History of Vernacular Language Essay

Spanish has one of the richest and longest histories of any of the world’s languages. It is the fourth most-spoken language in the world after Chinese, Hindi and English. Native Spanish speakers exist throughout Europe, the United States, Pacific Islands and Africa (Penny, 2002). Spanish originated on the Iberian Peninsula which is located in the southwestern region of Europe. The vernacular language was not originally known as Spanish, it was referred to as Vulgar Latin. The Celts were a nomadic tribe from central Europe who moved into the peninsula towards the end of the sixth century (Penny, 2002). The Celts mixed with the peninsula’s residents, the Iberians resulting in a new people known as the Celtiberians who spoke a form of the Celtic language. By the nineteenth century BCE, the region in southwestern Europe was known as Hispania and the inhabitants learned Latin from Roman settlers, traders and soldiers. Soon after the people in Hispania learned Latin, a new language was created as a mixture of the Celtiberians language and classical Latin (Penny, 2002). The new language became known as Vulgar Latin which developed into modern Spanish. Vulgar Latin was similar to classical Latin but implemented many words from other languages. Spanish started as a native language dialect spoken in the Castilian region of Spain. After many years of conquest, exploration and forced conversion, the people in the region spread the language to a worldwide vernacular. The Spanish language belongs to the Indo-European family of languages and the Romance language family as the language was greatly influenced by Latin. The anguage took many years to fully develop and spread because of the influence of other countries. Towards the end of the fourth century A. D. , Roman control over the Iberian Peninsula had significantly declined (Pimsluer, 2013). The fifth century brought on the rule of the Visigoths who spoke a German vernacular which made it difficult to communicate in Spanish. The Islamic people invaded Spain in A. D. 711 which led to the spread of Vulgar Latin throughout the Peninsula (Pimsluer, 2013). The Islamic people brought their culture and Arabic language to parts of Spain. The effects of the Islamic Moors conquest did not reach all parts of Spain which contributed to the spread of Spanish. Many residents borrowed from Arabic but the residents of the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula preserved the Spanish language. The northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula was often referred to as Castile and by the eleventh century A. D. , Castile had gained enough power to declare itself as a kingdom. The Castilian people spread south and east throughout the Iberian Peninsula in Spain and drove out the Islamic and Arabic presence. As the Spanish speaking people moved throughout the peninsula, they spread their language into the conquered territories as well as surrounding territories. The Spanish language was known as Castilian during that time period and was often considered a prestigious language (Lopez, 2007). By the end of the fifteenth century, Castile and the Spanish language ruled a large territory encompassing the peninsula, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Latin had a significant influence on the development of Western languages as it led to the creation of many individual dialects. The Roman Empire gained power during the fourth century B. C and Latin spread throughout the Italian peninsula and the Mediterranean region. Speakers of Latin traveled in Europe and Central Asia which sparked new innovations in language (Sayre, 2013, pg. 264). Latin influenced the development of languages in the Western region of the world by serving as a basis for the creation of new languages. An example of this influence would be the use of Latin words in the Spanish language as a result of the Roman power in the Spanish peninsula. Native populations learned Latin first and then eventually developed new dialects and languages. Local residents often became bilingual in classical Latin and the newer language or dialect. Latin is the main foundation of languages in Western Civilizations. The languages spoken in Spain, Romania, Italy, France and Portugal were created from a hybrid form of Latin. Western languages were also influenced by other languages such as German and Arabic but the most significant influence remains Latin (Sayre, 2013, pg. 264). Without the Latin language, only a small number of the languages spoken today would be recognizable in their current dialects. Latin survived the fall of the Roman Empire and continued to be an international language for educated individuals and the socially elite. After the Middle Ages, the Western Hemisphere underwent a cultural Renaissance and many forms of Latin were transplanted into Western languages (Sayre, 2013, pg. 265). Not only did Latin serve as a basis for the Spanish language but it had a substantial impact on the development of languages in Western civilizations.

Effect of Eating Fast Food Essay

In the past, people in the Jakarta city always ate healthy and fresh food. But today, many people like to eat fast food such as pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken. Many reasons why people prefer to consume fast food. This essay will explain some negative effects of fast food. There are several reasons why fast food grows quickly in Jakarta. The first reason is changing lifestyles in society. In Jakarta, many people are working in offices or companies. The workers do not have much time to search for food because the working hours are very solid. Advertising is another reason. Jakarta is a big city that through advertising always informs new products to society. For example, internet and television report every day about development of different types of fast food. All of these ads influence people to buy fast food. Moreover, price of fast food is very cheap. Therefore, every day many people buy Hamburger, Pizza and other fast foods. However, fast food has negative effects on the people of Jakarta. The greatest influence is the effect on health. It can be seen from many people in Jakarta became fat because of these foods. As a result, these people will become less productive and have a condition such as heart disease and diabetes. Another consequence of the fast food is losing tradition of eating together with family at home. Now, children and adults rarely eat together at home. As a result, parents and children seldom communicate each other. The next effect is on the economy. Fast food is not too expensive, more expensive when cooking at home; however, all fast food comes from foreign-owned franchise company, so the benefits of these foods for foreigners. In generally, I think that a lot of people consume fast food in Jakarta because of the lifestyle, the influence of advertising, and low prices. However, I believe that these foods have serious consequences in the community such as health problems, loss of traditional family meals, and economic problems. Therefore, people in Jakarta should leave fast food for a better life.

Organic Foods vs Conventional Foods Essay

The purpose of this study is to test whether or not organic foods have more health benefits and are safer than conventional foods. The word organic refers to how farmers grow and process agricultural products. Farmers use nonconventional methods to fertilize, control weeds and to prevent disease in livestock. This study included seventeen studies in humans which carefully studied the biomarker and nutrient levels in serum, breast milk, semen and urine. The participants involved in this study were tested for pesticide levels. Pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, and leave trace residues. Foods were tested for pesticide levels as well as bacterial contamination and Escherichia Coli contamination. The study shows that eating organic foods in place of conventional foods lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritional than the conventional foods. The study did however find that consumption of the organic foods may help reduce exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria as well as pesticide residuals. I was shocked by the results of this study. I believe the majority of people have always believed that organic foods are far healthier than conventional foods. Organic foods generally cost 20% more than the nonorganic varieties. A good question to ask yourself is whether or not it is worth it to pay the extra money for organic foods. Although the organic foods do not provide the extra nutritional punch as once believed, I feel it is worth paying the extra money for these items. Any reduction in exposure to harmful pesticides may be beneficial to your long term health. Pesticides have been proven to cause skin irritation, eye irritation, nerve system damage as well as certain cancers and hormone disruption. The authors of this study did a great job identifying the benefits of consuming organic foods. I believe this is an area that will continue to be researched as we continue to learn more about the effects of the foods we put in our bodies. Christain Nordqvist (2012. September 5). â€Å"Organic Food Has No Benefits Over Conventional Food, Says Study.’ Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles249848.php.

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned - Essay Example The war offers an appropriate emphasis on the secretive war waged by the CIA in Afghanistan without the notice of American public, to avoid public debates and protests that accompany publicized wars. US department of foreign affairs at the time denied knowledge of US arm purchases for distribution to Afghan rebels. Even though, the US officially denied its role in availing weapons to Afghani fighters, mainly the Mujahedeen, the war in Afghanistan acted as a catalyst that facilitated the end of soviet empire. Though the US did not claim credit in the war, the Mujahedeen as well as other Muslims never considered the US as being crucial to the war success. The secrecy of the war bore unforeseen consequences with regard to the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan (Chodakiewicz, 2008). Consequently, US face tense relations with Afghanistan; therefore, the war offers a great lesson that interventionist foreign policy can result in unforeseeable negative consequences. In a ddition, it is apparent that the US profoundly lacked continuity in its foreign policy; even after the expulsion of Soviets, it abandoned Afghanistan, as it had no plans and strategies for the country’s future apart from the its revenge to Soviet. Therefore, Taliban as well as the al Qaeda took advantage of the situation since the US concentrated on the imminent problems, and failed to anticipate and neutralize potential threats (Jalal, 2010). Thus, from the war is that it is important for the US or any other country to deploy resources in assisting in times of crisis especially in wars and when the danger apparently passes, it should ensure stability has been fostered in the war regions. Another crucial lesson in the war regards the role of women in politics like heiress Joanne, who are important allies in political undertakings since they have the time, vision, passion and means for organizing extra-governmental activities. This is because American women can arrange parties , invite key players and inconspicuously achieve results using their charm and perseverance that enables them to reach the mighty. In this case, they fund or sponsor non-governmental propagandas attacks and at times political-military movements; therefore, women usually are the main supporters of public mediation as well as private undercover activities. Consequently, influential American women influence their wealthy friends to support generously any kind of adventure this is common, and does not only apply in Afghanistan (Michael, 2003). The other insight from the war is the concern relating to the informal aspects of democratic system like backdoor deals being the norm in congress, where politicians accepts perks in corridors, clubs and lobbies. Moreover, the system is often bi-partisan considering that obscure things mysteriously appear to be part of agenda and get voted in. Nevertheless, the war portrays the US response to be firmly rooted in the US’s rampant anti-commun ism following the disaster in Vietnam. Americans fear of the communism expansion drove them to support Mujahedeen, as replicated in the famous oratory used by Charlie in bolstering backing for his cause. This

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test Essay

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test - Essay Example Presumptive test yields immediate results to the testing staff. The staff therefore acquires instant snapshots of results and consequently decides on whether to issue a normal remedy or not (Paik 2011 p. 78). It is imperative that the test enables forensic drug tests to identify the possibility of a particular drug substance. Presumptive test applies principles of gas chromatography in isolating suspected drug from a given sample of blood. The second advantage that comes with presumptive test is that it helps forensic drug test technicians to narrow down possibilities in the suspected substance (Grine & Rackley 2010, p.14). After narrowing down the number of possible tests, technicians can easily decide on which particular test to conduct rather than use of many unguided trial and error experiments. Limiting number of possible test is beneficial to an organization in terms of resource allocation and time. Similarly, presumptive tests help to minimize the amount of materials and test reagents that trial and error tests would have absorbed.Forensic drug test technicians benefits from ability of presumptive tests to identify evidences that naked eyes may fail to see. Ability to reveal chemical properties of sample analyte results from use of various chemicals such as barium chloride reagent, potassium hydroxide and silver nitrate reagent (Paik 2011, p. 78). These reagents give technicians specific observable results that enable them to observe what naked eyes cannot observe.

