Misuse of power Essay Example for Free

Misuse of power Essay The Crucible is largely concerned with the abuse and misuse of power in Salem. Discuss with reference to any three characters. The misuse of power in The Crucible leads to horrible suffering and even the deaths of some innocent people, in the town. Some characters in the play misuse their power towards other characters; some characters misuse their power in the courtroom and some misuse their power in religion (in church). In this essay I intend to look at the misuse of power focusing on the characters of Abigail Williams, Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Abigail Williams Misuses her power extensively throughout the play. She has most of the adults in Salem believing that she is a sweet innocent girl and so is never accused or suspended of doing anything sinful or unlawful. She also has most of the girls of Salem obeying her, due to a mixture of respect and fear, fear of Abigail and also a fear of getting in trouble for the dancing. The women of Salem are also afraid of Abigail as she could quite easily accuse them of witchcraft with no questions asked, as she is known to be sweet and innocent. Abigail did have power over John Proctor when he was having an affair with her, as he lusted after Abigail. Although she no longer has power over John Proctor as he learns during the play what she is really like when he turns her down. In act 3 of The Crucible Abigail seems to have power over court officials. When Abigail is accusing Mary Warren of witchcraft in the courtroom, Governor Danforth begins to question Abigail. Abigail replies with shock and says that she is hurt, Governor Danforth then swiftly backs off. Abigail then begins to threaten Danforth with how hell could take him in: think you be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it. Danforth then seems to be wary of Abigail in the next reply to her, the book describes what he says as apprehensively. Danforth has began to be aware of what Abigail is doing and decided to not get in her way or upset her, as he didnt want her to accuse him of being in contact with the Devil. If she did this it would be him on trial as well as all the others. Another point about Abigail is that she is a liar and she is very good at it. This is how she is so respected by some people and feared by others. In my opinion the reason Abigail is so manipulative and weird, and also seems to have no feeling or a conscience, is because her parents were murdered by Indians in front of her. She describes this to the girls in a hard-hearted way, which shows that her emotions have all been drained apart from her love/lust for proctor and her jealously of Elizabeth. Reverend Parris misuses his power in The Crucible because he does not think the townspeople of Salem respect his position as a man of God. The Churches power at that time was very strong and so Reverend Parris has no problem in using his power the wrong way. The way in which he misuses his power is mostly from the pulpit of the church in his sermons. He believes that the church is the authority of all people in the town. He also believes himself an authoritative figure. He believes that anyone who does not commit his or her lives to the church should be questioned. He also demands that the people of Salem are obedient to the church and himself. He says that if they are not obedient, then they will burn in hell. Reverend Parris preaching things like this in his sermon strikes fear into the townspeople, as they begin to think Hell is upon them and this causes chaos to break out, as they begin to yell and scream at one another. Reverend Parris hates to be wrong, in the courtroom even when he realised that he is wrong to accuse all the people involved, he still sticks to his beliefs however wrong they may be. Parris causes innocent peoples deaths all because of his beliefs, stubbornness, selfishness and his misuse of power. I have reached the conclusion that the characters in The Crucible do misuse their power; the two characters I chose demonstrate this theory very well. Not all the characters in the play do, but there are many characters that do. This selfish act of misusing power in The Crucible is very influential to how the plot develops. Without Abigail Williams acting like a selfish, irresponsible strumpet, or Reverend Parris being selfish and power-hungry The Crucible would have lost its whole page-turning ominous, experience.

Representation Of Women In Advertising Cultural Studies Essay

Representation Of Women In Advertising Cultural Studies Essay Advertisements are one of the most cultural factors which mould and reflect society. They are a ubiquitous and inevitable part of everyones life: even if we do not read a newspaper or watch television, the images posted over our urban surrounding are inescapable. The advertisement translates these statements to us as human statements: they are given a humanly symbolic exchange value. (Wiliamson, 1976)   This paper will discuss the change and contrast or the representation of women in television advertisements. It will deconstruct two British adverts from the 1960s and their contemporary counter parts; as well as examine the idea of different notions of beauty for women and stereotypes relating to these notions and identify stereotypes relating to beauty. It will study the ways in which meaning is communicated through the use of these codes and conventions in television advertisements. Therefore I will look at the visual semiotics in each element of the advert which includes language, image and information and its target market and audience, hence analyzing according to semiotics. This paper will analyze the advertisements use and manipulation of stereotypes relating to beauty, ideas about body image and the maintenance of an ideal standard of beauty. Many theorists believe that perceived gender roles form the bases for the development of gender identity and thus it is vital to study the theories used to enforce these gender stereotypes and their shifts. Eaglys social role theory implies that gender roles based on stereotypes have been developed due to sexual division of labour and societal expectations. Eagly (1987) differentiates among the common and age scopes of gender-stereotyped features. The common character is categorized by elements, such as nurturance and emotional expressiveness, mostly linked with household activities, and thus, with women. The age role is categorized by characteristics such as hostility and sovereignty, mostly linked with communal activities, and thus, with men. Gender roles strongly influence behaviour when cultures support gender stereotypes and build up strong expectations based on those stereotypes (Eagly 1987). According to Deaux and Lewis gender stereotypes differ on four dimensions: traits, rol e behaviors, physical characteristics, and occupations (Deaux and Lewis 1983). This work is further developed by Berm who stated that Gender stereotypes