Mcdonald's Marketing Campaign 2012 Research Paper

Mcdonald's Marketing Campaign 2012 - Research Paper Example Consumers want transparency and high standard of service. People want to take this as an opportunity to clarify all sorts of doubts and controversies that they have been hearing with regards to McDonalds over the years like the processing of chicken waste in the making of McNuggets etcetera. â€Å"Things from beef grades to the pink slime controversy are being questioned, and at first glance it seems as though McDonald’s is going to do something radical about our concerns† (Falconi, 2012). McDonalds might have achieved the intended aim behind running this campaign had all questions been answered objectively. However, McDonalds has still not confirmed its plans of addressing the concerns of the consumers. Lack of addressing of the questions has made the consumers think that McDonalds is doing false advertising. Many answers are cynical and manipulative rather than simple and straight-forward. Rather than answering the consumers’ questions, McDonalds is trying to find its way out smartly which is as frustrating for the consumers as difficult it is for McDonalds. Many answers are merely correction of the questions rather than answers (Falconi, 2012). The tricky answers have even shaken the trust of those consumers who had placed confidence in McDonalds meals before the campaign. Consumers are always curious to know more about a brand whether or not they are loyal to it. Any campaign that invites any question from the consumers without any restraint is bound to fail because consumers tend to take benefit of the situation and come up with cheesy questions. An organization has to establish limits somewhere because if everything is made transparent, it becomes very hard to make profits. Every organization has certain secret strategies that help the organization get competitive advantage. Complete transparency slips everything over to the stakeholders and the

Iranian Hostage Crisis Essay Example for Free

Iranian Hostage Crisis Essay We chose our topic because we found it very interesting, how the CIA decided to rescue the six hostages, by making a fake movie and going into Iran, saying that they were scouting for locations for a movie when they actually went to the Canadian embassy where six people were hiding. Tony Mendez thought of this magnificent idea. The CIA gave the six roles to be in the fake movie, for example Director, Photographer, Costume Designer, Location Scouter etc. Eventually they got them to the airport to take the six hostages home with the iranian people fooled that they were people scouting for a perfect place to record their science fiction movie. The CIA person/ Tony Mendez along with the six hostages made it back to the U. S. safely. Â  How we conducted our research. The way we conducted our research is that to begin with we, read the book, and watched the movie, Argo which gave us a good idea or point of view on what happened during the crisis. Then we began finding primary and secondary sources and started conducting more research. Then we wrote letters to president carter and Tony Mendez, we are currently still waiting for a response. Then we began our script by which we already started working on our bibliography and process paper. We are currently searching for photos and continuing on the script for the documentary, we are also creating annotations for our bibliography on easybib. com.How we selected our presentation category and how we created our project. The reason we chose to pick our category is because we thought it suited our topic better than any other category. We thought this because this way we are able to explain what happened while the person watching the documentary can see photos about the topic, which may help them understand better because some people tend to learn easier visually than just reading or hearing someone explain a topic. The way we created our project is on a site called pixorial. Â  How our project relates to the NHD theme. Our project relates to the NHD theme because it is the responsibility of the CIA and the U. S. to try their hardest to get all the hostages out of Iran safe and sound. Our topic also follows the NHD theme of rights too. It is a part of the theme rights because with the Shah running Iran, Iranians felt like they didn’t have any rights, also the Shah didn’t treat them with respect. The Iranians were mad at the U. S. for not giving the Shah back to them so they could kill him. At that time the Shah was in the United States due to the cancer he was attempting to fight off.

The Year of the Zombie :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Year of the Zombie Now a high-school senior, I still remember my freshman year with a shudder; it was the year my friends and I joked about as the "Year of the Zombie." It wasn't that I had contracted a rare medical disorder that transformed me into one of the walking dead. I had done what many diligent students do: sacrifice most of my sleep time for the sake of academic success. Don't get me wrong; my parents never mandated that I take all the honors classes I could gain admission to. No one told me to take three honors classes. No one, that is, except the little voice in my head that convinced me scholarly success was based upon the number of "H's" on my high-school transcript. The counselors cautioned me not to do it, students who had fallen into the trap before warned me against it and my parents just left it up to me. Through it all, I just smiled and reassured them, "Don't worry; I can handle it." The trouble was, I didn't have the slightest idea what lay ahead. I soon found myself mired in work. For a person whose friends teased her about being a neat freak, I grew increasingly messy. My room and desk looked like my backpack had exploded. There was no time to talk to friends on the phone, not even on the weekends. Going to bed at midnight was a luxury, 1 a.m. was normal, 3 a.m. meant time to panic and 4 a.m. meant it was time to go to sleep defeated. Most days, I would shuffle clumsily from class to class with sleep-clouded eyes and nod off during classroom lectures. There was even a month in winter when I was so self-conscious of my raccoon eyes that I wore sunglasses to school. My parents applauded my academic success, but hardly knew the price I paid for it. I vividly remember one night when my mother couldn't fall asleep. She kept going to bed and getting up again. Every -, time I heard her get up, I'd turn off my light so she wouldn't catch me still awake. By 5 o'clock that morning, I was so sleepy that I didn't hear her footsteps as she shuffled down the hallway. When she saw the light under my door, she came in and demanded to know why I wasn't sleeping.

Presidential Election 2000 :: essays research papers

Presidential Campaign 2000 In the presidential campaign for the year 2000, there are a small number of men running for the spot, and all these men have different opinions on different issues. In this paper, some of the issues and opinions of Ralph Nader from the Green Party, Al Gore from the Democratic Party and Republican George W. Bush have been highlighted. To start off, the issue of Abortion is big these days. Do we let women do it or not? Democratic Candidate Al Gore personally opposes abortion, but thinks that it is up to the woman if she wants to abort her baby. Al Gore does not think that it is the governments right to tell women what they can and cannot do about it. "You're not going to stop abortions," Gore said. Unlike Gore, Republican Candidate George W. Bush is pro life with the exception of baby by rape, incest and the life of the mother. He has set the goal that all children should be welcomed in life and protected by law. Bush supports efforts to increase adoptions and opposes it and calls it â€Å"doctor assisted suicide†. He believes the role of a doctor is to relieve pain and suffering, not to end life. Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader says that his run doesn’t affect abortion rights, and that â€Å"we should work toward preventing the necessity of abortion†. He vaguely says that he thinks that women should privately decide to use RU-486 if they want to and that the government should not decide for them. My view on abortion is that it is up to the mother whether she wants to do it or not. It all depends on the situation. I think that if the baby is conceived due to rape or incest, then it is ok to abort it, but if the baby is made due to carelessness, then it is the parents’ responsibility to take care of it. Adoption is always an option. The next issue is gun control in the United States. Vice President Al Gore is for gun control. He thinks that we should focus on gun safety, not hunters & sportsmen and that we should restrict guns from wrong hands, not sportsmen & homeowners. He thinks that there should be gun licensing by states, but no registration and that there should be no special lawsuit protection for gun makers. Gore wants mandatory background checks before the gun is sold and child safety locks. Presidential Election 2000 :: essays research papers Presidential Campaign 2000 In the presidential campaign for the year 2000, there are a small number of men running for the spot, and all these men have different opinions on different issues. In this paper, some of the issues and opinions of Ralph Nader from the Green Party, Al Gore from the Democratic Party and Republican George W. Bush have been highlighted. To start off, the issue of Abortion is big these days. Do we let women do it or not? Democratic Candidate Al Gore personally opposes abortion, but thinks that it is up to the woman if she wants to abort her baby. Al Gore does not think that it is the governments right to tell women what they can and cannot do about it. "You're not going to stop abortions," Gore said. Unlike Gore, Republican Candidate George W. Bush is pro life with the exception of baby by rape, incest and the life of the mother. He has set the goal that all children should be welcomed in life and protected by law. Bush supports efforts to increase adoptions and opposes it and calls it â€Å"doctor assisted suicide†. He believes the role of a doctor is to relieve pain and suffering, not to end life. Green Party Candidate Ralph Nader says that his run doesn’t affect abortion rights, and that â€Å"we should work toward preventing the necessity of abortion†. He vaguely says that he thinks that women should privately decide to use RU-486 if they want to and that the government should not decide for them. My view on abortion is that it is up to the mother whether she wants to do it or not. It all depends on the situation. I think that if the baby is conceived due to rape or incest, then it is ok to abort it, but if the baby is made due to carelessness, then it is the parents’ responsibility to take care of it. Adoption is always an option. The next issue is gun control in the United States. Vice President Al Gore is for gun control. He thinks that we should focus on gun safety, not hunters & sportsmen and that we should restrict guns from wrong hands, not sportsmen & homeowners. He thinks that there should be gun licensing by states, but no registration and that there should be no special lawsuit protection for gun makers. Gore wants mandatory background checks before the gun is sold and child safety locks.

