Race: Biological or Cultural? :: essays research papers

Through research of DNA samples, scientists have been able to declare that race is not biologically constructed due to the similarities between human genes. Nevertheless, in reality, people still emphasized on biological aspects such as skin color, or hair texture to categorize others into different races. This in turn, denied the true identity of race, which it is culturally constructed. Ethnicity, by definition is also culturally constructed, therefore it greatly resemble race. There is no real clear line to distinct the two. According to Nicholson, encounters between explorers, such as Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson, and Native Americans were always friendly. There was no â€Å"expression of hostility based on physical appearance† (Nicholson 15) between the two groups. When there was any hostility, it was not based on physical appearance, but rather more of culture practices or values. Cannibalism, for example, â€Å"seems to take place without any regard to race, creed, or religion.† In another case, Nicholson mentions that during the Crusade, about ten thousands Jews were massacred by Crusaders. It â€Å"was a religious slaughter without racial implications.† (Nicholson 26) Through these examples, we can see that Nicholson suggested that race is not scientifically valid because people did not judge others based on physical appearances, but the notion of race is mainly described by one’s skin color or hair texture. Nicholson’s arguments coincided with modern scientific views, which conclude that race doesn’t exist, due to the fact that DNA inside people with different skin color and hair texture is 99.9 percent similar. Therefore, the notion that race is biologically constructed in invalid. Social reality of race simply refers to the fact that people still believed that races are based on physical traits such as skin color or hair texture to judge others. However, what they are doing is stereotyping which lead to discrimination and racism. Also, their actions denied the fact race is culturally constructed, meaning people have different customs, religions, and values from culture to culture. The patterns of biological variation among humans are extremely complex and constantly changing. All of us could be classified into a number of different "races", depending on what genetic traits are emphasized. For example, if you divide people up on the basis of stature or blood types, the geographic groupings are clearly different from those defined on the basis of skin color. Focusing on such deceptive distinguishing traits as skin color, body shape, and hair texture causes us to magnify differences and ignore similarities between people.

Opportunities and Challenges of Having Access to a Broader Workforce Essay

Question: a) Discuss the opportunities and challenges of having access to a broader workforce. Answer: The Workforce is the total number of a country’s population employed in the armed forces and civilian jobs, plus those unemployed people who are actually seeking paying work. In other words, workforce also refers to Total number of employee (usually excluding the management) on an employer’s payroll. It may also mean all those that are available for work. Workers may be unionized, whereby the union conducts negotiations regarding pay and conditions of employment. In the event of industrial unrest, unions provide a coordinating role in organizing ballots of the workforce, and strike action. As the world becomes globalize, the workforce in industries/companies become diversifies. The broader workforce make up from employees that come from different age groups, race, beliefs, gender etc. Opportunities Provide training on core competencies Devise training is needed to address the needs of different levels of workers, including training directed at entry-level and less skilled staff, workers with degrees not directly relevant to afterschool, and workers pursuing credentials. We cannot afford to ignore the workers who stay only a short time or work part-time, because they make up too large a portion of our workforce. They need some minimum level of knowledge in the core competencies required to work in afterschool programs. Moreover, providing training and supporting pursuit of a credential is an excellent way to foster an attachment to the field. Expand Quality training and professional development opportunities Quality training and professional development opportunities are needed to be expanded for all workers, including encouraging programs to give workers paid time off to attend training. Another need is for approaches such as distance learning to increase access to training in rural areas. We also should establish a core group of high quality, recognized, and approved trainers and promote ways to share the knowledge of experienced afterschool staff, for example, through mentoring younger staff. Provide afterschool/youth work content in higher education curricula We need to work with institutions of higher education to provide more course work relevant to youth work and afterschool that could be accessed by workers and students pursuing credentials or a degree. We also need to work with these institutions to address the needs of the adult learners in our workforce who would be candidates for these courses. Advocate for funding for training and professional development Policymakers at all levels need to provide more funding specifically for training and professional development for afterschool staff through supports such as scholarships and loan forgiveness. In advocating for such funding, the afterschool field needs to highlight the connection between positive outcomes for children and youth in afterschool—a goal endorsed by policymakers—and the qualifications of the staff that provide afterschool services. Provide human resources staff with the training and resources they need to recruit and hire Although the focus of this project and resulting report is on the current afterschool workforce, it’s difficult not to consider the need for effective recruiting and hiring techniques in afterschool programs. A program’s workforce begins