Aluminum smelter in South Africa Essay

We recommend you do not build this new Greenfield primary aluminum smelter in South Africa. In order to achieve a 15% ROI on your investment, you require a long-term average price of $1500 for aluminum. We have estimated that demand for primary aluminum in 5 years will be at $20bn, which will support a market price of around $1490. This heavily builds on the assumption that aluminum inventories will be zero by that time, which depends on a successful implementation of the international Memorandum of Understanding. Historically these non-binding agreements have been very hard to enforce, and so a scenario where supply is far greater than demand is likely, leading to large inventories and lower prices. It is because of this uncertainty that we recommend you do not build the plant. Back-up calculations: 1.ROI calculation: Given investment costs of $1.6bn, full capacity of 466,000 t/year and an ROI requirement of 15%, we calculated that you require a price of $1,500 per ton of aluminum. 2.In the short run, all smelters need to cover variable costs, which include electricity, alumina, other material costs and freight cost. In the long-run, they need to cover total costs. a.The current price ($1,100) covers variable costs for 20 million tons of capacity; the long-run price will have to be higher. b.Smelters may hesitate to scale down production of individual pots, as this will still incur costs of labour or other non-material costs, as well as additional costs in having to rebuild and reline the pots. c.Not all producers are subject to the same pressures, e.g., variable costs differ significantly between different smelters (different size, efficiency, tax breaks, power agreements). Government-run facilities may have more financial support due to their social role in addition to pure production, such as securing raw materials supply for domestic industries, as well as providing jobs for local communities. 3.Given a CAGR of 2% per year, we estimate total aluminum demand to be 27 million tons in 1998. Assuming that inventories are zero, and primary demand accounts for 74% of total supply, this would imply primary demand of 20 million tons. 4.To produce 20 million tons, the price would be around $1,490 per ton. 5.The reduction in inventories and stabilization of the price level depends on the success of the MoU. Other producers may not look favorably on you opening a new smelter when they have had to cut down on production.

Agriculture and Development

Agriculture is in many parts of the world is the main source of food and income of households. The role that agriculture plays in development has been debated during the last decades and the views about it are very diverse. Today, many authors consider agriculture as an essential factor for development and an important instrument for poverty alleviation. In my opinion access to land and water is an indispensable condition to ensure the livelihood of the poor.The current market conditions and the economic liberalization process make it difficult for small farmers to compete with the international sphere, which led many people to move out of agriculture. Also, the market-driven economy has serious environmental consequences, which leads to the investment in the research of more sustainable agriculture methods. In this essay, we provide a situational analysis of agriculture in the third world, which warrants our interest in the same. 1. Different views about Agriculture and Development. For some authors agriculture is a provider of raw material for the rest of the economic sectors and it is seen as a mere contributor to fuel economic development. This simplistic vision contrast with that of those who see agriculture as an essential instrument for industrialization, allowing the transfer of capital to urban areas, stimulating the market and, thus, resulting in economic development. According to Norton (2004), most of economic theories of the last 50 years support industrialization as the basis of economic development.Many governments supporting this theory saw liberalization of agricultural goods as the key for economic growth, without taking into account the effect of dependency that the new system would create. 2. The effects of the market on rural agriculture. The case of Kenya, The global economy and liberalization has deep effects on agriculture, and especially on the economy of smallholder’s farmers in the Third World. New market arrangements have broug ht opportunities for some farmers, but also had negative impact on others, who cannot compete with the low prices established by a liberalized trade.An example of this is the case of Kenya, which as many countries in Africa, suffered from a strong economic crisis during the 80s. The new international terms of trade and the increase of the world interest rates, together with internal causes (such as one of the worst drought periods of its history and political mismanagement) led to disastrous consequences on its agriculture. International market arrangements greatly influence the rural poor livelihoods as it establishes the rules that may not allow them to play in the market.These rules are designed to benefit exclusively large commercial farmers, instead of rural smallholders farmers who have experienced a reduction in their incomes. Food prices are intimately connected to the world market in areas where the poor live. 3. Agriculture research for development. Smallholder farmers pro duce food, which will be consumed by the poor, so rural agriculture, is a key for the livelihoods of the majority of the world’s poorest people (Kydd, 2002).Therefore, agriculture is a central question of development and it needs the adoption of convenient technologies for the different rural population’s needs. The idea is that smallholder farmers will be able to increase their capacities to improve their living standard through their own efforts. Thus, rather than addressing the symptoms should be better to address the causes of poverty through the application of more appropriate agriculture methods to rural farmers. The commercialization of agriculture has also led to a set of agriculture practices completely different from those of the last century.These changes are basically imposed by the new market demands and by the producers’ attempts to answer it. The new agricultural patterns involved a change in the research methods carried out by private organizatio ns searching for more efficient production practices. In this context, advances in biotechnology in the last decades have focused on profitable markets, especially orientated to large commercial agriculture. According to Norton, (2004), irrigation alone cannot be the only basis to supply food to an increasing world population.Important advances have been made in GMO as a new alternative to food production in order to feed future generations. â€Å"Participatory technology development†, where the farmers acquire the control and play a crucial role on agricultural development. Like in the years before industrialization, small farmers have again in his hands the tools for technological change in agriculture, although this new participatory process is still in its development stage. 4. Gender considerations.Due to the essential role that women are playing today on the economy of the household in developing countries, agriculture development research cannot ignore gender issues wh en designing new programs. Women in many countries produce a large part of the food crops of the households and they are essential for the family’s food security (IFAD, 2001). . References. Bibliography. Duncan, A. & Howell, J. (1992). Structural Adjustment and the African Farmer. London and Portsmouth: ODI, James Currey Ltd. & Heinemann Educational Books, Inc. o Search Top of Form

Public health and health policy Discuss the health problems and health Essay

Public health and health policy Discuss the health problems and health service issues that are associated with homelessness in L - Essay Example In London, the homeless face the problem of insufficient primary and secondary care, in spite of their critical health situations. National Health Service, the primary provider of public health in the UK, cannot provide such essential services to people without access to fixed address, a common feature in developed nations (Daly, 2013, p.213). In addition, Rogers and Pilgrim (2010, p.60) asserts that the homeless are prone to neglecting their health status, more than the general population, and they only seek such services when their health status have reached advanced stages. Homelessness is a complicated global issue that is caused by several issues while at the same time it does not have a single solution. In recent years, the government and global health organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) have identified the complex health challenges affecting the homeless as the underlying problem apart from the obvious accommodation issues amongst others. In England, ther e are several National Health Services and other privately sponsored charitable services, which provide the necessary healthcare and support to the homeless. The civil society in England, noted that during the global downturn, the National Health Services reduced its spending on the homeless. ... Gramlich (2008, p.70) observes that there is not a single specific definition of the term as variance in temporal dimensions, cognition and lifestyle amongst the homelessness street people. Since homelessness is mirrored in different settings, several situations come into play; this paper posits that the political agenda as well as the prevailing social values have been strongly linked to the definitions. Conventionally, homelessness has a residential dimension and this can often be used to redefine the term in this context. This is because the apparent feature of the classification stems from the lack of conventional housing for those deemed homeless. Levy and Sidel (2013, p.176) applies the United Nations Committee on Human Rights definition of the term and they intone that people who sleep in outdoors such as vehicles and abandoned non intended for human dwelling. Legal and statutory definition of the term have a characteristic contradictory nature and in the United Kingdom alone, there are several acts that define the term both at the national level and in the devolved systems. However, housing authorities in the United Kingdom consider domiciled individuals who have applied for their accommodation as homelessness applicants and therefore categorized. In the strictness of the term, the city of London has often distinctly identified two groups; the homeless and the rough sleepers. The rough sleepers are those who live and sleep on the streets of several English cities, yet in our case we shall be confined to London and Newham in particular. The Department of Communities and Local Government (2013) describes a person as statutorily homeless

Avatar Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Avatar - Assignment Example Likewise, folk tales are most conducive to short moral or humorous tales. But for epic battles and profound victories, the format of the legend is the most similar. Avatar’s celebration of heroism makes it equal to the tradition of legendary tales. And there is plenty of elements and events in the film that support claims of its legendary status. For instance, in legions of renown, we usually have a forthright protagonist confronted by an evil villain whom he successfully quells. This is exactly how the story of Avatar unfolds. Here the morally upright is Jake and his sympathizers irrespective of whether they assume a human or Na’vi physical form. The chief antagonist is played by Quaritch, whose obsession with acquisition of material wealth makes him lose his humanity. This sets up a legendary battle between the twines of morality and decadence. As is always the case in traditions of legend, it is the morally righteous who emerge victorious. At the center of legendary stories are one heroic figure that epitomizes moral virtue and human values. Jake is that heroic figure in Avatar. Despite being born human and being equipped to think like human, through his avatar he is able to empathize with a biologically distant race. Though he is not a Na’vi in substance, he merges into one with them in spirit. His successful integration into Na’vi society is indeed the stuff legends are made of. Ironically, this improbable transition was made possible by Jake’s deep sense of humanity. His sense of righteousness allows him to put considerations of justice and fairness above material gratifications. In stories of legend, valor is a recurrent feature. There is plenty of that in display in the film. Jake’s courage is exemplary, for he puts his life on the line several times so as to save his adopted race. Avatar is also congruent with the format of the legend due to its mythical quality. The heroism and

