Traits of Successful Relationships

A successful relationship is the Holy Grail in life for most people. We are constantly searching and striving to attain that bond with someone without fully understanding the components involved in making it happen. In a time of serial monogamy, marriage drive thrus, and quickie divorces, we don't have much incentive to invest that sort of time. Relationships are easy to get out of. But in order to have a successful relationship, both parties must first actively communicate their intentions of what they are hoping to gain from the relationship, concerns, and hopes for themselves as individuals and as a collective.Failure to do this would surely be the demise of any relationship. During life, a significant factor is the relationship with another. There are many aspects to a relationship that will make it strong or long lasting. Looks may seem to be important but in the long run they prove not to be. Looks can be changed through surgery and can fade with age. There are four qualities t hat should be found in a good strong relationship. These four factors will never change no matter what kind of relationship one is in or what one looks like. The four factors that make a good relationship are commitment, trust, caring, and communication.In any relationship, if any of these four factors are missing then the relationship will not last long. Commitment is an important factor in building a strong and successful relationship. Commitment keeps a relationship together through the good and the bad times. Whether a partner in a relationship is suffering through hard times, the couple if committed will pull through. A strong relationship that is committed will make it through the major and the minor crisis of life. A minor crisis that could put a strain on a relationship could be considered as something simple such as the breaking of a date or one person having no money.A major crisis may be one partner going off to war or having to leave town for several months on business. If the relationship is committed then a couple will survive these crises. Commitment is a step in building a strong relationship. (Naidu, 1996) The second part of a successful relationship is trust. Trust is like the â€Å"I love you† of a relationship. Trust means that when one partner wants to go out for a night on the town with his or her friends that they will not cheat. When a couple is out together for a night, the partner will not be flirting with other people in the room.A couple that trusts each other will give each other space to do their own thing. Trust allows a relationship to grow because there is not the constant worry of what the other party is doing. Trust is when there are selected responsibilities that each partner may have and makes sure are fulfilled. Responsibilities such as making sure the trash is taken out or the bills are paid on time. Building trust in a relationship could even consist of making sure that if there is a dinner date that both parties are on time. Even though destroying trust can happen in an instant, building trust takes lots of time. Gildea, 2005) Building trust in a relationship takes time and effort while destroying it could be as simple as cheating or not showing up when a date is scheduled. The third part of a successful relationship is caring. There is no way to truly describe what caring is but it is an intimate part of any relationship. Caring is a feeling or emotion that cannot be readily described in words but still a feeling. Caring is missing your partner when they are away or being sad when they are not feeling well. Caring in a relationship is an emotion that can only be described using other emotions.When two people care for each other in a relationship they form a bond which is hard to break even when common sense tells them that they need to. This bond is so strong that even abusive couples will stay together. The couple thinks that they care for each other enough that the abuse does not matter. (Jaroneczyk, 2002) Caring is the fabric of building a strong relationship. The fourth and most important part of a relationship is communication. Communications is the problem solver of a relationship and could also be the destroyer of a relationship. Communication is the foundation of every relationship.Whether it is a relationship between a man and a woman or a relationship between people of the same gender, communication is the best way and maybe the only way for people to express their feelings to their partner. When a good communication system does not exist, the relationship could no longer exist either because the two sides do not understand each other anymore. Communication keeps the both sides inform about everything. Even though communication is very vital, it is very hard to accomplish a lot of times. It is even harder for a man and a woman to establish a good communication due to the differences of the two genders.As stated by Deborah Tannen in her article â€Å"Sex, L ies and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other? † men and women, when it comes to communication, they are very different from each other. Each gender looks at the subject from a whole different point of view. For the male, they don't like to do much of talking but more of hanging out together. Going to a bar or watching a sport game is their way of good bonding and communication. As for women, they like to have long chats and that is their way of good communication.Like Tannen said, â€Å"Intimacy is the fabric of relationships, and talk is the thread from which it is woven (Tannen, 1995, 33). † Therefore, the two sides look for different things when it comes to communication in a relationship. This is one of the main reasons why it is easier for two people of the same gender to communicate than opposite sex. When a man is down, he comes to his best male friend and tells the problem, the friend probably will not be so sensitive about it but instead might try to argue it, showing the male hierarchy and they start to have a debate. For a woman, it is very different.Women try to understand each other and put themselves into the position and try to feel it with one another (Tannen, 1995, 33-34). The natural development of men and women also plays a very important role in creating a hard communication between the two genders. Throughout history, men always had been the more dominant gender. A male is always expected to support and run his family externally. On the other hand, a female's role in society is to take care of the kitchen and the children. A female in history was always expected to wait and stay by the side of a man and never would get the same opportunities or treatment.Even though this concept had improved over the years with hard works of many courageous women, it is still a problem today. In her essay â€Å"Unfair Game,† Susan Jacoby displays how disrespectful men can be to women. According to Jaco by, men always think that women are out hunting for men. Jacoby shares several of her personal experiences to prove her point. One of the incidents is when she and a friend were having a conversation at a bar and a drunken man tried to hit on them. They outwardly refuse and the man was very amazed at their rejection.These types of incidents are typical in today's society but morally very wrong. Society always has pictured women as the lower and less important gender. So therefore, with this idea in mind, women get less respect and get treated as though they are useless and always have to go out in search for men to survive. In the society today, some men take this concept and go a step further. They expect to get what they want and if not, they call the women bad names like it happens to Jacoby (Jacoby, 207-208). Communication is the first and most important thing in a relationship but it is also the hardest thing to accomplish.A bad communication in a relationship could cause many misunderstandings and troubles. If good communication is easily attain, than the United States would not have nearly 50 percent divorce rate (Tannen, 1995, 32). It is very hard to achieve, but fighting will not solve anything, only compromises will solve problems. But ultimately the reason communication is most important is because it’s the beginning of any relationship. Every relationship starts with communication because that is how you meet the person. A relationship will not get started if the communication is not there.Communication separates a purely physical relationship with no meaning from a true strong relationship. Communication in a relationship should be honest. Communication makes two people one. (Jaroneczyk, 2002) When a couple knows each others likes and dislikes communication is strong. Communication lets a couple talk about their problems and can help resolve many of them. In a relationship with no communication a small problem can cause a rift which will le ad to a break up. This is why communication is an important part of a relationship. In all relationships there are up and downs.There are likes and dislikes in any relationship but there are four elements that keep them together. A couple that has strong communication is more likely to stay together then one that does not. A relationship with caring will be stronger than a relationship without. A couple that trusts one another is a likely pair to stay together. Finally a couple that has a strong commitment is more likely to have a good relationship. When these four things are accomplished in a relationship it is very likely that they will succeed! References Gildea, D. (2005). Developing A successful relationship.Accounting Today, , 18-49. Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"Sex, Lies, and Conversation: Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other? † Encountering Culters: Reading and Writing in a Changing World. 2nd edition. Richard Holeton, ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hal l. 1995. Naidu, J. (1996-06-29). For successful relationships. New Straits times, 01. EX. Jacoby, Susan. â€Å"Unfair Game. † Outlooks and Insights: A Reader for College Writers. 4th edition. Paul Eschholz and Alfred Rosa, ed. New York: St. Martin Press. 1995 Jaroneczyk, J. (2002). Successful relationships. Internet World, 8(7), 11-31.

Envy is a Sin

As all emotions, envy is socially constructed. Individual interaction, class variation and social institutions like schools, family, religion, and politics define envy for us. Envy is dependent on the beliefs about wealth, status, power, and how they ought to be distributed. In less complex societies envious objects are food, babies, and health; but in more complex societies they are wealth, status, and power. Envy, which is often mislabeled as jealousy, is hostility towards superiors. In an unequal situation, or comparison the envious has, not a mere wish, but a malicious wish that the other would lose his advantage (Foster, 1972:167). Though condemned in all cultures and repressed in nearly every individual, envy has a function in society. Schoeck points out that envy is almost a taboo-topic in daily conversation, in research, and in literature. This condemning and repression is what allows envy to work. Envy in excess of that minimum is a surplus, which can do more harm than good (Schoeck, 1970:348). In societies where envy is high productivity is low and where envy is low productivity is high. Envy is our drive for innovation and competition, though if not controlled causes poverty and revolutions. Management of envy is key to social order. In order to minimize envy we must always rationalize our inequalities through modest statements such as; â€Å"Luck†, â€Å"God†s will†, and â€Å"hard work†, which date back through the history of the Greeks, Roman Catholic Church, and the Protestant Work Ethic. Although possibly the rich are wealth addicts, thriving on the envy of others, and the rest are all closet addicts fooled into believing that they will one day be rich too (Slater, 1980:16).

