Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Capital Punishment - Essay Example After 2004, lethal injection (perceived by many as the least gruesome way of executing someone), hanging and beheading were the main methods used. Electrocution and the gas chamber are used in the United States only if the inmates wish to be executed by these methods. Stoning to death for sexual offences still occurs in some Islamic countries, notably Pakistan.2 From 1990 to 2003 Amnesty International reported a global average of 2,242 executions per year. In 2003 Amnesty reported 1,146 executions in 28 countries, 88% of them in just 5 countries: The People’s Republic of China 726, Iran 108, the U.S. 65, Vietnam 64 and Saudi Arabia 52.3 The figures reported by Amnesty in 2004 showed an increase over the previous year, totaling 3,797 executions in 25 countries, about 90% of them (3,400) in The People’s Republic of China, 230 in Iran, 64 in Vietnam, and 59 in Opposition to Capital Punishment began in Europe in the 1750s. Persons like Cesare Beccaria (Italian jurist), Voltaire (French philosopher), Jeremy Betham and Samuel Romilly (English law reformers) declared that Capital Punishment was inhumane and should be replaced by life imprisonment.5 Today, Capital Punishment has been abolished in the vast majority of democracies in Europe and Latin America, while it is still retained in most democracies in Asia, the U.S. and almost all totalitarian governments. In the U.S., the Supreme Court abolished it in 1972 on the grounds that it was being applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner which constituted cruel and unjust punishment (Furman v Georgia 1972).6 On July 2, 1976 in deciding the case Gregg v Georgia, the Supreme Court legalised capital punishment.7 Today following a four-year moratorium, Capital Punishment was reinstated in 1976. Today, it is followed in 36 States as well as by the Federal Government.8 Capital Punishment is a far better tool than life imprisonment primarily considering the saving of State and

Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s

Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s Portrayal of Women Changed in Horror Films Since The 1920s Introduction: Fear is the most powerful emotion in the human race and fear of the unknown is probably the most ancient. Youre dealing with stuff that everybody has felt; from being little babies were frightened of the dark, were frightened of the unknown. If youre making a horror film you get to play with the audiences feelings. The main purpose of horror films is to entertain, frighten and to invoke our repressed worst fears, in a terrifying and shocking way, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the use of shadows and mise-en-scene within the early classic horrors films to the psychotic human serial killer and CGI monsters and aliens present in todays horror movies. The horror film genre is nearly as old as cinema, with the first silent short film directed by Georges Melies in 1896: Le Manoir du Diable. It only lasted for a few minutes and the audience adored it and it left them wanting more due to the way he made supernatural events the main aspect of this film. German filmmakers started to produce horror films and the first feature length vampire horror film was F.W Murnaus Nosferatu released in 1922. However it was down to the genius work of Robert Wiene director of The Cabinet of Dr. Calligari released in 1920 that lead the way for the serious horror films. In the early 1930s the Universal studios created the modern horror film genre and brought a series of successful gothic-horror including Dracula directed by Tod Browning and Frankenstein directed by James Whale and both were released in 1931 followed by numerous sequels. In the 1950s the horror film genre shifted from gothic to more modern horror. Aliens and monsters threatened to take ov er the world and humanity had to try and overcome the threats of these invasions. In the late fifties horror films became gorier which saw the remakes of traditional horror stories such as Edgar Allen Poes The Fall of the House of Usher The Raven which starred the iconic actor Vincent Price. The early 1960s took the audience much deeper into the world of horror films, with the release of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho in 1960 which used a human as the monster and killer instead of a supernatural one to scare audiences. According to Prince (2004), the deeply disturbing admission, which undermines the audiences belief in rationality, with an existence where terms can be controlled or at the very up-most understood. With its savage attack on the audience and belief system, Psycho provided the path for modern horror and for our contemporary sense of the world. It seems that Monsters today are everywhere, and they can not be destroyed. (Prince, 2004.p. 4) The psychological aspects that this can cause on the viewers is it can allow them to find their Dark, unnatural, hidden self. (Skal, 1993, p.17).This is because: So much of our imaginative life in the twentieth century has been devoted to peeling back the masks and scabs of civilisation, to finding, cultivating and projecting nightmare images of the secret self (Skal, 1993, p.18) This means that changing and developing the monster into a psychotic killer, externalises the viewers fear as the murderer could be anyone they know, right down to the person sat next to them in the audience in the cinema or at home. It makes the film seem more realistic and that it could actually happen to them. Tudor 1989, uses key words to explain how the viewer is feeling and shows how they move from an external threat, monsters are not real, so this wont happen to me, to an internal threat, the killer seen as a human and could be anyone they know. This moves them from a sense of security to paranoia. In 1975 a young Steven Spielberg directed Jaws, which became the highest grossing film to that time period. In the late Seventies filmmakers started to produce disturbing and gory films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre directed by Tobe Hooper in 1974. This saw humans being ripped a part by other humans who have psychotic tendencies. Women seem to be portrayed within these horror films as merely sexual damsels in distress who usually get murdered within the first few minutes of the film. This is clearly demonstrated in the film Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1975 where a young drunken girl goes skinny dipping in the sea and gets eaten by the great white shark that haunts the waters of Amity Island. Scream shows a blonde, naive young girl (played by Drew Barrymore) who is home alone with no neighbouring houses near, wearing only a jumper and pyjama bottoms. The killer sees this as a weakness due to the girl being at her most vulnerable and uses it to ring and terrorise her. She is unaware of his intentions and talks back to him on the house phone until he tells her he wants to know her name so he can know who he is looking at! She is the perfect horror victim because she is defenceless and weak and the attack is unexpected. She continually screams at the top of her lungs for someone to rescue her when she is confronted by the killer, but who is she screaming to? No one is around her or within hearing distance of her cries for help, so they seem wasteful, useless and unnecessary even though in a situation where your life depended on it, It would seem necessary and practical that you scream helplessly for your life no matter if anyone could not hear or help you; it is a part of our survival techniques. This girl does not clearly demonstrate any survival techniques or skills. Instead it takes her a while to hang up the phone. When she eventually does she doesnt phone anyone she knows for help or comfort, like family or friends or even the emergency service who would be reliable sources of help and survival. Instead she chooses to scream and run around the house and garden where no one can hear her as a better option for survival, which it is not, as it ends abruptly with her hanging from a tree with her internal organs hanging out. The film/scene portrays women as being merely weak and incapable as she struggles to run for her life in order to get away from the killer. She falls over constantly and trips over her own feet. The character also portrays the image of the dumb blonde as well being stupid and incapable of looking after her self. Horror films rarely seem to feature women in a non- exploitative way. Even in modern movies such as Jennifers body directed by Karyn Kusama, released in 2009 and exploits women in a sexual manner, as it shows Megan Foxs character Jennifer as a loose sexual canon who is thirsty for men, but with a murderous twist. With all this in mind this dissertation intends to look at how the portrayal of women has changed in horror films and if it has at all. This dissertation intends to look at some of the films listed in this chapter to see if the portrayal of women in horror films has changed or developed over time from some of the first horror films to present day. In chapter one I intend to look at early horror films and the portrayal of women within them. I will analyse Tod Brownings Dracula 1931, Rob Reiners 1990 Misery with the award winning Kathy Bates, Bride of Frankenstein, Murnaus 1922 Nosferatu and Robert Wienes 1920 The Cabinet of Dr.Calligari and explore the way in which women are portrayed and represented within these films. Then in chapter 2 go on to look at more recent films such as Alien, Scream, and Psycho and see whether or not any changes have taken place or if women are still portrayed in the same way. This dissertation intends to explore and find out about the role of which women where and are portrayed in within horror films. This dissertation seeks to developed the depiction of whether or not women were or are now being treated fairly within the film industry and If there are any changes in the portrayal of them and if not why not. Chapter 1: Early Portrayal of Women. A horror film in which isolated psychotic individuals (usually males) are pitted against one or more young people (usually females) whose looks, personalities, and/or promiscuities serve to trigger recollections of some past trauma in the killers mind (Hutchings, 2004, p. 194). The stylish, imaginative and eerie 1920 film The Cabinet of Calligari explores the mind of a madman, set against an evil doctor who falsely incarcerates a hero in a lunatic asylum. Robert Wienes clever framing means the audience is never quite clear who is mad and who is sane. Wienes distorted take on reality is a disturbing experience, heightened by the rugged and harsh asymmetry of the mise en scene. If viewers were to watch this film nowadays they might find the pace slow, with long takes and little cutting between scenes. This is because the diegetic world is entirely artificial. The film takes the audience on a twisted, dreamlike tale, where all the scenery and objects take on a menacing new shape. It is not reality, and the stylised performances reflect that. Nosferatu the first successful adaptation of Dracula is the first vampire movie, and presents Bram Stokers novel, Dracula. Murnau changed the main character name to Count Orlok. He did this because the studio could not obtain the rights to the original novel. The Count is grotesquely made-up, with long curling fingernails that can curl around the limbs of his helpless victims. Nosferatu gives us a far more frightening movie than any other of its time by using an early mastery of lights and shadows along with the stop motion special effects which created a very eerie and haunting film for its audience and for its time period. In both of these movies the female character is portrayed as merely a weak, dependent individual, who constantly runs for her life but in the direction that will lead her to the villain/ killer, and when she is confronted with what she was running from she faints. Instead of running in the opposite direction and trying to save her own life it is as if she just gives up. This is showing women as weak, unintelligent and incapable of looking after themselves. It seems that all they are capable of doing is running, screaming and falling down: In our culture men are taught the need for dominance and competence while women are taught warmth and expressiveness. The reciprocal stereotype thus develops that men are competent and assertive while women are submissive, and that women are warm and gentle while men are cold and rough (McKillip, DiMiceli, Luebke, 1977, p. 82). It seems that the female characters within these early classical films do not seem to be able to think critically and/or logically when it comes to trying to solve their problems, even when it comes to a matter of life or death. Its seems instead they rely on their emotions to guide them rather than their logic. They often choose to run into dark rooms and hide in places where the killer can easily find them or get to them. Even when there is a large group of people that could help them they seem to run in the opposite direction, which results in their ideas for salvation failing and makes them come across as damsels in distress who cannot think for themselves. In the early years of filmmaking, movies that were produced seemed to operate under a social value system to control and monitor womens sexuality. It seemed that the female roles were to be kept as virgins for men to use them for pleasure and to dominate them. They were merely there to serve the male desires. Feminists identif ied the way that women were portrayed in film as sexual objects, a concept called male gaze. The male gaze is in some aspects the power that men have over women. This is very much a male dominated profession, directors, camera person, and runners are mostly male. It seems that without knowing and meaning to be, they are being sexist. They do bring the male gaze by making assumptions about what the audience want to see which female directors may not do or may do differently. It can also be classed as a form of visual harassment where men can watch women and fantasise over them in private or in public. Women in early films used to wear tight fitting corset dresses which clinched them in at the waist giving then an hour glass figure, giving them curves in all the right places, whilst also lifting and bringing together their bust making their assets seem much bigger and thus drawing the main focus in on them. It allows the male viewers to fantasise about what lies under her clothing and what it would be like to be with and have a woman like that. The appearance of the female remains youthful, angelic, beautiful, thin, sexy, well-groomed, neat and nicely-dressed throughout the film even in the moments of their death or final struggle with the killer. They even seem to wake up looking beautiful, not a single hair out of place or a bit of their make-up smudged. They look and seem perfect, their clothes are not ripped or tarnished, and they do not sweat during strenuous activity. In the original 1933 version of King Kong, directed by Merian. C. Cooper and Ernest. B. Schoedsack. The character Ann Darrow, played by Fay Wray, Clearly shows the passive female who is constantly screaming to be rescued by her male associates. It seems she is incapable of escaping from the grasp of the monster; she has to call upon the assistance of the stronger male sex. She is symbolised as a sexual object throughout the film for the monster and heroic male characters when her white dress is ripped and torn by the monster, revealing more of her flesh. This allows men to fantasise over her and her body and imagine what is under what little is left of her garments. Tod Brownings 1931 classic, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi has a similar representation of women. Near the start a male character speaks about Dracula and his wives implying there is more than one and no one seems to be fazed by the comment as if it is something of the norm. Women within the film are heavily made up with make-up, especially around their eyes. Its seems they have tried to make their eyes more bigger looking to make them more eye catching to the opposite sex as it is a well known fact that men are attracted to and like women with big bright eyes. They even go to bed and sleep in full heavy make-up and their hair looks immaculate with not a single strand out of place. The way they lay in bed, in a vulnerable position, one arm above their head, their neck fully on show just invites a vampire to bite down on their sweet fragrant neck. It is no wonder that the role of victims go to Female characters if they leave themselves carelessly open and vulnerable to the killer. Fema le characters clothing is long and floating but fitting around the waist to bring attention to the chest and outline of their upper body. Their hair is kept out of their face so that their facial features can be seen and the vampire women have an eerie persona around them and a not to be trusted atmosphere with there large staring eyes. They do as they are told and instructed to do so by Dracula in order to please and satisfy him. There seems to be not a lot of camera focus or time given to female character roles, except showing them in distress, worry and being vulnerable. The main female role, Mina, is not even taken seriously. She tells her fiancÃÆ'Â © and his associates about a dream she had the previous night and how scared she was and still is. They tell her to forget it, saying it was not real. They do not seem to want to believe her or her thoughts and worries; they dont seem to be valued or cared about. She is then advised by her father, whilst in the middle of speaking t o Dracula that she is to go to her room and to bed immediately and then is said to be crazy by her fiancÃÆ'Â ©. Male characters always seem to interrupt a female character in mid-sentence or in mid-thought as just shown. All major professions in the film seem to be run by men, for example all the doctors are male with female nurses to assist them and the servants and maids are female showing them running around after people and keeping things tidy as if it was a womans job to do so. Women faint and scream at the slightest thing and go to the male characters for comfort, reassurance and safety. Mina screams to be rescued and saved by what has happened to her (being turned into a vampire by Dracula) and cries to show her vulnerability and inability to cope and look after herself in strenuous situations. Women are looked upon as being ditzy, crazed, vulnerable, and unable to look after themselves and needing to be cared for, everything is ok because Im here spoken by Minas fiancÃÆ'à ‚ © in Dracula. This statement shows Minas fiancÃÆ'Â © to believe everything will be alright because everything will be stable and safe when a male figure is around because they are the main source of protection, security and without them women would not be able to cope or be able to live. Its as if women are under a spell or some power as they are attracted to Dracula, sending out the message to the audience that men have a hold and power on women within the film. At the end of the film when Dracula is being killed, Mina is sexualised as she starts to hold and caress her body showing she feels Draculas pain which is giving the male viewers a chance to fantasise over her. James Whales 1935 sequel The Bride of Frankenstein portrays women as either servants or sat around an open fire sewing, which is a stereotypical view of women. They wear long floating floor length dresses that nowadays look as if they are something you would wear to a special occasion not everyday just lounging around the house. This shows that a womans appearance in early horror films was very important. The dress is fitted around the waist and chest area and their hair is swept up out of their face to allow their facial features and expressions to be seen. Women are also seen to do what is right by their man in order to please them; they wont leave their mans side unless they are told to do so by him. They are also represented as being clumsy, careless and unaware and seeming to not have a clue of what is going on around them. For example this can be seen when a young women is faced with Frankenstein the monster and walks backwards off a small cliff resulting in her being vulnerabl e to the monster and having to scream to be rescued by a male passer by. This gives the message that women are incapable of looking after themselves and need to look to a man for protection. The Bride of Frankenstein is very clumsy in appearance; she falls over her own feet and sometimes over nothing. Her balance is very off so she seems unstable and needs to be supported by men and her facial expression is vague. This film portrays women as clumsy, vague individuals who just would not be able to function properly without the help and supervision of a man. This chapter has argued that women had no real main part or position within early horror films, only to be there to act as the main prize for the male leading role that happens to save her life and at the same time look good and give the male audience something alluring to look at. Chapter 2: The new view? Female characters do seem now to be receiving a more positive representation and women can be routinely seen to defeat male villains and showing strength and intelligence, moving from victim to heroine. It seems that women are coming into their own and showing that they are as strong as men and are not just sexual objects tshat they once used to be perceived as, through more strong assertive roles in films such as Ridley Scotts phenomenal and classic film, Alien, released in 1979. This film reverses the traditional role of women from the passive and powerless heroine who is constantly screaming for her life in order to be rescued by the dominant male figure, to an active and more powerful feminine character. The role of the main character Ripley, who happens to be a female despite having a male associated name, is an authority figure on board the ship, whose main task is to guide her seven crew members to a nearby planet to answer an SOS. All the terror and action unfolds around her and she ends up being the only survivor, out-living all the male characters. The male characters are represented as being weak and naÃÆ'Â ¯ve which is shown by the mistakes they make and the failures to properly do their duties and tasks which consequently results in their brutal deaths. As with women in early horror movies these males deaths occur comparatively early in the film. Ripley is the only one who outlives what is trying to kill her and her crew due to the fact that she makes the best judgements and thinks about her actions and plans out her escape. Due to the early deaths of Ripleys crew members, most of the main action of the film is based on and happening around her, making Sigourney Weavers character, Ripley the star and hero of the film as she is the only survivor at the end, along with her cat. The somewhat passive, fearful, and dependent female role figure is continuing to slowly disappear from our screens within horror films with a few exceptions: or has it? Wome n are still being shown as merely an object of desire that needs to be saved and protected by a male figure. This dissertation argues that the role of Ripley is still a female sex icon for the male audience, she seems to be placed there to fulfil the male sexual needs to have a half naked, toned female body strolling around on screen in order for them to enjoy the film more. Has mens taste in women changed? To some extent it may have. There is a media generated image now which sells the idea of healthy toned sexuality. This is partially replacing the previous curved and voluptuous body. Take Marilyn Monroe for instance. She use to drive men wild with her size 12/14 curves, however nowadays some men just dont find this attractive. It seems that men prefer to see slimmer women in films because it allows them to look at and fantasise over another womans body that is maybe different to the one that they have in their own life, be it their wife or girlfriend. This could be why women are concerned with their physicality because it also allows the female audience members to dream and fantasise about the perfect body, which they too could have. The old horror films looked at female and male relationships and it seems that in nowadays horror films there is a new way of seeing these relationships but is it a new way? At the end of the film Ripley strips down to her underwear and wears a tight fitting top with no bra. Her compromising moves and her hot sweaty and toned body gives the male viewers something interesting to look at and fantasise over. It seems to comply with and fulfil all male audiences requirements; it has aliens, fighting, guns, bloodshed and, of course, the hot female who gets semi naked. So has the role of women actually changed or have male expectations of female behaviour changed? Do men find sexually aggressive women attractive in our world? Do men secretly love to be dominated by the opposite sex or does it make them feel inferior? Or is this a tru thful picture of the sexualised feminist role model of our age? According to Lehmann womens lives were dominated by their sexual reproductive functions (Lehmann, p.9) (http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm. 20th November 2009) FrFeud believed that women envied men for having a penis; penis envy. He suggests that during the phallic stage (aged 3-5) girls distance themselves from their mother; as they blame her for the lack of a penis and due to this devote their affections to their father. (Budd, Susan .2005. P.142-143) This could explain why the writer wants Ripley to surround herself mostly with a ship full of a male based crew because the writer wants to show the envy women have over men. What the male crew members have and what Ripley is missing and also other females, women may start to become to see it as a disability. Perhaps it is because Ripley starts to realise that because of this disability, she is still able to be one of them and like them if not better. This could be argued that it is proven at the end of the film by outliving all the other male crewmembers. In a paper entitled The psychical consequences of the anatomic distinction between the sexes written in 1925, Freud wrote that: Women oppose change, receive passively, and add nothing of their own. (Freud, 1925) (http://psychology.about.com/od/sigmundfreud/p/freud_women.htm. 20th November 2009) (Budd, Susan .2005. P.142) The slasher film genre involves a repressed male killer who stalks and brutally murders his victims in a graphic and random manner. The unfortunate victim tends to be a teenager or young adult who lives in the middle of nowhere away from any type of civilisation, meaning there is no one around them or there for them to call upon when they need help. These types of films tend to begin with the murder of a young helpless woman and ends with the heroic female character surviving by managing to out smarten the killer after having some sort of life- depending struggle and being psychologically victimised for an extended amount of time by the killer, forcing her into an uncontrollable stage of paranoia and terror. However usually the killer doesnt die or someone else takes over from where the last killer left off resulting in several sequels. The director has a tendency to introduce at the beginning of the film the main heroic female character as being resourceful and determined even thoug h throughout the film she finds her friends and relatives dead. This could almost be the plot summary of what happens in the 1996 teen horror Scream directed by Wes Craven and released in 1996. The main character that just so happens to be female but has a male associated name, Sidney watches as one by one her high school classmates and friends start to be killed off in a sadistic manner. This links in with Ripley in Alien. They both have male associated names and watch whilst the people they care for and those around them are killed and they are left to try and defend for themselves. However, even though Sidney is the only one who outlives the killer(s) and ends up in all the Scream sequels she is still portrayed as a slightly weak female who requires help and comfort from the friends she still has and from those who have not already been mutilated. Where as Ripley relies on her own knowledge and survival skills to save her self from death. Rob Reiners 1990 Misery, starring the award winning Kathy Bates, shows Kathys character, Annie Wilkes, as a very caring and kind women at the start of the film as she rescues a novelist called Paul Sheldon by pulling him free out if his car in the middle of a blizzard storm. As she is a nurse she nurses him back to health by re-setting his legs as he has a compound fracture of the tibular in both legs and the fibular in the right leg is fractured as well. He also has a dislocated arm which she manipulates back into place. Se shaves him, feeds and waters him and also baths him, which shows her taking on the mother role of wanting to take care of and look after him as if he was an incapable child and not a grown man. The audience also learns at the beginning of the film that she is a fanatic fan of this author and that the blizzard prevented her from taking him to the hospital as it has caused road blockages. She starts to become slightly scary when she tells Paul that she would follow him to his hotel where he was staying and stare up at his window and wonder what he would be doing and that is how she found him in his un-conscious state in his car down the side of an embankment. The audience then start to learn that Annie has a very sort temper when she reads his new novel and is upset by the profound language he has used and starts shouting and ordering him to change it but then snaps back into being all nice and apologies, making the audience think nothing else about it. However as an audience when we start to realise that she is very unstable when she informs him that no one knows that he is there with her as she hasnt informed anyone like she says she has and that the roads and telephone are not blocked and that he better hope that nothing happens to her because if she dies then so will he as he will have no one to look after him. Again this is showing her unstable and psychotic side. As the film goes on we realise she is living her life through one of the c haracters within his novels and eventually the film ends with her killing the sheriff who becomes suspicious of Annie and investigates her house and eventually finds Sheldon. Annie kills the sheriff by shooting him and then plans on killing herself and Paul so they can live together in peace without anyone trying to find them and interfering in their lives. However it doesnt end with a happy ending for Annie as she and Paul get in a fight to the bitter death which results in Paul hitting her over the head with his type-writer that Annie bought for him and surprisingly doesnt kill her or knock her out. She attacks him and they end up in a locked fight on the floor leaving the audience in suspense on who is going to win. Eventually Paul manages to grab one of Annies large ornaments that just happen to be lying near by and smash it into her head which eventually kills her leaving him to get free. Misery portrays women as weak, unstable; reliable on men as Annie, who throughout the film always asks for reassurance from Paul along the lines of Am I doing it right? Other women in the film such as the sheriffs wife, works for her husband and does what he tells her, its as if it is expected of women to do what ever is told of them from a male character, as if it is the male characters who hold all the authority. They are also portrayed as being crazy, unsuitable and able of being on their own and looking after themselves. This is shown in the film when the audience become aware of the fact that Annies husband left her (however later on in the film we are lead to believe she may have killed him) which could be because he didnt want to be with her anymore and she couldnt deal with the fact of being on her own not through a choice of her own but that of a mans. Annie becomes suicidal and starts telling Paul she is thinking of killing herself when she gets depressed because of the rain or other reasons or factors that are out of her control, which makes her seem as a cont rol freak who needs to be in control of everything and have things going her way otherwise she is unable to cope and becomes unstable. So let us return to the question of whether the portrayal of women has changed. It may be thought that the role of women within horror films has somewhat developed and changed. There still are movies that wish to show the female sex as weak and insignificant figures within society. This can be seen in the Scream films which show the main female and so-called heroic character screaming to be rescued and looking for comfort by male companions or from those around her. Are the female character roles in films slipping back into the old way of how they were portrayed? Is this a reaction against the up-front controlling woman that was emerging in films such as Alien. Are men reasserting their status? It has been found that men tend to reduce women in television and film to three basic categories: homemaker, professional and sexual object. It has also been found that men tend to fell threatened when certain subgroups, of women, such as feminists or female athletes, express non-stereotypic behaviour in the media. These two subgroups of women in particular can threaten mens economic success and physical strength. ( DeWal, Altermatt Thompson, 2

TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION FOR MUSIC TECHNOLOGY :: essays research papers

The technology learning process can help teachers manage information in their daily work more effectively. Word processing software allows text-based documents to be entered, edited, formatted, and printed. This is a helpful tool for creating recital programs, handouts, and tests. Database software stores and retrieves records for instrument inventories, class lists, and attendance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electronic musical instruments may be defined as those that generate sound electronically rather than acoustically. Two examples are synthesizers and digital pianos. These instruments generally have three components: a controller, modifier capabilities, and a sound generator which may be separate units or self-contained like the digital piano.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music teachers need to know how MIDI connections are made among instruments, how to use MIDI in the classroom, and how to connect MIDI instruments with computers. They need to understand how to create layered and split keyboard sounds for performances. They also need to be able to choose and edit sounds from stored libraries and create using sounds using electronic instrument. Students can use electronic instruments as musical crayons creating simple complex musical pieces while gaining dexterity and technique. They can learn musical processes with keyboards and have fun at the same time. Electronic instruments can also be used in performance to enhance traditional and electronical-acoustics ensembles. A musical performance consists of a series of sounds played in time with appropriate tempo and dynamic changes. MIDI data, however, consists of a stream of information of note events generated by the electronic controller device. This information can be stored in the order played allowing the MIDI sequenced performance to be played at a later time. A device or computer, A hardware sequencer is a device dedicated to MIDI sequencing, and workstation is electronic keyboards that have built-in sequence capabilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, MIDI sequences are capable of storing large amounts of data. They are designed to emulate a multi-track tape recorder, a familiar metaphor for most musicians. A musician may record different musical parts onto separate tracks of the MIDI sequencer. Each track of the sequence may be assigned compositions. Unlike the tape recorder the MIDI sequencer gives musicians powerful and intuitive editing tools permitting changes and corrections without re-recording.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many software applications available to support music education. Those specifically designed to assist instruction are called Computer Assisted Instructional software or CAI. Commercially available CAI software programs are designed to help students learn music theory and music history, develop eat-training skills, and drill and test knowledge in a variety of areas.

