Qualitative and Quantitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Qualitative and Quantitative Research - Essay Example In one of the qualitative studies titled ‘exploring consumer engagement in an e-setting: a qualitative research of marketing executives’, the aspects described above concerning qualitative researchers is evident. This research study sought to understand the level of consumer engagement online pertaining different brands, with the increasing popularity of internet marketing. After the identification of the research question, the researchers defined the conceptual framework which would serve as the blueprint of the study. There were two hypotheses, in line with the conceptual framework described. The research relied on in-depth interviews as the preferred data collection strategy. It was highly subjective as it relied on the opinions and convictions of the 17 marketing practitioners, who described their experience in depth. The 17 marketing practitioners selected for the study were working with international organizations and were identified through LinkedIn. The interview sessions focused on two questions that required detailed responses from the respondents. Data analysis followed, with the initial steps being the compilation of data obtained from the respondents.A quantitative research titled ‘Quantitative marketing research on the behavior of the small and medium companies on financial advisory services’ used statistical deductive approaches in a bid to determine whether there was any existing correlation between the size of the firm and the number of financial advisory services outsourced.

Analysis of the mondus operandi of a manager Essay

Analysis of the mondus operandi of a manager - Essay Example It includeÃ'• all Ã'•yÃ'•temÃ'• where groupÃ'• of people are involved to achieve a Ã'•pecific Ã'•et of goalÃ'•â€  (Weihrich-&-Kootz,-1994). To bring about theÃ'•e aimÃ'•, aÃ'• defined and created by each individual buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• to reach itÃ'• goalÃ'•, there are three main management roleÃ'• aÃ'• defined by Mintzberg, which include the InterperÃ'•onal, information roleÃ'• and the deciÃ'•ional roleÃ'•. TheÃ'•e in-turn encompaÃ'•Ã'• more Ã'•pecific dutieÃ'• which will be diÃ'•cuÃ'•Ã'•ed later. Manager CaÃ'•e-Ð…tudy:BuÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• Name – Playtec Pty LtdName – Matthew Ð…tewartAge – 29Phone No – *******PoÃ'•ition Held – General ManagerBuÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• Ð…ize – Ð…mall (approximately 20-employeeÃ'•)BuÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• DeÃ'•cription – Playtec Pty Ltd iÃ'• a manufacturer of indoor Ã'•oftplay equiptment, diÃ'•tributed nationwide and occaÃ'•ionally overÃ'•eaÃ'•. AÃ'• a General Manager of a Ã'•mall buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'•, MatthewÃ'•â€™Ã'• management roleÃ'• conÃ'•iÃ'•t of interdependent-factorÃ'• coordinated into an organiÃ'•ed ‘Ã'•yÃ'•tem’ to allow efficient allocation of reÃ'•ourceÃ'• through well-planned adminiÃ'•tration, complimenting D.A HoltÃ'• definition of "defining organizational objectiveÃ'• and then articulating Ã'•trategieÃ'•, tacticÃ'• and objectiveÃ'• that are neceÃ'•Ã'•ary to achieve theÃ'•e objectiveÃ'•." (Holt,-1987,-p.793). TheÃ'•e are divided into the three main Ã'•egmentÃ'• of reÃ'•ponÃ'•ibility, collectively known aÃ'• the Mintzberg’Ã'• Management roleÃ'•. Under InterperÃ'•onal management roleÃ'•, Matthew iÃ'• Ã'•een aÃ'• a ‘figurehead’ in playtec, Ã'•ometimeÃ'• being referred to aÃ'• the â€Å"heart’n’Ã'•oul† of the company. Although not the buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• owner, the role of a leader iÃ'• one he haÃ'• aÃ'•Ã'•umed, taking-on the reÃ'•ponÃ'•ibility of planning and providing future growth under one’Ã'• ‘umbrella’ of reÃ'•ponÃ'•ibility for operationÃ'• and employeeÃ'•. Taking a large amount of reÃ'•ponÃ'•ibility for

