more than that, such as instilling professional attitudes among the graduates that perform facilitate not only theirs labor potentialities however also edit them contribute closer to the welfare concerning the typical society. It is predicted that the increasing universities consign the aforementioned advantages equalize poise in imitation of as over a in basic terms assisting after enhance assignment possibilities because graduates. [ Written by way of Hassan Ali ] Sample Answer 2: Many humans hold argued in regard to the characteristic over college study. A crew about humans agree with to that amount studying in the university assist graduate college students of acquiring prestigious jobs, whilst others suppose as college education affords much wider effective experiences along getting higher jobs. The similar paragraphs will give an explanation for into important points as regards each opinions, however I operate agree with so much undergraduate yet post graduate research hold deep advantages. On the some hand, such is a truth to that amount one over the objectives over university instruction is to aid the graduates in obtaining better jobs. Institutions are hoping so much the curriculum, application yet tutorial sessions so are organized or employ via to them would be useful for their graduate students into the workplace. Besides that, secure sorts about tremendously paid jobs require the candidacy in conformity with stand tremendously educated then bear a college degree. For example, to become an external auditor between some about the huge 4 international accounting corporations such as Price Water House Coopers, the candidature should have a clay modeller quantity in accounting then obtained licensed populace accountant certificate. Since that is a obligatory requirement, deep on the younger human beings have enrolled within the university in rule after be brought so much pick and prestigious job. Therefore a brush concerning people believe that the important cause reg arding studying among college stage is to arrive better jobs. On the sordid hand, every other crew about people trust to that amount college learning affords lousy sorts of high quality experiences because college students themselves and communities as like well. Firstly, by means of analyzing within the university, college students would bear greater friends, because dense universities are accepting students out of a variety of regional areas or incomplete even beyond overseas. Therefore, college students would bear the hazard within increasing theirs networks yet study new languages then cultures so well. Secondly, analyzing between the university also bring advantages for the neighborhood and society. University offers more than a few types over fine things to do because of their students which are also useful because the neighbourhood. For example, many medicine schools offer fair remedy consultation because the bad humans anybody live in the inclosure place who is carried out by means of their students. In conclusion, incomplete humans accept as true with up to expectation college lesson brings a lot wider benefits for the students except getting better-paid jobs, however others jar with it. In my point on view, I operate heed up to expectation the goal regarding studying among the college ought to no longer lie only because of getting jobs, but additionally because networking or socialising so well. [ Written through Darwin Lesmana ] Sample Answer 3: Today, education has come to be the fundamental portion on our life. People are opting because greater yet greater qualifications these days consequently so much they perform get higher jobs into future. Along together with higher assignment prospectives, at that place are also other advantages over acquiring university education. In it essay, I pleasure discuss some on them. Knowledge learning assist individual shape his future or makes him the revered man or woman among the society. Gaining university quantity now not only provides the individual including the opportunity in conformity with acquire more, but additionally increases his/her virtue of the society. The individual turns into each socially then economically an perfect burgher as as of late the class demands. S/he good points self-confidence, a higher persona which is suited within the society. Education between configuration institutes kind of faculties and universities presents a pupil to increase his/her horizon regarding capabilities then experience. S/he can study about diverse cultures, manner and ignoble vital components regarding life. Furthermore, assignation into the university applications increases the persons appreciation then knowledge; thereby, making him/her greater environment friendly within his work yet building a strong career. For example, a university graduate has higher ideas in imitation of lead a organisation efficiently or this characteristic be able impress his employer and government in accordance with his advertising within future. Higher instruction additionally leads in conformity with a healthy lifestyle. Educated people are greater mindful respecting their fitness than the uneducated one. Last however no longer the least, obtaining a university rate raises the individuals fame a footsie higher. To conclude, my choice surely is among the favour of acquiring higher research in accordance with construct on a excellent career as well as like according to form the individuals persona as is additionally auspicious for the betterment on the society. [ Written by means of Fatema Bohari ] Sample Answer 4: The position up to expectation university lesson plays in a person’s lifestyles yet in class is hourly a debated topic. Some expostulate as the principal reason concerning university study is after enable graduates according to coast better jobs, whilst others moot that college education has a wider organize about advantages for each persons or society. Both facets on that bandy desire stay analysed into that dissertation before a reasoned completion is drawn. On the one hand, some agree with that tertiary study has best respect of assisting graduates finding moneymaking jobs. For example, after act audit in the UK, a person has received in conformity with hold a certification awarded by some concerning the acknowledged professional our bodies certain as much the ACCA. Without a rate from such an institute, that would stand not possible after be devoted of the occupation over auditing. Thus, such is explicit from what it point of argue has garnered support. On the vile hand, deep opine so college study has a much wider position in imitation of move into each the person’s life or among society. For instance, dense British universities hold blanketed custom as much a obligatory concern into entire regarding theirs courses. As a result, college graduates are likely in accordance with be savvy of their ethical duties and for this reason perform acquittal to them between a better way. Hence, it is manifest in which way dense humans support this stance. Although each sides over that reason bear indisputable virtues, however, such is felt to that amount higher study performs a much greater vast role than merely helping the graduates within finding higher employment. It is hoped so much discipline will continue in conformity with refine the characters over each the folks or the international locations in advent decades. [ Written by means of Sameed Qureshi ] Sample Answer 5: A team regarding human beings assume so much the primary reason on university studies is in imitation of assist theirs students in getting a higher career. Others conflict together with the opinion, as they accept as true with to that amount undergraduate research relinquish greater benefits for theirs graduates without higher jobs. The consequent essay pleasure discuss the both views into details. On the certain hand, deep humans trust so much the major aim on college studies to be brought a better job. This notion has been usually commonly used by the public, namely many groups are only hiring people anybody have mated sure degrees. For example, that is common up to expectation multinational fat businesses such namely Shell, Chevron and Caltex pleasure only recruit instant staffs whichever have learnt their son degree, while those any bear no stages wish only remain hired as like standard labours into small factories. As a consequence, deep college college students solely focus over their academic research and operate no longer take part into some extracurricular activities, namely that trust so those applications are now not important.

The Warnock Report Essay - 943 Words

The publication of the Warnock Report in 1978 caused ground-breaking changes to the education system. It changed the way in which society viewed children and young people with disabilities, and, moved towards a philosophy for an inclusive education (Moore 2009). Warnock (2010) states that many reports and a considerable amount of legislation have emerged since then, These include, 1981 Education Act establishing the recommendation s, The National Curriculum 1988, The Education Act 1993, 1994 Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, Excellence for All Children 1997, 2001 SEN and Disability Act, ‘Barriers to Inclusion (Department for Education and Skills 2004) ‘Special Educational Needs: A New Look (2005). In the 2005 review Warnock suggests that there should be no priority made to mainstream or special schools, only the needs of the child, also, either setting should be considered as long as it has provision to support the needs of the pupil (Warnock, Norwich and Terzi, 2010) HAVE I REF ALL ABOVE CORRECTLY Gov.uk (2001) states inclusion is about recognising that every child, irrespective of their background or situation are individuals, and they have the right to access a curriculum that is planned to meet their different requirements. It can be their personal, social, emotional and academic development that may be affected if the work they are given is not differentiated for their individual needs. The Equality ActShow MoreRelatedHow Can An Early Years Setting Support The Needs Of Children With Speech Language And Communication Needs1116 Words   |  5 Pages(EYFS) with a focus on Speech, Language and communication needs (SLCN). 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Get Answer Solution on Etihad Airways - Click For Solution