How Australia Helps Refugees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Australia Helps Refugees - Research Paper Example According to the DIAC’s official map dealing with the organization of detention centers, Australia uses two systems of welcoming refugees. Offshore clients involve eligible people who get guaranteed the chance to apply for protected status in the country. If approved, the Australian state further awards permanent protection to the individuals, which include the provision of visa. If the individuals play within the laws of Australia, they get accorded full citizenship a factor, which transforms refugees into citizens of Australia. The maritime system, on the other hand, is for refugees who apply for protection from the Australian government after stepping on their soil. It involves irregular maritime apprehensions in the last several years as shown in detention centers such as Sydney, Perth, Christmas Island and Melbourne not forgetting Darwin. Australia refugee policy got stipulated on 24 may 1977 by Mr. Mackler who outlined various principles guiding the humanitarian act.   For instance, under the principles, the country recognizes refugees as people who need help and support, but at the same time hold the decision to help them within the government. Furthermore, one of the principles stipulates that assistance gets provided to refugees once they are designated plans for resettlement. Consequently, the country contributes to the United Nation Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is indispensable to remember that the proponent policy got formulated at a time when Australia was facing a surge of refugees from the war of Vietnam. Considering the sensitivity and the amount of information the project holds, a sensible time is needed to conduct research. The first week of the intensive two-week research involves gathering data from books and other publications. The second week involves carrying out interviews in the relevant departments. This is to ascertain data from books as well as acquire new information helpful in the research. It is also in the week that the research paper gets compiled for submission.

Research methods assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Methods assignment - Research Paper Example Mekonnen and Harris (2006) is an empirical investigation whether â€Å"cause-related† and â€Å"affinity marketing† enhances the product’s appeal and provides product differentiation (p. 135). In particular, the study investigated whether â€Å"linking a commercial organisation’s product with a non-profit organisation enhances the product’s appeal and provides differentiation from rival offers† (Mekonnen and Harris 2006, p. 135). Mekonnen and Harris (2006, p. 135) articulated that the purpose or aim of their study is to investigate the efficacy of the premise of â€Å"affinity marketing†. The research objectives were not explicitly stated but it can be surmised that, implicitly, the research objectives covered identification of values associated with the use of affinity cards and how they affect the likelihood of donation. 2.0. Literature Review Based on a review of literature, Mekonnen and Harris (2006, p. 136) claim that â€Å"there are significant gaps in understanding consumer attitudes† towards products being sold by â€Å"cause-related marketing† and â€Å"affinity marketing†. ... 136). Mekonnen and Harris (2006, p. 135) declared their work as a challenge to the assumption â€Å"that linking a product to a non-profit organisation enhances its appeal and provides a basis for differentiation.† For Mekonnen and Harris (2005, p. 135), â€Å"the efficacy of this premise depends on the type of cause or affinity group.† Unfortunately, however, the review of literature of Mekonnen and Harris (2006) does not amount to an illustration of the â€Å"significant gaps in understanding consumers’ attitude† in the literature. It is not clear from the review of literature what the various studies have made or the findings they have reached on the relationship between â€Å"cause-related market marketing† and â€Å"affinity marketing† on one hand and product sales on the other. Perhaps there was no empirical study done at all prior on cause-oriented and affinity marketing prior to their study but this is not clear from the review of lit erature. However, because of the failure to illustrate what empirical studies have done or to explicitly clarify at least that no study has been done, the review of literature fails to identify precisely or to justify precisely the significance of the Mekonnen and Harris (2006) endeavour in the overall literature on the subject. The review of literature narrated that cause-oriented marketing has been conventionally characterised as being focused on short-term campaign initiatives (Mekonnen and Harris 2006, p. 136). It also pointed out that the affinity marketing is a sub-set of cause-related marketing (Mekonnen and Harris 2006, p. 136). However, citing the work of Berger and others in 1999, Mekonnen and Harris (2006, p. 136) clarified that â€Å"affinity marketing can

ANISHINABBE STUDIES ( FINAL PAPER) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ANISHINABBE STUDIES ( FINAL PAPER) - Essay Example At the time of its passage in 1876, the law was primarily a consolidation of numerous laws regarding the Native Indians previously enacted by the British colonial government in North America. However, currently, the scope of the act is wide ranging covering governance of the Indians such as the Anishinabbe, native lad use, education, healthcare among other aspects of the aboriginal lives. This paper presents an expanded perspective of the Indian Act with particular emphasis to its possible connections or impact on the people of Anishinabbe. The original justification of the Indian act was to assimilate the members of the first nations into the Canadian civilization through a process known as enfranchisement. Prior to a federal recognition as an Indian within Canada or the broader U.S, a person should be in a position to abide by very unique government regulation standards. In this light, the Canadian Indian Act has more meaning than a set of laws that have managed to control every perspective of Indian life for more than a century. In the capacity of a regulatory regime, the act provides a means through which people can understand Native identity whilst coordinating a conceptual framework which has been key in shaping the current Native lives in a manner that looks rather familiar and tending to natural. This paper explores different aspects of the Indian Act including the amendments and policies that have been enacted through the Indian Act. The Indian Act refers to Canada-based federal law governing in matters regarding bands, status as well as Indian reserves. The Act has a broader scope that revolves around issues like governance, education, healthcare as well as land use. History reveals a paternalistic and highly invasive perspective of this act, since it grants the Canadian federal government the authority to control and oversee the affairs plus daily lives of all reserve communities and

Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marijuana - Essay Example This paper discusses legalization of marijuana, as a contemporary issue, with an opinion that the drug should be legalized for its potential benefits to the society and the nation. The paper reviews existing opinions on whether the drug should be legalized or not. One of the major concerns that have led to calls for legalization of marijuana is its diverse potential benefits to the society. Most significant benefit of the drug is its application as medicine following identified adverse effects of chemical based medicines. With increasing rate of depression and diseases such as cancer, and with emergent of adverse effects of the applied drugs for their prevention and treatment, scientists and doctors have appreciated the need for treatment approaches to which patients’ bodies do not adversely react. Natural medicines have as a result become a focus, owing to their less significant side effects as compared to industrial medicines. Chemotherapy and anti-depression pills, as contr ol and treatment methods, have for example exhibited extreme side effects that could even cause people to resort to suicide as a means of getting away from pain and suffering that they live in. However, with better research and newly developed technology, scientists have found that a majority of natural supplements are healthier for treatment of certain illnesses. Medicinal application marijuana, for instance, has many benefits and is currently prescribed to patients with diseases ranging from Alzheimer to HIV, to help with treatments. The drug is also effective in managing stress and depression and therefore makes life a little simpler. Even though marijuana portrays many medicinal benefits, its advantages should not be used as a way to promoting abuse. This means that its use should be regulated like in cases of alcohol and tobacco, whose consumption effects are in some cases worse than marijuana’s. Debates are currently ongoing, both in Congress and all over the world, on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Even though it is still illegal, marijuana’s consumption is widespread and most Americans have at least tried it, or are using it to help them overcome stress. The drug is also an ‘all-natural’ plant that grows anywhere in the world has high demand and supply. The root cause of its contention, however, is the fact that drug lords and marijuana growers started adding chemicals to the commodity. This causes users to become addicted to the modified product and after a while of use, start consuming stronger drugs. That is why marijuana is called a gateway drug. Should Congress pass the bill to legalize marijuana, Food and Drug Administration agency will supervise the product’s sale and consumption. It will be legally available to the public from pharmacies and sold on prescription. Gangs and drug dealers will not sell it on the streets, due to the vast drop in prices from the legalization, and its consequential easy access to the public. Right now, however, if there were no marijuana in the streets, people would be forced to use worse drugs, like cocaine, or crystal meth; those types of drugs that can affect a person’s health physically, mentally, and are highly addictive. Social responsibility, rather than legal restrictions, can better resolve the opposing opinions over legalization of marijuana. In Saudi Arabia for instance, people do not accept drugs socially or

Teacher as a Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Teacher as a Learner - Essay Example First, teachers have a responsibility both to students and the professional teaching community they are part of. Thus, professional development in both aspects must be implemented in order to improve the teacher as educator through increasing their subject-matter knowledge, and teaching them ways to learn, teaching them how to make education more enjoyable, and encouraging critical thinking, which they can pass on to students; and as professionals by strengthening their professional knowledge to aid in teaching. All of which fosters continuous improvement and self-renewal on the teacher as an individual, allowing the teacher to be a better member of the professional community and classroom he is part of. Second, teachers, as part of an overarching educational system must support education reform strategies and implement them in the classroom. However, since reform is only as effective as its implementation, teachers as learners must understand how to appropriately and properly integr ate reform initiatives into their classroom. Only through appropriate and proper integration can reform initiatives successfully achieve desired learning outcomes such as enhancing learning capabilities of students, encouraging higher level thinking, fostering creative thinking and open-mindedness, and allowing students with exceptional needs to fully participate in class. Moreover, teachers must also learn to be creative and take risks in designing how education reform strategies will be implemented in the classroom. Lastly, it is important for teachers to treat the classroom as a learning environment and become a cooperative participant actively questioning to elicit greater participation from students, as opposed to an authority figure. By doing so, students are given more opportunities to learn and express themselves. Consequently, teachers are given more opportunities to observe,