with, and its success reflects, the recruiting and hiring of employees who are adequately matched to a program’s core competencies and needs. Challenges Developing specific strategies for reaching the target populations There are people 18- 59 years old in the population who are all needed in the workplace and who need the education/training to take advantage of the opportunity it provides. The challenge is to develop marketing campaigns and services that focus on each of these groups, their specific education/training needs, and their need for user friendly access, delivery, and support systems. Further, there are significant shifts in the gender, ethnicity, and work experience within these populations. Studying these shifts identifies targeted opportunities for increased participation and support. The lack of clear, systemic, and complete information continues to be one of the major barriers to these populations. Several recent studies suggest the lack of useful labor market information contribute to the lack of participation. Developing a series of strategic alliances with business/industrial associations, professional associations, and assessment organizations Education curriculum and competency standards are no longer within the sole domain of the academy. Such areas as education content, achievement, and application are all reflections of constant evolutions in the world external to higher education. It is no longer possible for free standing independent education and training organizations to unilaterally maintain currency with the rapidly changing demands of the new economy. Curriculum is no longer fixed, singular, or limited in scope. Competency standards are evolving at increasing rates as are the related assessments. Further, the expansion of multiple employer related delivery options as well as the growth in industry recognized credentials suggest the need for formal alliances with external partners. Employer Associations Three fundamental shifts have shaken the employer world: 1) the rapid changes in technology and productivity and the resulting impact on workforce skills, 2)the dramatic shift in demographics with the loss of skilled workers and the lack of skilled entrants, and 3) the difficulty identifying effective educational ‘pipelines’ for skilled applicants. Both employers and educators are looking to industrial associations as partners in developing the definition of new skills and competencies, the related curriculum, the required assessments and, the resulting credentials. The move towards alignment (tuning) is increasingly dependent on association partnerships. Effective associations will have systems of continuous improvement that will ensure alignment between their education and training partners as well as their employer membership. This communication system opens up the pipeline for skilled workers and provides a communication system for internships, work based learning, and ultimate support for placement of graduates within the industry. The primary purpose of these alliances is to ensure both the continuous alignment and portability of academic content and outcomes with the constantly changing expectations of both the employer and academic world. Industry Recognized Certifications (IRC) Opportunities for more formal alliances occur with associations that sponsor formal industry certifications. These offer industry recognition of credentials and their accompanying competencies. They offer the individual portability of their recognized credentials and the institution a means of aligning curriculum, competencies, and assessments. An exceptional opportunity exists in providing academic credit to students enrolled in programs resulting in industry recognized certifications. Students engaged in technical training would be more inclined to stay in a program if they receive industry recognized credentials as well as specific credits toward academic or technical Associate degrees. This creates a unique prospect to engage students in seamless system of lifelong continuous learning. The prospects for long term strategic alliances with industry associations are enormous and offer great marketing benefits. Alliances with Professional and International Organizations Forming strategic alliances with professional organizations and accreditors ensures both alignment of curricula and outcome standards as well as ensuring the portability of the credits and credentials. These alliances are becoming increasingly recognized as significant pipelines for qualified professional applicants and they offer exceptional marketing opportunities to both student applicants and industry. Development of a ‘One Stop’ access to the new economy A ‘one stop centers’ is needed for individuals to: 1) get labor market information about high wage/high growth industries, 2) obtain available skill standards and/or IRC’s, 3) accredit their past training, education, and experience, 4) gain advice and counseling on entering post secondary education, 5) receive assistance with entrance to recognized academic and training programs, and, 6) get assistance with placement within the industry. The major problem with the labor market adjustment system in the United States is a completely bifurcated and user unfriendly information, counseling, advising, crediting, accessing, financing, and education/training system. Both the unemployed, re-entering adults and first time students are highly mobile learners who are looking for the access portal to the new economy. Stagnate outdated agencies, policies and systems are simply incapable of delivering such services. It is time to develop a new on-line system that would ensure all citizens ongoing and easy access to understandable and timely job matches, labor market information, and credentials needed for the new economy. All post secondary institutions have a unique opportunity to participate in the building of this broader set of services into a publically transparent system. Ability to offer, give a perception of and have the reputation of providing a ‘Guarantee’ This is the outgrowth of the need to close the loop between employers, students, and educators. The primary question is: does the