The Stranger vs the Awakening

In the novel The Stranger the main character Numerals is a male indifferent to society and seems to care about absolutely nothing. Even when his mother dies he is indifferent about it, the only thing he can have any feelings for at all is the nagging heat of the sun at the funeral. He even begins an affair with his mistress Marie the day after the funeral, clearly thinking about sex, which is very important to him. When Marie asks Numerals to marry her he says he could care less either way, which is a blatant sign of careless and emotionless thoughts.It is not until Numerals is imprisoned and sentenced to death does he begin to realize how much he likes his life. HE tells the reader that he sizes the ocean and craves sex and cigarettes, which is the first time he ever has a want or show of emotion towards anything. The Chaplin offers Numerals freedom and life if he will believe God, but of course Numerals will not give in and go against his beliefs. Just before the machine of society cuts him from existence, Numerals laughs in their face showing strength and victory.In The Awakening the main character Is Edna who is dissatisfied with her marriage and motherhood. She finds herself as a person and acts on her desire for sex and emotional connection with her newfound love Robert. There Is a gradual disconnection between Edna and her husband as the novel moves forth, yet Edna begins to slowly become more Independent and free willing at the same time. Her desires and blatant rebellion against the rules of society overwhelmingly Isolates her, causing her to give up end her life by suicide.Considering that Campus Is a male writing about a male character and Chopin Is a female writing about a female character It Is quite an Interesting Idea to pursue that this would affect the way each character handled adversity. Campus' character Numerals Is very strong and Indifferent to society throughout the novel and does not vive Into society. HIS lack of emotion also developed an Image of strength for the simple fact that nothing affected him, and he was Indifferent to all of society. This Is due to Campus growing up In a society that forces males to hide their emotions to give Off false sense of strength and power.Throughout Campus' life he had never claimed to be tied down In marriage having numerous affairs, having never truly assumed faith, as well as living In seclusion before publishing the novel also affected the way the character chose his paths. Numerals seems to be an extremist version of Campus myself, an example Is Merchants ever longing desire for sex and Campus numerous affairs. This also explains to the reader Merchants strength and personal victory through perseverance, which would only be given to a male character through the eyes AT a male autumn. Nonplus Deluge a Tamale writing tout a Tamale contracted most likely has a direct connection with why Edna chose the decision she did at the end of the novel. In the time period Chopin grew up women were not looked at as strong powerful figures that could handle tough situations. Chopin was writing this book after her husband's death in 1882, when he left her with $12,000 of debts. She tried to run their family plantation and store but she Just could not handle it.Being raised with this thought and conception of women being weak as well as her hard times faced while writing this novel is exactly why she had Edna commit suicide in the end of the novel. For Edna there was no escaping the problem, as there was no escaping the problem of debt for Chopin. She was either exiled from society or stuck living a life of unhappiness; her solution was to escape by taking the easy way out and killing herself. This action clearly shows the author's perception that females are not palpable of enduring times of adversity and hardship because she herself wanted to quit deep down on the inside.After reading both novels is it easy to see which character is stronger in their fight against so ciety? Edna took the easy way out by escaping through suicide, which is society over powering her and essentially winning the battle. Numerals on the other hand was never defeated by society; no matter what they threw at him he stood his ground and kept his beliefs. The ultimate sign of his strength and victory is when he laughs in the face of society essentially saying, â€Å"l won, I'm right, you cannot and will not break me. †

Cyclones essays

Cyclones essays Natural disasters can happen at whichever time and at any place. Cyclones happen rarely in the southern hemisphere but when it happens it can kill thousands of people and demolish lots of buildings and properties. Cyclones are fierce whirling winds that can cause a lot of destruction. A cyclone can be so huge that it can cover over half of the United States. It can happen in the time of a few seconds to possibly 1 to 10minutes. A special extreme kind of cyclone that is only 300 yards (274 meters) across is a tornado. All cyclones have an eye. The eye is the center of the cyclone and is the only calm spot. The cyclones winds always spiral towards the eye, counterclockwise or anticlockwise. Cyclones move at speed between 240 to 1, 200 miles per hour or 386 to 1, 930 kilometers a day. Cyclone Tracy was the worst disaster that ever occurred in the Northern territory. On the 24th December 1974 disaster struck. Cyclone Tracy struck unexpectedly on Christmas Eve. It killed 65 people altogether, 49 died from being squashed by objects flying about and another 16 people were drowned at sea while trying to get away. Cyclone Tracy caused over 150 million dollars worth of damage and up to 90% of the town was destroyed. The wind speed was 217km/h. 25000 people were evacuated, as there was a hazard of diseases because the sewage pipes were broken. seven out of ten houses were destroyed or brutally damaged. After Cyclone Tracy had passed people helped to rebuild their town. That is why people still remember the terrors of that Christmas Eve. ...

Hobsons Choice Summary Essays

Hobsons Choice Summary Essays Hobsons Choice Summary Essay Hobsons Choice Summary Essay Hobson makes the girls leave the shop and go into the rooms at the back. He wants to talk to Jim Heeler privately about his girls and his problems with them. He firstly complains that his daughters dont respect him, that they regard him as a windbag. Jim advises Hobson to get his girls married and that he shouldnt be too fussy as he has 3 to get married. Hobson is quick to point out that he doesnt want Maggie to get married and when Jim points out Hobson will need to make money settlements for the girls to get married, Hobson drops the idea. Hobson reveals his attitudes to women in this scene. He comments that he was grateful when his wife died because his life was quieter without her. Hobson also shows he has a high opinion of himself. He agrees with Jim when Jim tells him is the best debater in the Moonrakers Inn. The mean streak in Hobson is also developed in this scene. He doesnt want to let Maggie leave because she is too important to the business and he wont provide money for marriage settlements. He acknowledges that his daughters are not expensive to keep and he reveals that he doesnt pay them any wages. As soon as her father and Jim have left, Maggie raises the trap-door and tells Willie Mossop to come up into the shop. Maggie tries to make Willie understand how valuable he is to the business. She makes the point that Hobsons stays in profit because of her selling skills and partly because Willie is such a fine bootmaker. As Maggie talks, Willie starts to realise that she is asking him to marry her. Willie is amazed and shaken because there is a difference in class between them. Note the way that Maggie generally speaks in a forceful but educated manner whilst Willies speech often betrays his lack of education. Willie uses dialect terms e. g. I thought you were axing me to wed you. Maggie has obviously been planning this for some time, six months Ive counted on you. He is concerned about what Hobson would say and points out that he is already tokened to Ada Figgins. When Ada arrives with Willies dinner, Maggie tells her that she intends to marry Willie. Ada is no match for Maggie and says shell set her mother on Willie when he gets home. Willie is obviously scared of Adas mother. Maggie has everything arranged. She tells him that he can lodge with Tubby Wadlow and to put the banns up in church right away. Willie goes along with everything but is not quite ready to kiss Maggie when she tells him to. At this stage, Maggie is in charge. Willie still speaks his mind though and tells Maggie that he doesnt love her. Ada is not really treated very well. Willie may be scared of Adas mother but Maggie isnt. This may, to some extent, be the result of Maggies superior social position. As a middle-class daughter of a successful business man, she is able, instinctively, to bully those of a lower social class and to get her own way.