Cross Cultural Marketing Communications

Cross Cultural Marketing Communications EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report addresses a project that elaborates Cross Cultural Marketing Communications with reference to Global perspective. It also includes an extensive study done on HSBC Pakistan enabling readers to closely understand the Think Global Act Local. A major programme of market research was carried out to assess the same. The main aim of this study was to explore the factors and considerations which give rise to local strategies development in marketing communications. In order to achieve the above mentioned primary secondary both researches were carried out. In primary research qualitative research was carried out which includes interviewing marketing officials of HSBC bank. The data collected was analysed closely to produce valuable findings. The research revealed that it is extremely important to have knowledge of local cultures and customs when entering in global business. The research identified substantial factors which matters while entering in a different cultured place. This confirmed that a general service like banking can also be moulded for customers in such a way that they will give preference to a service which cares about their local values. INTRODUCTION Of all the business trends spilling over from the 20th to 21st centuries, that of globalization is the one most likely not to be labelled as a fad after several years. The emergence of the global marketplace inevitably advances, bringing with it revolutionary change in the ways that many organizations do business. Harvards Theodore Levitt said more than a generation ago that the purpose of any business was to first attract, and then keep, a customer; globalization brings a wide range of possibilities to the process of attracting those customers. In the process of attracting customers in international markets it of course is necessary for businesses to enter those nations where the markets exist. We can talk all around the cultural differences that exist among the worlds people, but the bottom line is that people with different cultural backgrounds have different perspectives. The purpose here is to evaluate the statement. The language of comparative management seeks to represent the management systems of the other. It pretends to be an objective representation of those systems, but it can only talk about them in a language informed by its own localized and historically situated ontologies, epistemologies and moralities (Westwood, 2001, 242). And to examine the case of HSBC Worlds Local Bank the practices of HSBC will be explored in context with the local culture of Pakistan and what changes were made in their Marketing and Advertising program exclusively for Pakistan, as Pakistan is one of important and emerging countries of Asia. Since cross-cultural marketing is of great importance in this era of globalization many researches have been carried out in this field. Previous researches have not provided sufficient explanation for the cultural factors and practices of HSBC Bank Pakistan. This paper attempts to fill the gap by finding and studying the local practices of HSBC bank and how did they manage to cater the needs of local public. This paper starts examining the importance of cross cultural marketing efforts and the differences found in inter cultural markets. In chapter two consumers and the perception process is discussed with reference to cross cultural aspects. There are several issues which are to be explored in cross cultural marketing which will be discussed in chapter three. The case of HSBC bank and its claim of being worlds local bank will be explored in chapter 4. At the end of this paper recommendations and conclusion will be given based on the research and literature review. CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND 1.1 Cross cultural marketing and its importance Futurists, marketing gurus, demographers, even social scientists generally agree that virtually all research, but especially marketing research, depends on the population involved, specifically the consumer. Books on the weekly best sellers list and the most popular television programs provide directional signals to the future. Trend expert and futurist, Faith Popcorn regularly asks her clients whether or not they know what their customers ate for breakfast, how many kids they have, what are they thinking about and what their the three biggest concerns in life. If the answer is no, you dont know how to sell to them, Popcorn (1996) says. To understand consumers, you have to know what they are eating, how they are living and how they are shopping. Listening to the customer, understanding what he or she is all about, will help you future fit your company (pp. 7D). Generalities, Popcorn says, are what ultimately gives most companies grief. Mass market is overthe future is about individualization, she explains. We have entered a time of one-on-one or customized marketing (7D). It is simple commonsense to realize that such must also be the case in the process of cross-cultural marketing. To make assumptions about a particular target audience or market is flirting with marketing disaster. This is of even greater importance when the marketing is taking place across cultural barriers that might include language barriers, socio-economic status, religious beliefs, or other forms of restrictions that neglect to include the important component of who people are and what are the circumstances that have made them the way they are. The smart marketing professional fully researches and plans for cultural differences. Without that knowledge or without the understanding associated with such knowledge, the likelihood of a successful marketing campaign or product launch become increasingly more discouraging. No single aspect of product and service customization is more important, or more obvious, than that of the unique differences encapsulated within the cultural differences and particular influences based on larger issues associated with the society in which the consumer is born, raised, and educated. Certainly, a consumers preferences are developed in light of his or her opinions and experiences that are then influenced by the realm in which that consumers own personality and preferences are shaped. It is always important to remember, especially when looking at the larger product development framework that encompasses marketing that purchases are not necessarily about the item or service purchased. Of far greater interest to the consumer are the costs, the utility, and the popularity of any given item and not necessarily in that order. Shopping and consumption have become tied up with far more factors than need, utility, or amusement. Complicated issues such as sexuality, status, and self-esteem are connected to the purchases of everything from cars to handbags. Regardless of whether such a statement is accurate for any single individual or particular group of individual .It is a fact of life in retailing, in marketing, in all aspects of human interaction for most consumers, especially those most influenced by the commercialism of Western societies. As people across the globe gain better understanding of one another, it seems especially arrogant of an organization launching a marketing campaign without thorough research into the markets characteristics and features. It is obvious why the best companies are often those with the best access to the best information. The Information Age has drawn the world together, in at least one way. The fact that people around the industrialized world are well-aware of the products and services that are desirable and exist in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, those selling the products, whether those are industrial machines or womens lingerie are less aware of their consumers than the consumer is of then. As long as that lack of equilibrium is in place, the marketer faces an uphill battle. According to Ryan (1996), all too often, consumer research has been preoccupied with empirical issues and neglects the experiential perspective of consumers as individuals influenced by their cultures, upbringing, and lifestyle. This reflects a fundamental difficulty in consumer research that them leads to a lack of understanding of the context of the consumers cultural bias, preference, and understanding. The marketing specialist must always ask who or what is the consumer? However, the marketer must also be well aware of what factors have made the consumer think and act in the way he or she does. Without such an understanding of cultural issues, a product or service enters a market with a definite disadvantage. Malhotra, Agarwal and Peterson (1996) also warn that methodological issues have had the historical tendency of restricting the most positive and forward-thinking progress of cross-cultural marketing research. Cross-cultural research is best addressed through specialized analytical methods such as structural equation modelling and conjoint analysis. New methods, however, should be based on validated theories to benefit cross-cultural research. Researchers are encouraged to develop new methods and theories that are based on the cultural circumstances they are dealing with, as well as the information that makes such cultural concerns different or in need of modification from any other marketing process. The persuasiveness of any communication can be increased much more easily and dramatically by paying attention to the content (and the relation of that content to the dependent target variable) than by manipulation of credibility, attractiveness, fear, self-esteem, distraction, or any of the other myriad factors that have captured the attention of researchers in the area of marketing communication. Keeping these factors in mind, specific, qualitative research methodology must be employed in order to assure that the unique concerns of this equally unique culturally specific demographic are addressed. Recognizing that such a segment of the population requires a multi-faceted approach in terms of any meaningful research, the first baseline data should be gathered from a cross-national diffusion analysis since basic cross-national or cross-cultural diffusion analysis plays an integral role in determining the success of newly-introduced products in the market. According to Kumar, Ganesh, Echambadi (1998), evaluating cross-national/cultural factors does not only help firms determine market trends but also help them ascertain the period of time by which products are adopted in different parts of the country. However, it is safe to say that three key factors for successful cross-cultural business will always play a part in that atmosphere: recognition of the other partys difference, the need to remain culturally neutral, and respect for the cultural norms and/or behaviours regardless of potential emotional stress and discomfort. Marketing strategies must be sensitized according to the cultural norms and taboos of other societies, while considering their cultures languages, work schedules, tastes, religious beliefs and lifestyles. In most parts of Latin America, for example, social relationships must be established before the process of engaging in business. 1.2 Inter cultural marketing differences Every society as a cultural heritage that prescribes certain broad patterns of behaviour. These patterns extend to such diverse areas as sexual roles, dress, food habits, recreation, patterns of authority, status symbols, artefacts, attitudes, motivation, and use of space and meaning of language. We are accustomed to the practices and configurations of our own culture and, when deprived of them, are often unable to deal effectively with our environment. (Kenneth Runyon). Alvin Toffler refers the phenomenon of culture shock as the psychological effect of suddenly finding ourselves without our accustomed cultural support. Customs and culture can be even stronger than laws. When advertising to children age 12 or over was approved in Germany, local customs were so strong that companies risked customers revolt by continuing to advertise. (W Wells, Burnett J Moraity S) Every society has different set of cultures which companies and organizations have to keep in mind while developing their marketing and advertising strategies. Companies that are starting to do business in the Middle East have to learn new selling methods because the region is so devoutly religious. There are major restrictions on how women are presented in advertising. Many Asian cultures emphasize relationships and context. To be effective, the advertising message must recognize these cultural differences. (W Wells, Burnett J Moraity S) Values in a society continually change and are sometimes dichotomous. For example, as the median age of the population increases (the aging of baby boom generation), modifications in values are readily evident. While being tolerant of sexuality and other more liberal concepts, millions of Americans are, at the same time, returning to more traditional values and embracing some form of religion or spirituality. After decades of materialism and self-indulgence, many baby boomers are searching for meaning. Even younger members of society are changing. Many have embraced greater levels of temperance in terms of drugs, alcohol and sex. The restructuring of values in society presents three challenges for marketing experts. The first is to monitor for changes so that the company is aware of what is happening in the society. The second is to create products and services compatible with changing values. The third is to design marketing messages that reflect and build on the value target markets and individual customers hold. (Kenneth Clow Donald Baack). CHAPTER 2: CONSUMERS PERSPECTIVE 2.1 Consumer behaviour to cross cultural marketing The development of any product or service will be dependant on the behavioural attitudes of the buy consumers. These may influence the development, demand change or impact on the way in which marketing takes place. The development of many different products and services can be seen to demonstrate these changes. The way in which a purchase decision is made can be seen to encompass the different attitudes of a purchaser, and as such it will impact on the way the product is perceived and the need for companies to satisfy consumer needs or appeal to their desires. Research into this area has identified that the process that goes on in this black box is usually undertaken in one of two ways. This may be by the category-based evaluation or piecemeal processing (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). Category based decision making is a method of evaluating a product (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). For example a consumer may be in a supermarket considering which brand of coffee to buy. The category based process will involve the consumer will make use of the existing knowledge or memories that they already have regarding the product (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). They may remember that a particular brand of coffee was associated with fair Trade, or received a good review in a food and drink magazine. It is worth noting that this will also reflect political changes and different fashions or trends. Advertising plays a part in this process as it gives the consumer a knowledge or perception of the product prior to the consumer arriving at the supermarket (Kahn, 1998). Even though this may not be remembered consciously the consumer may have this clue or memory stimulated when they see the packaging of a make, or make the association (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). The advertising may be to associate with the product the company name or the brand. One example of the way advertising may be used is that of Chevron, who probably spent five times the cost of its environmental initiatives on publicity (Dadd and Carothers 1993,483), many of which were legal requirements. Other companies, such as Body Shop (Bartlett C, 1991), or Ben and Jerrys (Zinkhan and Carlson, 1995), have embraced environmentalism more sincerely approaching it in differing ways and as such create a more positive image that may be remembered when making a purchase decision. These have been as a result of the increase public awareness of the need for care of the environment, which has been propagated by non governmental organisations as well as the government. This shows how consumer states and behaviour change the way products are developed. If we consider the Bodyshop as an example, although the reputation was one of environmental policies and good practice, it was developed this way due to a perceived gap in the market, not out of an altruistic concern for the way business took place. Therefore, business follows the consumer demands. Likewise, Chevron cynically used the steps it was legally obliged to take to give an impression of an environmental business in order to increase its reputation and increase sales. There are also other trends that we can see take place, one only has to look in a UK supermarket during a dispute with France to see the way that the impression given by French products and the association with the dispute will decrease the demand for them. Here we see that there is also a strong indication that stereotyping may play a role in the consumer choices (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). This may be seen as a strange kind or justice, after all the advertising companies have been stereotyping consumers for long enough. The second process is the piecemeal process, this may be seen as a more thoughtful approach, but it is still prone to influence form consumer behaviour (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). In this process the consumer takes into account the different characteristics of the different products (Hadjimarcou et al, 1999). Our consumer looking for coffee may therefore look to see if it is decaffeinated, what the flavour strength and type is described as and possibly even the usefulness of the jar after the coffee is used. Today it is popular for a shopper to look to buy tuna with a dolphin friendly label indicating that dolphins were not harmed in the catching of the fish. The increased awareness of environmental factors has informed the consumers and increased the demand (Kotler, 2003). The same may be said of many other product, hence the increased appearance of low fat foods and low sugar foods, emblazoned with labels to tell the consumer that they have the characteristics which the consumer may find as desirable. The same is also true of health food, increased government and health advertising has emphasised the role of diet and health, as such there has been increased demand for products that are high in fibre, free of artificial preservatives and natural. The development of new ranges have also reflected changed consumer behaviour. A good example of this is the luxury food sold in supermarkets. These were once small lines with only a little interest shown in them. However, when the economy suffered a surprising event took place that indicated these were not ordinary goods but giffen goods. Normal goods will see sales drop when either their price rises or there is a decrease in disposable income and the relative price can be seen as increasing (Nellis and Parker, 2000). When the economy took a downward trend these good increased in sales, with demand for a better selection. The pattern was seen as a result of a reduction in visits by the consumers to a restaurant, this was seen as an acceptable substitute, good quality food, already prepared, but cheaper as it was bought and then cooked at home. This was a piecemeal decision as in many cases the prices were compared either form memory and the purchase was considered, The change in behaviour also instigated new ranged and developments of increased provision of these luxury brands. For example in the UK, each supermarket now has its own luxury brand, such as Tesco with their finest range. The aspect of price will also be seen as part of the process, this may be due to the perception of the brand as an expensive or cheap brand (stereotyping), as will the image of the product gained from the packaging and the advertising (Kahn, 1998). This was also a part of the rise of the luxury food market. The need for information and the way this is acted upon can also influence markets. A good example of this may be seen as the Dyson vacuum cleaner. This was the first vacuum cleaner to be patented with a bagless system. Turned down by major companies such as Electrolux the company started up producing the vacuums in a shoestring, with straightforward advertising the took pace by way of an explanation of what the product was. This become a popular product, so much so that competitors, such as Hoover broke the patent to start supplying similar products due to the change in consumer tastes and their demand for this type of vacuum after understanding exactly what it was and how it worked. These different decision methods may be seen as not mutually exclusive, they may interact with each other, and the decision maybe based on both, especially if the purchase is a large single purchase such as a television or a washing machine. However, they also embody the different behavioural attitudes of the consumer which manifest n the different purchase decisions. It is only when understanding this complex interaction of values beliefs and trends that a company can develop products that will sell and market them in the right way to the right target audience. The change is often seen as driven by new products, but the real change can be seen in the way that the consumer behaves, after all, if a new product is developed, but does not succeed it will not impact on the overall market, whereas changing attitudes will force change in the suppliers. 2.2 Perception based on cultural backgrounds Perception is important in communication because perception affects the way we understand events, others and ourselves. Our perceptions are unique because of physiological factors, past experiences, culture and co-culture, and present feelings and circumstances. Two computer programmers, each of the same race and from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, are likely to communicate with each other differently than if either was addressing a member of another culture or presenting a project report to a committee overseeing a project of which the programmers work was a part. Communication can be complicated when those involved are merely from different regions of the United States. When they are from totally different countries, then often it is wise to adopt highly formal speech and manner so as not to inadvertently offend the other party. We have found in recent years just how far the East is from the West in so many respects, including the manner in which different cultures go about conducting business. Following are examples from Germany and Japan. German fortunes have risen and fallen throughout the 20th century, but Germany remains the wealthiest and most highly populated of all the European nations. Despite its former political divisions, Germany consistently has been known for more than a century for its precision engineering. Whether the product is Daimler or BMW cars, photographic equipment or Siemens Medical equipment and applications, German engineering has been and remains an envy of much of the Western world. Germanys approach to engineering is not to reserve expertise only for the most promising or profitable industries, but to steep all of German industry in excellence. This tradition extends to textile machinery as well; Germany both imports and exports such machinery, commonly regarded as some of the best available in the entire world. Business travellers would do well to equate the precision of German engineering to the manner in which Germans prefer to conduct their business transactions. They are precise in information and punctuality, and a business meeting is just that. It is not a social occasion; the issue of small talk is one foreign to them. Whereas zeroing in on the point of a meeting would be bad form in Japan or China, it is expected in Germany (Sabath, 1999). Morrison, Conaway and Borden (1994) urge business people to remember that Germanys superlative engineering is not instantaneous, but is the product of a long, laborious process that literally can go on for years. The German reputation for quality is based (in part) on slow, methodical planning. Every aspect of the deal you propose will be pored over by many executives. Do not anticipate being able to speed up this process. This slowness extends through all business affairs. Germans believe that it takes time to do a job properly (Morrison, Conaway and Borden, 1994; p. 130). There is a vast difference between the business culture of todays Japan and that which first set Detroit on its ear in the early 1970s. Then, quality was paramount, and Japanese businessmen were inscrutable. They spoke of quality, honour and courtesy, and they required any foreign business entity wishing to do business with them to convert to their approach, or at least adopt their approach in soliciting them. Japans business culture is in a state of flux at the current time. Traditional values still hold great influence, but they are gradually being shoved aside by the realities of the state of Japans economy. Some things apparently never change, however. Managers in Japan think that if people dont know about something, then the best thing to do is cover it up, says Shuji Oida, a specialist in crisis management with Cosmo Public Relations in Tokyo (Butler and Hadfield, 2000; p. 36). Despite all of these changes, however, the traditional Asian perspective still is paramount in Japan. As stated earlier, the Japanese regard silence as a useful tool and not a reason for any discomfort. Perhaps the most problematic aspect of the Japanese personality is the reluctance to be negative at all. The statement, Ill consider it may well be a no in disguise (Morrison, Conaway and Borden, 1994). The Asian character persists in Japan of course, though Japanese business is much more Western than in the past. Connections are important, as is relative rank. Traditions seem to fall away with each passing year in the US, but other areas of the world are far more committed to their own traditions. Whether springing from their long histories or their own views of their systems superiority makes little difference. The fact of globalization is a stable one, and it will be necessary for anyone hoping to be successful to be fully aware of culturally-based differences in perceptions and how they colour communications between people. CHAPTER 3: ISSUES IN CROSS CULTURAL MARKETING 3.1 Language in cross cultural advertising The second model of international adverting emphasizes the cultural differences among nations. This school of thought recognizes that people worldwide share certain thoughts, but it also stresses the fact that these needs are met differently from culture to culture although the same emotions are basic to all humanity; the degree to which these emotions are expressed publicly varies. The camaraderie typical in an Australian business office are frowned on in Germany, where co-workers often do not use first names. The ways in which we categorize information and the values we attach to people depend on the things and settings in which we were raised.( William, Jhon Sandra) How do cultural differences relate to advertising? According to the high-context/low-context theory, although the function of advertising is the same throughout the world, the mission of its message varies in different cultural settings. The major distinction is because of high context cultures, in which the meaning of a message can be understood in a specific context, and low context cultures, in which the message can be understood as an independent entity. (William, Jhon Sandra) This model helps explain the difficulties of advertising in other languages. The difference between Japanese and English are instructive. English is a low-context language. English words have very clearly defined meanings that are not highly dependent on the words preceding them. In Japanese, however, a word can have multiple meanings. Listeners will not understand the exact meaning of a word unless they clearly understand the following sentence that is the context in which words is used. (William, Jhon Sandra) Advertising message constructed by writers from high context cultures might be different to understand in low context cultures because they may offer too much detail to come to the point clearly. In contrast, messages authored by writers from low context are less difficult to understand in high context because they omit essential context details. (William, Jhon Sandra) Discussing the Japanese way of advertising, Takashi Michioka, president of DYR agency of Young Rubicam and Dentso, put it this way: in Japan, differences among products, does not consist of explaining this words the point of difference is competing products as in America. Differentiation is achieved by bringing out the appeal in the commercial- the way they talk, the music, the scenery-rather than emphasizing the unique features and dissimilarities of the product itself. (William, Jhon Sandra) Companies that want to understand how consumers think and make decisions about products conduct sophisticated consumer behaviour research, to identify their consumers, why they buy, what they buy and how they buy. (William, Jhon Sandra) It also is a visual road map for this chapter. We first explore the target market and then examine social, cultural, and physiological influences on the consumer behavior. 3.2 Communication style in cross cultural advertising The influence of culture on communication is well documented by researchers in many disciplines. One of the most difficult challenges for international marketers is communicating to people of diverse cultures. Cultural differences may exist not only between nations but also within a nation itself. Such cultural and micro cultural differences present a formidable challenge to international marketing and advertising practitioners because the value systems, attitudes, perceptions and communication of individuals and groups are all culturally shaped or influenced (Samover Porter, 1991; Tan, 1986). As research indicates, advertising, a form of social communication, is also influenced by various elements of the originating culture (e.g., Frith Wesson, 1991 ; Hong et al., 1987; Mueller, 1987; Rice Lu, 1988; Tanseyetal., 1990). On the other hand, cultural values may determine the differential meanings that people derive from advertising messages (Cundiff Hilger, 1984; Hornik, 1980; McCracken, 1986; Onkvisit Shaw, 1983). Advertising may also shape or affect the values of its consumers over time (Ewen Ewen, 1982; Ferguson et al., 1990; Pol lay, 1986, 1987). In his research reports, Pollay stated that advertising was a distorted mirror in that it reflects only certain underlying values and lifestyles. He also noted that advertising was a distorting mirror as well, because it strengthened those values by providing reinforcement, and p. 108). It is well documented in many disciplines (e.g., sociology, cultural anthropology, mass communication, marketing, cultural studies, semiotics) that advertising reflects and reinforces many of the social values, norms and stereotypes of its audiences (Coser et al., 1987; Holbrook, 1987; McQuail, 1994; Mueller, 1987; Vestergaard Schroder, 1985). Two well-known semiotic researchers, Fiske and Hartley (1978,1980) noted that advertising does not represent the researchers pointed out that advertising insists on an idealized goal of achieving personal happiness, success and security, and it does this by first depicting a world-o

