The Most Important Agent Of Socialization Sociology Essay

The Most Important Agent Of Socialization Sociology Essay In short, an agent of socialization assists in the development process by influencing the individual. A person learns socialization through agents, which include: the family, the school, the peer group, and the mass media. According to Sociologist Richard Gelles (1990), The family is the most violent group in society, with the exception of the police and the military. Nonetheless, the family provides a strong backbone and a reliable foundation; it is considered the most important agent of socialization. The family assumes the chief responsibility of developing a child, and has a substantial guise in the integration with society. The family is the primary support system for a child, especially during the first phase of their lives when they are physically and, in most cases, emotionally closest to a child. During this time, they will provide the greatest support and influence. This will extend over factors such as values, beliefs, political aspects, religious appetites, and the childs overall outlook on society in its entirety. Childrens minds are like sponges that absorb teachings; they will mimic, appreciate, worship, and accept views, behaviors, and even possessions of their parents. It is evident that the social development in a child is heavily manipulated by the family. Furthermore, the family unit has the ability to effect change to the next generation.   Parents inculcate their beliefs and values to their children from a young age, and that value system can be perpetuated from one generation to the next. Changes in the American Family The American family has indeed made drastic changes, and these profound shifts are owed largely to women: womens equality and their entry into the workforce. The latter 1960s became a time of revolution; the Womens Liberation Movement gave way to a new era of female supremacy, and reformed the current balance of power and rights in America. Women purposefully set to the workforce in swarms, aiming to earn pay equal to men. This caused a domino effect on society at-large. As cost of living rises, it is unrealistic for couples to rely on the income of one earner; therefore, a two-wage household is ideal. Effectually, husband and wife in majority of families are forced to become significant financial contributors. Consequently, less and less attention is given to children as demanding careers do not allow such elasticity in both parents time budget. In addition, in view of both parents spending most of their waking hours at work, their children become latchkey kids. Children come home to an empty house that lacks supervision, guidance, and nurturing. Both parents having to work long hours to maintain a household reduces time with their children. Kids need as much time with their parents, who they idolize, but dont often receive it. This, of course, leads to the increased commitment of grandparents who now assume the roles and responsibilities of absent parents. In conjunction, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2011), procreation has decreased from 1976 to 2008. It is evident that both the cost to raise a child and the consideration of a preoccupied parent are factors in the abatement of conception. Notwithstanding, as women become more and more self-sufficient, they no longer depend on a husband to support the family. Compensable employment among women validates and insures them that sustainable living is attainable. Also, women were less likely to view marriage through the prisms of sacrifice, duty, and obligation. Regardless of the human need for intimate relationships, and undying cultural traditions, its clear that people who are obligated to be self-sufficient have little patience for unequal, intolerable relationships than those who are dependent, economically; thus, contributing to the growth in divorce rates (U.S. Census, 2011). Differences In recent times, personal choice has superseded. However, it is still common for individuals to ponder on class, race, and gender. Many individuals prefer inter-racial marriages and when not, thats the first family stressor. Children are born into the situation and the issue perpetuates. Regardless of the criteria, its the judgment or prejudices of others that make marriage/family life harder than it should. For example, my Japanese co-worker has two half Black, half Japanese children. Her pure Japanese parents never approved of her Black husband, and never adored their  ½ black grandchildren. It took many years for her parents to come around and accept the situation. On the other hand, her brother married a Japanese wife, had kids, and they were closer to their grandparents than their Afro-American cousins. Personal choice is more important today than other pressures placed on the individual to choose a partner. Due to media exposure, it is more acceptable to choose a partner outside ones class, race, and gender. Diverse Families According to popular culture, a normal family consists of a bread-winner (father), a caretaker (mother), and at least one offspring (children). However, the composition of families has changed dramatically since 1960. Diverse families include statuses such as: single-parent, cohabitation, gay and lesbian couples, and blended families (step). From a positive outlook, diverse families allow for individual prosperity. People no longer have to follow the ways and habits of their forefathers; rather, they are encouraged to exercise their human right, making freedom of choice prevalent. Sexual and marital preference, and multi-tradition, religion, and culture relationships promote a more tolerant society who willingly accepts and is more open-minded to others differences. Negatively speaking, certain family members may not be open to diversity. Considering the family is the most important agent of socialization, the individual will likely contemplate the familys opinion(s) and may be influenced negatively which could cause friction within the family, the relationship, or both. Diversity is beneficial if the society doesnt practice or abandons nationalism. The society must not only be afforded the opportunity, but have strengthened abilities to adapt to diversity. Pre-World War II If the trend negatively changed towards traditional (pre-World War II) families, it would ultimately negate all of the progress women made to achieving equal rights. Womens suffrage may not have come about, women would likely still be inferior to their husbands, working in factories, and viewed as nothing more than a possession treated poorly. The expectation of women would continue to be restricted, limiting them to being homemakers, and bearing and nurturing children. In light of World War II, women fought endlessly to find equality in political, economic, and social life and demonstrated against society for equal rights (pay, maternity leave, etc.). The effort put forth by women to enter the labor force has altered the marriage guidelines of their rights and expectations. As women secure their positions within the workforce, they declare their fair share of power within the familial relationship. The mentality of women morphed from restricted to open, homemaker to PhD. Overall, if the direction of traditional families changed, it would have a considerable impact on womens rights. In short, their empowerment would either lack the proper fertilization, or be abandoned completely.