are implanted through childhood socialization and are reinforced in adulthood. This thought is supported by Berms Gender schema theory, which presents the idea that children learn how their cultures define the roles of both women and men and then internalize the knowledge acquired as gender schema. (bem 1993) Feminist legal theory is based on the belief that the law is instrumental in womens historical subordination. There are two elements of the feminist legal theory. First, feminist jurisprudence aims to explain the ways in which the law played a role in womens former subordinate status and in the latter, feminist legal theory is dedicated to changing womens status through a reworking of the law and its approach to gender. According to Gunther women in television adverts prior to 1970s were not shown to be in paid work, and when they were, they would be stereotypical jobs such as a nurse or personal assistant. Housewife culture declined after the 1950s, but it was still common during the 1960s and 1970s (Gunther, 1995 :34). Content analysis of advertising in television during the 1970s provided strong evidence of the existence of stereotyping. All adverts which featured women showed three quarters were for kitchen and bathroom products. Men were viewed with powerful authoritative roles and provided the dependable voice-over (Ibid: 35) Research in the late 1970s and early 1980s reinforced a continuation of these trends, with men shown at work and women as housewives and mothers at home. Nonetheless, it became more common for men to be shown at home as well, in the role of husband or father, and the range of womens occupations increased (ibid : 36, 37). This is reminiscent of the Social Learning Theory. During the late 1970s women in advertising played a central focus on beauty, cleanliness, family and pleasing others. In the 1980s TV advertising started to conceptualize the idea of the busy working women by offering solutions to the working woman, who was assumed, would still perform household tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Pg 55Through the early 1990s, a study was conducted of 500 prime-time TV ads in the UK, by Cumber batch (reported in Strinati, 1995: 86),and it was deduced that advertiser had seemingly become vary of many years advertisers were reluctant to do anything different from the conservative stereotypical gender roles until in the 1970s and 1980s feminists took the protest to roads. Pg 55 Television audience are bombarded with images and slogans through advertisements. In 2000 Nielsen Media Research and Radio Advertising Bureau survey concluded that the average U.S. household, watched more than seven hours of television per day (Albarran, 2000). Audience subconsciously memorize slogans and absorb images without questioning them. This is known as the cultivation effect (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorieli (1980)) .The effect of this exposure produces cultivation, or teaching of a common worldview, common roles and common values. (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan Signorieli, 1980, p.10). In order to understand the change in female stereotypes we must apply a semiotic analysis to the advertisements in the contrasting time frames.Williamson (1978) stated that semiotics studies looks at any system of signs whether the substance is verbal, visual or a complex mixture of both. (Semiotics and Ideology (n.d) para.2). Ideology is the meaning made necessary by the conditions of society while helping to perpetuate those conditions. (Williamson (1978) p.13). We must first discuss intersubjectivity, (OSullivan, Hartley, Saunders, Montgomery, Fiske, (1994) p.157 158) As the audience In order to understand advertisements we must learn how to read them. It is vital to deconstruct them by the use of encoding and decoding. Encoding is performed by the transmitter of the advertisement message and decoding is a process accomplished by the receiving audience. The visual message is the most important element of a television advert because through it, its semiotic system of codes and co nventions it attracts potential buyers of the product. Most female personal care products target consumers by offering them an idealized reader-image (McCracken (1992 p.20). Thus television advertisements attract the audience by selling them visions of how they would like to see themselves. The codes and conventions on the advert have been transgressed by Dove which as a brand has taken a sharp turn away from traditional conventional ideologies of female perceptions. Advertisements must take into account not only the inherent qualities and attributes of the products they are trying to sell, but also the way in which they can make those properties mean something to usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The components of advertisements are variable and not necessarily part of one language or social discourse. Advertisements rather provide a structure which is capable of transforming the language of objects into that of people, and vice versa. Judith Williamson, Decoding Advertisements, 1978, p.12 (flake doc) WHAT IS TRYING TO BE SAID HERE!According to Gerbner ; common media learning has increased television viewing is associated with more stereotypical views, especially of gender (Allan Scott, 1996). Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorieli (1980) argued that for frequent heavy viewers, television virtually subsumes and monopolizes other sources of information, ideas and consciousness. Furthermore, the frequent viewers perceive the world as television depictions . (Gerbner, et al., 1980). Dove old advert The advertisements of the early 1960s begin with a male voice over. This man narrates the advert and his claims of Dove being new and revolutionary and this is reinforced through female narration. This can be said to be reflective of male patriarchy dominant at during the late 1950s and early 1960.The key word in the advert is new and is repeated, in each case before the brand name. The readers eye is drawn simultaneously to the models eyes and face, and the text onscreen. The Advert emphasized as the brand name and thus the text anchors the connotative meaning of the product but new is the first word you read. Cosmetics advertisers aim to reduce competition by conveying that their products are the newest product with the latest technological advances. Emphasis in adverts is placed on the new key property of the product. For example, Dove creams and cleanses your skin and boasts that other products only cleanse and dry ; here, there is a strong implication of criticism of other brand s and products and this encourages women to be critical of themselves and their peers in using wearing of out-of-date brands that do not embody the latest key properties or technology. The beginning of the advert contains a picture of the products packaging; this is what the audience is to look for when buying the product. The image of the dove