Analyzing an Ad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Analyzing an Ad - Essay Example The advert is designed to create a strong positive association with Skyy Vodka brand amongst female and male young professionals in order to achieve high sales. To create such positive association, the advert uses sexual connotations, both male and female young professionals, photography and it brings out the advert protagonist who remains in control of the entire advert. Skyy Vodka advert is highly charged with sexual connotations. The woman in this advert occupies a huge part of the advert page. She is wearing dark led lipstick, dark eyed make ups and nail polish. Noticeably, the makeup and her red lipsticks as well put much more emphasis on her eyes hence making her more seductive. Her open mouth draws some attention as it implies that she is ready and open to imply a sexual appeal. The dress she has worn is white in color and highly revealing around the chest region hence drawing the audience attention to her desires and sexuality. The garment white color connotes virginity or pu rity in women. However, this general view gets challenged as the lady (bubble) chooses to remain chaste for an extended period of time. The lady is wearing gold earrings, snake band around her upper arm and a gold necklace. Notably, the necklace is long and runs between her sharp pointed breasts drawing viewers’ attention. The snake-shaped arm band has varied meanings. For instance it depicts her as a bad girl considering that snakes are highly associated with seduction and trickiness. Similarly, it can be associated with the biblical story of Adam and Eve who was unable to resist the temptation offered to them by a snake. Nonetheless, as opposed to fruit offered in the case of Adam and Eve, the offering in this case has more of sexual orientation (Andrews & Mary 59). Having a closer look at the lady, she has worn black sandals with spike heels and has straps that run up her legs to the knees. Ideally, high heels are not used by women for comfort, but to make legs and butt lo ok more appealing for the men viewers. Further, the straps that runs upwards to the knees seek to send the eyes upwards towards such a seductive bubble. This complex picture draws two critical things. First, on her left hand side is a tie and hand that bubble is closely attracting. Even though, the person to whom the tie and the hand belong to is invisible, it is highly suggestive that the advert makes the viewer to take this person to be a male (Biff) who is being drawn by the beautiful charms of bubble. The black suit and tie worn by the male friend is suggestive of men in our society, but more importantly gives an impression of a kind of man who belongs to either middle or upper class and therefore highly likely to be working in corporate circles. The man is presumably a successful man and as such very complicated. This is reflected by the smart tie and suit he has worn. However, his image remains stereotyped as his image is partly hidden. The tie as one of the men clothing that is visible has a phallic context. This is because it emphasizes sex charged images common in many advertisements. The man is holding an empty martini glass that seems to be once full of Skyy Vodka. This connotes that Skyy Vodka has the capability to stimulate sexual situation set up by bubble and thereby turning Skyy Vodka to a sign of fun

An Investigation of the CSI Effect Research Paper

An Investigation of the CSI Effect - Research Paper Example To attain the capacity to respond to the expectations of the courtroom, the government needs to equip the law enforcement agencies with the latest technology, as well as distribute resources necessary to equip the investigation agencies with the recent equipment in forensic science. These expectations also call for exemplary improvements in our nation's crime laboratories to keep pace with the increased demand for forensic analysis and minimize backlogs of evidence. Shelton’s (2008) study further established an increased need to equip players of the courtroom drama with better ways to respond to the expectations of the Jurors in an incidence of lack of scientific evidence. The prosecutors should learn other ways to support witness statements when there is no exhibit for the purpose (Shelton, 2008). Making a distinct observation that some of these expectations are forcing the prosecutors to spend most of their time explaining to the Jurors what type of scientific evidence is necessary in a case. Prosecutors have introduced a new witness in criminal cases called the â€Å"negative evidence† witness, whose function is to explain to the Jury that investigators were unable to collect any evidence from the crime scene (Dioso-Villa, 2009). Dioso-Villa’s (2009) argument is that â€Å"the CSI has exposed the activities of the investigators and law enforcement officers, which is what they look for at a crime scene to solve a crime.†

Should men get paternity leave from work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Should men get paternity leave from work - Essay Example He would have to take charge of his wife and the new born in the same way that his wife will be taking care of. One should believe that paternity leave is something that facilitates the process of the birth of the baby and fast tracks the entire process. The mother is helped immensely and so are the other family members. The organizations of present times are however having different ideas. They believe that the paternity leave would not offer the employees the mileage that they would require when their young ones are born. They think that the fathers do not have to go through the same problems and issues which the mothers have, and hence it is not necessary to allot them the paternity leave in the first place. Therefore the fundamental right of the fathers under such consideration goes out of the window completely. They are forbidden to ask for the paternity leave because it belittles the kind of profession that they are a part of, and the fact that they are men makes the subject lo ok even more hopeless. What happens with these fathers is a totally different subject altogether. They believe that they have been hard done by because they are not given a chance to be with their family in this hour of need. The paternity leave can turn the tide in favor of the family as the head of the family under such cases is indeed the father himself. He would be given the assistance that is much required and which shall be the cornerstone of looking after his family in this crunch hour. Also the paternity leave would tell the people around that the father would have to safeguard the rights and interests of the family when the mother is going through post-delivery issues of depression and other illnesses. He will be the one who is going to take charge of the entire scenario that has cropped up within the reins of the family. The paternity leave is also a facilitating agent which tells the family that the father would be around when there is a new born in the house, and when he shall be given the welcome that he deserves in entirety. More than anything else, it is the duty of the father to be on his feet at all times, and make sure that all processes, activities and steps are coming along in a very fine way (Brill, 2007). If this paternity leave is not granted on to the individual under consideration, then he would have to undergo a great deal of mental trauma and stress as his family life is at stake, and that he has to deliver in such crunch times. It is good for an organization to grant the paternity leave in such situations because it will mentally relieve the individual of his domestic issues, and thus make him feel elated that he was given solace by the management when he needed it the most. However not all organizations would agree to such a philosophy in the first place, and there are bound to be serious anomalies within the same contexts. For the sake of argument, a paternity leave would offer mental satisfaction and relief from pain and agony to the individual who is going through domestic issues. It would open up his thinking domains and allow him to feel free from the shackles of work routines. A week or so of being away from work with regards to the paternity leave that this individual has obtained would mean a good amount of fresh energy and the organization can expect the individual to bounce back to work with new vigor and renewed spirit. However, the lack of this paternity l

Final exam- Choose the following prompt and write an organized well- Essay

Final exam- Choose the following prompt and write an organized well- developed as a response - Essay Example On a macroscopic point of view, one can argue that when Achebe decided to write Things Fall Apart in English he somehow intended it to teach the significance of acknowledging multiple perspectives at least as much, if not more, than by his fellow Nigerians (Achebe, 1994). His goal probably was to critique and amend the societal notion of looking at an idea through one angle. In Things, Fall Apart the author specifically deals with the subject by exploring how the prospect and reality of societal change affect a set of characters. The tension and suspicion concerning whether transformation should be privileged over culture is given a narrow though and normally involves the notion of personal status. Taking Okonkwo, for instance, his resistance to the new religious and political orders is shallowly based since he has an opinion that they are not manly. He also feels that since the new ideologies are not as manly, they may, in the long run, make him less manly. To some extent seem may true in a nutshell but that is not the reality as the books proceeds. By analysis emphasize the fear to explore that many people normally fall prey to. The society more often than not presumes that what they hear or made to believe qualifies as the truth. The reality is that This Okonkwo’s resistance to traditional change. Likewise, it Okonkwo’s s fear of losing societal status he previously enjoyed. In other words, a feeling of self-worth which can be seen to be dependent upon a set of traditional standards through which society values or evaluates him. Sadly, he uses these fears and shallow observations to claim and justify his fears. What Chinua Achebe emphasizes is the need to look at issues from a broader angle before laying claims. Through the book, he has hinted that what is perceived by many as the truth many be far from it. Just as in

Cultural Diversity in Perris, Ca Research Paper

Cultural Diversity in Perris, Ca - Research Paper Example My research will be just a curtain raiser of the current scenario in the modernized community existing in the city of Perris. (California’s cultural resources, n.d) The research is based on the study of culture, which I belong to, and the task is to analyze the cultural diversity existing in the community. The role of racism will be ploughed in different sectors and a relationship between the different members of the community will be portrayed in the following sections. It will also illustrate the qualities of a leader and their role in bringing sustainability in future. The offensive smell of racial discrimination may be transformed into a sweet fragrance of unity in diversity. Hailing from a white American culture, I have observed the physical differences of people from my culture from people who are different with respect to race, creed or religion. Among the other races, the ethnic and racial mix comprises of Hispanic, African American, American Indian and Filipino. In comparisons to my race, the physical traits of people belonging to the Hispanic culture usually possess dark brown hair, light skin and brown eyes. They are usually tanned or dark in complexion. We are generally in possession of white skin color. This has rather become a symbolism of my race. On the other hand, there are other Hispanics who resembles me, in terms of character traits. Hispanics is a type of ethnicity and not a race. The African Americans generally have curly hair, and very black and sun burnt skin color. They have been born from black family of Africa. Again, the physical traits of Filipino are characterized by blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin and pointed nose. They even resemble the Chinese culture sometimes having a blunt nose, almond shaped eyes. Their face looks much like an oval shaped geometric figure. The Indian American has a sharp feature of an aquiline nose, brown skin, and circular, intense eyes. Though there are some who have a fixed

Research Methods College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Methods College - Essay Example Cheerfulness enhances the quality of life and improves productivity. A positive outlook makes one upwardly mobile. A cheerful disposition naturally reaches out to help someone. This person is not sticking out his neck. He knows he is doing something within reach. He knows he is capable. He simply reaches out, achieves the purpose and continues with his course. He radiates life and all the issues that make life happy and purposeful. It is difficult to say if strengths outweigh weaknesses. If it was so easy for strengths to outweigh weaknesses, almost everybody would be happy. Even the happiest people go through bouts of depression and anxiety. However, happy people have the resilience to bounce back. They do not carry forward their depressions to another day. As a matter of fact, going through depressions and anxieties improve resilience. They make a person stronger. It is mentioned that for every 17 articles on negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, there was only one article that dealt with the emotion of joy (Happiness). Basically, it is hope that drives man to live on. As long as man has life, he also has hope. Irrespective of his constant state of mind, there is the urge within man to press on. He knows better days are ahead. Even the most hardened skeptic harbors the notion that there is the silver lining. In the ultimate analysis, one has to learn to live above factors that make for weaknesses.