Leadership and Ethics Paper

The movie entitled Coach Carter have shown more than just the simple approach on presenting leadership as a way by which the situations are treated by someone who is expert in a certain field of leading the people. As for this movie, the focus was on the way a coach was able to face the challenges of helping his team see more than just winning the games. Coach Carter, an alumni and an MVP player of the basketball team of the Richmond High School, was able to recreate the motivation of his team players through giving a different approach to his young players. His lengthened thought of the future for his team players have particularly helped him in taking greater steps in making a change in his procedures of the assistance that he is giving them towards   a certain future that would lead them to lives beyond what they have in the basketball courts. From this particular movie, it could be observed that â€Å"leadership† is certainly a factor that brings definite change to groups and organizations. The lessons that are presented through this film certainly awakens the corporate leaders in becoming more aware of the fact that their responsibilities does not simply involve them commanding and directing their people. The corporate world is certainly involving a number of great changes that are involving motivational procedures for the sake of the organizational future as well as individual development goals of the organization. Through the pattern that has been shown through the movie Coach Carter, this particular paper shall be completed in an aim of presenting the possibility of creating effective changes within the organization through the effective use of leadership procedures to be able to meet the challenges of future needs for the corporation that the said leaders are working for. The Role of Communication in Leadership As primarily shown in the movie â€Å"Coach Carter†, it could be observed that communication has been the key factor that has mainly assisted the coach in making it possible for the whole team to understand the aspect that he is making them see. This is indeed also an important factor that needs consideration in application for the sake of organizational growth. The act of constantly communicating with the people around the environment that an individual deals with certainly places an impact on the ways by which the organizational members are able to relate to each other with regards the plans, the procedures of the progressive advancements for the organization. Hence, from this point, it could be observed that there are at least five major points behind the importance of communication within organizational operations. The said points of communication are as follows: (a)Communicating for the sake of passing information There is a need for constant passing of information especially for organizational members. The idea is that the regular way of people communicating with each other would indeed keep the organization unified and intact for the sake of continuous business progress. (b)Communicating for organizational update on progress Whatever the company deals with, the members should know of all of them. This is for the sake of the establishment of trust among the employees as well as the organization’s administration section. It is through the application of regular communication that the progress reports could be utilized to motivate the other members of the organization. (c) Communication for motivational purposes As mentioned earlier, there is a specific need for the people of the organization to take specific steps in being able to perform well for the sake of organization’s progress. To be able to come to a meeting point between the administrators and the employees, it is then necessary to take advantage of communication. Through the open line of communication that exists between the two said parties, it is then obvious that the changes could be given chances of being fulfilled as both sides of opinions are already able to relate to each other’s needs and expectations form the organization as well as form each other. (d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication for the sake of advancement as an organization It is necessary that there exists an open line of communication between all the people making up the organization because of the fact that much of the progress procedures would rely on the ways that govern the ways by which the said people are able to connect with each other through speaking with each other. Their unity, their connection with each other towards progressive efforts relies on their capabilities to talk to each other and support each other through the use of communication. (e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication for the sake of implying law To be able to keep the whole organization at the right track, there is a necessity for the administration to imply the laws of business within the operational engagements of the employees as this would particularly identify the limitations and the capabilities as well as the benefits that the company has further provided for the employees. Communicating to the employees on why the said set rules are necessary to be followed by the people working within the organization shall then make it easier for them to cope up with the organization’s rules and thus keep a clear track of the changes that they need to face as they are staying with the said organization. From the discussion of the five-point reasons of why communication in the continuing process of a particular organization’s growth, it could be noted that the price that keeping the communication lines open pays is much essential for any organizational progress procedures. Constant attention given to the procedures of communication shall indeed bring forth fine results for the whole team or group that works their way on towards advancements. The five importance of communication certainly identifies one of the key roles of leaders then. In the movie Coach Carter, the coach never failed in helping his team understand why he’s doing to them what they actually do.   Hence, although they were not able to understand the reasoning that he presented to them as to why he aims to make them more motivated in learning their lessons as they are completely serious about their plays, they were able to take the gist of the methodologies he used to motivate them later on. The Constant Need for Change It is necessary that every organization take changes every now and then. The fact is that change is the primary reason why several organizations are able to spot the different aspects of possible progress that the organization could be undergoing in the near future. However, to be able to make change, a fine leader should be ready to face the challenges of the new venture that the organization tries to engage into. As based from the movie Coach Carter, it is indeed obvious that the change that he intended to make among his teams created problems with regards the reaction of the people. This particular situation in the movie actually presents the change that goes beyond the norms. Normally, people are not that open to change. However, through the use of transformational leadership, a person who aims to implicate the changes within the organization certainly is given a fine chance of showing that he can face the impending challenges that may hinder him from keeping up with the needed changes. It could be observed then that the leaders are indeed expected to have the capabilities of transforming the opinions of people to be able to coincide with the thoughts and the practices that they ought to imply within the organization. To be able to understand the situation better, it could be noted that the leaders are to have the necessary characteristics that they need to apply in dealing with the situations that they are usually faced with in their position as group motivators. There are necessary points that need to be considered in this particular situation. The said points are as follows: (A)People-focused leadership It is necessary that leaders are able to take into consideration several strategies that are able to meet the needs of the people that they serve. Certainly, it could be noted that the responsibilities of the leaders are primarily people-centered. The profit and everything else comes in a secondary state as leadership is primarily created to be able to direct people towards the progressive state of the organization. (B)Ethical Based policing It is always essential to carry into consideration the ethical measures of the procedures that are being adapted by organizational leaders. It is only through the ways by which the people are able to get the satisfaction that they need that the leadership of one particular person could be considered successful. Hence, the ethical standards that are set for business policing should constantly be observed by the business leaders as they are expected to have a closer observation of the intensity of the application of ethics within the system of business operations. (C)Giving personal assistance to people who are concerned in the change â€Å"Empathy† is one of the primary characteristics that fine leaders should posses. It is then necessary that the leaders of any organization have this particular attitude towards others especially when dealing with critical and complicated issues within the relational aspects of employees and the administration as well. (D)Personal Concern for the employee’s needs and expectations The individual’s that make up an organization are people who have their own needs and expectations from the company. If one particular leader is able to know and thus provide that particular need, it is then possible to have a more personal-focused system within the organization that could lead to a more progressive future for the entire business. Conclusion The movie of Coach Carter certainly redefines the responsibility and the normal approach of leadership within several organizations in the society. The constant implication of the fact that leadership is a profession, a career that requires strength and courage in implementing necessary rules within certain organizational settings, has been actually presented within the plot of the said movie. Hence, this particularly means that the changes that organizations are required to meet every now and then requires an amply amount of patience and courage from the leaders. Aside from that, it also requires sturdiness when it comes to decision making on the part of the leaders. The policy of â€Å"what must be implemented must be implemented† should always be carried on through by the leaders with an ample scaling of the ethical values that are involved within the situation. Yes, the fact that leadership is not an easy challenge that needs to be conscientiously met identifies the qualities and the attitudes that leaders or aspiring organizational head personnel should posses. Hence, a leader is then supposed to face the said challenges in full courage and knowledge of the strategies that need to be applied in particular situations that they are to meet. References: Maxwell, John C. (2001). Developing the leader within you. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Quinn, Robert E. (1996). Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within (Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series). Jossey-Bass Stephen R. Covey. (2006). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness: Miniature Edition. Running Press Book Publishers; Miniature edition. The Coach Carter Movie. (2005). http://www.coachcarter.com/movie.htm. (June 9, 2