represents Greek connotations of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love thus representing traditional female beauty and characteristics. Next the audiences see a perfectly manicured female hand , this continues to reinforce female notions of beauty. Once the product is unpackaged the bar of soap is curvy, this could questionably parallel the unpack aging of the female body which like the soap is also curvy. The words completely new are draw upon the eyes of the audience eye drawn and this point is reinforced by the narrative. The audience is introduced to the product by a male voice over. A Female voice over refers to the cleaning of the product cleaning, a subtle reference to the position of women in the home,  ¼ filling of bar may also be representative of cooking. She continues to talk about cleansing, the product cleans and creams and this is repeated and is reinforced to the audience. The male voice then reinforces the positives of the products; his commentary is similar to that of a scientists new discovery. Its can be argued that the mode in the advert acts as a guinepig for the experimental use of the product, it is her purpose to serve the male voice over. We are only able to view the models face, and towards the end of the advert her makeup changes as if she were ready to go out, for a date perhaps, and in this transformation she is rewarded by an anonymous male, whose hand we see as he caresses her cheek continuing to reinforce the previous Aphrodite notions beauty and love and desire to please in a patriarchal society and fulfill beauty expectations. The ad consists of a visual subject which in this case is the soap and an object, the soap bar, while subconsciously portraying the subject as the women and the object as her Female curves. This reinforces traditional gender stereotypes as the objects beauty is acknowledged by male presence. SANA U relocate this I will now introduce and analyze recent Dove television adverts according to semiotics. I am looking to see how the representation of women is conveyed and to see if the operation of patriarchy is apparent. I suspect that I will be able to deduce that all of these adverts operate patriarchy through similar ideologies presented through, images and articles in magazine about their products. The advert then shows the ordinary women having fun at photo shoot. In the new television advert the models are relaxed and it appears as if they are chatting to their girlfriends. The self-touching conveys the impression of narcissism, admiring ones own body and displaying it to others. Furthermore, in the firming body products campaign we are first introduced to the model via an audition we see real women, wearing ordinary clothing, jeans and simple tops and not glamorous silk gowns. They are all different shapes, sizes and ethnicities. The larger women unconventionally and ironically are wearing lower cut blouses. Next the audience views the women using of products in ordinary household environments. The use of a female voice portrays societal liberisation of women and her voice has a relaxed jovial tone as she refers to size 8 women. The female voice of dove, implies that size 8 women note real women but merely fictional supermodels. She refers to large hips and pear shape, this healthy fruit are Dove a promoting a healthier fuller figure. Women are in white lingerie this mirrors the color of the dove which is free and liberated. A twenty first century interpretation of the dove may be interpreted as the present greater liberation, peace and freedom which is reinforced in Doves new ad campaign. During the photo shoot there is a male voice present in the background. He wears black perhaps because he not as free and liberated as women and is confined to the antiquity of black which contrasts the free soaring spirit of Dove. In comparison to the1960s ad, the earlier is more informative about the product where as the new advert, focuss on the self in comparison to the prior which focuss on the product. In the new advert the narrator only names the products and reinforces that their tested on real women The absence of obvious sex appeal in this ad displaces the use of the product as a method of attracting the male. Instead the womans focus is on attaining for herself the advertised qualities embodied other women shown. The ad uses empowerment to sell the product because the majority of women in their late thirties or early forties who are considering firming products are likely to have already attracted a male. It is the qualities embodied by real women that the ad is making desirable, and then attainable through the product itself. Dove claim they have changed all this by revoloutionalizing societal perceptions of beauty. By presenting real women in their lingerie the brand expresses the societal liberation of female freedom and sexuality. Women in their campaign are not presented with traditional sexual connotations as vixens; hour glass body shapes, long hair, large bust, instead the women in the 21st century ad campaign are perfectly flawed. This campaign broke stereotypical rules and took beauty taboos head on. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (CFRB) textually reveals that CFRB employs feminist signs to reference a key binary resistance in feminist politics discussing liberation and oppression; in the presentation of an ideology of real beauty. This message promotes Dove as a mechanism of change to the view of societal perceptions of limiting and unattainable female beauty, a position influential feminists support in mainstream media and through corporate partnership. This analysis suggests that real beauty is a new stereotype within the dominant ideology of female beauty; the attributes of thin, young, and blonde are replaced by many shapes, sizes, colours and ages, yet the real women are presented to arouse public dialogue about their physical beauty while promoting Dove and its products; resulting in sexual objectification of their image. Also as the definition of real beauty embraces self-esteem, CFRB produces a demanding, oppressive beauty stereotype for female consumption than the do minant stereotype which emphasizes only physical standards. Ultimately, CFRB support the patriarchal view of female identity as a consumer through the ideological consumption of real beauty and fiscal consumption of Dove products. This analysis provides a history of the relationships between feminists women in advertising, and the assembly of beauty advertising to observe the construction structure of CFRB. In earlier decades the aim for women was to attract a man and be in a loving relationship. The focus has shifted, however, and the goal now is to be slim, attractive, and happy, regardless of lifestyle, and whether or not an individual is in a successful relationship or not. It is through inter-subjectivity that cultural identity is affirmed. Just as advertising influences culture, so too does it reflect trends and cultural