A Comparison of Two Advertisements :: Adverts, Compare and Contrast

A Comparison of Two Advertisements I am going to compare the two advertisements l have been given, one is 'Save the children' and one is 'Barnardo's'. The points I am going to discuss are logo and contact information, slogan use of emotive language, use of repetition, pictures, use of 'you', message, appeal and target audience. The logo in the 'Save the Children' leaflet is the upper half of a body reaching upwards. It is encircled by a thick line with a gap before it reaches the body. The contact information is not clearly seen, it is in small print, in white writing, against a grey background below one of the logos and slogans. It is in a clear font style and states all of the necessary information. It includes the 'Registered Charity Number'. The logo is usually blood red on either a grey, white or black background. It is placed a lot throughout the leaflet but on the last page it is placed next to the contact information in a clear place so that the contact information follows the solution having a bigger impact on YOU making a donation. The logo on the 'Barnardo's' advertisement only appears once. It is three people holding hands; they are positioned so that they look like they are running. Two of them are bigger than the middle one, which looks as if it is running and being lifted by the adults. It looks as if the one having fun and as it they are free. It is in a light colour, most probably white (I have a black & white copy) and the background is black. The contact information is clearly stated in an 'easy read' font size and it is strategically placed at the bottom of the page so you see it last and it becomes the last thing on your mind so you remember it. The contact information is clearly stated in an 'easy read' font size and it is also placed at the bottom of the page. The sentence 'Make a donation' is placed just before the phone number.

Lux Soap Marketing Project Essay

Executive Summary Unilever is a multinational consumer product manufacturing giant operating in over hundred countries all around the globe. Unilever Bangladesh is the Bangladesh chapter of Unilever, where the company holds 60.75% share whereas the Government of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh holds 39.25% share. UnileverÂ’s one of the most popular brand is LUX. They segments LUX.Â’s market according to geographical locations. It further differentiates these segments into Socio Economic Cluster (SEC) which takes into account the criteria of education and profession which ultimately measures the financial ability of consumers. The cluster is divided into five parts starting from A to E. Unilever targets the urban and sub urban upper middle class and middle class segment of the population, who falls under A to C of SEC. Tactical marketing tools, 4PÂ’s, are extensively used by the company to market LUX. Though LUX is produced in Bangladesh, Unilever Bangladesh maintains the same standard all around the globe. The product is available in six different fragrances under three different sizes. Since the demand for beauty soap market is to a great extent oligopolistic, variations in price lead to price war which can eventually break down the companyÂ’s market share. Thus Unilever cannot provide a better price than its competitors. But the price is affordable by most of the people. Unilever Bangladesh has outsourced its distribution channels to third party distributors which allow them to distribute LUX in massive bulks amounting to around ten million pieces. It undertakes the largest promotional activities in the beauty soap industry. The beauty soap industry has a few major producers of which Unilever holds market share of slightly less than 50%. Other competing brands like Tibbet, Aromatic and Keya have started to have a strong consumer base, but LUX.Â’s product features distribution and promotional activities have created high brand loyalty for which it is still the market leader. Unilever, with the aid of its heavy promotional activities, has been able to penetrate the market. But the other producers in the industry are posing a  threat towards UnileverÂ’s market share as they have moved towards the rural masses of the population. Therefore, Unilever Bangladesh should undertake further steps such as moving towards the rural and/or poorer segment; attract children (by making a special product for kids) and other innovative promotional activities to retain its command in the industry. Chapter 1Introduction1.1 Unilever at a Glance:Unilever is one of the worldÂ’s largest and leading multinational companies; Unilever commenced their business activities on a larger scale by setting up their first factory in Netherlands, in the year of 1872. Operating in Bangladesh for over the last four decades the company is trying to significantly contribute towards the augmentation of the standard of living by bringing world class high quality products at the door step of their customers. The usage of Unilever products by over 90% of the people in Bangladesh stands a testimony to their successful operation. . Their array of products show that they produce household care, fabric cleaning, skin cleansing, skin care, oral care, hair care, personal grooming, and tea based beverage products under worldwide famous brand names Wheel, LUX, Lifebuoy, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Close Up, Sunsilk, Lipton, Lipton Taaza, Pepsodent, All Clear, Vim, Surf Excel, and Rexona. 1.2 Objective of this report:This report is an outcome of an analysis of marketing strategies used by Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. The main purpose of the report is to find what strategies the company uses to market its world famous beauty soap, LUX, in Bangladesh; the positive and negative aspects of those strategies. The report further analyzes the position of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. in the toiletry industry in comparison to its competitors. The report discusses the process of using market segmentation, target marketing, the product, pricing, promotional and distribution strategies and a competitive analysis. 1.3 Methodology of this report:For accessibility and availability of information we have chosen to work on the strategies of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. As the company operates in the market with a huge number of products in different industries, we have decided to focus on one of their world wide  successful brands, LUX. Most of the information used in this report is from primary sources. The main source of information was the focus group discussion. In addition information was also collected from websites. Chapter 2Product Category, Market Segmentation, Target Marketing and PositioningThis chapter describes the category of the selected product. The chapter is organized into four sections. Section 1 states under which category the product falls. Section 2 describes how Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. differentiates the population and categorizes them into different segments. Section 3 analyzes which segment the company targets and why they target that specific segment. Finally section 4 describes the process through which the company tries to capture a place in the buyers mind i.e. the product positioning method. 2.1 Product Category:LUX falls under the category of toiletry product as a beauty soap. 2.2 Market Segmentation:The company claims that LUX is the highest selling beauty soap in Bangladesh. Moreover some survey reports also reveal the same result. Though LUX is the highest selling beauty soap in Bangladesh, it does not go for traditional mass marketing. Moreover as a beauty soap LUX does not even segment its market according to gender. The population of the country is segmented into three parts which are urban, sub urban and rural area consumers. The company further differentiate the geographical segments according to Socio Economic Cluster (SEC) i.e. education and Income. The SEC divides the population in five segments starting from A to E, where A categorizes the highly educated and high income earners holders, and sequentially in descending order E categorizes the opposite. 