Czech Republic country analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Czech Republic country analysis - Essay Example (4) Masculinity pertains to the degree to which a society supports the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power (â€Å"Hofestede’s Cultural Dimensions† 1, 2, 3, 4). (1) Czech has a slightly lower power distance index in comparison to the US. This means that in the Czech Republic managers treat their subordinates with respect, entrust them with vital work and may even socialize with their subordinates. This is supported by the fact that the Czech has a well-educated population (â€Å"Czech Republic† 2). (2) The US individualism score is substantially greater than the Czech’s. In the Czech Republic the social unit is more important than the individual. Therefore when running a business there one has to remember that conformity is not only expected but is also perceived positively. In line with this it is important to note that most Czech’s end business early on Fridays for shopping or traveling to their country cottages for the weekend. (3) The US has a fairly greater masculinity score than Czech. This means that in Czech Republic men and women are given equal opportunities and positions. This would definitely affect the staff recruitment policy for a business moving from the US to Czech. With less masculinity, the Czech culture prioritizes family relationships and quality of life over work. People work to live which implies flexible working hours and longer vacations than their counterparts in the United States. This could be a disadvantage to opening a textile factory because the workforce may not be as willing to work round the clock to meet the often demanding short lead times characteristic of successful apparel retailers. (4) The Czech has a substantially greater uncertainty avoidance score than the US. According to Hofstede this is reflective of a society with a deep and long cultural history and a largely homogeneous population. The high

The Negative Effect Of Middle Name Atsitso Essay

The Negative Effect Of Middle Name Atsitso - Essay Example These myths have made it worse for me especially in an effort to accept that name as my own. This name has really had negative implications in my life. As seen in the research conducted by Crook, it is in the shrines that bodies are laid and at times the reasons behind the deaths are very unclear (67). The author gives a good example of the ones at Bardney that were laid in a shrine (Crook 67). This explains the mysteries that lie in the shrines as the author claims that the ones at Bardney were indeed unclear. Relating this to my name meaning a shrine, I do not like this aspect at all. Persons may relate to the cultic features of the shrine to my name as well as my personality which does not sound good to me at all. In the work as well, Crook is of the thought that shrines are constructed using the remains of materials that were used to put up other buildings (104). A good example is that of Eadwig’s time when shrines were rebuilt using the old front and back plates (Crook 104). In the event that I relate this fact to my life, I strongly feel that I do not want anyone to call me by that name Atsitso ever again. In my opinion, I relate the construction of the shrines as an afterthought of other constructions. I do not believe I am a product of an afterthought. This hurts my self-esteem a great deal; that is why I forbid people to ever call me using that name. In shrines, dead bodies are laid to rest. Even after burials, some bodies are normally raised from the ground and laid to rest in the shrines. Crook gives an example of Aldhelm who was exhumed and laid to rest in a shrine (104). Who would want a name that relates to shrines and a place for dead bodies? This explains why I renounce my name that has a lot to do with ones and dead bodies. At times people ridicule me because of the same. At times people ridicule me because of the same. As the days pass, my personality is greatly affected and will continually ask people to never call me by that name.

Mathematics of infinite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mathematics of infinite - Essay Example Calculus passed along a dramatic path, with a history worth reminiscing and value worth appreciating. Introduction Calculus, is a branch of mathematics that deals with rates of changes of quantities, area, volume, length and motion of objects. It is also called analysis, real analysis or infinitesimal analysis. Calculus is divided into two branches: differential calculus -concerned with derivatives and the integral calculus- that deal with integrals (Calculus 2013). The invention of Calculus is basically accredited to Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). Newton and Leibniz’s breakthrough in mathematics had triggered a lot of debates and arguments from their successors which somehow contributed to the total development of the modern calculus that is existent today. The Birth: Calculus by Newton and Leibniz It is amazing to note that Newton and Leibniz discovered the concepts of calculus independently in separate periods of time, in years 1665 and 1673 respectively. Newton first discovered the subject although Leibniz was the first to publish his works in 1684. Leibniz uses symbols and notations and developed formulas obeying certain rules that transformed the theoretical methods of calculus. Leibniz’s study of the relationships of sequences of sums and differences has contributed greatly in concrete problem solving making it the essence of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. He also established the harmonic triangle forming sequences of sums and differences. Leibniz’ another major contribution is the idea of â€Å"characteristic triangle† where a triangle with a curve running along it has infinitesimal sides at every point of the curve (Leibniz’s Fundamental Theorem of Calculus n.d : 133-136). Newton established calculus based on three methods which are the infinitesimal, method of fluxions and the ultimate ratios. He also introduced â€Å"moments of fluxions†, as the amount of increas e of a fluxion in an infinitely small period of time. The â€Å"ultimate ratios† is his attempt to lay the foundation of calculus with the concept of limits (The Calculus of Leibniz and Newton n.d). Newton uses fluxion and fluent instead of derivative and integral. He uses infinitesimals for computations and provided more concepts about differentiation. Newton and Leibniz were not the first mathematicians that made the evolution of calculus possible. They were the first to define â€Å"algorithmic processes† and to set general notations. They formulated the inverse relationship of integration and differentiation in the most logical manner. Their ideas though individually and independently discovered by each one but resulted to be very related has made calculus to stand on firm foundations of knowledge which until now has been used and applied. As a general statement: â€Å"Newton’s legacy is more about the sorts of scientific problems that calculus has consider ed during the past three to four centuries, while Leibniz’ legacy is more about the way such problem are studied† (Burton n.d) Gray Period: Berkeley’s Criticism Newton and Leibniz’ profound usage of â€Å"infinitesimals† has disturbed many mathematicians succeeding them. Lord Bishop Berkeley is one of those who hurled stinging and serious criticisms to this idea. In his book, The Analyst, he exposed his judgment about the validity of calculus comparing it with religion. He derided the idea of â€Å"

World history new Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

World history new - Essay Example The Atlantic revolution is an epoch that yielded numerous interrelated revolts between 1770s and 1820s. The revolutions remain crucial in the light of world history because they define present politics, traditions as well as elicited the right to stage upheavals. The American revolution of 1775-1783, which saw America swim into independence from the British colonization and the creation of a new state, the United States of America (USA), can be linked to a sequence of the Atlantic revolutions. The American revolutionary wars, under the leadership of General Washington aided with his French allies, were directed towards the autocratic British administration. The period between 1789 and 1799 was an era in which the French Revolution was a major historic phenomenon. During the period, democracies substituted absolute monarchies, which led to a stronger France. Even though historians and researchers still debate about the cause of the French Revolution, they have settled on taxation schemes as well as widespread inequality as principal factors that led to the uprising. Also, the idea of the involvement of France in America’s fight for independence is seen as a motivating factor as the French learned from the American independence war. The Napoleonic wars were the central driver of the French Revolution, which saw the collapse of major monarchies and creating a leeway for the formation of new nations. It also spearheaded successive revolutions like the Russian Revolution. Prior to the French Revolution, the French society was segregated into three major classes: the monarchy, peasants and the church clerks. However, the societal stru cture was flattened after the revolution and France was publicly proclaimed a republic. The Haitian Revolution (1790-1804) was the force behind the independence of Haiti. The Haitian Revolution remains a crucial part of world history because it is unique compared with other revolution in that it was successfully staged by slaves

ITM 301 Mod 2 CBT - Principles of Information Systems in Business and Essay

ITM 301 Mod 2 CBT - Principles of Information Systems in Business and Organizations - Essay Example the help desk solve the problems of the customers to the maximum, the following are some of the essentials in setting up of a customer service department: 1. Define the objective. According to Ruby Bayan2, the organization has to first decide what is objective of creating a helpdesk. Are you planning to give expert advice or are you planning to handle the maximum number of customers or is your objective to have a personal touch. When the objective is clear then, it is easy to set our priorities in organizing the other resources. 2. Understand the customer: When it comes to understanding the customer, an in-depth analysis is required about the profile of the customer. The customers’ type of business, volume of business, the type of technology adopted, the kind of problems faced by the customers frequently and what is the procedure adopted to solve customer problems. When an understanding of the customers’’ technologies and help desk management, we can choose the kind of service we have to offer. So we can get an idea about the kind of software to be used to achieve our objectives. 3. Select the technology: There is always a debate whether to buy software or to build customized software for your organization. The diagram below shows the factors that have to be considered before making a decision by the management. According to Hoffman3, the decision to develop a customized software should depend on the competitive edge it can create. When a software is very essential to create an edge over the competition and if it defines the basic purpose of the organization, the cost of development of the software is justified. On the other hand if the organization can use an off the shelf software the company should buy the software to reduce the operational costs and thereby can pass on the cost benefit to its customers. The author suggests that the organization can buy a software and adjust its operations according to the software implemented which will require less

Assignment 1-5-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment 1-5-3 - Essay Example Issues like marketing, making information available, the value of a web-page, and maintaining quality online interaction with the audience are addressed in detail. The importance of a global presence in today’s markets is underlined and the value for both, small and large businesses is elaborated upon. The organizations that are reviewed by the book are case studies that exemplify the way in which the internet can become the most powerful tool in an organization’s artillery given the global conditions of most markets. Ghosh, S., (1999). Making business sense of the internet. In William Andrews Sahlman (Ed.) The entrepreneurial venture: Readings selected. Ed. 2. (101 – 116). Harvard Business Press This chapter from ‘The entrepreneurial venture’ is designed to aid a start-up or an entrepreneur to use the internet as a tool to enhance the venture. Entrepreneurial businesses are often unique in their products and services, but lack the visibility to capt ure a significant share of the market. Given the business climate, global visibility, and distinct visibility are the hallmarks of a business that does survive the competition that can be extremely threatening to a young business that is yet to garner loyal consumers.