institutions system of identified learning outcomes meet the academic and technical standards of the new economy and, then, does it ‘ensure’ that every graduate meets those standards? This means establishing standards, curriculum, and assessments that achieve these levels and ensuring that every graduate meets them. When substandard performance is recognized there is a system of remediation and ultimately the failure to graduate if the student simply cannot meet the institutional standards. Some would add that for any student hired which the employer believes does not meet the standard, the school would take them back and remediate them at no cost. While this would come with a cost, it is far more important to develop a reputation with employers for producing graduates that meet the industry standards for tomorrow’s economy. While this important for employers, it is imperative for students who want to be certain that the education/training they are engaged in will in fact prepare them for the new economy. Action on this challenge represents a fundamental shift away from the old system of ‘education opportunity’. For the future, it is about highly mobile students accessing a system that ‘ensures’ their achievement of the competencies required for the new economy. America’s exceptionally diverse post secondary education system has the capacity and commitment to implement this new relationship. (b) What extend Malaysia has benefited and also able to develop own Knowledge worker. The Malaysian labor force is generally educated. This is because youths who enter the labor market would have undergone at least 11 years of schooling. Furthermore, the proportion of labor force with secondary and tertiary education has risen over the years, making them easier to be trained and to learn new skills. Nonetheless, it has been argued that there is a shortage of skilled labor in Malaysia. This shortfall in skilled labor was believed to be one of the causes for the tightness in the Malaysian labor market during the 1980s and 1990s, alongside a mismatch between demand for and supply of labor. Malaysia’s response to this matter is one of the reasons for the nation’s focus on human capital development in recent years. Since the mid-1990s, Malaysia has entered into a phase where new emphasis and demand for high technology and knowledge-based industries were in place. A change in the Malaysian economic policies was, therefore, needed in order to maintain the nation’s competitiveness. Knowledge-based economy is defined as one that is â€Å"directly based on the production, distribution and use of knowledge and information†¦ towards growth in high technology investments, high-technology industries, more highly skilled labor and associated productivity gains†. Malaysia adopted this definition into its Knowledge-based Economy Master Plan, which defines a knowledge-based economy as â€Å"an economy where knowledge, creativity and innovation play an ever-increasing and important role in generating and sustaining growth†. The Master Plan was developed to provide a strategic framework outlining the required changes to the fundamentals of the Malaysian economy. Since the concept of a knowledge-based economy revolves around knowledge and information as the key contributors to economic growth and development, the move towards a knowledge-based economy is expected to provide Malaysia with the necessary competitiveness in order to achieve a developed nation status and meet the objectives of Vision 2020. Several reasons were given as to why Malaysia should move into the knowledge-based economy. First, the nation has lost its global competitiveness in attracting FDI when it fell from the 18th place in 1994 to the 29th spot in 2001, as reported the World Competitiveness Yearbook (IMD, various years). Related to this is the increasing competition for the country’s products from other developing countries, such as China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia that enjoy cheaper labor and more abundant resources. This is especially true in the case of China, where it has been reported that cheaper and equal quality goods from this new economic power, mainly in labor intensive textiles, would bring about stiff competition to Malaysia’s export goods in its domestic and international markets. Third, Malaysia’s economic policies have been affected by globalization and liberalization as barriers and protective walls that help sustain local industries are slowly removed and brought down. As a result, Malaysia, like all other developing economies will have to search for new products and services that are feasible in the emerging global market where the distinction between local and world markets is gradually disappearing. Such goods and services like aircraft, pharmaceuticals, ecommerce, tourism and educational services and ICT industries are common in the knowledge-based industries. Fourth, as Malaysia strives to become a developed nation by the year 2020, this would result in its current edge in producing goods and services for the global market, which hinges on low wages, to be eroded. This is because its cost levels would approach those of developed countries. To face this anticipated escalating labor cost, Malaysia needs to ensure higher value is added to its products in order for its industries to remain viable. Thus, for Malaysia to be competitive, it must produce goods and services to compete at comparable levels as those in developed countries. Again, such high value-added is generally provided by knowledge-based industries. Fifth, Malaysia needs to move into more profitable and wealth-generating stages of production. In other words, it has to make its manufacturing sector more profitable. To do so, Malaysian firms have little choice but to move into the pre- production stage (which includes product conceptualization, research and design, prototyping etc) and/or post-production stage (packaging, branding, marketing, retailing etc) of manufacturing, because there is less profit to be made from the core production process. These pre- and post-production stages also happen to be more knowledge-intensive compared to the existing core production process