2.3 Target Market:urban and sub urban middle class, and rural poor people are the largest part of Bangladesh population. A research carried out by Unilever Bangladesh reveals that urban rich people are more likely to buy imported and expensive products. Moreover rural poor people tend to buy cheap products even without evaluating its quality. However urban and sub urban upper middle and middle class people tend to buy affordable and quality products. LUX is not a highly expensive but an affordable product. That is why the company targets urban and sub urban upper middle and middle class people who are the second highest population of segment of the country. From the segmentation of customer according to SEC they target category A, B and C, because they are assumed to be financially well-off and can afford to buy LUX. 2.4 Product Positioning:Unilever Bangladesh Ltd obtained a good position in the buyersÂ’ mind through better product attributes, price and quality, offering the product in a different way than the competitors do. The company offers improved quality of products in the industry at an affordable price with high branding, which ultimately helps to position the product in the buyersÂ’ mind as the best quality beauty soap. The market share of the company in the beauty soap industry is somewhere around 43%.Since in the beauty soap industry all products are of same price Unilever cannot provide its consumers with better price but it is in a great position in reference with its packaging, fragrances and product designing. A positioning map of the company is shown Figure 2.2 (P-10) to describe LUXÂ’s position in the consumers mind on two dimensions, price and quality. It states that though in comparison to its competitors the pricing of LUX is same but consumers rate it as the product which gives them the highest quality. This positioning created a strong customer loyalty for LUX, for which it the market leader in the industry. Chapter 3Using the Tactical Marketing ToolsThis chapter describes the way Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. use the tactical marketing tools for marketing LUX in Bangladesh. The chapter comprises of four sections. 3.1 Product:LUX is an internationally renowned beauty soap brand of Unilever. Though manufactured in Bangladesh for the local market by Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, as an international brand, it maintains an international quality for the product. Formula given by Research and Development departments in foreign countries, LUX is produced in Bangladesh from imported raw materials like sodium soap, glycerol and different extracts according to flavors, coming from Unilever plants situated abroad. LUX is offered in Bangladesh in six different flavors which are: LUX Energizing Honey, LUX Golden Glow, LUX Nature Pure, LUX Orchid Touch, LUX Almond Delight and LUX Aqua Sparkle. Taking into account the convenience of its customers, the company manufactures all flavors of LUX in three different sizes, 40gm, 80gm and 120gm. 3.2 Price:Though Unilever Bangladesh gives its LUX customers a lot in terms of the product itself, it cannot provide a better pricing. This is due to some constraints in the beauty soap industry. Beauty soap is a product with a vulnerable demand in Bangladesh. A change in price has a high risk of creating price war among the rivals which will eventually cause a loss of profit. Its prices are almost equal to its competitor. Company carries out research on competitorsÂ’ price and brand loyalty when it feels extreme necessaity of chaging price. The brand loyalty test is an exploratory research which is known as Brand Health Check-Up (BHCU). 3.3 Place:Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. has a huge distribution channel for LUX all over the country as its sales reach more than 10 million pieces a year. The company has six huge warehouses, one in each division of Bangladesh, where the product goes after they are manufactured at Kalurghat factory. The company does not use its own fleet of transport for distributing its product. However, it has outsourced its distribution process to various  third party distributors, exclusively dedicated to Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. These distributors then supply the product all over Bangladesh to a huge number of retailers. Even though LUX targets the urban and sub urban middle and upper middle class people they are distributing their products all over Bangladesh because of a recent increase in demand of its product to all segments of the population. 3.4 Promotion:Unilever Bangladesh undertakes huge promotional activities to promote LUX which has topped the beauty soap industry of Bangladesh. It spends almost 20% to 25% of its Net Proceeds from Sales (NPC) of LUX for promotional activities for LUX 1ItÂ’s certain annual promotional campaigns like LUX Channel i Superstar and LUX Channel i Annual Cinema Awards has made the product a part of the glamour world. Since the 1930s, over 400 of the worldÂ’s most stunning and sensuous women have been proudly associated with Lux advertisements. They do not only promote LUX in Bangladesh for the beauty conscious females, it also promotes the brand for males and the company proved that, by including world famous male celebrity Shahrukh Khan for their advertising campaign. Unilever Bangladesh Ltd spends a huge amount of money for promoting LUX through TV commercials, newspaper advertisements and billboards. Moreover it also undertakes small promotional campaigns at different schools, colleges, universities and recreational parks with winners of its Zonal Beauty Contests. Till now promotional activities of LUX has always been successful which has made it a household common name and helped it reach almost one billion taka sale value in the year 2004 2. Chapter 4Analyzing the Market for LUXFor better comprehension of Unilever Bangladesh, its marketing strategy, product quality, positioning and placement, we present here a comparative analysis of its competitors. This part of the report illustrates the market share of different companies in the beauty soap industry. 4.1 Market Share:The beauty soap industry in Bangladesh consists of only seven major producers. Unilever Bangladesh Ltd is operating in the industry  with its world famous brand LUX. Out of these giant companies Unilever Bangladesh Ltd is the market leader with a share of around 43%. market share of all the companies in the sector. Unilever Bangladesh Ltd is leading the market. The other competitors are very competitive among themselves but they cannot put a intense competition with Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, as they have market share much less than Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. Other companies in the industry are not as big as Unilever Bangladesh Ltd but they are posing threat to the company by a tendency of a gradual increase in their market share. Kohinoor Chemicals which is operating with the brand name Tibet is an extremely famous brand to the rural segment of the population and possess a significant share in that segment which is the largest population group in Bangladesh. Moreover Keya Cosmetics Ltd operating with the brand name Keya and Marks & Allys Ltd operating with the brand name Aromatic are also uprising brands to both the rural and sub urban segment of the population. Moreover a recent takeover of Aromatic by multinational consumer product giant MARICO who operates with famous brands in other industries like Parachute Coconut Oil is posing to be a threat to Unilever BangladeshÂ’s market share. Chapter 5ConclusionThe beauty soap industry of Bangladesh consists of a few producers