Question: Write an essay on Etihad Airways. Answer: Etihad Airways has been one of the leading Airliners in the domestic market. Besides this, the brand has a substantial presence in the global airline industry due to its innovative marketing policies. The marketing mix of the brand has played a decisive role in facilitating towards achieving international recognition. Etihad Airways has been charging moderate prices without compromising the quality of services offered to the passengers. The brand has positioned itself as a luxury airline targeting the elite of the society. However, there are has been negative reviews from consumers which has adversely influenced the brand image of Etihad Airways. The following study evaluates the marketing policies of Etihad Airways, in the context of its business performance and sustainability. Selected organization The brand is renowned for offering quality service to the consumers and has created a distinct brand identity for itself in the global market. As such, it becomes essential to analyze the marketing strategy for the brand, in the context o f the global market. In addition, it remains to critical to address the marketing strategies of the brand that have enabled the brand to develop brand loyalty and reputation among the consumers. Etihad Airways has been introducing innovation and growth in the business operational policies. Thus, the product lifecycle of Etihad Airways has been strengthened by the innovative business strategies that have been adopted by the business enterprise. Therefore, it becomes essential to evaluate the marketing operational strategies adopted by the business enterprise. Introduction The following assignment evaluates the marketing objective of Etihad Airways. Ethihad Airways the leading airliner in the United Arab Emirates. The brand is based in Abu Dhabi. It is an international organization that offers airliner services to all the major cities of the world. Thus, the marketing mix as well as the marketing plan adopted by the business organization has been stated. Besides, this the Strengths as well as the weakness of the brand has been analyzed. Furthermore, the necessary factors in the external environment of the organization like political , economic , environmental , technological as well as legal has been evaluated . According to Agudo et al (2012), these attributes have been a positive influence on the marketing policies of a business enterprise. Also, the product life cycle stages of the brand have been evaluated. Baker and Parkinson, (2016) mentioned that Etihad Airways has been a major innovator and that has assisted the brand to create a name for itself in the global market. Therefore, it becomes pertinent to evaluate the existing marketing strategies of the brand and its relevancy towards the success of the business enterprise. Company Background Etihad Airways is the leading airliner of the United Arab Emirates and is situated in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi. Currently, the brand operates more than 1000 flights every week to various international Destinations. According to Baudet and van der Meulen (2014), in the existing annual year, the brand has increased its business volume and sales revenue by at least 22.3% from the previous year. Besides this, Etihad also operates Etihad Holidays and Etihad Cargo. These services have been a significant contributor to the sales revenue of the brand. The brand operates from Abu Dhabi International Airport. In the context of the marketing management policies adopted by the business organization the marketing mix strategies should be emphasized upon. Therefore, product, price, promotion as well as the distribution policies adopted by the business enterprise shall be critically analyzed. The marketing management policies adopted by the business enterprise have ensured that the brand survives in an intensely competitive market environment . In addition, the brand promotional policies adopted by the business enterprise shall be essential to the creation of a distinct brand identity in the international market Literature Review Etihad Airways has been able to create a sustainable loyal base in the International market. This has only been possible by the effective marketing and the operational policies followed by the business enterprise. The following is the marketing mix policies followed by the business enterprise Price - Reasonable prices have been an essential marketing strategy followed by the business entity. The economic and the business class have been an essential part of the business organization followed by a business entity. According to Dasgupta et al. (2015) mentioned that the brand has been using penetrating pricing strategy to offer low prices than its competitors in the market. In this regard, it can be said that the low prices of oil is a major factor that has been helping Etihad to attract a large number of consumers towards the brand. Thus, the penetration pricing strategy has been a determining factor towards the substantial global market share of Etihad Airways. Product- Etihad Airways have a wide range of service for different options available to a business entity. Therefore, the product strategy implemented by the business entity has enabled the business entity to enhance the business sustainability in the international market. The product portfolio of Etihad Airways is discussed below Diamond First Class - The Diamond First Class consists of- Diamond first class (suite) as well as the Diamond First Class. In order to provide unique services to the consumers, Etihad introduced the luxurious class of flying that offers complementary services to consumers. East et al.(2013) mentioned that In this category the brand has targeted the specific segment of consumers who are willing to spend a considerable sum to avail the superior services offered by the Etihad Airways. This also includes providing first class facilities to the passengers consisting of relaxation spa as well as refreshing showers offered to the employees. In addition consumers can also choose from champagne bars as well as the cigar lounges offered to the consumers. In the context of offering family entertainment, family rooms are offered to the employees for the unlimited usage of TV shows and the internet. Pearl Business Class - The Etihad Airways has implemented the business class of passengers who would be travelling for business purposes to different parts of the world. Thus, this has helped the airways to cater to a wide range of professionals that would be using Etihad to travel to different part of the globe. Coral Economy Class- Attracting the economy class of passengers has been a major concern among the different categories of passengers. Therefore, the band have enhance the quality of the aiservices offered to the passengers by offering certain complementary services to the passengers . This includes - a 32 inch space for the leg room as well as an integrated footrest. In addition, a strong power socket and a USB port is a necessary requirement for the business enterprise. Promotion- Hardwick et al. (2014) mentioned that Etihad Airways have implemented online business operational policies to develop pertinent promotional strategies to assist the business enterprise in the operational policies of place. In this regard, it can be said that customer feedback is considered to frame the marketing and the operational policies to assist the business enterprise in its growth. Media advertisements The brand have been using pertinent advertisement policies through the use of the digital media to reach out to a number of consumers in the global a market . In addition, the digital media have been used to offer online booking as well as advanced selection of seat . Besides this, the digital media have been used to gather consumer feedback relating to the flight services offered by the brand. The official website of the brand has been effective in informing the customers about the latest news of Etihad Airways. Furthermore, the brand has launched television campaigns to display the innovative services offered by the brand to gain consumer loyalty and create a distinctive brand image . Place- Etihad Airways carries passengers to different parts of the world. Therefore, Mihart (2012) noted that it is a global organization that assists the business enterprise to cater to the needs of people coming from different sections of the society. Apart from carrying of passengers the brand has offered the facility of carrying of passengers to different parts of the world . Distribution channels- Etihad Airways has provided the facility for carrying of passengers to different parts of the world. Therefore, strong distribution channels have helped the brand to offer maximum customer service facilities to assist the brand to aggressively adopt expansion initiatives. Thus, it becomes necessary to SWOT Analysis of Etihad Airways Strengths Growth- According to Mihart (2012), Etihad Airways has been one of the fastest growing airliners in the recent times. In addition, to o its expansion initiatives it has been able to consolidate its position as one of the safest airliners in the market. Less prices of air tickets when compared to the substitute brands in the market has assisted the business enterprise to gain consumer loyalty as well as a distinctive brand identity among consumers in the domestic as well as the international market . Innovative services - Newton and Meyer (2013) mentioned that the brand has been offering innovative services to the consumers in terms of the seating arrangements as well as the entertainment activities offered. Besides this, it has established successful business partnerships with reputed business houses to offer a wide range of services to the Weaknesses The brand reaches flies to comparatively lesser destinations than its major competitors in the market. Airliners like Emirates as well as the Qatar Airlines have been flying to more than ninety destinations every year. Ineffective support of customer service center is another important issue that has been affecting the brand reputation of Etihad Airways. This has led the brand to develop a negative brand image among its consumers. As such, consumer issues have been received which remains to be addressed. Thus consumers loss has not been adequately compensated which has led to financial losses of individuals. Waiting time - Pearce (2016) mentioned that there has been a consumer issue that has been received due to the longer waiting time in between connection flights. As such, these has been an adverse influence on the business operational policies of the business enterprise . Opportunities Strategic alliances - The brand has established strategic alliances with other brands to enable the business enterprise to strengthen the operational policies of the business enterprise. Therefore, Etihad Airways can use the business partnerships to strengthen the financial as well as the non-financial resources of the business. According to Prybutok (2012), the strategic alliances of the brand has assisted the brand in its expansion initiatives. Location - Etihad Airways is based on Abu Dhabi. Thus, this is one of the essential parts of the marketing as well as the operational policies of the business enterprise. The Middle East is one of the hub of trading and commercial activities. Therefore, this would enable the business entity to gather the essential resources for smoother operational policies to enhance the sales revenue of the brand. Threats Emergence of the substitute brands - Ramsay et al. (2013) mentioned that the emergence of substitute brands in the market shall pose a significant threat to the commercial viability of Etihad Airways in the domestic market . As such , it is necessary that the threat of the substitute brands in the market is overcome through the pertinent marketing and the operational strategies of the business enterprise . Besides this, the natural environmental conditions have disturbed the general operational policies of the brand. This would result in unnatural wastage of the resources of the business enterprise. The rises in the prices of oil have interrupted the operational policies of the business enterprise. Product Life Cycle The product life cycle in the case of the Etihad Airways has been lengthy considering the unique services the brand is offering to the consumers. According to Rao (2015), Etihad Airways have provided unique customer service policies that have played a crucial role in its growth in the global market . As such, there has been quite a contrast with the rivals in the market which have struggled with the operational expenses for the business enterprise. Saleh et al. (2014) mentioned that the brand has restricted the wastage of unnatural resources for the business enterprise. Thus retaining the financial as well as the non-financial resources for the business enterprise has been critical to its success both in the domestic as well as in the International market . Currently, the brand is in the growth stage and is yet to achieve it full potential. The future looks promising for the brand since it has the required resources to offer a range of services to consumers irrespective of the geogra phical location in which they are based. Schiffman et al. (2013) mentioned that the product life cycle of reflects the strong market position of Etihad Airways irrespective of the changes in the market condition or the existing industry trends. The brand is in an upward rising stage and continues to retain a substantial market share in the global market. Application of Theory The Porters five forces shall enable the entity to evaluate the practical market scenario. This would assist the business organization to frame the long term marketing goals and objectives. Following are the necessary constituents of Porters five forces. Supplier Power - Solomon et al (2013) mentioned that the supply power in the case of Etihad Airways have been a core constituent of the operational policies of the brand. The suppliers have offered the required parts for the smoother operations of the business enterprise and therefore are an essential part of the suppliers power. However, there are not too many suppliers to provide Etihad with the necessary constituents to enhance productivity with the minimum amount of time and effort. Therefore, the brand is restricted with the choice of suppliers that are available for the brand in the global market. Buyer Power - Since, the brand operates on a global scale there is no shortage of buyer power in the global market. As such, it remains important that Etihad leverages the purchasing power of the consumers in the global market. Thus, buyer power has been playing an essential role for the growth and the development of a business enterprise in the global market. Competitive rivalry - Spurling et al. (2013) mentioned that the competitive rivalry is a specific attribute influencing the product design of a place. In the case of Etihad Airways, the brand has been operating in a perfectly competitive market where there is free entry and exit. Therefore, it has developed pertinent marketing strategies to ensure survival in an intensively competitive market environment . Substitution threat - Turnbull and Paliwoda (2013) mentioned that There presence of substitute brands has been a major threat to the business sustainability of Etihad Airways in the global market .Thus, there is strong competition for the market share in the international market . Therefore, the commercial viability of Etihad Airways would be under significant threat due to the emerging substitute brands in the market. Threat of new entry - Papadopoulos and Heslop (2014) mentioned that The threat of new entry has been an essential feature of the brands in the international market. The airline industry has been a commercial viable one. Thus, the new brands have been entering the market and offering airlines services at a lower price to the consumers. Thus, Czinkota and Ronkainen (2012) mentioned that the Porters five forces has been a practical method to assist the business organization in evaluating the existing marketing situation of a place. In this regard, it can be said that marketing management process is initiated by identifying the target segment of consumers. Thus pertinent marketing policies should be framed in order to explore newer business areas. As such, certain attributes like the demand of the consumers as well as the choices and the preferences of consumers are the factors that can be considered in framing the operational policies of a business enterprise .Hollensen (2015) mentioned that Etihad Airway seeks to position itself as a luxury brand and offer exclusive services to the consumers. However, it strives to keep a reasonable rate so as to cater to a maximum number of consumers in the global market. Paliwod and Thomas (2013) mentioned that the marketing mix method adopted by Ethihad airways has enabled the brand to be the leading airliner in the domestic market. The product category has a diverse range of products to assist the brand in shaping the operational activities of the business enterprise. As such, it is essential that the brand is able to address the needs of the consumers. in addition, consumer issues has been dealt in an appropriate manner thus assisting the business enterprise to gain a maximum market share in the International market .In this regard, it can be said that Etihad Airways has been able to offer unique services to its consumers. Therefore, this has assisted the business enterprise to differentiate itself from its competitors in the domestic market. Thus, Gilligan and Hird (2012) mentioned that pertinent product, place , price as well as distribution strategies has enable the brand to have a positive perception on the consumers , thereby , delivering consistent=t business performances over a period of time Etihad Airways has been successful in targeting the segment of consumers and make pertinent marketing policies accordingly. Its target segment of consumers is mainly the affluent class of consumers travelling mainly for business and recreational purposes. Turnbull and Valla (2013) mentioned that to attract these segment of consumers it is essential that the brand offers a luxurious experience to the passengers availing the air craft facilities of the business enterprise. In addition the brand offers a discounted rate to its most loyal consumer. This has assisted the business enterprise to consolidate its existing position in the market. Pestle Analysis The Pestle analysis would assist the business enterprise to examine the external market environment. The following is the Pestle analysis of the Etihad Airways Political - The political factors shall include the various political characteristics that would affect the market position of a business enterprise. In this regard, the political factors are the nature of the political situation in the country affecting the business operations of a specific place in the market. Besides this , Gnizy and Shoham (2014), the support of the government towards the trade and commerce in a palace is another essential factor that would have a pertinent impact towards the operational policies of a business enterprise. Economic- According to Katsikeas (2014), the economic condition of a place shall largely determine the business operational policies of the Etihad Airways. Besides this, the purchasing power of consumers is a requirement towards attaining the long term business objectives as well as the goals of a business enterprise. Majaro (2013) mentioned that the presence of a large number of airports are a necessary attribute which can have a considerable influence on the scale of operations of a business enterprise . A large number of airports would increase the number of flights carrying passengers , This shall lead to a larger revenue and the business scale . Social- The social attribute are the existing trends of the the consumer behavior as well as the choices and the preferences of consumers. As such, Meissner (2012) noted that these attributes refer to a specific set of behavioral traits that is common to the place. In the case of Etihad Airways, the brand has been executing customized policies that are only suitable to the specific region where it is operating. Technological- Eng and Ozdemir (2014) mentioned that Etihad Airways have implemented advanced technology mechanisms to ensure smooth business operations. Thus, the consumers are offered superior services and have been ensured o f a pleasurable flying experience. Innovation in technology has been one of the characteristic feature of Etihad Airways which have facilaited the brand into a superior market position. Legal- Etihad Airways operate in a number of countries. Thus, the organization is subjected to various flying rules and procedures affecting the operational policies of a specific place . According to Diamantopoulos et al (2013), this has presented Etihad Airways with a number of obstacles that have stagnated the growth of the brand in the recent times. This has also been one of the reasons due to which the brand has faced business challenges, in the context of achieving sales revenue. Environmental-- Etihad Airways have been committed to offer the best consumer services to the brand. Thus, Weinstein and Pohlman (2015) noted that it quickly adapts to the local culture and the traditions of a specific place. As such, this has been one of the important reasons due to which the brand has achieved greater success in the international market. Conclusion It can be stated that Etihad Airways have been able deliver consistent business performances in the recent past . It has been one of the leading airliners in the domestic market. In addition, the brand has been able to execute this business performance in the international stage as well. It has been carrying passengers to almost all the major destinations around the world. The sales revenue have been substantially increased in the existing financial year primarily due to its innovation and excellent service delivery facilities. The Pestle analysis of the brand reflects the circumstances under which the brand has to operate. The brand having a wider scale of operations have to deal with a number of political, legal and economic issues when running its operations in a number of countries. Thus, Etihad Airways has to consider these factors when framing the business operational policies of a particular place. Besides this, each place shall have particular and distinct characteristics tha t would determine the consumer behavior in a specific place. Therefore, it becomes necessary that the culture and traditions of a place is being successfully adhered, to enable the business entity to create a positive brand image among the local consumers. The product life cycle represents the current market position of the brand. In addition, it assess the response of consumers to the various flight services offered by the business entity. Etihad Airways is significantly is in a growth stage in terms of the services that is being offered to the consumers. and having a positive influence on its business sustainability of the brand . The marketing mix of the brand states the 4 Ps and its impact on the operational performance of the business enterprise. In terms of the product range offered to the employees , there has been a marked difference with the substitute brands that are currently existing in the market It has been able to offer distinguished services to the consumers . In addition, it has been able to identify with the different segment of consumers and acting accordingly as per their needs .Thus, there are different classes of seats availability as per the demand of the consumers . In the context of place, Etihad airways fly to all the major destinations in the world and would be widening its range in the recent times. As such, it can be said that the brand would be able serve consumers coming from different backgrounds, nationality and culture. Etihad Airways has been pursuing aggressive expansion policies and is a established name in the global market. The brand has successfully recognized its target segment of consumers. In the case of the brand, its target segment of consumers is the privileged class travelling for business and recreational purposes. This category of consumers has primarily been a a large part of the sales revenue of the brand. The brand has rightly positioned itself as a luxury airline catering to the elite of the society. However, the brand has adopted a penetration pricing strategy to offer prices which are less than the industry standards. Therefore, it seeks to serve consumers from various sections of the society. Recommendations The following recommendations can be made to Etihad Airways to retain their existing market share as well as to enhance the brand value and the business performance of a business enterprise. Widening the scale of operations - In order to successfully compete with other rival brands, the brand can add to its existing list of flying destinations. This would assist the brand to increase its share of passengers and improve the annual revenue inflow. Addressing consumer issues - The brand should give considerable emphasis to customer issues. In the past issues were not adequately addressed and this had a negative perception on consumers availing the services of Etihad Airways. References Agudo, J.C., Crespo, A.H. and Bosque, I.R., 2012. Adherence to customer loyalty programs and changes in buyer behaviour. The Service Industries Journal, 32(8), pp.1323-134. Baker, M.J. and Parkinson, S.T., 2016. Organizational buying behaviour: purchasing and marketing management implications. Springer. Baudet, H. and van der Meulen, H., 2014. Consumer Behaviour and Economic Growth in the Modern Economy (RLE Consumer Behaviour) (Vol. 1). Routledge. Czinkota, M. and Ronkainen, I., 2012. International marketing. Cengage Learning. Dasgupta, P., Southerton, D., Ulph, A. and Ulph, D., 2015. Consumer Behaviour with Environmental and Social Externalities: Implications for Analysis and Policy. Environmental and Resource Economics, pp.1-36. Diamantopoulos, A., Fritz, W. and Hildebrandt, L. eds., 2013. Quantitative Marketing and Marketing Management: Marketing Models and Methods in Theory and Practice. Springer Science Business Media. East, R., Wright, M. and Vanhuele, M., 2013. Consumer behaviour: applications in marketing. Sage. Eng, T.Y. and Ozdemir, S., 2014. International RD partnerships and intrafirm RDmarketingproduction integration of manufacturing firms in emerging economies. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(1), pp.32-44. Eng, T.Y. and Ozdemir, S., 2014. International RD partnerships and intrafirm RDmarketingproduction integration of manufacturing firms in emerging economies. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(1), pp.32-44. Gilligan, C. and Hird, M., 2012. International marketing: strategy and management (Vol. 17). Routledge. Gnizy, I. and Shoham, A., 2014. Uncovering the influence of the international marketing function in international firms. International Marketing Review, 31(1), pp.51-78. Hardwick, J., Delarue, L., Ardley, B. and Taylor, N., 2014. Mobile phones purchases and consumer decision making process: the role of Facebook online advertising. Computer-Mediated Marketing Strategies: Social Media and Online Brand Communities: Social Media and Online Brand Communities, p.303. Hollensen, S., 2015. Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Katsikeas, C.S., 2014. Journal of International Marketing: Objectives, Challenges, and the Way Forward. Journal of International Marketing, 22(1), pp.1-4. Majaro, S., 2013. International Marketing (RLE International Business): A Strategic Approach to World Markets. Routledge. Meissner, H.G., 2012. Strategic international marketing. Springer Science Business Media. Mihart, C., 2012. Impact of integrated marketing communication on consumer behaviour: Effects on consumer decision-making process.International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4(2), p.121. Mihart, C., 2012. Impact of integrated marketing communication on consumer behaviour: Effects on consumer decision-making process.International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4(2), p.121. Newton, P. and Meyer, D., 2013. Exploring the attitudes-action gap in household resource consumption: Does environmental lifestyle segmentation align with consumer behaviour?. Sustainability, 5(3), pp.1211-1233. Paliwoda, S. and Thomas, M., 2013. International marketing. Routledge. Papadopoulos, N. and Heslop, L.A., 2014. Product-country images: Impact and role in international marketing. Routledge. Pearce, P.L., 2016. Trends in Consumer Behaviour. Entrepreneurship und Tourismus: Unternehmerisches Denken und Erfolgskonzepte aus der Praxis, p.2251. Prybutok, V.R., 2012. The impact of quality on customer behavioral intentions based on the consumer decision making process as applied in e-commerce (Doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas). Ramsay, J., Wagner, B. and Kelly, S., 2013. Purchase offering quality: The effects of buyer behaviour on organizational supplying behaviour.International Journal of Operations Production Management, 33(10), pp.1260-1282. Rao, A.V., 2015. Consumer behaviour towards organized retail. Saleh, M.A., Ali, M.Y. and Julian, C.C., 2014. International buyer behaviourcommitment relationship: An investigation of the empirical link in importing.International Business Review, 23(2), pp.329-342. Schiffman, L., O'Cass, A., Paladino, A. and Carlson, J., 2013. Consumer behaviour. Pearson Higher Education AU. Solomon, M.R., Russell-Bennett, R. and Previte, J., 2013. Consumer behaviour: Buying, having, being. Pearson Australia. Spurling, N., McMeekin, A., Shove, E., Southerton, D. and Welch, D., 2013. Interventions in practice: re-framing policy approaches to consumer behaviour. Manchester: Sustainable Practices Research Group. Turnbull, P.W. and Paliwoda, S.J., 2013. Research in international marketing(Vol. 39). Routledge. Turnbull, P.W. and Valla, J.P. eds., 2013. Strategies for international industrial marketing. Routledge. Weinstein, A. and Pohlman, R.A., 2015. Customer value: A new paradigm for marketing management. In Proceedings of the 1997 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 132-133). Springer International Publishing.