At Cooloola Essay -- English Literature Essays

At Cooloola At Cooloola is a lyrical poem written by a well recognized Australian poet, Judith Wright. This poem creatively describes a beautiful scene of nature. The poet uses highly descriptive language and a diverse range of poetic devices to engage the reader into imagining a picture of how peaceful and serene this exquisite the scenery is down by Lake Cooloola. Underlying the subject matter is the implied theme that the lake is under threat from â€Å"conquering people† who will not protect its â€Å"white shores of sand, plumreed and paperbark†. This poem reflects Judith Wright’s concern for our special and unique flora and fauna, how fortunate we are to have stunning scenery, how easily mankind can destroy it, and our need to appreciate it. This poem portrays the unfortunate incident that occurred at Lake Cooloola due to white settlement. This tragic poem captures the essence of the peaceful partnership the wildlife shares with the land. â€Å"Walking on clean sand among prints of bird and animal† This illustrates the tranquil scene before the massacre of the Aboriginal people took place. â€Å"The invader’s feet will tangle in nets there and his blood be thinned by fears† This quote from the poem found in stanza three describes how after many years of the invasion, white people started to feel sorry and remorseful for the impact which white settlement had on Aborigines. This relates to Judith Wright’s concern for the Aboriginal people and the land which human settl...