in the industry. The demand for this product is very much vulnerable in terms of pricing. Unilever Bangladesh is providing LUX. at a price which is affordable to most of the people in the country. Beauty soap is an uprising product in Bangladesh as a greater portion of the population, both male and female, are now getting more beauty conscious. As a multinational company Unilever Bangladesh with heavy promotional activities, has been able to penetrate the market. With six different fragrances, three different sizes, international standard and high quality design, as a product, LUX has been highly successful over  the years. Its distribution process is highly efficient. Its promotional activities, like the beauty contest has been a milestone in attracting a huge number of customers. Overall with its marketing activities LUX has been a successful brand. The only place where rival companies are progressing is in giving customers redemption offers. Research revealed that Bangladeshi customers are highly attracted to this sort of offers. These offers are not sustainable in the long run but still it takes away a considerable part of LUXÂ’s sale in the short run. Chapter 6RecommendationIn this chapter the team would suggest some recommendations to Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. to adopt more successful operation in Bangladesh. Since a huge portion of the rural poor people is demanding LUX in recent days, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd should expand their target market also towards the rural people. They should also conduct different promotional activities in rural fairs and socially responsible promotional activities to attract rural consumers and social awareness . Because Lux has different skin type soap so now if they provide different types of beauty soaps for male and female soapunder the same brand name i.e. LUX it might increase their sales. Lastly, as Bangladeshi culture children have a huge say in shopping so they should also promote the product to children like their another brand “Dove”. These are the recommendations suggested by teem members to Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. to adopt for a more successful operation in Bangladesh with large market share. Bibliography 1.www.unilever.com•http://www.unileverea.com/ourbrands/personalcare/lux.asp•http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/personalcare/lux.asp2.www.unileverbd.com3.Report on “Competition Scenario in Bangladesh”, page 18, prepared by Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, July 2005.)4.http://www.gfk.be/ProductsAndServices/ConsumerDiagnosticTools/SpecialAnalyses/BrandHealthCheckUp5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever6.http://ladytobaby.com/show.php?item=155

Profile of Christiane Amanpour

Profile of Christiane Amanpour Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief Intl Correspondent for 20 Years: Christiane Amanpour, one of the worlds most honored broadcast journalists, was CNN Chief International Correspondent for 20 years. Shes also said to be the worlds highest-paid correspondent. On March 18, 2010, ABC News named Amanpour as moderator for its Sunday morning The Week interview program, starting on August 1, 2010. She left CNN after 27 years. An Amanpour report validates a storys importance. Shes often given insider access where other reporters are neither welcomed nor allowed. Shes an authority on Islam with extensive Middle East and worldwide connections. Recently Notable: Commented Amanpour on March 18, 2010, Im thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News. Being asked to anchor This Week and the superb tradition started by David Brinkley, is a tremendous and rare honor and I look forward to discussing the great domestic and international issues of the day. Amanpour was in the Baghdad courtroom on October 19, 2005 when Saddam Hussein made his first trial appearance, and at Husseins initial hearing in 2004. Time magazine has called her the most influential foreign correspondent since Edward R. Murrow. Personal Data: Birth - January 12, 1958 in LondonEducation - From age 11, attended two Roman Catholic all-girls schools in Great Britain. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of Rhode Island in 1983 with a BA in Journalism.Family - Married since 1998 to James (Jamie) Rubin, US State Department spokesman under President Clinton; one son, Darius, born in 2000. Growing Up Christiane Amanpour: Born to Iranian airline executive Mohammed Amanpour and his British wife, Patricia, her family moved to Tehran soon after her birth. Christiane led a privileged life in Iran, and then at British boarding schools. She studied journalism in London only because her sister backed out of attending and couldnt obtain a tuition refund. Her family fled Iran, and became refugees, in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. Shortly thereafter, Amanpour moved to Rhode Island to attend college. Christiane Amanpours Early Career Years: While a student, Amanpour interned at the Rhode Island NBC affiliate WJAR. After graduation, she endured numerous network rejections because she lacked the right look. She eventually landed an assistants job on CNNs international desk in Atlanta. I arrived at CNN with a suitcase, with my bicycle and with about 100 dollars. She was transferred to Eastern Europe in 1986, during the fall of Communism. It was there that her reporting caught the attention of CNN brass. Christiane Amanpour as CNN Foreign Correspondent: Amanpour was elevated to CNN foreign correspondent in 1989, where she reported on democratic revolutions in Eastern Europe. She first attained widespread acclaim for her riveting coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1990, followed by award-winning reporting of the conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda. Based in London, shes reported from war zones in Iraq, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and beyond. Shes also secured innumerable exclusive interviews with world leaders. Amanpour Exclusive Interviews, Partial List: 2003 British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac just prior to the War in Iraq2003 Mahmoud Abbas, first Palestinian Prime Minister2002 Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, in isolation in his Ramallah headquarters. (Arafat hung up on her after a shouting match.)2001 Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf during the war against Afghanistan1999 Mikhail Gorbachev on the 10th anniversary of Communisms fall1997 Mohammad Khatami, new President of Iran Awards and Accolades, Partial List: On June 17, 2007, Amanpour was named by Queen Elizabeth as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which is only one step shy of knighthood. Professional awards include:2000 Edward R. Murrow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Broadcast Journalism2002 Harvards Goldsmith Career Award for JournalismTwo Emmy news/documentary awardsTwo George Foster Peabody Awards for BroadcastingTwo George Polk Awards for JournalismCourage in Journalism Award, International Womens Media FoundationMajor role in two duPont awards and a Golden Cable Ace award given to CNN Interesting Personal Notes: While attending University of Rhode Island, she became friends and shared an off-campus house with Brown University student John F. Kennedy, Jr. They remained close friends until his 1999 death. Christiane Amanpour is described as modest, private and quite magnetic. Her reporting is unfailingly hard-hitting, accurate and insightful. Shes often pictured on-camera sans make-up and in an ever-present, unglamorous flak jacket. She was named 1997 Iranian Woman of the Year. Memorable Quotes: Remember the movie Field of Dreams when the voice said, Build it and they will come? Well somehow that dumb statement has always stuck in my mind, and I always say, If you tell a compelling story, they will watch. I think that as a country that is so powerful, so good in its values, so determined to spread values such as democracy, morality around the world...its absolutely vital...that the people of the United States get a look at whats going on outside. Its our role and its our job to be able to go to these places and bring back stories, just as a window on the world. I remember once doing a live shot from a so-called famine camp in Ethiopia-and actually in Somalia as well. I was showing a man and telling his story and explaining how ill he was, and it was a live camera. All of a sudden, I realized that he was dying. And I didnt know what to do, I didnt know how to break that moment, how to get the camera away, what to do that would not sully what was happening in real life. And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear.....children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with me....