Services Marketing Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Services Marketing Master - Case Study Example Thus, companies should focus on establishing and implementing an efficient marketing needs which considers the needs of its various customers. Companies provide either tangible or intangible products to their clientele. Tangible offerings are often classified as goods while intangible ones are services. In coming up with an efficient marketing mix, the nature of a company's products should be taken into account. Goods require the identification of four Ps which go into the marketing mix. These essential elements are product, price, place, and promotion. Services, however, are very much different from tangible products as they have four special characteristics: intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability. Thus, these also necessitate the application of an extended marketing mix which further incorporates people, physical evidence, and process to the four Ps (The Services Marketing Mix n.d.). This section will briefly outline and define these essential concepts is developing a marketing mix. For further clarification, the discussed elements will be applied to the operation and marketing activities of Cutting Edge Hair and Beauty Salon. Product. ... Instead of looking at the capabilities of a business organisation, it first opts to deeply consider its target market, locating their unsatisfied needs and preferences. From here, the company develops solutions and offer them to the customers as their products. As competition heats up in the global market, companies are further differentiating their products to their competitors. Nowadays, it is notable how market players differentiate their products from the common offering. In the hospitality industry, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is not just giving customers a place to stay but the Ritz-Carlton experience which "enlivens the senses, instills well being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests." The service offered by the Cutting Edge Hair and Beauty Salon is fully and directly expressed in its mission statement: "It is our goal to provide superior hairdressing in an efficient, profitable manner within the confines of a caring, quality environment." However, we can see that the company is far from a typical player in the same industry as it continuously tries to impart excellent service. The saloon can be seen to offer high-end luxurious service. These efforts, which will be discussed below, help the company in improving its overall product image. Price. The price of a company's product is often dependent on its chosen pricing strategy as well as the image that it wants to project in the industry. As companies incur costs from their operations, it is important that they also charge their customers an amount for their services. Prices often determine whether the company pursues more for less or more for more strategies. High prices may enhance the image of a service offered to the

Toyota marketing Essay Example for Free

Toyota marketing Essay 3. TOYOTA HAS BUILT HUGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY THAT CAN PRODUCE MILLIONS OF CARS EACH YEAR FOR A WIDE VIRIETY OF CONSUMERS. WHY WAS IT ABLE TO GROW SO MUCH BIGGER THAN OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS? SUBSTANTIATE YOUR ANSWER BY PROVIDING CONCRETE MEASURES OR INTERVENTIONS THAT TOYOTA HAS DONE OR HAS BEEN DOING. Toyota was the first company to introduce lean manufacturing and total quality management practices in production of cars. For some time, the company was the only practitioner of these practices and had the lowest manufacturing and production costs worldwide. Toyota currently sells about 70 different models of cars under its namesake brand. Because they are the market car leader, they are in need to produce large number of cars that will be sold worldwide. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers. The system is a major precursor of the more generic lean manufacturing. Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo and Eiji Toyoda developed the system between 1948 and 1975. Originally called just-in-time production, it builds on the approach created by the founder of Toyota, Sakichi Toyoda, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, and the engineer Taiichi Ohno. This system, more than any other aspect of the company, is responsible for having made Toyota the company it is today. Toyota has long been recognized as a leader in the automotive manufacturing, and production industry. The principles underlying the TPS are embodied in The Toyota Way. According to external observers, the Toyota Way has four components: 1. Long-term thinking as a basis for management decisions 2. A process for problem-solving 3. Adding value to the organization by developing its people 4. Recognizing that continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning The underlying principles, called the Toyota Way, it have been outlined by Toyota as follows: 1. Continuous Improvement a) Challenge (We form a long-term vision, meeting challenges with courage and  creativity to realize our dreams.) b) Kaizen (We improve our business operations continuously, always driving for innovation and evolution.) c) Genchi Genbutsu (Go to the source to find the facts to make correct decisions.) d) 2. Respect for People a) Respect (We respect others, make every effort to understand each other, take responsibility and do our best to build mutual trust.) b) Teamwork (We stimulate personal and professional growth, share the opportunities of development and maximize individual and team performance.) 3. Long-term philosophy a) Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals. 4. The right process will produce the right results a) Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface. b) Use the pull system to avoid overproduction. c) Level out the workload (heijunka). (Work like the tortoise, not the hare.) d) Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right from the first. e) Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment. f) Use visual control so no problems are hidden. g) Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes. 5. Add value to the organization by developing your people and partners 1. Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others. 2. Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your companys philosophy. 3. Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve. 6. Continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning a) Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (Genchi Genbutsu) b) Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options (Nemawashi); implement decisions rapidly; c) Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (Hansei)