Warrants Essay Example for Free

Warrants Essay The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (1) These words of the Fourth Amendment give the people protection against unnecessary harassment by local, state and federal law enforcements. Authorities have to go through a process to acquire a warrant to search homes, papers, effects and persons with probable cause. However, there is a rationale for a warrantless search. This poses the questions: What is the rationale for allowing warrantless searches, are those reasons persuasive and do all such searches require that probable cause exist or are there exceptions? The definition of a warrant is a writ permitting or directing someone to take some action. Often, the term refers to a writ from a judge; permitting law enforcement personnel to take some action, such as: make an arrest, search a location, or seize some piece of property. (1) There are many different types of warrants. Some include: a search warrant, an arrest warrant, an anticipatory warrant, and a no-knock warrant. A Search Warrant is an order signed by a judge that directs owners of private property to allow the police to enter and search for items named in the warrant. Judges wont issue a warrant unless they have been convinced by the police that there is probable cause for the search that reliable evidence shows that its more likely than not that a crime has occurred and that the items sought by the police are connected with it and will be found at the location named in the warrant. In limited situations, the police may search without a warrant, but they cannot use what they find at trial if the defense can show that they had no probable cause for the search. An Arrest Warrant is a document issued by a judge or magistrate that authorizes the police to arrest someone. Warrants are issued when law enforcement personnel present evidence to judges or magistrates that convince them that it is reasonably likely that a crime has taken place and that the person to be named in the warrant is criminally responsible for that crime. An Anticipatory Warrant is a warrant that is based on an affidavit that shows probable cause that evidence of a particular crime will be at a specified location at some time in the future. A No-Knock Warrant is a search warrant authorizing police officers to enter certain premises without first knocking and announcing their presence or purpose prior to entering the premises. (2) Each of these warrants must first be approved by a judge or a magistrate and must meet certain requirements. The authorities must go through a process to obtain a warrant. Only judges may issue search warrants. Search warrants must be specific and reasonable before they are granted by the judge in a court of law. To obtain a warrant, law enforcement officers must show that there is probable cause to believe a search is justified. Probable cause is the amount and quality of information police must have before they can search or arrest without a warrant. (3) Some of the specifics they must include are of the following: If one room of a house is listed on the search warrant than only that room can be searched. If other rooms need to be searched than another warrant must be obtained by law enforcement officials. If a vehicle needs to be searched on a property, a separate warrant needs to be obtained for the vehicle. And the warrant must be of reasonable inclusivity. (2) If these requirements are not met, then the judge will not grant the warrant. Courts use a reasonableness test when considering whether a search violates the federal Constitution. This reasonableness test preempts other state and federal laws. If a â€Å"no-knock† entry is unreasonable at the time police execute a search warrant, they must â€Å"knock and announce† their presence, even if they have a no-knock warrant. 4) This is where the Exclusionary Rule comes into play. The exclusionary rule prevents the government from using most evidence gathered in violation of the United States Constitution. It applies to evidence gained from an unreasonable search or seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. It is defined as a rule of evidence that disallows the use of illegally obtained evidence in criminal trials. (4) Warrants must be issued before authorities can search and seize property and if they do not obtain a warrant first they are violating a person’s Miranda Rights. Although in most cases a warrant is required, there are a few situations in which there are exceptions to needing probable cause for a warrant. A warrant is not needed is in a time of consent. If a police officer stops you and you consent to allowing him to search your car, a warrant is not needed. If anything illegal is found on you or on your property then those items can be confiscated and you can be arrested. Another time is when illegal items are in plain view of an officer during a traffic stop or during a routine police procedure. Items in plain view can be drugs, weapons, or stolen goods. However, plain view only comes into effect when the officer is lawfully on the premises. During a traffic stop, if a police officer arrests the driver of a vehicle, they are then allowed to search the car and its compartments for contraband and weapons without a search warrant. When a person is arrested in their house or their office building the officer is allowed to legally search the room that they arrested the suspect in and perform a protective sweep of the building to check if there are other people hiding in the building. And most importantly, a search can be conducted without a search warrant when police officers feel that the public is in danger during any emergency situations. (2) When driving onto a military base there is a clear sign that states the standing warrant that if you pass through the gates you are consenting to allowing the Military Police search your car if they feel the need to. And when you drive onto a base you are guaranteed to see at least one random car search every time. Not every situation calls for a warrant needed to search homes, papers, effects and persons with probable cause. Law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant issued by a magistrate or a judge in a court of law. If said warrant is not issued and authorities still search you, all evidence they find will be thrown out. However, there are certain terms in which a warrant is not required. The words of the Fourth Amendment give the people protection against unnecessary harassment by local, state and federal law enforcements.