-...a strange thing has happened, something I never expected. Sadly, (my) marriage and motherhood have coincided with the demise of journalism as I knew it and I dreamt that it would always be. I am no longer sure that when I go out there and do my job, itll even see the light of air, if the experience of my colleagues is anything to go by. More times than I care to remember, I have sympathized with too many of them assigned like myself, to some of the worlds royal bad places. They would go through hell to do their pieces, only to frequently find them killed back in New York, because of some fascinating new twist on killer Twinkies or Fergie getting fatter or something. I have always thought it morally unacceptable to kill stories...that people have risked their lives to get.

Singapore the Way to a Global City Essay Example

Singapore the Way to a Global City Essay Example Singapore the Way to a Global City Essay Singapore the Way to a Global City Essay PREFACE Anyone who had a chance to witness a Singapore of the 1950s-the British’s colonial port and a prosperous Singapore nowadays has to admire the rise of Singaporean as well as the wise leadership of the government. There is no doubt that the city-state of Singapore represents a remarkable success story that has placed the country among the developed nations. After its independence in the mid-1960s, Singapore had no more than a deep port. There are no fresh water, no hinterland; all nation’s area just limits in 700 square kilometer. The question made in everyone’s mind was how Singapore could survive with such obstacles after the British’s withdrawal rather than how Singapore could develop to become one of the top-class economies. In contrast of everyone’s thought, Singapore has swiftly moved ahead of all neighbouring countries in almost all fields, turning itself into Asia’s second-richest country in term of per capita income. How has Singapore done to attain such remarkable achivements? What will Singapore have to do to cope with emerging giants such as China, India? It is the content of this essay: SINGAPORE -THE WAY TO THE GLOBAL CITY. In this essay, it is inevitable to have some mistakes. Therefore, I hope you will excuse them and contribute to make the essay better. I/. Singapore’s history and periods of development: The modern Singaopore’s history began in 1819 when Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles established a British port on the island and Singapore proved to be a prized settlement. By 1820, it was earning revenue, and three years later, its trade surpassed that of Penang. Singapore, together with Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in the Malay Peninsula, became the Straits Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India. With the advent of the steamship in the mid-1 860s and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Singapore became a major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia. This led to the prosperity of Singapore until Japanese occupation, starting on Frebruary 1942 and lasting for three years and a half. The British forces returned in September 1945. At that time the people, especially the merchant class, clamored for a say in the government. Hence, Singapore’s first election was held on 20 March 1948. Upon the basis of a new constitution that gave Singapore a greater measure of self-government, the 1955 election was the first lively political contest in Singapore’s history. Self-government was attained in 1959 when Singapore’s first general election was held and Lee Kuan Yew became Singapore’s first Prime Minister. In 1963, Singapore was formally merged with Malaysia for the purpose of benefiting the economy by creating a common free market, eliminating trade tariffs, and solving unemployment woes and Singapore’s security would also be safeguarded within the much larger Malaysia. However, the merger proved to be short-lived. Singapore was separated from the rest of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, and became a sovereign, democratic and independent nation. Thereafter, Singapore commenced the struggle to survive, prosper on its own and create a sense of national identity and consciousness among a disparate population of immigrants. Singapore entered the 1970s as a politically stable state with a high rate of economic growth. On 28 November 1990, a new chapter opened in Singapore’s modern history Goh Chok Tong became the second Prime Minster of Singapore after the resignation of Lee Kuan Yew. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong , the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third Prime Minister of Singapore and has been giving innovative policies to make Singapore become a global city. II/. Singapore’s achievements: When Singapore gained independence in 1965, its leaders cried rather than cheered. The idea that a small island city-state of two million people with no hinterland could survive in what was then a difficult and troubled region seemed manifestly absurd. Nevertheless, by its own effort, Singapore has been from the Third World to the First. 1/. Economy: Singapore’s economy has grown by more than 7 percent annum since 1965, leading to a per-capita income of US$29,610, ranking the ninth in the world. It now has the most efficient port, airport, airline and civil service in the world. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing. Manufacturing industry which is well-diversified into electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences constituted 26 percent of Singapore’s GDP in 2005. It also has the third largest oil refining. In 2006, Singapore produced about 10 percent of the worlds foundry wafer output. Singapore now is the worlds fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York city and Tokyo. Its total trade is three times the size of its GNP. 2/. Society: In the process of developing economy, Singapore has also concentrated on the conservation of environment in order to become the cleanest country in the world. Singapore has been well-known to have the best living conditions, expressing on some fields: Health: Singapore has one of the best healthcare systems in the world with the assistance of Medisave, Medishield, Medifund. That explains the fact that the population has become healthier each year. Infant mortality rates have fallen from 26. 3 per 1000 live births in 1965 to 3. 2 per 1000 today. Life expectancy is also rising. Education: Singapore has the highest literacy rate in the world. Education is neither totally free nor compulsory, but today 90 percent of the population will complete at least 10 years of education; 20 percent will complete university; 40 percent will complete polytechnic training, and 30 percent will complete vocational training. Housing: Shelter is also plentiful. 