Pol 190 Introduction And Comparative Politics Essay examples Example For Students

Pol 190 : Introduction And Comparative Politics Essay examples POL 190: Introduction to Comparative Politics – Midterm Exams Part A Democratization/Transition to democracy Democratization is a systemic changeover to a democratic or self governing political regime. It also involves transition from a dictatorial administrative system to a complete democracy. It opposes the values instigated by an authoritarian political regime. For instance, it is notable that the Egypt’s 2013 July military expulsion of President Mohamed Morsi absolutely manifested the country’s crash in its attempts to realize a democratic transition (Brown 45). This upheaval followed the 2011’s mass rebellion against authoritarian rule of President Morsi. Military Coup According to Drogus and Orvis, military coup is an abrupt change of the ruling regime in a country through the actions of armed of forces (12). The military usually takes over the government when it feels that it is not functioning as it should. Furthermore, the military may also overthrow the government so as to fulfil its own interests. In comparative politics, military coups are analysed in terms of their positive or negative impacts as well as their recurrence over time. Madagascar is a good example of military takeover, when in the year 2009, the then president, Marc Ravalomanana, was overthrown by the military. It is important to note that numerous reasons exist to explain why a military force of a given country can decide to stage a coup to overthrow an existing government. Political influences, economic downturn, human rights violation, and bad governance can contribute massively to the coup (Lampton 64). State Failure The failure of a state can be defined as the inability of that state to carry out its mandate in terms of providing basic services such as good governance, education, security, employment, and even healthcare. When a state fails, it becomes unable to maintain its sovereignty in that several opposing armed forces may be in control of some or of all of its territory. Several dynamics such as poverty and negative ethnicity contribute to the state failure as can be viewed through comparative politics. Somalia, in Africa, is one example where state failure has occurred; since the early 1990’s, the country has been stuck in a state of civil war with each warring faction seeking to be in control. Totalitarian Regime As the name suggests, this is a regime in which the government assumes total control of citizens’ lives through the use of military and police intimidation. Such regimes are characterised by single suppressed political parties as well as state controlled media, which is used to spread the ruling regime’s propaganda (Drogus and Orvis 45). In comparative politics, the institutionalisation level of the different regimes is studied. A good example of a totalitarian regime is the one in North Korea where media freedom is non-existent and people are jailed for speaking ill of the government. Theocracy A theocracy is a kind of regime where a deity is considered the supreme ruler of the country. Furthermore, priests or clerics commissioned by this deity are in charge of the various state ministries and are also charged with enforcing the laws of the particular religion in question. Comparative politics provides a comparison as to how different regimes apply the theocratic model of leadership and the successes or failure of such rule. Contemporary example of a theocratic state is Iran. The ruling Muslim clerics use the Sharia law as the basis for running the government. It is important to note that most nations ruled under theocratic principles are hardly democratic. They tend to be influenced much by religious values other than equality and democratic values. This kind of governance is vital as it explains what it exactly means to be a citizen in a country under theocratic rules (Ogundiya, Olutayo, and Amzat 91). Sovereignty This can be defined as the right of a ruling body to have supreme control over its governed territory without interference from outside forces. Consequently, a sovereign state constitutes its own laws and a military force to protect its territory. Comparative studies show that different states have different definitions of sovereignty while other countries are unable to consolidate power in the regions they govern. Taiwan is regarded by the Republic of China as part of its territory even though it is an independent and sovereign nation with its own policies and values. Upon independence, most countries attain a given extent of sovereignty and operate to the best interest of their citizens despite the challenges met and undue pressure from the international communities. Leaders of a sovereign country are mandated to make decisions that best suites the values and principles embraced by the entire country. Part B- Nigeria Why Nigeria Is Considered a Weak State Several factors support the claim that Nigeria is a Weak state; Firstly, There is widespread disintegration in the Nigerian society with the Muslims in the north and the Christians in the south having a historically strained relationship. Furthermore, the major ethnical groups of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa are also locked in an unending competition for political and economic control. Secondly, the widespread corruption in the Nigerian state that has led to years of economic underperformance also underlines the African giant’s position as a weak state. Consequently, the country has failed to reap the benefits of its massive oil wealth with most of the revenues going to private and corrupt public officials. Thirdly, Nigeria is a weak state because the government has consistently failed to ensure the safety of its citizens. Recent attacks on civilians by the terrorist group Boko Haram, underline this failure. Finally, the state faces a constant challenge to its legitimacy. This has s een Nigeria undergo numerous military coups and consequent changes to its regime. Why Nigeria Is Considered a Fragile Democracy Nigeria is considered a fragile democracy because of several reasons; First of all, the election process in the country is not free and fair. The electorate is faced with intimidation during the voting period. Furthermore, the powerful politicians use their overwhelming powers to manipulate the results of the election. This means that citizens are unable to elect the candidates of their choice which is against fundamental democratic values. Secondly, Democracy requires the full participation of citizens in the civic or political matters of the nation. However, in Nigeria the public is exempt from full participation by the rich political class. Instead, these powerful individuals control the political landscape of the state through the maiming and execution of individuals who oppose them. Finally, going against a core value of democracy, human rights in Nigeria are not well protected. Numerous violations of these rights are prevalent in the Nigerian state. Furthermore, powerful indivi duals are able to get away with heinous crimes such as murder while the common citizens face harsh penalties for committing small crimes (Caramani 121). Impacts Military Rule on Nigeria’s Democracy The military rule of Nigeria had some negative impacts on the nation’s democracy. Firstly, because the military used maiming and intimidation to consolidate control of the state; the current ruling regime inherited this aspect, which explains the political intimidation of opposition leaders. Secondly, the military did not tolerate allot of criticism especially from the media and also the general public. Consequently, freedom of speech in the state is not at par with that of more democratic countries. Finally, the military rule has led to a culture of intolerance to opposition by the ruling regime. Prospects to an improvement in Nigeria’s democracy The prospect that Nigeria’s democracy will improve in terms of quality are high. The economy has been given a new lease of life with the introduction of some critical financial policies. This has seen Nigeria become the largest economy in Africa and the citizens are starting to enjoy a rise in their incomes. Also, the democratic space of the state could improve should the military succeed in its war against Islamic militia. There have been recent gains in the fight against Boko Haram with many of the regions that were under the control of the group being reclaimed by the government (Caramani 65). What might lead to state failure in Nigeria Nigeria is a country consisting of many different ethnic groups. However, the biggest threat to democracy in this African giant stems from the deep and historical divisions between Muslims and Christians. This has led to the formation of the militant group; Boko Haram, which seeks to impose Sharia law in the nation. Unless the ruling regime in Nigeria can control this extremist group, the democratic space in the nation will be undermined and this might lead to state failure. In addition, the rampant corruption that is present in the state of Nigeria has a very negative impact on the country’s democracy. The endemic corruption could potentially lead to state failure as it denies the public the chance to enjoy the full benefits of Nigeria’s resources (Bara and Pennington 121). .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .postImageUrl , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:hover , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:visited , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:active { border:0!important; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:active , .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51 .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u06f2603f780391e862e177d253c48b51:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Seamus Lawlor Comparative Politics Essay examples Works Cited Bara, Judith L, and Mark Pennington. Comparative Politics. London: Sage Publications, 2009. Internet resource. Brown, Nathan. Tracking the â€Å"Arab Spring†: Egypt’S Failed Transition. Journal of Democracy, 24.4 (2013), 45-58. Caramani, Daniele. Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. Drogus, Carol A, and Stephen W. Orvis. Introducing Comparative Politics: Concepts and Cases in Context. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2012. Print. Lampton, David. How China is Ruled. 2014. Print. Ogundiya, Ilufoye S, Akinpelu O. Olutayo, and Jimoh Amzat. Assessment of Democratic Trends in Nigeria. New Delhi: Gyan Pub. House, 2011. Print.