stage. Sixth, Malaysia needs to find new sources of growth in its economy as the old sources of growth have become less productive. A knowledge-based economy will provide some of these new sources of growth to enable Malaysia to sustain growth and dynamism. Finally, Malaysia needs to improve the contribution of the â€Å"total factor productivity† (TFP) in terms of improving the quality of workers, methods of doing things and other delivery activities (EPU, 2002: 5). To what extend do Malaysia able to develop own knowledge worker? Education: At the primary and secondary levels, some of the indicators for quality that tend to raise concerns have to do with the teaching profession, the curriculum, and the grading of schools. The most serious concern is that of teacher recruitment, salary, career path, work load and training. These concerns have discouraged many potentially good teachers from joining the profession. As regards the school curriculum, there are two sets of issues. The first has to do with content. The second set of issues deals with implementation of the curriculum, classroom size, expertise of teachers and courseware development. Overcrowding in urban schools can impede teaching and learning, including the effective delivery of the curriculum. At the tertiary level, concerns centre mainly on the issues of research, resources, faculty qualifications, and the quality of output. Some public institutions are not keen on being assessed and ranked by an external body. Consequently these institutions become less aw are of their weaknesses. This lack of awareness about their performance does not contribute to accountability. The public requires detailed information on the performance of various institutions in order to have confidence in them. In terms of the use of ICT, the largest provider for programmes in schools is the government, mainly the Ministry of Education (MOE). MIMOS, MDC and the private sector, including parent-teacher associations, are also involved. Some observations are made on the current trends and development of the ICT programmes in schools: ââ€" ª At this stage, ICT programmes at the school level are still heavily centered on infrastructure or procurement of hardware. Software (content development for courseware) and people ware (training) in the ICT programmes are more urgent. The hardware focus alone is inadequate to create the environment for e-education which can enhance teaching and learning and accommodate life-long learning. The software and people ware aspects that are necessary for e-education have to be considered and expanded. ââ€" ª There is a lack of co-ordination among the various agencies, namely MOE, MIMOS and MDC, in their supporting activities for the ICT programmes. Redundancy and wastage of resources can be avoided if there is better co-ordination. ââ€" ª In many schools, computers are often locked up in a special room or a lab, impeding their use for teaching and learning. The class time-table often does not include time for working or playing with computers. The costly equipment forces teachers in charge of the room to be cautious in allowing access, and this adds to the difficulty in utilizing the computers. ââ€" ª Most teachers have not had sufficient training to maximize the use of computers to enhance teaching and learning, and often merely impose traditional methods of drilling and rote learning using computers. This is mainly due to the emphasis on ICT literacy in teacher training programmes. ââ€" ª Due to the lack of a standard approach in the utilization of computers, student contact hours with computers cannot be established. ââ€" ª Teachers take charge of ICT centers in schools on a voluntary basis. Most of them do not have any formal training in ICT. There is often no technician who can assist the teachers with maintenance. Public higher education institutions, especially the universities, have been expanding their ICT programmes, especially over the past five years. Computer labs at the faculty level and computer centers for the university have been initiated and are in progress. ICT’s capacity to contribute to greater efficiency of work and resource management has not been fully exploited. E-mail facilities are not being maximized, and downloading lecture notes from the web or interacting with lecturers via e-mail or the web is still uncommon. The Internet is not being adequately accessed for lecture content. Another issue requiring attention is the need to develop quality private education. Private education in Malaysia is a relatively developed sector, particularly at the higher education level. As regards technical education, the system at the upper secondary level needs to address a number of issues: ââ€" ª Greater efforts should be made to improve hands-on skills among technical school students. The Technical Education Department has already introduced the contextual learning delivery system, which essentially recognizes that learning is a complex and multi-faceted process. Such learning goes far beyond theory, drill-oriented, stimulus and response teaching methodologies. It was introduced in Secondary Technical Schools in 1998 to help all students master higher-level academic and work skills. Instruction based on this strategy is being structured to help students apply their knowledge more effectively. ââ€" ª Greater efforts are required to improve the links between schools and industry. Currently the School Advisory Committees, established in all schools, comprise representatives from industries, higher education, Parent-Teacher Associations and Head Teachers who advise schools on curriculum and equipment. The Career Guidance, Industrial Liaison and Placement Unit in every school also provide career guidance and placement of students in industries. These should be further improved. B. Skills Training and Retraining Malaysia currently has several drawbacks with regards to the education and skills profile required for a K-based economy. It lacks an adequate pool of knowledge workers, sufficiently high enrolment in the sciences at tertiary levels, and a broad base of workers with minimum literacy, learning ability and skills. Educational reform takes