values. Advertising in womens products represents a utopian view of the world and sells the product by selling stereotypical aspirations to attain the lifestyles or the looks represented in their texts. Henceforth, Margaret Duffy claimed that advertising, Popular academics have seen it as anti-humanistic, a creator of unnecessary needs and desires. (Duffy as cited by Manca and Manca, 1994, p.5). Unlike big clothing brands like Gucci or Prada for example, self care products cannot be identified by displaying the brand name in the actual cream or soap bar but instea d, advertisements such as this encourage women to look critically at each others physical appearance and gossip about how other women look. The old dove advert exemplifies elements of both the social learning and the gender schema theory. As we are socialized into our gender roles females traditionally have been concerned about their appearance and focuses on trying to please the opposite sex. This is reiterated by doves ad campaign buy the males reassuring hand of the womans soft beautiful skin. This social acceptance is reinforced by the gender schema theory which describes women as gentile creatures. Thus these two work hand in hand in a repetitive cycle. In contrast to this contemporary dove advertisements are influenced by feminist legal theory. The female voice over mirrors social power acquired by women in the early 20th century and after WWII. This is made even more apparent by the partly dressed models that break traditional gender stereotypes of beautiful pin up women as they appear in all shapes and sizes. FLAKE intro the second ad into the esay Chocolate seems more decadent than other confectionery because we have been sold this myth. The audience treats the signifiers in advertisements as though they are truths rather than our own constructions, which are enabled by refined publicity teams. This tendency to accept signs stems advertising has signified a cultural scepticism which in return has acted as the signifier for a new system of parody in advertisement which humours the system of unconscious connotations whilst achieving the goal of selling the product within the same system of denotations and connotations which it ridicules. The Cadburys Flake television advertisements of the 1970s and 80s depict young, beautiful white women in romantic dreamscapes, i.e. the poppy field, the Victorian-style bathroom, content in their independence, yet eroticised by the sexual relationship they share with their phallic chocolate bars The advert begins with the flake girls licking her lips, she then holds up the erected chocolate bar which becomes the central focal point for the audience. We are given time to read the name of the chocolate which then is followed by music. As the music proceeds the flake girl begins to unwrap the bar and slowly and places it in her mouth not taking a bite this may be interpreted to mirror the sexual acts. The girl presents traditional beauty appearance, her makeup draws attention to her eyes and lips her straight hair also represents phallic images and traditional beauty connotations similar to that in the Dove adverts of 1960s presenting the beauty of Aphrodite. She places the chocolate seductively in her mouth and as the sun shines behind her she enters into her sexual fantasy a beach with a back horse. This stallion may be representative of a man, strong, learn and being lead by a strong female from the 1960s. She finally smiles as she enjoys the creamy chocolate. Most prominent in this advert is the female voice over, this being representative of political change. . These images appeal to the consumer, who makes connections between the visual subject, the chocolate and the visual object the chocolate bar in contrast to the subconscious subject sex and the subconscious object the lack of the male penis. The substitution of the chocolate bar for phallic images is all the more erotic when the audience is exposed to close-up images of white females rouge stained or gloss-laden lips wrapping themselves around the brown bar. The attributes of the chocolate; its distinctive shape and texture are connoted into a meaning of sexual desire and satisfaction. These myths then become the Flakes identity. Flake has removed the idea of the Flake girl who traditionally has sensually nibbled the chocolate bar since 1959. The new campaign aims to focus on the beauty and delicacy of the Flake bar, as opposed to the Flake girl succumbing to the mouth watering chocolate. The ad features Russian model Yulia Lobova and 200 metres of yellow fabric. The fabric twirls around the model as a yellow dress in an analogy of the Flake bar. For the past seven months the UK Cadbury team have been working on creating a new campaign that helps give Flake a fresh, contemporary approach, said Phil Rumbol, UK marketing director at Cadbury. We wanted to focus on the beauty of the product rather than just the sensuality of eating it we consider Flake to be a truly unique product and its still going strong in its 90th year. The signifiers in the new advert are the colours purple and yellow from which the audience picks up on the significant code and recognises the brand. The floating women in the luxurious material signify the beauty and luxury of the brand and product. The material unwraps a woman where s previously it was the ale phallic. This advertisement can be used for a global audience, the lacking of language ad simple images sounds and colours relates to a wider audience. The models makeup is also subtle in comparison to previous flake girls. The traditional beauty and enhancement of eyes and lips is not as apparent. Flake old advert- influenced by feminist legal theory and like women rebels against the societal perception and position of women. This is exemplified by the female voiceover. Ironically this advertisement presents another female stereotype of the sexual women and not a home maker. This is a stereotype which was not taught during the early 1960s however female presence in society was seeing a change, perhaps Cadbury were attempting to create a new stereotype or perhaps trying to break traditional conventions and set new set new social learning theoretical perspectives. New ad- Cadbury has once again created a new stereotype but this time of not gender but of pleasure , presenting their chocolate not with sexual connotations. However Cadbury still use a female who is lost in some form of desire however this advert focuses on the chocolate rather than its The desirable indulgence in this ad is the chocolate itself rather than the subconscious portrayal of a phallic image. The fantasy is constant however the nature of the new adverts emphasizes on the changes of gender stereotypical roles in comparison to the old one. CONCLUSION Having explored the ideals of femininity in television advertisements we can argue that they are revealed to be carefully constructed in their layout, choice of colour, packaging and the product