Internal And External Business Environment Of Bunzl Plc

Bunzl is one of the world’s fastest growing specialist distribution groups in international market. The groups specialized in providing one-stop-shop for customers within several business sectors. The business includes producing a range of product including outsourced food packaging, disposable supplies and cleaning and safety products, caterers, non-food retail, hotels, etc. Its operations spread across North America, Europe and Australasia. Within this paper, we will focus more on the retail sector of Bunzl’s business environment.The company existed as far as 1854, as a haberdashery business founded by Moritz Bunzl in Slovakia, but it was not named Bunzl plc until 1940. The Bunzl family transmigrated to US and Europe and formed Tissue Paper Limited, the original name for Bunzl plc. During its early years, the company enters various types of business some of them were successful and some other are failures. Going through several changes of direction, the company did no t loose its existence in local as well as international market.Today, the company is a focused international value added distribution and outsourcing group, with the addition of Filtrona, a supplier of fibre and plastic technology products to international niche markets, listed as a separate entity (‘History’, 2006). Within this paper, I will perform an analysis on the internal and external business environment of Bunzl plc. The following chapter will elaborate how the company manages its internal conditions during its daily operations. The next chapter is about the external conditions of the retail sectors, and the challenges it brought to Bunzl plc.In the later part of the paper, there will be a short analysis on how best Bunzl perform its strategic management to face corporate challenges. II. Internal Strategic Environment of Bunzl Plc II. 1 Bunzl Core Competencies Bunzl has formulated a range of corporate mission to guide its steps in daily operations. The company s upported manufacturers who assist in satisfying customers’ needs for the benefit of all. It aims to provide services of such excellence that customers prefer Bunzl as their supplier regardless of the brand and product they select (‘About Bunzl Distribution’, 2006).If all successful companies have their own values that describe their competitive advantages, for Bunzl, it is the effective and creative utilization of technology. The company has only a single and uniform hardware and software platform to operate its business. The main data center of the company resides at its Corporate Headquarters in St Louis. The facility includes UPS generator, dual A/C and redundant telecommunications. The company also has a ‘hot site’ disaster recovery center where all transaction data are relayed to this site as a protection from natural disaster (‘Bunzl plc – Major Products and Services’, 2006).The company has a real time software system consis t of order processing, purchasing, receiving, billing, sales, warehousing, distribution and accounting modules. All locations of Bunzl operations are equipped with those software and all of them are connected to a centralized database repository, which is maintained by corporate IT staff. The company also maintains a National Accounting Customers system that provides customers from all over the country with standardized reports (including fill rates, sales tracking, item utilization, etc).In the retail sector, the company has an extensive network of distribution centers that serves retail supermarkets. Using the technology elaborated above, the company aims to maintain the quality of its services. Furthermore, it utilizes e-commerce facilities for online ordering and EDI computer-based technologies to support its ongoing strategies to increase productivity, service quality and achieved their ‘packaged of performance’ slogan. E-commerce technology is also used to continu e explore new business opportunities.These new business opportunities might be pursued in the form of internal growth as well as acquisition of new business (‘Bunzl plc – Major Products and Services’, 2006). II. 2 Product and Market Management Bunzl retail segment grocery customers include small, regional and national supermarket chains as well as warehouse grocery stores. The retail segment provided Bunzl’s customers with disposable packaging, supplies and carryout items. The retail outsourcing segment has a fleet of over 370 trucks, operating through 83 locations in North America and serving all 50 states, plus Canada and Mexico (‘Bunzl plc- Business Description’, 2006).The company is the leading distributor of disposable paper and plastic packaging supplies to the retail grocery industry. This includes the self-distributing chains and wholesalers. Bunzl is the company who is recognized for revolutionizing the outsourcing industry. The compa ny revolutionized that industry by developing sophisticated marketing, procurement and logistics systems designed to lower the delivered costs of supplies. Within this retail sector, Bunzl offers customers three types of logistics systems, which are: ? Direct-Store-Door (DSD), which constitutes a direct delivery to customers stores and supermarkets? Warehouse Replenishment System, which describes a just-in-time delivery system to customers’ warehouses instead of to customers’ retail stores. ? Cross Docking, which describes a system that serves clients in accordance to their individual stores’ needs? It is a system of individualized store-ready deliveries. (‘Bunzl plc- Business Description’, 2006) II. 3 Financial and Performance Management From the figures displayed in their financial report, the company displayed an increasing amount of sales and net profit during the last decade.This displayed a considerable growth of market share which is an impor tant indicator of overall corporate performance. The profit margin and operational ratios also display positive indication. A more detailed data revealed that the company made ? 2,182 million from sales in the year 2000, while in the year 2005; the sales number went up to ? 2,916 million. Other sales numbers between the two periods indicated a stable increase of corporate performance. The operating profit account of 2000 displayed a number of ? 165 million, while in 2005, this number changes to ? 205 million.The number between the years also displayed a stable rate of increase. Other accounts from the income statement as well as the balance sheet indicated that the company manages their resources in a very presentable manner. II. 4 Human Resource and Culture Management In terms of human resource management, the company aims to provide employees with real jobs since the fist day of work. This means that the company will expect high quality of working performance, but not before all e mployees are provided with training that involves practical experience as well as formal programs.The company has high expectations on key personal skills such as teamwork, leadership, self-development, innovation and creativity. Maintaining these programs, Bunzl aims to: ? Increase employees’ personal effectiveness by concentrating on the tried and tested techniques used by managers and specialist around the world. ? Improve employees’ financial understanding by providing them with programs that educated employees to interpret financial information and make decisive contribution to the key financial ratios of the business? Help employees to concentrate on team working and enablement, making each of them realized that enablement of individuals are crucial to a team’s success, etc Graduates that joined with Bunzl stated that Bunzl has a carefully structured training scheme, which covers a wide range of areas and gives trainees exposure to the whole organization. They stated that the company only take few graduates but tend to be encouraging in the process of developing their practical as well as decisive skills. They also mentioned that the company values teamwork and equality in performing team tasks.III. External Business Environment of Bunzl Plc III. 1 Macro Environment (PEST Analysis) ? Political Politically, the company did not have many obstacles that harm growth. The company operates in foreign markets, but limited to the regions of North America, Europe and Australasia, in which, political business restrictions are minimum. Because Bunzl do not perform business activities in China or in other Asian economy, the business experiences minimum complications when it comes to government regulations, market entrance and tax.The company also has a reputation of providing employees with equal work treatment, this keeps all problems of race and nationality away forms Bunzl operations (Desloge, 2005). Furthermore, Bunzl plc is officially headq uartered in London, who provided it with a slightly lighter burden of taxation. Nevertheless, because most of the group’s operations are in countries with higher tax rate (US and European countries); the taxation charge recorded for Bunzl in its financial report could be higher that the UK base rate.For instance, in 2004 the recorder tax rate was 32%, which is slightly higher that the nominal UK rate of 30%. Another political obstacle is the approval of regulators in foreign country. This is because a country’s government where Bunzl interests in needs to protect local players. Therefore, politically, the objective of Bunzl to enter new market in a foreign countries might be delayed due to regulation to protect local players. ? Economic The retail segment is naturally a capital intensive business. Retail companies generally perform considerable borrowing actions which will be paid-off gradually by years of profit.In the case of Bunzl, the company has been on the busine ss for decades and therefore, has already a low debt to capital ratio. In order words, the company no longer has to carry the heavy burden of interest rates. Nevertheless, the company performed numerous large acquisitions in its operational years that new borrowings are made occasionally. For example, the net interest charge for continuing operations increased to ? 10. 8 million from ? 2. 9 million because increased average borrowings due to recent acquisitions (‘Bunzl eyes more acquisitions’. 2006).Environmentally, only a small portion of the increase in interest charge is caused by fluctuation of interest rates. The environments in which Bunzl performs its operations are comparatively stable. The translation issue also has a weak influence over corporate profitability. Any fluctuation would not cause changes to more than 1% of sales number. According to Porter and Ketels (2003), within the last two decades, the UK economy had shown some excellent economic metrics. The y also said that the awareness on the issues of competitiveness had also increased significantly.This situation had helped the country to improve the country’s prosperity since there is an increase in the level of labor force utilization (hours worked per employee, employment rate, and labor force participation rate). In addition, they found that the country had experienced good growth in labor productivity while the country’s export market share and the attractiveness of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) were still stable. Despite the excellent performance in some economics metrics, Porter and Ketels (2003) pointed out that UK still lag many other advanced economies.They said while labor utilization is at high level, the country still face low labor productivity (Porter and Ketels, 2003). ? Socio-cultural Concerning the socio-cultural aspects, the company might consider following questions like, what are the attitudes toward foreign products. How strong are the environm ental issues? Are they important to address especially if we are embarking on international markets? (â€Å"PEST Analysis†). Under such circumstances, the customers and manufacturer/service providers, like Bunzl are closely related.It further influences the way Bunzl interacts with their suppliers in order to ensure the products tailored to fit their customers’ needs and faster delivery. In the socio-cultural aspect, the company does not deal with extreme differences of culture, as faced by other multinationals. On the other hand, the company faces a slightly more demanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Modern communities in the North America, Europe and Australasian region are more aware of the importance of a good CSR practice by multinationals.In the case of Bunzl plc, besides ensuring all-ethical operational processes, the company also performs various community investments. There is no apparent socio-cultural debacle in the corporate history. ? Technological The technological environment provided a tremendous chance for growth to Bunzl. The company lives within an advanced society where access to technology is practically limitless. The technology provided the company with the potential to increase the quality of its outsourcing services. For example, Bunzl can develop centralized procurement system, which employs computerized system as shown in the following figure:

Holiday Decision Making

Name: Luong Thanh Long Class: FB3A CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND HOLIDAY I- Holiday decision-making is different from the traditional problem-solving model of consumer decision-making: 1) The traditional problem-solving model of consumer decision-making: * Behind the visible act of making a purchase lies a decision process that must be investigated. * The purchase decision process is the stages a buyer passes through in making choices about which products and services to buy. * Five Stages of Consumer Behavior: A. Problem Recognition: Perceiving a Need: Perceiving a difference between a person's ideal and actual situations big enough to trigger a decision. * Can be as simple as noticing an empty milk carton or it can be activated by marketing efforts. B. Information Search: Seeking Value Two steps of information search| Internal search| External search| * Scanning one’s memory to recall previous experiences with products or brands. * Often sufficient for frequently purchased products. * When past experience or knowledge is insufficient * The risk of making a wrong purchase decision is high * The cost of gathering information is low. * Personal sources, such as friends and family. * Public sources, including various product-rating organizations such as Consumer Reports. * Marketer-dominated sources, such as advertising, company websites, and salespeople| C. Alternative Evaluation: Assessing Value * The information search clarifies the problem for the consumer by: (1) Suggesting criteria to use for the purchase. (2) Yielding brand names that might meet the criteria. (3) Developing consumer value perception. * A consumer's evaluative criteria represent both The objective attributes of a brand (such as locate speed on a portable CD player) * The subjective factors (such as prestige). * These criteria establish a consumer's evoked set * The group of brands that a consumer would consider acceptable from among all the brands in the product class of which he or she is a ware. D. Purchase Decision: Buying Value Three possibilities| From whom to buy| When to buy| Do not buy| which depends on such considerations * Terms of sale * Past experience buying from the seller * Return policy. which can be influenced by * Store atmosphere * Time pressure * a sale * Pleasantness of the shopping experience. | | E. Postpurchase Behavior: Value in Consumption or Use * After buying a product, the consumer compares it with expectations and is either satisfied or dissatisfied. * Satisfaction or dissatisfaction affects * Consumer value perceptions * Consumer communications * Repeat-purchase behavior. * Many firms work to produce positive postpurchase communications among consumers and contribute to relationship building between sellers and buyers. Cognitive Dissonance: The feelings of postpurchase psychological tension or anxiety a consumer often experiences * Firms often use ads or follow-up calls from salespeople in this postpurchase stage to try to convince buyers that they made the right decision. In short, in the traditional problem-solving model of consumer decision-making, people tend to consider and investigate all the needs and desires of a product carefully through a range of steps. There are both internal and external factors affect on the decision-making of consumer. ) Holiday decision-making, as described in the case: * The genetic decision about whether or not to go on holiday was not always the starting point; and sometimes this genetic decision was irrelevant. * â€Å"People have a limited capacity for analysis, and this leads them to break down complex decisions into hierarchical processes and take into consideration a small number of critical variables at each level to make the decision-making process more manageable†. * â€Å"When confronted by a complex problem, the human brain ‘satisfies’ more than it ‘optimises’,† explains Nicolau. In this situation, â€Å"the individual will try to choose an option that is sufficiently satisfying, regardless of whether or not it is the best choice†. 2 * Final decision and bookings are often made very late. * Informants often expressed post-decision regret, which people strove to reduce. * Searching for holiday information tends to be affected by external factors. II- Compare the information search process, as it is described here, with the search process that consumers might follow for one other product category: Holiday information search process| Consumer search process for one product| * Information collection for a holiday tends to be stopped when the holiday has been booked * Real information are collected during the holiday * Consumer will get more conflicted conscious of information. * People do not prepare their trip in much detail. In contrast, they want to discover unexpected things. * Incidental learning seems to play a bigger role than internal learning. * For only one product, consumer will take more time to collect information of a product and analysis in more details and intensive from lots of sources. * Information collection lasts till they ensure that this information is correct and they can make a comparison with other products. * Consumer tries to avoid unexpected situation. * Information search information tends to be stimulus-based (external)| III- The implications of the findings for managers marketing and promoting holidays: 4P principle plays important role in the man agers marketing. Holidaymaker should make a holiday that meets the needs of customer. If we don't provide a holiday special or offer that helps them with those goals, we are doing them and your business a grave disservice. We also need to survey clients and customers from the current year to see how they can improve in the future. Think about how your channels work together and which channels reach your target customer. Offer a free gift or holiday discount to customers who take the time to complete your survey and do not forget to keep contact with your customer. Customer surplus is a very important area in Marketing mix. Only the marginal consumer is willing to pay just the market price in typical supply and demand equilibrium. The consumers would be willing to pay more than the market price is what makes the demand curve slope downward. The amount that these consumers would be willing to pay, but do not have to pay is known as the consumer surplus. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. 2 The magazine Tourism Management, Juan Luis Nicolau and Francisco Mas analysed data from 2,491 people gathered by the CIS http://www-rohan. sdsu. edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt05/

You and US Social Structure essays

You and US Social Structure essays In the United States power is widely spread. It ranges from the president, all the way down to the average person. Everyone has some power, something they can manipulate, or use to their own advantage. So where do I fit in? And how important am I in this complex US social structure? Being raised as a middle class child I took some things for granted. Always thinking I would have a roof over my head and food on my plate distorted my image of the rest of the world. I never really took the time to realize how our complex society works. Many factors have been said to affect our social standings, such as race, religion, class, and gender. But I believe that its not these things that affect us, at least not to their full extent. In fact religion, and gender dont play a major role in our society anymore. We have evolved, and learned that we can become more united if we all strive for the same goal, success. The key though to achieving this goal, this high rank in the social structure is wealth. Our society is based on how much money you have and how many people you control with that money. But the average citizen still has some power. We elect our senators and congressmen hoping that these influential people will make decisions that benefit us. Personally I stand below this group of people that are allowed to vote only because I am not of legal age to vote. But to be influential you dont just need the power to vote, you also have to know the right people. But its more complicated then that; you also need a voice. To be powerful people must listen to you and like what you have to offer, they must be willing to go against others in the fight to protect what you have to say. Anyone can be powerful its just a matter of how committed the person is to achieving success. And the reason anyone can do this is because today we dont have to deal with a variety of factors such as your ethnicity, or race. It u...

The Screen Time Rules You Really Should Enforce Th Essays

The Screen Time Rules You Really Should Enforce Th Essays The Screen Time Rules You Really Should Enforce This Year The Huffington Post |By Rebecca Adams Posted:09/08/2014 10:59 am EDTUpdated:09/08/2014 4:59 pm EDT While parents grapple with how much screen time is too much for children, new research now supports their suspicions: An excess amount of time in front of screens is bad for kids. The Learning Habit study, published this month in the American Journal of Family Therapy and in a book titled HYPERLINK "amazon.com/Learning-Habit-Groundbreaking-Approach-Parenting/dp/0399167110/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=booksie=UTF8qid=1406239414sr=1-1keywords=the+learning+habit" \t "_hplink" The Learning Habit , examined family routines in 46,000 U.S. homes of children in grades K-12 via an online survey. Conducted by a research team from Brown University School of Medicine, Brandeis University, Children's National Medical Center and New England Center for Pediatric Psychology, the three-year study worked with WebMD, The Huffington Post/AOL, The National PTA and Parents Magazine to assist with national outreach. The key findings shed light on how all of these smartphones, tablets, televisions and computers are affecting kids: Children feel the effects of screen time in all aspects of their lives. After just 30 minutes of screen time a day, researchers saw that children's grades began a steady decline. After two hours of it, researchers observed a dramatic drop in grades, and after four hours a day, the average GPA fell an entire grade level. This effect was seen particularly in middle schoolers , who weren't able to achieve A's in mathematics or English language arts after four hours of screen time. Even if more screen time led to more time spent on homework (many kids used computers and other devices to help complete homework assignments), children still suffered a decline in grades. Plus, all of that time spent consuming media led children to have trouble falling asleep those who spent four hours of screen time a day took an average of 20 minutes longer to fall asleep than children who had more limited screen time. More time on devices also led to increased social-emotional volatility in kids. Many parents have inklings of these effects, Rebecca Jackson, co-author of The Learning Habit book, told The Huffington Post. However, there seems to be a "disconnect" between this generalized intuition and parents' own children. "There's a difference between knowing something and suspecting something," Jackson said. "We are aware that the average American child spends eight hours in front of a screen, but we often don't associate those numbers with our own children. Those numbers tend to be about somebody else's child." Despite what kids think, less screen time and more time doing chores makes them happier. One thing that parents often overlook when it comes to screen time is grit, said Jackson. The researchers found that grit defined in the study as the ability to perform a strenuous or difficult task without giving up decreased as children's screen times increased. When children in the study had limited screen time and were given chores to do, they performed better academically, socially and emotionally. Household tasks, like laundry, cooking or taking out garbage, made children feel a sense of self-worth and responsibility. "It's exciting because this is something that parents and educators can build," Jackson said. "They can develop it, and it is directly related to the amount of screen time, or media use, a child has." Make sure kids aren't spending too much time on homework that's often screen time, too. All work and no play isn't the answer, though. While 10 minutes of homework per grade in school was positively correlated with children's GPAs, more time than that spent doing homework showed nearly no benefits. (This is something HYPERLINK "sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v20n02/homework.html" \t "_hplink" researchers have seen in the past .) Jackson said that excessive homework can even harm children, especially as "homework" becomes increasingly synonymous with "screen time," a trend that the researchers noticed. But since homework is still an important part of a child's routine, she also suggested that parents not make it a punitive activity. "The goal for parents is to help our children have a balanced life," Jackson said. "It's not a child coming home and a parent having to enforce homework one night and then a child doesn't have homework another night so they're