What does Intel's presentation of their financial information tell you Essay - 1

What does Intel's presentation of their financial information tell you about how they use financial information in decision making - Essay Example The information technology industry in 2006 generated approximately $3 trillion, a figure that is expected to increase to $4 trillion by 2009 (Plunkett Research, 2008). Such a profitable market attracts many new firms into a very competitive industry with thousands of companies competing for market share. Countries such as India have created economic models for growth based on the exporting of information technology into markets such as the US, Europe and Canada. It is very in this industry for a company to generate revenues based on a projects which represents revenue generating contracts of IT services. The Ansoff matrix is a strategic marketing tool which could very useful for IT managers. The first payoff of the matrix position (1,1) is know as a market penetration strategy. The market penetration strategy is a strategic move to seek greater market share of an existing product a firm offers. In the 1990’s the IT firm which was the most successful at achieving market penetr ation in its main product offering was Microsoft Corporation which was able to achieve a market penetration of above 90% for a prolonged period of time. The market penetration strategy can be exploited by the IT manager in companies whose product offering is above the competition offering, the company has many competitive advantages over the rest of the players in the industry including good economic resources to pay for the high advertising expenses and other marketing initiatives required to successfully implement a market penetration strategy. The second position of the Ansoff Matrix (1,2) is called product development. This strategy is based on an IT manager developing a product in an existing market. Such a strategy can be extremely profitable. Microsoft Corporation is currently in the last stages of product development for a new product called IPTV which is broadcasting channels similar to those

Prelab for Calibration of Volumetric Glassware Essay Example for Free

Prelab for Calibration of Volumetric Glassware Essay 1). Weigh a 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. Make sure the glassware is clean and free of any cracks or stars. Also, take note of the temperature of water, as volume varies with temperature 2). Transfer a portion of the water to flask with a pipette and record the mass of flask with the water. Use this data to calculate how much water was transferred from the pipette to the flask. 3). Repeat step two 4 times, ensuring the remaining results are similar to the first trial. Use this data to calculate the mean amount of water transferred and the standard deviation between the data points. Calibration of a 50 mL Buret: 1). Fill the buret with 50 mL of the temperature-equilibrated water. Be as precise as possible in order to obtain reliable data. If the volume changes over a period of a few minutes, obtain a new buret. Be sure to obtain the temperature of the water as well. 2). Weigh a 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask with its stopper. Again, make sure the flask is sanitary and has no cracks or stars. 3). At a rate of 20 mL/min, open the buret stopper and allow 10.00 mL of water to submerge into the flask. Remember to seal off the flask as soon as the water stops in order to minimize evaporation. 4). Using the technique of reading meniscus’s, record the volume reading for the buret to the hundreds place. The last significant digit may be an approximation. 5). Weigh of the stopped Erlenmeyer flask with the water on a scale. Determine the quantity of water transferred from the buret by finding the mass difference from the flask with no water vs. the new weight. 6). Repeat the steps from three to five four more times for the remaining volume of the buret and repeat the whole procedure again with a new 50 mL volume. Remember to record all data. Also, make sure to repeat data that is not duplicated correctly to ensure accurate and precise results. 7). Use the correction data from table one in order to find the true volume of water transferred based on the temperature. Create tables of the recorded data as well as a plot of the correction data with the apparent volume with labeled axis. Perform Calculations 8). Dispose of all glassware and materials accordingly and clean up the lab area. Hazards: No harmful chemicals will be dealt with in this lab. The only safety hazard is to be cautious of broken or chipped glassware that may cut one’s skin. Make sure to report any mutilated glassware to TA and accidents in the lab must be handled properly.