Analysis Of Cultural Imperialism With Hollywood Films Media Essay

Analysis Of Cultural Imperialism With Hollywood Films Media Essay With the rising of electronic media, in the 1960s scholar Marshall Mcluhan raised the notion of global village, which provides a common platform of random communication without physical and geography distance for worldwide people. In this perspective, this kind of information circumstance will enforce everyone globally to be the participant of, and struggle for a same strategy, because we are inevitably connected with each other (Mcluhan and Quentin, 1967). In the rest years of twentieth century, with the assistant of advanced technology and high-developing economy ¼Ã…’the whole world seems to increasingly move forwards to the global village in nature. The concept of globalization, to some extent, already gradually rooted in peoples mind. In the process of globalization, in generally, two primary constituent parts cannot be neglected. One is the distance between time, space and place has shrunk (Giddens, 1990; Harvey, 1990; Rantanen, 2005), which is owing to the technological adv ances, such as electronic media, instantaneous communication that enable people to realize interaction over the boundaries of country and time, which is also the precondition of the realization of globalization. In this sense, the global communication systems prompt the instant currency of capital and offer possibility for the expansion of production and marketing strategies. The other one concerns the content of the communication. With the help of telecommunication technology, the diffusion of media products have surpassed the country border. By the way of music, press issues, films and broadcast channels, the images, thoughts, and sounds of different cultures are mutually flowing among a vast network of people in the worldwide sphere. For this, the project of globalization refers to the communication and incorporation of culture from different areas. In addition, the globalization of mass media, especially, aims to the content of cultural products can be obtained globally (Croteau and Hoynes, 2003). In this sense, confronting the problem of the promise and reality of media globalization, researchers respectively hold different viewpoints. Among these debates, an important discourse called cultural imperialism, which is resulted from the worry of the inequality of global media ownership, control consumption and content, should be highlighted. A number of scholars, because of the superiority of Western media products on the consumption marketing, claim that media globalization equals cultural imperialism, and convey deep concerns with globally cultural homogenization and standardization. Especially, accompanied by the globally prevailing consumerism, traditionally national cultures of each country all have the possibility of being unified into a common global commercial culture system. The most typical evidence is the export of American cultural goods in the range of whole world. As we can see, Coca-Cola, IBM, Levis, and Hollywood films, these global brands ar e all produced by the U.S.. However, there are still a part of socialists understandably suspect the discourse of cultural imperialism on the concept of culture and the confusion of cultural goods and ideological effects (Tomplinson, 1999). On the Basis of the controversy over the discourse of cultural imperialism, in this essay, I intend to through the analysis of concrete and weighted American media product-Hollywood films, research whether so-called cultural imperialism can work under the condition of consumerist culture, which appeared as the key representation of cultural homogenization. The focus of part 1 is the literature review of the details of cultural imperialism, which involving its original definition, critique and impacts. Based on the theoretical analysis of cultural imperialism in part1, the next section will associate with specific data and text analysis, to examine the relative statement of cultural imperialism. In the last part, I will point out my own discussion over the cultural imperialism, and conclude the limitation. The Discourse of Cultural Imperialism Before moving to the main argument of this paper, it is necessary to define the notion of cultural imperialism. As early as the first decade of the nineteenth century, Lenin suggested the concept of imperialism. In his perspective, the term of imperialism was closely linked with economy, and we can regard it as the highest form of capitalism. ( Lenin, 1939). He pointed that at this level of capitalism, imperialism appeared as a process that big conglomerates incorporate smaller enterprises for the further profits, and moreover, this kind of operation could surpass the national boundaries. In addition, this sort of economic conduction is between the major capitalist nations, and it will result in specific imperialist patterns of domination. In this sense, Maybe cultural imperialism is one consequence of the specific imperialist patterns of domination Lenin said. Williams (1983) also has more further viewpoint towards the concept of imperialism. As for Williams, he concludes imperialis m as: Like any word which refers to fundamental social and political conflicts, cannot be reduced, semantically, to a single proper meaning. Its important historical and contemporary variations of meanings point to real processes which have to be studied in their owen terms (p. 160). Additionally, he even particularly generalized the development of imperialism into two categories, politically and economically. Relating with this paper, the economic category is worth being mentioned. As Williams argued, this process originated from Marxist analysis of the development of modern capitalism, which is similar as Lenins argument. As a result, combining current modern capitalism statement with the characteristic of imperialism, Williams claimed, imperialism in contemporary context is applied to the practices of US and Soviet Union. However, American imperialism refers to a primarily economic denomination associated with the global reach of capitalism but not having the political form of colonialism (John, 1991). As a result, with the post-war non-colonial process since the 1960s and the development of contemporary capitalism, the analysis of new imperialism has emerged among academic circle, which considered that, in the new international settings, the imperialist expan sion strategy has moved primarily from military aggression and directly colonial domination to economic and cultural penetration, in which, the discourse of cultural imperialism is a significant and critical theory of cultural globalization. About the concept of cultural imperialism, there are existing different versions. The earliest systematic one was given by Herbert Schiller. Furthermore, Tunstall(1977) crystalized the definition of cultural imperialism as: The cultural imperialism thesis claims that authentic, traditional and local culture in many arts of the world is being battered out of existence by the indiscriminate dumping of large quantities of slick commercial and media products mainly from the United States. In this sense, it is clear that the process of cultural imperialism is operated by the products import of majority capitalist countries (mainly the U.S.A.), primarily media products. In this sense, non-Marxists prefer to see cultural imperialism as media imperialism. If that, the discourse of cultural imperialism can be approached on the sphere of media, which turns to the empirical territory instead of theoretical assumptions (Chin-Chuan Lee, 1979). Similar as Lees account of media imperialism, Oliver Boyd Barrett (1977) defines media imperialism as: The process whereby the ownership, structure distribution or content of the media in any one country is subject to substantial external pressures from the media interests of any other country or countries- without proportional reciprocation of influence by the country so affected (p. 116). He also suggests four modes of media imperialism: 1) the shape of the communication vehicle 2) a set of industrial arrangements 3) a body of values 4) media content, which could exert the cultural dominance instead of direct economic relationship. David Croteau and Wiliam Hoynes (2003) proposed more detailed connection and explanation of Boyd-Barretts statement. First of all, they claims that the linkage between cultural imperialism and media imperialism is because of the media products, which from Western side, especially America, intensely impact other regions culture, almost have reached the level of cultural domination. Here, it refers to the relation of media ownership and media content. According to the theory of media imperialism, both values and ideology of Western society are embedded in the media products sold on the interests of Western corporations. Next, Croteau and Hoynes (2003) in their book Media/Society also cite Antonio Gramscis theory of hegemony to explain the con cept and significance of cultural hegemony, and sociologist Stuart Halls analysis of how mass media institutions mix with this conception of hegemony. The conception of Gramscis (1971) hegemony is connecting all culture, power, and ideology together. In his perspective, besides military force, power can be obtained by the way of cultural and ideological domination as well. For this direction, the key strategy is to create consent, which can be realized through a kind of cultural hegemony. Croteau and Hoynes said that consent is something that is won ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºruling groups in a society actively seek to have their worldview accepted by all members of society as the universal way of thinking (p.166). In this sense, schools, religion, and media naturally become the sites where help the dominant class approach this kind of hegemony, due to these institutions are the places where we form the ways of thinking. On this basis, Hall(1982) suggested that mass media is the main site where the cultural hegemony is exercised, because media images are not merely reflecting the world, but represent ing the world, and could actively make things have meanings. And then, associating with media ownership and commercial profits, many scholars argue that media is principally on the behalf of the dominant assumptions, and applying the universal views of the world that most people know. With the development of the globalization of mass media, this conception is more convincing. For example, because of the motive of media globalization is commercial interests, plus the economic distance among different countries, the inequality of media globalization is inevitable and obvious. The growth of centralized media conglomerates will result in a concentrated global media industry. And additionally, the ownership of these global media firms are still in the hands of a few advanced developed countries, which also dominate the production of global media products. As a result, from this respect, major researchers are likely to connect the elite status of Western media products with cultural imperialism. The most typical one should be the impact of American media items globally. Coca-Cola, the products of Disney series, McDonald, Hollywood movies, and so forth American products are all prevailing across the world because of the propaganda of American mass media. The supporters of cultural imperialism claims that these foreign imports will threaten and even dominate the local culture. (Coteau and Hoynes, 2003). For instance, according to the data of Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2001, American films occupy 54% to 92% of the performing movie in theaters in countries of the European Union, in contrast, European films make up only 3% of films shown in the United States (Ministry of culture and Communication, 2001). Schiller (1992) also from the television program export to describe the high level of American media domination globally. He indicated that commercial television has become an important and flourishing national export (p.129). He also quoted the former official of United States Information Agency Woilson P. Dizards (1964) words to prove this point, who said that today, overseas sales account for 60 percent of all U.S. telefilm syndication activities and represent the difference between profit and loss for the entire industry (p. 58). Besides, in 1967, Dizard reported that the amount of [TV commercial] exports, now approaching $100 million a year, is such that the television screen is becoming the main source of the American image for increasing millions of people abroad (1967, p. 59). From all these data, it is clear that American media industry, to a large extent, is relying on foreign markets, and its impact of media products is intensifying. Associating with Halls analysis of mass media and culture, through media products to diffuse Western values and ideology seems sensible. The discourse of cultural imperialism looks like could be used to describe one phenomenon of cultural globalization, which through exporting media products to diffuse own countrys values and ideology, in order to the last culture domination. However, there are partial scholars who dont agree with this discourse of cultural imperialism or media imperialism. The main critic of the discourse of cultural imperialism-John Tomlinson, provided a comprehensive critique pinpointing each part of cultural imperialism. Schillers theory of cultural imperialism focuses on the media, and from economic and political perspective to view the unequal structure of global cultural production and distribution. For this, Tomlinson (1991) argues that there are two mistakes underlying in this theory. First, though media is an important component of culture, it can not substitute all aspects of culture, and its impact on indigenous culture is closely connected with local audiences understanding and individual experience of media products. Secondly, Tomlinson argues that it is a kind of exaggeration to attribute the overwhelming significance of cultural imperialism to the media. It is problematic to equate cultural imperialism with media imperiali sm. All these studies are very helpful in the depiction of the discourse of cultural imperialism, either proponent or sceptic. In next part, I will combine the specific media text-American Hollywood films, to analyze the expression of cultural imperialism on the basis of American primarily cultural values. Hollywood Films Like I mentioned in last section, media products are an effective way to diffuse certain values and ideology, consequently, realizing the purpose of cultural domination. In this respect, in order to analyze the discourse of cultural imperialism through the dissection of one concrete media text, it is inevitable to mention what kind of values or ideological theory is implied in that media text, and these ideas is serving for whose benefits. Undoubtedly, in recent decades, the United States of America through its powerful economic and technological strength, its cultural perpetrator to the less advanced countries is apparent, either material products or spiritually cultural products and social political values. For example, the standard American icons-Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Hollywood are typical evidences. Then, what American values have been propagated through these popular issues? In general, white peoples traditional culture is the leading culture in America, what is al so called WASP culture (White Angle-Saxon Protestant Culture) (Kennedy, 2001. p. 913). American main stream culture actually is the special mixture of Christianity, Capitalism and democracy (translated from: Majie Zhu, 2003). Contemporary Hollywood films can, to some extent, through this specially cultural value, gain the market and extraordinary box office receipts, and subsequently, become the key approach for the expansion and penetration of culture imperialism. Individualism