Uber Business Model Analysis and CSR

Uber Business Model Analysis and CSR Part 1 Founded in 2009, Uber is a web-based transportation network company headquartered in San, Francisco, California. It offers a taxi-replacement technology platform that connects driver-partners with riders via a location-based app and operates in over 60 countries around the world. As the first ride-sharing business, it has become the term used when describing the service. South Africa is a challenging market to enter because of economic divide, national pride, and high crime. Ubers core competencies are its brand name and reputation from being a first-mover and a corporate culture created from effective talent management that drives entrepreneurship and innovation. This has allowed the young company to effectively organize drivers and vehicles it does not own. By being the first web-based transportation network, Uber has a competitive advantage over similar companies as a first-mover. As a first-mover, Uber has been able to understand its business model, customer problems, and the fast pace of technology. This has given them the ability to be both proactive and reactive to solving issues in a rapidly changing environment. Uber had a three-year head start in the market and took full advantage of it. Its first-mover advantage is firm-specific and used maintain its competitive edge to prevent fast followers from catching up. It has a bold history and used a beg for forgiveness rather than an ask for permission strategy to enter the market. The taxi industry is highly fragmented, deeply regulated and mostly stationary in terms of innovation. It realized consumer frustration with the status-quo taxi industry and solved the problem by building a disruptive business model to execute an aggressive strategy and apply innovation to provide immediate relief to the chaotic situation. Professors Henrich Greve of INSEAD and Marc-David Seidel of the University of British Columbia studied the role of how being a first-mover played in overall success. The two professors realized that first-movers typically had an advantage over rivals, even with an inferior product or service, because they learned from mistakes and became better over time (Greve Seidel, 2014). Only eight years old, Uber is a young company, but has already become a well-recognized brand. Its brand name has become a verb, synonymous with the online ride-sharing service. Ubers name recognition as a first-mover produces loyalty among current customers and attracts new customers to its service even before other firms have entered the market. As a first-mover, Uber benefits from economies of scale and a vast network of established stakeholders and resources (drivers, customers, employees, technology, capital, etc.), which allows it to increase efficiency and decrease cost s. Its first-mover advantage allowed the company to learn rapidly and obtain large amounts of data to create customer-driven marketing strategies, labor specialization and industry cooperation. Because of a longer learning curve, it can create customer value, drive down prices and implement more cost-efficient techniques into its business model. Uber is a cut-throat corporation with a large war chest. Founded in 2009, it is now worth around $70 billion and is the worlds most valuable startup company (The Economist, 2016). Its capital, gained from being a first-mover, allows the company to expand faster and take risks its competitors cant afford to. Uber established itself as tech firm and not a transport company, which allowed it to expand globally and bypass taxicab regulations. If it is not able to enter a specific market because of extensive regulations it implements capital-intensive battle strategy. Uber has been able to spend billions on aggressively fighting and disrupting ta xi industries around the world. It also has spent large amounts of money to boost innovation, diversify its business, and lock in strategic relationships with governments and other businesses. Its first-mover advantage has also been able to attract and retain the top talent shaped that has been able to shape its corporate culture. In business, culture is important because it attracts talented and skilled individuals, increases employee productivity and operational efficiency, and improves quality and reputation. Ubers culture is a core capability and firm-specific because it uses a highly paid, extremely motivated and specialized workforce who keep the companys mission at heart. The company created a customer-centric and data-driven culture that promotes creativity and encourages passion. Its culture is based around value creation and uncovering This culture was created from its differentiating brand identity, which allowed it to capture and preserve a dynamic group of top talent. Its first-mover advantage, cool image and unique brand identity has created a staff of intrapreneurial millennials by attracting and retaining a workforce of intelligent young talent from all over the world to create its dynamic and innovative-driven. Most of Ubers employees are between the ages of 25 and 35. It is also one of the fe w companies in Silicon Valley that hires large amounts of employees with PHDs. Its business model is driven by its culture and has earned it a reputation of providing an enhanced user experience, translating to higher customer satisfaction and increased revenue. Its corporate culture has led to great innovation and Ubers pioneering technology with its verified drivers and cars, its dual-rating system that improves customer satisfaction and user confidence, and has allowed Uber to deliver a premium level of reliable service at an affordable rate. Its intelligent and aggressive culture created the atmosphere to bypass high barriers of entry into the taxi industry. To promote itself, the ride-sharing technology company creates strategic partnerships and uses great advertising and marketing campaigns to promote itself, which has resulted in the companys high visibility and customer awareness. and an unlimited fleet of partners and vehicles has made it a global player in the market. Uber used its strong transferable international brand to enter and disrupt the South African taxi industry. The company implemented its brand and leveraged its current business model into the country by adding programs to address the issues it would face. Ubers brand had the chance of suffering from location disadvantages in South Africa because of high crime and unemployment rates, but Uber was able to address these key issues early on, before they had the chance to hurt its intimable brand name and reputation. It improved safety features concerning its service. In South Africa, all drivers had to be verified and an annual follow-up was required to protect users. In South Africa, public transportation was slow and inconvenient. It low cost attracts mostly poorer citizens. There are safety concerns with the taxi services in the country because of high crime and taxi turf war. This issue is increased because taxi drivers only accept cash payments. Ubers main coemption will be against Zebra Cabs, a South African metered cab service South Africa is a technological country where most citizens are technology-savvy. Uber used its disruptive technologies to enter the country by adapting and offering technology that catered to local needs. Uber uses great technology to bring riders and driver partners together. Africa has a huge potential market for Uber and South Africa is the most economically developed country on the African continent Part 2 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), With the rise of technology, the world and the business environment has become more globalized and transparent. Multinational Corporations (MNC) compete in a global arena. In the realm of rapidly moving business environments and an increased rate of globalization, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become more significant and apparent. The society of the world has put substantial pressure on these global firms to make them responsible for activities and actions. CSR can be simply summarized as doing the right thing. It is concerned with how the activities of firms have an impact of the fundamental, economic, and social impact on society. Still a relatively young subject, CSR Kim Kercher examined History, Research and Writings on CSR The concept of corporate social responsibility is a relatively young subject matter, mainly a product of the 20th century, especially the last 70 years. Its roots can be traced back centuries further, but formal writing on the subject has been a product of recent times. Archie B. Carroll traced the evolution of modern CSR back to 1950s (Carroll, 1999). Before the 1950s, CSR was referred to simply as social responsibility (SR), possibly because these periods preceded the era of corporate influence and dominance. The contemporary idea of CSR was established by Howard R. Bowen, known as the Father of CSR because of his early and influential work. In his landmark book Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, Bowen believed that the worlds largest businesses were vital centers of power and decision making and the activities of these specific firms affected the lives and aspects of many (Morrison Bridwell, 2011). In his 1953 publication, Bowen argued that corporate responsibility encom passes more than following the law and reaches beyond a legal scope. Bowens social responsibility doctrine explained the responsibilities businesses owners had and how they must protect humanity from the harmful side effects of certain business activities by implementing policies and rigorously following them. The 1960s were significant in the history of corporate social responsibility. The depth of CSR began to expand in the 1960s as one of its first and most influential writers, Keith Davis (1960), defined social responsibility as businessmens decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest and that being socially responsible would pay the company back in the long run, through an increase of economic gain. In his piece, the Iron Law of Responsibility, Davis observed that businessmen were more worried about profit and immediate economic interests than they were about other important subjects. He broadened the thought s of Bowens Social Responsibilities of the Businessman by stating that social responsibilities of businessmen need to commensurate with their social power. Davis argued social responsibility should consider the environment and other issues regarding public welfare issues and that the power of corporations must continuously be checked by social responsibility. The term CSR was first used in the 1970s and became widespread due to globalization. Core Characteristics and Benefits According to Sen and Korschun, CSR is driven by stakeholder relations, social obligations and marketing (Sen Korschun, 2006). Every firm is responsible and held accountable to its stakeholders. In spite of many efforts to create a clear and impartial definition of CSR, there is still no universally correct definition for the concept. While the fundamental features of CSR are visible in the practice and remain the core characteristics of the concept, hardly any definition includes them all. Aminu Ahmadu Hamidu, Harashid Md Haron, Azlan Amran (2015) state that corporate social responsibility has six characteristics: Voluntary, Internalizing or Managing Externalities, Multiple Stakeholder Orientation, Alignment of Social and Economic Responsibilities, Practices and Values, and Beyond Philanthropy. Strategic CSR Corporate social responsibility has become a standard business practice in the business environment, even more so for multinational corporations. CSR has been implemented into global branding and is the core of many business strategies in order to promote long term growth. Jevons and Polonsky (2009) believe that todays multinational corporations must view CSR from a strategic view within the global arena. With an advance of technology and faster communication channels, consumers are more aware on world and business events. Studies have shown that the ethical conduct of firms has a great influence on the purchasing decisions of consumers. In an investigation by Environics International, more than twenty percent of consumers stated their purchases were companies based solely on how they perceived the business (Mohanty, 2008). With increased interest from customers and other stakeholders (employees, suppliers, investors, communities, and activist groups), there is a growing demand for g reater disclosure. Because of this, organizations and the individuals within them must consider its complexity and explore it to better understand how it is related to branding strategies. Because these multinational firms operate in several business environments, they must be able to relate each set of responsibilities at numerous points, encompassing a variety of company activities (Valor, 2007). Strategic CSR is used to help firms achieve a positive impact on society while maximizing the shared value for all the organizations stakeholders. The notion of share value creation derived from Professor Michael Porters theory of competitive advantage (Porter, 2011). This theory suggests that firms need a structuralist view to create a strategic share value for competitive thinking. By implementing this strategy, firms are able to defend themselves against competitors. Firms use strategic CSR in the daily operations of the firm and is central to the activities of the firm value creation system.ÂÂ   Werther and Chandler (2005) examined several multinational companies and found out that global brands are often central to competitive strategy and work by guaranteeing consumers are provided the best in quality, consistency, and security. By delivering customers guarantees, these brands can reduce costs while increasing profits. Studies have discovered the positive effect of CSR practices on profitability and other performance measures (Goyal et. al, 2013). The publics expectation of firms is that they will function in humanitys best interests. With the rise of technology and social media, the importance of CSR is intensified. David Woods studied the correlation of revenue and CSR and found out that CSR is not only ethical, but profitable, especially in regards to long term gains (Woods, 2011). Woods wrote that studies have shown that organisations that had a genuine commitment to CSR substantially outperformed those that did not, with an average return on assets 1 9 times higher. Kellie McElhaney (2007) believes that CSR is more of a strategy than a concept. McElhaney does not believe that CSR is a remedy to the problems that affect the planet, its inhabitants and the global business environment, but a practicable and essential element of overall business strategy. McEkhaney believes to be more effective, strategic CSR needs to be aligned with the core business objectives and core competencies of the organization. Matthews (1982) believes that corporations are not monolithic entities, but organizations administered and controlled by individuals and attached in the societies in which they operate. Because of this aspect, CSR must reflect the human element of firms and contribute to their communities and overall society. Impact of Globalization on CSR Professor Roland Robertson defines globalization as the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole (Robertson, 1992). Consumers are no longer restricted to their smaller-scaled home markets and now have access to a vast international market. Globalization, especially for multinational corporation, brings more opportunities and benefits, but also creates ethical issues and other problems when dealing in foreign countries. CSR covers a wide range of interests and the rapid rate of globalization has led certain corporations and developing countries to become significant players in the world economy. However, developing countries with emerging economies have critically encountered an abundant amount of issues (religious, governmental, social, cultural, environmental, etc.) Rhys Jenkins (2005) studied the effects of globalization on CSR and its influence on society. Jenkins notes that the present movement and concentration of global CSR today dates back to the early 1990s. This movement led to the international rise of CSR, global deregulation, the creation of development agencies, increased foreign investment, and the reduction of poverty, but played a major part in the shrinking role of national governments. With globalization and corporate responsibility intertwined in an increasingly competitive market, the influence and responsibility of business firms is increased while the control of governmental bodies is reduced. Historically, national governments depended on regulatory measures to bring societal and ecofriendly purposes to the business sector. Verma (2015) claims that dwindling government resources, combined with a suspicion of regulations created a search for voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives which reduced the power of governments. Scherer and Palazzo (2011) assert that it is crucial to shift towards a larger, politically-centric concept of CSR, especially in a globalized world. Because of globalizatio n, the authority of national governments is getting weaker when it comes to regulating the activities of global firms. Governments around the world are in a constant battle (and race to implosion) with other countries in order to win the competition. Corporations must practice morally and promote ethical decision making standards in order to avoid political conflict and the societal consequences. Global firms are not only responsible of their in-house activities, but also for the activities of their suppliers and partners. Due to an exploitation of child labor from its suppliers, Nike faced a global consumer boycott and had to make extensive enhancements in the working environments of its various supplier plants (Brause, Locke and Qin, 2007). While some activities and practices may reduce costs and legal in some parts of the world, partaking in these unethical business practices may be considered immoral and damage the publics perception of the company. The Future of CSR Bowen, H.R., 2013. Social responsibilities of the businessman, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. Hamidu, A.A., Haron, H.M. Amran, A., 2015. Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review on Definitions, Core Characteristics and Theoretical Perspectives. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4). Jenkins, R., 2005. Globalization, Corporate Social Responsibility and poverty. International Affairs, 81(3), pp.525-540. Locke, R.M., Qin, F. and Brause, A., 2007. Does monitoring improve labor standards? Lessons from Nike. ILR Review, 61(1), pp.3-31. MacMillan, D. Demos, T., 2015. Uber Valued at More Than $50 Billion. The Wall Street Journal. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-valued-at-more-than-50-billion-1438367457 [Accessed February 21, 2017]. Matthews, J.B., 1982. Can a corporation have a conscience?, Boston: Graduate School of Business, Harvard University. McElhaney, K., 2007. Strategic CSR. Sustainable Enterprise Quarterly, 4(1), pp.1-7. Morrison, E. and Bridwell, L., 2011, January. Consumer Social Responsibility-The True Corporate Social Responsibility. In Competition Forum (Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 144). American Society for Competitiveness. Mohanty, R.P., 2008. Quality management practices, New Delhi: Excel Books. Polonsky, M. and Jevons, C., 2009. Global branding and strategic CSR: an overview of three types of complexity. International Marketing Review, 26(3), pp.327-347. Porter, Michael E. Competitive advantage of nations: creating and sustaining superior performance. Simon and Schuster, 2011. Robertson, R., 2011. Globalization: social theory and global culture, London: Sage. Scherer, A.G. and Palazzo, G., 2011. The new political role of business in a globalized world: A review of a new perspective on CSR and its implications for the firm, governance, and democracy. Journal of management studies, 48(4), pp.899-931. Seidel, H.R. Marc-David, G.L., 2014. Being Early Beats Being Better. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2014/06/being-early-beats-being-better [Accessed February 23, 2017]. Sen, S. Korschun, B., 2006. The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Strengthening Multiple Stakeholder Relationships: A Field Experiment. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(2), pp.158-166. The Economist, 2016. Uberworld. The Economist. Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21706258-worlds-most-valuable-startup-leading-race-transform-future [Accessed February 21, 2017]. Valor, C., 2007. A global strategic plan for corporate philanthropy. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(3), pp.280-297. Verma, L., 2015. Impact of Corporate Social Responsibilities in Modern Business Environment. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, p.580.