Death in Todays Society Essays

Death in Todays Society Essays Death in Todays Society Paper Death in Todays Society Paper Essay Topic: Everything Is Illuminated Introduction Death distances humans from life, is what death is thought of today. Death that is the strongest proof of humans being mortals is denied on its face value by the modern age people. People try to escape death and defeat its existence to live a fearless life that maximizes their pleasure for eternity. The phobia against death has made people avoid discussing death in public, and today it has become a taboo, like pornography was in the medieval ages. Sociologists and thinkers such as Gorer, Moller and Cline have studied the subject in great detail with solid research and a concerted effort they have recognized the changed behavior of people towards death. Instead of accepting its existence and getting on with the reality: that we have to leave this world one day, people deny death. This is reflected in their behavior towards death rituals and gatherings. Discussing death or the deceased is considered to be strange in todays society. People that speak of death or the dead people face prudery at the hands of their social environment. Thus, death has become a taboo, or something that should not be talked about. This situation was not always the case; in fact this is a modern day development. This transition in the reactions of people with respect to death, as noted, studied and explained by Gorer and his proponents is known as Taboo Thesis. In this paper a discussion will be made on the following thesis statement, â€Å"Death, today, is treated as a fearsome, alien phenomena and has become a taboo, with lesser and lesser people concerned about it. â€Å" Contribution from Gorer. Geoffrey Gorer, born in 1905, was a renowned English Anthropologist. He spent his life in understanding the nature of humans and how do they get along with different variation in their lives. One of his greatest contributions to the field of Sociology is his work and research on the notion of death, the transition that it has been through the ages and its prevalent status in the current world order, categorically the United Kingdom. Very interestingly Gorer compares the treatment of death in the modern society with that of the notion of pornography in the Victorian Era. This creative and analytical thinking ability of Gorer made him stand out from other thinkers and anthropologists and thus his work has become exceedingly significant for scholars in order to expand their horizons of study on death or other related areas (Gorer 1955). Gorer compares the treatment of the notion of pornography in the Victorian era with that of the treatment of death in the contemporary world. In the Victorian era pornography was considered to be a highly intimate affair and discussion in public was considered to be an â€Å"eye-brow† raising issue that would lead to prudery in the society if projected. Gorer does not approve of such reactions as he believes that copulation and sex are issues known to people in general, so veiling them does not make a lot of sense as people tend to speak about issues that they are aware of, so the same must hold true for pornography as well. This argument is aesthetically forwarded by Gorer regarding death and the reaction of people to it in the contemporary world. Gorer opines that death is as big a truth in life as life itself, but today people try to evade from its existence in a manner that is similar to the Victorian era where people avoided sex and obscenity related discussions in public. Gorer believes that the society is distancing itself from the acceptance of a universal fact, and truth, and perhaps this is something that one would agree with as well (Gorer 1955). A contemporary example Let’s consider the Somalian drought, termed as the â€Å"worst humanitarian crisis† by the UN. It is on the verge of engulfing the lives of more than 700,000 humans in the months to come. This drought has shown the real face of humans to themelves, but its such a pity that we still don’t seem to care. No matter how steep the death toll is, no matter how severe a disaster, people just continue living their own lives, for life has become as convenient as it has never been before. Joseph Stalin was absolutely spot on when he coined his famous quote â€Å"a death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic†. No better sentence in the world could depict how we act to events such as the Somalian drought. Humans are so indifferent to everything that is happening around them, and have become so self-centered that they simply don’t care who died outside their circle. This goes for the entire human race for the most part, and not a particular class or segment of the society. A prominent example of the hedonistic approach that has taken as the sole path of our lives is the Annual Tomatina Festival in Spain. More than 90,000 pounds of tomatoes, tantamount to several hundred thousand tomatoes, are wasted in this festival, for what is termed as â€Å"for fun†. The event has more than 20,000 tourists from around the world, spending Dollars and Euros to attend this futile activity, participating actively (One India Living 2011). That is exactly what Gorer depicted. We treat death to be something really personal and not worth mentioning or discussing in public. This transition has come about with the change in people’s attitudes towards death and their eloping from religion and scriptures. We have to die one day and that day could be any day, but we just don’t want to know which day it is because we simply don’t care. We want to maximize pleasures and avoid pain and we, today, have become more self-centered and rational; so as far as we are happy, the world is a good place to live in. This ideology was forwarded by Gorer in the post World War II era and one can claim that his thinking was influenced by the innumerable deaths that were incurred during that period. However Gorer is not alone with his conception of alienation of death and bereavements from the society, in fact Aries is pretty much a proponent of the same (Gorer 1955). Walter’s Perspective On the other hand Tony Walter, born in 1948, a freelance writer and a sociologist on the subject of Death and Society, has a different chain of thoughts. Walter has conducted a lot of research regarding the reaction of people towards death and he came up with sound observations and claims. He is not of the opinion that death in the modern age has become a taboo. In fact, he declares that the modern society is much more concerned with deaths, and as a ground to this argument he presents the mass media as the evidence. He says that today in newspapers and in electronic media we see that the news of deaths is overwhelmingly dominating. He says that deaths were not given more importance in the past. Today the leading newspapers of the world publish death reports and publications on the front page and there never was a time in history where deaths were subjected to more seriousness and significance. A recent example of this is the notorious events of Tottenham in 2011 where one death triggered the masses to cause riots and challenge the establishment of the law enforcing authorities in UK (Walter 1991). The work of Moller The argument here is not only about the discussion of death, bereavement practices and rituals exercised in pubic, but also the message taken by people from the deaths of their loved ones. Dr. David Wendell Moller sheds light on a beautiful concept entailing death. He expresses the significance of death to life and claims that death is not an end in itself, in fact it is the beginning of an eternal and illuminated journey of salvation. Dr Moller, also known as Dr. Death among his students and colleagues in the School of Medicine, IUPUI, has conducted research on the subject of Death and Dying and he has also noted a prominent transformation in the beliefs of people regarding death. Like Gorer, Moller maintains the view that in the early time before the 19th Century death was celebrated in a humble manner. People used to gather to talk about the life of the person who had just died. The family, friends and acquaintances used to share various incidents and experiences associated with the departed soul. This was a useful social exercise as it did not only give chance to the family members of the deceased person to mourn and share their sorrows with others but it also served as a platform where people could remind themselves of their ultimate faith and get prepared to face it. With the passage of time this concept has depleted and now instead of facing death as the sole truth of life people either tend to evade it, avoid it, deny it and sometimes even defeat it. This act of avoiding death has lead to curious psychological dilemmas among people. Now they see death as being horror, fearsome and ugly and that is why they don’t want to talk about it anymore (Moller 1996). Cline and the fear of death in women This elevating fear in the minds of people regarding death is also acknowledged by Dr. Sally Cline. In her book â€Å"Lifting the Taboo† she goes out an extra mile and brings the fear of death in women to limelight. With respect to her research she says that women are afraid of dying today. The fear is not of the fact that they have not done anything to please the Almighty, but the fear is astonishingly for materialistic reasons. People fear death because they perceive death to be something that will snatch their worldly pleasures from them. People evade the notion of dying because they don’t want to submit their wills and themselves to an eternal entity, God. People want to pursue their dreams till eternity and want to be the commanders of their destinies and fates. This is where we once again come to the view points of Gorer and Moller that today death has become a taboo. People don’t talk about it and thus they don’t know anything about it. Cline also discusses some of the most prominent and standout sources of fear for death in women and not surprisingly the fear was related to their household, love, relations, children and affection. With this entire discussion in hand and the views of different thinkers and sociologists taken into consideration we can sum up the discussion into the concluding phase (Cline 1995). Conclusion  Death, the greatest truth on earth after life is treated as a taboo in today’s world. People in the modern day life try to turn their backs when it comes to talking about death. Death is treated as something that is either a curse or lower cast argument not worth discussing in public. A lot of people also take the topic of death and dying as highly private, intimate and personal and it is not the place of friends, relatives and even parents to talk about it with them. This avoidance of the acceptance of the realm of death is forcing modern age into a state of denial. The dilemma is so severe that we have stopped the process of self talk as well, and we just want to deny and defy death. As mentioned earlier in this paper, Moller is of the opinion that death has been captured by mass media much more than it has been covered historically. Perhaps this is the reason that people avoid discussing death in public circles, because it is already been discussed everywhere. But the discussion of death in newspapers or electronic media is not for the sake of self evaluation, or for the spiritual good of humans, it is in fact covered like any other news item where statistics are mentioned and that’s it. The people, to whom media is aimed at, have now started looking at death in quantitative terms rather than its subjectivity. Death is not seen as the beginning of a new life by the people today. Under the current circumstances where we see consistent deaths recurring all over the globe in Haiti, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya and Turkey by means of natural disasters and human activities people have started treating death as a taboo. Deaths are occurring so frequently and so quickly that people have started fearing and they don’t want to let that fear overcome their lives and devastate their spirits and efforts. People want to live the moment and in the urge to do so they have distanced themselves from morality. People have become hedonistic. In the drive to avoid discussing death, people today have involuntarily forgotten about death. Those who talk about death are either looked down upon or are perceived to be puritanical in their approach towards life and that is exactly how death has become a taboo in today’s world. Denying death and eloping from its acceptance will do no good. The media, the family and the society needs to play a role, a role to revive the forgotten norms and values of death. The media is also obliged to edify the masses and bring them closer to humanity and nature. Talking about death, or those who are dead in a family gathering shall not be done with the aim of becoming puritanical or acquiring necrophilia, in fact the purpose should be to accept a reality and to get on with it without thinking about escaping it. This will bring us closer to the life, and will give us motivation and better reasons to become a better human being, and to play our role in the welfare of the society. References David Wendell Moller. â€Å"Dying and Historical Context. † Confronting Death. New York, Oxford University Press. 1996. Geoffrey Gorer. â€Å"Pornography of Death. † Death, Grief and Mourning. † Doubleday and Company. 1955. Sally Cline. â€Å"Earlier Times, Other Cultures and Religions. † Lifting the Taboo. New York University Press. 1995. Sally Cline. â€Å"Mortal Messages. † Lifting the Taboo. New York University Press. 1995. Tony Walter, â€Å"Modern death: taboo or not taboo. † Sociology, 1991, 25, pp. 293-310. One India Living. â€Å"History of the â€Å"Red† La Tomatina Festival. † Web. 2011

You can choose any country but I recommend (Italy) Essay

You can choose any country but I recommend (Italy) - Essay Example Even though Europe claims to be having united identity the differences between neighboring countries can be much larger than countries across continents. Italy is diverse culturally, economically and politically (TDS 2012). The culture, administrative, geographic and economy (CAGE) distance framework helps the mangers to identify and assess the impact of distance on different industries. Cultural distance can impact trade (Ghemawat 2004) and language plays an important role. Italy’s language is unique and even though it is a part of Europe Union, English is not the predominant language in Italy. Italy is homogenous linguistically (TDS 2012). According to Ghemawat trade between countries that share a common language is much higher than between countries without a common language. Italy maintains political or administrative distance as it focuses on protecting its domestic industries. The government thereby does not encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) due to which cross-border competition is also limited. Competition leads to innovation and creativity but this remains unexplored in Italy. Divided into several regions, Italy has introduced some decentralization to the government machinery but the regional governments still seek additional powers. However, frequent government turnovers have left the political condition quite unstable in Italy. International trade has been impacted due to extensive corruption, massive government debts, and organized crime. The country has been besieged with political scandals. Because of poor government policies and institutional weakness, government involvement tends to be high in sectors such as electricity, farming and telecommunications (Ghemawat 2004). Because of the government policies in Italy cross-border competiti on is low which hinders growth and development. Geographically, however, Italy is well positioned as it has a huge coastline and is bounded by countries such as France,

