A Pestel Analysis Of China Market Economics Essay

A Pestel Analysis Of China Market Economics Essay Since 1979, China adopted an export-manufacturing strategy successfully following with Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. The Golden Bridge Co., Ltd is one of the beneficiaries. It was founded in 2007 with flooring as its main products. The product is of high quality by utilizing advanced technology and equipments imported from Germany and Italy. The glue and lacquer materials for production are also imported. In current stage, Golden Bridge has a total capital of 800 million RMB and exported to 35 foreign markets including the U.S., Canada, Japan and Germany. In order to help it to expand the business, our consultancy company attempt to analyze the China business environment and seek a foreign market to relocate the manufacturing of this company with proper entering and competing strategies. This essay first illustrates the business environment of flooring industry in China and German with PESTEL analysis. Then it evaluates the threats in Germany market by following Porters five-force mode l. Later a recommendation would be given on how to properly enter into the targeted country. PESTEL analysis of china market: The PESTEL analysis is used to assess the macro environment and identify the challenges Golden Bridge faced with in china market in order to make an appropriate suggestion. Political: The Chinese political system characterized as one-party communist dictatorship makes a great contribution to national stability, enabling the economy keep dynamic and sustainable. Nevertheless, when the economic system was deregulated from the command economy to market economy since 1978, the power of economic management was increasingly decentralized, raising the issue of uncoordinated development of regional economy. Currently, though the central government has made effort to alleviate the gap among different areas in terms of developing standards, provinces tend to give a priority to local profits rather than considering the integrated advancement of the whole country. Local protectionism exerts detrimental influences upon market expansion of Golden Bridge Company in nationwide and deters the establishment of a comprehensive distribution channel. Economical: China is valued as one of the most vibrant countries in terms of economic development among the world. The reform opening up in 1978 accelerated Chinas GDP growth from 362.4 billion RMB to 30 trillion RMB within a 30-year period. Moreover, in 2010, China has been the second largest economy instead of Japan whilst the value of export accounted for 10% of world. Based on these statistics, judgment can be made that manufactures in China including flooring industry may keep an optimistic attitude to their future prospects in some extent. Nonetheless, Chinese economy may suffer unpredictable circumstance in the future. Labor resource is one double-edge sword. Once being an advantage of China, abundant labor resource and economical labor price make a great contribution to progress of those labor-intensive manufacturing industries. This is also the primary reason that China flooring industry is quite profitable though China is a net importer of timber. However, as cited by AME info (2005) there is a growth in the minimum wage standard, labor may not be regard as a perpetual advantage of China if this trend continues. In Addition, appreciation of CNY since 2005 against USD may imperil the export of Golden Bridge Company (Goldstein, M. and Lardy, N., 2006). Social: It is claimed by Su and Littlefied (2001) that China is an extremely high-context country where people prefer to receive implied messages. For establishing a business in China, strong private-relationships with different stakeholders is the key to success. However, this is extremely time-consuming while the maintenance is also expensive. Potential conflicts in interest may easily erode it. Besides the relationship, corruption is another issue in China. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, China was positioned 72nd among all 179 countries in 2008. However, damages caused by corruption may be far more hazardous than anticipated, particularly to the economic development. Corruption has been treated as a vital barrier for operating in Chinese market due to enormous back-stage expenditures as well as resulted injustice. For Golden Bridge to gain more import quotas and pay less tariff, costs may be made up of not only normal ingredients such as transporting, but also implied expense for smoothing the network. Technological: China wood flooring industry is experiencing a relatively laggard technological standard in its initial stage of development. According to Cheng and Song (2006), the level of timber utilization was 61% in 2004 with a considerable disparity with developed countries (nearly 90%). Additionally, imbalanced technological support aggravates the long-term conflicts between wood supply and demand in Chinese domestic market. In 2004, though the total domestic timber supply is 273.6 million cubic meters and exceeded the total consumption of 241.5 million cubic meters, scarcity of raw material still existed in some parts of timber manufacturing industry. Environment Legal: Chinese government proposed the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) nationwide in 1998 to limit exploitation of natural forest resources. The legislation made the supply of domestic natural timber restricted. Between 1997 and 2003, natural timbers supply decreased from 32.05 million cubic meters to 12.145 million cubic meters (Cheng and Song, 2005), which was extremely insufficient to satisfy demands of the highly prosperous timber industry in China. Timer manufacturing companies in China have to depend on importing. Statistics shows that in 1997 the quantity of imported timber only occupied 23.56% of total wood consumption, while the number soared to 53.78% in 2004. The expenditure of imported timber was $33.96 higher per cubic meter compared with the price in 2007, which increased the material coast of Golden Bridge Company. PESTEL analysis of German market: Since this essay has analyzed the macro environment of the china flooring market, further looking at the political, economic, social and technological factors of the German can help advance and strength the logic of the whole assessment. Political factors: Germany is a home of secure, legal and rewarding investment. The World Economic Forum has rewarded its legal system as the most efficient and this fact has also gained international recognition. Flooring coverings are categorized according to German and EU laws and building products should be subject to the EU construction products directive and the German construction products law. The directive and law are mainly focused on environmental, health-related, material and usability sectors and most people agree that by considering the environmental restrictions, the EU can be the strictest market. Moreover, with the transnational economic environment, it is predicted by experts that the approval criteria for flooring is likely to decrease and there seems to be a limited permission of eco-labels for flooring products. Further, comprehensive incentives  are provided to both home and oversea investors by German government, individual federal states and the EU. Economic factors Germany is the largest economy in Europe and in general German is export-oriented. Since 2003, German has been the largest exporter machinery, vehicles, chemicals and household equipment, with an annual export increase of 8%. However, factors that may prevent Golden Bridge from entering into and developing itself in Germany also exist. They can be excessive dependence on euro currency, tight credit markets and an increasing rate of unemployment. Stimulus and stabilization efforts initiated in 2008 and 2009 and tax cuts introduced in Chancellor Angela MERKELs second term will increase Germanys record budget deficit, which is expected