itself, text, language used, and which model has been photographed to represent the brands ideology through the codes and conventions it adheres to. In some adverts consumption of the product is implied to lead to being loved, cared for and protected by a man and this is portrayed as highly desirable in the case of dove. In contrast the new campaign shows a female empowered to stand alone without masculine approval, and to consume the product as a luxury for herself, not to make her more attractive to a man. Flake In conclusion the advertising has evolved from traditional notions of female stereotypes alternative to that of dove to minimalist advertising which is based on consumers socially acquired knowledge for e.g it will be commonly known for all the audiences the colours of flakes packaging similarly to this the logo of dove and the colours of the packaging. Even though gender stereotypical roles in adverts have tremendously evolved since 1960s while performing the semiotics of both the adverts an interesting pattern of similarity lead to decipher a rare connection between the new dove ad and the old flake ad. In the dove new ad the confidence of women to be comfortable with their appearance no matter how they look without male dominance and the confidence of the flake girl in the old advert to have her own fantasy where she leads the masculine horse figure shows power and dominance portrayed by both then dove women and the flake girls. It could be argued that Cadbury has been ahead of times in modern portrayal of gender stereotyping however it still follows the traditional pattern to gender stereotyping showing a stereotypically beautiful white Russian model while Dove has broken this convention and introduced a new form of gender stereotypical role. Creating new stereotypes. In addition, many television adverts carry an implication of women being confident, successful and strong. From closer study it becomes clearer that this masks the operation of patriarchy which uses representations of women in adverts to suppress the empowerment and independence of women in real life. Again Dove differs here from other advertising campaigns by showing positive images of women who do not conform to the unattainable ideal standard of beauty shown in other ads and Cadbury create a new implication of female empowerment. However such implications were evident in adverts during the 1960s. It is obvious that advertising plays a major part in creating and maintaining the consumer culture in which we live. It can be argued that if the public had greater awareness to the negative images in the mass media in reference to women, they would be able to distinguish between their actual needs and those created by factors such as peer pressure, advertising, and low self-confidence. Cash Pruzinsky (1990, p.51) stated two perspectives which form our appearance, one from the inside and one from the outside. The relationship between these perspectives is central when discussing self-esteem and body image, but it is our physical appearance which provides advertisements with their material. Despite this it is our feelings about how we look from the inside and our insecurities which enable adverts to work. Fiske says, An advert is only the inter textual circulation of its meanings, a set of unfinished meanings in process. Texts are not signifying objects but agents, instances and reso urces of popular culture. (1991, p.124 125) It is only when being read or viewed and its meaning interpreted by individuals that the advert becomes whole and performs the function of selling a product. Without human interaction an advertisement can only be looked at as a manifestation of the world surrounding it.

The NAFTA: Canada, Mexico And The USA

The NAFTA: Canada, Mexico And The USA INTRODUCTION The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect in the year 1994; it is a huge landmark in the history of international trade. Fifteen years ago, The United States, Mexico and Canada brought forward the worlds biggest free trade area under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It was the first trade agreement to incorporate the issues of the labor adjustment and the environmental policies. The key purpose of NAFTA was to increase the FDI and the Trade by reducing the tariffs and other hindrances for businesses between Canada, Mexico and The United States. These three countries are brought together into a trilateral trade and investment agreement mainly in the field of health, security, migration and environmental issues. The agricultural industry was one of the most government secluded industries in the olden times. The United States, Mexico and Canada had many trade barriers before NAFTA came into force. Subsides, tariffs and quotas are the most common trade barriers which cuts down the free flow of goods and services across borders. Subsidies are fund providers for the domestic markets which enable the suppliers to produce more which causes a boost in the price and reduction in the demand of quantity. The tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods which decreases the imports by laying too much of tax on foreign countries on their exports which results in the increase of the domestic supply. The quotas are restrictions made on the quantity of the goods imported. The main purpose of NAFTA was to increase the FDI opportunities. Effects of NAFTA MEXICO During the 1980s the Mexican economy was significantly deepened into poverty but today it has the strongest economy in the whole of Latin America. This improvement is mainly due to the economic policies laid in1998 by President Carlos Salinas in introducing liberalization rules for privatization and FDI. Since then, the GDP of Mexico has grown in spite of the inflation. The country has managed to bring down the inflation rate from 25% to 6% in 2004 making a positive growth rate in its GDP. It has improved its export trade, mainly to the United States which looks upon Mexico for its 25% of all the imported vegetables and fruits. And now, Mexico has become the foremost region for foreign investments. The climate for international investment has grown favorable for Mexico in the recent years. Though there were strict restrictions in the 1970s for FDI, the rules which were employed in the year 1989 reversed all the strict controls which resulted in the increasing inflow of the foreign in vestments which paved the way for the MNEs to invest in Mexico. The country has also made changes in their investment laws which now permit the foreign investors to have the major equity which is one of the main reasons for the increase in the FDI. Mexico was considered as a country with a large inflow of the international investments and gained the confidence of the foreign investors due to its positive economic growth influenced by NAFTA. Though NAFTA has brought several benefits to Mexico as a whole, they are unevenly distributed throughout the country. Mexico stands closer to United States