How to Write a Homeschool Progress Report

How to Write a Homeschool Progress Report For many homeschool families, tasks for wrapping up the school year include writing an annual progress report or compiling a portfolio. The job doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. In fact, it’s often a delightful opportunity to reflect on the complete school year. Why Write a Homeschool Progress Report? A progress report may seem unnecessary for homeschooled students. After all, isnt the point of a progress report to let parents know how their children are doing in school? Its true that, as a homeschooling parent, you dont need a report from your childs teacher to know how he is advancing academically. However, for some reasons you might want to complete an annual assessment of your students progress. Meeting state laws.  The homeschooling laws for many states require that parents write an annual progress report or compile a portfolio for each student. Some parents must submit the report or portfolio to a governing body or an educational liaison while others are only required to keep such documents on file. Assessment of progress.  Writing a progress report also provides a means for objectively assessing how much your students have learned, experienced, and accomplished over the course of the school year. Comparing these reports year after year can reveal your child’s strengths and weaknesses and help you chart their overall academic development. Feedback for the nonteaching parent.  Progress reports can provide an interesting snapshot of your homeschool year for the non-teaching parent. Sometimes the teaching parent, who is with the kids every day, doesn’t realize all the moments that the nonteaching parent misses. Feedback for your students.  A homeschool progress report  can provide valuable feedback for your students, helping them identify areas that need improvement and recognize patterns of strength. Consider having your students complete a self-evaluation to include with the report you write. Providing a keepsake.  Finally, detailed homeschool progress reports become cherished keepsakes over the course of your childs school years. Writing a report for your first-grader may seem an unnecessary  chore, but you’ll read it with fondness when she’s about to graduate high school. What to Include in a Homeschool Progress Report If youve never written a progress report, you may be unsure what you need to include. Your states homeschool laws may dictate the components to some degree. Beyond that, a progress report can be as concise or as detailed as youd like to make it. Basic details.  A homeschool progress report should include basic, factual information about your student, regardless of whether you are required to  submit it  to anyone. You will likely enjoy looking back over these reports as your student  gets older, so be sure to include details such as age and grade level, along with a photo. Resource list. Include a resource list for your school year. This  list may include the titles and authors of your homeschool curriculum, websites visited, and online classes. You may also want to add a course description for the classes your student completed. List the titles of books your children read as well as family read-alouds.  Include outside classes such as co-op, driver’s education,  or music. List any nationally standardized tests your students completed along with their scores. Activities.  List  your student’s  extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, or scouting. Note any awards or recognition received. Log volunteer hours, community service, and part-time jobs held. List any field trips taken. Work samples.  You may wish to include work samples such as essays, projects, and artwork. Include photos of hands-on projects that your students complete. You can include completed tests, but dont use those exclusively. Tests dont show the full spectrum of your students education. Even though you and your student may want to forget the areas of struggle, keeping samples that capture them can help you see progress in the coming years. Grades and attendance.  If your state requires a certain number of school days or hours, include that in your report. If you give formal grades, even satisfactory or needs improvement, add those to your progress report. Using a Scope and Sequence to Write a Progress Report One method of writing a progress report is to use the scope and sequence of your homeschool materials to help you outline the skills and concepts your child has started or mastered. A scope and sequence is a list of all the concepts, skills, and topics that the curriculum covers and the order in which they are  introduced. You can find this list in most homeschool curricula. If yours doesnt include it, check the table of contents’ main subheadings for ideas on what to include in your childs progress report. This simple, somewhat clinical method is a quick and easy option for meeting state laws. First,  list each subject you covered in your homeschool during the year. Some examples include: MathHistory/social studiesScienceLanguage artsReadingArtDramaPhysical education Then, under each heading, note the benchmarks your student achieved, along with those that are in progress and those to which he was introduced. For example, under math, you might list accomplishments such as: Skip counting by 2s, 5’s, and 10’sCounting and writing to 100Ordinal numbersAddition and subtractionEstimationGraphing You may want to include a code after each, such as A (achieved), IP (in progress), and I (introduced). In addition to your homeschool curriculum’s scope and sequence, a typical course of study reference may help you to consider all the concepts your student has covered over the year and help you identify those she may need to work on next year. Writing a Narrative Homeschool Progress Report A narrative progress report is another option- a bit more personal and composed in a more conversational style. These can be written as a  journal entry snapshot, indicating what your children have learned each year. With a narrative progress report, you as the homeschool teacher  can highlight a student’s progress, include observations about areas of strength and weakness, and record details about your child’s developmental progress. You can also add notes about any  academic struggles you’ve observed and areas  on which you’d like to focus on in the upcoming year. Whichever method you choose, writing a progress report doesn’t have to be tedious. It’s an opportunity to reflect on all that you and your homeschooled students have accomplished during the year and begin to focus on the promise of the upcoming year.

Local Area Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Local Area Network - Essay Example Software can take the form of a centralized database, distributed application or can be a collection of simple utilities, which might be shared on a computer with in the domain. Similarly hardware can be a printer or a centralized storage device. LAN offers the fastest data transfer rate up to 10 Mbps. Stair & Reynolds (2001) suggest that usually, LAN is wired into office buildings, factories, school buildings, etc and are built around personal computers (PC). When a PC is connected to a LAN, a network interface card (NIC) is required which is placed in a computer's expansion slot to allow it to communicate with the network. A wire or connector from the network is then plugged directly into NIC. (Stair & Reynolds, 2001, p. 138) In order to install and configure a LAN setup in a school, the topology should have to be selected. Out of the three topologies, i.e. ring, bus and star, star topology is the most feasible one, as due to the failure of a computer or a segment of wire or a node, the other network nodes would not be affected at all. For star topology the basic hardware required for connectivity are as follows: For a smaller LAN with a maximum of 10 computers Hub works fine but for a larger LAN a switch gives better efficiency compared to a hub. The reason is that the hub broadcast the data packet to every node, hence all other nodes except the destination node thereby ignoring the broadcasted data packet where as the switch store the MAC addresses of each node and would send the data packet only to the destination node. UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable: This type of cable is the most feasible one as it is cheaper and it gives a data rate of 10 Mbps. Further more in a larger LAN setup, if the distance between two switches or between switch and a terminal (computer) is more than 100 meters than we have to use a repeater device, which enhances the signal strength so that it can reach the destination. Hence for every 100 meters we have to use a repeater device. Apart from these network components, all the computers, which are going to participate as a node in the network must have a LAN card. Every computer must have to be joined directly to a switch by the help of single twisted pair cable. In case of larger number of computer, then the switches should have to be connected with each other by the help of cross twisted pair cable connection. When all the computers are physically connected with each other to form a LAN setup, then the network operating system should have to be installed and configured on every computer so that they can communicate with each other. Since a LAN must have at least one domain server so in order to make a computer to act as domain server, we have to install a server operating system like Windows 2003. After that install and configure ADS (active directory services) on that server computer. Create user accounts and register every network resource within the ADS. Further more in the ADS, privileges can be assigned individually to every user account, so that when a user logins from a client computer, he can access only the allowed resources. For rest of the client computers, we have to

American revolutionary era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American revolutionary era - Essay Example Many colonists migrated from Great Britain to gain independence and to seek their own personal freedoms that the King George III clearly neglected. The desire to colonize the new world generally meant more liberation and strong urgency of independence. Undoubtedly, the American revolution has transformed American ideals and lives of ordinary Americans from many aspects. One of the first elements that have been transformed American lives is the concept of individuality and freedom. One of the main causes that initiated the revolutionary war was the geographic distance that separated the colonies from Great Britain. Many colonists migrated from Great Britain to gain independence and to seek their own personal freedoms that the King George III clearly neglected. The desire to colonize the new world generally meant more liberation and strong urgency of independence. This concept of liberation has been the focal point of Americans since the era of colonies to modern day America. The ideal s of democracy have been created from expressing individuality rather than conforming to a traditional mainstream society. America continues to take a great pride in individuality from many facets. Each American has the desire to have the prosperous in wealth and have a standard of life of luxury. This attribute can be traced back to the ideals of early colonists, who wanted to isolate themselves from the British rule on the first place. The expression of individuality and liberalism has been consistent element for all Americans and what makes America unique. Another element that has been derived as a result of the revolutionary war that has transformed America to be exceptional is the fact that Americans are conditioned to change and clash against status quo. Unlike other countries that continue to be dictated with status quo, Americans are quick to embed rapid changes to accommodate their country. Throughout history, America is known to embed these changes with the age of progress ivism and revolution. For instance,    John Locke once stated in his writing Second Treatise of Government, â€Å"Where there is no law, there is no freedom.† Every society makes and enforces laws that govern the individuals, businesses, and other organizations that function within. Since the American revolution, individuals have celebrated and enjoyed their God-given rights. This has manifested itself in America throughout the years, even in isolationism has managed to maintain its focus in domestic affairs to propel itself against other nations. Furthermore, America’s firm belief in its capitalism democratic principles has propelled it compared to other nations. In order to truly understand the influence that the Revolutionary war had on America, it is crucial to understand the root causes of these changes. One of the root cause the American Revolutionary War was the colonial legislatures that were enacted by the King. The enactment of these laws meant that that th e colonies continued to be pass laws and pay taxes to atone the sins of the Great Britain. King George III clearly had a safety net to protect himself when he was in trouble. In order to fund his financial burdens, the King would impose illogical taxes to the colonists. His behavior was brilliantly captured by Thomas Paine. In his literary work the â€Å"common sense† described King George as a â€Å"

Make the topic, whatever you choose as the product Research Paper

Make the topic, whatever you choose as the product - Research Paper Example gy that produces the best quality, it uses reliable testing techniques and various quality assurance principles that make its products more appealing and long lasting (Licari 2005). Vaskovà ¡ and Vaskovà ¡ (2010) point out that the benefit of using the this type of website in conducting business is that the efficiency of communication between the supplier and the buyer is greatly improved that the buyer can easily communicate with the supplier on the type of products that are available and even the ordering process of the available products by the buyer is made easy. One drawback of using this website is that there are various security concerns that might jeopardize the transaction process. The main security threat is that the information of the transaction can be accessed by the hackers who are malicious and can use the information to their own advantage for example these individuals can access the bank details thus stealing money from either the supplier or the buyer. It is reasonable to speculate that most trade SME’s will take place in the context of sites like Alibaba.com because most of the sites are growing at a faster rate and are categorized as either medium or small enterprises as this will help to dive innovation and competition in the various existing economic sectors. The transactions that are conducted in the various sites that are available today help in building trust in the people that use the site to conduct business, therefore, the transparency of any site depends on the honesty of the owners in delivering what they are mandated to do. Fraud is a usual occurrence in the internet since there are many fraudsters who act as imposters for their own selfish gains, therefore, any individual who conducts business through various sites should be cautious of the fraudsters in the marketplace. The global financial crisis will create an opportunity for sites like Alibaba.com in that these small and medium enterprises will have the ab ility to create