Organizational Direction of British American Tobacco Nigeria limited

Organizational Direction of British American Tobacco Nigeria limited The purpose of this report is to discuss current organisational direction of British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited (BATNL) and explore competitive business plan for BAT Nigeria with strategic dimensions ranging from 2009 to 2012. The body of the document offers an analysis of the external, transactional and the internal environment of the company. Subsequently, the report considers the companys core competencies and its key competitors, in order to deliberate courses of action that will enable BAT Nigeria to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The recommendations aim to enhance BAT Nigerias existing competencies, this will add value to all the stakeholders. Disclaimer: This report only considers British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited as a legal business entity and does not intend to endorse consumption of tobacco products in any form. 2. Executive summary This report aims to critically analyze the option that will ensure that British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited (BATNL) remain market leader by sustaining its competitive advantage in a highly competitive industry. Becoming no.1 in the market is hard work, but maintaining that position is far more difficult. In the light of this, I have critically examined the plausible scenarios and arrived at an option which will strengthen BATNLs current market position. The company today is facing the uphill task of dealing with threats from new market entrants, operational limitations caused by limited international suppliers, lack of availability of locally sourced sun cured tobacco, stricter legislative restrictions and challenges to further increase market share. This report suggests to management an option of forming a system of consistent market dominance and build sustainable competitive advantage. The option consists of an action plan which includes forward and backward integration of supply chain, capacity utilization and development of Nigerian production facilities as an export Hub to West and Central African countries. The backward integration of supply chain involves sourcing the Virginia tobacco from a wider international supplier base in order to prevent raw material out of stock (OOS) situation of super premium, premium and international VFM (Value For Money) brands. Similarly, local sourcing of sun cured Tobacco for VFM production should be expanded by involving larger numbers of small rural farmers in BATNLs business sphere in order to meet raw material requirements for the continuously growing demand of the VFM segment. The forward integration includes developing a wider and more efficient distribution network by means of integrating identified front end strategic customers into electronic distribution system and by providing financial assistance. The strategic location of the country can be exploited so as to establish it as an export hub to other West and Central African countries. It would ensure cost saving advantages to the group, especially in terms of cheaper labour, freight and import taxes. Securing forward and backward integration along with both the manufacturing factories in Nigeria acting as export centres, would make it feasible to proceed with capacity utilization, thus reaping the benefits of economies of scale. In the current scenario, it is going to be very hard to increase share of the existing pie, so the endeavour should be to augment the size of the whole pie rather than poach on the share of competitors. Migration from other brands seems a largely uphill task considering the large market size BATNL enjoys now. To enhance sales, the modus operandi should be concentrated towards capturing the increment in the market as a whole. The incorporation of the above discussed ideas would ensure a sustained competitive advantage, with the aim of increasing rent. 1. Organisational Strategic Aims and Objectives: 1.1 Current Strategic Aims and Objectives: In the early 1990s, BAT decided to grow our business by focusing solely on tobacco a decision which regularized and transformed the Group. In 1995, BAT set itself the credible vision of regaining leadership of the global tobacco industry and established a strategy to get there. In this section summarises the key elements of BATNLs strategy which group believes can enable it to continually build a sustainable business in tobacco industry. Ultimate Strategic Aim Achieve Leadership of the Tobacco Industry BATNLs vision is to achieve leadership of the tobacco industry in order to create long term shareholder value. Leadership is not an end in itself, but a company that leads its industry, is the preferred partner for key stakeholders and is seen to have a sustainable business, should be valued more highly. Company defines leadership in both a quantitative and qualitative sense. Punitively, it seeks volume leadership among our international competitors and in the longer term, value leadership. BATNL recognises that its success will depend on adult consumers and that, therefore, we must be consumer driven.   But the hard, quantitative measures do not in themselves address all the things it must do as a company. Taking a long term view, focusing on the quality of its business and how it work. As a result, qualitatively, company seeks to be recognised as industry leaders and to be the partner of first choice for governments, NGOs, investors and potential employees. BATNL pledges to do this by continuing to demonstrate that it is a responsible tobacco Group, with a sustainable business, outstanding people and superior products.  Ã‚   In order to deliver company vision, BATNLs strategy for creating shareholder value has four elements Growth, Productivity, Responsibility and Winning Organisation. 1.2 Component Parts to achieve Ultimate Strategic Aim 1.2.1- Winning Organisation: To deliver company vision it must have the right people and the right working environment. That is the essence of BATNLs Winning Organisation strategy. By the right people, group mean outstanding people those with the ability and desire to drive and deliver competitive advantage and superior performance. Company endeavour to attract, develop and retain high calibre talent. BATNL also puts emphasis on making it an organisation that is constantly learning. This learning culture shares knowledge quickly, learns from its mistakes and replicates success formulas quickly. To be a winning organisation British American Tobacco must also be a great place to work. This requires an open, confident culture that encourages change and innovation, is shaped by companys Guiding Principles, inspiring its people to perform to their best and importantly, enjoy their work. Finally, Winning Organisation strategy requires that company develops leaders, at all levels in the organisation, with a clear vision for the business, who foster innovation, and can align, energise and enable their teams to contribute to the building of our global enterprise (B) Growth: BATNL seek to increase its volume and value share of the West African tobacco market through both organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. For organic growth, company is concentrating on the key strategic segments of the market that offer the best prospects for long term growth, including Premium and International Brands. BATNL continues to focus on the growth of its Global Drive Brands as well as being prepared to exploit opportunities for profitable volume growth in Value for Money and Low Price Segments.   Company also wish to sustain or develop strong positions in priority markets simply defined as the largest and most profitable ones. BATNL believes that it is important to continue to develop and utilise innovative, differentiated products and to offer its consumers added value from its brands. (C) Productivity: BATs overall approach to productivity is about using its global resources to increase profits and generate funds for reinvesting in its business. Today, all companies are trying to cut costs. BATs approach is integrated aiming to establish a lower cost base while improving the quality of products and the speed they get to the market, as well as our effectiveness in terms of how it can deploy its people and capital. As a Group BATNL is focused on its consumers, marketing is a large part of what it does and company is working to ensure it effectively and efficiently deploy its marketing resources.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to maintain a strong balance sheet, capital effectiveness is an important part of its productivity strategy and includes a focus on inventory levels, utilising its assets, financing and other uses of capital. (D) Responsibility: BATNL continues to balance its commercial objectives with the expectations of a broad range of stakeholders, thus ensuring a sustainable business. Company communicating with all stakeholders about its Business Principles, which explain the way we expect its businesses to be run in terms of responsibility, and demonstrating how group is following them. Companys three Business Principles, Mutual Benefit, Responsible Product Stewardship and Good Corporate Conduct are each underpinned by a number of Core Beliefs. In the regulatory arena, BAT continues to promote sensible tobacco regulation that: balances the preferences of consumers with the interests of society establishes an open minded and objective approach to harm reduction as a policy Ensures that its businesses can compete and prosper. BAT manufactures products that can be harmful to the health of its consumers and have publicly stated its aim to reduce this harm to meet both consumer needs and societal expectations. Company proposes to do this by: the progressive reduction in the tar and toxins in its products the successful launch of a new generation of tobacco products with critical mass appeal that are recognised by scientific and regulatory authorities as posing substantially reduced risks to health. 1.3. Factors Affecting the Strategic Plan 1.3.1- Contextual Environment  [1]   Nigeria gained independence in 1960 but since the first military coup in 1966, Nigeria has been ruled by military for over 35 years up until 1999. Since then democratically elected civilian governments are ruling Nigeria. Under the new constitution adopted in 1999, a strong presidency appoints a federal executive council, comprising government ministers and ministers of the state from each of Nigerias 36 states. Although the 36 governments enjoy greater autonomy than under the former military administration they remain dependent on the federal government for funding. This set up creates a system of distributed power centres, with the highest authority lying with the president, making lobbying with political powers a complicated issue. Estimated GDP for 2006 is $116.7 billion whereas economic growth rate is believed to be 5.4%. This economic performance is severely offset by high rate of inflation (8.7%). Since 1999 under the rule of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) has boosted non-oil sector growth and improved macro-economy. Increased government spending on roads and ongoing efforts to reform and attract investments into the power sector could improve infrastructure modestly. Only minimal progress is likely with port reform. Both these aspects would have a positive effect on BAT Nigerias supply chain. Corporate profits except for oil companies are taxed at 30%. VAT on tobacco product is 7.5% whereas for other commodity product its charged at 5%. In governments effort to curb smoking, promotion of cigarette sales through billboards has become illegal since January 1st 2004. Federal government is under further pressure from whom and other NGOs to put a ban on tobacco products promotion through electronic and print media. In addition, various pressure groups are raising concerns against tobacco farming as it renders land unusable for cultivation of other crops. 1.3.2- Transactional environment Nigeria has a total population of 140 million and out of these only 2.9 million adults smoke, it indicates a huge growth potential for Tobacco industry. Given the scenario, though BAT Nigeria is catering to very comprehensive range of markets and consumer segments, further avenues for increasing market penetration of companys products have been identified through various analysis. The present market size of AFS is only 14% which explicitly shows growth potential. To grow and capture this segment, requirement for development of brands targeted especially to Adult Female Smokers (AFS) is identified. On the other hand, according to strategic group analysis premium brands have a need to expand their geographical reach and increase market penetration. Super premium product line should be prevented against brand dilution and their market presence should be enhanced with the help of specialized channels of HoReCa. On critically evaluating product offerings extended by the BAT Nigeria across different segments, few potential offerings for A class, B, C and D segments  [2]  were recognized like, pipe tobacco and cigar, limited editions and flavoured and VFM brand variants, respectively. Supply chain of BAT Nigeria has a weak link in procurement part of Virginia tobacco due to limited number of international suppliers (especially from Argentina and Brazil). Whereas, local procurement of sun cured tobacco has limitations of inadequacy of land conducive to tobacco farming, partial segment of farmers involved in tobacco farming and threats from pressure groups. With recent acquisition of Gallaher Group by Japan Tobacco Inc., JTI has the second largest market share in Nigeria (14.4%), after BAT Nigeria (85.1%). Still we perceive the major threat to BAT Nigeria coming from Philip Morris Inc. (PMI). Looking at the history of PMIs entry to new markets, they capture major share of the market within 3 years, like in Benin. Though, global drive brand for PMI is Marlboro Lights, PMI is expanding its roots in Nigerian market indirectly through Kraft Foods, subsidiary of its corporate parent Altria Inc. The competitor analysis  [3]  shows that key strength of BAT Nigerias products against other competitors and especially PMI, as perceived by the customers, lies in their availability. 2. Stakeholders Influence and Progress towards Strategic Aim 2.1- Core Resources  [4]   In 2009 BAT group reported  £1896m of profit, attributable to shareholders equity. This explicitly indicates financial strength of the BAT group. As operations of BAT Nigeria are directly funded by parent corporate body, access to adequate finances, as compared with other competitors, puts BAT Nigeria in the elite club of organizations with formidable financial resources. Since BAT signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2000 with the federal government, it has enjoyed status of most favoured company and leveraged rapport with the government in establishing local production facilities in Zaria and Ibadan. These state of the art production units are quite unique resource to BAT Nigeria, considering that no other tobacco company has cigarette factory in Nigeria. Further, BAT Nigeria has strengthened its portfolio of core resources by investing funds and efforts in developing dedicated supply chain intermediaries. 2.2- Core Competencies  [5]   Though the MoU expired in April 2007 with end of PDP presidency, strong relationship with the government has been instrumental in developing country wide distribution network and in increasing domestic tobacco farming. BAT Nigeria has improved efficiency and integration of distribution network by implementation of SAP (ERP module) and Siebel (CRM module). Integrated electronic supply chain with local access to raw material is the core competence of BAT Nigeria. Under this process and with continuous efforts to exercise CSR, BAT Nigeria has developed a sound social relationship and local knowledge. Benefits of BAT Foundation have been exploited to meet these strategic requirements. Apart from these local factors, BAT Nigeria has benefited from legacy and technological expertise of parent. Thus, process evolved quality of BAT products is been key source of competency. 3.1: Futuristic Strategic Position: Way to Sustainable Competitive Advantage  [6]   After analysing contextual transactional environment, core resources and competencies of BAT Nigeria, I propose an option which comprises of recommendations for strengthening upstream and downstream supply chain  [7]  , capacity utilisation, developing Nigeria as export hub to west African countries and exploiting BAT foundation in mutually beneficial way (to BAT Nigeria and stakeholders), in order to provide BAT Nigeria with a sustainable competitive advantage. While suggesting the options compatibility, suitability, acceptability and feasibility of recommendations with BAT Nigerias current business model and low exposure to risk has been considered. Production of international brands of Premium and VFM cigarettes is based on Virginia tobacco imported from Argentina and Brazil. Reliance of production of international Super premium, Premium and VFM brands on foreign suppliers subjects upstream supply chain to political, economical and ecological factors evolving in exporting nations. To counter power vested in international suppliers and remove raw material quantitative bottleneck, supplier base of Virginia tobacco should be increased by importing the same quality Virginia from alternative source countries like Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Tobacco export being major trade activity of these countries, international tobacco trade regulations are quite liberal and no major hurdle could be seen in setting up trade channels. Geographic location of alternative source nations would not impose any significant extra freight charges. For local brands of VFM cigarettes cultivation of sun cured tobacco needs to be increased. In this process, firstly, BATNL should lobby with the government to pass Land Use Decree, to facilitate farmers in gaining possession of land. Secondly, with ownership of land and providing the farming community with help in taking mortgage loans, latest farming technologies and better tobacco seeds, farmers can be driven to come in a legal two way contract with BAT Nigeria, in regard to secure local cultivation and supply of sun cured tobacco and promising buying guarantee in return. 3.2: Justifying the strategic option As analysed by competitor analysis, in consumers perception, apart from poor availability, value offered by PMIs products is at par or better than that of BATs products. Thus, to sustain BATNLs existing system of dominance, it is of paramount concern to have a wide, efficient, dedicated and controlled distribution network. Apart from strategic tie-ups with Global Brand Nigeria Ltd. (GBNL) and Global Apex Ltd., downstream members of distribution channel need to be integrated with electronic distribution platform of SAP and Siebel (CRM). Financial and technological assistant to channel intermediaries in this regard would benefit BATNL in two ways: higher channel control efficiency and financial binding of down stream channel members to BATNL. The SWOT analysis  [8]  highlighted that BATNLs current practice of cash sales is its Achilles heel. To prevent competitors from breaking logistics net of BATNL, BATNL would have to forgo privilege of cash sales and start giving credit facili ties to wholesalers and distributors. Further, and as underpinned by mobility barriers  [9]  analysis, to hold on to market share as high as 85.1%, the premium brands are the key and should be pushed deep into nation with associated promotional activities and rewards/rebates attributed to selling channel. At the same time, super premium brands should be prevented against brand dilution and their image of brand ambassadors should be continued further. For proliferation of super premium brand products, upmarket specialised HoReCa  [10]  channel showed substantial potential for growth. The current problem of low co-operation from HoReCa owners, realising the dependency of BATNL on them for promotional purposes, can be overcome by offering them half yearly or annual contract of brand association, instead of event based approach. To motivate rural small-holder Nigerian farmers interest in the tobacco farming and business with BATNL, BATN Foundation needs to concentrate on issues pertaining to lack of access to modern agricultural machineries, training on new agricultural practices and innovations, production credit, fair and transparent marketing opportunities. Currently, both local production facilities are not utilized up to their full capacities, partly due to relatively less demand in comparison with full production capacity and rest due to bottlenecks in supplies of raw tobacco. Together with improvement in the supply of raw tobacco (international and local), developing Nigeria as export hub to cater neighbouring West and Central African countries would assist BATNL in building up sustainable competitive advantage by gaining economies of scale (capacity utilization), and becoming regional power in tobacco industry. Appendix 1 EMBED PowerPoint.Slide.8 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Appendix 6 Appendix 7 Appendix 8 Appendix 9 Appendix 10