History of Theatrical Costuming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Theatrical Costuming - Essay Example The purpose of this research is to look at the journey of development that theatrical costuming has gone through so that more insight for the present and future efforts and understanding can be obtained. When we look into the history of medieval theater to understand that what kind of costumes were used that time, we come to know one very obvious piece of information discussed in almost all the documents about costuming history in medieval times. This information is that that time cross-dressing was as common a practice in theatrical performances both in English and French theaters. Cross-dressing means male characters wore costumes of both male and female gender and thus performed both the roles in the theater. Basic reason for this cross-dressing was that female performers were not yet allowed to enter the theatrical world. Furthermore, there are a great many more reasons for this tradition. For example, medieval era was an age in which cultural and ideological thinking was being reshaped for a more refined future culture. That time categories of race and class were less determined. (Clark, & Sponsler, 1995) The striking accounts given in medieval plays like Robin Hood and Marian is that cross-dressing was used for a number of purposes and that it was a very effective device which served as a progressive milestone in medieval plays. For example, Robin Hood disguises a number of times in different dresses, including yeoman, monk, etc. to achieve his goals. A male character can disguise in a female's dress to delay an incident of shame etc. The emphasis in medieval time (both English and French plays) was that the issue of "transgressiveness" was of high importance. Additionally, famous characters' clothing was very popular among spectators as, for instance, band of Robin Hood was sold outside theaters in which Robin Hood plays were performed. People liked to put a feather in their hats like Robin Hood. However, it is not very clearly given as what made it so easy that disguising worked for the characters in a play. Was it a simple society, a people looking over formal differences opposed to reality, and so on These are the issues that surely need extensive research with relation to costuming history in medieval time so that clear cut opinions can be stated. (Clark, & Sponsler, 1995) Italian Renaissance In the time of Italian Renaissance costumes were of the Gothic tradition which had roots in northern Europe until the arrival of the time of mid 15th century. Here costumes became to look more natural. There was robe, with bodice and skirt. Doublets of men became shorter and their hose were attentively donned. By this time women's hair was finely trimmed as they wore thin veils with colorful ribbons and, of course, glittering jewelry. The popular fabric in fashion in Italian Renaissance period was velvet and brocade simply because these fabrics were more colorful and eye-catching. From 1480 to 1510 Italian costuming was dominated chiefly by European fashion. Both the garments of men and skirts of women became shorter. By this time the use of a long grown was abandoned by the people. (Marszalek, & Panagakis, 2004) However, from the period of 1510 to 1550 Germanic influence (which was almost everywhere in Europe) was felt of Italian Renais

Attachment and Their Role in Intergenerational Continuity Essay

Attachment and Their Role in Intergenerational Continuity - Essay Example However, the attachment that humans experience is not utilitarian nor is it driven merely by a drive to satisfy some basic needs. Animal and human attachment process are directly linked to the social aspects of our lives and the constraints of survival in an uncertain environment. Bowlby's Theory of Attachment is of great value in studying the competence of human being in the struggle for survival, which in Darwin's view is possible based on fitness. The current evolutionary thinking considers structures and behavioral systems found in the population contributed to the reproductive success of the bearers in the milieu of evolutionary adapted ness. The biological function of attachment is to provide the conditions that keep proximity between infant and caregiver, which is essential for the infant to survive in a hostile environment. The caregiver-child strategies are aimed at accomplishing three universal goals. The are infant survival and eventual reproduction, economic self-sufficiency, and enculturation (Levine, 1982) The process of natural selection prefers individuals who invest a great deal on childcare and rearing. Thus the parents who devote to protect their offspring from hostile forces around them, like predatory and parasitic animals do so by developing bonds affection between them and their offspring. During early days of growth the young learn to discriminate between the parent that cares for them and other member of their species because parents discriminate between their own offspring and other small ones in the same species and may actually show aggression to young which are not their own. The child develops the filial imprinting and the young in no time learns to recognize their parents and follow them everywhere keeping nearness and close contact with them and shunning all but the close kin. With the development of locomotion, the child becomes an explorer. Nevertheless, its exploration of the environment is a gradual process and in a way an antithetical to attachment. The child does not embark upon a path of exploration suddenly. Initially there are spurts of exploration and return to a security zone (mother). In the interplay between exploration and return to the safety zone the child is trained to achieve a balance in his foray in to the world of danger. One of the most salient roles of the attachment behavior is to intervene in the baby's explorations of the environment and to keep it under leash so that through a slow process the child may gain the confidence to face the world alone. It is amazing that babies also actively cooperate in this process. Children approach their caregivers not only in response to danger but to ascertain their presence, which becomes an anchor for the children to explore securely the environment. Scientists have studied the nature of the attachments and made certain categories. However, these categories may not be considered as exclusive watertight compartments. The patterns of attachment are four: secure attachment, anxious-ambivalent insecure attachment, and anxious-avoidant insecure attachment and disorganized attachment. The four patterns of attachment has great ramification in the study of human behavior and can give important clues to adult behavior later in

The Religion of Ancient Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Religion of Ancient Egypt - Essay Example Ra was one of the main gods in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptian people worshiped Ra because the Sun (Ra symbolized the Sun) was concerned as the main source of life in Ancient Egypt; Ra was known as the ancestor of pharaohs, and the worship of Ra and a pharaoh as his son was sacred for ancient Egyptians; Ra was concerned as a founder of life on the Earth, so Egyptians worshiped Ra as one of the main gods among many others. This paper will support these three causes of the Sun God Ra worship. . The Sun (Ra symbolized the Sun) was concerned as the main source of life in Ancient Egypt: â€Å"The daily cycle, as the sun rose, then set only to rise again the next morning, symbolized renewal and so Re was seen as the paramount force of creation and master of life† (Ra). Ra symbolized eternal life cycle for ancient Egyptians; sunrise, zenith and sunset were associated with birth, life and death. Ra always was given birth in the morning (as a scarab beetle), rode on his boat across the sky in the day, and died in the evening: â€Å"At sunset, he is swallowed by the goddess Nut, who gives birth to him each morning again as Khepri. Therefore, the cycle continued with birth, life and death† (Ra).... .Ra was said, in fact, to be the direct ancestor of the kings of Egypt, and in certain hymns was even addressed as a dead king" (Egyptian religion). In honor of pharaohs such giant architectural masterpieces as pyramids were erected, and the worship of pharaohs was directly connected with that of the Sun God Ra. Pharaoh was the earth embodiment of Ra who provided his power over the nature: "While the king ruled earth, Re was the master of the universe so they were of the same nature and were in effect a mirror image of each other" (Ra). Egyptian pharaohs erected pyramids and temples in honor of Ra - they tried to underline their connection with Ra. The cult of Ra was transforming through the Egyptian history, but it was always associated with pharaohs: "Beginning with the Middle Kingdom (2134-1668 BC), Ra worship acquired the status of a state religion, and the god was gradually fused with Amon during the Theban dynasties, becoming the supreme god Amon-Ra" (Ancient Egyptian Religions ). Heliopolis was the main center of Ra worship during the New Kingdom - it was the time of the greatest development of Ancient Egypt and the cult of Ra as the main god of Egypt. So, ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra as the symbol of king power, and the highest development of the state was associated with the power of pharaoh and Ra as his embodiment. Ra was concerned as a founder of life on the Earth, so Egyptians worshiped Ra as one of the main gods among many others. Cosmological views of ancient Egyptians gave Ra one of the leading places in the pantheon of gods "The early Egyptians believed that he created the world, and the rising sun was, for them, the symbol of creation" (Ra). They believed that Ra created the Earth, haven and all creations on the planet. 3. As was

Strategic management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic management - Coursework Example The article gives an illustration of Mintzberg model which tends to be in a limited context. However, the context is seen to be a valid prescription for success in strategic management. The article is important as it illustrates the factors that result to variation in strategic management, and it also attempts to give the valid prescriptions for success. The author is a lecturer at United States international university. The varying business environments tend to alter the way various organizations conduct business. Strategy is an area of management characterized by controversial theories. The article does not question the essence of strategy. The article states that strategy should reflect the demands of an organization. Strategy should be dynamic. Strategies tend to evolve as the organizational patterns also change. The approach to strategy making, can normally take a deliberate end, which tends to be more rational. The other approach is the trial and error type of approach. An organization can normally follow a specific approach, or may combine both. The article is important in relation to strategic management, as it depicts the controversial theories associated with strategic management. It also gives the different approaches to strategic management. The authors; Marius Pretorius is an associate Professor and Rachel Maritz is a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria. The article gives an illustration of company strategies, these strategies can be as a result of deliberate internal decisions, they may also depend on one extreme, and, however, there are those that may emerge as a result of external forces. The article uses an example to illustrate how a company moved from the emergent to a more deliberate strategy, despite the external forces that tend to influence its decisions. Looking at Alcan’s organizational structure, it is evident

The Religion of Ancient Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Religion of Ancient Egypt - Essay Example Ra was one of the main gods in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptian people worshiped Ra because the Sun (Ra symbolized the Sun) was concerned as the main source of life in Ancient Egypt; Ra was known as the ancestor of pharaohs, and the worship of Ra and a pharaoh as his son was sacred for ancient Egyptians; Ra was concerned as a founder of life on the Earth, so Egyptians worshiped Ra as one of the main gods among many others. This paper will support these three causes of the Sun God Ra worship. . The Sun (Ra symbolized the Sun) was concerned as the main source of life in Ancient Egypt: â€Å"The daily cycle, as the sun rose, then set only to rise again the next morning, symbolized renewal and so Re was seen as the paramount force of creation and master of life† (Ra). Ra symbolized eternal life cycle for ancient Egyptians; sunrise, zenith and sunset were associated with birth, life and death. Ra always was given birth in the morning (as a scarab beetle), rode on his boat across the sky in the day, and died in the evening: â€Å"At sunset, he is swallowed by the goddess Nut, who gives birth to him each morning again as Khepri. Therefore, the cycle continued with birth, life and death† (Ra).... .Ra was said, in fact, to be the direct ancestor of the kings of Egypt, and in certain hymns was even addressed as a dead king" (Egyptian religion). In honor of pharaohs such giant architectural masterpieces as pyramids were erected, and the worship of pharaohs was directly connected with that of the Sun God Ra. Pharaoh was the earth embodiment of Ra who provided his power over the nature: "While the king ruled earth, Re was the master of the universe so they were of the same nature and were in effect a mirror image of each other" (Ra). Egyptian pharaohs erected pyramids and temples in honor of Ra - they tried to underline their connection with Ra. The cult of Ra was transforming through the Egyptian history, but it was always associated with pharaohs: "Beginning with the Middle Kingdom (2134-1668 BC), Ra worship acquired the status of a state religion, and the god was gradually fused with Amon during the Theban dynasties, becoming the supreme god Amon-Ra" (Ancient Egyptian Religions ). Heliopolis was the main center of Ra worship during the New Kingdom - it was the time of the greatest development of Ancient Egypt and the cult of Ra as the main god of Egypt. So, ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra as the symbol of king power, and the highest development of the state was associated with the power of pharaoh and Ra as his embodiment. Ra was concerned as a founder of life on the Earth, so Egyptians worshiped Ra as one of the main gods among many others. Cosmological views of ancient Egyptians gave Ra one of the leading places in the pantheon of gods "The early Egyptians believed that he created the world, and the rising sun was, for them, the symbol of creation" (Ra). They believed that Ra created the Earth, haven and all creations on the planet. 3. As was

Market Research for Zara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Market Research for Zara - Essay Example Zara currently caters to fashion clothes for Men, Women and Children. It includes both under wears and outer wears. Besides these it also provides fashion accessories for all the categories. We will be specifically targeting our study on the women’s under wear section in our report. In this category Zara has the following products available – various varieties of shorts, briefs, Underwired plunge bras, G strings and some varieties of basks and corsets. They do not have much choice in this segment though. Most of the products are made to order and most of the clothing is stand alone. You have the option of mix and match but nothing is available in lingerie sets. Zara’s pricing is more commensurate with quality. Most of the products are on the higher side as compared to the other stores; however, they are one of the best in quality. Since many of the products are made to order, the pricing is based on the flexibility available to the customer to get products as per their choice.