as the cultural value originated from the thinking of European burgeoning bourgeoise, which was used to oppose the autocracy feudal aristocracy during the renaissance. The early North American Puritan as same as the reason for getting rid of the European religion oppression migrated to America. And then, in American The Declaration of Independence, some self-evident truth is included, all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Tefferson and Fink, 2002, p. 21-23). In American peoples thought, individual liberty is the final purpose, and society just the channel to reach this aim. In addition, Americans advocate surpass others by own effort, against any kind of inference to personal liberty from country or society. In short, individualism, is I will take responsibility of every thing by myself. In 1998, when American president Clinton visited China, he has said that the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, free from government interference to express different views and the right of free faith, are the central idea of the founding of the United states. And this is also the thought that leaded Americans from one side of continent to another side, and finally stand on the top of the world , and so far, American people still value it as a precious thinking (translated from: Zheng Yuan, 1998). In this respect, individualism is the main motive stimulating not only American constant innovation, but also the reckless expansion with the indifference of other countries interests. On the basis of above introduction of several American mainstream values, it is timing to associate it with the analysis of concrete Hollywood films to research the discourse of cultural imperialism in American way. The classic film-Forrest Gump in 1995, ever gained the Best Film Reward of Oscar Award. Through the picture of the life of retarded Gump, we can get in touch with many aspects of American social life. This film was adapted from the same named novel of Winston Groom. The original book is fantastic fiction filling with ironic senses, however, the film has decorated and beautified the whole story. The original fantastic and ironic meaning have been removed, and the rebellious fighting spirit was sacrificed as well. Gump in the film has been shaped as an idealized American civilian hero, who has noble morality, and his way of earning life and pursuing happiness is on the effort to glorify America. The role of Gump in film, can be seen as the representative figure of American individualism, and this image is advocated by American society, which can be testified from the scene that Gump is endowed of congress badge. Another instance is the extremely costing Hollywood war film- Saving Priva te Ryan, which is an propaganda of American individualism. The whole story is processing along with the group rescue of individual life. This theme matches the Jewish traditional principle in the film Schindlers list- he who saves one life saves the world entire. Additionally, Hollywood films always put the mission of saving all the world on the shoulder of an individual. In the film Air Force One, the image of American President Tim Marshall is a good example. For protecting own countrys people and reputation, he insists on not compromising over the terrorists. In the condition of utter helplessness, by the familiar with each precise device of Air Force One, Marshall struggled with those terrorists by himself, and finally, realized the promise of zero-tolerance and save the world (lines in the film Air Force One, 1997). Within this film, American President is eager to expand the liberal-democracy, the Christian faith and the concept of American family to global people. However, in realistic life, this kind of omnipotent heroism is merely a myth. What anti-terrorism really need is the cooperation of all the nations, which has been proved through the fact of Somali Piracy event in April, 2009. Another film Bable in 2006 provides another angle to view cultural imperialism in Hollywood film. An accidental gun shooting event leads to the whole plots in the next story. Western people in this film enact rare indecision when they are encountering accident, which seems to lose the traditional image of the leadership globally. However, it cannot say that Hollywood films give up to play the role as an assistant of undertaking American cultural imperialism. One made-up clip story in the film that American tourists get innocent attacked, is bringing the color of cultural imperialism seemingly, because we can see the scene in the way that it tells the immense audiences that terrorism is prevailing in East as well, and Americans in this turn are becoming innocent victims. Although the director of this film attempts to utilize a large number of Eastern images to cover the hegemony of American cultural imperialism, the propagated American universalism and human right have been performed obviously. Furthermore, another kind of Hollywood films should be paid attention in particularly-Hollywood cartoon, some of which are coated by Chinese traditional culture. The film Mulan presented by Disney corporation was adapted from Chinese folktale. The protagonist Mulan made her promise to resist outside invasion, and protect family reputation, which looks as if expressed Chinese traditional loyalty and filiality. But, the role of Mulan enacted in the film is independent and pursuing the confirmation of self-value and the sexual equality, which is against the original Chinese convention. Additionally, her intensive desire of individual happiness and freedom are all representing the individualism of America. And as same as the elements of KungFu Panda presented by Dreamwork, which are not real Chinese culture. As the first cartoon that has over hundreds million tickets sale in Chinese market, KungFu Panda benefited from the outfit of Chinese culture and the inside substantive c ontents of Western culture. On the surface, there are plenty of Chinese culture facts in the films, such as the architecture music, martial arts, firecrackers, and Chinese food. Even many story details have precisely conformed to the relative characteristics of Chinese culture. In spite of all these work, the protagonist Po, it still a hero in the context of American culture values. The process of how he turns to legendary warrior just from a cooker is a typical instance of Americanized value. Originally, Po is a normal people, although because of an accidental opportunity he becomes the candidate of legendary warriors, he is indeed attending the selection ceremony. In another words, although his hero role is destined officially, he also follows the contest policy. This is a classic paradox logic in American culture: advocating everyone possesssing equal right to be a hero, although frequently, the hero is destined. Pos success is through defeating the bad guy-Tai Lung, to gain the final hero coronation ceremony. This kind of fight between justice and evil, and the procedural of how the justice side defeats the bad side are the essence of American heroism. Pos success, simultaneously, is bringing the peace to the whole village, which as same as the line in Spiderman- great power comes with great responsibility (cited from the lines of the film Spiderman, 2002). In American individualism, the standard of being a hero is to defeat the evil power and have the sense of bearing huge responsibility, which consequently, might be improved into the thinking that only the supremacy of strength is equivalent with the duty of guarding the world peace. In this sense, we can see the color of cultural imperialism is embedded in KungFu Panda. Thus maybe we can think in this way like that the set of films such as Mulan and KungFu Panda are packed with Chinese culture, but actually, are the means of distributing American ideology through adaption. Further Discussion of Culture Imperialism In contemporary global market, Hollywood movie is merely one of the popular import media products of America, but from the analysis of its underlying elements of culture imperialism, maybe we can consider the media products, television programs, advertisements, and music in the similar way. However, in this respect, I dont mean that the discourse of cultural imperialism does make sense, or even could be totally equaled with media imperialism, because after all, it is just a researching theme raised in the background of globalization and consumerism, and the debate about it is still taking place, therefore I cannot arbitrarily suggest its character here. What I want to do here is to use already existing facts to demonstrate that the discourse of cultural imperialism to some extent in particular time and condition may be could have an effect, but with the moving of age and society, in certain environment, another possibility maybe emerge. Among several suspicions of the possibility of cultural imperialism or media imperialism, an important one is to oppose to mix the material media products with complicated ideology together. In other words, the sceptic claims that the way of thinking that media products could diffuse Western values or ideology is ridiculous and doubtful, all of those analysis, such as the one above about Hollywood movie, are just assumption. In this perspective, if by some way I can prove the causal relationship between media productions and ideology or mind, the discourse of cultural imperialism at least will be more convincing. I will still utilize films as the evidence. During the 1980s there were two popular film genres-action adventure and military/war films deserving research, such as the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone and the series of Rombo were all effective and classic in that age. The most historical and typical one, I think should be Rombo. From the presentation time, we can know that it was after the Vietnam War and during the period of the Cold War, which represented by the United States and Soviet Union. The protagonist Rombo is a Vietnam Veteran, his mission is to return to Vietnam for rescuing American prisoners who have been abandoned by the U.S. government. And the common ending of this series of films was that the protagonist won the final victory and he become the hero in audiences mind. Following the story of these films, American people as if return to the battle of Vietnam War, but in this battle there are no vanquish and shame any more, American soldier will always be the victor. A part of scholars analyzed that these films could be seen as one political approach of Regans presidency, which was helpful to re-shape national image and regain national conviction. And actually, in the late 1980s, American people indeed overcame the so-called Vietnam syndrome, which was the subsequence of American failure of Vietnam War (Croteau and Hoyne s. 2003). From this example, we can see that there actually exists some relation between media texts and peoples way of thinking. So in this sense, the discourse of cultural imperialism maybe really can have an effect. However, the analysis of media texts is a plural item, which should be connected with special time and conditions, because of media texts are made under special historic background and people. We also cannot use one example to explain all the other terms. Additionally, the discourse of cultural imperialism was raised under the context of global culture, which maybe impact on global people, who have different religion, education, national culture and ideology, the possibility of their reactions over a media text are so hard to define. As a result, the relation between media texts and ideology maybe exist, but it is hard to say when put it in the global environment, then, dont even say the realization of cultural imperialism. Tunstall (1977) also claims that there are a t least two problems on the discourse of cultural imperialism of America. Firstly, the precondition of cultural imperialism is the superiority of Western countries on the aspect of media product market share , especially the United States of America, but the researchers thinks that with the economic and technologic development globally, other countries will rapidly create local media products, which would substitute the dependance on exporting American media products. Secondly, Tunstall said that the range of media is fairly wild, we cannot only concentrate on the popular American media products to analysis its impact of global culture. And in the aspect of some media forms, such as music, the tendency of globally incorporation is ongoing. If another media texts develop in the same way, the possibility of cultural imperialism will reduce. In addition, the debate of central status of media of cultural imperialism, like what Tomlinson said above, it is incorrect to make media equal cu lture. The term of culture is a complex to be clearly explain, and add the different way of understanding in different places, Western countries intention of conducting culture penetration or invasion is not a simple progress. Conclusion Combining all the supporting points and scepticism of the discourse of cultural imperialism together, maybe we can conclude this debate in this way, firstly, we should consider the wholly global society condition and the detailed situation of relative areas. As what Tunstall (1977) suggested, the arise of the media products is just an assumption so far, it still needs the time to testify. According to the current condition of global media distribution market, the diffusion range and impact of Western media products is considerable, so if in this respect to argue the discourse of cultural imperialism, it indeed exists the possibility. Secondly, confronting a number of differences between culture and nations, for the pursuit of commercial benefit, the big media corporations has start making relevant policy to remove the obstacles. For example, some media producers will invite global superstar to propagate their products, and another way is to apply the resources within local culture, a nd decorate the products to coherent to the local character, in fact, the global expansion of American advertising agency is a good example. Actually, to a large extent, the popularity of American products is the direct consequence of American transnational advertising. The central office in the U.S.A firstly send the advertisement mode to the relevant branch agencies around the world sphere. And then on the basic of remaining the essence of original advertisement, the local agency will blend the indigenous elements into it for satisfying the regional taste and culture. By this way, the impact on some places is this country is occupied, and there is no consciousness of that (Escobar and Anne. 1995). From this example, the threat of the discourse of cultural imperialism does deserve cautions, although maybe as Tomlinsons suggestion, there is no necessity to view media as the central reference of the argument towards cultural imperialism, the power of it cannot be ignored, because in current consumption society, for the economic interest, the media consortiums are rolling to make any policy to break down the obstacles on the way to maximize global market share. What I suggest here is when we are facing the discourse of cultural imperialism, first of all, we should have a correct attitude, excessive reception and neglect are both incorrect. Especially when we are surrounded with the numerous foreign media texts, the primary thing is to recognize the innate character embedded in them, and distinguish which part of it is useful for us, and which is useless. The discourse of cultural imperialism is more like a kind of trepidation in the context of globalization, researchers just around the necessity of this anxiety offer their different viewpoints, which are having different standpoints, angles, and conditions. So for the masses, what they can do is to have the cautious consciousness towards foreign media products, and depend on own values to make correct judgement.