Pakistan Automobile Industry Essay

Automobile market is one of the largest segments in world trade. In a fast globalized world, this industry is facing huge challenges like cutting cost, upgrading models, improving fuel efficiency and enhancing customers comfort without compromising quality. I categories automobile industry of Pakistan in different phases. In first phase, automotive assembling of Bedford truck followed by ford perfect, ford Cortina and Dodge Dart started in 1950s in Pakistan. By the end on the 1970’s the assembling of vehicles came to a freeze due to the low quality value of locally produce vehicle parts but continued the assembling of Bed Ford trucks. By the end of 70s practically all assembling ceased in Pakistan. In 1983, second phase of automobile assembling started with the introduction of Suzuki FX 800 CC car. And with in six years Pak. Suzuki changed the model of FX 800 CC with Mehran 800 CC. Pak. Suzuki there after introduced Khyber 1000 CC and Margalla 1300 CC in 1992. But in more than ten years, level of participation in development was not significant. From 1993, Pak automobile industry moves toward development when Indus motors company Ltd. Karachi introduced Toyota Corolla and Honda atlas cars Ltd. , Lahore introduced Honda Civic having 1300 CC engine capacity. Smaller cars also introduced by Indus motors, Pak Suzuki and Deewan Farooq motors in 2000. I. e. Cuore 850 CC, Cultus 1000 CC, Santro hundai 1000 CC. Automobile industry in Pakistan can be broadly divided into following segments: †¢ Cars & Light Commercial Vehicles. †¢ Trucks and Buses. †¢ Tractors. †¢ Vendor Industry. It is the industry which operates under franchises and technical cooperation agreements with Japanese, European and Korean manufacturers. †¢ Two and Three Wheelers Public companies that are traded on Pakistani stock exchanges. Automobile assembler †¢ Ghandhara Industries †¢ Ghandhara Nissan †¢ Hinopak Motors †¢ Hyundai Motors. †¢ Indus Motors Company †¢ Master Motors †¢ Millat Tractors †¢ Pak Suzuki †¢ Sigma Motors †¢ Volvo Pakistan Limited †¢ Al-Ghazi Tractors †¢ Atlas Honda †¢ Dewan Farooque Motors (BMW Pakistan) †¢ Ghani Automobile Industries Pakistan Automobile industry at Present: The automobile industry has been strugglers ever since its creation. Although long time has past since its establishment, it has not been able to make a mark among the very stars of the automotive world. Although it has tried and made significant advancement towards the production of locally produced vehicles transfer of new technology has become a major weakness of the industry. Another reason for the low progress of the industry is due to the high cost of fuel in Pakistan. People have made adjustments to their vehicle by changing their fuel preferences from petrol to CNG, just to get by in their lives. The Pakistani industry has so far being unable to adopt the GLOBALLY GREEN notion and safety standards. Most cars in the country rely on dual fuel systems. Moreover Pakistani industry is still relying on car models which have long been stopped producing in other super power countries. Pak Suzuki has gained almost complete monopoly in the segment of producing small cars and faces almost no competition at all. The government policies and regulation of the state bank of Pakistan too contribute a great deal of being a wall between the Pakistani automobile industry and its success. By increasing the interest rate on car financing the industry has suffered a huge shift towards downfall. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths: Increasing Demand for Cars: In Pakistan context there are 9 cars in 1,000 persons which is one of the lowest in the emerging economies which itself speaks of high potential of growth in the auto sector and more so in the car production. Rising per capita income with changing demographic distribution and an anticipated influx of 30 to 40 million young people in the economically active workforce in the next few years provides a stimulus to the industry to expand and grow. Resale of Local Assembled Cars: Resale of locally assembled cars is better due to availability of spare parts and after sales services and warranty Used imported cars have been selling below their cost at the showrooms for the last six months but consumers are not inclined to buy because of their low re-sale value and problems in parts availability. Quality of local cars Initially when the import of cars was liberalized the quality of local assembled cars was unsatisfactory so the people of high income level group started buying imported cars and the sales of the local assembled cars started decreasing so the local assemblers started enhancing the quality of their vehicles so we can say that the quality of local cars is becoming the strength of the auto industry. OEM: The local OEM of Pakistan is well equipped with enough advance technology and skilled labor to produce parts according to the desired quality of any foreign company. CNG kit The advantage of buying local assembled cars is that they comes with factory fitted CNG kits at the times when the prices of fuel rising at higher pace internationally. Mechanics: For local assembled cars mechanics are readily available in market and much cheaper so the buyer has not to worry about any problem that can occur in the car in long term whereas the availability for imported cars is a bigger issue for the owners and if somehow they are able to find one then the mechanics charges much higher than actually it should be charged. Weakness: WTO—Deletion program: THE World Trade Organization (WTO) has rejected Pakistan’s request for the extension of the deletion program which enabled it to lay down the condition of the local content requirement (LCR). Under LCR, the automobile and other engineering industry was required to use locally manufactured parts and accessories in terms of government’s deletion policy. The condition of the LCR was an aberration to the Clause 5. 2 of the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs), Article III–-National Treatment under the GATT, 1994. WTO’s decision for not extending its deletion program / LCR condition has varied impact on Pakistan’s vendor industry, automobile assemblers, car users and the government. Input Cost In Pakistan as the inflation is increasing so as the input costs and for manufacturers it is becoming harder to produce at lower cost. Increasing cost of energy and its unreliable and inconsistent supply adds up the cost of manufacturing and wastage of resources. It is estimated that by the year 2012, auto industry consumption of electricity will cross 500 – 600 MW from around 250 – 300 MW, as of now. Protection level: Before the TBS was introduced the auto industry was well protected by the government but now as the import of CKD and CBU is liberalized the protection level to industry by government is decreased. Lack of skilled manpower for modern machinery In Pakistan conventional machines are not able to meet the precision manufacturing and the available labor is not familiar with modern technology it caused by lack of coordination and linkages with Government/Semi Government Supporting Bodies and Technical Training Institutes. Scarcity of raw material especially steel Through previous years the world prices are rising and causing costly inputs and Pakistan has left with scarce Steel and Iron left, so manufacturers are facing difficulties in producing cars with low prices. Opportunities: Import German technology and skills EDB wanted to build a Pakistan-German automotive supply network, providing opportunities to Pakistani automotive vendor enterprises to benefit from the German know-how and technology to improve quality, productivity, developing and marketing of value-added products. Foreign Investment and setup production facilities China National Heavy Duty Truck Corporation (CNHDTC), one of the largest heavy duty truck manufacturers in China, has shown interest for investment in the automobile sector of Pakistan. The study is required to attract players from Germany as well as from other countries to develop business with the Pakistani counterparts. Baggase Fuel As the fuel prices are rising in world Pakistan should switch to Ethanol Fuel as Brazil is using. Ethanol Fuel is produced by Molasses. Pakistan is one of the country which produces good quantity of molasses but the engines of the local cars do not support ethanol so Pakistan should acquire the Technology to produce ethanol compatible cars. In Brazil they use 90% Ethanol and 10% petroleum whereas Pakistani cars with default engines can afford only 3% Ethanol. Global spare part market The annual gross sales turnover of the auto industry, at present, stands at Rs210 billion while export of auto parts are estimated at $35 million. As such, the increase in production turnover is projected to increase by 185 per cent while the exports of auto parts would make quantum jump. Threats: WTO—Parts indigenization Smuggling of auto parts The auto industry is generally faced by multiplicity of taxes; the presumptive tax regime has led to increase in prices of imported inputs and the finished goods. Component manufacturers are struggling to compete with under-invoicing, miss declaration and smuggling. Import of used parts is still continuing at a large scale. Smuggling, under-invoicing and dumping of auto parts. Competition from import cars Auto industry is facing a threat from the import of cars which is already liberalized further it is said that government will cut about 15% of duties till 2011 Fuel prices According to the authorities the fuel prices which currently are Rs 68. 8 and are going to increase by more Rs. 6 by the end of 3-Jun-08. Decreasing tariff structure: For localized parts of CKD cars, the tariff would reduce from 50 per cent to 45 per cent in 2008-09 and further to 35 per cent in the next two years. The tariff for CKD non-localized parts would be reduced from 35 per cent to 32. 5 per cent in 2007-08 and would keep on decline by 2. 5 per cent every year to 25 per cent in 2010-11. The rate for CBU cars up to 1500cc, the tariff would be reduced from 50 per cent to zero next year (2007-08) and to be kept at that level thereafter. For CBU cars between 1500-1800cc, the current rate of 65 per cent would be reduced at the rate of five per cent annually to 50 per cent by 2010-11. For CBU cars exceeding 1800cc, the applicable rate of 75 per cent would be reduced at the rate of five per cent per annum to 50 per cent in 2010-11. For LCVs, the tariff on CKD kits would be reduced from 20 per cent to 15 per cent at the rate of one per cent every year. However, the tariff for CBU LCVs, the rate would be reduced from 60 per cent to 50 per cent in a phased manner by 2010-11. For two-wheelers, the tariff on CKD kits would be reduced from existing 30 per cent to 20 per cent in phased manner to 2010-1. Similarly, the tariff on CBU two wheelers would reduce to 60 per cent by 2010-11 from existing rate of 90 per cent. For localised CKD parts of tractors and heavy commercial vehicles, the existing tariff of 35 per cent has been proposed to be reduced to 25 per cent in 2010-11. For prime movers (up to 280 HP) the tariff for CKD would be reduced from 10 per cent to five per cent next year and then kept at that level onwards. Similarly, the tariff for CBUs would be reduced to 25 per cent next year and then kept at that level for the next five years. The tariff for prime movers (above 280HP) and would remain unchanged, while it would be reduced for trucks from 10 to five per cent and from 30 to 25 per cent next year.

AN ALTERNATIVE FOR PRISON Essays - Criminology, Penology

AN ALTERNATIVE FOR PRISON Essays - Criminology, Penology AN ALTERNATIVE FOR PRISON America's prisons have been called "graduate schools for crime." It stands to reason: Take a group of people, strip them of possessions and privacy, expose them to constant threats of violence, overcrowd their cell- block, deprive them of meaningful work, and the result is an embittered underclass more intent on getting even with society than contributing to it. Prisons take the nonviolent offender and make him live by violence. They take the nonviolent offender and make him a hardened killer. America has to wake up and realize that the current structure of our penal system is failing terribly. The government has to devise new ways to punish the guilty, and still manage to keep American citizens satisfied that our prison system is still effective. Americans pay a great deal for prisons to fail so badly. Like all big government solutions, they are expensive. In the course of my studies dealing with the criminal justice system, I have learned that the government spends approximately eighty-thousand dollars to build one cell, and $28,000 per year to keep a prisoner locked up. That's about the same as the cost of sending a student to Harvard. Because of overcrowding, it is estimated that more than ten-billion dollars in construction is needed to create sufficient space for just the current prison population. The plain truth is that the very nature of prison, no matter how humane society attempts to make it, produces an environment that is inevitably devastating to its residents. Even if their release is delayed by longer sentences, those residents inevitably return to damage the community, and we are paying top dollar to make this possible. Why should tax payers be forced to pay amounts to keep nonviolent criminals sitting in prison cells where they become bitter and more likely to repeat their offenses when they are released? Instead, why not put them to work outside prison where they could pay back the victims of their crimes? The government should initiate work programs; where the criminal is given a job and must relinquish his or her earnings to the victim of their crime until the mental and physical damages of their victims are sufficed. A court will determine how much money the criminal will have to pay for his restitution costs, and what job the criminal will have to do to pay back that restitution. The most obvious benefit of this approach is that it takes care of the victim, the forgotten person in the current system. Those who experience property crime deserve more than just the satisfaction of seeing the offender go to prison. Daniel Van Ness, president of Justice Fellowship, has said: All the legal systems which helped form western law emphasize the need for offenders to settle with victims. The offense was seen as primarily a violation against the victim. While the common welfare had been violated and the community therefore had an interest and responsibility in seeing that the wrong was addressed and the offender punished, the offense was not considered primarily a crime against the state as it is today. (76) Restitution offers the criminal a means to restore himself-to undergo a real change of character. Mere imprisonment cannot do this; nothing can destroy a man's soul more surely than living without useful work and purpose. Feodor Dostoevsky, a prisoner for ten years during czarist repression, wrote, "If one wanted to crush, to annihilate a man utterly, to inflict on him the most terrible of punishments...one need only give him work on a completely useless and irrational character" (77). This is exactly what goes on in the "make work" approach of our prisons and it is one of the contributing factors to prison violence. To quote Jack Kemp, author of Crime and Punishment in Modern America: The idea that a burglar should return stolen goods, pay for damage to the house he broke into and pay his victims for the time lost from work to appear at a trial meets with universal support from the American people. There is, of course, a reason that the concept of restitution appeals to America's sense of justice. Restitution also provides an alternative to imprisonment for nonviolent criminals, reducing the need for taxpayers to continue building prisons. (54) Working with the purpose of paying back someone that has been wronged allows a criminal to understand and deal with the real consequences of his actions. Restitution would be far less expensive than the current system. Experience shows that the cost per prisoner can be as low as ten percent of that of incarceration, depending on the degree of supervision necessary. Removing nonviolent offenders from prison would also