to exceed 5% of GDP in 2010. The EU required Germany to get its consolidated budget deficit below 3% of GDP until 2013. A new constitutional amendment likewise limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016. Technology factors: Germany is claimed to be the leading nation in high-tech development and receives high turnover accordingly. In 2007, the high-tech products exported by Germany accounted to a value of RUR 114 billion, ranked first in Europe and third worldwide. More than 27% turnover of German manufacturing factory is generated from high-tech products, compared to a European average of 19%. Social factors: Social factors also need consideration. Hofstedes analysis of Germany shows the emphasis on individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance and long-term orientation are both ranked considerably lower than the others. Germany believes in equality and equal opportunity, as well as its ability to change and adapt rapidly. Another arising issue is the social awareness of pollution, which leads Germany to use more environmental-friendly materials. Abstract for the use of five-force model: After analyzing the macro-environment of both countries, it is reasonable and necessary to apply Michel Porters five-force model in order to provide a thoroughly understanding of the German flooring market before the Golden Bridge company entering into it. According to this model, the competitiveness of an industry is influenced by such five forces and their collective strength and thus determines the ultimate profit potential of this targeting industry. These five forces covered in the analysis are competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, the threat of substitution and the threat of potential new entry. However, the five-forces framework is not a set of principals per se, instead is a tool for systematically use these principals to assess the current status and likely evolution of an industry. Competitive Rivalry: The internal competitive rivalry in German flooring market seems high. There are three main reasons. First, the switching cost is low because flooring products are homogenous with little product differentiation. Another reason is that the German flooring market is saturated with a relatively low growth rate. The flooring production in 2008 suffered a 15.1% decline while the total consumption slumped for about 12.19% (FEP, 2008). Also the number of competitive companies in German flooring market and the intensity of rivalry also determine the high threats of rivalry. There are a large number of companies competing in the German flooring market and these companies are divided into three categories, they are Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Domestic Leading Manufacturers (DLMs) and Niche Market Brands (NMBs). First of all, SMEs has the largest number in the German flooring market (Roadmap, 2010). These SMEs are often manufacturers provide low-grade flooring with low price. Their marketing strategy is just reverse to Golden Bridges. Thus Golden Bridge is suggested to treat them in an abstemious way. However, there are also a few numbers of large flooring manufacturers who operating on European and/or global base. It is suggested by German Timber (2007) that few DLMs account for the majority of the total market share. These companies usually possess strong competencies, highly recognized reputation and well-established brand image. One main rivalry is the Krono Group, who is one of the world leading producers of high-quality flooring. Founded in 1897, it has accumulated years of experience and extensive knowledge know-how. It delivers products to 80 countries worldwide while has its own production-base in 18 countries. In 2004, its production capability of flooring reached 310 million à £Ã … ½Ã‚ ¡, took up about 1/3 of the world market share with total sales revenue of 24 billion RMB. It also has an annual RD investment of 15billion RMB with over 200 scientists doing research in Krono International Laboratory. In addition, there are Niche Market Brands (NMBs) with several well-known brands like Espirt and Kaindl, holding part of the flooring market (FEP, 2007). These companies merely provide certain kinds of flooring to meet the special needs of a group of customers. Furthermore, in order to gaining competitive strength, the NMBs together with some foreign brands such as Balterio from Belgian and Vito from Austria have formed a conglomerate named Beamy International, a commercial platform allowing them to compete on both domestic and global markets (FEP, 2008). As the competition is fierce in German flooring market, Golden Bridge is suggested to adopt a niche strategy and doing effective promotion after entering the market. To explain, the original German wood flooring manufacturers already gains economy of scales and undeniably enjoy a cost advantage. Advanced distribution channel comparing with those new entrants also allows them first mover advantages. Cost disadvantage and lacking reliable cooperators are main barriers for Golden Bridge to survive in German market. Insufficient in capital determines that an aggressive expansion strategy is also irrational. However, one advantage Golden Bridge occupies is that it has been doing export business within German importers for couple of years and its products did have certain reputation in this highly competitive market. By offering additional value, Golden Bridge can efficiently differentiate itself among the rivals with a brand image of reliability, valuable, and symbol of statuses. This may help obtain sustainable brand loyalty among German customers. Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitution refers to the extent to which different products used in place of a companys products or offered by other industrials. Flooring is not restricted on only wood but other materials such as textile and stone/ceramics are also widely used. For instance, in German market in 2008, textile took the largest raw material market share (i.e. about 37.4%) for making flooring. This is followed by stone/ceramics of 28.6%. Comparably, the laminate only had a market share of 13.9%, ranked in the third place. In terms of switching cost, the result can be distinct regarding to different objects of study. To individual consumers, there is almost no switching cost exists because choose one kind of material instead of another is just a matter of personal taste. However, this can be criticized in depth for the reasons that wood-made flooring has its own characteristics and functions that other materials may not have. To some extent and to specific customer groups, for instance, those who have fixed-decoration style, the switching cost can be relatively high. However, to large wholesalers (e.g. Beamy International) who previously dedicated in wood-made flooring, the switching cost would be extremely high, as they may lose the stable distribution channels with their current wholesalers or retailers, and also the price advantage provided by the long-term cooperative producers. This means the substitution threat is less considerable because their past investment in developing stable distribution channels with retailers and producers offers them an advantage in current market and this may make them unwilling to undertake risks of operating and competing in a new and highly competitive market. Summing up the above, it is the end-user customers that Golden Bridge should pay close attention to. First of all, it is advised that a regular customer survey to be conducted to make a comprehension of customers preferences and what they really appreciate. The company should also emphasize the exclusiveness and unique utilities of their products, making it cost more for the customers to switching to other substitutes. In the meantime, though as mentioned the future trend seems favor wood flooring industry, Golden Bridge should cause enough value that the technology development is always indeterminate. Thus in order to avoid sudden shock of new