time while the recruitment of foreign talent is merely a temporary measure. An effective response would be to train managers and workers to cope with the new demands of the K-based economy. Private and public sector managers need to be trained to reengineer their organizations into ‘learning organizations’ which can attract, retain and develop K-workers to make their organizations more competitive, service-oriented and efficient. To increase the quality and relevance of skills, greater autonomy and flexibility should be given to public sector training institutions to make them more responsive to the rapidly changing labor market requirements of a K-based economy. To minimize job dislocation resulting from the transition to the K-based economy, ‘bridging’ courses need to be organized for displaced workers, especially those who are old, uneducated, and un-trainable. The power of the Internet should also be harnessed to establish ‘net communities’ for citizens with special needs and interests to interact among them and with the government. For the economy as a whole, there is also a need for an efficient and speedy labor market information system to help ensure effective planning to meet the manpower demands of the K-based economy. This may require the establishment of a specialist study group, improved career counseling, and a directory of training institutions. In addition to providing basic education for all, in a K-based economy it is essential to stress Lifelong Learning and Education to help citizens cope with expanding knowledge and rapid change. The challenges of Lifelong Learning and Education in the context of the K-based economy include the following: 1. Producing a highly skilled, knowledge-rich workforce. 2. Reducing unemployment and re-skilling the workforce. 3. Addressing and adjusting to the needs of an aging society. C. Global Talent A world shortage of high level manpower is likely to increase the brain drain from Malaysia. While the high growth East Asian economies compete for Malaysian talent, particularly in ICT the more serious long-term competitors are the advanced K-based economies of the US and Europe which suffer serious shortages of ICT personnel. It is estimated that Europe and the US alone need two million more ICT workers by 2002. Recent changes to immigration laws enacted to attract foreign talent to the US have serious implications for Asia and for Malaysia’s efforts to retain domestic talent and attract foreign, particularly ICT talent. A Bill passed by US Congress in late 2000 allows US firms to recruit 600,000 foreigners, a third of them from India. The three-year programme takes effect from 2001. The US recruitment drive occurs in the context of a world-wide shortage of ICT talent, with Asian countries too unable to meet their domestic demand. Despite this the best and brightest Asians ( including Malaysians), are likely to be lured by better wages, work conditions, occupational mobility and the quality of life in the US and Europe. This ‘brain drain’ has already begun, with European and US recruiters scouring Asian universities for talent. This situation signals several dangers for Malaysia. Firstly, like the Asian countries, Malaysia too is likely to lose young graduates from local and foreign universities to firms in the US and Europe. Secondly, experienced Malaysians may also be recruited, with the Malaysian labor market serving as a ‘training ground’ for developed K-based economies. Thirdly, since the Asian shortage and US demand will deplete the international talent pool, Malaysia’s option of utilizing foreign talent will be limited. Foreigners who are recruited to work in Malaysia are also likely to treat Malaysia as a ‘training ground’ for eventual entry and settlement in the US and Europe. There are several ways Malaysia can cope with this situation: ââ€" ª One current advantage Malaysia has is that except for Singapore, other countries in the region including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and China, all of which also have ambitious ICT plans, have not moved fast enough to recruit foreign talent. Moving quickly to simplify immigration rules and ease recruitment of foreign talent will give Malaysia a competitive edge in recruitment. ââ€" ª Secondly, of all countries in the region, Malaysia probably has the most balanced set of attractions in terms of wages, low costs, quality of life, stability and safety. This advantage should be exploited to the fullest. ââ€" ª Thirdly, Malaysia’s rich and tolerant multi-ethnic heritage makes it attractive to a wide spectrum of expatriates, whether Caucasians, Middle-Easterners, East Asians or South Asians. Unlike its competitors in the region, Malaysia can therefore alleviate the problem of the world-wide shortage by recr uiting from a wide variety of countries and labor markets. The government itself has made several clear efforts to recruit foreign talent. In 1995-98 the Returning Scientists Programme managed by the Ministry of Science attracted 93 overseas-based foreign and Malaysian scientists on short-term contracts to local institutions. But their high wages posed a financial strain and contributed to wage inequities vis-a-vis local scientists. Recognizing the need for talent, the Returning Scientists Programme was revived in early 2001, and the recent national Budget provided incentives to encourage Malaysian experts abroad ‘who have the required expertise’ to return and serve the nation. Income remitted within two years from the date of arrival will be exempted from income tax. Two cars registered in the country of origin for at least six months will also be exempted from import duty and sales tax, while the husbands/wives and children of Malaysian citizens will now be given PR status within six months of the date of arrival. Previously, husbands who were non-citizens were not entitled to PR status, while non-citizen wives could only apply for PR after five years residence in Malaysia. The programme took effect from 1 January 2001. Under this programme, six fields of expertise and skills have been identified, i.e. IT, Science and Technology, Industry, Finance and Accounting, Arts, and Medicine and Health.