The Culture Wars in the United States of America

The culture wars can be defined as the debates between the representatives of the opposite cultural movements and ideological camps. The representatives of these camps support opposite ideologies and depend on different moral values. During the 1920s, the culture wars developed between traditionalists and modernists whose visions were different in relation to questions of economics, education, and religion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Culture Wars in the United States of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the Roaring 20s were associated with the significant cultural and ideological debates based on the changing principles of the social development. Today, the American society also experiences a kind of the culture wars which began in the 1980s as the reaction to the conservative policy of Ronald Reagan. In spite of the fact there are many years between the two periods of the culture wars, the ideological backgrounds and reasons for the wars are rather similar and depend on the opposition in the views of traditionalists and modernists. It is possible to concentrate on several issues significant for the discussion during the culture wars of the 1920s. The growth of the cities made many people emigrate from the rural territories to the urban regions of the USA. The rural population was discussed as alien in the cities (Jones et al. 212). Moreover, the immigration from the other countries was also limited. Trying to preserve the traditional values, the conservative Americans contributed to the development of nativism. The cultural wars of the 1980s-2000s are also focused on the problem of immigration as the process threatening for preserving the national identity. The next point is the opposition between the religious and scientific worlds. Thus, the supporters of the traditional religious views could not allow the study of the evolution theory in the 1920s. Today, it is als o possible to observe the war between the religious and scientific worlds which is based on discussing the ethical issues of stem cell research and gene engineering. The next similar feature is the debates on the cultural aspects. During the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance made traditionalists discuss the possibilities of the cultural decline, and the emergence of the â€Å"Lost Generation† movement was the reaction of the progressive cultural activists to the debates. The development of the pop culture and the MTV Generation during the 1990s-2000s is the reaction to the traditionalists’ views of the present days. Furthermore, the changes in the women’s status and the orientation to the birth control during the 1920s were as provocative as the abortion policy during the 1990s.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The progressive representatives of the roaring 1920s spent t heir time dancing and drinking, making the traditionalists discuss the aspects of the moral decline within the society. Nevertheless, the progressive representatives of the 1980s-2000s orient to the policy on the recreational drug use. The conservative public in the 1920s was shocked by changes in gender roles, and the conservative public in the 1990s was shocked by extreme changes in approaches to notions of sexuality and family (Jones et al. 410). The movement for the rights of homosexuals became the synonym of progressivism during the 1990s-2000s. Thus, it is possible to note that the main points discussed during the culture wars are similar for the 1920s and for the 1980s-2000s. However, the debates of traditionalists and modernists from two periods of time differ in the level of intensity and controversy. Today, the questions are more provocative, and the ethical issues involved are more influential. In spite of the fact the American contemporary society can be discussed as plu ralistic, the culture wars cannot be resolved once and for all because any new progressive visions in relation to the spheres of morality, politics, social life, and culture can be argued by the supporters of the traditional rules. Works Cited Jones, Jacqueline, Peter Wood, Thomas Borstelmann, Elaine Tyler May, and Vicki Ruiz. Created equal: A history of the United States. USA: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. This essay on The Culture Wars in the United States of America was written and submitted by user Samara Gilmore to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Personal Response Essay

Personal Response Essay Personal Response Essay In the article, The Price of Happiness: Advertising and Image by The Center for the Study of Commercialism, states that advertisements are influencing what we perceive as valid roles for ourselves in our society. I agree with the statement, because I feel that the images that advertisements present affect the way people perceive normality and desirability. The article also states the concern of the relationship between the images presented in ads and our sense of self. This concern, in my opinion, should be taken seriously, because of the amount of unnecessary suffering of eating disorders, low self-image, and low self-esteem of Americans. The article also states that ads tend to present women and girls in limited roles focusing on their bodies, clothes, homes and the need to attract males. I agree that this is concerning because there are many valid roles for women such as in the workplace as professionals, leaders, law-makers, and business owners. Ads that tend to focus on an Anglo view only also provide a narrow view of the many different and unique images of beauty that are recognized as valid by society. Ads that promote only a very thin body type are presenting an unrealistic image to women that can create an obsession with looking like the women in the ads. I think it is important to present women and girls of all shapes, sizes and colors as beautiful because then women will have more realistic views of beauty and will be more satisfied with their self as unique and beautiful as well. Males as well are shown flawless, but with a limited view of masculinity and attitude. The limited images emphasize men as having power, physical strength, confidence, and dominance. I believe that the images may cause boys and men to think of natural human traits such as sensitivity, vulnerability, and compassion, as something regular males don’t have. As stated in the article, actors in ads tend to be handsome and athletic, which isn’t sensible. Those males who don’t have flawless complexions, athletic abilities, and don’t feel cool and confident may suffer when they watch these

Improved Effectiveness Through Collaboration Research Paper

Improved Effectiveness Through Collaboration - Research Paper Example ul leader is one who frequently communicates with the people following him/her and this approach of a leader makes him/her know the concerns of the followers and it is extremely important in becoming a successful leader. An educational leader is a stable and flexible personality who possesses distinguishing characteristics, such as, visionary outlook, dedication, openness, and good communication skills. A leader needs to have a good understating of the value of establishing good relationships with other people within the organization. Some of the main aspects of a successful leader include reward for good work, increased influence over processes, and enhanced collaboration with others, and tutoring and developing the colleagues (Mulec, 2006). Some of the main behavioral characteristics that influence the thoughts of an educational leader include identifying the needs of all stakeholders of the institute, providing inspiration to their followers, stimulating people to be inventive, respecting the opinions and suggestions of others, and providing people with a suitable strategy to work on. If a person has practiced this approach as an educational leader in a higher education institute and has been suc cessful in achieving the goals, he/she would definitely know the significance of effective communication and group collaboration. The learned values and experiences help leaders in maintaining positive relationships with scholars and learners. For example, the experiences that an educational leader gains from time to time helps him/her in recognizing the unique characteristics of each person in the institute that helps him/her in establishing good working relationships which ultimately results in improved collaboration. When a person joins a new organization, he/she brings a new and unique set of characteristics and behaviors that distinguishes him/her from others (Griffin & Moorhead 2010, p. 3). In such cases, it is the role of the leader to identify the

Harriet Jacobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harriet Jacobs - Essay Example Norcom. Dr. Norcom (given the pseudonym Dr. Flint in her Jacobs’ novel) would play an influential role in the life of Jacobs, sexually abusing her for most of her early life as a slave girl and threatening her should she refuse him. All of these factors led to Harriet Jacobs leading a difficult early life, which she recorded in her memoir Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Life for Harriet Jacobs as a slave girl in the south was not easy. Although her parents were considered to be relatively high status for slaves, her mother’s early death meant that she was alone and under the full control of slave masters for the entirety of her early life. Dr. Norcom (Flint) began to sexually harass Jacobs just a few years after she was entrusted to his care. Jacobs was still very young at this point, and this sexual harassment would be one of the major influences on her life and her later writing. Cleverly, Harriet consented to the sexual advances of another white man (Mr. Sands ), which she thought would prevent Dr. Flint from sexually harassing her. Although Jacobs has said that she did not love this man and did not find it to be a Christian relationship, it was still preferably to being abused at the hands of Flint. Dr.

Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant on Suicide Essay

Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant on Suicide - Essay Example Whether this number of suicide cases is reasonable or not, it is assumed that when the act was committed and even only at that point, an individual had considered suicide as the most reasonable means of surviving the situation, and that the number of people who accept such an idea may in fact be increasing. The 18th century philosophers Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant constructed ethical principles that determined the rightness or wrongness of suicide. The act of suicide is not moral based on the ethical principles authored by Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant. Bentham’s philosophy is defined by the value of the action in terms of utility, which roughly translates as human benefit, and so suicide does not give a person any material benefit in the long run for it almost always results in death. For the British philosopher, the moral basis of an action is how much utility it affords the individual. This translates as pleasure and avoidance of pain according to â€Å"its intensi ty, its duration, its certainty or uncertainty, its propinquity or remoteness† (Perry & Bratham 485). Most people would contend that suicide may bring the individual peace and freedom from any more physical pain as he dies. However, committing suicide is also through pain itself, which is never a benefit to the individual. The intensity and duration of the act of suicide must be equivalent to the intensity and duration of pain that the person will experience. ... After all, there is no guarantee that there is no more spiritual pain and torment in the afterlife even if death meant the cessation of all physical pain. Thus, suicide is not moral because it does not truly give the guarantee that one is freed from pain just because one dies. After all, there is no authentic proof that the afterlife is a life of eternal goodness and pleasure. Moreover, suicide is not moral because it is followed by undesirable circumstances. For Bentham, an act is moral also if it is followed by sensations of the same kind, which is known as fecundity, or if it is not being followed by sensations of the opposite kind, which is known as purity (485). In terms of fecundity, no one can really be sure about suicide as its usual consequence is death. However, based on Bentham’s definition of fecundity, the sensations of pain from suicide may actually be followed by more pain in the afterlife or in the physical life if the person did not actually die. On the other hand, when it comes to purity of action, even if the suicide were painless, there is no guarantee that there is no more pain for the individual in the afterlife. Moreover, there must even be a lot of pain that he would leave in the physical world. There is therefore no escape from pain when it comes to suicide, thus it is not a moral act. Suicide is also not moral because it negatively affects many people. For Bentham, one last basis of the morality of an act is its â€Å"extent† or the number of people who are affected by it (485). This means that the person who dies from suicide leaves behind family members and friends who would grieve his death or who would suffer in this world because of him. For example, if he were a doctor