and Canada in level of its development and NAFTA has brought a positive impact on the Mexican manufacturers in adapting the technical innovations of the United States resulting in the increase of employment. NAFTAs effect on the agricultural sector increased the amount of workforce more when compared to the other sectors of the economy. Since NAFTA came into effect there was no major intervention by the government on the prices of exported crops and are expected to remain the same. Mexicos productivity of the irrigated lands increased after the intervention of NAFTA, but the non-irrigated agricultural sector remained the same. A number of foreign companies have also invested and established new factories in order to take benefits and advantage of NAFTA. A survey conducted in the year 2006 showed that a large number of the Mexicans favored the trade liberalization with Canada and United States. Even though there are certain divisions wish to renegotiate NAFTA and whether to continue the trade agreement with other countries, the Mexican citizens have a positive view on globalization. UNITED STATES United States has the worlds third largest population and the worlds fourth largest land mass. It has the strongest economies which account almost 30% of the worlds GDP. It is given a unique position among all the other countries due to its political stability, size and accounting for about one eighth of the worlds trade and services. It is the principal market for both higher and lower income countries. NAFTA was the first most important agreement signed by the US for major immigration purposes. It paved the way for the country to do free trade, i.e. free flow of good without any border restrictions along with services and free flow of people across borders. It was marked as the first and foremost trade agreement to bring in environmental policies in the history of the US. After the implementation of NAFTA, the agricultural exports of United States to Mexico have increased thrice the amount resulting in about $10.6 billion. Since, the effect of NAFTA over the United States and Mexic o trade is small; the US labor market is also relatively small. NAFTA has benefitted the US agricultural consumers and the producers to use the comparative advantage in a more effective way according to the economic conditions. The impact of NAFTA on the US had both positive and negative effects; however, it has benefitted the country more positively than in the negative way. The main impact of NAFTA on Unite States was the increase in its exports to Mexico. Since NAFTA, the United States agricultural exports have been growing enormously, it has been recorded that 75% of Mexicos Agro products are being supplied by the US. It has also improvised the transportation systems in the country; transportation has been very important due to the increase in the growth of the agricultural products. After the agreement, the job opportunities in the field of agriculture have also increased and as a result of high income, the funds were used for the betterment of the environmental policies. CANADA A country with the worlds second largest land mass, Canada has a vital economy accounting for 37% of its GDP in 2004 of $980 billion. Since NAFTA was implemented, Canada has become the chief exporter of goods to the US; it has experienced a tremendous growth in its economy. Due to the large productions and the economic activities enhanced in the country, lots of jobs opportunities were created for the Canadians, almost 4.3 million new jobs were created in between 1993 and 2008. Most of the jobs in Canada are related to trade. The employment rate has also increased from 14.9 million to 15.7 million in the last decade. One of NAFTAs biggest impacts on Canada was its bilateral agricultural flow making Canada the worlds leading importer of United States and the Exports from US to Canada increased twice the fold between 1994 and 2003. Canada exceeds the exports of United State by exporting the live animals to US, and thus Canada has a stronger comparative advantage than that of US and Mex ico. The western grain transportation act was eliminated; it was a subsidy on Canadian prairie grain transportation and other crops. Canada faces larger adjustments in agriculture as its production is high when compared to its size. Vegetable products are the major source of Canadas imports, remarkable increase occurs with poultry, fruits and meat also. Though Canada has a free market capitalist economy, it has also adapted interventionist economic policies. The small scale manufacturing enterprises produces solely with high tariffs for the local market, these small scale enterprises are protected by Canada. These plants brought in more jobs for the Canadians and as a result the prices were high for the consumers which led to unproductive portion of the resources. The Canadian government has provided its citizens with a social safety net together with a government owned National Health Service; the citizens pay high tax to avail this service. The Canadian private industries do not p rovide any cover for health care. Even though the country suffers from problems of production in other economic sectors, it has the most competitive automotive plant in the North America. In order to improve the access of the United States wines, Canada has also agreed to liberalize the distribution practices, the wine listing and also the pricing of the wines. Due to Canadas legal systems, political stability and its immediacy to the vast U.S. market, the global investors have long been attracted by Canada. NAFTA has improved the countrys future prospects in the field of investment and trade by making the rules and procedures strict throughout the entire continent. CONCLUSION NAFTAs aim is built on lowering the tariffs, which are imposed on most of the goods that are being traded among all the three countries, the United States, Canada and the Mexico and gradually eliminating them. While The United States, Canada and Mexico experienced a trend for a net trade creation, NAFTA drastically improved and also amplified the bilateral trade flow in between Canada United States and Mexico United States. Due to the small share of trade to its larger economy, the impact of NAFTA on United States GDP (Gross Domestic Product) appeared insignificant. On the other hand, NAFTAs impact on Canadas GDP was high due to larger role played by the country in trade, especially with the other members of the NAFTA and thus Canadas economy was improved. The Presidential elections of the United States 2008 brought in consideration on the talks of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the tri trade block uniting the three countries namely the United States, Canada and Mexico. Since the accomplishment of NAFTA, the trade relations among the three countries have broadened and all the three countries have also grown in their economic level, Canada in its fastest average rate and Mexico at the slowest rate.