90 percent of the population lives in high-rise public housing that occupies only one-sixth of the island. The average dwelling space per family is above the global average. Virtually all Singaporeans live in homes they own because of a compulsory savings program, the Central Provident Fund (CPF). Multi-racial harmony: Singapore includes Chinese, Malays, Indians. Despite difficulties from the variety of ethnic groups and religions, Singapore has been successful with the policies of multi-racial harmony. Therefore, Singapore has been developing stably with four official languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English). III. Lee Kuan Yew’s contribution to Singapore’s succes s: Singapore nowadays has totally changed its look from the image of a country with poverty and corruption of 1950s. In contrast to todays prosperity, during the 1950s, Singapore was merely one of the many colonial ports of the British Empire, with fewer than 1. million people. In 1959, Singapores GDP per capita was only $400. How could this small island develop into a splendid city and a flourishing country from a poor village-like port 50 years ago? There are many factors contributing to Singapore’s success, in which Lee Kuan Yew (Prime Minister from 1959-1990) played a crucial role. In the limit of this essay, I just would like to emphasize the role of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore’s development. The success of Singapore is mostly due to the talented leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, who is the architect of many sound policies in many fields helping raise the Singapore’s economy. When elected to become the Prime Minister in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew gained the autonomy for Singapore from the British in all state matters except in defence and foreign affairs. Singapore even is more resource-poor than Japan. It has almost no natural resources aside from its deep-water port. Only 4% of the total area is arable land. In order to gain the control of defence and foreign policy and benefit the economy, Lee Kuan Yew forced to merge Singapore into Malaya, which with the mergence of Sabah and Sarawak became Malaysia in 1963. However, just two years later, in 1965, Lee Kuan Yew had to proclaim the seperation of Singapore from Malaysia and began to lead an independent Singapore with numerous difficulties ahead. Lee Kuan Yew had three main concerns – national security, the economy, and social issues – during his post-independence administration. 1/. National security: Recognizing the vulnerability of Singapore from outside threats, he quickly sought international recognition of Singapores independence as Singapore gained admission to the United Nations on 21 September 1965. He also declared a policy of neutrality and non-alignment, following Switzerland’s model. At the same time, he assigned Goh Keng Swee with the task of building the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and requested help from other countries for advice, training and facilities. Singapore later co-founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on 8 August 1967 and was admitted into the Non-Aligned Movement in 1970. 2/. Economic issues: Having almost no natural resources except for the deep port, Lee Kuan Yew supposed that Singapore had no choice but joining the international trade and commerce. He believed that creating and sustain a free and open economy is an efficient way for Singapore to develop. In the 1960s, Singapore was still very poor with high unemployment rate, especially after the British’s withdrawal. He tried to attract foreign investment as much as possible, encouraged the growth of private enterprises and avoided any subsidy. The government has adopted an open-door policy and welcomes foreign investment as well as foreign expertise. Singapore’s free-enterprise spirit extends to its relations with foreign investors. An open business environment has evolved in Singapore, evidenced by the size of the countrys external trade which is in fact about three times that of the domestic GDP. A free trade policy ensures that there are minimal restrictions on the import and export of goods. Therefore, almost all commodities, and consumer and industrial items enter and leave the country free from duty charges. Singapore provides international businesses with a total operating capability in a conducive business and free trade environment. In order for policies to be implemented effectively, apparatus of government is very important. None better than him, he was aware that Singapore was only able to grow when it has a pure, dedicated and talented government. Lee Kuan Yew built and ran a totally corruption-free regime by setting an example of exemplary virtues himself. Civil servants are chosen from top of the most excellent students of universities. In first days after independence, Singapore was still very poor. How could the corruption which was soaked into the government since the British colonial time be crossed out? Lee Kuan Yew then, in one hand, inspired civil servants the strong work ethic; in the other hand, he built a strict and close framework of legislation. After the economy overcame some obstacles in the first stage, Singapore’s civil servants were paid handsome salaries so that they remained free from temptations. Lee Kuan Yew made it clear to them that his administration would have zero tolerance for sleaze of any kind. It was not unsual for a foreign entrepreneur wanting to set up a manufacturing facility to get all the approvals from a single officer. In 2001, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Lee’s successors, decided to raise the salary budget for overnment employees from $28 million to $34 million, while Singapore’s public service is regularly rated as one of the most efficient and competent in the world. How did he justify this increase? â€Å"Judge my government by its results, the quality of political leadership is all important, that is fair to make this increase, given the ministers’ huge responsibilities and impact on people’s lives†, he said. The countrys sound government policies hav e enabled Singapore to rank as Asias most stable country. The Singapore government encourages businesses to thrive by keeping red-tape to a minimum. It also has a reputation for being responsive to changes and is willing to adapt quickly to new and unforeseen circumstances by altering its outlook and modifying its policies. The government encourages private sector initiative. Government agencies with regulatory functions have close rapport with the private sector; major policies affecting the business community are often adopted only after consultation with major trade and business bodies. To a small, no natural resources island like Singapore, human resource is the most valuable. Since the first days, Lee Kuan Yew has put education as one of the most important national strategies. Its main objective was to ensure that every child had a place in school. Lee realized early on that English is the future of international commerce, which is what Singapore is all about and students lacking English command are hard to find a good job. Thus, English, with three other languages have become official languages in Singapore. Since then, English has been forced to use in teaching and learning. Top students with exceptional bilingual (Chinese and English) abilities from the national primary school leaving examinations were given options to study in specialized secondary schools to develop these capabilities further. On the whole, the edu ¬cation system is based on the economy’s needs. In the 1960s, Singapore’s infrastructure was weak and deficient. Lee used military infrastruture for the civil purpose. Simultaneously, to develop the unique advantage of Singapore, Lee tried to attract foreign investment to improve the infrastructure. Singapore nowadays has become the busiest port in the world and become the international trade connection due to its worldwide sea and air links, modern port and airport facilities, sophisticated telecommunications network, and comprehensive land transport system. /. Social issues: Singapore is a very small island but there are three