The Visitor Motivations To Attend Events Tourism Essay

The Visitor Motivations To Attend Events Tourism Essay Motivation or the drive to attend events can be of generic nature. Benefits associated with it also plays a motivational role. Leisure and travel especially having quality time with family and friends in addition to enjoy that sense of belonging give reason to attend events. Events pull people from all corners, socializing can be one of the many interest which drives oneself to attend events. The sole purpose of creating events by social and cultural group is socializing. Planned events definitely facilitate socializing, i.e. people coming together and interacting. People attend events for generic personal benefits such as entertainment and simple diversion (we can call this escapism) and having fun. Generic Experiences are those which can occur at any event. These experiences depend more on an individuals state of mind and particular circumstances rather than with the event theme, programme or setting. There are some ambiguous and generic reasons to attend events like entertaining, a reaction to something or ones point of view. . The event might be solemn and sacred. Sports event can attract fun loving visitors. Any enjoyable, stimulating or relaxing event draws people towards it. (Donald Getz, p. 182). There are some specific event experiences which are considered motivational. These events are planned events. People seeking knowledge, with a learning objective welcomes a cultural event. They are able to know something new and appreciable about the culture. Engage emotionally and cognitively with places, people and their lifestyle, historical aspect, cultural performances, food and beverages, art and architecture of that place . Simply sightseeing, enjoying, entertaining or spectacle, does not constitute a cultural experience. Belonging and sharing among a social group, community or nation are reflected in celebration. Values come to the forefront. In many cultural events community itself is the theme of celebration. Cultural events are concerned with genuineness in experiential terms. For a joyous experience being one of the motivational factor, festival and carnivals are attended by visitors. These festivals and carnivals depict a wide range of themes. These festivals can be sacr ed and religious. The carnivals associated with wild and boisterous merry making. The festivals may embody rituals. These festivals and carnivals entertain the attendants, provide a party atmosphere, these seem to be the drive which attract the visitors. The entire experience is dependent on the visitors involvement, their thinking, their approach (Donald Getz, p. 183). The developed souls are drawn towards spiritualism and religion. Any event associated with spiritualism and religion motivates them to attend. Events associated with transcend, to discover self, rapture, ecstasy, revelation with intense religious or spiritual experiences are more than enough to motivate these souls to attend the spiritual and religious events. There are significant differences between being religious and being spiritual. Spiritual refers to personal belief, a search for meaning in ones life, and so any tourist could have a spiritual experience in a sacred place or alongside religious pilgrims. (Timothy and Olsen , 2006, p 271) There are possibilities for spiritual experiences being incorporated into, or modifying mans common forms of tourism, from nature tours to attending farm shows and harvest festivals, food and wine tastings to spa visits. While often associated with visits to sacred places, spiritual experiences are also realized through meditation, exploring and performing rituals. In this sense the search for meaning in life can propel, almost invisibly, many leisure and travel activities or events. (Reisinger, 2006) A rite of passage and a transforming experience, the pilgrimage a special event in a persons life. A quest, a journey and an experience of a sacred place acts as motivational factors for this type of event. A pilgrimage is conceptualized as a special event in a persons life. There are well defined events for religious pilgrimage. The main motive of this event is to purify, repent, sacrifice and praise. In some cases it gains special status, making it a transforming process, at least in symbolic terms for e.g. on completion of the Hajj, one becomes Hajji. (Donald Getz, p. 184). Many tourism scholars now speak of secular pilgrimages or secular events , such as a golfers pilgrimage to St Andrews in Scotland (the generally recognized birthplace of the game) or a wine lovers pilgrimage to the regions in which favourite wines are produced. Gammon (2004) wrote (p. 40): pilgrimage.., will include a journey of some kind to a place (or places) which holds personal and/or collective meaning to the pilgrim The experience might provoke awe and wonderment, whether at a sport shrine or a holy event. (Donald Getz, p. 185) Within special interest groups, or sub-cultures, certain events have prestige and become must-see, must-do icons. For example, marathon runners strive to qualify for the Boston Marathon, making participation in that event almost like a pilgrimage. Does this apply to music concerts or other types of events? Could consumer researchers identify an evoked set of events that people just have to attend because of their symbolic value? (Donald Getz, p. 185) Many political and state events have a high degree of formality, pomp and ceremony attached to them. Terms like stately. regal or dignified might be used to describe the mood. Attendance to these events is to protest, participate or report on depending on what access the visitor have to the VIPs, and how they interact with security. For the politicians in attendance there should be dialogue, negotiation and public displays of diplomacy. (Donald Getz, p. 185) By labelling entertainment an industry, society has created a social construct that depicts many forms of planned events (especially concerts, award shows and sports. but even festivals and art exhibitions) as entertainment. Events, for many, have become legitimate outlets for consumerism where time is spent and money oblivious to, or unwanting of, any deeper experience or meaning than short-lived amusement. This, of course, is a dangerous thing for anyone concerned about the arts, cultural authenticity or social values. (Donald Getz, p. 185) Aesthetic judgement concerns art but is value laden and relative. What one person finds attractive, another might describe as boring or disgusting. An aesthetic experience, however, is one in which we find something to be pleasing to us. It can be the aesthetic appreciation of paintings, food, fashion or music. Designers take note: aesthetic experiences are valued, and they motivate a great deal of travel and consumption. (Donald Getz, p. 185) Authenticity is widely considered by academic scholars to be a crucial factor in visitors motivation to attend any event. In the heritage event, arena authenticity is a widely used marketing tool. If an event is authentic, then the attendee gains both in self-fulfillment because it is perceived to be a more valuable experience but also because it provides greater status and prestige to them when discussing the visit with friends. However, it is important to remember that the degree of authenticity ascribed to the event is often different to different people. A visitors perception of authenticity depends. however, upon their own understanding of culture and appreciation of art forms, such as dance or music, as well as their taste and educational level. It is also affected by external factors such as overcrowding, weather and traffic on the journey there. Similarly to motivation, each individuals perception of authenticity will be different. Visitors accept, and even expect, a certain level of staging and inauthenticitv in events, which do not necessarily detract from the value of that experience, but are seen as intrinsic. Authenticity can be existential, in visitors minds rather than an actual reality. (Peter Robinson, Debra Wale, Geoff Dickson, 2010). In case of Food Events, Festivals, etc the main motivation at the enterprise level is to create relationships with customers and consumers. The opportunity for face-to-face contact can lead to positive relationships with consumers which may lead to both direct sales and indirect sales through positive word of mouth; increasing margins through direct sales to consumer because of the absence of many distribution and intermediary costs; increasing consumer exposure to products and increasing opportunities to sample products rather than through normal retail outlets; building brand and product awareness and loyalty through establishing links between producer and consumer; providing an additional sales outlet. For smaller producers who cannot guarantee volume or consistency of supply, direct sales via event is the only feasible sales outlet; providing marketing intelligence on products and customers. Producers can gain instant and valuable feedback on the consumer reaction to their existi ng products. and are able to trial new additions to their product range; and providing opportunities to educate customers. Visits to events can help create awareness and appreciation of specific types of foods and food as a whole, the knowledge and interest generated by this can be expected to result in increased consumption and purchase. (Telfer and Wall, 1996; Hall and Mitchell, 2001, 2008; Hall et al., 2003) Wine festival visitors are not alike in terms of their needs, wants, and personal characteristics. They should not be considered as being a homogenous group. It is important for festival organizers and wine marketers to recognize these different groups in order to implement appropriate promotional strategies. (C. Michael Hall, Liz Sharples) The single event case study is dominant within empirical work. Li and Petrick (2006) suggest that a majority of the studies pertaining to festival and event motivation have employed travel motivation frameworks which have been theoretically based on the escape-seeking dichotomy and push-pull model. Event attendance motives are multiple, and include cultural exploration, family togetherness, recovery of equilibrium, novelty. external group socialisation, known group socialisation, gregariousness and festival participation and learning.(Janet Cochrane, 2008, p. 236) In addition to the above and taking into consideration the characteristics of the Ulaanhaatar Naadam as a key sporting event, the growing body of literature on motivation for attending sporting competitions should also be acknowledged. Kim and Chalip (2004). in particular. have cast some light on motivations associated with fan interest (identifying with specific competitors) and the aesthetic appreciation. .(Janet Cochrane, 2008, p. 236) Although the practice of marketing is often reduced to, or confused with advertising and sales, it is best described as the management of the interface or exchange relationships between an organization and its stakeholders, in pursuit of achieving the organizations goals. Communications are a key element in this ongoing process. Marketing requires research to gain understanding of customers and other stakeholders needs, motives and choices, the effectiveness of communications, and the influences of price and supply. Its theoretical foundations lie mainly in psychology and economics. Customers are not the only group that requires relationship management that task starts internally with staff and volunteers and extends externally through facilitators and regulators. Events marketing is dependant on the visitors motives to attend the event. (Donald Getz, p. 278) Worldwide interest, increasing globalization, a growing television audience and exposure to the World Wide Web have led to increased interest in events as a reflection of contemporary culture. In some extreme instances, sporting events can stop the nation arid the world. This is certainly the case with some athletic events in the Summer Olympics. Two billion viewers watched Pope John Paul IIs funeral. The execution of this event was doubtlessly planned in infinite detail an extraordinary ceremony attended by the worlds leaders and watched worldwide. (Merilynn Van Der Wagen, 2007, p. 8) Competitive environment, countries and cities involved in bid processes demonstrate the competitive nature of event procurement. Many conferences and exhibitions attract thousands of visitors and their expenditure is generally much higher than the average international visitor, All over the world in China, in particular there are initiative5 to build bigger and better convention facilities in order to attract this lucrative segment. (Merilynn Van Der Wagen, 2007, p. 8) Economic and tourism impact, business, cultural and sporting events also contribute significantly to the economic and tourism impact on cities and even countries. Many cities and suburbs are branded by their hallmark events, including Edinburgh. Monaco, Rio, Calgary and Chelsea. Taken into account here is the direct expenditure of visitors and event organizers as well as the indirect (or flow on) economic effect on the wider community. (Merilynn Van Der Wagen, 2007, p. 8) Authentic or imaginative event products, consumers look for a point of difference and, in particular, authenticity when visiting an event as a tourist. Where leisure options are a dime a dozen, an event needs to provide the motivation to attend. In the case of annual events, the visitor needs a reason to return. WOMAD is an example of a popular and enduring event, held in several cities. WOMAD stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, expressing the central aim of the WOMAD festival, which is to bring together and to celebrate many forms of music, arts and dance drawn from countries and cultures all over the world. The organizers say they aim to excite, to inform, and to create awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society. (Merilynn Van Der Wagen, 2007, p. 8) There is an old adage that Nothing happens until somebody sells something-an observation offered by Red Motley, the original editor of Parade magazine, the Sunday supplement to the Washington Post. Nowhere is this truer than in the conference and event industry. The marketing process must begin at the outset of the planning process, during the setting of the goals and objectives of the event itself. Marketing must both reflect and drive those objectives. It must also integrate the objectives into one goal and enlist people into action toward the fulfillment of that goal. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p xvii) For example. an educational conference essentially has one goal: to educate participants. The marketing approach should emphasize the unique educational programs that this event will offer the attendee. Many vague promotions begin with You Are Invited to Attend. . . or something limpid such as Join Us for the 20th Annual Conference. These are far less comuelling uitchcs than those that proclaim: Learn How to Increase Your Profits or Ensure That Your Business Can Survive in the New Millennium. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p xvii) A conference might be designed to focus on a number of objectives such as, for example, education, entertainment, and changing the future governance of the organization. If this is our hypothetical event, marketing should drive all of those objectives. As an example. print promotion should proclaim that when you attend this event, you will learn Techniques for Success, revel in The Greatest Celebration of the Decade, and discover how to Position Our Association to Succeed in the Now Millennium. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p xvii) The essential point is that the marketing must begin when the planning process is launched. Only then can it serve as the greatest integral asset to drive attendance, profits. and repeat business at the next event. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p xvii) Marketing should integrate all of the management decisions so that they focus on the goals and objectives of the event as well as those of the sponsoring organization itself. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p xvii) History is rich with examples of creative geniuses who have dreamed beyond the borders of the conventional in order to develop awareness and increase sales for their events. they all shared a commonality of purpose. namely, the three Es of Event Marketing: Entertainment,Excitement, Enterprise. (Leonard H. Hoyle, pp 1-2) Whether you are marketing a complete convention or a standalone awards banquet. all three of these elements are critical to the continuing success of any event. Entertainment, for example, is available everywhere in our society. Years ago, people had to make a special effort to leave their homes to attend the theater or a sporting event to enjoy entertainment. They are now saturated with convenient home entertainment options on television, CDs and DVDs, computers. and videos. Key to your marketing success is the need to provide entertainment that will once again compel your audience to leave home to experience something they will not find there, because what you are offering is different, unique. and designed just for them. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 2) Excitement may seem intangible, but it is real. It is key to making an event memorable. Excitement may be generated by entertainment that blows the doors off the place: the great band, the dazzling magician, the fabulous party staged in the atrium lobby of a resort hotel. Bitt entertainment may have nothing to do with the excitement promised by an event marketer. Many marketers miss the opportunity to promise excitement in other critical features of their meeting and other events. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 2) Excitement can be part of a tribute to an industry leader, a new corporate logo introduced at a sales conference, or a celebration of an associations anniversary. The point is that it should always be considered as part of an effective marketing plan. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 2) For example, the greatest excitement for an attendee may be the eye-opening revelations of that special educational program that advances knowledge and career opportunities and changes lives forever. Or it may be the impact of that keynote speaker whose motivational message will become a lasting asset, and cherished memory, for the listener. The lesson? In whatever you market. incorporate excitement as pad of the promise. And then make sure it is delivered. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 2) Enterprise is defined in Websters Unabridged Dictionary as, among other things. a readiness to take risks. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 2) The natural inclination of people to experience something new, to be among the first to be able to describe those experiences to their friends, and to become part of the inner sanctum of the new enterprise. They wanted to blow the doors off the place and dared to ask the impertinent questions. (Leonard H. Hoyle, p. 3)