Coopers Creek Wine Management Essay Example for Free

Coopers Creek Wine Management Essay 1.0 Introduction Coopers Creek, established in 1982, became one of New Zealand’s more successful medium-sized wineries by following a strategy of resource leveraging via networks of co-operative relationships with other New Zealand winemakers in the domestic and export markets. This strategy allowed Andrew Hendry, the managing director, to consciously manage the growth of the company to retain the benefits of small size. However, with increasing globalisation of the wine industry, the changing nature of export markets, the early maturity of the New Zealand industry and the constrained supply facing New Zealand wine makers, Andrew Hendry was faced with the decision of how to position a smaller company for the future. He had to decide whether the network-based strategies that served the company so well continued to be appropriate under conditions of industry concentration, increasing competition and emerging globalisation. (Robbins S, 2006) 1.1 The NZ wine industry When Andrew Hendry established Coopers Creek, the New Zealand environment was highly regulated. By 1984, the New Zealand government had initiated a programme of deregulation, which included devaluation of the New Zealand currency, exchange rate flotation and general anti-inflationary measures. (Porter M, 2001) The opening of New Zealand’s domestic market meant that businesses had to improve their efficiency substantially over a short period. The agricultural sector sought out new markets, to replace the loss of their traditional dependence on the UK market with its increasing commitment to its European trading partners, and new products, reflecting a growing awareness that much of New Zealand’s exports were of a commodity nature. This period saw growing exports to Australia, the United States, Japan and the rest of Asia and exports of predominantly sheep meat and dairy produce being accompanied by more fresh fruit, venison and wine. A further response to fiercer competi tion at home and in overseas markets was an increasingly strong focus on quality, a case in point being the New Zealand wine industry. The New Zealand wine industry accepted the consequences of the liberalisation  of the domestic economy and recognised the need to understand how on-going changes in the international economic environment affected its prosperity and how to plan accordingly. Building from a low international base in the 1980s ($4.5 million in exports in 1987), New Zealand wine exports achieved phenomenal growth and accounted for $168 million in 2007, comfortably exceeding the $100 million by 2007 target set in 1999. The UK market was the most important export market for the industry in 2007, and at $84 million it accounted for around 50.22 per cent of total exports by value and 54.28 per cent by volume. Europe accounted for 66 per cent of exports with 85 per cent of that going to the UK. Four large firms, namely Corbans, Montana, Nobilo and Villa Maria, dominated the wine industry in New Zealand in 1999. The following year, Montana purchased Corbans and Nobilo was bought by BRL/Hardy of Australia. Between them, these large firms accounted for around 80 per cent of all exports in 2007, with another 17 medium-sized companies, of which Coopers Creek was one, handling 16 per cent in combination. For the most part, industry participants exported between 30 and 35 per cent of their production, but a few producers had much higher export intensity. (Wheelen, 2006) 2.0 Key Issues The key issues are: (Study Guide, 2008) (1)Despite entering early maturity, coopers creek remained constrained by issues of supply. (2)The cost of new land for grape planting was rising and more previously marginal land became economic to grow on, the problem was still one of access to capital for these resources. (3)A possible over supply of grapes in New Zealand, which could lead to heavy discounting. (4) A contraction in ownership within distribution companies in New Zealand and in USA, which could lead to certain markets being effectively closed to coopers creek. (5)Protection of strategically important grape supplies so the can insure they still get a proportion of the very highest quality grapes. 3.0 Planning 3.1 Life Cycle From a demand perspective, the worldwide wine consumption has stagnated. According to the Wine Institute, there is only a 2.04% growth in wine consumption from 1997 to 2001. In fact, worldwide consumption dropped from 227,875 hectoliters to 226,646 between 1999 and 2000. Generally there is a drop in consumption from the traditional wine drinking countries like France and East European countries, whilst demand has growth significantly from China. (Grant R, 2005) The production of wine has shifted from the traditional vineyards in France to the rest of the world. There are New-World Wines from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These wines are generally thought to be of moderate to high quality and are essentially challenging the traditional wine producers on the quality front. Furthermore, there are wines coming out from China and India. Because of the lower wages in these countries, wines can now be produced at a fraction of the costs of the French vineyards. Price has now become a big challenge that the traditional wineries have to face. Some authors even suggest that the Old-World producing countries like France has followed growth decline and now has entered a second life phase. While the New-world countries are in an emerging or growth phase As the industry moves towards maturity phase of its life cycle, the pace of consolidation will increase. (Times of India,2007) 3.2 PESTEL Analysis The following is a review of the major environmental factors, which will impact the industry to a large extent. A closer examination of the more important factors amongst them will allow for a tighter integration between the external environmental factors and the corporate strategy chosen for Coopers. Political factors Government regulation has always played a major role in the WI. There are increasing concerns that there will be new barriers and trade impediments to trade in the WI. One such example is the trade disagreement between US and European Union in the level of farm subsidies that the US alleged that the EU farmers receive. The same allegations may also be similarly levied on the European vineyards. In the Wine Institute report on International Trade Barriers to U.S. Wine 2006, European wine producers were noted to have received certain subsidies . Tariffs also have been the most important barrier to the international wine trade. Some governments impose unusually high tariffs on wine imports. Recent announcement in the media like India opening its market and slashing duties on imported wine and spirits bring good news to the industry, as this will allow them to enter this lucrative untapped market. Though due to WTO pressure the tariff has been reducing, which has lead to major wine producing countries imposing various non-tariff trade barriers. One such non-tariff trade barriers are research fundings made available by local governments to improve the overall harvest yields and quality of the countrys grapes . Economical factors The rising number of middle class worldwide has led to an increasing appreciation of wine and demand for wine. In developing economies of China and India, this class of consumer is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. With the continued increase of economic growth rates for both countries, these consumers can now afford to consume wine is expected to grow significantly as well . The effect of currency fluctuations on the WI will continue to play an integral part in influencing the WI. The proportion of wine being exported outside the wine producing country has increased. Even in a traditionally large wine consuming market, the proportion of wine, which ends up in foreign land, has been increasing. The continuing trend of exporting to new markets such as India and China is going to increase as wine producers cope with the declining wine demand in traditional home markets As a result, the wine producers exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates will increa se further. Socio-cultural factors The increased spending power, sophistication of the middle class in many countries with increased tendency of copying the west has helped to increase the demand for wine consumption. This growing group of earners from various countries is often well traveled highly educated consumers with needs and wants for the better things in life. The number of middle class across Asia is expected to grow by 1 billion in the next 8 years . With the shift in demographics in the developing countries, there will be more wine drinkers in the future. Increasingly, there are also more scientific evidences that there are health benefits to be derived from moderate drinking of wine especially red wine. As a result, there is an increasing acceptance of the beverage as health-product leading to a healthy heart. Technological factors Innovation and technological factors continue to drive improvement in production yields and better storage of wine. The Australian WI today has transformed itself from a small cottage industry to one of the largest exporter of wines internationally, even to the extent of eclipsing some of the older Old-World countries. The great leap forward for Australia can be attributed to the Australian wine producers clustering to innovate and improve existing processes. (Read C, 2006) The growth of e-commerce infrastructure and the increasing acceptance of buying things online have led to new opportunities for wine connoisseurs and wine producers alike. With this new technology, niche wine growers are able to reach out to the individual wine consumers without being drowned out by the marketing noise generated by the large wine producers. The ability to ship small quantities directly to individual wine drinkers without passing through layers of middlemen may mean that small niche growers may be able to find their position in a market dominated by large brand names . Environmental factors Within the Food and Beverage (FB) industry, the WI is markedly different from the other products due to the fact that FB products are limited by market, while the WI is limited by resource (land and grapes). Reason being wine is grown in moderate climates and on certain types of soil. Sudden climatic changes may adversely affect production yields or may even destroy crops all together. The significant changes expected in the environment from global warming, rising sea levels, rising carbon emissions and increasing acidity in the waters will all add to contribute to the adverse conditions for which growers will find themselves in. These conditions together with a scarcity of good arable land may act to constrain or even reduce the industrys supply. On the positive side, in one of the rare articles published in Newsweek on the positive effects of global warming, the author highlights that fast melting of Artic glaciers and increase in global temperatures may lead to opening of new vine yards in many parts of the world with weather conditions similar to the Frances Champagne region. Legal factors External environmental legal factors have acted in line with other environmental factors changes. For example, the advent of the Internet e-commerce has resulted in changes in legislation for wine sales, which crosses state lines in the United States . In addition, the origin of the grapes used to make wines also became a contentious issue for many wine-producing countries. The origin of these grapes and the proportion of local grapes used became an issue for branding and labeling of wines; as governed by new local legislation controlling wine labeling. 