Apple company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple company - Essay Example The main objectives of the integrated marketing communications is purposeful activity directed on the increase of technical base of indicators and the increase of efficiency of the enterprise’s general chain in order to implement the strategic plans of advertizing strategy. In the modern world it is not very easy to keep customers attention. Modern solvent consumers in most cases treat the majority of marketing approaches negatively due to the excessive volume of information. For this reason it becomes more difficult to attract and keep the attention of audience to a brand. In this case such brands as Nokia, or a search engine Yahoo! can serve as examples (Leavitt, 2007). They couldnt hold stable positions and finally lost them. The experts of the Apple Company realize that mutual understanding in all the divisions of the company is necessary for successful performance of objectives. This first of all demands the introduction of culture of communication, and also the presence of tools and means for creation and further maintenance of communication with the audience. The merge with marketing space and a strategic complex of marketing communications represents the total value of a brand influences the general dynamics of the development (Sharma & Wingfield, 2007). The experts in the field of advertizing and marketing of the Apple Company realize the fact that in order to create an effective marketing message, it is necessary to use an expanded range of those means of communication, which can help deliver this message to audience. â€Å"iCloud is a tool for consumers to simplify use of multiple apple products, but also gives Apple an Idea of who is loyal to the brand, and what different products are being used. Trade shows- This how Apple thrived in its earliest days Marketing Mix Product- Simple, Sleek, Elegant, Innovative, but easy to use†

The Color Red Essay Example for Free

The Color Red Essay Do you have a favorite color? Do you have more than one? Do you know what colors represent you? (AG) Well, I have two favorite colors, and they represent me very well. (RT) Today I’m going to talk about two colors that represents me and why. (TH) My first color (TR) is Red. (MP 1) The reason I chose red is because red is my favorite color. Why I like red has always been a mystery, until age 13. At the age of 13 I realized that I had an anger issue. I was very quick tempered. The simplest problem would trigger me into being angry. Wearing red lets some people know when I’m angry, whether it’s shoes, a shirt or even red socks. If you see me in red I’m angry. How else does red represents me? It also represents my life when I’m wearing red Im living life to the fullest, whether it’s traveling partying or even just sitting at home watching a TV show. Red is my color. My second color (TR) is Black. (MP 2) Black is another one of my favorite colors, because black is a very misunderstood color, and it represents me in ways people don’t understand. When I wear black it can only mean two things: something is bothering me or I’m about to fight When something is bothering me I wear a little piece or black, whether it’s a hat or a pair of black sunglasses. When I’m ready to fight, I’m wearing all black. I will be dressed in black from head to toe. When I walk down the street everyone say â€Å"Oh lord who is she about to fight†. So the next time you see me and I’m in all black just know something is about to go down In closing (TR) Red and black represents me in so many ways I can’t describe. (SUM) Do you want to know what color or colors represent you? Come on let’s find out.