Flu Vaccines: Technology Developments and Effects

Flu Vaccines: Technology Developments and Effects Flu, also known as Influenza, is a contagious viral disease that affects the respiratory system. It is caused by influenza viruses. It is highly infectious unpredictable disease that spreads though secretions of nose and lungs. Flu causes mild to severe illness and sometimes even leads to death. According to U.S. CDC, in an average year, 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with seasonal flu-related complications and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.  [1]   Flu vaccination is one of the best ways to protect the community from the seasonal and pandemic flu effects. Pandemic flu is different from seasonal flu,  [2]  it is a global disease outbreak that usually occurs when a flu strain new to humans emerges and causes widespread illness. The pandemic flu is very dangerous because of newly originated strain to which humans have little pre-existing immunity and vaccines would probably not be available immediately in early stages of pandemics.2 The pandemic outbreaks have potential impact on society causing high levels of illness, death, economic loss and social disruption. Recently in 2009 a novel H1N1 virus emerged which became pandemic. It is estimated that in U.S., approximately 43-89 million persons became ill because of this pandemic H1N1. It also resulted in deaths among children, adults, pregnant and post-partum women. On the other hand seasonal flu form occurs seasonally, usually in winter. Seasonal flu causes significant illness and in some cases death. Annual vaccination: Flu vaccination is most effective way to control and prevent influenza virus infections and severe complications. It is especially important for younger children and people who are at high risk of catching infections. Flu vaccines are available as Flu shot of trivalent inactivated or killed virus (TIV) or Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) as nasal spray. However, it is impossible to prevent influenza by one time vaccination because Influenza viruses undergo changes from year to year and develop resistance making previously available vaccines ineffective. Therefore scientists make different flu vaccine every year. In addition the immunity developed from having the flu caused by one strain does not always offer protection against new strain. Immunity also declines over time after previous years vaccination and at a point it may be too low to provide protection after year. Hence to combat with changing influenza viruses, vaccination is done every year. Getting seasonal flu vaccin ation offers protection that lasts throughout the year preventing infection and its complications. Vaccine recommendations: The World Health Organization organizes meetings twice a year and recommends inclusion of specific virus strains in Influenza vaccine based on results of surveillance, laboratory and clinical studies, and the availability of vaccine virus strains. Then individual countries make their own decision about inclusion of virus strains in vaccines licensed in their country. In U.S., each year, a panel of experts from agencies such as the FDA and the CDCs Advisory committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) studies the available data and decides which three strains of influenza viruses will most likely be active during the next flu season. The selection of vaccine strains for inclusion in seasonal flu vaccine is based on circulating virus strains, how they are spreading, and how well current vaccine strain protects against newly identified strains.  [3]  The ACIP makes written recommendations for administration of vaccines to children and adults. These recommendations include age for administration, doses, dosing interval, precautions and contraindications.  [4]  The seasonal flu vaccine for 2010-2011 offers protection against H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and pandemic H1N1 virus that emerged in 2009. Vaccine Shortage Issue: There are many issues related to flu vaccines. Among many vaccine shortage is the most noticed every year. A close examination reveals that the shortage for vaccine is not one cause but several. Some of them include high risk of contamination in vaccine production, unpredictable consumer demand, and low profits along with lack of liability protection from costly lawsuits made many manufacturers out of flu vaccine business.  [5]   Most of the companies stopped production of flu vaccine because the demand varies from year to year, as it is always unpredictable and once flu season passes away the remaining stock is useless because a new vaccine is required to deal with changing strains of virus  [6]. According to 2003 report by Institute of Medicine, a unit of National Academy of Sciences, the companies producing vaccines dropped from 30 to 5 in year 2004.6 The companies producing injectable influenza vaccine dropped to two (Chiron Aventis Pasteur) in year 2005.5 Production of flu virus vaccine is very complicated and expensive, but the government keeps price of flu vaccine low. Among the two firms Chiron was forced to shut down its UK plant because of quality control reasons. This resulted in shortage. Another problem is that each year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meets in spring identifies the flu virus strains to be protected by flu vac cine manufactured for that fall-winter flu season.5 This time gap between committees decision and following flu season allows manufactures to make vaccines but the flu strains can undergo changes by the time vaccines are manufactured for flu season. Thus it is difficult to determine for what strains of flu virus vaccine should be made which may end up with vaccine shortage for specific flu season. In 2003 committee voted to include the Panama flu virus in vaccine for the 2003-04 flu seasons, excluding Fujian flu mutant virus, a more virulent but less prevalent at that time. But the winters flu outbreak consisted almost entirely of the Fujian strain. CDC without noticing it recommended widespread vaccination which did not protect the public against the prevalent flu strain. The CDC later admitted the vaccine had no or low effectiveness against ILI (influenza-like illness). Latest development in flu vaccine research: The outbreak of pandemic flu has motivated increase in flu research The recent advancement in field of flu vaccine research is development of Universal flu vaccines. Scientist Dr. Sarah Gilbert and team at Oxford Jenner Institute developed universal flu vaccine that target proteins inside flu that are common across all strains and tested on humans infected with flu  [7]. Gilbert used 11 healthy volunteers for her study and vaccinated and then infected them along with 11 non-vaccinated volunteers. Upon careful monitoring there has been dramatic increase in T-cell count in vaccinated subjects which play important role in producing immune response, protecting against viral infections. Researchers of University of Adelaide, Dr. Darren Miller and his colleagues, have trialled a universal synthetic flu vaccine in mice which is another step closer to development of a universal flu vaccine. It is derived synthetically which does not require annual reformulation which would be advantageous to control and prevent flu. Dr. Miller used specific peptides derived from noses of mice to trigger an immune response to a tiny region of flu virus that is present in all influenza A and B viruses, which effectively neutralizes the virus.  [8]   The studies have shown that test vaccine provided mice with 100% protection against a laboratory strain of H3N2 and 20% protection against a highly pathogenic bird flu virus.8 This positive response provides scope for further laboratory and clinical testing. Economics of Flu vaccination: Economic studies indicate that flu vaccination reduces healthcare, societal, and individual costs and also productive losses associated with influenza illness.  [9]  A study of a larger population comparing persons aged 5064 years with those aged à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥65 years estimated the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination to be $28,000 per QALY saved (in 2000 dollars) in persons aged 5064 years compared with $980 per QALY saved among persons aged à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥65 years (393).Two studies in the United States indicated that vaccination can reduce both direct medical costs and indirect costs from work absenteeism and reduced productivity (79,394). Latest flu pandemics and their effect on the Regulatory world: The pandemic flu is unpredictable, spreads rapidly world wide affecting large proportions of the human population. There have been three influenza pandemics of which the recent one was the 2009 flu pandemic. This occurred first in Mexico, March 2009 caused by pandemic H1N1/09 virus also referred to as swine flu. It is subtype of Influenza A virus. On 10th of August 2010, the Director General of WHO announced that H1N1 pandemic virus has moved into post-pandemic period.  [10]  CDC estimated that nearly a 1 million cases of 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu had occurred in United States. The pandemic H1N1 flu cases doubled in many countries from mid-June 2009 to early July 2009. According to WHO statistics, 18,000 deaths were reported because of H1N1. This outbreak resulted in extraordinary illness throughout the world with increased demand for vaccination against the swine flu virus in a short time. The pandemics put intense burden on the regulatory authorities as vaccines have to be made available globally to meet the increased demands. Regulatory agencies adopted procedures for accelerated approval of vaccines against swine flu. In U.S., FDA expanded its capacity to expedite development, evaluation and licensing of additional flu vaccines and manufacturing facilities to meet pandemic preparedness needs  [11]. CBER has issued guidelines encouraging vaccine manufacturers to explore cell-culture and recombinant techniques, and to incorporate biological integrators, such as immune response, into their product-development designs.  [12]  The outbreak of pandemic flu also has increased collaboration among foreign regulatory agencies to share vaccine safety information and experiences and mount a coordinated response to the emer gency. Beta Lactam Antibiotics: Examples and Uses Beta Lactam Antibiotics: Examples and Uses The beta-lactam antibiotics for their extensive scale of actions are preferred most among antimicrobial factors. The penicillins and cephalosporins are the two categories of this ÃŽ ² lactam antibodies that are extraordinarily less toxic to organisms.(1) At present ,the ÃŽ ²-lactam groups of antibiotics are the highest frequently used universal antibiotics .(2) Cellular membrane of most bacteria enclosed by a cell wall but an extra outermost layer seen on some of them. The periplasmic space in gram negative bacteria is the cavity in the middle of the cell membrane and the cell wall. Periplasm instead of a clearly defined periplasmic space is retained by most gram positive bacteria .(3) But peptidoglycan is the greatest significant element of the cell wall that linked as a new cell by way of the metabolic absorption in periplasm is a polymer made of N-acetyl muramic acid alternating with N-acetyl glucosamine.Arises of the bacterial cell that is actually a process of peptidoglycan synthesis where accumulation of 5 amino acids to N-acetyl muramic acid is one of the leading phases. A precursor of peptidoglycan that conducted by a cell wall acceptor crossway the cell membrane in the periplasm and developed by linking N-acetyl glucosamine to the N-acetyl muramic acid . Generous crosslinking occurs for two key enzymes (trans peptidase and D-alanyl carboxypeptidase) and for the capacity to bind penicillins and cephalosporins, they are recognized as the penicillin binding proteins. B4 Development of cell wall by cross linking of a number of films of peptidoglycan grounds numerous layers and a much denser cell wall in gram positive bacteria than gram negative bacteria. Beta-lactam ring attach enzymes to cross-link peptidoglycans, that is a chemical structure which is available in the beta-lactam antibiotics consist of all penicillins and cephalosporins. Synthesis of bacterial cell wall is prevented by the affect of beta-lactam when transpeptidase and D-alanyl carboxypeptidase enzymes are attaching there by means of cross-linking and cause deterioration of bacterial cell wall.b5 As a bactericidal agents the antibiotic-penicillin binding protein complex of beta-lactam antibiotics excites autolysin discharge that have the capability of digest cell wall that left after bursting a cell. Generally, excessive inner osmotic pressure possessed by gram positive bacteria and in a low osmotic pressure enclosed atmosphere , cells those are lack of a usual and rigid cell wall are burst out.b6 There are many different types of methods of that bacteria became reistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. Transformation is one of the most important mechanisms among them and in the mean time of this process transfer of chromosomal genes between bacterium happens. Due to the death of a a resistance gene in a bacterium releasing of naked DNA in surrounding environment happens. a process known as homologous transformation and by this method the resistance gene in the host bacteria transferred from the naked DNA to the chromosome. the segment of the host DNA have been remodelled by resistance genes results altered penicillin binding proteins production by coding for cross-linking enzymes. But still cross linking of the peptidoglycan layers of the cell wall happens due to these altered penicillin binding proteins and reduces affinity for beta-lactam antibiotics and the bacterium became resistance. In penicillin-resistant S. pneumonia, this process caused the acquirement of genes from othe r naturally arising penicillin-resistant Streptococcus species. Bacteria grow into resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics by one more significant system is by the construction of enzymes capable of deactivating or altering the drug formerly it has a chance to apply its outcome on the bacteria.   peni The first human gammaretrovirus that is Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and responsible for chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer (PC) have been revealed in recent times. Gammaretroviruses family is famous for their capability to activate cancer in the infested hosts. Analyzing study showed that vaccine-induced XMRV Env -specific binding and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) titers had limited span but highly changeable. in antibody levels, the different incidence stated for XMRV in a number of prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome cohorts can be explained by the reasonably fast diminution . (2) Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have exceptional therapeutic applications in ophthalmology and can be used therapeutically by binding to molecular objects with high specificity. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF), epithelial growth factor receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, basic fibroblast growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor, and cluster of differentiation antigens repressed by a number of single-agent therapies. Existing and future mAbs in contrast to different cytokines were evaluated for ocular disease treatment and two anti-VEGF mAbs( bevacizumab and ranibizumab), and three anti-TNF agents (infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab), instruct ocular neovascularization and intraocular inflammation. Other mAbs showed positive results for ocular lymphoma or ocular inflammation but Ranibizumab is the only FDA-approved therapy. Intravenous application of mAbs has established satisfactory toxicity profiles, while intraocular injection may decrease the chances of systemic complications . To develop the excellence and extent of responses is the challenge for the future by merging biologic therapies while lessening side effects. 2i Leading causes of death in the world for coronary syndromes, stroke and other ischaemic arterial diseases . Therapy involves with medical actions correlating thrombolysis, antiplatelet drugs, and the re-opening of the coronary artery by angioplasty. In ischaemic cardiovascular diseases, platelet initiation is a acute phase . Chimeric Fab, c7E3 or abciximab is the only one recombinant antithrombotic antibody currently used in therapy and obstructs the ultimate phase of platelet aggregation. Subendothelium matrix activation by other platelet receptors have been recognized as prospective targets for the improvement of antithrombotic antibodies .2ii In drug development, insulin-like growth factor receptor I (IGF-IR) is becoming an attractive target. IGF-IR owed confined homology to insulin receptor and its specificity permits to distinguish between the two receptors. Recently there are some ongoing on IGF-IR and ongoing clinical trials on anti-IGF-IR monoclonal antibodies and combined treatments. 2iii