Nike in Brazil: a Host Country View

Negative effects of Nike from Brazil’s point of view Brazil is rapidly privatizing many industries and its attitude toward a free market economy has changed significantly in the past 10 years. However, it seems the country still has a perception that often times associates capitalism with â€Å"greedy† developed countries. If the opinion of Brazil’s president is a reflection of how some of its people feel this is certainly the case. In 2008, Brazil’s president lambasted US corporations and the US government for â€Å"infecting his nation with problems that were not of its making (The New York Times, 2008). This attitude seems to have created some problems for Brazilians in terms of their view of Nike. The kind of leverage and control that such a large company can exert on football in the country is huge. This issue was thrown into the light when in 1998 the Brazilian national team lost in the World Cup finals to France. Earlier on in the year, Nike had in vested a record amount ($200 million US) for the right to sponsor the Brazilian national team in the World Cup. As a requisite for sponsorship, Nike demanded that the team play an inordinate amount of exhibition games leading up to the event. Many Brazilians, including Brazilian football legend Pele (who filed a lawsuit against Nike), still blame Nike for Brazil’s loss. They claim that the unusual number of exhibition games tired the players out. Similarly, another interesting problem is Nike’s effect on competition in Brazil. Nike’s recent acquisition of UK sporting wear company Umbro allowed it to eclipse Adidas as the biggest brand in the world of football (The Financial Times, 2007). This is particularly troubling for Brazilian retailers, who worry about the concentration of brands between two large Multi-Nationals and the effect this might have on their business. Lastly, as with many interactions between MNC’s and developing countries environmental issues have been a problem. Brazil is a massive supplier of leather used for products like Nike shoes. However, much of the cattle that the leather comes from graze on what was once Amazon rain forest. A host of Brazilian ranchers have clear-cut entire swaths of rainforest in an attempt to make room for more cattle. This goes against Brazil’s need to preserve what is arguably its most precious natural resource (The Ends Report, 2009). In future business interactions, Nike needs to be weary of using tactics that could be perceived by the Brazilian people as greedy, dominating, or imperialistic. Such tactics may erode trust within the Brazilian population and could turn out to be a bigger PR headache than they are worth. Advantages of having Nike in Brazil from Brazil’s point of view On the other hand, the fact that Nike is such a large and powerful company can have its benefits for the Brazilian people. With its enormous buying capability Nike can actually shift the way products are produced in some countries by pressuring suppliers. As was discussed earlier, Nike has been using leather procured from suppliers who have clear-cut forests in order to make room for their cattle. However, in August of last year, Nike along with help from Greenpeace enacted a set of regulations that all its suppliers must follow. The policies included a rule against clear-cutting, as well as other important environmental conventions. It seems that where there are problems between Brazil and Nike, there are also opportunities (The Ends Report, 2009). Programs like this are exactly what Nike needs. Not only do they foster trust and goodwill, they also facilitate much needed changes in Brazil. Without Nike the changes in the Brazilian leather industry might be difficult to encourage. The cattle lobby in Brazil is well funded and has many political ties making initiatives that may affect productivity hard to pass. However, it seems that environmentally conscious Brazilians have found a solution and a partner in Nike. In addition, Nike also decided to make its entire 2010 World Cup kit (a collection of football clothing) out of recycled bottles. This initiative took 13 million plastic bottles out of landfills. Furthermore, the Nike project created an association between Brazil and sustainability that will be seen all over the world (Al-Bawaba Reporters, 2010). Lastly, in recent years Nike has invested enormous amounts of money in the Brazilian football infrastructure. Nike is one of the chief supporters of the Brazilian Football Confederation and has extended its contract with this association until 2018. In addition, Nike also sponsors all three of the largest football teams in the country (Sports Marketing Quarterly, 2006). This reflects a direct commitment to improving and fostering football in the Brazil. The support of such a large sporting powerhouse seems to have had some positive effects on Brazil in terms of their attractiveness as a host for future events. In the past year, Brazil secured the 2014 world cup. This event is extremely lucrative for local vendors (among other parties) and will allow Brazil to display its incredible culture on a worldwide scale. Bibliography

Broadsheet and tabloid artical comparison Essay

The incident that all three papers are discussing is a cable car accident in Italy in which 20 people died. This tragedy occurred on 3rd February 1998 as a low American fighter jet severed the wire on which the car hung. This caused the cable car to crash down 300ft leaving another cable car in suspension. This event happened nearby Mount Cermis, Northern Italy. The Mirror takes it account from all spectrums but focuses on British tourists in the area. The Times do not mention their eyewitnesses but focus on the American and Italian view on the subject. The Newsweek discuss mainly with American officials but they do feature any eyewitnesses. The major differences is that the Mirror is a daily tabloid, the Times a daily broadsheet and the Newsweek is a fortnightly American publication. The Mirror and The Times reported on the incident the next day, whilst Newsweek reported on it thirteen days after. The Newsweek will obviously be bias as its country is involved in the accident and the other two papers should share the same views as they are not involved. Due to the Times being a broadsheet it should have a more sophisticated language and its attitude should follow this. The Mirror has a lot of factual information on the accident. It states the number of deaths (20 skiers). It mentions the area in which it happened (Cavalese, Northern Italy). It describes the type of American jet (American Marine EA-6B Prowler). It informs the reader of the victims nationalities (at least six German, two Hungarian, two Polish). Also followed with the sex of the victims (nine women, ten men and a child). The Mirror goes on to talk about a similar incident which happened in previous years in the area of Cermis informing the reader of the number of deaths, the date, the nature of the incident and who was blamed. The Mirror gives the reader all the information needed and due to them adding information about a previous