Krispy Kreme Case Study :: Business Analysis Strategy

Krispy Kreme Case Study Question 1. The chief element of Krispy Kreme's strategy is to deliver a better doughnut and to appeal to customers in new ways. They have taken great steps to insure customer satisfaction from the use of their proprietary flour recipe to their automated doughnut making machines. They have chosen to target mainly markets with 100,000 households. They also were exploring smaller-sized stores for secondary markets. Krispy Kremes's strong brand name, highly differentiated products, high-volume production capability and multi-channel market penetration strategy has worked well. With each new store opening there are lines waiting at the door all night to experience the Krispy Kreme quality. In Denver, more than 3000 people stood in a line extending for more than three city blocks on opening day. They have production areas in full view and a neon light that lights up when "Hot Donuts" are actually coming off the line. Krispy Kreme makes customers feel good about indulging. Even Krispy Kreme's name brings a smile to people's faces. Question 2. I think Krispy Kreme's financial performance has been good. Since its initial public offering in April 2000 it has grown from 140 stores to one with 218 locations in 33 states and Canada. Preliminary results for fiscal year 2002 showed sales topping $621 million, up 39% from the previous year. Revenues climbed 30% to $392 million. Krispy Kreme is a product company and the most profitable part of the business is doughnut sales due to the high volume of loyal customers. Many Wall Street analysts considered Krispy Kreme to be overvalued. Analysts said in April 2000 the stock was destined for the $15 to $20 share range at best, which is where most known food related stocks are located. Instead it had been hovering at a value of $40 a share for most of the year. The stock rose to a high of $54 and many analysts doubted Krispy Kreme's strategy and potential growth merited a stock price nearly 70 times projected 2002 earnings per share. I agree with the statement "the numbers just don't work." Question 3. SWOT ANALYSIS

German Guilt in Bernhard Schlinks The Reader Essay -- essays research

Every year or so, something happens in the media that brings us all back to the atrocities of World War II, and the German persecution of the Jews. It seems that the horrors of that time can only be digested and understood in small bites. How else can we personalize and comprehend a tragedy of that magnitude? Most of what we read and view in the media about the holocaust is a perspective from the Jewish experience. Recently, however, a question has been posed in regards to finding closure with that troubling piece of history from the German conscience. Can one German's experience reflect the tendencies of the entire country with regards to passion, denial, guilt, and finally justice? Absolutely, according to Michael Berg, the main character in Bernhard Schlink?s novel, The Reader. After being hypnotized for two days while I read this very interesting story, I would have to agree. Once I saw the startling similarities in the area of seduction, the door opened for me to see what I believe Schlink was trying to show all along. We are capable of behaving in quite extraordinary ways, but when all is said and done, we must live with the consequences of our actions, as individuals or as a Nation. Although we may deny the motives of our past actions, either good or bad, the truth does not change, and with the truth comes a reckoning, The book starts in post-war Germany. A fifteen year old Michael Berg is assisted by a beautiful older woman after vomiting in the street. He is very ill and needs months to recover from Hepatitis, but goes back to thank the woman, Hanna, as soon as he is fit enough to leave his home. Although Mich... ...anting to forgive the German war criminals, (Hanna), but being unable to openly because it would appear to condone the actions. He speaks of something being so horrific that the mind can become numb to it. What would his approach to Hanna have been if he had not been involved with her emotionally? The questions keep coming, with no easy answers. Michael tries to atone for his betrayal of Hanna by reading books to her on cassette, then sending them to her in prison. Hanna learns to read and gains understanding of the Holocaust. She tries to atone for her involvement by leaving her earnings to a survivor and after she dies, Michael attempts to carry out her will. The survivor refuses the money, and sends Michael on his way with no sympathy. This book leaves many of us quietly asking ourselves, ?What would I have done. It also demands to be read again.