War Strategies of Sir Arthur Currie :: essays research papers

War Strategies of Sir Arthur Currie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Arthur Currie was not a man raised to become a great general, he had to start from the beginning and work his way to the top. He served his country by fighting and leading battles that made Canada a great independent nation, making him a figure of inspiration to many Canadians. In the many battles of World War One, including Amiens, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and others, Arthur Currie devised well prepared, flexible, unique, and intelligent war strategies that led Canadian troops to victory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born on December 5th, 1875 in Napperton, Ontario, Arthur William Currie found his place in the world. Having been the third of seven children, Currie found his family to be very supportive of each other (Dancocks, 1985). At the age of 15, Currie’s father died of a stroke, leaving the family in financial problems. University was not the path to go down at this point for Currie, in hopes of becoming a lawyer. Instead, he took a teaching course (Harris, 1988).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later on in his developing career, Currie met with a woman named Lucy Charworth-Musters, who would one day be his wife. With a paying job as a teacher, he decided to enlist in the militia as a lowly gunner in the 5th Regiment at the Canadian Garrison Artillery. In 1901, Currie married Lucy and found a better-paying job at an insurance firm at Matson and Coles (Dancocks, 1985). With great devotion to his wife and two children, the militia was still one of Currie’s priorities and he became a commander of the 5th Regiment of Artillery, winning the Governor-General’s Cup for efficiency (Hyatt, 1987). On the 4th of August in 1914, the British ultimatum to Germany expired and Canada was now automatically at war (Hyatt, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With careful planning, co-operation, good leadership and courage, Currie managed to bring out the characteristics of a well thought out success at Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 (Dancocks, 1985). Sir Arthur Currie’s responsibility was to command the 1st Canadian Division (Hyatt, 1987). He pushed his troops to undergo rigorous training and to prepare themselves by using a life-size course, with every trench marked by tape and a flag (Dancocks, 1985). Currie designed very accurate maps and he had a small-scale plasticine model built so that it could be studied by all soldiers. Arthur Currie insisted that his division’s knowledge of the enemy was excellent (Dancocks, 1985). War Strategies of Sir Arthur Currie :: essays research papers War Strategies of Sir Arthur Currie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Arthur Currie was not a man raised to become a great general, he had to start from the beginning and work his way to the top. He served his country by fighting and leading battles that made Canada a great independent nation, making him a figure of inspiration to many Canadians. In the many battles of World War One, including Amiens, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, and others, Arthur Currie devised well prepared, flexible, unique, and intelligent war strategies that led Canadian troops to victory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born on December 5th, 1875 in Napperton, Ontario, Arthur William Currie found his place in the world. Having been the third of seven children, Currie found his family to be very supportive of each other (Dancocks, 1985). At the age of 15, Currie’s father died of a stroke, leaving the family in financial problems. University was not the path to go down at this point for Currie, in hopes of becoming a lawyer. Instead, he took a teaching course (Harris, 1988).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later on in his developing career, Currie met with a woman named Lucy Charworth-Musters, who would one day be his wife. With a paying job as a teacher, he decided to enlist in the militia as a lowly gunner in the 5th Regiment at the Canadian Garrison Artillery. In 1901, Currie married Lucy and found a better-paying job at an insurance firm at Matson and Coles (Dancocks, 1985). With great devotion to his wife and two children, the militia was still one of Currie’s priorities and he became a commander of the 5th Regiment of Artillery, winning the Governor-General’s Cup for efficiency (Hyatt, 1987). On the 4th of August in 1914, the British ultimatum to Germany expired and Canada was now automatically at war (Hyatt, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With careful planning, co-operation, good leadership and courage, Currie managed to bring out the characteristics of a well thought out success at Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 (Dancocks, 1985). Sir Arthur Currie’s responsibility was to command the 1st Canadian Division (Hyatt, 1987). He pushed his troops to undergo rigorous training and to prepare themselves by using a life-size course, with every trench marked by tape and a flag (Dancocks, 1985). Currie designed very accurate maps and he had a small-scale plasticine model built so that it could be studied by all soldiers. Arthur Currie insisted that his division’s knowledge of the enemy was excellent (Dancocks, 1985).