Speech recognition software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Speech recognition software - Essay Example The hardware poses another challenge since the software’s interpretation is largely influenced by how the spoken words sound. Inability to put the words into the context they are used in may result in wrong punctuation or inaccurate spellings.The biggest speech recognition concern is the nature of input devices. A microphone that is not sensitive enough can result in audio files that are complicated for software to develop. Human beings are increasingly interacting with voice controlled interfaces. The explosion of mobile computing devices that support voice recognition has led to an increased demand for speech recognition software. It has a wide range of applications such as in education where it is used to teach students with physical or language based learning disabilities.Medical and law students use it to transcribe notes Researchers and industry players are fascinated by opportunities presented by the software. Voice and natural language have been placed at the core of smart home devices. Analysts expect demand for speech recognition software to grow due to their expanding application areas. It is interesting that a technology that could only be in sci-fi movies a while back has now become a

You could put any topic you think is necessary Essay

You could put any topic you think is necessary - Essay Example Capital punishment began as early as in the 14th century B. C. under the Hittite code. They were also in used by Romans in the 5th century B. C., in Athens under the Draconian code in the 7th century B. C. as well as in Babylon in the 18th century B. C. during the reign of King Hammurabi. Criminals were mostly burnt alive, beaten to death, crucified or beheaded. In Britain, the most commonly used methods for execution were hanging, boiling alive or beheading. In the 16th century A. D, more than 70,000 people were executed in the country during the time of Henry VIII. Crimes included theft, getting married to Jews, treason and many other crimes that added up to 222 by the 17th century A. D. In the mid 18th century A. D., the crimes that were punishable by death were reduced to 120 (Banner (2002). Many nations have abolished capital punishment, but some are still practicing it, with China leading the group of 58 countries, having executed 5000 capital offenders in 2008. Iran and Saudi Arabia were also ranked among the countries with the highest executions though they came after China by far at 348 and 102 respectively. In the United States, 37 offenders were executed. Japan, Indonesia, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia are also applying capital punishment (Hands off Cain, 2008). Abolitionists are still campaigning against death penalty. Brown (2010) observes that the bible, which is used in many criminal justice systems for swearing convicts and witnesses has many verses such as â€Å"Genesis 9:5-6, Numbers 35:30, Num. 35:30 and Num. 35:33-34† among others that support death penalty for various crimes including murder, adultery and incest among others. There are offences in these passages that can only be punished through capital punishment. Some countries such as the US use these verses to justify the application of capital punishment. However, there are usually controversies concerning the sixth commandment that cautions against

Blooms Taxonomy Within a Planning Pyramid Coursework

Blooms Taxonomy Within a Planning Pyramid - Coursework Example The affective domain includes sis categories, namely receiving phenomena, responding to phenomena, valuing, organization, and internalizing values. Finally, the psychomotor domain contains seven categories, namely perception, set, guided response, mechanism, complex overt response, adaptation, and origination (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2007). Each of the three domains of learning contains verbs that trainers find to be significant in setting goals, which learners must achieve by the end of a lesson. Some goals in the Unit Planning Form contain verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy. Among the goals in the planning form is to compare and contrast weathering and erosion after the learning process. Compare and contrast are the two verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy. These verbs belong to analysis and evaluation, which are among the categories of the cognitive domain. In the original cognitive domain, analysis and evaluation are the equivalents of creating and evaluating respectively in the new cognitive domain. Students should distinguish between inferences and facts as well as make judgments regarding the values of materials or ideas. Compare and contrast also belong to organization, which is a category of the affective domain. Students should organize values into various statuses by contrasting the values, solving conflicts between the values, and creating unique value systems. Organization emphasizes relating, comparing, as well as synthesizing values. Therefore, compare and contra st the only verbs in the Unit Planning Form (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2007). Teachers choose significant instructional adaptations in order to facilitate the participation of students in an educational curriculum. Instructional grouping, progress monitoring, and content presentation relate to some of adaptation in the planning form. Such adaptations include audiotape of chapters, concept maps, cooperative learning groups, and study friends to prepare for questions

You could put any topic you think is necessary Essay

You could put any topic you think is necessary - Essay Example Capital punishment began as early as in the 14th century B. C. under the Hittite code. They were also in used by Romans in the 5th century B. C., in Athens under the Draconian code in the 7th century B. C. as well as in Babylon in the 18th century B. C. during the reign of King Hammurabi. Criminals were mostly burnt alive, beaten to death, crucified or beheaded. In Britain, the most commonly used methods for execution were hanging, boiling alive or beheading. In the 16th century A. D, more than 70,000 people were executed in the country during the time of Henry VIII. Crimes included theft, getting married to Jews, treason and many other crimes that added up to 222 by the 17th century A. D. In the mid 18th century A. D., the crimes that were punishable by death were reduced to 120 (Banner (2002). Many nations have abolished capital punishment, but some are still practicing it, with China leading the group of 58 countries, having executed 5000 capital offenders in 2008. Iran and Saudi Arabia were also ranked among the countries with the highest executions though they came after China by far at 348 and 102 respectively. In the United States, 37 offenders were executed. Japan, Indonesia, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia are also applying capital punishment (Hands off Cain, 2008). Abolitionists are still campaigning against death penalty. Brown (2010) observes that the bible, which is used in many criminal justice systems for swearing convicts and witnesses has many verses such as â€Å"Genesis 9:5-6, Numbers 35:30, Num. 35:30 and Num. 35:33-34† among others that support death penalty for various crimes including murder, adultery and incest among others. There are offences in these passages that can only be punished through capital punishment. Some countries such as the US use these verses to justify the application of capital punishment. However, there are usually controversies concerning the sixth commandment that cautions against

Stretching Our Horizons Essay Example for Free

Stretching Our Horizons Essay Comparing and contrasting Platos Allegory of the Cave with Paulo Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a complex example of comparing bananas with tangerines. It is hard to take in the mind of a great philosopher. It is even harder to make that mind your own. For that reason the task of fully evaluating these two pieces side by side may forever be a work in progress. Each essay contains three major points. These points discussed new and advised teaching methods, how man is related to or with the world; and the responsibility that enlightened individuals have to mankind. The ideas of these two philosophers both mirror and oppose each other in varying degrees. Through taking very different paths the two writers make their own points clear and demand rational and logical thought of their readers. Plato was a student of Socrates and though the writing of Allegory of the Cave is all his own the basis for his ideas came from none other than his own teacher. The teacher you see is one half of the great element in Platos epiphany. Socrates is in fact a main character in the conversation from which this excerpt is taken. It is said that in this particular work, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation (Plato 1). Throughout the conversation a system of ideas develops that are meant to teach the reader or readers about themselves, their world and how it should be viewed rather than a simple, inverted, non-involved outlook that is common to everyday people. The purpose of this writing was to bring about enlightenment. To bring forth this enlightenment we must search for knowledge according to Plato and this knowledge he refers to as light. Light brings the world into focus, so does knowledge and realization of ones plac e in the world. In Platos model, the teacher questions the actions or ideas of the student so that the student will learn to think on their own. A person who quests knowledge for themselves and engages in thoughts other than those placed in their heads by another individual will find that knowledge. The quest for knowledge is not only a right but also a duty and one that brings with it responsibility and dignity. Everyone has the ability to search for and find the light, or knowledge as we call it. Everyone also has the ability to attain this  knowledge. According to Socrates in this dialogue, living a life with true knowledge and enlightenment is living a philosophical one. A life that casts a downward look onto one of politics is one of true philosophy and one of true philosophy. This life is the only one that degrades the grandeur of political ambition. Part of finding this light is becoming aware of the human relationship with the world. Plato believed that most men see themselves as living in a narrow world. If the truth is told the world as they believe it is not a picture of reality. Therefore, the world exists and man is here in it, but does not truly understand what it really is for he does not knows even himself as a man. Once a person has discovered himself, once he has discovered the light, it is his inborn duty to share this with the world. His purpose is now to become a writer of philosophy, to become a teacher in the school of thought. Despite the level on which a person decides to do these honorable deeds, it is not enough. It is the enlightened mans reason for being part of this great world that he has discovered. Pablo Freires ideas about man and educating are compiled in his Pedagogy of the Oppressed. He strongly suggests that for teaching to be the most effective it must be cognitive or revolutionary forum. The students should be pressed toward thinking on an individual level and this must be done in such a way that the teacher is not the source from which the knowledge comes. The instructor should be a means to obtain knowledge, a tool that is an aid rather than a necessity. Often times the teacher must become the student in the since of being open to new arguments and ideas that are introduced by the student. Freires theory also states that a person is not part of the world; but the world is part of the person. He says that without mankind the world would not exist because there would be no one to say that it was doing so. What a person is what becomes reality, it is the true world. Freire suggests that to be enlightened, one must be more humanistic. The more humanistic a person can become the more knowledge they have obtained and the more they can help the world. This is the most important element because since they are of such great knowledge it is their job to pass this onto the world so that everyone may become more enlightened and raise the level of our existence. As it may be seen the two writers have both theories in common and those completely at odds with one another. Plato says that to teach you must challenge that you must force, but Freire says that you must stand back and let the student come to personal and individual cognition. In this Freire argues a revolutionary teaching method, but does so in an essay that follows the style of narrative banking, while Plato rigidly portrays his methods in the way that his writing is developed and constructed. Both men see that man has a direct relationship with the world. Plato sees man as a part of the world, which must be brought into the light to see in reality. Freire on the other hand says that the individual is the world and that what he sees is what is real. The main area of agreement comes when both philosophers convey, it is the enlightened peoples place to carry on their knowledge to others. In one suggestion Plato uses his theory of philosophical lives being of a higher level than thos e of simple political ambition as an example of how to broaden the horizons of common place people by saying that enlightened people should be the ones in these political offices. From these offices they will be able to do more good than an unenlightened person will. They will be able to teach life and the value of it. Freire believes that an enlightened person must teach the very enlightenment and that the responsibility of extending this thought lies both on the student and the teacher. People cannot become great on their own, they must have educators, people to point them in the right direction. Their aid in seeking personal enlightenment could be anyone or anything and come from any of the various methods. The existence of the world is what we make it. Our duty is to ourselves and that entitles all that we believe both as individuals and as a group. While the debate about whom is right or wrong will continue throughout time, one thing is for sure: we must go on.