Movie Essays - Comparing the Novel and Film Version of Joy Luck Club

Comparing the Novel and Film Version of Joy Luck Club   Ã‚   Wayne Wang's adaptation of Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club combines literary and cinematic devices by adopting the novel's narrative techniques and strengthening them through image and sound. The adaptation exemplifies not a destruction or abuse of Amy Tan's novel, but the emergence of a new work of art, not hindered but enhanced by the strengths of its literary precursor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Incorporating her family's own experiences as Chinese immigrants to the United States, Amy Tan tells the story of four Chinese mothers (Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, Ying-ying St. Clair) and their American-born daughters (Jing-mei "June" Woo, Rose Hsu Jordan, Wave... .... Pour une lecture sociocritique de l'adaptation cinematographique. Une publication de l'Institut de Sociocritique --Montpellier.1995. Drolet. Telling her stories to change the (con)text of identity.UMI Dissertation Services. Michigan 1994. Aycock, Wendell. Film and literature : a comparative approach to adaptation. Texas Tech University Press, 1988.

Unidentified Flying Objects: Fact or Fiction? :: essays papers

Unidentified Flying Objects: Fact or Fiction? Unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, as they're fondly called, are one of the century's most intriguing and controversial mysteries. Since ancient times, UFOs of all types have been accounted for. More today than ever, hundreds of thinkers, theologians, and scientists have tried to answer why there are or whether there aren't UFOs. According to some, the speculation that UFOs are alien spacecrafts from another world is an absurd and foolish proposal. Others vehemently disagree and assert that extraterrestrial life is not only possible, but such life forms may be superior, technologically advanced beings who visit our Earth regularly. Are these "flying saucers" a figment of our imagination? Or, are they a genuine reality we prefer to dismiss because we fear the scary truth that we are not the only master race? Are we hesitant because society dubs such "immature" psycho tantamount to subscribing to belief in ghosts? These are a few of the many pertinent UFO questions the mature individual must address. One of the most popular theories that support and explains the existence of alien beings is the ancient astronaut theory. This theory contains three main schools of thought. The first states that aliens bred with our primitive forebears thereby creating modern man. The second is quite similar. Aliens performed genetic engineering on apes thereby creating the Homo Sapiens and man's intelligence. The third, and least accepted, is that colonists from another galaxy came to Earth, mated with the primitives and established a high level of culture, before being destroyed by some natural catastrophe. And upon this catastrophe and destruction, we build and grow (Fitzgerald 1). Berossus, a Babylonian scholar, may have been the first astronaut historian. He said that " animals endowed with reason" bestowed the Sumerian culture before 3000 BCE. The Sumerians, along with their cultural inheritors, the Babylonians, never referred to such beings as gods. Rather they were depicted as "disgusting abominations," a description only deserved by uninvited alien visitors (2). One step further takes the astronaut theory and surmises that with it, we can understand the later religious cultures, such as the Hebrews who are thought to have borrowed much of Sumerian practice. Such religions and secret societies, with their elaborate and complicated rituals may actually be "preserving from a previous epoch fragments of an esoteric and little understood knowledge, just as the Egyptian, Hebrew, and Mayan priests guarded in their temples the inspired word of their self-possessed creators (3)." Alien originators may have set down certain