technologies that brings in comparable substitutes, Golden Bridge should invest continuously in Research and Development to keep pace with the times. Threat of New Entrants: Threat of new entrants is moderate. As put by European Commission (2001), the main barriers to enter German market include certification approval and the quality standards and label, while the incentive to enter German market depends mainly on its impeccable infrastructure system. The extensive unified intensification, which has been mentioned before in PEST Analysis of German, increase the starting investment of new entry, accordingly has negative effect on new entrants to the market. There are totally fourteen member countries of European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP). Under the Single European Market policy, twelve of them have reached an agreement on moving goods, service and capital freely internally, giving companies in these markets strong mobility. To put it simpler, a flooring company located in Germany for example, can either choose to develop domestically or entre into either of the other 11 member countries of EFP, in support of the unified system. Once entering into the consolidated FEP, the new members deserve this privilege with little hindrance, however, the legal entry requirement, especially for flooring companies compliance with environmental protection, is said to be quite strict in European Market, which is especially true in Ge rmany. Thus it can be expected that in order to harmonize to European standards, a large quality of funds will be needed to invest in order to fulfilling the standards ranging from environmental protection to individual healthcare. What is more, the sophisticated infrastructures that Germany possesses nationwide make the market considerably attractive to those adventurous entrepreneurs. As known to all, Germany lays in the center of the Western Europe, with large-scale transportation centers such as International airport in Frankfurt and seaport in Hamburg (ELA, 2010). Centering in a fast and efficient logistic network covering almost all the main markets in Europe, flooring companies in Germany can procure raw materials namely timber on a global scale, and reach the external markets with relatively lower transportation costs. Therefore the threats of new entrants would be moderate in German flooring market. For Golden Bridge, the corporate should create a marketing and brand image and keep customers loyalty, tie up to both suppliers and distributors. More important, it should sign a patent to protect the intellectual property of their high-tech products. Buyer Power: Buyer power, which is determined by the individual customers ability in negotiating purchase prices with suppliers, is at an intermediate level in German market basing on four crucial reasons. Firstly, according to the previous analysis, competition in the wood flooring manufacturing is largely intensified by a large amount of incumbents. Hence, purchasers are more unrestricted in choosing their suppliers with considering competitive advantages of products, and price may be a decisive factor for some customers. However, it is important to note that Wholesalers have more bargaining power than individuals. Being the large-volume buyers, they are not only main customers where companies earn profits from, but also controllers of dominant distribution channels. By stark contrast, individual customers with smaller purchase volume may be positioned less vitally in suppliers minds. Secondly, the buyer power is attenuated by the availability of substitutes of wood flooring in German market. E xcept for this category of flooring, more choices are supplied on the market. Despite competition reinforces customers bargaining power, the phenomena of demand surplus in German wood flooring alleviates this circumstance. According to the research of European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP), the consumption of German wood flooring is about 17.88 million square meters, while the production of German wood flooring is only about 11.04 million square meters (Slides Stats 2008). In additionally, German culture also plays a significant role in lessening customers bargaining power. The spirit of the nation, such prudence and fixation lead to a fairly strict standardization in both work and life. Germans are used to calculating a precise price based on all dimensions. Hence, they dislike dealing with situations out of their planning, enabling bargaining become very difficult. Ten percentage cut in price is the biggest range they will agree in they dealing with foreign buyers. (LeMont Schmidt, 2001). Supplier Power: Supplier Power refers the power of suppliers to drive up the prices of raw materials, supplies, equipment or inputs. Your company purchases the glue, paint and equipment, and employs labors from Germany and imports the wood from Russia. There are some crucial factors performing low supplier power of your company. Firstly, German is not used to bargaining, which is mentioned in Buyer power. Hence, it is meaningless for German suppliers to drive up the price of material and equipment. Negotiating power is weak in Russia as well. Although the nation is one of the largest wood producers, there are a large number of wood suppliers ¼Ã…’which provide a strongly competitive circumstance in Russia. Admittedly wood is a kind of nature product so that customers are sensitive to the price of wood. Because of high standard of transparency, the switching cost is low in Russia. On the other hand, many substitutes with lower expenditures are becoming increasingly prevalent such as marble, carpet, plastic flooring. High standard of substitutes threat can restrict the suppliers to drive up the price and reduce the power of suppliers. However, high labor cost strengthens the supplier power. The German labor cost is one of the highest in world. According to Common Protocol of Salary, Labor wage need be determined by the negotiation between wood flooring industry and backwards industry (Fact about Germany, 1996). Therefore, the security of labor force is quite completed. Unions are powerful to argue with unfair wage or welfare. For example, Michael Sommer, the head of the trade union federation(DGB) , claimed that is necessary to increase labors wage with the upturn of economy in 2010( Guardian ¼Ã…’2010). Supplier power and buyer power, which exert a moderate threat on Golden Bridges development in German, can be alleviated through several ways. From one aspect, to limit bargaining power of large-volume wholesalers, the company should give priority to building up a distribution network itself by developing new franchisers rather than depending on the primary channels of wholesalers. In terms of individual customers as well as challenges from substitutes, enhancing the products benefits would be the most efficient way to reduce their bargaining desire as most of affluent people value quality more important than price. From the other aspects, labor relationship, the most considerable barrier in lessening German supplier power, should be harmonized through affording sufficient welfare to employees, as well as building a relative democratic organizational culture by the company. Moreover, it is supposed that importing a few skilled workers from China would benefit the company not only by more economical labor cost, but also reducing the significant dependence on the German labor market. Limitation of the 5-forces: Porters five-force model is not perfect but based on the assumption that from the view of any one firm, all the other firms no matter whether they are supplier, competitor or buyer are threats to the profitability. However, according to Brandenberger and Nalebuffs value net theory, interactions among firms can sometimes enhance profits. Thus critics raised and attentions on cooperation are much more paid. The cooperation between the Golden Bridge Company and other foreign flooring companies will be analyzed and evaluated in the later