Whales Essay -- essays research papers fc

Whale weighs as much as 20 elephants but lives beneath the sea. The blue whale is Earth's largest animal. Larger than the largest of ancient dinosaurs, blue whales can grow to be more than 100 feet (30 meters) long and weigh nearly 150 tons. Not all whales are so large. The much smaller pilot whale grows to about 28 feet (8.5 meters) in length. And dolphins, which belong to the whale family, range only from 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 meters). Although whales spend their lives in the sea, they are, like humans, warm-blooded mammals. After a baby whale is born, it nurses on its mother's milk, just like the young of land mammals. Whales are members of the order Cetacea, along with dolphins, porpoises, and the narwhal. There are two basic types of living cetaceans: baleen, or whalebone, whales of the scientific suborder Mysticeti; and toothed whales of the suborder Odontoceti. General Characteristics Whales live in all of the open seas of the world, though some occasionally enter coastal waters. Some species, such as the white whale, or beluga, may travel upstream in large rivers. Some species migrate with the seasons; others remain year-round in the same habitats, where they find their preferred food. The present-day distribution and abundance of some species has been greatly influenced by the commercial whaling industry. Whalers eliminated or greatly reduced the numbers of some species of baleen whales in certain oceanic regions where whales once frolicked in abundance. This is particularly true in parts of the Arctic Ocean and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, where the blue whale was almost completely exterminated in the early 1900s. Some species of whales, however, are numerous today in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The skin of whales is usually black, gray, black and white, or all white. Some, such as the blue whale, have skin that is bluish-gray. The surface of the skin is smooth, but like other mammals, whales have hair. Hair first appears while the fetal whale is still developing inside its mother's womb. In adult whales, hair is confined primarily to a few bristles in the head region and is largely absent over most of the body. Whales that live in polar regions are insulated from the extreme cold by a layer of blubber, or fat, enveloping their bodies. Baleen Whales The baleen whales inc... ...usion In 1946 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established to set up the guidelines followed by whaling nations today. The sizes, kinds, locations, and seasons of catches are controlled. However, strong international politics came into play, and some nations steadfastly voted against, or even ignored, restrictions that were not economically advantageous. The limitations were passed almost too late for the blue whale, which had already declined to dangerously low numbers in all oceans. The once large populations of blue whales in the eastern North Atlantic were almost brought to extinction. Today, fewer than 500, and possibly as few as 100, are found there. In 1971 the United States declared all commercially exploited whales endangered species and made it illegal to import any whale products. The United States lists the blue, bowhead, finback, gray, humpback, right, sei, and sperm whales as endangered species. Therefore, we should take goof care of whale. Works Cited Cousteau, Jacques, and Paccalet, Yves. Whales (W.H. Allen, 1998). Tinker, S.W. Whales of the World (Bess Press, 1997). Day, David. The Whale War (Sierra Club Books, 1997).

Character Essay :: essays research papers

Character Essay Characterization, a method that an author chooses to develop his/her character, is a very important element in a story. In â€Å"Lamb to the Slaughter,† Roald Dahl, effectively develops the protagonist both directly and indirectly; however, the use of indirect characterization is more dominant because it reveals her actions and how she deals with her conflict, her words, and creating a dynamic character with her words, and her personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, she seems like a typical house-wife longing for her husband to return, but something is odd about this particular day; â€Å"There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did†¦was curiously tranquil†¦the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger, and darker than before† (108). It was almost as if she is expecting something unusual to happen, and that she is preparing for that specific moment. In addition, her actions change from being a wife-pleasing-husband, to a self-conscious woman that knew all of a sudden, exactly what to do, as if she had been prepared for months. Also, in the beginning of the story she is described as a inoffensive, harmless person, but immediately after her husband reveals his burden, she becomes unstable and almost naturally she hits her husband. She â€Å"†¦simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb†¦and brought it down as hard as she could†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (111). And as strange as it looks, she goes somewhat through a metamorphoses, from being a content house-wife, to a maniac, possessed woman, to the point of killing her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second, she reveals through her words, her duplicity and deceitfulness by exterminating all the evidence left. When the police arrived she trying to hide evidence, asks for her husband’s whiskey, â€Å"‘Jack†¦would you mind giving me a drink?’†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢You mean this whiskey?’†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Yes, please’†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Why don’t you eat up that lamb that is in the oven?’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (115,116), and the reader realizes that she tries to convince others with her deceitful lies, and with a concrete set of credible words, she gets away easily; â€Å"She tried a smile. It came out so peculiar†¦The voice sounded so peculiar too†¦She rehearsed it several times more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (112). Mrs. Maloney, had thought about it even before the incident happened, for she tries to look as normal as possible, by acting it out her daily routine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, her personality creates in her a dynamic characterization, and as the reader observes it when she is talking to the shopkeeper, by saying something very odd: â€Å"’I got a nice leg of lamb from the freezer†¦I don’t much like cooking it frozen†¦but I’m taking a chance on it this time.

The Yellow Wallpaper :: essays research papers

The Yellow Wallpaper Although on the surface The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story about one woman’s struggles with sanity it is not. In truth, it is a story about the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife. The husband, John, pushes his wife’s depression to a point quite close to insanity. The narrator seems to destroy herself through her overactive imagination and her urge to write. When they arrive she seems well in control of her faculties, but by the time they are readying for departure, she has broken down. Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there may be a real problem with his wife. This same attitude is mirrored in her brother, also a physician. While these attitudes, and the actions taken by the two doctors, seem to have certainly contributed to her breakdown, it seems that there is an underlying rebellious spirit in her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator, speaking out against her husband states, â€Å"He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me.† This demonstrates how John is not treating his wife for anything. He simply doesn’t believe there is a problem. This is one of her major motivations for keeping a journal; she thinks it helps her because she is afraid to speak out against her husband. Every time she thinks about writing in the journal, she relates how tired it makes her. Throughout the story, John speaks out against her writing, because he feels that it contributes to her depression but she writes anyway, feeling that she is getting away with something. John treats her as if she were ill not depressed. John being a physician, not a psychologist, prescribes her medication that is for someone who is physically ill, not experiencing psychological distress. The journal becomes an outlet for her true feelings that she believes would get her incarcerated if anyone else heard them. When she writes she states, â€Å"I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me. But I find I get pretty tired when I try.† Her husband who believes that her writing is contributing to her illness opposes this idea while not radical.