Free Essays on Spread Of Islam

Islam, a major world religion, began in the desserts of Arabia in 632 AD. Mohammed was the prophet or messenger of Allah who guided the people toward Islam. Mohammed dedicated his whole life to spread the word of Allah and guide people towards heaven. However many of us wonders today how did Islam spread it’s empire through out Asia and Africa from the desserts of Middle East? As we take a look at the history, we see many methods were used in order to spread such an extensive empire. A brief chronology of Islamic Empire: In 570 ad the prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca of the Hashim clan, belonging to the tribe of Quraish. His father’s name is Abdullah and his mother’s name is Amina. Mohammed’s father died before he was born and at the age of six he lost his mother. After the death of his father, his grand father Adbul Muttalib and his uncle Abu Talib raised him. At the age of twenty Mohammed began to work for a widow named Khadijah as a merchant actively engaged with trading caravans to the north. Later in time Mohammed married Khadijah. When Mohammed was forty years old the most important event of Islam took place in the cave of Mount Hira where Mohammed used to meditate. The angel Gabriel ordered Mohammed, â€Å"Recite: In the name of thy Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood†. This event was the birth of Islam. In the beginning Mohammed revealed his experience with his family and friends. Beside his family Abu-Bakkar his father-in-law was the first person to join the religion of Islam. During the next three years Mohammed delivered the message of Allah to the people of Mecca. Unfortunately most of the people didn’t want to abandon paganism and embrace Islam as their faith. After Mohammed had preached publicly for more than a decade in Mecca he and his followers were forced to leave. Mohammed and his followers moved to a city name medina. Thi... Free Essays on Spread Of Islam Free Essays on Spread Of Islam Islam, a major world religion, began in the desserts of Arabia in 632 AD. Mohammed was the prophet or messenger of Allah who guided the people toward Islam. Mohammed dedicated his whole life to spread the word of Allah and guide people towards heaven. However many of us wonders today how did Islam spread it’s empire through out Asia and Africa from the desserts of Middle East? As we take a look at the history, we see many methods were used in order to spread such an extensive empire. A brief chronology of Islamic Empire: In 570 ad the prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca of the Hashim clan, belonging to the tribe of Quraish. His father’s name is Abdullah and his mother’s name is Amina. Mohammed’s father died before he was born and at the age of six he lost his mother. After the death of his father, his grand father Adbul Muttalib and his uncle Abu Talib raised him. At the age of twenty Mohammed began to work for a widow named Khadijah as a merchant actively engaged with trading caravans to the north. Later in time Mohammed married Khadijah. When Mohammed was forty years old the most important event of Islam took place in the cave of Mount Hira where Mohammed used to meditate. The angel Gabriel ordered Mohammed, â€Å"Recite: In the name of thy Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood†. This event was the birth of Islam. In the beginning Mohammed revealed his experience with his family and friends. Beside his family Abu-Bakkar his father-in-law was the first person to join the religion of Islam. During the next three years Mohammed delivered the message of Allah to the people of Mecca. Unfortunately most of the people didn’t want to abandon paganism and embrace Islam as their faith. After Mohammed had preached publicly for more than a decade in Mecca he and his followers were forced to leave. Mohammed and his followers moved to a city name medina. Thi...

How to Stand Out in a Competitive Job Market

How to Stand Out in a Competitive Job Market Due to the high volume of overqualified, over-degreed candidates flooding the market, you should always do as much as you can to distinguish yourself. This includes developing new skills, earning new qualifications and certifications, and sometimes, keeping a shrewd eye on skill sets that are most valuable across the widest swath of jobs. Here are three particularly robust and versatile skills that will render you invaluable to almost any employer.1. Business DevelopmentThis isn’t just for sales positions. At the end of the day, there are aspects of every job that require sales skills. And every business has people in roles that function as a kind of internal customer. Learning how to pitch ideas, appease different team members’ needs, and communicate effectively will help you build relationships, please the people you work with, and prove that you have what it takes to hold a team or a company together. It also never hurts to learn to sell what you need and want most.2 . Data AnalysisData is everywhere. From small to big to massive. And knowing how to handle it is becoming a necessary skill- and one in higher and higher demand. No matter what your field, or position within your company (HR, communications, accounting, marketing), being able to mine data for useful information and then present that information is key. You’ll also need to bump up your oral and written communication skills, which will always be a plus. And be sure to stay up on the latest data extraction software platforms and techniques. Do this, and you’ll stay ahead of this burgeoning curve.3. Leadership SkillsNot just â€Å"being a boss† or â€Å"managing a team† or â€Å"training new employees.† Many companies are looking for something a bit more ineffable, and much more useful. Catapult yourself to the top of the leadership line by demonstrating your fluency in collaboration (playing nicely with others and getting real results in the process), decision-making (aka taking the reins and exercising good judgment and control), and mentoring (really nurturing and bringing along younger or more inexperienced colleagues).The more you can prove that you’re an ethical, well-respected, well-liked colleague and/or supervisor, the more a hiring manager or boss will notice and start getting really excited about hiring you- or doing everything they can to keep you on board.Developing these skills is not a simple fix- more like a career-long strategy. But a very shrewd one that will prove to be rewarding, no matter what the outcomes.

Community Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Resources - Essay Example In the United States alone, various non-profit organizations (NGOs) have come devoted themselves in helping local communities to achieve self-sufficiency, well-being, and develop self-confidence. Luckily, Berks County, Pennsylvania is the home to two different agencies which have the same goal of resolving crisis management, namely: BerksTALKLINE and Opportunity House. With a mission of â€Å"providing free, confidential, nonjudgmental, skilled listening services to individuals, and assistance in assessing their options,† Berks TALKLINE’s hotline is available 12 hours a day, from 11 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. It was establish in order to create a positive impact on the various situations of its callers. By positive impact, this NGO allows each and every individual to be heard, make them feel better about themselves, and eventually help them solve their own problems or conflicts. At times, Talkline is also an alternative referral source to health and human service agencies, as well as schools, for youth and adult callers. Talkline handles a variety of crisis management cases, particularly in the areas of child abuse, drug and alcohol use, physical violence, gangs, self-image and self-esteem problems, loneliness, and social/emotional problems. The organization started way back in 1989, when a consortium of Berks County leaders, from school districts, civic organizations, social service agencies, and even business leaders, found out from a survey conducted with 1,000 students and school personnel that school personnel supported the concept of a local telephone hotline that will serve as an â€Å"effective means to provide children with confidential support and referral.† About 80% of student interviewees also supported that such concept would most likely work. With the help of an extensive two-year research, the aforementioned consortium founded BerksTALKLINE in October 15, 1990. This was seen as a model program for initially providing

Architecture and Urban Projects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Architecture and Urban Projects - Essay Example For the progress of the Gaza strip in general, and the city of Gaza in particular, there is the need for Israeli approval and loosening of its iron grip over the area it once occupied and continues to control economically and militarily. This is possible only if guns on both sides fall silent and give way to a joint political and economical panel. The Gaza Strip is located 45 meters above sea level bordering the Mediterranean. Over the last 50 years its population has risen dramatically from 50,000 in 1948 to about 1.2 million in 2002, with population density of between 20,000 to100,000 per square kilometer in certain places, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Half of the population consists of refugees displaced after the creation of Israel. (1) The old city of Gaza admeasures about one square kilometer and is enclosed by a great wall with gates serving as entrance and exit points. With the rise of population and activity, it spread out on the north, south and east of the old city limits. Places of interest are the Mosque of Al Sayed Hashem, the Mosque of Ibn Marwan, the Great Omari mosque, the Sheikh Abul Azm sanctuary, the the Sheikh Ailin sanctuary, Napoleaon's fort also known as Al Radwan Castle, Tell al Mintar, and the church of St Porphyrius. The Gaza city is located between Israel and Egypt, and is the principle city of Palestine. The northern suburbs of Gaza are mazes of crumbling buildings and present a picture of overcrowded populace, living in abject poverty. The historic part of the city is located in the heart of the city. The main street named Omar al Mukhtar Street runs east to west from Al Shuja'iyva quarter and extends up to the sea. There are tourist resorts with swimming pools, or facilities for swimming at the beach. (1) According to its Municipal plan, the city is primarily divided into four areas: Area B, Area C, Area of High-rise buildings, and Tourist area. In keeping with the civic rules, Buildings in Area B must be situated 3 meters away from the street and 2 meters on other sides. It must be built on a plot admeasuring at least 250 square meters, and must not consist of more than 5 floors, including the ground floor. The building must not occupy more than 60% of the plot. Buildings in Area C must be situated 2 meters away from the street and 1 meter on other sides. It must be built on a plot admeasuring at least 250 square meters, and must not consist of more than 5 floors, including the ground floor. The building must not occupy more than 80% of the plot. High rise buildings overlook streets at least 20 meters wide and extend from east to west of the city. The plot must admeasure at least 1000 square meters and the building must not occupy more than 50% of the plot. The tourist area is located 400 meters to the east of the coast line, and the detail plan is being drawn. The Gaza municipality oversees

Applicant essay for Registered Nursing Program Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applicant for Registered Nursing Program - Essay Example The single most important accomplishment in life is the decision to be a nurse. For the last ten years, I have never regretted being in healthcare field. It had been my dream and aspiration since I was a small child. Nursing is challenging, but every challenging experience makes me a better nurse. It gives me great joy and gratification when I assist an ailing person and be instrumental in restoring health. I believe this is what God wants us to do. To help the sick and get them back to their daily work so that they can continue building the society. Being a registered nurse would be a lifetime accomplishment and a dream come true. I believe that I have what it takes to be a registered nurse especially having practices as a registered nursing assistant for over ten years. I have excellent communication skills, which is a core requirement for effective communication with patients and medical professionals (Dossey, Keegan, and American Holistic Nurses Association 372). I have strong emotional intelligence and therefore demonstrate high degree of maturity when handling patients with various problems. Besides, I have gained technical expertise through experience with all kinds of patients with different clinical and psychological problems. I am naturally empathetic and kind thus very efficient in understanding and establishing connection with patients. I find it easy to build trust and confidence with patients. Although I find nursing fulfilling, it has many challenges, which requires a strong personality. I have made it through the ten years by being resilient at work. I can handle challenges of nursing profession and still able to handle family, personal and social obligations. I am cheerful and enthusiastic at my work since I do it with passion and not driven by money. I understand the nursing codes of ethics and therefore uphold high ethical and moral standards. Through experience and close collaboration with registered nurses, and doctors, I have

How successfully were the Soviet authorities able to contain Baltic Essay

How successfully were the Soviet authorities able to contain Baltic nationalism from 1945-1991 - Essay Example Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are the three countries in the Baltic region, called Baltic States. While Lithuania got independence on 11 March 1990. Estonia and Latvia had declaration of Independence on 20th and 21 August 1991. Lithuanian population of almost 3 million people comprises around 8 percent of Russians, 6 percent of Poles and remaining are the native Lithuanians. The country was independent from the year 1918 until the soviet occupation from 1945 to 1991.(Samuolyte, 2011) After formally incorporating Baltic States into USSR during 1940, Stalin unlashed a wave of terror in these states with systematic destruction of political institutions and prosecution of military as well as cultural persons of importance. In addition, all enterprises and industries were nationalized. While Latvia and Estonia were historically against Germans, their hatred was now directed against Russians, because of above Soviet actions. However, the German occupation of Baltic States also did not meet the aspiration of locals, since Germans treated them as belonging to an inferior race. While Germans were harsher on Lithuanians, their treatment towards Estonians and Latvians was relatively milder. Hence, partisan movement was more active in Lithuania in comparison to Latvian or Estonian movements. However, Baltic States had to make a choice, during World War, for joining either the Germans or the Soviets. Although Germans organized campaigns for volunteer recruitment in Estonia and Latvia, the Red Army of USSR was able to recapture the two States during 1944, followed by capture of Lithuania in 1945. Participating in the World War, Estonia and Latvia lost almost 20 percent of their population. In addition, the Red terror also continued unabated. After the recapture of Baltic States by Soviet Union, authorities tried to collectivize the agricultural farms.