recommendation part. Recommendation By illustrating the German macroeconomic environment and its circumstance of flooring industry, it is thought that the most recommended strategy for Golden Bridge is to build a joint venture with one or several German covering floor manufacturing enterprises, whilst maintaining the manufacturing section and primary market system in China. Joint venture can be explained as a collaborative formation among companies that each party invests parts capabilities to constitute a new enterprise, thereafter determining the distribution of ownership according to corresponding contributions. Nevertheless, two preconditions should be taken into consideration before making an alliance with German incumbents. Firstly, as a dominant barrier in Chinese market, capital insufficiency would also limit the investment ability of Golden Bridge in German to a large extent. Consequently, small-to-medium incumbents are more desirable as cooperators rather than large-scale companies in terms of ensuring a rela tively high proportion of ownership of Golden Bridge in the new joint venture. Moreover, it is imperative to illustrate compatibility of potential partners based on a number of philosophic criteria, including similar experience, common principles and agreed future target as well (Kanter, 1994). Where extremely intensive competition takes place, German market would tend to pose more threats than opportunities on the Golden Bridge if the company attempts to entirely entry the market alone. In comparison, cooperating and aligning with local companies would be a much safer and efficient measure from two aspects. First, by giving joint ventures preferential treatment, the Golden Bridge gains a good opportunity to penetrate the German market in a relatively short period with minimum risks as the company is unnecessary to expose abundant long-term investments to gain market shares in German wood flooring industry. Instead, it can utilize those important strategic assets of local cooperators such as complete distribution channels, customer relationships and brand loyalty. Moreover, Golden Bridge is still deficient at technology and management comparing with the local German companies. Through setting up a joint venture, advanced technology and managerial know-how can be more easily accessible by Golden Bridge, which is beneficial to its development in China market as well. Nevertheless, possible issues relating to joint venture cannot be neglected by the Golden Bridge. First, operational dissimilarities caused by political and economic divergence between China and German may be a vital problem for Golden Bridge. For instance, blind spots in law or financial systems will damage the corporate profits at initial stage. Additionally, cultural and managerial difference may be difficult to consolidate as different authority, reporting and decision-making patterns (Kanter, 1994), therefore leading to possible mistrust and misunderstanding between Golden Bridge and its partners. It has been widely recognized that German managers are prudent and rigid in dealing with regulations and rarely consider the influences of the network relationship, which is fairly distinct from Chinese managers conceptions. Conclusion: In conclusion, according to the PESTEL analysis, there are a number of challenges in China. These challenges can be the unbalanced market condition in china because of local protectionism and insufficient infrastructures, under-developed technology and managerial skill led to the low efficiency of timber industry in China, Natural Forest Protection Program limits the domestic nature timbers supply as well as the increasing labor cost in flooring industry due to Chinas economy prosperous. The complexity of interrelationship of different parties involved in the business environment also cannot be neglected. The PESTEL analysis of German market was further conducted to make the assessment more comprehensive. Later the consultants use five-force model to assess threat of entering the German flooring market. For instance, the competitive rivalry and threat of entry in German flooring market is extremely high. In terms of threat of substitution, it is much more complex. The supplier power and buyer power are both at an intermediate level. However, Porters model is criticized for lacking of corporation with other market players. Thus, a recommendation is made by our consultancy company for Golden Bridge to organize a joint venture and thus with other reliable and competitive companies for instance, the Beamy International. Facts about Germany. (1996). Frankfurt am Main: Società ¤ts Verlag. LeMont Schmidt, P. (2001). Die amerikanische und die deutsche Wirtschaftskultur im Vergleich: Ein Praxisbuch fà ¼r Manager. Gà ¶ttingen: Hainholz Verlag. Guardian (2010) German steel workers demand 6% wage increase http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/14/germany-angela-merkel http://www.roadmap2010.eu/wisd/pdfs/68-81.pdf http://ecotec-energiesparhaus.de/Daten/Holztechnik-Forest-and-wood-industries-in%20Germany%20at-a-glance.pdf http://www.tarkett.com/group/en/company/Tarkett-at-a-glance http://www.homeinstitute.com/types-of-flooring.htm http://news.frbiz.com/parquet_floor_once_again_leading-440481.html http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32004D0275:EN:NOT

Literature and Time Periods :: Writing History Essays

Literature and Time Periods As history has a tendency to categorize events into eras by the time periods that surround them, so does literature with its works. Both categorizations are superficial, ignoring significant distinctions that separate material for the sake of convenience, or present perception. The prehistoric era, for example, is a superficial designation for all time before written historical records, even though there are distinctions within this period, which are markedly different in historical terms. â€Å"Medieval† is defined by Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary as â€Å"the period of European History extending approximately from A.D. 476 to 1453.† Fortunately, for convenience, this span of time encompasses both the Old English period and the Middle English period as well. As exemplified by the Old English poem Beowulf and the Middle English poetry of Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales and their cohabitation under the heading of â€Å"Medieval Literature†, thi s categorization is not only superficial, but also inaccurate. One defining difference between the two periods of literature and their selected representatives is the language from which they are spawned. Old English was a Germanic dialect spoken by a people who were composed mainly of Angles and Saxons, intermixed with Jutes, Frisians, and Celts, with some Roman blood still in the veins of some inhabitants. Middle English is the result of the Norman Conquest, and was spoken by the now native English people, intermixed with the French. The assimilation of the French language of that already spoken on the Island made for great changes. The lexicon of Old English differed somewhat from Middle English, most of which is completely lost today. There are some words that still have reflexives present in both Modern and Middle English. Beowulf offered his help to the Danish â€Å"cyning†, Old English for â€Å"king†. Chaucer lays mention of a song in the Miller’s tale, â€Å"the Kinges Note† (108). The word is similar but certainly not the same. Beowulf eats â€Å"hlaf†, Old English for â€Å"bread†, while Nicholas, Alisoun, and John eat â€Å"breed†(520) in the Miller’s Tale. Until Grendel came, Hrothgar lived in â€Å"gï â€ lsan†, or luxury, before the appearance of Grendel, who â€Å"amyrrede†, or squandered, his men. The languages differ structurally as well. Old English was a highly inflectional, synthetic language. Grammar was founded on cases, leaving a rather liberal syntactical structure. Middle English, however, was a lesser inflectional, analytic language, which relied on grammar in the syntax itself.