4.0 Organising 4.1 Porters 5 forces analysis We have analyzed Coopers internal environmental factors using Porters Five Forces analysis. Being in a specialized industry, it is not easy for another player to just come in wanting a portion of the pie. The WI requires specialized skill sets, special knowledge and extensive experience to stay competitive. It also needs very high investment especially for equipments used for processing of wine. This indirectly induces high entry cost which  is work as a barrier of for new entrants. There is also the expected retaliation faced by new entrants from existing players. Coopers together with other existing players may collaborate to deter competitors from coming in. For example, Coopers may start dropping its price and the other existing players may follow suit leading to a price war. On the whole, the force of threat of entry is low here. 4.2 Threat of Substitutes This industry faces stiff competition from not only other wineries but also from other alcoholic drinks such as beer, spirit and pre-blended mixed drinks and carbonated drinks. Product-for-product substitution is also possible should customers of Coopers decide to try out other brands/types of wine. For the health conscious, bottled water, energy drinks and natural fruit juices also provide competition. Possibility of generic substitution is also there where as customers may prefer to spend on purchasing cigarettes rather than drinking wine. Thus, there is a high force of threat of substitutes in this industry. 4.3 Threat of entry Competitive rivalry among existing firms is evident in this industry. Larger companies are acquiring smaller wine producers to monopolize the market resulting in dynamic competition amongst these companies. As the WI is at its mature stage, companies start to take market share from competitors to survive. As there are too many wine producers, adding on to the high power of buyers, companies may decide to go for price wars due to high fixed costs to gain market share. This industry has high entry and exit barriers due to the extensive capital investment and knowledge skill set needed. In addition one must have sustainable resource, as it takes several years for wine to mature. This means that industry players do not have many choices. Again this induces competition amongst them and price wars and low margins situations are likely to happen. Based on the information above, the groups came to the conclusion that the industry is Medium Attractive. 5.0 Directing 5.1 Porters Generic Competitive Strategies Using Porter generic competitive strategies, we find that Coopers has the ability to outperform its competitors by adopting a strategy of Focus Differentiation. Porter proposed that a firms competitive advantage in an industry is determined by its competitive scope – i.e., the breadth of companys target market coupled with companys unique resource (product range, distribution channels, target market etc.), For Coopers the scope of the target market is narrow. It is mainly targeting niche markets for premium wines in the wine drinking markets of Europe, US, Australia, Japan and a few emerging Far Eastern Asian markets. When targeting niche markets, the company either can go for Cost Focus or Differentiation Focus. Coopers should not be following the Cost focus strategy as NZWI compete in the high quality premium category wines. Reduction of overall cost is achievable only to a certain extent, as this industry is highly capital intensive with many inherent costs along the supply chain. Instead Coopers should concentrate either on particular market segment, or product line segment or geographic market with high growth potential or all three. By following a differentiation strategy Coopers would be able to better focus its resources capabilities to the serve the special needs of a narrow strategic target more effectively than its competitors. 5.2 Bowmans strategic clock Using Bowmans competitive strategy clock† too, Coopers falls under category 5, Focused Differentiation. This strategy is similar to the Porters generic model, which tries to provide high-perceived product benefits justifying a substantial price premium usually to a selected niche market segment. Coopers can use this strategy in new markets, by targeting sales into the same niches in more countries. While in established markets Coopers could even adopt Category 4 Differentiation –with price premium by offering better wine at the same price or by pricing it slightly higher than competitive brands in the same price bracket, to take advantage of the fact that fine quality wine will always demand a premium and at the same  promote it as premium category. (Meredith R, 2007) Cost Leadership may not be sustained for Coopers because of some of the following reason: Competitors can imitate – differentiation may not be sustainable it can easily replicated by competitors like South African or South American wine producers Bases of differentiation become less important to buyers Competing on just quality to demand high price may not be enough. For example in price conscious markets like UK, Holland and Germany, wines from South American and South were seen as better value than NZ wine Target segment can become structurally unattractive: Structure erodes This could happen for Coopers target market in US, restaurants and boutique retailers. They may form a group for centrally sourcing activities to drive down costs, somewhat similar to what happened with Tesco Supermarket Chain (UK). (Aylward, 2006) Demand disappears – there may be new research findings in future that may lead to lower consumption of wine. Or even they may be new legislation banning consumption of alcohol products in public places similar to that of smoking, which may lead to total disappearance of a target segment. From the evaluation of Coopers core competencies, the followings were recognized. Coopers is a typical entrepreneurial venture in that the founding entrepreneur, Andrew, had driven its development and growth. A critical factor of success of Coopers is Andrews ability to build relationships, within the context of an innovative and flexible approach, in order to leverage critical resources to pursue growth. Coopers strategy was based on having a carefully controlled but finite quantity of wine to sell every year. With Andrews commitment to quality, it has earned itself a relatively good reputation in the industry. From the evaluation of the KSF of the WI, the followings were recognized. Historically, the NZWI had focused on the production of premium wines, given its constrained supply, small scale, high cost structures and distinctive ‘clean and green growing conditions. Availability of consistent high quality products that has strong brand value and recognition are highly sought after and considered KSFs. 6.0 Monitoring 6.1 Wineries Both management employees of wineries play a key role and yield great power in terms of the quantity type of wine to be produced. Great deal of collaboration exists between the local wineries to share knowledge costs. 6.2 Grape growers Being key players, they control the quality and quantity of grapes grown. Many of the wineries are backward integrated by owning lands or having long-term contracts with individual producers. Power of suppliers is low. 6.3 Industry Associations Wine Organizations in NZ like Wine Institute, former Wine Guild with backing of the NZ government are very powerful. All Wineries have to take up compulsory memberships and contribute towards funding running of the organizations. These key roles of these organizations are promoting NZ wine in international markets, lobbying with foreign governments to open new markets, lowering of trade restrictions and tariffs etc. They also initiate research programmes and training for the entire industry, funded by the wineries. (Zalan T, 2005) 6.4 Consumers The final end user, this group needs to be well informed kept satisfied by providing high quality premium products with consistent quality and availability at affordable prices. Power high. 6.5 NZ Government NZ government is a key player with considerable power who has played a  pivotal role in the development of the NZWI. The government has been implementing new legislations in consultation with NZWI to meet the current market requirements. Some examples would include changes in government policy in the 1980s making it favorable for local manufacturers to export to foreign markets . (Harvard University, 2007) 6.6 Distributors, Retailers, Buyers Buyers like Supermarkets are powerful players who dictate the price type of wine stocked on shelves. WI is a buyer driven industry, where buyers hold a lot of power. 6.7 Domestic and Foreign investors This group needs the minimal amount of effort. They are satisfied as long as they get a good return on their investments. 7.0 Critical Analysis 7.1 Competitor Analysis The world WI is currently experiencing a situation of over-production. In the EU alone, it was reported by Food Drink.com that there is a surplus o f 1.5bn litres of wine, enough for every European Union citizen to take roughly four free bottles each. Millions of Euros have been spent to turn these excess wines into industrial alcohol. (All Things, 2006) The WI is a highly fragmented, with over a million wine companies around the globe. None of the firms control more than 1% of the retail sales, with top 10 players controlling 11% of the global market share (based on volume) . These industry competitors come from different wine growing countries and continents. This is especially true for Old-World Countries in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany) accounts for 60% of the world wine production and 80% of world trade . In contrast, the New-World Producers (Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, USA, New Zealand) wines are more consolidated. On average these countries appear to be more structurally attractive compared to Old-World Countries. Moreover, in the last decade the industry structure has been undergoing dramatic change. There is a growing trend of consolidation. Cash flow rich alcoholic beverage  companies are investing in the WI as their own markets of beer and spirits are maturing. 