The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism History Essay

The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism History Essay This phenomena is an example of the social transformation happening right now in Malaysia due to the unequal treatment among the ethnic groups. Malaysia is a multi-cultural nation. The Malays, Chinese and Indians build up the population. However, since the independence of Malaysia, racist policies have been marginalizing the minorities. In this essay, I am going to talk about racist Malay Malaysian Nationalism by tracing the history of formation and development of this country. Multi-cultural Malaysia Malaysia, formerly known as Malaya, located on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo in the Southeast Asia. It has been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country since its independence in 1957 from the British Occupation. It has a population of 28.8 million consists of the three major ethnic groups: the Malays (61.4%), Chinese (23.7%), Indians (7.1%). (Mose 2010: 285-297). The immigration of the Indians into the Malaya Peninsula is encouraged by the British colonial government in the 19th century. It reached its peak during the rapid expansion of the rubber plantation in 1910s. The Chinese started flushing in since the 19th century to escape from the unstable society in China and seek for better economic opportunities. They made up the main labor force of the tin mining industry until the early 20th century. Whereas, the Malays have started to move into the Malaya Peninsula earlier than during the 14th century from the islands which are known as Indonesian territories today. However, the Malays consider themselves as Bumiputra (sons of the soil) of Malay Peninsula and categorize themselves as the indigenous population. (Saw 2007). The ethnic tensions have been the biggest internal problem of the nation. Several elements have led to the emergence and affirmation of the ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism. The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism How do Malaysians define themselves in terms of nationality and culture? Is that possible to emerge a Malaysian Nationalism purely clean of the racism? In the book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Anderson Benedict (2006) defines nation as an imagined political community. Communities are imagined. It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion. Hence, communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined. It is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings. That seems to be a flawless condition that will lead to the stability and peacefulness of a country. The Malaysian Nationalism should be distinguished, not by the skin colour, but the vision to the prosperity of the country shared by the members. However, the civilization of this region since its occupation by colonial power has had a great impact on the way they imagine of the community. Ethnic groups have emerged diversified nationalism as a result of the marginalization by the former colonial governments. Before British colonial occupation was established in the late nineteenth century on the Malayan Peninsula, Malays originated from Indonesia had controlled the underpopulated areas and defined territorial units which resided by Sultan (the rulers). During the early 1800s, the British colonial government opened the doors to the Chinese immigrants when the growing tin mining industry was greatly in need of labor. For a more handy decentralized administration, the British colonial government collaborated with the Malay rulers in each region. The regions were governed under the Malay rulers with the advice by the British agents in return of a certain legal protection. This protection was to ensure the superiority of Malay traditional culture over the increasing population of other ethnic groups as well as the survival of their agricultural economy under the rapid developing modern export economy in the non-Malay and European-populated urban areas. (Mauzy 2006) The British intervention has been intrusive to the development of the ethnic relations. The status and privileges of Malay has been affirmed, thus a new nationalism has been arisen among the Malay community. According to Roffs classic analysis, organised Islamic fervour during the early 1900s, a secular,but still traditional resistance waged by privileged aristocrats beginning in the late 1920s, and a surge in Malay radicalism during the 1930s. (Roff, 1974) Japanese occupation has made exacerbated the existing ethnic tension by the extremely brutal treatment to the Chinese. Before Japanese landed on the Malay Peninsula, Malaysian Chinese has been resented by the renowned Nanking Massacre which killed approximately 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese in 1937 in China. (Rummel, 2002) During the invasion of Malay Peninsula, Japanese treated Malaysian Chinese exceptionally harshly to undermine the funding support to the resistance in China. Being in a tough situation, the Chinese had had the most members in the resistance groups. In contrast, Japanese occupation encouraged the Malay nationalism by reaffirming their identity of Bumiputra, the superiority of Malay of then region. (bin Zakaria 1989) Malays were also promoted in the bureaucracy and new paramilitary formation. (Case 2000) With the defeat of Japan and the return of the British colonial government, Chinese had acquired a new stature as guerrilla heroes. Accordingly, it could be expected that the Malays, the bumiputra, would demand for an affirmation of its dominance on the region. The racism attached to the Malay Nationalism was clearer at this point. Racism, which is directed against a population regarded as a minority, is defined as internal racism. According to Balibar (1988), it is useful to characterize certain racist posture as auto-referential (those in which the bearers of the prejudice, exercising physical or symbolic violence, designate themselves as representatives of a superior race). Nationalism and racism are conceptually separated to each other. However, there are sound evidences showing that these two ideologies are highly related. Strong elements of racism can be pointed out in, at least, some forms of nationalism. According to Etienne Balibar (1991), racism is always implied in the nationalist movements. When people in a nation share the same language, skin color, the sense of nationalism is often overlapped with racism. During the early independence, Malays was discontented with the uneven distribution of income among the ethnic groups as a result of the division of occupations. (the domination of Malays in agriculture, whereas the Chinese in commerce activities) Chinese accumulated considerable wealth due to the rapid expansion of the commerce activities. The income gap between the Chinese and the Malays was significant. In 1970, the Chinese has a mean income of RM467.50 while Malay has a mean income of only RM313.20. (Ikemoto 1985: 347-367) In 1969, Chinese dominated political party made a significant gain in opposition to the Malay controlled party in the general election.   On May 13, right after the result of the election was released, when members of the winning party marched through some largely Malay areas, the riot broke out. The Malays and the Chinese killed each other. May 13 incident was the most dismaying racial riot happened in the history of Malaysia. It has become the turning point of the racial relation where the implementation of the racist policies started. (Gray 2007) Calling for addressing the root of the conflict, the New Economic Policy started in the 1971 under Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, who is from UMNO, the main Malay political party. In fact, the policies and regulations of NEP were, in some senses, reaffirming the Malay superiority over other races. It has affected not only Malaysian economy but also education and the social structure. (Koon 1997: 262-292) NEP is indeed the product of the new Malay Malaysian Nationalism. The ambitious but controversial New Economic Policy (NEP) was launched in 1971 with two main objectives: to eradicate the poverty and to correct the economic imbalances among the ethnic groups. This set of policies has completely traumatized the Chinese and Indian communities. Since its implementation, criticism was overthrown. It has been accused of affirming the Malay Supremacy by reducing the status of the non-Malay citizens. The NEP ended in 1991 but most of the tangible economic privileges it reserved for the Malays are still ongoing until now. The education policy in the New Economic Policy has had the greatest impact on the social structure of the country. One phase to social and economic transformation of the Malays is only through education, not equity participation. You take care of education and they will have enough to participate in the capital market, former Finance Minister of Malaysia, Tun Daim Zainuddin justified the priority granted for the Malays in his speech on the Issues Facing the Malays. (Caballero-Anthony 2006) The policy was aimed at creating more opportunities for higher education through admission policy for the Malays and indigenous residents. However, while they are guaranteed high-quality education the educational opportunity for non-Malay citizens are brutally and radically reduced. For the past 30 years, Malaysia has been the only Asian country that officially discriminates against a certain group of citizens in matters of education. In 1962, the enrolment to the University of Malaya by ethnicity was   60% Chinese, 20% Malay and 20% Indians and Others. The ethnic quota system of 55:45 in favor of the Malays and indigenous residents was established as part of NEP in 1971. In the same year, the participation rate of Malay students was already equal to that of Chinese students at about 44%. (Mukherjee 2000) In fact, most of the other public university admitted more Malay students than the specified quota of 55%. The criteria for the entrance of local public university is also the main obstacle to the non-Malay students. Matriculation program and Malaysian High Certificate of Education (STPM) are the two ways of entering the public university after the high school education. Whereas, matriculation program reserves around 90% of the places for the Malays and indigenous residents. (Lee 2005) In addition, by examining the grading system, it is relatively an easier way for student to be admitted to the local public uni versity. As a result, Malay students are advantaged and non-Malay students are discouraged. Many non-malay students instead choose to study abroad. This has led to a significant outflow of human capital, especially elites, because students often settle down for the rest of their life after their studies. Another racist part of the New Economic Policy is the housing quota system. To encourage more Malays and indigenous residents to own property, housing policy requires the Malaysian housing developers to set aside at least 30% of their development housing for Malays as well as provide a discount of 5-15%. After 30 years of the implementation of the policy, lots reserved are often released to the open market upon the approval by the State government. (Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia 2012) It has resulted in increasing of property ownership by the Malays but also the economic inefficiency. New Economic Policy favors Malays economic opportunities by the quota system of ownership. What has had the greatest impact on the Chinese business community is the target of NEP of increasing Malays share of economic ownership from 2.4% (in 1969) to 30% to achieve a 30:40:30 welfare ratio of Bumiputra, other Malaysian, and foreign ownership within a 20-year time frame. (Leong 1992) Such an intensive redistribution of wealth has been hastened by the legislature restriction. In contrast, no official assistance was offered to non-Bumiputra to achieve the goal of acquiring 40% of the national wealth. It has hugely reduced the incentive for the Chinese in their business activities. Conclusion Yet, most of the criticisms are based on the issue that the non-Malays under the poverty line are not benefitted by the NEP called for eradicating poverty. Robert Kuok Hock Nien, Malaysian Chinese, once the richest person in the South East Asia, started focusing his investment overseas by reducing its portion in Malaysia after a series of new business restrictions favoring the Malays been implemented. ** There are Chinese under poverty line but the government did not address them. *** People are qualified for the benefit according to their race, instead of their economic position. Conclusion.