Online Marketing †Grocery Retailing Business Essay

â€Å"With household internet access continuing to increase, the customer base for online grocery shopping is widening, while other technological innovations such as the advent of smart phones is further benefiting the market† (Source: â€Å"Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing† report available at www.MarketResearch.com). The grocery retailing industry has many opportunities inherent in it for online marketing, and the competitive advantages that it would provide. While local brick-and-mortar storefronts will always be necessary – due to the perishable nature of many items, the bulk and expense of shipping groceries and the occasional need to purchase something immediately – there are ways in which the internet can be leveraged to add to consumer convenience and increased profits. Providing online shopping is a possibility for grocery retailers. It’s very different than dry-goods retailers such as books, music, shoes and apparel – or services being marketing such as travel. â€Å"To date, sales of food and drinks over the internet have yet to make the same impact observed in other parts of the consumer goods industry, most notably books, clothing and electronic items such as computer equipment† (Source: â€Å"Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing† report available at www.MarketResearch.com). One way to leverage the internet – and I have seen this at my local ShopRite – is to purchase groceries online and pick them up at the local store. The shopper clicks on the items they want in an online virtual market, which are then gathered by a â€Å"personal shopper† in the store. The shopper then drives over to the market, pays at the customer service counter near the front of the store, from which an associa te will even wheel the cart out and load the bags into their vehicle. The potential is also there for personalization. By tracking online purchases, a profile can be developed with shorter lists of preferred items from which selections can be made. There could be a â€Å"standard template  order† (bread, milk, eggs, etc.) or whatever the consumer buys on a regular basis – which could provide a starting point, then be tweaked or added to by the consumer depending on their needs at any particular time. The system could become so sophisticated so as to proactively tell a consumer of an upcoming discount or sale price on an item. In this form of integrated marketing, For example, I’m entering an order and going to put an item on there that I usually buy. The smart technology has already prepared an item profile, and can tell me that it is going on sale in a few days, in case I want to wait to take advantage of the lower price. It could also inform me of a manufacturer’s coupon I may not be aware of – and send me to that supplier’s website for a printable or scannable coupon. Online shopping can reach more customers. Perhaps there are elderly, handicapped or other shut-ins for whom it is inconvenient to shop in a grocery store. So maybe they let a relative do their shopping, which would be at the store of the relative’s choosing. Now, the consumer can bring their business to the store of their own choosing, and simply ask someone to pick it up. Or perhaps they can drive, just not walk around the store. This could also increase the order size, since someone will be pushing it around the store and loading it into their vehicle for them. The opportunity also exists for a store to provide or arrange for delivery service to the consumer’s home. Increasing customer loyalty is another way in which grocery retailers can utilize online marketing to increase business. Many stores already have store cards with store discounts and coupons attached to them, as well as incentive goals to be reached with benefits attached. With online marketing, all of this information can be tracked. The coupons that print at the register and many people throw away or misplace, can now all be stored virtually and in one convenient place to be accessed when needed. The removal of expired coupons could also be automated. The opportunities for marketing in this space are vast, and we have only scratched the surface.

The Republic of Plato Essay

The Republic by Plato gives interesting and learned penetrations about justness. society. and authorities. Although written centuries back. I believe that Plato’s accounts and prescriptions are until now relevant in its philosophical statements. The construct of justness is in fact really basic and in its ain manner embracing of clip. as it richly prescribes how adult male can achieve this end of justness. The texts of Plato are an intelligent exercising in normative doctrine. He offers a portrayal of how society should be constructed and how society should move. which basically makes his prescription Utopian. His building of justness and society is something that I am agreeable with. as Plato’s justness is a complex value that is founded on the individual’s actions. Justice is so a virtuousness that is possessed and developed by the individual. which is therefore why the constructs of justness in Books 1 and 2 would develop into the prescription of the regulation of the wise – the philosopher king – towards the decision of the series. Plato fundamentally gives several thoughts. non concrete definitions though. of justness in the first parts of the series. The first book for case does non yet have any declaration on the job of justness. but Socrates in the book has debunked several constructs of justness. like for case it is non justice to harm others. This is something that I am agreeable with as the thought of justness should non be imposed through coercion of others. as the perceptual experience of what is good or bad is finally dependent on the judgement of the individual. who of class can non vouch merely determinations or can be capable to defects. Injustice was besides argued to be feared more than committed. which is why it is condemned. hence doing unfairness in fact stronger than justness is. This thought is something that is edifying so has unlawful actions establishes a signifier of societal understanding on how it would be penalized and deterred. Justice hence emerges out of the inexplicit contract agreed on by people to guarantee that such unfairnesss would non happen in the society. It was likewise mentioned that merely work forces are wiser and do better determinations. which is why the society should be developed from corporate actions and cooperation from its citizens. Besides. for Plato. justness is about the single committing to play out the function endowed to them. as it hence contributes to the promotion of the society. This would be the principle for Plato’s building of the Utopian society with several categories who are tasked with different things. I besides consent to the thought that felicity is an of import consideration as it would assist carry through the map of adult male. which is to populate. Happiness can be acquired by the merely adult male. as unfairness is by and large unhappy as it would convey wretchednesss to single. This is something that is so accurate. as even the modern society can happen societal order from the constitution of justness. as unfairnesss can ensue to perturb or sadness of the citizens. Justice can be more profitable for the society and the person than unfairness is. The 2nd book goes on to reason that justness and felicity can be found in basic necessities like nutrient and shelter. and that city-state requires an ground forces to keep public assistance. Even our modern construct of authorities and society would trust on ‘guardians’ as the group and establishment to guarantee that there is protection from internal and external coercion. Social order. which is constituent of the thought of justness. is something that can be maintained if there is a guardian establishment. Plato’s constructs in the first and 2nd book. particularly the thought of justness are something that until this modern-day period is a corporate value. This value is so an arguable even at times incomprehensible one that is capable to different readings ; but at the terminal of the twenty-four hours. justness. like Plato mentioned. is basically reliant on the merely individual. who acts harmonizing to what is good. and what is good is something following and being faithful to virtue. I agree with Plato in stating that justness is happiness and cognition ; it is so something that is hard to specify but fulfilling to reflect on. Mention Plato. ( 1955 ) .The Republic.Desmond Lee. Trans. USA: Penguin Classicss.