accident they are giving them that extra information this shows they researched the area and attempted to familiarise readers with the area. The Times, is a conventional broadsheet. They give the reader information of were the incident took place (Dolomites, Mount Cermis). They share the same number of deaths as the Mirror and describe the model of the plane as a ‘Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler similar to the Mirror. They include the maximum capacity of the cable car. (40 people). They mention the exact time of the incident (3:25) and the height it was going up to (6,000ft). The report does mention the nationalities of the victims in this area but it generalises saying ‘most of them German’ so it does not give figures like the Mirror. The Times also mentions the previous incident in the area in 1976 when 42 people died due to ‘the failure of automatic safety systems’ in the third column second-to-last paragraph. The American publication does not discuss the event in detail. It mentions the area in which it took place (Dolomites). It refers to the cable car as a ‘yellow gondola’. It includes the number of those killed and adds the area of origin (20 tourists from seven European countries). The Newsweek report also states the type of plane and how low the Italian air chief sad it was flying ( 3,300ft) below the allowed altitude. They also inform the reader in the about an Italian plane that went missing in 1980 by Ustica and how the US were suspected to of shot it down. This report differs significantly from the Times and the Mirror. These reports all differ. The British tabloid, The Mirror will differ as it uses sensationalism and wants to shock rather than inform and the vocabulary should be restricted and compressed, there are constant puns and word plays. The Mirror seems to take a view on the incident The Mirror’s language is pacy and dramatic. They use several forms of language to achieve this. It applies emotive language to stir up sympathetic feelings from the reader. The words such as ‘plunged’ in the first paragraph is used to describe the way in which the cable car fell to the ground. They also use figurative language to describe the cable car, this could be to make the reader able to envision the horror and harshness of the accident. They do this by using a simile. They refer to the way the cable car saying ‘it opened up like a cardboard box’ as cardboard is not very strong and can be destroyed easily. This emphasises the fragility of the cable car and the violence in which the cable car was so effortlessly ruined and reinforces the severity of the accident. A dramatic form of language is constantly used throughout the report, this accentuates the incident. The plane is described to of ‘screamed down†¦ ripped the wire’, this use of onomatopoeia including other words such as ‘limped and screamed’ This shows the reader the speed and power of the plane. This use of language is used to exaggerate the incident. They also do this when describing the car using words such as ‘crashing†¦ ripped†¦ smashed†¦ dangling perilously†¦ torn†¦ plunged’. This language is also a use of hyperbole in which he event has been exaggerated for effect and to expresses the horror of the incident and visualises it to the reader as they follow the report. The Times is a broadsheet and uses a formal language, not a form of dialect as it is circulated throughout the UK. They also like the Mirror use hyperbole and onomatopoeia to exaggerate the event. They use a simile ‘screaming through the sky like a thing in torment’ this figurative use of language personifies the plane. They also use several word to describe the plane such as ‘sliced†¦ roaring’. They go on to use several words relating to the cable car such as ‘crashed†¦ crumpled†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ dangling’. They also use phrases to describe the report such as’ smashed bright yellow cable car’ and ‘twisted cabin wreckage’. The Newsweek an American paper is constantly cynical in its language. It is less formal then the other reports. It does not use an hyperbole as it is not interested in the event so it has no need to exaggerate it The Mirror interviewed people from all spectrums of the incident. They talked with a British couple who were tourists in the area and claimed they missed being in the incident by minutes. The Mirror included these British tourists to give the report a personal aspect, this may gain interest from readers who would be attracted to the article as it brings the incident to the British shores that there own were involved. They also discussed the incident with a police chief Andrea Russo who described the scene saying ‘all four wall of the car opened up like a cardboard box ‘ and tells of the severed bodies and the bloodstained snow. This shows what the scene looked like after the incident. They talked to a fire services spokesman to confirm the number of deaths and the US Defence Secretary William Cohen who gives the official American statement and view on the disaster. They also get an official statement from the Italian Regional President Carlo Andreotti who condemns the Americans. He was interviewed to give an impression of the Italians view on the accident. Cristina Antoniazzi a hotel owner nearby, she discusses what she heard at the time of the accident. This gives a view of a normal resident in the area and their view on the deaths, free from all the spin and censorship a government statement may have. The Times does not offer any statements from British officials or those on the scene. They do not care for their opinion as they are not involved and do not need their view on the matter. They have an account from an eyewitness but the name and status was not given. The report contains a statement from Fausto Colasanti, a police official describes the location as a ‘terrible scene of carnage’ . The Times also talk to a rescue worker and the Italian Deputy Defence Minister to add an official look on the cable car incident. A Signor Brutti is also mentioned but his status is unknown. This mainly has an Italian viewpoint, not that it holds a bias view but not many American opinions are given on the accident. The Newsweek does not feature many interviewees. It has views from American Gen. Tim Peppe who defends the pilots. Italian Gen. Mario Arpino said the warplane was flying 3,300ft below designated altitude and the U. S Ambassador Thomas Foglietta is said to of ‘finally conceded’ that it was flying ‘below the minimum approved altitude’. The report includes a U. S activist Grace Potorti who describes the incident as her ‘worst fear come true’. The Newsweek includes the Italian President Luigi Scalfaro who hoped ‘the accident wasn’t caused by someone†¦ who didn’t care about others’ lives’. They do not include any actual comments on the scene of the accident or from those around the area or nearby the incident. They do this because they are bias and are not in favour of the Italian view that the pilot were being reckless. They include mainly phrases and not full statements from any of their interviewees.