Que Vive Espana! :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Que Vive Espana! People always ask me: Who are the people that have changed your life? They ask: What is the most influential experience you have had? Those are hard questions to answer, because the things that have been most influential, the people that have been key... those are the things and the people that I cannot imagine my life without. Spain is like that for me. This semester I am back at school, basically going through the actions of my previous years, but I am DIFFERENT. I have ideas I didn't have before. I have thoughts I didn't have before. Something must have happened. Growth. My abroad experience was all about growth. Of course, every day of my life is about personal growth, but it is easier to "expand" outside of my own realm of comfort. Here, at school, it is easy to fall into routine, which hinders observation, and retards the process of "observing life". But those are just some theories of mime, which need illustrations to support them. So, what did I observe? The most wonderful thing about Spain is the way of life. It is noticeable right away: there are people in the streets at all times of day (except siesta), conversing, strolling, running into their friends and forgetting about that appointment they had in order to talk to them for hours. There is no concept in Spain of coming home and relaxing on the couch. No. People come home from work, eat, and go out. They need to talk to the vendors, to their neighbors. To them, this is life. The women need to meet their girlfriends in a cafe by the beach to have a drink. The men go to bars and discuss economics with the bartenders. And at might, people of all ages fill the streets: grandparents with their first grandchild in stroller out at midnight! In, general people love people. They work to live, mot live to work. It is a very strange, non-American attitude. I very much acquired a taste for it, this leaving the house to stroll, purposelessly, and by the end of my stay, I felt right at home b ecause I had made my own acquaintances while walking around who I looked forward to seeing daily. It is a very warm feeling. And a very safe feeling. A feeling that perhaps there are no secrets since everyone is out there talking about issues. Que Vive Espana! :: Personal Narrative Essay Example Que Vive Espana! People always ask me: Who are the people that have changed your life? They ask: What is the most influential experience you have had? Those are hard questions to answer, because the things that have been most influential, the people that have been key... those are the things and the people that I cannot imagine my life without. Spain is like that for me. This semester I am back at school, basically going through the actions of my previous years, but I am DIFFERENT. I have ideas I didn't have before. I have thoughts I didn't have before. Something must have happened. Growth. My abroad experience was all about growth. Of course, every day of my life is about personal growth, but it is easier to "expand" outside of my own realm of comfort. Here, at school, it is easy to fall into routine, which hinders observation, and retards the process of "observing life". But those are just some theories of mime, which need illustrations to support them. So, what did I observe? The most wonderful thing about Spain is the way of life. It is noticeable right away: there are people in the streets at all times of day (except siesta), conversing, strolling, running into their friends and forgetting about that appointment they had in order to talk to them for hours. There is no concept in Spain of coming home and relaxing on the couch. No. People come home from work, eat, and go out. They need to talk to the vendors, to their neighbors. To them, this is life. The women need to meet their girlfriends in a cafe by the beach to have a drink. The men go to bars and discuss economics with the bartenders. And at might, people of all ages fill the streets: grandparents with their first grandchild in stroller out at midnight! In, general people love people. They work to live, mot live to work. It is a very strange, non-American attitude. I very much acquired a taste for it, this leaving the house to stroll, purposelessly, and by the end of my stay, I felt right at home b ecause I had made my own acquaintances while walking around who I looked forward to seeing daily. It is a very warm feeling. And a very safe feeling. A feeling that perhaps there are no secrets since everyone is out there talking about issues.

Shakespeares Macbeth does not Follow Aristotles Standards for a Trage

Macbeth does not Follow Aristotle's Standards for a Tragedy There have been many great tragic authors throughout history: Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles from ancient Greece; Corneille and Hugo from France; Grillparzer and Schiller from Germany; and Marlowe, Webster, and Shakespeare from England. From this long list of men, Shakespeare is the most commonly known. Many Shakespearean critics agree that Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are great tragedies. Many critics also claim that Macbeth is a tragedy, but if one follows Aristotle's standards for a tragedy, Macbeth would not be a tragedy To really determine if Macbeth is a tragedy according to Aristotle, one must first look at his guidelines. The majority of Aristotle's standards relate to the downfall of the central character. To set the character up for a downfall, Aristotle thought he or she should be of the middle class. This was because he felt the poor had nothing to lose. He also felt the downfall should be caused by a fatal flaw. Another characteristic Aristotle believed was important, was a conflict between the central character and a close friend or relative. According to him, the main character should also have an enlightenment at the moment of his or her downfall. Aristotle also believed that the feelings of pity and fear should be felt by the audience during the play. He thought that these feelings would lead to a catharsis, or release of emotions. Although most of Aristotle's characteristics of a tragedy had to do with the downfall, he had two that did not. First, he thought the central character should not be totally good or evil. This was based on the belief that the ruin of a totally good character would be too painful, and the ruin of a totally bad char... ... not even thank is wife for the plan that made him king. Due to Malcolm's final speech, the reader is left with positive, not negative feelings. Overall Macbeth is not a tragedy according the Aristotle's standards. Macbeth's downfall does follow the guidelines: he has something to lose, he has a downfall, and he has conflicts with his friends and relatives during his downfall. But, the heart of the play, which is the emotions created, just do not follow Aristotle's standards. The reader should feel pity, and grieve. Yet, there is no reason to feel this way because Macbeth is all evil, and in the end, the "good guy" is restored to power. Shakespeare put forth good effort in trying to make Macbeth a tragedy, but he came up too short. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Macbeth.† The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997.

Galileos Work :: essays research papers

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 in Pisa, Italy. In 1570 his family relocated to Florence. Galileo pioneered "experimental scientific method" and was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries. In 1581, Galileo studied at the University of Pisa. There he became interested in the workings of science and concluded that the period (the time in which a pendulum swings back and forth) does not depend on the arc of the swing (the isochronisms). In 1609 Galileo learned of the invention of the telescope in Holland. From the barest description he constructed a vastly superior model. Galileo made a series of profound discoveries using his new telescope, including that the moon has craters, valleys, and mountains much like the Earth’s terrain. He also was able to see four small lights orbiting around the planet Jupiter. He was then able to conclude that it too was moons. Galileo was also able to discover that the planet Venus had phases much like our Moon. As a professor of astronomy at University of Pisa, Galileo was required to teach the accepted theory of his time that the sun and all the planets revolved around the Earth. Later at University of Padua he was exposed to a new theory, proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus, that the Earth and all the other planets revolved around the sun. Galileo's observations with his new telescope convinced him of the truth of Copernicus's sun-centered or heliocentric theory. In 1610, Galileo published a book, The Starry Messenger, describing his findings that supported the Copernican theory. Galileo's support for the heliocentric theory got him into trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. He was forced to abandon his astronomical pursuits. But, Galileo retaliated by publishing a book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. This book cause more arguments with the church due to it were in Italian which was a direct conflict with the church. In 1633 the Inquisition convicted him of heresy and forced him to recant (publicly withdraw) his support of Copernicus. They sentenced him to life imprisonment, but because of his advanced age allowed him serve his term under house arrest at his villa outside of Florence, Italy. It was not until 1992 that the church publicly forgave Galileo. But due to the timeframe, the damage had already been done.