Marriage and divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage and divorce - Essay Example and Lynn Kunz 1995). High risk factors that make marriages prone to divorce include social differences between the partners as well as abuse. Some of these causes may be prevented while some are inherent. Marriage is a lifetime commitment between two parties. It is a social institution, forming a binding contract between spouses in regards to their obligations between them and their relatives. Owing to the fact that it is a social institution, marriages form a broad setup, differing from one culture to the next. The decision to marry and who to marry largely depends on the cultural and religious beliefs of individuals. According to statistics, marriage institutions in the late twentieth century decreased by 30% (Weastermak 2002). The reasons could be attributed to the fact that more people choose to cohabit rather than to marry. Tough economic times may also prevent men from committing to the marriage institution so as to prevent dowry payment as well as expensive wedding ceremonies. However, due to the administrative laws put in place, as well as legal rights protecting women, some marriage setups are illegal. These include child and forced marriages, polygamy as well as planned mar riages. Other developments include the existence of civil marriages, which does no t recognize the religious fraternity, but rather the rights and obligations outlined by the government. Initially, marriage only involved people of the same gender, but some laws currently allow the union of spouses of similar gender. This development first surfaced in 13 nations in the beginning of the 21C. Other developments include inter racial and interfaith marriage unions. If well reviewed at the point of initiating marriage, couples remain prepared of what is expected of them to prevent overwhelming instances by marriage challenges. Couples committed into making their marriages work have less chances of

Governments Resort to Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Governments Resort to Intelligence - Essay Example Without a definite description of the role, purpose and development of the intelligence services, the reason that governments place such importance upon these services cannot be understood. There are other problems of definition where Intelligence is concerned; the first is the fact that Joint Intelligence Centers exist, implying for the researcher that there is more than one 'intelligences'. How does one distinguish between all of these services if there is not a clear definition from which to work Also, in order to establish the purpose behind the development of the Intelligence Services, the researcher must consider each of the many reshuffles, realignments and bureaucratic statements which run through the story of the services like veins. Each of these movements may provide a key to determining why governments, and the US government in particular, place so much reliance upon the ability of the Intelligence services to protect and administer the United States and its civilians. And yet, in the 6 years between 1996 and 2002, the budget for intelligence services increased by nearly 7 billion. Current expenditure is nearly 38 billion. In comparison, the Health services budget for 2006, 2007 and 2008 was $67, 349, $67, 533 and $67,650 respectively (Budget of US Government 2008, 2007) This amount of spending, and more essentially, the increase to the amount of spending, demonstrates that the US government is placing increasing reliance upon the Intelligence services. In order to establish why this is so, a definition of the Intelligence services will be attempted, followed by a short analysis of the history of the services. Reasons for resorting to intelligence services will be considered in light of these facts, and the complexities of setting up an intelligence service for the EU will be used to illustrate the problems in setting up alternatives to the system already established. The conclusion will then draw all these different strands together, hopefully providing an analysis of the reasons that governments resort to using intelligence services. Intelligence Definitions "We have no accepted definition of intelligenceWithout a clear idea of what intelligence is, how can we develop a theory to explain how it worksa compelling definition of intelligence might help us to devise a theory of intelligence, and increase

Marriage and divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage and divorce - Essay Example and Lynn Kunz 1995). High risk factors that make marriages prone to divorce include social differences between the partners as well as abuse. Some of these causes may be prevented while some are inherent. Marriage is a lifetime commitment between two parties. It is a social institution, forming a binding contract between spouses in regards to their obligations between them and their relatives. Owing to the fact that it is a social institution, marriages form a broad setup, differing from one culture to the next. The decision to marry and who to marry largely depends on the cultural and religious beliefs of individuals. According to statistics, marriage institutions in the late twentieth century decreased by 30% (Weastermak 2002). The reasons could be attributed to the fact that more people choose to cohabit rather than to marry. Tough economic times may also prevent men from committing to the marriage institution so as to prevent dowry payment as well as expensive wedding ceremonies. However, due to the administrative laws put in place, as well as legal rights protecting women, some marriage setups are illegal. These include child and forced marriages, polygamy as well as planned mar riages. Other developments include the existence of civil marriages, which does no t recognize the religious fraternity, but rather the rights and obligations outlined by the government. Initially, marriage only involved people of the same gender, but some laws currently allow the union of spouses of similar gender. This development first surfaced in 13 nations in the beginning of the 21C. Other developments include inter racial and interfaith marriage unions. If well reviewed at the point of initiating marriage, couples remain prepared of what is expected of them to prevent overwhelming instances by marriage challenges. Couples committed into making their marriages work have less chances of

Geography assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geography - Assignment Example In reality, Western Europe probably has the resources to handle the aging population. What many experts are noting, however, is the reality that many traditional values are slowly being forgotten due a decrease in the native population of the region. The number of immigrants flooding into the region, bringing with them their own culture, values, and ways of life, is slowly blending in with other Western Europe traditions. This is slowly creating a new culture that many fear will mean the loss of many long-standing traditions that have been in place across the continent for centuries. Russia is facing yet a different crisis in terms of their recent decline in the native population. In previous decades, war and cultural conflicts have nearly decimated various sectors of the native population. This is quite troubling to the Russian people and they are fervently seeking out ways to reverse this trend and protect the less dominant groups residing within their borders. This brief paper wil l examine the issues surrounding this population decline within both Western Europe and Russia in an effort to better understand the importance of reversing this trend moving forward. Western Europe Western Europe has been undergoing a period of decline in terms of native population for quite some time now. Take Germany as an example. In Germany, if you take away immigration numbers, the net population would actually be declining. If these trends continue, Edmonston (2006) points out that, â€Å"The German population will eventually decline because of below replacement fertility, if net immigration does not counteract that decrease† (p. 513). Even if immigration does make up for the initial decline, the fear is that German culture will slowly be eroded and rewritten. The argument here is not centered on whether or not immigrants can assimilate into German culture. The reality is that immigrants are fulfilling a labor need and they are adjusting to the German way of life in re cord numbers. If this trend continues, however, certain traditions and values that Germans have held dear for centuries could easily become forgotten. The reality of population decline and the potential erosion of cultural values is not limited to Germany. All over Western Europe countries are grappling with the reality that native population growth is simply not keeping up with an aging and dying society. From the United Kingdom to France to Scandinavian countries, governments are faced with difficult decisions about how to deal with the problem. Part of the problem in Western Europe appears to be sociological in nature. Europeans, under systems of democracy, have seen less of an emphasis on class divisions in recent years. In addition, the general population is more materialistic than before and young adults have big dreams and ambitions for their life. Because of this, and the sheer expense of raising children, the birth rate has plummeted to levels never before seen. All of thes e reasons, and others, combine to form a reality where population growth simply becomes difficult to achieve (Ross, 2003, pp. 710-711) Russia The entire region of Russia has been experiencing a decline in their native population as well. In