Loyalty In Book Characters Essay examples -- essays research papers

Can the perfect ideal of loyalty ever be achieved? What is loyalty, how can you become loyal person? How do the people of today compare to the heroes in the stories that we read Beowulf Sir Gawin and the Green Knight and Camelot. When do you know you are a loyal person, is it something that you are born with or do you learn to become loyal? Is loyalty a valuable human characteristic?How does someone become a loyal person? In Sir Gawin he proved to be loyal when he showed up to a challenge that no normal man could ever win, but he did he went to get his chopped off he was very loyal to his word. Today if you want to become loyal you do not need to do some heroic. That is not good the word loyalty today is used to loosely. If you do something as little as going to work everyday and you are loyal. That is not loyalty that is making money so you can eat. A very good example of loyalty is serving your country at any cost, if you go to war there is a good chance that you will not come back, but you put that aside just to keep the rest of the country safe. That is the ultimate sign of loyalty when you have to face death. So I think that people of today need to make sure that a word is not used just for simple thing, but the correct thing so young people can understand what the word means. Can the perfect ideal of loyalty ever be achieved? In our times I think that loyalty is almost never achieved, why do I think this? The people of today don't know the proper terminology of a w...

Role of Mutated Gene in the Evolution of Large Brained, Small-Jawed Hum

Role of Mutated Gene in the Evolution of Large Brained, Small-Jawed Humans The debate with-in the anthropology field has been heated over the evolution of the human and the events that have lead us to where we are now. One of the major questions that is debated is how did we, humans-large brained and small jawed, evolve from primates-large jawed and small brained. Interestingly enough, this debate is now being directed from outside the field; by biologists and plastic surgeons. On march 25, 2004, Doctors Stedman (and others) published their findings in Nature (VOL 428) under the title Myosin gene mutation correlates with anatomical changes in the human lineage. Their findings point to the gene myosin and its mutated form MYH16 and that the mutation that toke place some 2.4 million years ago as a major step in the development of a larger brain that we now as humans have. In this paper I aim to outline what they have discovered and point out some of the controversy surrounding the findings. It is not my goal to understand how the gene functions, but to rely on accepted judges conclusions that the gene is mutated but I will explain what this can say about the formation of bone structure. What the researchers found centers on the MYH16 mutation and the original myosin gene, a protein that builds strong muscular jaws. Myosin is a protein that works with other proteins to contract muscles, more importantly jaw muscles. The mutation of myosin, MYH16, causes a weaker bite. In their experiments they looked at macaque monkey and human genes to determine how this mutation worked. They found that the gene myosin only worked in the muscles of the head used for chewing and biting. The difference between the two subjects was... ...ary Source: Stedman, Hansell, et. al. Myosin Gene Mutation Correlates with Anatomical Changes in the Human Lineage. Nature, Vol 428, March 28, 2004. The Nature Publishing Group. www.nature.com/nature Secondary Sources: Associated Press. Gene Mutation Said Linked to Evolution. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20040324_1105.html Hopkin, Michael. Jaw-Dropping Theory of Human Evolution. http://www.nature.com/nsu/040322/040322-9.html Kreeger, Karen. Myosin Mutant Points to Human Origins. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-03/uopm-mmp032204.php Ananthaswamy, Anil. Early Humans Swapped Bite for Brain. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994817 Reuters. Scientists: Humans traded jaw strength for big brains. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/03/24/science.brains.reut/index.html

How Post-World War Ii Technology Changed America

How Post-World War II Technology Changed America 5/3/2012 AMH 2020- Yellow Class Angelika Vasquez Professor Brian Milner During the post-World War II era everything in our nation seemed to change. The post-World War II era had significant technological advances that changed politics, the economy, and the way people interacted with one another. Three of the biggest technological advances during this era were the introduction of the atomic bomb, television, and space race technology. 945 to 1949, the Atomic bomb changed politics and introduced the military industrial complex. Television, in the 1950’s, changed the way people thought. During the 1960’s there were many new space race technologies introduced that changed the way Americans received information. The atomic bomb, television, and space race technology significantly changed America. Atomic Bomb Cold War- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg After Dwight D. Eisenhower left office, he warned about the growing influence of th e military-industrial complex, in American government and life.The military-industrial complex was first coined by Eisenhower, during his farewell address in 1961. This complex defines the combined effort of big business and the military to press for an ever-increasing share of national resources for the development of new weapons. Many politicians during this time believed that the military-industrial complex promoted policies that were not in the best interest for America, and that the growth of the military-industrial complex could perhaps undermine American democracy. The Cold War had created a warfare state.Because of the atomic bomb, civil defense drills required people to crawl under their desks at work or school; high schools named their football teams â€Å"The Atoms†; and songwriters wrote about the end of the world. Movies warned of the dangers of the bomb or made grim jokes about the fate of humanity. In the late 1940’s, faced with the possibility of a nucl ear war, Americans began building bomb shelters. Bomb shelters were built in either your backyard or your basement that were meant to offer substantial protection. TelevisionBy the late 1950’s, almost ninety percent of American homes had a television set. Television transformed the way Americans did politics. During the Kennedy versus Nixon election, television played a key role in their election campaigns. During the Kennedy-Nixon debates, Kennedy had more of an appeal than Nixon. Although campaigns were already relying less on political parties and more on money before the introduction of the television, television helped accelerate this idea. John F. Kennedy emerged with a disputable national vote plurality over Richard M. Nixon by a razor’s edge of . 7 percent in popular vote (49. 72% to 49. 