Wa Student Duty of Care Policy

Memo for The Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (DETWA) To: All School Principals within the DETWA. Subject: A GUIDE TO HELP PARENT’S UNDERSTAND, THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING, DUTY OF CARE POLICY FOR STUDENTS. Please find enclosed a detailed guide to helping your parents / caregivers understand the â€Å"Duty of Care Policy for Students†. This guide is an analysis of the policy document noting the key points that are easily understood by parents.The report will also detail two scenarios providing examples of situations that can occur at any school and an action plan response to each scenario by following the duty of care policy guidelines. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 0 Introduction 2. 0 Background regarding the policy & Part 1 -Document Analysis 3. 0 Duty of Care explanation 4. 0 Reasonable Care explanation 5. 0 Key points to note 6. 0 Part 2 -Action Plans 7. 0 Scenario 1 & action plan response 8. 0 Scenario 2 & action plan res ponse 9. 0 Conclusion / Personal Reflection 0. 0 References 1. 0 Introduction As parents, the â€Å"Duty of Care† policy is more than likely decidedly foreign. From here many questions, no doubt will arise? Why did the Western Australian government put this in place for their Department of Education and Training? What significance does this document have towards my children, parents may also be thinking? So many thoughts and questions have no doubt once or twice crossed a parents mind. I am sure some may not even be aware of this documents existence. 2. Background regarding the policy & Part 1 – Document Analysis To answer these imminent questions above, the significance of this report is to offer the Parents of Western Australian students attending primary and secondary schools, a further understanding. The Western Australian Government wrote the policy so that it would be implemented within the Department of Education WA and then handed down to all teachers. The docu ment became effective on the 26/06/2007 and updated 02/08/2012. (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (DETWA), 2012,1). As noted by the Department of Education and Training, Western Australia (2012,3)† this policy was created to ensure that all teaching staff, non teaching staff and volunteers know their legal responsibilities in ensuring reasonable care occurred to maintain the safety and wellbeing of all students whilst in their care and avoid acts that may result in injury. This policy is not just limited to within the school grounds but also outside school grounds, excursions and activities that fall under the care and guidance of school teachers, regardless of where the activity or lesson may occur. 3. 0 Duty of care explanationWhat is the Duty of Care? Newnham (2000, 2) describes the Duty of care as a legal concept that was put in place under the Common Law, and it is well established in education regulations. 4. 0 Reasonable Care explanation with key points to note What is Reasonable Care? The Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, (2012, 3) also describe reasonable care as a situation that will always vary according to the overall circumstances involved. Teachers are to assess the â€Å"reasonableness† of the level of care needed by noting the following probabilities that can interfere or affect the outcome of care.These probabilities are; * The school activity and its nature. * The environment upon which the activity will occur in, therefore the teacher must assess the risk, if any, involved. * Pre-existing medical conditions, like allergies, epilepsy, diabetes. * Ages and skills of the students. * Physical or Intellectual impairments & Behavioural issues 5. 0 Key points to note There are some other key points that the Duty of Care policy would acknowledge. These include that a principal or teacher must ensure that all department employees must hold the necessary identification and qualifications requi red including non teaching staff.Also, volunteers and the like must also possess a working with children check card. The details of this policy and how this check can be completed is found via the following government website, http://www. checkwwc. wa. gov. au/checkwwc The importance of having such a policy is to protect both student and teacher and offer the teacher clear, concise guidelines on what â€Å"duty of care† is expected of teaching staff to reduce the chance of negligence and possible legal implications.A highly topical direct quote included below is from abstract, Newnham, (2000, 1) is particularly pertinent to this report and extremely beneficial to take note: â€Å"The law is increasing affecting the practice of education. The most likely reason a teacher or school will face legal action is in negligence where a student has been injured while under the school’s protection. This may occur in a variety of settings.To satisfy the elements of the tort of ne gligence the student who becomes in law the plaintiff must prove that a duty of care was owed, that the duty was breached, by not maintaining the appropriate standard and that the injury was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that breach of duty. It would be rare for a teacher to face criminal charges but it could happen if a teacher had an intention to harm or acted recklessly. † (Newnham 2000, 1) The policy document also offers guidelines for parents and caregivers and their responsibilities for their children before and after school care time slots and whilst on school grounds.This will clearly advise the parent / caregiver the times for when their children will and will not be supervised and offer a guide as to whether the student is protected or not under the school’s duty of care policy. 6. 0 Part 2 – Action Plans Below are action plans that a teacher in the following scenarios could note and introduce to ensure that the teacher is consistently adherin g to the Western Australian Government and the Department of Education & Training’s, Duty of Care Policy. 7. 0 Scenario 1 & Action Plan A student is consistently interrupting other students during a classroom lesson.In dealing with this student’s interruptions, the teacher sends the student out of the classroom for ‘timeout’. The teacher tells the student to wait outside the classroom door until asked to return to the room. This reprimanded student is no longer in the teacher’s view. The scenario above notes that the teacher involved has not exercised her duty of care and could be seen to be negligent as the student was no longer in the teachers view. As per notes from Newnham, (2000,46) the teacher has a duty of care to ensure that they are providing adequate supervision and no longer being in view is detrimental to this.The teacher was no doubt disappointed in the student and his associated behaviour but asking the student to leave for timeout cou ld have been handled in a more appropriate way. As per the teachers duty of care policy (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, 2012, 3) the teacher needed to provide a suitable disciplinary action that ensured the student remained in full view. Otherwise by no longer being in view, the student could have harmed or injured, himself and the teacher would possibly be held responsible for not following the act of reasonable care and therefore classed as being negligent.The teacher could have opted for a variety of disciplinary actions from as painless as giving the timeout punishment and asking the student to remain in the far corner of the classroom until notified or the teacher could have phoned the principal’s office and asked that the principal come and escort the student to the office to remain in timeout whilst in a supervised environment. 8. 0 Scenario 2 & Action Plan A first year student teacher accompanies a supervising teacher out on duty at lunch tim e.While on playground duty, an incident occurs that requires the supervising teacher to accompany a student to the administration block, which is not within the supervision area. The supervising teacher asks the student teacher to remain on duty for her as she tends to the dilemma. This would mean the student teacher would be the only teacher supervising the designated play area at this time. Firstly Newhman, (2000, 49) notes that if the incident was indeed severe enough, ensure that the nature of the incident was documented.Other details that would need to be included in the incident report would be with who was present at the time in the events leading up to and when taking place. This will ensure that if further issue is raised, the teacher can be at ease that they have completed the right steps to ensure that negligence did not take place. Secondly, under the Duty of Care policy (Department of Education and Training, Western Australia, 2012, 3) the teacher should have clarified with the student teacher if they were comfortable to be left to undertake the primary care of the remaining students and be given the right to refuse.If refused, the student teacher would have been best to escort the student to the administration block or even more so the student teacher could have quickly alerted another teacher to come and assist the situation at hand and escort the student or takeover the supervisory role. 9. 0Conclusion & Personal Reflection Whilst reading through the DETWA Duty of Care Policy for Students, I was certainly not aware of the importance of one component of the policy document.The component I was not aware of was that as a teacher, I should be ensuring that any student teacher, non teaching staff or volunteer who may assist in my classroom, has the right to refuse the role of undertaking primary care of the students. If I had to leave the classroom or area where the class was being conducted, I must first ask this pertinent question of â€Å"Are yo u comfortable if I leave the room for said period of time? † This question was simply was not something that I gave much thought to.When I thought about this more, I realised it actually is common courtesy, to simply, ask first and then I will ensure the level of comfort of the other person helping is ascertained. I know that this element of the Duty of Care policy will be something I personally will take on board and remember to use within my classroom. In summary, the Western Australian Government’s, Duty of Care policy is undoubtedly a particularly crucial document. It’s a crucial document that all Western Australian Teacher’s who are employed within the Department of Education & Training, need to follow. As I ecome a teacher, this policy is simply another tool that I as a teacher, must concur with and abide by at all times, whilst the students are under my care. A Student’s safety is one of the most respected trusts that a caregiver / parent wil l ask of me as their child’s teacher. To ensure that I do not lose that vital trust placed in me, it will be essential that I follow these set guidelines from this document. I should also consistently using common sense, adhere to school policy and I then should never have to be concerned with the legalities of negligence and that my students should always be cared for well. Word count 1744) 10. 0 References The Government of Western Australia, (2012) Department of Education & Training: Duty of Care for Students. Western Australia: Retrieved from http://det. wa. edu. au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/policies/duty-of-care-for-students Department of child protection, (2008) Working with children check: Retrieved from http://www. checkwwc. wa. gov. au/checkwwc Newnham, Helen (2000) â€Å"When is a teacher or school liable in negligence? † Australian Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 25: Iss. 1, Article 5. Available at: http://ro. e cu. edu. au/ajte/vol25/iss1/5