ethnic groups on it. Therefore, one of the main concerns of Lee Kuan Yew is that how to harmonize these ethnic groups in order for them to direct toward the common benefit of the country. The first thing Lee did was making Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, along with English to become official languages, despite the fact that almos t 80% Singaporeans are ethnic Chinese, only about 14% Singaporeans are Malays and 7% are Indians. Lee introduced the teaching of three languages, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, in English schools. To balance this, he introduced the teaching of English in Chinese, Malay and Tamil schools. Lee Kuan Yew stated publicly that all four major languages in Singapore were official and equal. Thus the Chinese language and culture did not dominate the landscape of Singaporeans social life despite the overwhelming proportion of the Chinese in the total population. Without any natural sources of water like freshwater rivers and lakes, the primary domestic source of water in Singapore is rainfall, collected in reservoirs or water catchment areas. The country also imports a large amount of water from Malaysia, which means that Singapore depends on Malaysia’s water supply. In order to stabilize Malaysia’s water supply, Lee Kuan Yew gave a request for Malaysias guarantee of water supply to Singapore as part of the 1965 Agreement of Separation, which was later deposited in the United Nations. Singapore also relied on the fact that the Straits of Malacca had been international waters for centuries. If any of these were breached, Singapore could go to the UN Security Council. In addition, the authorities also launched a unique process of producing ‘ultra-clean water called NEWater. The lack of good public housing, poor sanitation, and high unemployment led to social problems from crime to health issues. The Housing Development Board (HDB) set up before independence continued to be largely successful and huge building projects were given to provide affordable public housing. Within a decade, the majority of the population had been housed in these apartments. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Housing Scheme, introduced in 1968, allows residents to use their compulsory savings account to purchase HDB flats and gradually increases home ownership in Singapore. The story on the environment front is also worth studying. Determining the economic growth as a national strategy, simultaneously, Lee Kuan Yew also stressed on the necessity of a green nature in the way to substantial development. With careful land planning, only 49 percent of the island is used for residential, commercial and industrial purposes. Hence, half the island consists of forest reserves, water catchment areas, marshes and other non-built-up areas. It is a green island, even though the World Bank classifies the population as one hundred percent urbanized†. Singapore nowadays, which is the cleanest city in the world, really becomes the paradise of rest and treatment. IV/. Vision to the future: With the unique advantage of strategic location, stable government, competitive workforce, forward-looking economic policies and a pro-business environment, Singapore is not only a convenient link between East and West, but also offers easy access to Asia Pacific’s dynamic market of over 2. 8 billion people. With its rich multicultural heritage, Singapore combines a truly cosmopolitan ambience with classic Asian hospitality. Clean and green surroundings, a low crime rate, affordable housing, and outstanding visitor attractions are just some of the factors that make working and living in Singapore a pleasure. For such those, Singapore deserves to become a global city. In the last period of development, Singapore has been successful in learning from other countries’ experience. However, with the status of one of the top-class economies, from now there is no more experience lesson for Singapore to learn. It will have to find out its own way and be ready to accept falure if any. In a recent research of author Mansour Javidan on the Havard business magazine about future-oriented culture, Singapore has the strongest future-oriented culture, the following are Switzerland, Holland and Malaysia. Since the 1990s, Singapore has given programs to prepare for meeting challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, such as: Public service 21, Industry 21, Human resource 21, the Scheme 21 for building global city- the best house, the plan of developing national technology and science†¦ In the 1990s and this 21st century, we are witnessing the rise of China and India in many fields: economy, military affairs, technology†¦, which has negatively affected Singapore’s position as a leading attracter of foreign investments and a prominent Asian manufacturer and exporter. With their varied natural resources, low labour costs, varying business opportunities and tempting incentives, the two Asian giants have left little for Singapore to do. Realizing this reality, Singapore has been developing a new role for itself in the current millennium. This includes acting as a bridge between China and India on the one hand, and as a bridge between two these countries and other countries in the West and Southeast Asia on the other. Lee Kuan Yew, who strongly supports such a role, had urged Singaporean firms as early as the 1970s to strongly establish themselves in China, so they could successfully compete with other foreign investors and control maximum business opportunities. In line with its new role, Singapore decided to develop manufacturing in favour of higher-value added activities. It emphasized the need to shift to a knowledge-based economy where fine education and training and specific services needed in China, India, and other emerging powers would be available. The government’s strategy in recent years to attract more foreign students and trainees and to have institutions that can train them in certain specialized areas for careers in government and first-class private companies must be viewed in this regard. For such orientation and preparation for future, it can be sure that this city-state, based on strong rule of law, Western economic and managerial practices, effective corruption- free admininstration and top-class infrastructure, can meet the challenge and present the world with another success story with the global city status. CONCLUSION The success story of Singapore has been so well-known that many countries in the Third World have considered Singapore as a model to strive. Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore had remarkable achievements in all aspects: economy, social life, national identity, education, science and technology†¦ The face of Singapore has totally changed compared with that in 1950s. The policy that has brought success for Singapore are: Sustain a free and open economy, avoid any subsidy, set up uncorruption administration, elcome foreign investment. Due to sound policies of government, Singapore has used very well its unique advantage to develop it to the busiest port in the world and Singapore has become the gateway to Asia. Besides, the key to Singapore’s economic success has come from the free trade. Free trade has given Singapore many business opportunities and made Singapore become the strategic link between the West and the East. In order to meet forwarding challenges in a more and more competitive world, Singapore has proposed many forward-looking missions, in which has attached special importance to training future human resource. Being a vibrant, dynamic city state with one of the highest standards of living in the world, a key regional trading center and the world’s busiest port, Singapore deserves to be a global city. It is also sure that successors will keep Lee Kuan Yew’s principles, which have being made Singapore an uncorrupt and meritocracy based society, to maintain Singapore as a global city.