Hamlet vs. Laertes

Jeffrey Kotch Mrs. Ingram Literary Analysis English 12 The main theme in Hamlet is revenge. Although Hamlet and Laertes are both seeking revenge, they go about it differently. Because they are in the same situation, they can be compared to one another. Shakespeare probably created the retaliatory Laertes in order to make the reader or audience side with Hamlet, the protagonist. By comparing him to the rash Laertes, the author forces the reader to appreciate the careful thought that goes into Hamlet's every move (until towards the end when he too becomes rash).They are both high-class males placed in strenuous positions. Without Laertes, the audience would have no one else to compare Hamlet to, other than Fortinbras, who rarely appears. Laertes is almost the standard to which Shakespeare wants his audience to compare the Prince to. Comparing the two almost intensifies their different characteristics. The differences between Laertes and Hamlet affect a main theme of the play revenge. B oth men have fathers killed, and both are seeking revenge. Hamlet, though he knows who murdered his father, hesitates to take direct action against the villain.In stark contrast is Laertes, who doesn’t know who killed his father but will kill anyone on a whim. Laertes’ rashness throughout provides the play with an unlikely stereotypical hero– brave, unwavering, ready to kill– and is rather ironic because Laertes is not the play’s â€Å"hero† role. The hero instead is Hamlet, and Hamlet is not a typical hero, in that he shies away from violence, and is portrayed as insane for half of the play (though that is by his own doing). Hamlet is not even able to kill his uncle until Act 5, by which time he can be argued to be mentally and emotionally instable, if not insane.In order to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet must lose himself in insanity; he must become, essentially, an entirely different character. Another considerable difference be tween Hamlet and Laertes are their relationships with Ophelia. Hamlet is obviously taken by Ophelia in the first two acts of the play, as he writes her letters and even tries to grab her in his lustful advances. This is clearly not the case with Laertes, as he is Ophelia’s brother; although Shakespeare is not beyond writing about incest, it is not being portrayed here.Instead, Laertes takes on a protective role of â€Å"big brother† (although we do not know which sibling is the elder), warning Ophelia of Hamlet’s advances as being juvenile and false. Hamlet later begins to treat Ophelia badly, scorning her affections and seemingly driving her insane and to her inevitable death. Laertes seems to dislike Hamlet from the beginning of the play, and emotions collide in Act V: the two men scuffle in the open grave of Ophelia, each believing that they loved her the most, and jealous of the other’s affections for her.Hamlet’s clashes with Claudius also bui ld the plot of the play; knowing that his uncle killed his father in cold blood, Hamlet’s scorn of the new king grows throughout the play. Hamlet continually struggles with his emotions as he fights the desire to avenge his father’s death by killing the king. He uses circuitous means to take metaphorical stabs at his uncle: a play about a man killing his uncle by pouring poison in his ear (the same method of murder used to kill Hamlet’s father). Claudius eventually gets the feeling that Hamlet knows more than he is letting on, and begins to feel threatened.Claudius begins looking for ways to get rid of Hamlet, and eventually decides to send him off to England, where he has sent orders to have his nephew killed. His plan, however, is thwarted when Hamlet discovers the orders for his death. Claudius now needs Laertes, a rash and violent person, to kill Hamlet for him. He tells Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius, and Laertes allies with Claudius against Hamlet. Th us, another dissimilarity is disclosed, as Hamlet would never consider allying with Claudius for anything, and Laertes, hungry for blood, is willing to ally with anybody who will give him an easy kill.How the characters feel about their fathers is also very dissimilar. Hamlet loves his father and is devastated when King Hamlet is killed; Hamlet is suicidal at the beginning of the play due to his father’s death. Hamlet feels that, for the love of his father, he must take revenge, yet is unable to do so for lack of courage and ambition. Laertes (while the level of his relationship with his father is unclear in the play) shows very little emotion over the actual death of his father, but is over-eager to avenge it.It is therefore apparent that while Hamlet truly loves his father, Laertes is more concerned with the saving the pride of the family by avenging his father’s death than with realizing that his father is dead. Therefore, Hamlet seems to be more exocentric, while L aertes, continuing his father’s quest for personal gain, appears to be more egocentric. Hamlet seems to fancy himself an actor; several times during the play, he either gives â€Å"pointers† to other players or excessively dramatizes a scene.The famous line, â€Å"Alas, poor Yorick! (V. i. 179-188)† finds Hamlet dramatically talking to a skull. In order to enhance emotion and to add a mood to a monologue, Elizabethan actors often talked to inanimate objects. In this scene Hamlet is utilizing the skull and the overall dark aura of the graveyard to speak of Ophelia’s death. In addition to these instances, Hamlet is acting insane for the majority of the play, in order to put his devious schemes into action without being suspected by his uncle.He uses his surroundings to enhance his words, thus acting out a philosophical monologue in a regular conversation. Laertes seems to be more rough and unrefined than Hamlet– like his actions, his words are bold a nd to the point. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes’ lines at the end of the play tend to be short and to the point– he speaks no more than eight lines at a time in all but one occasion beginning in Act 4, Scene 5. Hamlet frequently goes into long monologues that can exceed fifty lines.The distinctions between Hamlet and Laertes are significant because they provide some insight into the personalities of both characters, particularly Hamlet. By introducing Laertes into the play as a fiery, compulsive person; any resemblance of ambition or courage displayed by Hamlet pales in comparison to Laertes’. This enhances the emotion in Hamlet’s monologue at the end of Act II, when Hamlet examines himself and finds him lacking in courage. The inner turmoil in Hamlet is strong, as he calls himself a â€Å"coward† and thinks himself as weak as a woman.He wants to avenge his father’s death at Claudius’ hands, yet, like his uncle, he does not approach conflict directly– he takes covert action. Conversely, Hamlet’s lack of action allows him to think through his plans before he puts them into effect, allowing for much deviousness in planning on his part; Laertes does not tend to think before he puts his throat to a person’s throat. Laertes provides a counterpart to Hamlet– they are in relatively the same situation, but they deal with their problems in entirely different ways.

Regulations and Policies in Europe Essay

How does it fit within the ideas of Hayek and Keynes? Use the stagflation of the 70s as an example. The post–World War II the postwar economic boom, also known as economic expansion, the long boom, and the Golden Age of Capitalism, and the Age of Keynes in western countries after the end of World War II in 1945. It was a high worldwide economic growth in Western European that had been devastated by the war such as unusually high and sustained growth, together with full employment. By the end of World War II, much of Europe was devastated. The region’s trade flows had been disrupted. Food shortages were severe in all over the Europe. The 1930’s Great Depression in Europe production had fallen far below even than usual for the entire decade due to failure of market forces to restore demand to normal levels. Hence, the biggest panic after WWII was the return of the Great Depression during 30s. After the war, the major powers were determined not to repeat the mistakes of the Great Depression. Governments might have been slow to dismantle wartime allocation controls, and so have severely constrained the market mechanism. However, Politicians were predisposed toward intervention and regulation, their principle was: no matter how damaging â€Å"government failure† might be to the economy, it had to be better than the â€Å"market failure† of the Depression. After WWII, the slightest regulations and policies are derived from The Keynesian Economy. Keynesian economists claim that the boom was caused by the adoption of Keynesian economic policies, particularly government spending. The basic idea of Keynesian thinking was to have pure free market policies rather than the mixed economy which require a significant role for government intervention. Efforts against Keynesianism took place on three fronts – in the academic world, in politics, and in the wider world of business and public opinion. In Keynes’s theory, in contrast to the previously accepted view, an economic depression might continue indefinitely unless government spending, financed by a budget deficit, were increased sufficiently. In 1948 the Marshall Plan was implemented to rebuild and modernize Western Europe. The Coal and Steel Community had which was to become the European Union lately. The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was a program occurred in United States to aid Europe as the US. gives monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of WWII in order to have a force over Soviet communism. The plan was for four years. The goals of the Marshall Plan were to remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and provide Europe to be strong again. Plan pumped over $12 billion to rebuild and modernize Western Europe. Keynesian economics period also accepted as financial repression. With these Keynesian policies such as low nominal interest rates and low or negative real interest rates and government policy, especially the US and UK both dealt with their existing government debt level from Great Depression and World War II and reduce the level of debt in the debt service without needing to direct a high portion of government spending. All of the success was coming from free market economies. After the death of President Roosevelt, a conservative control of Congress took place and try to turn the policies into Libertarian policies by rejecting numerous Keynesian initiatives, dropped many price controls, and instead cut taxes sharply. These libertarian policies are believed to have been stimulated the economy and created near full employment. During the whole period, especially Hayek was against Keynes at some points. He and a group occurred from other journalists and intellectuals had planned to displace Keynesianism and other collectivist influences. Hayek complained about economists to refuse to allow his work to be questioned after his death, it almost became a tabu. According to Friedrich von Hayek, the development of welfare socialism after World War II undermined freedom and would lead western democracies inexorably to some form of state-run serfdom so that socialism was also affecting Europe negatively. For the institutions Bretton Woods system was used after WWII until 1970s. The Bretton Woods system was history’s first example of a fully negotiated monetary order. It is an international regime which was designed to combine binding legal obligations with multilateral decision-making, which is conducted through an international organization, like the IMF, endowing money with some limited supranational authority. In 1971, The Bretton Woods system collapsed due to President Richard Nixon’s severed the link between the dollar and gold. Another policy which is used after WWII was Military Keynesianism, which sighted to devote a large amount of money spending to the military to increase the economical growth of the countries.