Oral Communication Essay

INTRODUCTION Making a business or social speech is more than just standing up and ‘saying a few words’. Experience has shown that the importance of oral presentations, especially in the business world, cannot be underestimated. This is because presentations are an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, competence, and composure while making an impression on both superiors and subordinates. Although oral presentations are very important, they strike fear in the hearts of those who give them. This should not however be the case. The key to a successful oral presentation is preparation. Preparation alleviates apprehension, and helps identify potential problems in presentations. I hope this course will go a long way to prepare you for the task. ELEMENTS OF THE PUBLIC SPEAKING PROCESS SOURCE This is the origin of communication message. A public speaker is the source of ideas and information for an audience. The job of the speaker or source is to encode or translate images and ideas in his or her mind into a system of signals that will be recognized by an audience. For example, the speaker may encode into words â€Å"The new product should be two inches square† or into gestures (showing the size with hands). RECEIVER The receiver is the target of the message. The receiver’s task is to decode the sender’s verbal and non-verbal symbols, translating these codes back into mental ideas and images. Of course, the decoded message will never be exactly the thought or idea that the speaker intended to convey as the receiver’s perception is dependent on his or her own unique blend of past experiences, attitude beliefs and values. MESSAGE The message in public speaking is the speech itself – both what is said and what is heard. As said earlier, speaker’s intended message may differ from the meaning the audience decodes. If a speaker has trouble finding words to convey his or her ideas, the message suffers right away. And because the listener’s frame of mind may be different from that of the speaker’s, he may interpret what he hears and sees in a manner that was not all what the  speaker intended. In reality, an intended message will differ a little from the actual message perceived by an audience. However, the less distorted the message between the sender and receiver, the more accurate and successful the communication CHANNEL A channel in communication is the means used to communicate. Information can be communicated face-to-face, in writing, or by way of an audio tape or video tape. Note that although it is possible to hold the content of the message constant across channels, different modes or forms of communication will often vary in terms of some of the context factors. For instance, the audience obtains more information about physical and behavioral characteristics of the source from face-to-face or video messages than when the information is presented in written or oral form. The message is usually transmitted from sender via to channels; visual and auditory (or a combination). The audience sees the speaker and decodes his or her non-verbal message – eye contact (or lack of it), facial expressions, posture/gestures and dress. This is the visual channel. The auditory channel, on the other hand, opens as the speaker speaks. Then audience hears his or her words and such vocal cues as inflection, rate and voice quality. FEEDBACK In public speaking, the speaker does most or all the talking. But public speaking is still an interactional process. Remembering the old question of whether a falling tree can make noise if there is no around to hear, we may as well ask whether one can engage in public speaking without an audience to hear and provide feedback. The answer is no, skillful speakers are audience-centered. They depend on the nods, facial expressions, and murmuring of the audience to adjust their rate of speaking, volume, vocabulary, type and amount of supporting materials and other variables in order to maximize the success of their communication. CONTEXT The context of public speaking experience is the environment or situation in which the speech occurs. It includes such elements as time, place and the physical and psychological factors affecting both speaker and listener. As John Donne said, â€Å"No speech is an island†. No speech occurs in a vacuum.  Rather, each speech is a unique blend of circumstances that can never occur in exactly the same conjunction again. For example, if the room is too hot, crowned or poorly lit, these conditions affect both speaker and audience. This audience who hears a speaker at 10.00 in the morning is likely to be fresher and more receptive than the audience who hears the speaker at 4.30 in the afternoon. Likewise, if the speaker is coming down with a cold, this malaise is likely to affect his or her performance. These factors make up the element of public speaking process that e call context. NOISE When variables interfere with the communication of a message, we call them noise. Noise may be literal or external. For example, if your 8.00 am Public speaking class is frequently interrupted by campaigning students or the roar of a lawn mower, it may be difficult to hear a speaker. Noise may also be â€Å"Internal†, a term that refers to some of the other factors we have discussed. An internal noise may affect either the source or the receiver. For example, a speaker’s bad cold may cloud his or her memory or subdue a usually enthusiastic delivery. An audience member who is worried about an examination later in the day is unlikely to remember what speaker says. Just before lunch, they may also be too hungry to pay much attention. All these factors interfere with the transmission of a message from sender to receiver. 1. GETTING STARTED A. SELECT AND LIMIT THE TOPIC Choosing a topic for a speech can be a problem. However, there are two methods by which you can choose a speech topic. i. The first is brainstorming which involves thinking of as many topics as you can in a limited time so that you can select one topic that will be appropriate for your audience. First, give yourself a limited time. Get a list of a number of possible topics for yourself. Next, pick about three of the topics which have the most appeal. Then you choose the most appropriate of the three topics. ii. The other methods of selection are personal inventories where you conduct personal inventory of your reading and viewing habits. Thus, a topic can be chosen from books you read, films you watch, etc, For instance, your personal inventory of newspapers, periodicals, television, talents, hobbies etc. B. TEST THE TOPIC After you choose the topic, ask yourself three questions. i. First, whether the topic is appropriate for the audience. To know this, ask whether you can speak about it on a level the audience can understand. Does the audience need technical or specialized knowledge? Do they have enough background knowledge to understand the subject? Answers these questions will help determine the appropriateness of your topic. ii. Second, is the topic appropriate for you? Can you get involved in it, and is it interesting enough to motivate you to do the necessary research? Normally, the best topics come from your own experiences. iii. Besides your audience and interest, you should ask whether the topic is appropriate for the occasion. For instance, an after-dinner speech should be light and not be too long as members of the audience may be full and not be alert. On the other hand, a speech at a seminar will afford you the opportunity to speak on a more complex topic. Another consideration is whether you can fit the speech into the time limit of the occasion . C. NARROW YOUR TOPIC One mistake that beginners make is that they try to cover a broad topic resulting in a superficial treatment of the topic. The result is that the speech will not be meaningful. To narrow a topic, you must find a specific aspect of a subject that will best meet the time restrains and other demands of the speaking situation. Example i. Health issues in third-world countries ii. Infant mortality in third-world countries iii. Infant formula(as against breast-feeding) in third-world countries iv. How infant formula affects health in third- world countries. D. SELECTING A PURPOSE After selecting and narrowing your topic. You need to decide on both the general and specific purpose. You can speak to inform, persuade, or  entertain. But sometimes these overlap to some extent. i. General Purpose Speaking to inform is the primary objective of class lectures, seminars, workshops, etc. When you inform, you teach, define, illustrate, clarify or elaborate on a topic. In informative speeches, speakers do not take sides when the subject is controversial. The informative speaker will present all sides to an issue and let members of the audience make up their minds. In a persuasive speech, however, the speaker takes a particular stance and tries to get the audience to accept and support that stance. Persuasion is a process of changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs, value or behaviour. To be persuasive, you need to be sensitive to your audience’s attitude towards your and your topic. Sermons, political speeches, students’ campaign speeches, sales presentations, etc. are examples of persuasive speeches. ii. Specific Purpose The Statement of a specific purpose will help you focus on what you want to accomplish. It will help you define what you are going to inform or persuade you audience about. Your specific purpose should be a fine-tuned, audience-centered goal that should follow the following guidelines. 1. State your purpose clearly and completely. To explain to the audience members how to stay physically fit. To persuade audience members not to buy products from advertisers who use sexist language. 2. State your purpose in terms of the effects you want to have on your audience. In an informative speech, you may want your audience to restate an idea, identify, describe or illustrate something. However, in a persuasive speech, you may your audience to take classes, buy something, or vote for someone. To inform my audience about how they can improve their study habits. To persuade my audience to donate blood to the Ghana Red Cross. 3. Limit your purpose statement to one idea. This will help you narrow your topic and keep it specific. 4. Use specific language in your purpose of  statement The more precise your language, the clearer the language will be in their minds. To persuade my audience to fight crime is too vague a topic. By crime, do you mean drugs, rape, kidnapping, murder, or what? You could rephrase your purpose this way: To persuade my audience that everyone can help curb armed robbery. 5. Develop your central idea While your statement of specific purpose indicates what you want your audience to do when you have finished your speech, your central idea statement (Thesis statement) identifies the essence of your message. Example: Specific Purpose: to inform my audience about how to make sure their drinking water is safe. Central Idea: People can do three things to ensure that their drinking water is safe. 1. Purchase an activated – carbon filter 2. Have it tested 3. Reduce exposure to bacteria by disinfecting product E. ORGANIZING AND OUTLINING THE SPEECH As a wise person once said, if effort is organized, accomplishment follows. While generating ideas for your speech, you actually begin the task of organizing your message. After additional research, you need to develop an outline of your talk. A clearly and logically structured speech helps your audience remember what you say and also help you to feel more in control of your speech and greater control will help you feel more comfortable while delivering your speech. Every speech has three main parts: the instruction, the body and the conclusion. Since an introduction previews a speech and the conclusion summarizes it, most teachers recommend that students prepare their  introductions and conclusions after they have organized the body of the talk. We will therefore discuss the introduction and conclusion later. Purpose of the introduction Within a few seconds of meeting a person, you form a first impression that is often quite lasting. So too, do you form a first impression of a speaker and his message within the opening seconds of the speech. The introduction may convince you to listen to a credible speaker presenting a well prepared speech or may send the message that the speaker is ill-prepared and the message not worth your time. To say that the introduction should be well planned is an understatement, considering the fact it is very important and yet very brief. An introduction serves the following functions: A key purpose of the speech introduction is to gain favorable attention for your speech. Because listeners from their first impression often speech quickly, if the introduction does not capture their attention and cast the speech in a favorable light, the rest of the speech may be wasted on the audience. After capturing the audience’s attention and introducing the subject, you have to give the audience some reason to want to listen to the rest of your speech. You can do this by showing them how the topic affects them directly.  Perhaps, the most obvious purpose of the introduction is to introduce the subject of the speech. Within a few seconds after you begin your speech, the audience should have a good idea of what you are going to talk about. The best way to do this is to include statement of your central idea in the introduction. Purpose of Conclusion Your introduction creates an important first impression: your conclusion leaves an equally important final impression. Long after you have finished speaking, your audience is likely to remember the effect, if not the content of your closing remarks. There are a number of purposes of an effective conclusion: One purpose of the conclusion is to summarize the speech. A conclusion is s speaker’s last chance to repeat his or her main ideas to the audience. Another purpose of the speech conclusion is to reemphasize the main ideas in a memorable way. The conclusions of a number of speeches are among the most memorable statements we have. Also, motivation is a necessary component of an effective conclusion: not motivation to listen, but motivation to respond in some way. If your speech in informative, you want your audience to think about the topic or research it further. If your speech is persuasive, you may want your audience to take some sort of appropriate action-buy a product, make a phone call, or get involved in a cause. The conclusion is your last chance to motivate your audience to respond to your message. The most obvious purpose of the conclusion is to let audience know that the speech has ended. Speeches have to â€Å"sound finished† Principles of organization You must try as much as possible to relate the points you make in your speech directly to your specific purpose and central idea. In the speech, the challenge to excel, notice how all the main points are related to the purpose and central idea. Specific Purpose. To inform my classmates about the four things required to excel. Central Idea: No matter what people’s abilities are, there are four things they can do to excel. Main ideas: 1. Learn self –discipline. 2. Build a knowledge base. 3. Develop special skills. 4. Bounce back from defeat. i. Give points a parallel structure Parallel structure means that each of your points will begin with the same grammatical form. Example, on a speech about ways to loose weight, this speaker started each suggestion with a verb: Exercise at least three times a week Eat low-fat, high energy snacks like fruits. Count your daily intake. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the United States should act now to protect its citizens against electronic invasions of their personal privacy. Central Idea: The loss of personal privacy in our electronic society is a serious problem that requires decisive action. Introduction Attention: (i) Would you let a perfect stranger examine your medical files, peek at your personal finances, eavesdrop on your phone calls, or invade other aspects of your personal life? (ii) Yet all of these are happening as a result  of privacy invading technology by business and government agencies. (iii) The erosion of personal privacy has become one of the most serious problems facing Americans in our high-tech, electronic age. (iv) Today I would like to explain the extent of this problem and encourage you to support a solution to it. Body Need: (i). The use of electronic data gathering by business and government poses a serious threat to personal privacy. A. Business and government agencies have compiled massive   amounts of information on the personal lives of most Americans. B. There are few laws protecting Americans against the gathering or misuse of personal information by businesses and government agencies. Satisfaction: (ii) The problem could be greatly reduced by the passage of federal privacy laws. A. These laws should impose strict controls on the collection of personal information by businesses and government agencies. B. These laws should also include stiff penalties on anyone who uses personal information for unauthorized purpose. Visualisation: (iii) Similarities laws have worked in other counties and can work in the United States. A. The practicality of privacy laws has been demonstrated by their success in almost all the countries of Western Europe. B. If the U.S had such laws, you would once again have control over your medical files, financial records, and other kinds of personal information. Conclusion Action: (i) So I urge you to support privacy legislation by signing the petition I am passing around to be sent to our state’s U.S Senators and Representatives. (ii) As Congressman Jack Fields has stated, â€Å"This is not a Democratic or Republican issue†¦ Privacy is a basic human right.† Try using the motivated sequence when you seek immediate action from your listeners. Over the years it has worked for countless speakers – and it can work for you as well. PATTERNS OF ORGANISATION There are different ways by which you can arrange the main points of your speech. Your choice will depend on what best suits your materials. These patterns include time or chronological order, spatial order, cause and effect order, problem- solution order, and topical order. Time Order This is used to show development over time. This pattern works well when you are using a historical approach. It is often used to explain a process and this process could be anything ranging from how to wrap a gift to how to apply for a student’s loan. Spatial Order This is approach refers to the physical or geographical layout to help your audience see how the parts makes up the whole. To help your audience visualize subject, you explain it by going from left to right or form top to bottom, or any direction that best suits your subject. Example Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the layout of K’dua Poly campus Central Idea : The campus is laid out logically as a series of concentric (having a common centre) circles. Main Points : I. Parking and athletic complexes occupy the outermost circles. II. The hostels, fraternities and sororities occupy the next concentric circle. III. Next to the centre circle are the library, the student union and the classroom buildings. IV. The administrative offices occupy the centre circle of campus. The spatial order works particular well when the speech focuses on a chart or a diagram. When using the visual aid, the speaker naturally moves from top to bottom or from left to right. Example: Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about who make decisions on campus. Central Idea: Campus business is divided into branches: the administrative branch and the academic branch. Main Point: I. The Principal is the chief administrative officer of the polytechnic and the main spokesman for the polytechnic community. II. The academic vice principal is responsible for everything that concerns classes, such as curriculum and faculty. III. The administrative vice principal is responsible for everything that concerns classes, such as curriculum and faculty. Causes – Effect order With this pattern, the speaker divides the speech into: causes (Why something  is happening), and effect (what impact it is has). Example Specific purpose: To inform my audience on why smart people sometimes fail. Central Idea : Smart people sometimes do things that lead to failure. Main Point: I. Smart people are defined as those with high IQs. II. Causes for their failure include ignorance, isolation, recklessness, and over reaching. III. Failure (effects) includes loss of high paying profile jobs, public humiliation, loss of opportunity, and even loss of fortunes. When you are using this approach, you do not always have to begin with a cause and end with an effect. In the above example, the speaker could have reversed points II and III and first use examples of some of the possible effects of high. I Q. and them continue with the causes. The important thing is to begin with the aspect most likely to capture the audience’s attention. iv. Problem –Solution Order The problem –Solution order, like the cause – effect order, divides as speech into two sections. One pat deals with the problem and the other part, with the solution. Example Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that American schools need to teach students more about the third world. Central Idea: Americans must know about the third world because what happens in those countries affect American lives. Main Point: I. Most Americans have negative impressions of the third world from the mass media. II. Most Americans are ignorant of the impressions of the impact that the third world has on American Trade. III. Most Americans do not know how the third world influences  political decision making among the super powers. IV. American teachers and curriculum planners must add materials   about the third world materials about the third world to the school curriculum. V. Textbook publishers should add third world materials. Topical Order: When your speech does not fit into any of the patterns described so far, you may use the topical pattern of organization. This pattern can be used whenever your subject can be grouped logically into sub topics. Examples – Four ways to overcome snoring – Five types of food that will help you live longer, four ways to save money for school, what can be done to protect natural resources, etc. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that everyone can contribute to conserving natural resources. Central Ideal: Conservation means practicing the four R’s of reduce, re-use, repair nad recycle. Main Points: I. Reduce consumption and waste. II. Reuse what can be reused. III. Repair what can be fixed. IV. Recycle what can be recycled. THE PERSUASIVE SPEECH Persuasion is the process of trying to get others to change their attitudes or behaviour. All of us are trying to persuade one way or the other. The government bombards us with messages intended to foster patriotism and hard work. Sermons from churches and mosques enjoin us against selfishness, corruption, and other social vices, etc. Obviously, not all persuasive speeches work. We ignore many of the messages aimed at use and are unmoved by most. One may ask, what then make a speech persuasive? Aristotle, in his Rhetoric, attributed the persuasive impact of a message to three major factors: ethos (communicator characteristics), Pathos (Emotional nature of  audience), and Logos (message features). SOURCE FACTORS Until recently many psychologists believed that the most crucial characteristic of an effective speaker was his prestige. In other words, it was believed that any speaker who possesses prestige could cause the audience to submit to his message regardless of the logicality or illogicality of the message. Recent studies by social psychologists suggest that though prestige is necessary, it is not a sufficient factor in persuasive communication. Research indicates the following speaker characteristics for an effective speech. Credibility The primary characteristic of the speaker has been found to be â€Å"Credibility† or â€Å"believability†, A speech has greater persuasive effect if the speaker is perceived to be credible or â€Å"believable†. In order words, for a message to be persuasive, the speaker must be credible. Here, credibility means expertness and trustworthiness. Expertness of the speaker (source) refers to the extent to which the audience believes that the speaker is capable of transmitting valid statements on the issue under consideration. Put simply, expertness refers to the degree to which the speaker is perceived by the audience to possess comprehensive knowledge on the subject matter. Thus, speakers who present an impressive amount of evidence, show insight into all aspects of the issue are usually perceived by audiences as experts or competent in area in areas they are dealing with, thereby inspiring greater credibility in their audience. Though members of an audience are inclined to believe a message from an expert or knowledgeable source, the impact is even greater if they have reasons to believe that the source is trustworthy. There are two issues to trustworthiness. First a source is less likely to be believed the audience perceived him to have something to gain if his message is accepted. Second, if the source is perceived from the outset to have a defined intention to persuade, it is less likely he will be perceived worthy of trust. Nevertheless, being perceived as having an intention to persuade needs not always decrease the speakers’ effectiveness to persuade his audience. In fact, it can be an asset to persuade. Such frank admission can have disarming effect on the audience. This is because members of the  audience tend to place credence on the remarks of those they regard as sincere and open. Therefore, the speaker who shows himself as honest is more likely to elicit friendly and less hostile responses from the audience. It is combined value of the speaker’s expertise on an issue and his trustworthiness that we refer to as credibility. Confidence The speaker who seems to be in command of himself inspires confidence. Members of the audience tend to believe in speakers who deliver their message in a more confident tone than those who do it in tentative way. For instance, speakers who present their arguments prefaced with statements like obviously, speakers, who present their arguments prefaced with statement like obviously, in fact, certainly, etc. are more effective than those who present their arguments with expression like I don’t know; I am not positive, etc. Also the effective speaker does not become unsettled when the audience become hostile, or when reacting to hostile questions from the audience. Tact Our attempt to persuade others often fails because we do so in a tactless manner. Tact is the ability of what to say and how to say what you want to say without giving offence. In persuasion, tact means disagreeing without scolding, enlightening without insulting their intelligence. Persuasion without tact breeds alienation. Moderation Temperance and restraint are crucial ingredients in persuasive communication. Speakers who indulge in personal abuse, overstatement, and inappropriate emotional displays tend to turn off their audience. They may even induce in the audience psychological resistance to the idea they are trying to promote. Friendliness It is very important for a speaker to be friendly towards an audience. Where the audience is hostile, goodwill is important. The speaker or source that shows a good disposition towards the audience clears one of the obstacles to  persuasion even though he and the audience may disagree on certain points. Similarity/Identity (e.g. Familiar Language) It is often difficult to identify with someone whose past and present experiences are so different from your own. How can you see the historical significance of polygamy if you are, for instance a European, or understand the rational for divestiture of national assets if you are a socialist? In fact, a true meeting of the mind is enhanced when a speaker is similar to the audience in terms of ethnicity, sex, age, socio-economic status, educational background, current living conditions, political ideology, etc. Such a speaker is more likely to be perceived as more credible, and hence is more likely to have greater impact on his audience. Non-verbal elements Many worthwhile ideas go unheeded because they are ineptly presented. The audience because of misleading cues in the speaker’s non-verbal language misconstrues some ideas. For instance, a speaker may say one thing while the sound of this voice and facial expression tell the audience something else. Imperfections in communication occur when the non-verbal elements in the communication are not supportive of the verbal elements. Also, non-verbal elements convey to the audience more about the speaker than he realizes. Physical appearance All of us tend to make generalization about people’s personality, attitudes, and look from the clothes they wear the objects they keep on their persons (e.g. Jewelry) and their grooming, generally. We give them names according to what they wear, etc. Such generalizations are often made about speakers even before they begin to deliver their speech. We are not so much concerned about the validity of these generalizations by the audience. However, what every speaker must know is that inappropriate dress and grooming can be destructive in persuasive communication. Ironically, it is not possible to prescribe a universally acceptable dress for all speakers on all occasion. The real test is that appropriate appearance and grooming should be suitable for the speaker’s purpose, his audience expectations, and the occasion. Facial expression and eye behavior Another important aspect of non-verbal communication is facial expression. The speaker’s facial expression conveys to the audience, his attitude towards himself, the subject matter, and the audience. It can tell the audience whether he is sincerely motivated in his assertions or his animations are feigned. The inference an audience makes from the speaker’s facial expression can affect this trustworthiness and hence his credibility. Subtle nuances in facial expression can make a world of difference in perceived meaning. Such variables like amount and rate of dilation of the pupil or one’s eye blink rate can communicate a great deal of information. The key facial expressions used to convey information include raising or dropping the eyebrows, smiling or frowning, knitting or relaxing the forehead, closing or widening the open eye, wrinkling the nose, pursing the lips, baring the teeth, dropping the jaw, etc. Eye behaviour also performs a persuasion function. We rate speakers who maintain eye contact as credible and we suspect those whose gaze is continually shifting about. If people avert their eyes when talking to us, we assume that they are either shy or are hiding something from us. Bodily communication This has dimensions including physical movements of the body like gestures, the way one holds one’s body (tense or relaxed posture), tilting or nodding the head, clenching one’s first, having ones arms akimbo on the waist, etc. These bodily movements can indicate arrogance, anger, degree of commitment, or determination, etc. Imagine a speaker trying to present a conciliatory message while standing in the ‘drill-sergeant’ position (feet planted widely apart as though he were issuing orders to his subordinates. This posture conveys defiance, which is incompatible with the conciliatory message. It is therefore important to note that a speaker’s body language should be compatible with the verbal message being uttered. Since body language conveys meaning, it can be an asset or a liability. It is however an asset only when it directs the audience’s attention to the verbal message being communicated, and also when it actually transmits a meaning which intensifies the meaning of the verbal message. It should be emphasized  that the absence of movement, that static state, is also a conveyer of meaning. In such a situation, parts of the verbal message will actually be lost due to the suppression of bodily action. Vocalic communication The other none-verbal element in speaker’s communication behaviour is aural. The voice of the speaker does more than rendering ideas into audible form. The pitch of the voice, its loudness or quality and the rate of delivery, convey various shades of meaning to the audience. The controllable elements of the voice also act as factors of attention. In fact, not only does the voice affects meaning and attention, but also transmits an impression of the speaker as a person to the audience. For example, a speech delivered in a weak voice may convey to the audience the speaker’s lack of courage and vigour. In effect, the public speaker must know that he is judged not only by words spoken, but also by the meaning the audience attaches to the sound of the voice that carries those words. Artifactual Communication People decorate their homes and work places with artifacts to symbolize their sense of self. Our culture has taught us to react in certain ways to the artifacts of others. It is important to note that these patterns of responses form the premises of persuasion and therefore we interpret artifacts that surround persuaders in message situations according to the dictates of our culture. Therefore, the banners, the bunting, insignias in a speech situation, all contribute to the success (or failure) of a persuasive attempt. Another type of artifact is clothing. What people wear send signals about what they believe in and what they stand for. However, these Artifactual messages, as said earlier, vary from culture to culture and can make a world of difference between a successful and an unsuccessful persuasion. Tactical communication A very important non-verbal message carrier is the way and degree to which people touch one another. Generally, there are gender related differences in the use of touch. Women are more likely to use touch to communicate than are  men. In fact, the average woman torches someone else about twelve times a day, with the average man touching someone only eight times a day. In terms of persuasion, research shows that persuaders who touch are the most successful persuaders. Touch seems to be a good way to convey social kind of emotional feeling like empathy, warmth, and reassurance. It is however important to note some touches are taboo. For instance, some parts of the body are ‘off limits’ to public touch. Therefore, a persuader who is too ‘touchy’ with persons around him is likely to offend not only the person touched, but also, persons observing the touch. Credibility can be drastically undermined if persuaders misread a relationship and respond inappropriately if a speaker touches in a way that is not appropriate. THE AUDIENCE FACTORS If it the aim of the speech is to change the views, attitudes, and behaviours of an audience, then it is important that the speaker places particular emphasis on knowing the audience. In a very practical sense, it means the speaker finding out all he can about the people he will be speaking to. It is indeed, probable that the majority of failures in persuasive attempts can be traced to insufficient or inaccurate ‘ analyses’ or ‘targeting’ of those intended to be influenced. Only by seeing things from the audiences’ point of view can we deal directly and effectively with our audiences. In reality, the group of individuals that a speaker tries to influence is his audience. Therefore, for the speaker to know the audience, he must locate the common characteristics of the members of the audience and strategize the message accordingly. Research in this area suggests that there are several common characteristics about the audience and these include the follo wing. Initial attitude of the audience towards subject matter The initial position of the members of the audience is crucial in bringing about opinion change. The more extreme the initial position of the audience from that of the speaker, the greater the latitude of rejection of the speaker’s message. In effect, maximum attitude change can be effected when the audience does not hold an extreme attitude position. However, with an audience that is hostile to the point of view espoused by the speaker, media experts suggest that the strategy is for the speaker to start with those  points on which he agrees with the audience. This strategy may be effective for two reasons. a. Agreeing with hostile audience from the start has a disarming effect and prevents heckling and outbursts that characterize hostile audience. b. Agreeing with audience at the outset can enhance the speaker’s trustworthiness with the audience, and may be perceived â€Å"fair† â€Å"objective† and non-opinionated. Audience beliefs. Another characteristic of the audience which can affect their persuasibility is their belief or current thinking about the issue under consideration. For instance, consider the national campaign on the judicious use of electricity due to the low level of water in the Akosombo Dam. Many people initially ignored the warnings or were simply unmoved by them. They did not believe that the Dm would ever dry up. It was not until the Volta River Authority (V.R.A) began issuing daily news on the water level-maximum and minimum operating levels that many people took them seriously. Also, some people do not just believe that AIDS is real and so there is little chance they could be persuaded to use condoms. It is evident that the beliefs people hold on issues can be a powerful deterrent to persuasion. It would therefore be a folly to try to convince people that you have the best solution when they don’t believe that a problem exists. Finding out an audience’s beliefs also involves seeking clarification on how the audience conceptualizes or defines the issue at stake. For example, as a speaker, you want to persuade an audience that Neoplan Buses are better than Tata Buses. You will have to find out first, how your audience defines a â€Å"better bus†. Does â€Å"better† here, means durability? Does it mean cost effective? Are Neoplan Busses better because they are sleek and comfortable? Unless you discover the criteria, and in fact, the priority of the criteria your audience uses, you may be wasting your time in persuading them. You may have to convince the audience that though â€Å"sleekness† and â€Å"comfortability† are intended criteria for measuring a â€Å"better† bus, these are not the only criteria or necessarily the most important ones. You may try to convince them that â€Å"durability and â€Å"petrol consumption† the most important. In trying to win an audience, it is  advisable to discover the criteria by which they measure the â€Å"truth† of the fact in question, and also, the priority if the criteria. THE SURVIVORS â€Å"Work! Harder. Faster. Shovel! Don’t just stand there. Shovel!† And so he shoveled with all his energy and all of his might. Hour after hour, he shoveled until his body could not shovel any more. Finally, he stopped working, learned over on his shovel, and let his body limply rest, as his eyes stared at the ground. The commander looked his way and hollered in a low penetrating voice, â€Å"Shovel†! But the man did not move. The commander lifted his gun, loaded it with ammunition, and shot him. The man released his hands from the shovel and fell to the ground. He murmured his last words, â€Å"How could this happen?† The commander walked over, lifted his heel, and kicked the man into the mass grave, which he had been digging. One more Jew was removed from the world. He was one of 6 million who were brought to their death by the Nazi policy to annihilate the Jewish race. The Nazis collected the Jews in the ghettos; they transported the Jews to the death camps; they worked the Jews until they could not work any more. Then they killed them – by gun and by gas, by starvation and sickness, by torture and terror. Millions of Jews died in the death camps of Buchenwald, Auschwitz, Dachau, and Treblinka. It seems unfathomable that people could have survived the Nazis’ wartime atrocities. Yet, by the grace of God, there were survivors. The survivors were the young and the strong, not the old and the meek. The survivors were the lucky and the few. My grandparents are Holocaust survivors. They are each the only survivors in their families. They witnessed the death of their mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, friends and neighbours. They witnessed the destruction of their lives and homes, towns and country, shops and synagogues. They lived through the death camps. They lived through the excruciating work. They lived to see liberation. Since I was a little girl, my grandparents have told me about their lives during the Holocaust. They have told me about the persecution, the intolerance, and the injustices so that I could appreciate my freedom, my liberty, and my independence. It has  always amazed me that my grandparents don’t have spite or malice. After all they suffered, they have only hope and love. They don’t want to hate any more. During World War II, my grandparents were victims of anti-Semitism. Fifty years later, they are victims no longer. Today they fight against the â€Å"isms† which plague our communities, our states, our nation, and our world. They tell their story so that we, the younger generation, will understand the horrific force which anti-Semitism was in their lives. They relate their experiences to the struggles which so many people grapple with today. They will tell their story, and they will not rest until all people can live without fear and without denial, until all people can live with pride and with dignity. And when my grandparents are gone, I will continue to tell their story. I will tell my children about the men and women who were murdered for no cause. I will tell my children about the heroism of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto who fought strength for strength against the Nazi militia. I will tell these stories to all who will listen. And I hope that you, too, will tell stories. As the Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel, once said, â€Å"Not to transmit an experience is to betray it† To the millions who died in the Holocaust, lie peacefully in your graves, for you have not been forgotten. To the survivors of the Holocaust, rest assured that we have listened to your stories. We have learned by your examples and we, too, will fight for freedom and peace. May no person around the globe again fall to his or her death murmuring, â€Å"How could this happen?†