The Sixth Sense - Mise en Scene essays

The Sixth Sense - Mise en Scene essays Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a psychologist who has just earned an award from the mayor for his efforts with children. On the night that Malcolm and his wife, Anna (Olivia Williams), are celebrating; they arrive home to find an intruder, Vincent Gray (Donnie Wahlberg), in their bathroom. Vincent is one of Malcolms former patients, and after rambling about Malcolm's faults as a psychologist, he brandishes a gun, then shoots himself and Malcolm. The next fall, Malcolm has recovered from his wounds physically but not emotionally. A gulf has developed between him and his wife. The once-loving couple hardly talks and he suspects that she's having an affair. As a way of getting rid of his guilt, Malcolm begins to work with 9-year old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a boy who shows similar problems to those displayed by Vincent Gray at that age. Malcolm is determined to accomplish for Cole what he could not do for his former patient. But the task he has set for himself is not an easy one. Cole sees and hears things that others cannot, and he is afraid to open up to his mother, Lynn (Toni Collette), for fear that she will think he's a freak. After Cole is locked in a closet and then hospitalized, he tells Malcolm his secretthat he can see and communicate with the dead. Malcolm helps Cole come to terms with his gift and to open up to his mother; and (in a twist of the storyline) Malcolm comes to the realization that he himself; was killed the night Vincent shot him. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and produced by Sam Mercer, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Barry Mendel. Original music was composed by James Newton Howard, Editing was done by Andrew Mondshein, and Tak Fujimoto was the cinematographer. The film is set in Philadelphia, which is M. Night Shyamalans hometown. The movie could have bee set in any New England style town; but in one scene when Cole is at school, his teach...

Leadership Style Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership Style - Research Paper Example Kelly is currently working as the presidents and CEO of the company and he has made Southwest Airline a profitable company. This is because he employs unique leadership styles and strategies; thus, he has made the company the most admirable corporation globally. Q.2: Leadership Styles and Philosophy Gary employs unique leadership styles that have enabled the Southwest Airlines to become competitive in the global airline industries. Effective communication is one of the considerable leadership styles employed in the corporation and this aligns with the shared culture. Northouse (2004) point out that communication is the significant element for solving organizational conflicts; thus creating organizational success. This is because it breaks language barrier and conflicts that might arise in a multicultural business environment. Southwest Airline industry has diverse customers from different parts of the globe; thus, communication is the key aspect in the company. Secondly, the CEO also employees effective teamwork and this is aligned with the organizational culture. Although Kelly encourages collaboration, he also encourages self-reliance in a working environment; however, the CEO has heavily relied on teamwork because it is through this strategy that the company has been able to improve their productivity. The philosophy behind Kelly’s leadership style is based on the company mission of delivering high qualities services to customers with a sense of warmth, personal pride, corporate spirit and friendliness. The business is also committed to offer their workforce a steady or secure working atmosphere with equal learning opportunities and personal growth. Innovativeness and creativity are also encouraged in order to advance the competence of the business. Therefore, all workforces are offered the same respect, compassionate attitude and high level of concern within the business as they are expected to share outwardly with southwest clients efficiently. Q. 3 : The CEO’s Personal and Organizational Values The CEO’s values focuses on designing an effective working environment, which comprises of people enjoying their works and having fun, as well as, getting the work done efficiently. Kelly has created an effective working organisation starting from corporate culture to an effective working environment. Kreitner and Kinicki (2010) argue that a successful organisation should employ effective leadership strategies and values vital for enabling the corporate to increase performance level. Moreover, Kelly also brings his personality and sense of humor at work, as well as, effective organizational values, which shapes the organizational behaviors desired for achieving the mission or the objectives of the company successfully. The organizational behaviors include honesty in work, treating employees fairly and equally, being open-mindedness, communicating effective across the departments, creativeness, and being independence. The c oncern for others and employees are among the effective organizational values that the company currently encourages employees to maintain and also treat others with companionate and respect. Q.4: Ethical Behavior within the Organization For the past decades, the Southwest airline industry has made significant attempts of publicizing the