Popular culture Essay

The idea of popular culture can be epitomized in many mediums nowadays whether it is in films, books, songs or photographs. This paper discusses the way that the `ghetto culture’ is portrayed within various mediums. The first part of this paper will deal with the popular movie `Boyz in the Hood (1991)’ written and directed by John Singleton. Music is known as the avenue where contemporary culture exists – this paper will look at the lyrics in the Crompton’s Most Wanted (CMW) song Growing up in the Hood. It is clear to see the similarities that exist between the two mediums and how ghetto life is expressed. The third medium that will be analyzed in this discussion is that of African American poetry. The poem to be analyzed here is Ghetto Child by Langston Hughes. This poem can be seen to be in line with the other two artifacts that are analyzed this paper. When as an active audience people view these forms of media together we can see how powerful different forms of literature can be on the human soul. Boyz in the Hood known as a groundbreaking movie for its hard-hitting realism and its â€Å"street’’ outlook. This realism made the film so popular and the reason it had so much interest to both black and white audiences. It is a rare instance when a film about one socio economic group can apply to everyone, however John Singleton was successful in doing this in this piece of work. It has been said that the realism of the film and the fact that there was such a human element to the characters that made the characters seem so real and so close to home (as though Tre or Ricky could be one of your neighbors). The film also brought black ghetto culture into mainstream movie theatres (this was not the case prior to this where very little is known about African American films before Boyz in the Hood such as Sweet Sweetback’s Badassess Song (1971) – in the past 10 or more years since this film was made it is clear to see that the African American film industry has become more visible. This is a good thing as African American Culture is no longer hidden behind closed doors – people have the chance to see what life is like in the black ghetto culture of the United States. Singleton wrote and directed a movie that appeals to many different audiences. Critics have praised this film time and time again for the way that it portrays the realistic elements of African American life. A point that is of interest to note that creates a point of difference to a number of films produced prior to Boyz in the Hood was in the way that women are portrayed. Typically, in other films that deal with African American life we (the audience) see women portrayed as servants, prostitutes and welfare mothers. This film is the exception where the stereotype of the black women being unemployed does not exist. We see a glimpse of it at the start of the film when the teacher was speaking to Tre’s mother on the phone and the teacher insinuated that the mother did not work. However, this stereotype came to a pass quickly. The women who play the main characters especially Tre’s mother are seen as strong educated and successful women. Even at the end of the film Tre’s girlfriend ends up going to college (this is a different action to one that people would expect in such a film). Another way we can look at the way that powerful black women are portrayed in this film is so look at Tre’s mother and see how she carries herself and the way she dresses. In comparison to many other films where the African American woman is in a lead role we see her struggling in the African American world, however in this film we see Reva (Tre’s mother) as the strong female living in a white world where it is not important whether you are black or white. Another theme/ idea portrayed in this film in relation to the `ghetto culture’ pertains to the way that Tre’s father (Furious) is adamant that he does not want Tre to turn out like the other boys from the ghetto – he wants him to make something of his life and not be one of the kids committing robberies and loitering around liquor stores. This is a strong and powerful message that Furious portrays throughout the film and one the many reasons why this film was such a success in portraying what life is really like in the `ghetto’. Another theme/ idea that is evident throughout the film is the idea of having a positive role model when growing up in the ghetto. Throughout the film Furious tries to teach Tre what is right and what is wrong. In the early part of the film we see Furious teaching Tre his very first lesson in the scene where Furious shoots at a burglar and talks to Tre about it after wards sitting on the porch waiting for the police to arrive. Furious: Somebody must have been praying for that fool, cause I swear I aimed right for his head. Tre Age 10: You should have blew it off. Furious: Don’t say that. Don’t say that. Just would’ve contributed to killing another brother. This being a contributing factor to killing another brother is another theme that permeates throughout the film. However, it is the final part of the film when Ricky is chased and murdered that we understand what this whole idea of killing another brother is like and how fragile and fleeting life is if you live in the ghetto. All Ricky did was annoy a guy the night before which led to his untimely death when he walked down to the corner store to pick up some oatmeal. The audience learns in the final scene that what goes around comes around if you kill one of your `brothers` you in turn will be killed. The shooting scene further indicates the powerful influence that Furious has had on Tre in making the man that he grew up to be. Despite, being so angry with the person that shot Ricky, Tre had a permanent voice in his head that told him that he could not be involved with Doughboy in shooting down the perpetrator responsible for Ricky’s death. Tre understood that everything his father taught him was for a reason and to protect his son. This is indicative in the credits as two weeks after Ricky was buried Dough boy was murdered and so the `circle of death’ continues. Because Tre lived his life in the image of his father he went to college and escaped from the `hood’ to create a better life for himself. In today’s society music is one of the major forms of expression and because of this it is clear to see how the lyrics in songs come to mean certain things in popular culture. In looking at the lyrics in Crompton’s Most Wanted (CMW) song Growing up in the Hood we can understand how the artist feels about growing up in the hood and can understand the words in a song in much the same way that you understand an underlying message when you watch a film. In looking at just the one song is it interesting how many different themes and ideas are permeated in a three-minute recording. In this song the artist has made it clear that living in the hood is violent and because of this you constantly live a dangerous lifestyle and are constantly running away from people so that they do not hurt you or try to kill you. Quick up the stairs so little sucker stop looking Stagger up to the house so I can collect my whooping But watch out ‘cause a little nigga’s up to no good Growin’ up in the hood. The lyrics in this song further describe the fear that exists when one lives in the hood that if you stay in the hood you will die in the hood. The lyrics above indicate the fear that men living in the hood have to come to terms with in everyday of their lives. The song also suggests that when young boys grow up in the hood they are not always aware of what lies ahead. â€Å"Growing up in the hood, yea boy, 1984 Was the year my peers didn’t know what was in store. â€Å" Another idea that is permeated in this song and that is an issue for African Americans living in the ghetto is that of the police. Police are awful to those people who live in the hood – they make them feel as they are dirt and they do not have the right to exist. Police sweat my tip and keep harassing Trying to lock me up ’cause I keep on blasting Community trying to shut me out Through song lyrics it is almost as if the listener feels the pain that the rapper is going through in terms of the way that the police treat him. Music is a powerful way where one person can express how they feel and how deep they feel. Throughout mainstream media it is clear to see the negative relationship that exists between those in the hood and that of the police. It is indicative in the lyrics to the above song and in the way that the brutality of the police force was described in Boyz in the Hood and in other mainstream films that dealt with the hood culture. Another theme that is expressed through the lyrics in this rap deals with the singers feeling towards his own violence where he feels that because he has existed in that environment for so long that he has become violent to and cannot seem to escape from the violent behavior. Throughout out the rap, the listen understand that life in the hood is all about women (â€Å"bitches’’) and money – those are the man thing that a mans life revolves around in the end. An image of frustration seems to be permeated throughout the rap at the same time and certain lyrics further create this image – â€Å"I got hard times and realize †¦ sometimes I wonder†¦ but it just seems that the hood took me under. ’’ It is interesting to note that in ghetto culture that women do not like to be referred to as `bitches`, `hoes` etc they like to be thought of as women and to be called a women. By referring to women as `bitches’ and the circle will continue – children learn from their parents. In Boyz in the Hood the young men do not seem to respect women and refer to them in derogatory ways and views women as `bitches’ and `hoes’. Doughboy was the character that permeated this stereotype. In the scene where all the young people were at the community barbeque and Tre said to the boys that the women should be the first to eat (he was being polite and being a gentleman). Doughboy was not however. Doughboy: Ho’s gotta eat too. Shalika: Who you callin’ a ho’, I ain’t no ho’. Doughboy: Oops, I’m sorry, bitch. It is clear to see that throughout the movie that Doughboy has no respect for women/ has grown up speaking to women and referring to them in a particular way. Doughboy: Don’t go to college to be talkin’ to no bitches. Your black ass ‘posed to be learnin’ somethin’. Can’t learn shit talkin’ to no stupid ass bitch. It is through the power of words that we as individuals learn what life is like for others and what life means to a particular person. The last cultural artefact that will be analysed in this paper pertains to that of African American poetry. The piece of poetry to be analysed here is apiece by C. Highsmith-Hooks called Ghetto Child. Even from the title of the piece we can come to an understanding of what the poem will be about and the fact that the poem is going to feed deep into your soul once you read the poem. This poem is found in the famous collection by C. Highsmith-Hooks called The Soul of a Black Woman. There were a number of reasons why I chose to analyze this poem and relate it to the other two cultural artefacts but the main reason was because this is a poem written by a woman and the other two mediums analyzed were written by men. Ghetto Child tells the story of a child from the `hood’ whose senseless death is mourned by his mother only. This poem was interesting because it pertained to the very essence of what was conveyed in the other two mediums analyzed that a life in the hood leads to death no matter what way one looks at it. In Boyz in the Hood both Ricky and Doughboy were murdered in the hood. This poem helps the audience understand what it is like for a woman in the `hood’ when she looses a child. This notion was briefly shown in Boyz in the Hood when Ricky was murdered and his mother broke down. It is always said that it is better reading a book before you see a film. In this same sense it is important to understand that reading a poem is much better than watching a film as you get to understand and create your own imagery and understand the character in your own mind. In Conclusion, it is clear that there are similarities in the way that the `hood culture` is conveyed in the three cultural artefacts – film, music and poetry that were analyzed in this paper. The major themes explored in these cultural artefacts were that of the permenant violence that surrounds life in the hood – especially for young males. It is a dog eat dog world in the hood and as a young man you need to make a choice about whether or not you will be using a gun because if you do you surely will get killed in the end. Another point that is of interest and has produced ideologies in all three cultural artefacts was how women are viewed in the ghetto. Males seem to have little respect for women with the except being the character of Tre in Boyz in the Hood where he was taught from an early age how to be a good man and in turn respect women. The other characters in the film had little respect for women and often referred to women as â€Å"bitches’’ or â€Å"hoes’’. References: Film: Boyz in the Hood (1991) : Written and directed by John Singleton. Lyrics: Growing up in the Hood – CMW Poem: C. Highsmith-Hooks â€Å"Ghetto Child’’ in The Soul of a Black Woman: From a Whisper to a Shout (2002).