7.2 Stakeholder analysis The WI being a competitive industry has a varied, vibrant and balanced group of stakeholders, with frequent and varied channels of communication. All the forces involved try to build consensus within which the primary decisions in the industry are made. 7.3 Life-Cycle Analysis We have identified Coopers to be in the phase of Mature stage in the life-cycle model. In view of its competitive conditions, we also identify there may be many competitors which are likely to resort to price-cutting strategy for volume. Therefore one of Coopers directive is to differentiate its product portfolio through leveraging on its enhance brand equity to promote customers retention and loyalty within its existing customer-based and new customer groups whilst consistently driving cost efficiency through economies of scales and innovative efficient ways of bringing cost down. (Pape E, 2007) 7.4 Positioning analysis Coopers currently enjoy relatively good brand equity amongst its market segment. To infuse the same branding principle across distinctive first label allows them to capitalize on its already successful branding strategy, further maximizing the returns of their marketing investment especially for the second label. 7.5 Value chain analysis Through new ways of doing things such as possible bottling in import markets to reduce shipping costs, backward integration either through ownership or long term leasing with good quality of vineyards across NZ and beyond, could potentially reduce their overall cost per unit yet enabling them to utilize cost advantage strategy to expand the perceived value for the brand. 7.6 Business profile analysis This growth strategy do not require a complete reinvention of wheels, it  capitalizes on the existing goals and values of the group, its resources and capabilities, its structure and management systems and its industry environment to further produce enhanced features and products thus major increase in expenditures is not expected, instead an increase in financial perform is forecasted due to the additional opportunities from new market penetration. (Heijbroeck, 2003) 8.0 Recommendations: 1.The expansion of the cooper’s creek network of export markets and the development of second labels. These second label wines could generally be sold at lower prices thus protecting the price status of the Coopers Creek labels but gaining extra sales volume for the company. In most cases the second labels will sell through different distributors. 2.The above strategy will also help with over reliance on a few key distributors. In the case of the rapidly growing US market, coopers creeks have not appointed one exclusive national importer. Instead they will sell to some 20 independent importer/distributors in different states either by direct shipment from the winery or out of a warehouse in California. This will ensure the company doesn’t become a victim of the rationalisation of a large importers or distributors catalogue of wines carried. (Kogut B, 2006) 3.The steady acquisition of control of the vineyards producing their best grapes. That has taken the form of either complete acquisition by purchase, long term leases or the establishment of joint ventures with the vineyards under cooper creek’s management and tied up under long term supply contracts. In the last two years they have purchased three vineyards, leased one and entered one joint venture with an existing contract grape grower. They are currently looking at two further existing vineyards with a view to purchase or lease. 4.Continue to produce consistently high-quality products. 5. Maintain and increase its brand equity and recognition as a premium wine producer. 6.Establish international supply management to facilitate its global market operations. 7.Maintain or improve its already good relationships with stakeholders. 8. Ensure there is cost efficiency in its operations so as to maximise profit with minimum cost. 9.Last but not least, continue innovating in terms of its product and marketing. †¢Current  turnover is NZ$5.5M †¢Current production is at 1100tonnes per year (approx 85,000 cases) and aiming to be 1800tonnes by 2008 †¢They should purchase more of their own vineyards in the Hawkes Bay region in the last few years which would prove beneficial to them. †¢They should increase production of Pinot Noir which is one of their best vineyards by 400% and this will become a feature varietals alongside Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for the future †¢All wine is made on site at their Auckland vineyard. On site facilities include Cellar door tasting room and retail shop, Plant buildings (tanks) and bottling line, warehouse and barrel store, landscaped gardens with picnic areas and children’s playground. (Johnson, 2005) A cellar/courtyard wine bar will open for lunches and private group bookings late 2003. Plans have been drawn up for a cafà ©/function centre but as yet no time frame as to when maybe initiated, which should be implemented soon. (Nielson A, 2006) 9.0 Conclusion It can be concluded, the NZWI is still considered to be at an early maturity phase of its lifecycle, as evidenced by a small number of takeovers and increasing concentration. As the industry matures, there is a need for NZ wine producers to retain focus on quality, differentiated products, while holding their premium price position. In addition, they need to play to their strengths in white wines and introduce more red wines into their portfolio. (Ghoshal S, 2007) As a company, Coopers needs to realize the trend toward deteriorating industry profitability is a constant threat in mature industries. As rivalry encourages overinvestment in capacity, international competition increases, and as differentiation is undermined by commoditization, attaining a competitive advantage becomes essential to achieving positive economic profits. Cost is the overwhelmingly important key success factor in most mature industries and three cost drivers tend to be especially important: Economies of scale, low-cost inputs and low overheads. Cost efficiency in mature industries is rarely a basis for sustainable  competitive advantage; it is typically a requirement for survival. Deteriorating performance among mature companies typically triggers the adoption of turnaround strategies, of which the company must choose the most suitable one for its profile. Coopers have so far maneuvered its way past the many problems that plague other producers. However, more emphasis might be needed in terms of differentiating itself from the other NZ brands. It would have to build on its brand equity, and continue to leverage on Andrews contact network. Most importantly, the establishment of a succession-planning project would also has to be included in future strategic plans so that the company will continue to prosper should Andrew decide to depart or retire. (Robbins S, 2006) 10.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. (Johnson, 2005) Johnson, Scholes Whittington , Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall, 2005 2. (Porter M, 2001) Porter Michael E., The Competitive Advantages of Nations, The Macmillan Press Ltd., 2001 3. (Wheelen, 2006) Wheelen, Thomas L. and Hunger, David J., Strategic Management and Business Policy, Prentice Hall, 2006 4. (Grant R, 2005) Grant, Robert M., Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Blackwell Publishing, 2005 5. (Read C, 2006) Read, Charlotte, Stakeholder Consensus Marketing. An explanatory national competitivess model for the New Zealand Wine Industry, September 2, 2006 6. (All Things, 2006) All Things Considered. Washington D.C., Global Warming Endangers California Wine Industry, December 5, 2006 7. (Times of India,2007) India plans duty cuts on wine, spirits, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India_Business/India_plans_duty_cuts_on_wine_spirits/articleshow/1897262.cms, April 12 2007 8. (Pape E, 2007) Pape E., Bordeaux Meets Beijing; Chinas eager oenophiles are reviving the flagging French Wine Industry, Newsweek, April 16, 2007 9. (Meredith R, 2007) Meredith, R. and Hoppough, S., Why Globalization Is Good, Forbes, New York, April 16, 2007 10. (Aylward, 2006) Aylward, D. K. and Glynn, J., SME Innovation within the Australian Wine Industry: A Cluster Analysis, 2006 11. (Smith J, 2006) Smith, J.M, The e-Commerce Pendulum, Brandweek, September 18, 2006 12. (Pape, 2007) Pape, Eric Vineyards on the move Newsweek, April 2007 13. (Nielson A, 2006) Nielson, A., Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol.29, Iss 2, Spring 2006 14. (Asimov E, 2005) Asimov, E., New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast). New York, N.Y., August 31, 2005 15. (Zalan T, 2005) Zalan, T., Global, Local or Semi-Global? The Case of the Wine Industry, Australian Centre for International Business, Working Paper, No. 6, August 2005 16. (Heijbroeck, 2003) Heijbroeck, Arend M.A., Consequences of the globalization in the wine industry, Report made by Rabobank International, Symposium International, October 8 2003 17. (Ghoshal S, 2007) Ghoshal, S, Global strategy: An organizing framework. Strategic, Management Journal 8, 2007 18. (Kogut B, 2006) Kogut, B., Designing global strategies: Comparative and competitive value-added Chains, Sloan Management Review (Summer), 2006 19. (Porter M, 2004) Porter, M. E.,Clusters and the new economics of competition, Harvard Business Review, November-December 2004 20. (Harvard University, 2007) How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, March-April 2007 22. (Slater S, 2002) Slater S. Malcolm, Michael Porter. Notes on Diversification As a Strategy. Harvard School Publishing, 2002 23. (Slater F, 2002) Slater F. Stanley, Olson. Eric, A Fresh Look at Industry and Market Analysis, Business Horizons. Kelly School of Publishing, January-February 2002. 24. (New Zealand Growers, 2006) New Zealand Wine Growers Research Committee, Research Development Strategic Plan, December 2006 25. (Robinson J, 2008) Robinson, Jancis, The Fast-Changing World Of Wine, http://www.sifst.org.sg/pdf/article-thefastchanging.htm. 26. (Robbins S, 2006) Robbins S., Bergman, R., Stagg, I. Coulter, M. @006, Management, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, Sydney. 27. (Study Guide, 2008) Foundations od Management Study Guide 2008, Southern Cross University.