55%) that converted into a 303 to 219 Electoral College victory. Some historians believe that without the television, Kennedy would not have won the 1960 election. In fact, Joh n F. Kennedy himself stated that, â€Å"we wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget. † Besides affecting politics, television also transformed American culture. The average American viewer spent a little over five hours a day in front of a television screen. American television was paid for by private enterprise, unlike Europe’s government financed television.During the mid 1950’s advertisers spent an estimate ten billion dollars to push their advertisements on the air. Television transformed American culture into a consumer culture. Television also changed the way Americans live, and the ideology which Americans lived by. Popular television series, such as Leave It To Beaver, portrayed the ideal family as a male breadwinner, a woman full-time homemaker, and three or four children. On television, married women did not have paying jobs and depended on their husbands. Americans began getting married at a younger age and the birthrate soared.Space Race Technology Microwaves Cell Phones Home Computer Bibliography â€Å"Atomic Culture. † Social Culture. (accessed May 3, 2012). Renka, Russell. â€Å"The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election. † The Modern Presidency. cstl-cla. semo. edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election. asp (accessed May 3, 2012). Roark, James L.. Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Roark, James L..Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 717. [ 2 ]. â€Å"Atomic Culture. † Social Culture. http://www. centennialofflight. gov/essay/Social/atomic_culture/SH23. htm (accessed May 3, 2012). [ 3 ]. Renka, Russell. â€Å"The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election. † The Modern Presidency. cstl-cla. semo. edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election. asp (acc essed May 3, 2012). [ 4 ]. Roark, James L.. Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 765. [ 5 ]. IBID, 764.

Beyond mass media

Mass media are inherently incompatible with a participatory society because of their mass character, not just because of government control or corporate influence. Mass media should be abandoned and replaced by participatory media organised as networks, such as telephone and computer networks. Los medios de comunicacion son inherentemente incompatibles con una sociedad participativa, debido a su caracter de masas, no solo por el control del gobierno o de la influencia corporativa. Los medios de comunicacion deben ser abandonados y sustituidos por los medios participativos organizados en redes, como el telefono y las redes informaticas. Complaints about the mass media are commonplace. To begin, there is the low quality of many of the programmes and articles. There is the regular portrayal of violence, given an attention out of proportion with its frequency in everyday life. – More generally, most of the mass media give much more attention to bad news–crime, deaths, disasters, wars, etc. –than to positive sides of the human condition. – The mass media frequently create unrealistic fears about criminals, foreign peoples and the like. Las denuncias de los medios de comunicacion son comunes. Para empezar, esta la baja calidad de muchos de los programas y articulos. No es la representacion ordinaria de la violencia, dada una atencion desproporcionada en relacion con su frecuencia en la vida cotidiana. -Mas en general, la mayoria de los medios de comunicacion dan mucha mas atencion a las malas noticias – la delincuencia, muertes, desastres, guerras, etc – que a los aspectos positivos de la condicion humana. -Los medios de comunicacion con frecuencia crean temores poco realistas sobre los criminales, los pueblos extranjeros y similares. â€Å"News† often is more like entertainment than information or education. -News reports, especially on television, are typically given WITHOUT much overt context. The latest events are described, but not what led up to them or caused them. The result is that consumers of the media learn a lot of facts but frequently don't understand how they fit together. â€Å"Context† is the result of the assumptions behind the facts, and this context is all the more powerful because it is neither st ated nor commented upon. â€Å"Noticias†, a menudo es mas como entretenimiento que la informacion o la educacion. -Los informes de prensa, sobre todo en la television, se suelen dar sin mucho contexto manifiesta. -Los ultimos acontecimientos se describen, pero no lo levaron a ellos o les causo. El resultado es que los consumidores de los medios de comunicacion aprenden mucho de los hechos, pero con frecuencia no entienden como encajan entre si. â€Å"Contexto† es el resultado de los supuestos detras de los hechos, y este contexto es aun mas potente, ya que no es ni afirmo ni comentado. Even the â€Å"facts† that are presented are often wrong or misleading. – Powerful groups, especially governments and large corporations, shape the news in a range of ways offering access to stories in exchange for favourable coverage, spreading disinformation, and threatening reprisals. Incluso los â€Å"hechos† que se presentan son a menudo erroneas o enganosas. – Los grupos poderosos, especialmente los gobiernos y las grandes corporaciones, forma la noticia en una gama de formas que ofrece acceso a las historias a cambio de una cobertura favorable, desinformar, y las represalias mortales. This argument suggests that reform of the media, although useful, should not be the goal. Instead, the aim should be to replace mass media by communication systems which are much more participatory. Este argumento sugiere que la reforma de los medios de comunicacion, aunque util, no debe ser la meta. En cambio, el objetivo debe ser la sustitucion de los medios de comunicacion mediante sistemas de comunicacion, que son mucho mas participativo. Replace undemocratic media structure: reemplazar las estructuras de comunicacion democraticos.. The usual approaches Private mass media are often justified as being a vital part of the â€Å"marketplace of ideas. † But, as a way of promoting truth, this so-called market is largely a myth, serving mainly the interests of elites. Los medios de comunicacion privados a menudo se justifican como una parte vital del â€Å"mercado de las ideas. Pero, como una forma de promover la verdad, este llamado mercado es en gran parte un mito, que sirve principalmente a los intereses de las elites. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MASS MEDIA (1) Emergencies. The mass media, especially radio and television, can come in handy in emergencies: messages can be broadcast, reaching a large fraction of the population. Emergencias. Los medios de comunicacion, especialme nte la radio y la television, puede ser util en situaciones de emergencia: los mensajes pueden ser transmitidos, alcanzando una gran parte de la poblacion. AGAINST—–But the mass media are not really necessary for emergency purposes. Fire alarms, for example, do not rely on conventional media. Furthermore, network media, including telephone and computer networks, can be set up to allow emergency communications. Pero los medios de comunicacion no son realmente necesarios para casos de emergencia. Las alarmas de incendio, por ejemplo, no confian en los medios de comunicacion convencionales. Por otra parte, los medios de comunicacion de red, incluyendo telefonia y redes informaticas, se pueden configurar para permitir las comunicaciones de emergencia. Actually, the mass media are a great vulnerability in certain emergencies: military coups. Because they allow a few people to communicate to a large population with little possibility of dialogue, television and radio stations are commonly the first targets in military takeovers. Censorship of newspapers is a next step. This connection between coups and mass media also highlights the role of mass media in authoritarian regimes. En realidad, los medios de comunicacion son una gran vulnerabilidad en ciertas situaciones de emergencia: los golpes militares. Porque permiten que algunas personas se comunican a una gran poblacion con poca posibilidad de dialogo, la television y la radio son normalmente los primeros blancos en golpes militares. La censura de prensa es el siguiente paso. Esta conexion entre los golpes de Estado y medios de comunicacion tambien pone de relieve el papel de los medios de comunicacion en los regimenes autoritarios. AGAINST—-Military strength is no defence against a military coup, and indeed may be the cause of one. To resist a coup, network communications are far superior to mass media (Schweik Action, 1992). So, from the point of view of preparing for emergencies, mass media are bad investments. La fuerza militar no es una defensa contra un golpe de estado militar, y de hecho puede ser la causa de una. Para resistir un golpe de Estado, las comunicaciones de red son muy superiores a los medios de comunicacion (Schweik Accion, 1992). Por lo tanto, desde el punto de vista de la preparacion para casos de emergencia, los medios de comunicacion son malas inversiones. (2) Media talent. The mass media allow many people to enjoy and learn from the efforts of some very talented people: actors, musicians, athletes, journalists and commentators. True. But just as many people can enjoy and learn from these talented people without the mass media, for example through audio and video recordings. 2) el talento Media. Los medios de comunicacion permiten que muchas personas puedan disfrutar y aprender de los esfuerzos de algunas personas muy talentosas: actores, musicos, atletas, periodistas y comentaristas. Verdadero. Pero al igual que muchas personas puedan disfrutar y aprender de estas personas con talento y sin los medios de comunicacion, por ejemplo a traves de grabaciones de audio y video. AGAINST—-Furthermore, the mass media suppress access to all but a few performers and contributors. Those who are left out have a much better chance of reaching a sympathetic audience via network media. Por otra parte, los medios de comunicacion suprimir el acceso a casi todos los artistas y colaboradores. Los que se quedan fuera tienen una mejor oportunidad de llegar a un publico mas simpatico a traves de los medios de comunicacion de la red. Richard Schickel (1985) points out that the celebrity is a twentieth-century phenomenon, created especially by movies and television. He describes a culture of celebrity, in which people strive to be well known, even if this is only because they have appeared on the screen. The culture of celebrity, he argues, is undermining many traditional practices. For example, politicians are sold on the media in terms of image rather than policies. Richard Schickel (1985) senala que la celebridad es un fenomeno del siglo XX, creado especialmente por el cine y la television. El describe la cultura de la celebridad, en la que las personas se esfuerzan por ser bien conocido, aunque esto es solo porque han aparecido en la pantalla. La cultura de la celebridad, sostiene, esta socavando muchas de las practicas tradicionales. Por ejemplo, los politicos se venden en los medios de comunicacion en terminos de imagen, mas que politicas. (3)Large resources. The mass media command enormous resources, both financial and symbolic. This makes it possible for them to pursue large or expensive projects: large-budget films, special investigative teams, in-depth coverage of key events. 3) los recursos grandes. Los enormes recursos de los medios de comunicacion de masas de comando, tanto economicos como simbolicos. Esto hace que sea posible para ellos para perseguir grandes o costosos proyectos: peliculas de gran presupuesto, equipos especiales de investigacion, la cobertura en profundidad de los principales acontecimientos. AGAINST—-Actually, large-scale projects are also possible with network systems. They simply require cooperation and collaboration. For example, some public domain software (free computer programmes) is quite sophisticated and has been produced with the help of many people. In centralised systems, far-reaching decisions can be made by just a few people. In decentralised systems, greater participation is required. En realidad, los proyectos a gran escala tambien son posibles con los sistemas de la red. Simplemente se requiere de la cooperacion y la colaboracion. Por ejemplo, algunos programas de dominio publico (programas informaticos gratuitos) es bastante sofisticado y ha sido elaborado con la ayuda de muchas personas. En los sistemas centralizados, decisiones de gran alcance se pueden hacer unas pocas personas. En los sistemas descentralizados, se requiere una mayor participacion. These four possible arguments for retaining mass media, in some reformed and improved form, actually turn out to be arguments against mass media. ABSTRACT AGAINST: – The mass media are not necessary for emergencies and are actually a key vulnerability to those who would take over a society. -The mass media are not necessary to enjoy and benefit from the talent of others, and they foster an unhealthy emphasis on image. -Finally, although the mass media can undertake large projects, such projects can also dev elop through network media, but in a way involving participation rather than central direction. Estos cuatro argumentos posibles para retener los medios de comunicacion, de una forma reformada y mejorada, en realidad resultan ser argumentos en contra de los medios de comunicacion. RESUMEN EN CONTRA – Los medios de comunicacion no son necesarios en caso de emergencia y en realidad son una vulnerabilidad clave a los que se haria cargo de una sociedad. -Los medios de comunicacion no son necesarios para disfrutar y aprovechar el talento de los demas, y fomentar un enfasis enfermizo en la imagen. -Por ultimo, aunque los medios de comunicacion pueden llevar a cabo grandes proyectos, estos proyectos tambien pueden desarrollarse a traves de los medios de comunicacion de la red, pero de una manera que implica la participacion en lugar de la direccion central. PARTICIPATORY MEDIA AGAINST–Mass media are inherently corrupting. A small number of owners and editors exercise great power over what is communicated to large numbers of people. -Mass media should be replaced by participatory media organised as networks, such as telephone and computer networks. Los medios de comunicacion son inherentemente corrompiendo. Un pequeno numero de propietarios y editores ejercen un gran poder sobre lo que se comunica a un gran numero de personas. – Los medios de comunicacion deben ser sustituidos por medios participativos organizados en redes, como el telefono y las redes informaticas.