Mid-Semester Coursework Assignment

City University of Hong Kong School of Law LW3902 The Law Relating to Companies Mid-Semester Coursework Assignment Semester B, 2012/2013 Instructions to Students: 1. The assignment is worth 50% of the overall mark for this course. The total word limit is 1,500 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography. You must do a word count and indicate the number of words on the cover page. If a paper exceeds the allowable word limit, only the first 1,500 words will be read and marked. 2. Your answers must be double spaced, and typewritten in 12 point, Times New Roman font.Failure to comply with this format will result in a penalty of five (5) marks. 3. Indicate the course code and title, your name, student number, seminar section, and lecturer’s name on the cover page of your assignment. 4. The deadline for submission is Friday 15 March 2013 at 5 pm. Additional instructions on the submission of your coursework assignment will be provided to you on Blackboard / in class. 5. You must stri ctly adhere to the policy of City University of Hong Kong on plagiarism, which is a serious academic offence. Suspected plagiarism may be subject to disciplinary action.You may discuss your work with others, but you must provide your own answers. In case of doubt as to what amounts to plagiarism, please consult your lecturer. All coursework assignments will be reviewed on Turnitin for plagiarism and originality. 6. Any sources for your answers must be footnoted in the paper. You should cite authority (i. e. cases and/or statutes) to support your legal arguments, and these sources must be acknowledged. 7. Examples of proper citation: Case: Liu Hon Ying v Hua Xin State Enterprise (HK) Ltd [2003] 3 HKLRD 347 Statute: s. 75(1) of the Companies Ordinance (Cap 32) 8. Extension to the deadline for submitting the assignment may be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Prior to obtaining any extension to the deadline, you must first approach your lecturer well in advance with a reason a nd supporting documentation for the request. 9. Any late submissions without permission will incur a penalty of 5 marks per day. For example, for a 2-day delay, a student’s mark may be reduced from 80 marks to 70 marks. No assignment will be accepted after 22 March 2013. 1Instructions: Answer both questions. Question 1 (50%) Lee used to work as a chef at Golden Wok of Fortune, a famous dim sum restaurant in Mong Kok, Kowloon. During his employment, Lee gained a lot of experience in the art of making, preparing and serving dim sum. In particular, Lee learnt the secret ingredients for the restaurant’s special sauce, which made its dim sum items so popular. Since he was a child, Lee had dreamed of starting his own dim sum business, and after many years of dedicated service to Golden Wok of Fortune, Lee decided to leave the restaurant.However, Lee’s employment contract with the restaurant contained a non-competition clause which forbade him from setting up a competi ng dim sum business in Mong Kok within 1 year of termination of employment. It also contained a confidentiality clause which prohibited him from disclosing the ingredients of any recipes that Lee had learnt in the course of his employment. To circumvent these restrictions, Lee incorporated a catering company called Fragrant Kitchen Ltd. specializing in the preparation and sale of dim sum items for office parties and other special events.The head office of the company was based in Shatin, but had branches located in Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. Lee appointed himself CEO of the company, and was the only director and shareholder. The products of Fragrant Kitchen Ltd. were very popular because of its special sauce, which tasted suspiciously similar to that of Golden Wok. Lee also embarked on a very successful marketing campaign, with the motto: â€Å"Enjoy excellent dim sum in the comfort of your own office or home. Don’t come to us, we will come to you! Due to the attractive pri ces offered by Lee’s new company, many of Golden Wok’s previous customers stopped patronizing Golden Wok. Golden Wok has since become aware of Lee’s connection with Fragrant Kitchen, and is considering legal action against Lee. Advise Golden Wok. Question 2 (50%) Michael and Joshua, both of whom are freelance interior decorators, decided to go into business together in 1990. Michael contributed HK$500,000, a vehicle and some supplies and equipment to the business. Joshua did not contribute any money or assets, but agreed to work full time for the business.Michael and Joshua did not sign any partnership agreement. In the course of their long collaboration, Michael paid Joshua a monthly wage of HK $16, 000, and also paid himself out of the business bank account. Only Michael had signing authority on the business bank account. Joshua was very dedicated to the business and all of his customers were impressed with his decorating skills. Michael, on the other hand, pl ayed a largely managerial role in the business and left most of the decorating work to Joshua.Michael pocketed 2 all of the profit generated by Joshua’s decorating work, but re-invested some of the money in the business over the years. In 2011, Michael acquired a new office building for the business, which Joshua helped decorate and furnish. In 2013, after 23 years of working side by side, the relationship between the two men began to sour. Joshua now wishes to be acknowledged as a partner and claims to be entitled to 50% of the business’s assets. Does a partnership exist? Advise Joshua. 3

The divisions within Northern Ireland society have as much to do with class as religion or nationality