Challenges That Face Democracy In Malaysia Politics Essay

Challenges That Face Democracy In Malaysia Politics Essay The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled in society are the essential of human dignity. The rights of human cannot replace nor can be against each other. Socialists protect the rights of Malaysia citizen and protect individual safety, freedom of belief, free expression of opinion, and freedom of association and protection from torment and humiliation. Socialists are devoted to achieving freedom from hunger and wants from Malaysia citizen, actual community security and the rights to work. The countrywide struggles for democratic socialism for the years revealed differences in policy and difference on legislative provisions. These reflect the different histories and pluralism of diverse societies. Socialists do not possess the proposal for a fixed and decisive society, which cannot be changed, reformed or supplementary developed. Solidarity is the influential weapon in the struggle against unkindness and unfairness and it embraces all the citizen in Malaysia. Equality is the precondition of free development of personality. It does not mean regularity and levelling out, but opposition against exploitation and against the rights of those controlling economic and political authority. There must be equal rights and opportunities for the different cultures within each society as well as equal right to use for everyone in Malaysia. Democratic socialism uphold the authority to rule and anxiety for the well-being of people of all classes, the right to a civilized and hygienic environment, the right to inclusive education and training, as well as the ability to contribute in administration and all decision-making processes. Democratic party Malaysia Around 50 years ago, Malaysia began practising parliamentary democracy when the first post-independence general election was held in 1959. An important aspect of the democratic system is elections. Elections in the practice of democracy constitute a social contract between the people and the candidate or party that succeeds to form a government. Barisan National (coalition) United Malays National Organization The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu in Malay, is the largest political party in Malaysia and a founding member of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled the country uninterrupted since independence. After the British returned to Malaya in the aftermath of World War II, the independence movement started to take wing to oppose the British plan of a Malayan Union. A series of Malay congresses were held, culminating in the formation of UMNO on May 11, 1946 at the Third Malay Congress in Johor Bahru, with Datuk Onn Jaafar at its head. However, membership in UMNO was and continues to be limited to members of the Malay (bumiputra) race, and Onn Jaafars attempt to change this policy and the partys name into the United Malaya National Organisation was rejected in 1951. Onn Jaafar resigned in protest, but his role was taken up by Tunku Abdul Rahman who steered the country to independence in 1957. Malaysian Chinese Association The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) is a political party in Malaysia, made up of Malaysian Chinese and one of the three major parties that make up the ruling Barisan Nasional, or National Front. Along with the larger UMNO and the smaller Malaysian Indian Congress, the MCA has a heavy influence on the politics of the country. Through its holding company Huaren Holdings, the MCA also controls five significant newspapers: The Star, Malaysias best-selling English newspaper; Sin Chew Jit Poh, the best-selling Chinese newspaper; and smaller Chinese dailies China Press, Nanyang Siang Pau, and Guang Ming. The Malaysian Chinese Association was formed on 27 Feb 1949 with Sir Tun Tan Cheng Lock as the inaugural President. The MCA is form to safeguard democracy and freedom of the citizen in Malaysia safeguard the legitimate rights of the Chinese community. The party desire to strive for equal status for all races in the country and uphold social justice. In addition, MCA is to promote racial harmony and national unity and national economic and social development Malaysian Indian Congress The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is one of the oldest political parties of Malaysia, established in August 1946. It was established in the cause of the continuing struggle of the inter-war tears, to end British Colonial rule, as well as in the require for representation on behalf of Indian Community in the post war development of the country. Its founder President was John A. Thivy (1946-1947). The Party was committed to the attainment of freedom and democracy for the country. Besides that, MIC desires to build a positive inter-racial harmony and cooperation. General prosperity and stability of the country and a fair share for the Indian community in the future of the country also the attainment that MIC want to accomplish. Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia was founded in 1968. Since then, the party have been growing from strength to strength despite external constraints and internal problems. Through sincere leadership, practical strategies and non-communal approaches, the party have been successful in obtaining support to strive for a democratic united Malaysia characterized by racial harmony, social justice, economic equality, political democracy and cultural liberalism. As a relatively young party, the party has encountered moments of triumph and suffering in the struggle. The current leader of Gerakan is Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon who won the post of President uncontested in the 2008 party elections. As of 2006[update], about 80% of Gerakans members are ethnic Chinese, another 15% are Indian, and the rest are Malays or other races. The PGRM have been complimented as well as criticized. But all the same, the party never faltered in faith. Integrity and ability have again and again been proven through deeds and words, both internal and outside the government sphere. The receptivity to peoples criticism and advice, and sensitivity to the citizen needs and aspirations are the two major elements that make the party a dynamic and resilient political force in the national arena. The party suffered its worst electoral defeat in the 2008 General Election, which saw the party retaining only two parliament seats, compared to the 10 seats it had before the election. As a result, the party lost its only cabinet post in the ensuing cabinet shuffle. In addition, Gerakan also lost power in Penang after governing the state for almost 39 years. Liberal Democratic Party (Malaysia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a Chinese political party originally founded in the town of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia by Hiew Min Kong in 1989. The party is considered a minor political party in Malaysia, having its base mainly in Sabah. Its sole parliamentary seat in the Dewan Rakyat is the Sandakan seat which was won by the partys president, Liew Vui Keong in the 2008 General Elections under the Barisan Nasional ticket. The objectives of Liberal Democratic Party Sabah are to honour and protect the Constitution of Malaysia and to uphold the principles of the Rukun Negara. To strive for and establish a fair and equal society regardless of racial origin or belief and to inspire into the people the spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and friendliness in a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society. LDP wish to eliminate corruption in all forms in the Government and to ensure the establishment of a government fully accountable to the people. LDP safeguard the interests of Sabah within the context of Malaysia and co-operate with other political organisations with similar aims and objectives on a Malaysian basis in joint political activities. Top of Form Barisan Alternatif (coalition) Democratic Action Party The DAP or Democratic Action Party was founded on 18th March 1966. Using its symbol of the Rocket, the DAP had contested in 10 general elections from 1969 to 2008. The vision of the party is to create a peaceful and successful social democracy that can unite the different races and diverse religions and cultures based on a Malaysian Malaysia concept by forging Malaysian race with universal moral values and offering equal rights and opportunity. The party is democratic governance and rule of law and creating wealth and distributing wealth equitably. The party is fighting against corruption as well The DAP is committed to the fight for a free, democratic socialist Malaysian Malaysia, based on the principles of human rights, equality, social and economic justice, and founded on the institution of parliamentary democracy. As democratic socialists or social democrats, the party is desire a social environment whereby there can be liberated development of the human personality within the community. As a member of Socialist International (SI), DAP is one with democratic socialists or social democrats throughout the world fighting for the cause of humanity and social democracy. DAP is in solidarity with oppressed peoples who oppose unjust wars and production of weapons for war and who advocate peace and prosperity based on equal co-operation aided by scientific knowledge and technical advancement. Early electoral successes and related events The DAP contested a general election for the first time in 1969. In line with their commitment to equality, the DAP originally campaigned against Bumiputra privileges, such as those afforded to them by Article 153 of the Constitution. Article 153 is one of the most controversial articles in the Malaysian constitution. Critics consider it to create an unnecessary and racialist distinction between Malaysians of different ethnic backgrounds, because it has led to the implementation of affirmative action policies which only benefit the Bumiputra, who comprise a majority of the population. They also continued Lee Kuan Yews campaign for a Malaysian Malaysia, the idea of which was originally conveyed by Lee in Parliament: Malaysia to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian. The DAP went on to win 13 Parliamentary seats and 31 State Assembly seats, with 11.9% of all valid votes that were cast in the election; the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) which campaigned on a similar platform also made major gains. The 1969 election marked the biggest gains ever made by an opposition party in Malaysia (before 2008), and came close to seeing the ruling Alliance toppled from power. However, a march made by the DAP along with Gerakan as part of the opposition team led to violence, and resulted in what was euphemistically termed the May 13 Incident. Parliament was suspended for two years, and the executive branch of the government assumed power. When Parliament reconvened, it passed pieces of legislation such as the Sedition Act that illegalised discussion of repealing certain portions of the Constitution. Most of these concerned Bumiputra privileges, such as Article 153. The DAP and the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) were the only parties that voted against the Act, which passed by a vote of 125 to 17. After the 1969 election, the DAP would never come close to repeating its past successes for the next 38 years. Although the DAP remained a major opposition party, the ruling coalition had clung solidly to its two-thirds parliamentary majority. The DAP, however, continued campaigning on its platform of abolishing the Bumiputra privileges, giving equal rights for all Malaysians regardless of race and establishing a democratic socialist state in Malaysia. During the Mahathir administration in 1987, several DAP leaders, including Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, were detained by the government without trial during Operation Lalang, under the accusation of being a national security threat. It is widely believed they were arrested for protesting the expansion of the New Economic Policy (NEP). KeADILan The Peoples Justice Party of Malaysia (KeADILan) is the only multi-racial, multi-ethnic political party in Malaysia calling for widespread political reform and advocating for social justice for all Malaysians.   KeADILan believes good governance and accountability of public servants is the cornerstone of the Malaysian democracy and as such has been outspoken against the excesses of the current government, which is seen to be beholden to special interests and cronyism.   Borne in the upheaval of the 1998 movement known as Reformasi, the National Justice Party (NJP) headed by Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, captured five seats in Parliament solidifying the young partys role in national politics. In 2003 the NJP merged with the Malaysian Peoples Party to form the Peoples Justice Party, still headed by Dr. Wan Azizah. A true reflection of Malaysias multi-ethnic population, KeADILans ranks are filled with Malays, Indians and Chinese dedicated to building a prosperous Malaysia wedded to the principles of freedom and democracy.   KeADILan is dedicated to overcoming generations of race-based politics which have prevented Malaysia from realizing its potential as a diverse society.   This year KeADILan has experienced a surge in popularity under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim and in light of widespread public dissatisfaction with the current Malaysian government.   General elections are anticipated in 2008 and KeADILan is slated to make substantial gains at the polls. Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. PAS positions itself as a political party that aims to establish Malaysia as a country based on Islamic legal theory derived from the primary sources of Islam, the Quran, Sunnah as well as Hadiths, as opposed to Barisan Nasionals Islam Hadhari, which PAS sees as based on a watered-down understanding of Islam. The party enjoys strong support from the northern rural and conservative states such as Kelantan and Terengganu. It is also the first opposition party in independent Malaysias history to defeat the Barisan Nasional coalition in a Malay dominated state. PAS, together with Parti KeADILan Rakyat (known as PKR), and Democratic Action Party (known as DAP) formed part of a coalition called Pakatan Rakyat following the 2008 election. Together, Pakatan Rakyat now controls four states in Malaysia which are Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Penang. Criticisms towards UMNO-led Barisan National government PAS often opposed and criticised the Barisan Nasional coalition. However, for a brief period from 1973 to 1978, under the leadership of Asri Muda, PAS was brought into the BN fold.The Islamic opposition party often alleges that the economic and social problems of Malaysians and Malay-Muslims are the fault of the UMNO-dominated Barisan Nasional federal government in Kuala Lumpur. PAS claims that after independence, social problems such as drugs, corruption and promiscuity have increased and blames the UMNO-led government for allowing these problems to arise. PAS is of the view that its leadership can overcome these perceived problems for the benefit of the Muslim and non-Muslim electorate alike by establishing an Islamic state. Pakatan Rakyat Pakatan Rakyat or PR (English: Peoples Pact / Peoples Alliance) is an informal Malaysian political coalition formed on April 1, 2008. The political coalition comprises a group of Malaysian political parties, namely, the Peoples Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), who collectively worked together in what was colloquially called the Barisan Rakyat (Peoples Front) during the 12th Malaysian general election in 2008. In the 10th General Election, they had formed the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front). Each political party in Peoples Alliance has its own ideology; PKR promotes its ideals that revolve around social justice and anti-corruption themes, PAS with its aim to establish Malaysia as a nation based on Islamic legal theory and DAP with its secular, multi-racial, social democratic ideals. Pakatan Rakyat is to be collectively led and managed, by all three parties and pledges to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians. With the establishment of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, the state governments of Kelantan, Kedah, Penang and Selangor are known as the Pakatan Rakyat state governments.