Fads, Fashion, and Music of the 1950’s

Today I'm going to be doing my speech on the fads, fashion, and music of the ass's. First I'm going to tell you'll about women's fashion in the ass's. Women in the ass's wore dresses with pinched in waists to show off their hourglass figures. They wore full skirts, also known as poodle skirts because of the bright motif of a poodle sewn onto the skirt. They wore these skirts with stiff petticoats underneath which gave them volume. They also wore pencil skirts and sweaters.They often pared poodle skirts with a tight, tucked in collared blouse and a wide waist clinching belt, and to finish the look they wore high heels. They also wore Capri's, or as they called them pedal pushers and Shares, which became popular after Marilyn Monroe was photographed wearing them. Now I'm going to tell you'll about men's attire. Men in the ass's wore black, navy, or gray business suits for work. They also wore overcoats with their suits, and they complete their look with a fedora hat. When men weren't w orking they wore cardigans sweaters with khakis.As rock and roll got popular, then name leather Jackets which they wore with black or white t-shirts and Shares. Next I'm going to talk about the fads. One of the popular fads in the ass's were sock hops. Socks hops are typically informal high school dances in which they removed their shoes and danced in their socks to protect the gym floors. Another popular fad was going to drive-in movie theaters. Drive-in movie theaters were invented in the ass's but didn't become popular until the ass's because that's when everyone began having cars.Parents loved drive-ins because they could take their kids and teens loved them cause it was somewhere they could their dates. Another fad was hula hoops. The hula-hoop was invented by Richard Inner and Arthur â€Å"Spud† Melvin, two industrious individuals who founded a company called the Wham-O Company. They came up with the idea in California in 1957 when an Australian visiting the U. S. Told them that back home children participated in an interesting gym class activity- they twirled hoops made of bamboo around their waists and had a great time doing it.A light bulb went on in these two clever people's minds and the American version of the oops, made of a lightweight but durable plastic, was born. They coined the term â€Å"hula-hoop† because they believed the action of the toys mimicked a form of a Hawaiian dance. Another fad was the fez dispenser. It all started in 1927 in Austria when Edward Has came up with this new peppermint candy. An adult breath mint that he decided to market as an alternative for smoking. The word FEZ comes from the German word for peppermint. FEZ used to be carried around in pocket tins.Then in 1948 they came out with the â€Å"easy, hygienic dispenser† that we all know now to be a regular. In 1952 FEZ wanted to expand their sales so they set their sights on the U. S. A. , to make their product more appealing to Americans. They pl aced heads on the dispensers and marketed it for children. The last fad I'm going to tell wall about is silly putty. In 1943 James Wright, an engineer, was attempting to create a synthetic rubber. He was unable to achieve the properties he was looking for and put his creation (later to be called silly putty) on the shelf as a failure.A few years later, a salesman for the DOD Corning Corporation was using the putty to entertain some customers. One of his customers became intrigued with the putty and saw that it had potential as a new toy. So in 1957, after being endorsed on the â€Å"Howdy y Show†, silly putty became a toy fad. Now I'm going to talk about popular singers in the ass's. The first person I'm going to tell wall about is Elvis Presley. The King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley, was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi; twin brother Jessie Garà §on was stillborn, leaving him to grow up as an only child.Influenced by the music he heard at all-night gos pel sings in Memphis and the black R&B he absorbed on historic Belle Street, his recording career began in 1954 with Sun Records?a year later he moved to RCA Victor. With a unique sound and style, he ushered in a new era of American music. In addition to his rock ‘n' roll hits: Heartbreak Hotel and Jailhouse Rock, he had EASY-POP hits: Love Me Tender, Teddy Bear, It's Now or Never, and Loving You. He made a huge impact on the De Sullivan TV program in 1956 and starred in more than thirty films beginning with ‘Love Me Tender. His Lass Vegas performances and 1973 comeback concert in Hawaii are legendary. Globally, he sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. He died of drug-related heart failure in 1977 at his home, Greenland, in Memphis. The next singer I am going to talk about is Nat King Cole was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919, raised in Chicago, and christened Nat ‘King Cole by a Los Angles club owner in 1937. Beginning his career as a Jazz pianist, he formed an innovative, drummers trio, the hugely popular King Cole Trio in 1939 with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince.He conquered the pop charts in the fifties as a lid-mannered, warm-voiced singer of orchestrated asses ballads. He died of lung cancer in 1965. And then we have Buddy Holey, the youngest of four children, was born in Lubbock, Texas, where Buddy was a popular nickname for a male ‘baby of the family. ‘ By age 13, he and his friend Bob Montgomery were playing a kind of music they called Western Bop,' which they performed at local clubs. He added Larry Weldon and Jerry Allison to form ‘The Crickets. ‘ Bespectacled Buddy Holly was the guitarist and vocalist with a singing style that blends rockabilly irreverence with pop and rock ‘n' roll.Among his Clevis, New Mexico, recordings were the western/bop/rock hit Peggy Sue, the hillbilly's That'll Be the Day, and the ass EASY-POP hit Everyday featuring Norman Petty on th e Celeste. The Crickets musical talent, together with Buddy Holly's unique ‘excited' style of singing, quickly made them a success. He died in 1959 before his 23rd birthday. As part of a rock show, Buddy Holly toured with ‘The Big Popper' and Ritchie Valves. After a concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where their small chartered plane crashed and everyone on board was killed. His entire recording career lasted Just 18 months.

Broke Back Mountain

The 78th Annual Oscar Awards on the 5th of March, 2006, was more of a gay gathering than usual with the assembling of a large number of homosexuals, as their favourite movie â€Å"Broke Back Mountain† had been nominated for the Oscar Awards . This movie depicts the enduring love affair between two cowboys and Ang Lee, the director of the film made a masterpiece of a movie that not only handles the seemingly impossible feat of mainstreaming a gay romance, but is also devoid of soppy sentimentality. This movie is a screen adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning short story by Annie Proulx.This story is set in the 1960s and spans a two decade relationship between Ennis Del Mar played by Heath Ledger and Jack Twist played by Jake Gyllenhaal. An initial friendship culminates in a homosexual relationship. At first they keep denying their attraction for each other by making statements like â€Å"This is a one shot thing we got going on here,†(Ennis,) â€Å"you know I’m not queer. † â€Å"Me neither,† (Jack). However, they continue to indulge in this and one of them, Heath, returns to his fiancee, although the other, Jack, is reluctant to abandon the relationship.Ennis marries Alma played by Michelle Williams, has two daughters and embarks on a regular life and Jack eventually meets and marries a Texan cowgirl Lureen played by Anne Hathaway and has a son. After four years Ennis and Jack meet again and their reunion is and is accidentally witnessed by Ennis’s wife, who remains silent about the whole episode. This begins their frequent respite from their heterosexual lives and they get together two or three times a year by retreating into the majestic mountains to live with each other.This continues for 16 years and their relationship remains unchanged, despite Ennis’s divorce from Alma. In the Western genre homoeroticism has always been predominant and the role of women within the genre has either been as harpies, whores o r smokescreens who maintain the heterosexuality of its protagonists. The director could have without effort transformed the wives of these cowboys into disagreeable wives who would have taken their homosexual husbands to task for their unnatural ways, but the wives are depicted as fully rounded characters that would have shown heaven on earth to a heterosexual husband.This story concerns itself not only with the homosexual relationship between the men and the difficulties that this relation places them in but more importantly it focuses on the enormous strain and disappointment that their unfortunate wives have to put up with. The story is set in Wyoming, which has a culture of cowboys, and where cowboys and herders were considered to be the last bastion of real men left in a world which was becoming increasingly depleted of honour and morals.The emotional impact on discovering that their husbands were unfaithful to them and also that they were indulging in sodomy produces a devasta ting effect on them. Eroticism has always been accorded a larger than life image by Hollywood and the erotic thriller was a popular genre in the 1980s, with movies like Body Heat, The Big Easy, Sea of Love, Fatal Attraction, and 9 ? Weeks turning out to be great successes. In 1993 Basic Instinct was released in this genre, but it proved to be the last of successful movies in this variety.Such movies definitely manage to denigrate heterosexuality and by implication women. For example, Big Love, the new HBO drama about polygamy, promotes unfair views regarding women such as that it takes three women to satisfy one man, while one third of a man is enough for each woman. These women are shown to be nagging wives who want more sex than their husband can provide and the end result is a heterosexual nightmare of domestic and sexual obligations rather than the expected male fantasy. The aim of these shows is to promote and praise gay marriage.What's really galling is that women, like the wo men in Broke back Mountain are deemed to be fit for nothing better than breeding and are not considered to be human beings, who deserve respect and love. The heterosexual men in this movie are shown in an equally poor light, ranging from Randy Quaid’s, the employer of these homosexual cowboys, embodiment of repressed intolerance to Graham Beckel as Jack Twist's emasculating father-in-law. This movie makes an astonishing statement that the only honourable and masculine men are the gay ones.Ennis's wife Alma remarries a loving husband who better provides for her needs, true to form he is portrayed as meek and almost effeminate. The lot of women is terrible and the encouragement of customs that have been identified as depravity by the Good Book and also in the Holy Texts of other religions, speaks volumes for the moral depravity that has befallen us under the guise of freedom. Freedom is good, freedom is great, freedom is our birthright but not if half the population, namely the women are going to be denigrated and treated in a derogatory manner.

Retail business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Retail business - Dissertation Example Secondary research involves using collecting information on a phenomenon under study from existing resources of databases. Secondary research is cheaper relative to primary research. In addition, it takes less time to collect and analyze data in secondary research compared to primary research. Secondary data analysis enables a research to analyze data from large samples. This kind of analyses would be difficult when conducting a primary research due to time and financial constraints (David & Sutton 2004, p.69; Hulley 2007, p. 207). Researchers sometimes utilize primary and secondary research methods in the same study. The information collected from secondary sources in some cases is sufficient to answer all the research questions in a study. This is particularly true for studies that many researchers have analyzed the research topic extensively and the researcher may not add any new insights into the field by conducting a primary research. In addition, sometimes secondary data is the only source of information on a research topic especially when a researcher is not able to conduct a primary research. Secondary data is useful in a research for providing a foundation or background information on the research problem. In this case, secondary data shapes the expectations of a researcher and provides the current level of knowledge on the topic under study (Wrenn, Stevens & Loudon 2006, p. 71; Webb 2002, p. 32). In the proposed study, the information from secondary sources will be sufficient to answer all the research questions. Extensive research has been conducted by independent researchers and those working under government agencies on UK’s retail sector. It is possible for the researcher to conduct a primary research on the UK’s retail sector. However, such a research would be tedious because the retail sector is large. For the researcher to obtain a sample that would be a true representation of the entire retail sector, different organizations in d ifferent industries would be involved in the study. A large sample would be required and this is costly in terms of time spent in collecting and analyzing data from a large sample as well as resource requirement. Researchers use secondary data as a source of exploratory information on their research topics. This exploratory information helps a research in designing research instruments for a primary research. For instance, a researcher may use the exploratory information as a guide to formulating questions in a questionnaire or for focus groups. The nature of existing secondary data on a research topic can help a researcher in making a decision on the most appropriate research design to use in his or her studies. For instance, secondary data may indicate past attempts by other researchers to conduct primary research on a topic and their success or failure. If past researchers have ruled out the possibility of conducting a primary research in a certain filed, secondary data will help a researcher to save time and resources by adopting a secondary research design (Wrenn, Stevens & Loudon 2006, p. 72). The existing literature on UK’s retail sector indicates the significance of the sector to the economy as well as its magnitude. The retail sector is large and consists of very many significant industries. Past researches and government publications indicate its trend over the years including its performance during the financial crisis. This