The history of Northern Ireland, a state created in 1921, has not been a peaceful one, and the study of the country has been as turbulent – it could be said that there is a ‘meta-conflict'; a conflict about the conflict. The causes of these troubles are varied, and it is far too simplistic to reduce it to just a religious one – although the Protestant faith is now synonymous with unionism, and Catholicism with nationalism, there are in fact many reasons for the divisions within the society. The conflict has become one of national identity, class and political and economic equality, as well as, some have argued, culture. These are all endogenous, i. e. internal, explanations for the fractious nature of Northern Irish life in recent decades, but others have placed the blame on external – exogenous – sources, claiming the behaviour of Great Britain or Ireland (or both) are responsible for the current situation. The roots of these divisions are buried under centuries of conflict, betrayal and mistrust, and, whilst religion played an important part, it was part of a wider economic and political battle. It is important to take these into account, but one of the problems facing Northern Ireland is the sheer amount of unresolved history that underlies every movement and decision. This essay will therefore take the recent ‘Troubles' as its main focus; that is, the causes and effects of the collapse of the Stormont assembly on 24th March 1972 and the imposition of Direct Rule by Westminster, ending in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement. Whilst this tentative agreement has by no means brought a complete halt to the violence and divisions in Northern Ireland, there was considerable hope, that has not yet proved to have been completely unfounded, that it would signify the beginning of the end. Northern Ireland had the second highest church attendance in Western Europe after the Republic of Ireland, with 95% of Catholics and 45% of Protestants attending church on a weekly basis in 1969 and there can be no denying the fact that the divisions within Northern Irish society have been given religious labels – on a superficial level at least it is a battle between Catholics and Protestants. If this is so, then it is not unreasonable question to ask just which of the two is principally at fault. Patrick Buckland is just one who feels that it is the Protestant community who see the conflict in religious terms, claiming â€Å"For Catholics the problem was largely political; for Protestants largely religious†. They feared the resources and the power of the Roman Catholic church, with 69% of Belfast Protestants in 1994 believing the Church had a ‘significant, ‘powerful' or ‘too powerful' influence in the government of the Republic of Ireland. This fear of the Catholic hegemony, that would swamp and overrun their own way of life and form of worship, helps explain their hostility towards the minority in the North. As an ethnic group, they are defined by their religion, which inevitably shapes their communities, their politics and their outlook. It could even be claimed that they fall back on their faith because they have no national identity of their own. Four features of unionist politics during the period 1972-1998 were clearly influenced by religion. The refusal to reach any significant accommodation with the Catholic minority, the steadfast rejection of any contemplation of an united Ireland, the desire to maintain the Union to preserve the Protestant way of life and the support for the evangelical Democratic Unionist Party were all bound up with Protestantism – the last point echoed in Steve Bruce's claim that â€Å"the Northern Ireland conflict is a religious conflict [because]†¦ that is the only conclusion that makes sense of Ian Paisley's career†. Finally, the anthropologist Don Akenson claims that the conflict stemmed from the Ulster Protestants' belief that they are God's ‘chosen people', and this explains their sense of superiority, their ability to discriminate against their Catholic population without qualms and their determination to retain the autonomy of the Six Counties, their ‘promised land'. However, it is also possible, as many Unionists have done, to blame the divisions on the Catholic religion. Many extreme loyalists claimed that nationalism is nothing by the tool of the Vatican in an attempt to ‘turn back the tide' of Protestantism. Whilst this view is perhaps a little extreme, they pointed to the ‘religious genocide' that took place in the South between 1941 and 1971, when the Protestant proportion of the population fell from 10% to 4. 1%, the legal enforcement of Catholic morality that caused the Protestant emigration to the North and the Papal law ensuring that the offspring of ‘mixed' relationships were raised as Catholics. Unionists also argued that it was the Catholic hierarchy that consolidated the divide by teaching a Catholic, southern Irish national identity within their schools, that it was their refusal to accept the legitimacy of the Union and its security forces that led to the downfall of the first Stormont Assembly. They were also incensed by the Church's refusal to excommunicate members of the IRA, as they did during the Civil War between 1922-3, and their willingness to bury IRA dead and hunger strikers in consecrated ground. This, coupled with the discovery of IRA weapons on church land, led to the belief, in Unionist circles at least, that the Church played an active role in the conflict. It was this strident and violent Catholic nationalism that linked Protestantism to unionism – after all, there were a small number of Catholic unionists, which is not to be expected if Protestantism and unionism had been one and the same from the very beginning. Despite all this, it must be remembered that the conflict was not a theological one, and that religion alone cannot explain the divisions within society. Although Northern Ireland still does have one of the highest church attendance figures outside the Republic, in line with the increasingly secularisation of the rest of the UK and Europe, numbers fell (just 29% of Protestants and 67% of Catholics went to church weekly in 1998) as the conflict developed, intensified and continued. The period 1972 and 1998, saw Northern Ireland become an increasingly secularised state – between 1981 and 1987 the divorce rate increased at the same rate as Great Britain's and the number of births outside marriage doubled – yet the divisions continue. If the conflict was the result of purely religious reasons, it would be expected that there would have been a correlation between areas most afflicted by the Troubles and the degree of religious intensity of the inhabitants, but this simply was not the case – the most devout communities were to be found in the countryside, but the vast majority of the violence was carried out in the cities, which recorded much lower church attendance figures – in 1992 it was estimated in one Belfast Catholic parish just 38% of the population attended mass on a weekly basis. The same should have been true for the paramilitaries, that those most committed to the cause would also have been the most devout, but there is considerable evidence that many only turned to religion after incarceration; most famously, many of the hunger strikers led by Bobby Sands in 1981 had converted to Catholicism once in jail. There has also been a careful avoidance by the main political parties in the province to avoid religious labels – the DUP was formerly the Protestant Unionist Party, but swiftly changed its name to the Democratic Unionist Party in 1971 – preferring terms such as ‘social democratic', ‘unionist', ‘nationalist' and so on, and they pursue political and economic – not religious – policies. It should also be pointed out that even if they did have religious labels, it would not have necessarily meant that the conflict was a religious one – numerous European political parties, the German CDU being just one example, proudly possess a religious name. Between 1969 and 1994, only one Protestant cleric was killed, and he, the Reverend Robert Bradford, was a hardline, outspoken UUP MP, and both sides, to a greater extent, respected the sanctity of churches and churchmen. An important point in this issues is that there is, in fact, nothing intrinsically religious about Catholics taking up arms in the late 1960s/early 1970s against a perceived aggressor or oppressor. This was not a ‘holy war', not a crusade, but a fight against the inequalities and discrimination they faced. Nor was the Protestant discrimination of Catholics inherently religious – Catholics were treated unjustly because they were seen as disloyal to the state, not because of their rosaries and belief in transubstantiation. The question of whether the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles' were prompted by the religious tensions is best summed up by John McGarry and Brendan O'Leary when they said â€Å"There is no need to invent ingenious religious agendas to account for militant republican paramilitarism† and the same is true for the loyalists. There are a number of other, more fundamental and realistic issues that explain the divisions within the province. There were clear class divisions within Northern Irish society throughout the twentieth century that could be said to have had an effect on the development of the Troubles. Stated crudely, there a disproportionate of the middle classes were Protestant, whilst Catholics were much more likely to make up the working classes. In 1971, 69% of Catholics were manual workers, in comparison to 59% of Protestant, and throughout the period the number of unskilled Catholic workers rose, whilst Protestant figures fell. Thus the Northern Irish conflict could be seen in terms of a Marxist struggle – one where the mainly Protestant elites were attempting to maintain the status quo against the demands of the Catholic working class. However, this would be to oversimplify the problem, and overlooks the not insubstantial Catholic middle class and ignores the significant influence the Protestant working class were able to exert on the Unionist leadership. If it had been an issue of class, then it would not be unreasonable to expect that political parties would have organised along class lines, but this was not necessarily the case. Whilst the UUP was heavily dependent on the support of the Protestant working class, this was not at the expense of middle class votes. The differences between the DUP and the UUP were not class-based, but simply political, although it could be said the SDLP attracted more middle-class nationalist support than Sinn Fiin before 1998. It might also have been expected that the small Catholic middle class would have been more unionist in character, if it had merely been a class struggle. Therefore to perceive the divisions in society as being along class lines is misleading, but there is a case for looking at the economic inequalities between the two communities, and the effect that they had on the formation and character of the conflict. In 1989, the Northern Ireland Office Minister Richard Needham said â€Å"If work can be found for 10,000 unemployed boys in West Belfast †¦ that in itself will do more to impact on the political and security areas than anything else. In all societies, political stability is linked to economic prosperity, and the fact that, for most of the period 1972 to 1998 the Northern Irish economy consistently underperformed economically in comparison to the mainland. At times in the 1970s, unemployment reached levels as high as 12%, whilst Great Britain had enjoyed full employment. Key staple industries, such as textiles, ship- and airplane building suffered from fierce overseas competition and by the 1970s were in near-terminal decline. Political extremism, and, by extension, paramilitarism was always more prevalent amongst the disadvantaged on both sides of the religious divide rather than the more affluent; a considerable proportion of the violence emanates from deprived Catholic and Protestant ghettos. Therefore there is some truth in Needham's statement – if Northern Ireland's economy had been stronger, then perhaps the more violent nature of the conflict could have been contained. A very important economic issue was that of discrimination. In 1971, 17. 3% of Catholic men were unemployed, in contrast to just 6. 6% of Protestants. Twenty years later, the figures were 21. 3% and 9. 6% respectively. For those Catholics in work, they could expect to be paid considerably less than their Protestant counterparts. Direct and indirect discrimination against Catholics were inherent in the economic inequalities they faced. Thus the roots of the conflict can be seen in Catholic demands for an improvement in their economic situation, but attempts, especially under the leadership of Terence O'Neill, to address these discrepancies had an important consequence: the Protestants became increasingly more determined to protect their economic privileges. They began to complain of what Birrell called ‘reverse relative deprivation', that is, during the 1970s Protestants began to feel relatively deprived as the gap between them and Catholics began to close, which led to an increased resistance to anti-discrimination policies, which in turn fuelled Catholic discontent. By the 1990s, the violence of loyalist paramilitaries were being attributed to the perception that Catholics were now doing better than Protestants, thanks to ‘reverse discrimination' in their favour – this point of view was especially prevalent in the Shankhill area of Belfast, as uncovered by the 1993 Opsahl Commission. Another economic motive that could help explain the divisions within Northern Ireland was the clear financial disadvantages of abandoning the Union. In the words of McGarry and O'Leary, â€Å"Protestants are said to be more loyal to the half-crown than to the Crown†. One of the reasons Unionists were so opposed the idea of a united Ireland was because it would lead not only to the end of their economic advantages, but to a general decline in the average standard of living, seeing as the Republic simply could not guarantee degree of expenditure on the province as Britain – by the early 1990s, the subsidy given to Northern Ireland from London actually exceeded the Republic's income tax revenue. This does not explain the continued nationalist support for and end to the union, even when aware of the inevitable economic disadvantages, but it is an important factor in understanding Protestant intransigence. However, economic factors alone simply cannot explain the divisions that led to the outbreak of the ‘Troubles', or their continuation for so long. As Trotsky pointed out, if mere deprivation was the cause of revolutions, the masses would always be in a state of rebellion. If economic reasons were the cause of violence between the two communities, it would be expected that periods of depression would be accompanied by an intensification of conflict, which simply was not the case: after the 1958 slump there was no outbreak of violence, and the ‘Troubles' actually started during a period of relative growth, falling unemployment and increasing prosperity, which would point to a political, rather than economic, trigger. Whilst political extremism is more likely to be found in underprivileged areas, repression (especially in the case of nationalist groups) was still as major reason for joining paramilitary forces, rather than objective deprivation. As already mentioned, there was no economic incentive for the Six Counties to unite with the South, especially before the Republic's emergence as a ‘Celtic Tiger', but the British subvention of the province also does not fully explain Protestant unionism, for it increased considerably during the years of Direct Rule, and in 1972 it was nowhere near the i3. billion it was in 1998. Unionism was driven by the belief in the right to self-determination and the resolve to preserve the Protestant way of life, not an economic self-interest, and equally, â€Å"Nationalism has a social psychological basis rather than a purely or largely materialist foundation† (McGarry and O'Leary). For shared material experiences to shape a community in any significant way, they must firstly, according to McGarry and O'Leary, have a deep sense of national identity formed through shared historical or geographical experiences and facilitated by common culture, language or religion. Whilst economics clearly played a crucial role in consolidating existing divides, it does not explain the existence of the divisions in the first place. The violent divisions in Northern Ireland society can all be traced to the problem of national identity. Culturally, there was no real divide between the two communities, except over fairly superficial matters such as sport and newspapers. Religious, economic, class and cultural issues, whilst important in understanding the complexity of the Ulster question, are not, in themselves, enough to explain the underlying causes. In terms of religion, whereas the Catholics were a single denomination, the various Protestant denominations were united only by the fact that their non-Catholicism, which was not strong enough to produce a strong enough degree of cohesiveness. Religious labels, however, were used as a demarcation between the two communities. Unionists were not united by their religion, their class or their economic self-interest, but by their identification with the rest of the United Kingdom, by the fact that they considered themselves to be British – even when the government did not necessarily agree. Equally, nationalists were united in the belief that they are Irish, and spiritually and ethnically a part of the southern Republic. People were members of a ‘religious community', considered to be a ‘cradle' Catholic or Protestant regardless of their actual religious or non-religious conviction; their religious label was an ethnic label. Whilst churches maintained and reinforced the social boundaries, through religiously driven activities, and the high rates of endogamy (in 1968, 96% of the population had parents of the same religion, whilst between 1943 and 1982 just 6% of all marriages were mixed), the persistence of segregated schooling (just 2% of primary and secondary school pupils in 1994 attended an integrated school) and residential separation, the divisions were originally caused by something else: â€Å"religion reinforced nationalism, not the other way round†. Thus political and economic discrimination of the Catholics by the Protestant majority can be explained in terms of Protestant fears that their national identity would be lost in a united Ireland. Their determination to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and their extreme reluctance to grant significant civil rights to the Catholic minority was as a result of their fear of losing their way of life, as well as just an unwillingness to relinquish their privileged status. As McGarry and O'Leary succinctly put it: â€Å"National and ethnic attachments tend to be much more binding and explosive in historically established and stable communities than alternative solidarities, like gender or class† and this is especially true of Northern Ireland. There are many aspects of the divisions in Northern Ireland society that this essay has not addressed. More could be said about cultural differences, and the long-term political discrimination, such as gerry-mandering, faced by Catholics that led to the Troubles between 1972 and 1998. External factors, such as British and Irish policy, and other long-term historical factors, such as the nature of British colonialism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, such as the impact of plantation on the political dynamic of the province. It is impossible to blame the Troubles on class conflicts, for Protestants and Catholics simply do not divide neatly into a unionist middle class and nationalist working class. Economic factors did have a significant impact on the development of grievances and intransigence, but also only provide an incomplete picture. Superficially, the conflict can be seen in religious terms – after all it is often described as Catholics against Protestant, as well as nationalist versus unionist. However, in recent decades, as Northern Ireland follows the general European trend for secularisation, and church attendance figures continue to fall, the religious labels are a sign of ethnicity, rather than belief. The entrenched nature of the divisions between the two communities, in the face of improving economic and political conditions and increasing secularisation during the period 1972 and 1998 means that there must have been a further, deeper cause for the conflict, and the question of nationality – British or Irish – is more convincing than the other, admittedly important, possibilities.