The basics of Family Decision Making

The basics of Family Decision Making Due to its purchasing power, the family is believed as the most important consumers buying unit by many marketers (Dalakas Shoham, 2005). Therefore, a great number of previous studies have been done to understand how a family makes purchasing decisions over the years. As new social trends, the structure of family has changed dramatically in the past three decades in most countries in the world (Brace et al, 2008). The family is convinced as composing by parents and unmarried children in traditional mind. However, in the modern society, the definition of family has moved from only couple and children to family household. According to European Community Household Panel, a family household is a group of people who live together, share the bill and housekeeping arrangement (Askegaard et al, 2006). In view of most marketers, changes in family structures provide marketing opportunities. As the differentiation of the composition, families need and demand is diversified than before. Changes in family structure and modern family Family household types in modern society are diversified, such as single parent families, reconstituted families, unmarried cohabitation families, traditional families, couple with no children families and roommate family households. The reason of diversified family household type is that unmarried cohabitation, delayed marriage and delayed childbirth are trends for young people in the recent years. Furthermore, there have been increases in the proportion of the return of mothers to the workforce and the number of divorces and a decrease in the proportion of intact family unit (two biological parents and their dependent children). It is known that 76 per cent of UK children in 2004 lived in a family unit headed by a couple (UK Office of National Statistics, 2005). But, this official data does not differentiate families by couples who are intact or step parent. Also, it is acknowledged that 83 per cent of children in step parent families or single parent families live with their natur al mother (Brace et al, 2008). Therefore, most of single parent households are headed by females. Although the family types are diversified in the present day and age, intact families, step parent families and single parent families are three major types of composition for modern families. Haskey (1998) indicated there has been an obviously decline in the intact or traditional family household type and step families are more prevalent than single parent households. People are remarrying more often than before, and male is more likely to reconstitute a family than female. For example, step families are the fastest growing type of family in the UK (Mintel, 2005). There are totally 35 per cent British parents live as a non-traditional family unit. Concretely, 19 per cent of British parents are single parents. 16 per cent of British parents have children with ex-wife or ex-husband and now reconstitute families with new partners and the children (Mintel, 2005). Family structures have changed, which influence family decision making. Thus, some researchers argue that family communication has become more open and democratic (Belch and Willis, 2001). Particularly, the role of women has changed in the present society. The changes include education, increasing number of double-income families and the advent of career women. Further to say, these changes have impacted on family buying decisions and the role structure between family members. An increasing number of women are contributing to the incomes of their families and more women are motivated to succeed in their careers. For instance, nearly 60 per cent of women in New Zealand are employed in the workforce (Beatty Lee, 2002). This is much higher proportion than before. Some previous studies indicated that a persons power to make family purchasing decisions depends on his/her ability to satisfy his/her marriage partners needs (Beatty Lee, 2002). Therefore, the more a husband contributes to the resources of the family, the more the wife will accept the husbands buying decisions. In the same way, if the wife contributes significantly to the family income, then the wifes impact on family buying decisions would be greater than in families where the wife does not provide income to the family. It does not mean the person who contributes a dominant income to his/her family must accounts for the completely dominant position in the family buying decision making process. It is more likely that there is more equality in double-income families. Therefore, a wifes occupational status has an obviously effect on the family decision making. The prevalence of women working outside the home is not only because of the necessity to help the family in finance, but also because of the changes in social and cultural trends. Therefore, women obtain more power in some families which both family members will make decisions jointly. This type of family is more likely to be called modern family and it has a more democratic influence structure. In contrast, a traditional family has a more dictatorial husband and the decisions are made more autocratic. Family life cycle There are many factors influence family buying decisions. Despite the family type and womens role in the family, family life cycle (FLC) also significantly affects the family purchasing decisions. The family life cycle describes the changes that occur in family and family structures as they progress over time (Askegaard, 2006). The FLC shows the changes in both the family income and family composition over time. As the time passed, the needs and demands of families tend to change. Therefore, their preferences and behaviours will be changed. Families in similar stages of the life cycle share similar demographic, financial and buying characteristics. In contrast, families at different life cycle stages show different interests, needs and demands and use different communication strategies (Lee Levy, 2004). Childrens roles in family buying decisions Since 1990s, the growing awareness on childrens role is largely because of childrens steadily increasing impact on family buying decisions and increasing spending power (Caruana Vassallo, 2003; Dalakas Shoham, 2005; Fan Li, 2010). Many previous studies pointed out that children have became an extremely vital consumer group which influences family purchases of various products in many ways (Burns et al, 2007; Caruana Vassallo, 2003). Thus, many marketers recognize children as a primary market, an influencing market, and a future market. For example, children in the USA directly spent over $60 billion and influenced over $380 billion of spending by other members of their family per year (Chou Wut, 2009). In Australia, the adolescents market is estimated to be worth about $3.9 million, and in New Zealand the market size is about $800,000 (Wimalasiri, 2004). Therefore children are increasingly attractive targets for marketers. Children as independent consumer In the contemporary world, as primary market, children have increasing spending power in terms of being independent customers. They are seen as different from previous generations. Today, children are more connected, more direct and more informed. They have more personal power, more money, more impact on family decisions and attractive more attention than their parents and ancestors. Most of teenagers receive allowances from their parents or eldership. Also, a great number of adolescents have income from jobs. Past study showed 51.1 per cent of the high school students admitted that they get an allowance from family members in the USA and the median amount was $50 (Dalakas Shoham, 2003). Moreover, Chou Wut (2009) indicated children who between ages of 2 to 12 independently spent $29 billion per year by using their own money and further to say, they indirectly influence $320 billion worth of household purchase. Childrens influence on family buying decisions In addition, children are also major influencers within the family decision making unit. They attempt to and succeed in influencing family purchasing decisions. Several researches have shown that the childrens degree of influence in purchase decisions varies with the type of product (Beatty Lee, 2002). They have the most influence on buying decisions when they are the primary users of the products, for example, toys, games, and school supplies. They are also influential in purchase decisions about products which for all family members, for example, vacations, furniture, movies, and eating out. However, they have less impact on these products than in the products which they are the primary consumers. According to Dalakas Shoham (2003) reported, 34 per cent of nine to 14-year-olds acknowledged they influenced their parents purchasing decisions on videogame systems, 19 per cent affected decisions on vacation choice, 18 per cent have impact on stereo equipment, and 14 per cent particip ated the family decisions making process on computer equipment, VCRs, and televisions. Moreover, adolescents influence has been affected by the cost of the products on purchasing decisions. Their influence decreased for expensive family purchases. Furthermore, they have most influence as regards product type, colour and brand. One of the areas where children have the major impact is food purchasing decision. Food plays a vital role in family life and it is the main expenditure for most families. Children have most influence on the food and the meals which are easy to prepare. US studies have shown that in the major categories of food and drinks, playthings and clothing and TV programmes, children have an obviously influence (Chou Wut, 2009). In the UK, 84 per cent of parents said that their children decided what food to buy. 29 per cent parents admitted that their children impact on the choice of furniture. Even 20 per cent of parents said they like to listen to their childrens suggests about their own clothes when purchasing (Dalakas, Shoham, 2005). Also, through a survey, cable television networks in the USA found that children affected average of 43 per cent of total purchases which are made the decisions by parents. Further to say, mothers who shop with their kids normally spend 30 per cent more than they originally plan and fathers spend 70 per cent more (Caruana Vassallo, 2003). The ways and factors for children to affect family decisions Generally speaking, there are four different ways for children to influence family buying decisions. First, they hugely involve in affecting their parents to purchase products which they are the finally users. Second, older children buy the products which they want directly by using their own money. This money is received as allowances or salary. Third, children participated and affected their parents in family buying decisions making process for family products. Lastly, parents consult their childrens opinion for some of their own purchase. Therefore, children exert a certain influence on the overall family decisions. Children have more influence during the problem recognition and information search stage, but their influence decreases at the finally decision making stage. Their influence can be direct or indirect. Young children more tend to impact family purchases by directly asking. However, older adolescents may use various strategies to impact their parents decision making. Except the direct requests, they also take other actions like bargaining, persuasion, or using emotional strategies. A childs age is an important related factor of the childs influence on family decision making. Older children have fewer requests than younger children and their parents more tend to satisfy their request. The parents believe the older children have more experience with shopping and products, so they easily yield than before. Also, parents are convinced that their older children possess more understanding of economic concepts and have higher skills on shopping than younger children. Furthermore, childrens influence on family decisions is affected significantly by family type. Children in single parent families or one child families have more influence than others and the adolescents in modern families affect their families more obviously than adolescents in traditional families. The reasons for children influencing family decisions In the current era, family communication has become more open and democratic. Parents pay more attention to their children and spend more time to listen to their childrens opinions. These changes in family communication caused children can exert influence on family purchasing decisions making process. Furthermore, the influence of each child has increased because of the trends of smaller number of children in families. Because of the returns of women to workforce, most families economic status is in good condition. It not only means parents can afford enough money to satisfy their children request, but also pushes the children to take more responsibility for family decisions. This is because working couples have little time to make decisions and have to give their children more power. The analysis of implication for marketing There are many factors influence the children when they making purchasing decisions and shape their habits at the present. The top three influence factors are family, friends and media. All of them have outstanding impact on childrens shopping skills and behavior. In details, the family has been believed as it has the most influence on children in the purchasing process of food products, health care products and furniture. On the other hand, friends and the media play an extremely important role in affecting the discretionary purchase of the children. In fact, most of marketers consider the media as the most powerful affecting factor to impel the children to make purchasing decisions. They are convinced the television advertising is the greatest influence marketing communication tool. Moreover, previous marketing researches also suggested the companies to access the children seriously with child friendly amenities, colourful and playful displays and even credit cards (Caruana Vassal lo, 2003). In addition, it is known that most of children have low brand loyalty for most products. Because of their strong curiosity, they are easily to be attracted by original and distinct products. However, once they build the brand loyalty for one particular brand, they will be lifetime consumers for the brand. Furthermore, for the ethic thinking, the marketers ought to avoid displaying violent or pornographic pictures to children in their advertising. This is because children are not mature enough and cannot understand the meaning of this kind of advertising. Further to say, children very like to imitate what they saw. Thus, it is dangerous for children to access violent or pornographic advertising. For example, there was lots of news regarding that children did violent events after playing violent games, such as GTA, Counterstrike, or watching violent movie. An analysis of the situation of children in China Children in China have become the most significant target consumers for many marketers. This is not only because China has the largest population of children in the world, but also due to the fact that Chinese children have more economic power and influence in their families than children in other countries. Fan Li (2010) mentioned that there are 1,321.29 million people in China at the end of 2007. Among others, 19.4 per cent (about 256.60) are under the age of 14. This made China become the largest potential market. In the present China, children have more discretionary income compared with before and also exert a greater impact on family buying decision than other countries children. One couple one child has been a basic state policy in China for a long time since the early 1970s. Therefore, as the only child in the family, both parents and grandparents give most of their love and attention to the child. Even it caused a seriously problem raised in China, the Chinese children have been considered as being like Little emperors/empresses. A part of parents would like to satisfy their childrens each request as possible as they can. Due to the importance of Chinese children, marketers did many researches to seek the most relative information sources for Chinese children. Finally, they found that TV, parents, store visits and friends were ranked as the most significant sources to receive information for Chinese children (Fan Li, 2010).