Creative exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Creative exercise - Essay Example river’s behavior, he might have had his reasons to behave the way he did as a way of carefully responding to such a situation but then again if it made you feel uncomfortable please accept our apologies. We will talk to him to know exactly why he behaved so and hope that it won’t happen again. Thank you for contacting us. 3. Surge pricing occurs when there are extreme demands that are generated by special events, holidays or peak times. During such times, we are subjected to multiple fares so as to maximize the number of Uber cars on the system just to make sure our customers get a car when they need one. Please note that you were not charged unfairly but on such occasions our customers should expect their fares to be subjected to a surge multiplier. Sorry for any of any cause inconvenience to you, but we hope that u have understood. Thank you. Reason for the order response is that we have to respond first with the frustrated customer and calm him down. Then to our customer whose flight is at 6 A.M to ensure that he does not miss his flight if at all he finds it convenient to use our service. Then the physical damage just to ensure that the driver’s personal insurance policy will be able to cover him. If it does not, we at Uber have a policy that covers such drivers up to $ 50,000 and with a $ 1,000 deductible. Then I respond to the customer who wants a refund as he/she doesnt seem angry all he wants is a refund which will not take long to do. And lastly option b since we are certain that the customer will get his jacket back provided he is certain that he left it in one of our cars 1.Kindly confirm your email address on file if it is correct by logging into uber.com then click the ‘settings’ link at the top of the page. This should help, or you could also check your spam folder. Thank you. 1. We do not allow that due to security purpose and privacy options. If your friends wish to drive your car on the Uber system, then they have to be on your

How valid is this assessment of the july plot of 1944 The plotters Essay

How valid is this assessment of the july plot of 1944 The plotters were not courageous men whose purpose was honourable but reckless men who acted out of their own self interest - Essay Example Gisevius (1998) describes the situation in Germany, under Nazi control in that period, as a nation whose leaders felt â€Å"only in terms of violence.† He further explains: How easily naked violence is spread & practiced! We can observe this even more in the sub-leaders than in Hitler†¦ Party leaders and sub-leaders found themselves in positions of power beyond their wildest dreams†¦ They had no professional training. They knew nothing about the law. They did not trust the professional officialdom who worked under them. They simply dictated, in the firm conviction that their subjects would obey†¦ First, they conquered power. By means of power they achieved totality. Soon they tasted the pleasures of arbitrary rule. And then, swiftly, they plunged into excess†¦ (pp 101 & 102). Thus began the savage rule which was to become a canker sore in the mouth of not only Europe, but the entire world for years. It is also interesting to note that several moves had been made to overthrow Hitler even before the war began. Even though it seems clear, it is important, at this point, to insist that the plot of July 1944 was not just an attempt by a bunch of renegade army officers to kill Adolf Hitler and take over his government, but a truly patriotic and humanitarian move to liberate and distance the German nation from the vices of greed, hate, genocide and absolutism, all of which the Nazi government embodied. Germany was in the heart of the Second World War, and there was a wanton killing of Jews in German concentration camps all over Europe. â€Å"If the plot had succeeded, the war could have been shortened, the slaughter ended and the lives of millions of Jews saved† (Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland). At the immediate conception of the plot, however, opposition to Hitler’s government was not military, but simply political. But by the mid 1930’s, several trade and political opposition groups, which existed or voiced their discontent with his

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