APUSH Summer Assignment Essay

Many farmers were considered peasants in the 800s. SIG: Peasants would revolt and cause movements that go against the economic reasoning. The movements were usually to gain recognition for their work and other reasons. Yeomen ID: A servant who gives assistance to royal households or other great households SIG: A yeomen farmer was the ideal American which is being independent and hardworking. They were the best type of citizen to have a say in politics. Dower ID:The portion of property a widow receives from her deceased husband’s belongings. SIG: In the 18th and 19th centuries dower rights were not given much attention. In 1945, dower was abolished but some states still allowed bits of property to be given to a widow. Primogeniture ID: Being the firstborn and eldest of the children of the same parents. Also receiving the largest portion of the father’s property after the death of the father. SIG: This ensured that powerful families kept their power in their family line. Pagans ID: a follower of a polytheistic religion or an irreligious person. SIG: This is significant because many American pagan religions contain different traditions that are similar to to others. Also traditions have been passed down for thousands of years. Heresy ID: When one has a belief that is mutually opposed to a church or religious system. SIG: This separated church and states. A result from this was the unappreciative countries towards the American Church’s optimism. Civic Humanism ID: The idea that one should participate actively in serving its leader or state in the 15th century. SIG: The language of civic humanism was a tool to the leaders who Republics ID: a body of people viewed as a commonwealth or a state where the head of government is not a monarch. SIG: The government of the United States is based partly on Rome’s model of a republic and the U. S has been authorized by the United States Corporation created in 1871. The forming of a republic from Rome’s model is a significant part of US history. Guilds ID: An association of people who have some power and are reaching a common goal. SIG: These were important for trading and small societies that could have grew to be important in history. Reconquista ID:The effort by Christian leaders to drive the Muslims out of Spain from the 1100s to 1492. SIG: It is important to study because the Christian people fought until they expelled their enemies. The Reconquista became an ethnic need. Conquistadors ID: A Spanish conqueror of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. SIG: They were mercenaries who were responsible for the near extinction of native people in present day US, Mexico, and Central America. Encomiendas ID: A system created in 1503 which guaranteed Spanish soldiers land with Indians. SIG: This led to forced labor which led to enslavement which was used in the US for years. Columbian Exchange ID: This was an exchange between the new and old world of culture, plants, animals, and diseases. This changed the way Europeans and Native Americans lived. SIG: This affected both sides of the world culturally and socially. Mestizos ID: a person of mixed ancestry from Latin America SIG:Mestizos were born to give power to the Spaniards and maintain their power. This affected races by not being biological instead history. Caste System ID: a Hindu system of social classes based on castes SIG: it was important because it divided labor in societies Indulgences ID: a pardon from punishments that would have happened due to sins SIG: Indulgences emerged in the 1 lth century when the idea of purgatory spread. Reformers complained about the selling of indulgences. Predestination ID:the idea that God has determined who will be saved and who will not SIG: People hought the idea came so the conquistadors can be forgiven for what they did to the natives. Mercantilism ID: A system that worked to unify a nation by strict regulations of national economy. SIG: European countries had knowledge with building empires and engaging in the system of mercantilism. The colonies in the United States grew and the English knew they could increase trade and benefit from it. Price Revolution ID: The 16th century era of sustained inflation SIG: This led to the price of food to rise and fall. The prices were changing often due and gold from the New World that was brought to Europe. Part Two: Chapter 1 Questions . The four main characteristics of the Indian civilizations in Mesoamerica where art, religion, society and economy. These characteristics were equal to those of Europe and the Mediterranean. Mesoamericans portrayed art through dance, pottery, and music. All of the Mesoamerican religions were polytheistic and the gods had to be given offerings. Mesoamericans did not have unity, so they were divided in a social hierarchy. The economy relied on agriculture because of the scarce amount of large animals. . The eastern woodland Indian societies were organized and governed by self-governing tribes composed of clans. In their culture, the elders would encourage local chief, who aided clan elders conducted ceremonies and regulated personal life. Gender played a role when it came to farming because it was the province of both sexes, but among eastern Woodland Indians it was the work of women. These societies were matrilineal, which is the inheritance one receives from the female line of ancestors. Farmers focused on religious ceremonies related to the agricultural cycle