Culture Diversity In Pakistan Cultural Studies Essay

Culture Diversity In Pakistan Cultural Studies Essay Pakistan is a country of over 165 million people with diverse social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural circumstances. The country came into existence after division of British Indian colony in 1947 on the basis of Islamic identity of people living in this region but different social and ethnic groups have maintained their distinct character. Mostly language is the basis of ethnicity in Pakistan. Punjabi is the predominant ethnic class which consists of 48% of Pakistans population. Sindhis form about 12%, Siriki (a variant of Punjabi) forms 10%, Urdu speaking (Urdu speaking population usually refers itself as Mohajirs as they migrated from India in 1947) 8%, Balochis 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1% and others 8%. 95% of Pakistans population is Muslim (75% Sunni Muslims and 20% Shia Muslims). Amongst the remaining 5% Christians are the biggest religious minority who are around 3% of the total population. Other religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadis. Pakistan is predominantly a rural society where over 65.5% of population lives in the rural areas. Agriculture is the main employer of the labour force which employs over 43% of the work force. The culture and social norms of Pakistan are defined by the agrarian nature of society. The relations between men and women are dominated by the demands of agricultural sector and practices. Women in rural areas are economically more active as compared to their urban counterparts. 16.5% rural women are economically active as compared to 7.3% of the urban womenfolk. Women almost entirely manage the dairy and livestock sector in the rural areas of Pakistan. In rural Punjab the relations between men and women are more open as women play an important role in farming and without their help the farm productivity will drop significantly. Women go out of their homes to work as cotton pickers, fruit harvesters, and livestock farmers. Since men need womens help in agriculture sector therefore they have a greater liberty of movement. The relations between men and women are undergoing a change in rural Punjab after the return of migrant workers from Middle East who now insist on enforcing strict Wahabi edicts on sex segregation. This change is fuelling extremism as the economic hardships are increasing due to decrease in household incomes. Rural to urban migration, necessitated by growing poverty, has given rise to a number of female headed households which is a new phenomenon in rural areas of Punjab because traditionally women have always been treated as inferior to men and not involved in decision making. Muslims of Punjab are either converts from Hinduism or descendants of migrants from Central Asia who have lived with Hindus for centuries therefore the Hindu edict that guest is incarnation of god has a wide acceptability. Guest is treated with honour, respect and delight. Even strangers are offered food and shelter in times of need to please god with expectation that god will rewards with good harvest. Giving long term protection / shelter is generally not a part of culture in Punjab. Customs relating to marriage, death and festivals are heavily influences by Hindu traditions. A typical marriage, mourning or festival in Punjab is very similar to the corresponding Hindu occasion less the religious component, e.g. though a marriage ceremony has the same components but a Muslim marriage will have the Nikkah ceremony whereas Hindu marriage will have vows beside fire. ` Punjab has a culture of tolerance and friendship which is manifest by its sufi saints and poetry with message of universal love towards mankind irrespective of cast, religion and colour. The leading Punjabi sufi poets, such as Sultan Bahoo, Bulley Shah, Waris Shah and Mian Muhammad are all against the strict religious interpretation of Islam as propagated by Mullah. Punjab has historically been confronted with foreign invasions from North (Afghanistan and Central Asia) therefore they are quite open to foreigners and are very progressive in their cultural and social values. Urban Punjab is not much different from rural areas as most of the city dwellers are migrants from villages. Sindhis are the second biggest ethnic group in Pakistan after Punjabis. In terms of proximity to Hinduism they are even closer than Punjabis. A large number of Pakistani Hindus live in Sind province. Sindi culture is quite similar to Punjabis where they have great respect towards fellow human beings. Sindh also is the land of great mystics such as Sachal Sarmast, Shah Abdul Latheef Bhitai and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The predominant profession of rural Sindhi population is agriculture. However in contrast to Punjab Sindh has a large number of big landlords who own most of the cultivable land. Majority of people work as landless peasants on lands owned by big landlords. This has given rise to abuse of human rights at the hands of landlords and a culture of oppression of weaker segments of society. Women in Sindh work in the fields and tender animals like their Punjabi counterparts but are subject to more control by men. They are an object of male and tribal honour. Marriage by choice is still not an option for women whose nuptial affairs are settled by male members of the family. Honour killing, where women are killed for illicit relations with men, is often resorted to restore family and tribal honour. Sindhis are not as open to foreigners as Punjabis mainly due to limited interactions with foreign cultures. Despite being on the coastline of Arabian Sea, Sind has been invaded only once from the sea. (Arabs led by Muhammad Bin Qasim attacked Sindh in 712 AD). Modern day Sindh has strong undercurrents of movement of emancipation from the clutches of landlords. The occasional violence seen in Sindh is against the existing distribution of resources. Sindh is safe from the ongoing wave of extremism in Pakistan mainly due to liberal religious views of majority population. The tolerance and harmony that Muslims and Non Muslims enjoy in Sind is not seen elsewhere in Pakistan. Major Urban centres in Sind are dominated by the Urdu speaking migrants from India. These are the people who migrated from areas presently in India at the time of partition in 1947. They were the most advanced segment of Pakistani society at the time. They made Karachi (the capital of Pakistan before it was shifted to Islamabad) as their new home. Due to their acumen in trade and business Karachi became the financial capital of Pakistan. Mohajirs are the most liberal community in Pakistan. Their women folk are the most liberated women in Pakistan. They work in offices, hold executive positions in businesses and banks. Mohajir women are in front ranks of all walks of life including politics, senior management and community service. Mohajirs are represented by their own political party (MQM Mohajir Qaumi Movement) which is a middle class based political party and has introduced new middle class leadership in Pakistan. Urdu that is the language of Mohajirs is the national language of Pakistan. The word Urdu literally means the camp language because it was developed in the military camps of Mughal kings of India. Urdu has long been associated with Muslims of India. Despite being the language of a small minority it was declared the National language of Pakistan. This decision caused the first language riots in Pakistan in 1948 in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Despite this Urdu remains the National Language of Pakistan and is spoken in most households who are aspiring upward social mobility. Mohajirs consider themselves culturally articulate and have business relations across the world. They are open, frank and friendly towards foreigners. Their social occasions such as marriages and deaths etc are similar to the practices followed elsewhere in Pakistan but are less ostentatious in showing their wealth. The most significant thing that a new visitor to Mohajir area will note is their habit of chewing beetle leaves. Beetle leaves are seasoned with chemicals, colour and spices to chew. The red residue is then spitted in open areas and often walls and streets of Karachi are red with this waste. Pushtuns living in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North Western Frontier Province) province trace their roots to Afghanistan. The Pushtuns are bound by their tribal code known as the Pushtun Wali (literally meaning the Pushtun way of life). Pushtun Wali has nine major components i.e. courage, taking revenge, giving shelter, generosity to defeated, self respect, justice, hospitality, tolerance and loyalty. The capital of Pushtuns of Pakistan, Peshawar is the melting pot of many cultures and civilizations. Peshawar is a city that represents Indian, Afghan, Central Asian and British civilizations at the same time. Pushtuns have produced great poets and mystics like Rahman Baba, Khushaal Khan Khattak and Pir Baba, who have all propagated the message of eternal love and adherence to Pushtun ways of life. Pushtuns are most affected by the rise of extremism in recent years. Peshawar is the centre of global war on terrorism. Thousands of Pushtuns have lost their lives in the war on either side of the extremist divide. Pushtun women observe the most extreme form of sex segregation. Women are often not allowed in public life and those who move outside their homes are covered from head to toe. Women have limited role in agricultural activities. Their role is limited to work inside their homes. However the export of labour to Middle Eastern countries in the 70s compelled men to move out of their villages and many functions previously performed exclusively by men are now being performed by women. Pushtun women become more influential and independent as they grow older. Pushtun way of dispute resolution is through a consultative process known as Jirga. Influential people of the community sit in this jirga and decide on the disputes. Often people with wealth, education and experience are all represented in a jirga. One can qualify to sit in jirga either by virtue of age, wealth or education hence this aspect of Pushtun life is quite democratic. Baluchs live in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan. They have a nomadic culture as barring a few places Baluchistan is a barren area. Water is scarce and the only means of sustenance is sheep and camel raring. Women and men work alike with herds of sheep and goat. The area of Baluchs is scarcely populated and they live in small settlements in primitive conditions. The Baluchs, like Pushtuns are proud people who guard their independence jealously. They fought valiantly against the expansion of British Empire however the British ruled Baluchistan through a series of treaties with local rulers. Baluchs also resolve their disputes through the jirga mechanism but the Baluch jirga is less representative in its constitution as mostly people sit on these jirgas as representatives of their families. The Baluch society is essentially tribal in nature and every tribe is headed by a Chief. The position of chiefs is hereditary. The tribal chief or Sardar as he is known has control over the resources of his tribe. Women are economically active but their contribution is not recognized. They do not participate in decision making at the household level. Family and tribal honour is associated with women and any woman who violates the tribal code is punished with death. Seraiki speaking people are scattered on the border areas of Punjab, Sindh and Kyber Pukhtoonkwa provinces. They have a tradition of Sufism and are liberal in their social life. These areas are resource rich but most of the land is owned by big landlords in these areas. The southern parts of Punjab that are inhabited by the Seraiki people, produces Pakistans best mangoes and cotton but the life of ordinary person is difficult. Due to economic hardships that ordinary people face, the women are economically active and contribute to the household incomes through their work as farm labour and cattle farmers. However like other areas of Pakistan their contribution is hardly acknowledged and they do not have a place in decision making at the household level.