Mcdonalds Have Used Effective Global Expansion Strategies Commerce Essay

Mcdonalds Have Used Effective Global Expansion Strategies Commerce Essay The McDonalds is one of the most thriving global restaurant chains around the world. McDonalds have used effective global expansion strategies to enter new markets and gain a share of the foreign fast food market. This report presents McDonalds best practices in the global food industry, international growth trends and challenges.   It will also look at the McDonalds Corporation in relation to its major competitors and analyze how the company has responded to its surrounding environment. In closing, report will look at the prospects for McDonalds future and it will be clear that McDonalds will be able to maintain its dominant market position. It will continue to be a model that serves as a benchmark for others in the industry. Overall, the report provides an overlook of how McDonalds creates both customer and brand loyalty for their products and services. This report focuses on McDonalds international success, challenges and strategies. Index 1: Introduction -05 1.1. Background of the report06 1.2. Aims and Objectives:-06 1.3. Methodology06 2. Literature review and Analysis09 2.1. Environmental factors impacting upon McDonalds09 2.2. Strategic analysis of McDonalds16 3. Conclusion -21 4. Recommendations22 5. Reference:23 1. Introduction In the world of globalisation the fast food business is the most dynamic and growth orientated business. And without any doubt McDonald is the leader of all. McDonalds Strategy is continued growth, providing exceptional customer care, remaining an efficient quality producer, offering high value effectively marketing. Now McDonalds is a global scale brand. Since the start of the company in 1973, McDonalds Corporation began spreading domestically throughout the United States thus establishing its brand recognition. Its initial strategy began by advertising directly to the middle and upper class citizens, as can be seen in countries such as India and China. However, with its many bargain deals on several of its food items, McDonalds began to cater to several people belonging to the lower class. The key strategic elements that make McDonalds so successful is adding 700-900 restaurants annually, using new menu items, low price specials, extra value meals to promote frequent customer visi ts, being highly selective in granting franchises, choosing sites convenient to customers, focusing on limited product line consistent quality ,careful attention to store efficiency extensive advertising use of Mc prefix, hiring courteous personnel; paying an equitable wage; providing good training. Originated in Ray Krocs founding principles of Quality, Service, Cleanliness Value, McDonalds management has constantly believed in being a leader in issues that affect their customers. This belief is evident in McDonalds involvement in various community projects regarding education, health care, medical research, and rehabilitation facilities. These activities help the corporation to extend their image beyond fun and entertainment into social responsibility. Background of the report The background of this report is to evaluate environmental factor and key drivers impacting McDonalds success and strategy. The McDonalds restaurants are operated by MacDonalds Corp, franchisees, or affiliates under joint venture agreements. At March 31, 2005 there were 18,306 franchised restaurants (generating 60% of 2004 system wide sales), 8,091 company operated restaurants (27%) and 4,111 affiliated restaurants (13%). In addition to the McDonalds restaurants operating under the same brand name, which is one of the 10 most popular brand names in the world, McDonalds Corp operates other restaurant chains under its Partner Brands which include Boston Market and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The restaurants operating under these brands are approximately 1,000 and represent 3.22% of the stores operated or franchised by the company. (www. Mcdonalds.com) Aim and purpose of the study Aim and purpose of the report is to evaluate and analyse the key drivers that impact MacDonald success and strategy, its swot analysis and examine current strategies. Methodology Pure research is concerned with the expansion, examination proof and improvement of the research methods and techniques and tools that from the body of research methodology. Examples of clean research include just beginning a sampling method which can be applied to a specific situation; developing a methodology to access the force of the procedures. Normally research in the social sciences is applied. In other words the experiments, methods, and research tools which is called the research methodology. Research methodology is useful to collect the information in the different aspects of an issue, problems and situations. Research will carry out mainly, using the qualitative method of research methodology, as the nature of research is based on primary data which will be collected by doing personal interview questionnaires. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Quantitative research is based on the measurement of the quantity. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in term of quantity. The importance of the primary narrative and theoretical conjecture Figure : 3.1 Source: Remenyi, D et al (1998), Doing Research in Business Management An introduction to Process Method pp-125, by Sage Publication. According to Saunders (2000) the research philosophy depends on the way we think about the development of knowledge and this thinking affects the way we do search. Whilst undertaking the research, a clear understanding of research philosophy is essential since it helps the researcher to refine and specify the research methods to be used in a study, that is, to clarify the overall research strategy to be used (Easterby-Smith et al., 1997) 2. Literature review and Analysis This chapter will provide a detailed literature review. The literature review helped frame the initial focus of this study, as well as focus the data analysis Swanson Holton, (1997). Literature reviews help researchers limit the scope of their inquiry as well as act as a benchmark for comparison purposes. According to Creswell (2003) literature reviews provide a framework for establishing the importance of the study. According to Swanson and Holton (1997), Research is a process of a specific type of outcome. Outcomes of research are new knowledge, obtained through an orderly, investigative process. Typically the research process begins with attempting to solve a problem, which is done by asking a question and identifying a solution or, in essence, drawing a conclusion. 2.1 Environmental factors impacting upon McDonalds McDonalds is one of most thriving companies in the world today. With its rapid globalization, the firm has been able to expand and maintain numerable growth; as well as continuing to explore with its growth potential in the coming years. From the creation of the companys development in the United States, to its spread in England, Australia and more recently India and China, the firm has been able to provide a variety of hamburgers and other foods to its consumers. From the Big Mac, to the Maharaja, the companys successive strategies, specifically with heavy research and development have allowed it to fulfill the tastes of locals in every country it operates. Its leaders in all of its major departments have established prices worldwide in all types of currencies, making its foods affordable for customers of all classes. The companys challenges of providing healthier foods to its patrons have contributed to its financial success, thus enabling loyal consumers. In certain countries, suc h as India and China, eating at a McDonalds has become a luxury, primarily among the middle class, who feel a sense of empowerment that they too can afford to eat at quality restaurants. However, as the company continues to settle into its new environments, it will slowly cater to the lower class, as can be seen in the United States. The strategies developed by its experts, thus allows for the company to increase in revenues, quality, and bring about consumer satisfaction. McDonalds SWOT analysis Strengths MacDonalds has a strong global presence with its nearest domestic competitor being only half its size, McDonalds is the market leader in both the domestic and international markets. MacDonalds benefit from cost reduction through economies of scale because of its enormous size and its huge global presence allows it to diversify risk involved with the economic performance of specific countries. In international markets, MacDonalds is well placed to expand and take advantage of long-term economic growth. Weaknesses The food industry is really saturated. As a result of this, MacDonalds has to deal with the prospect of looming market saturation, which could make it difficult to add new outlets. The market is forecast to grow by around 2% per year. Opportunities MacDonalds sold its Donatos Pizzeria back to its founder in 2003 and discontinued Boston market operations outside of the US. The company will instead focus on Chipotle Grill which is the companys most successful non MacDonalds branded chain of restaurants. Also to increase profitability the company has slowed its expansion of McDonalds restaurants so as to refurbish and change the image of current restaurants and adding new features such as Internet access. Threats McDonalds is exposed to changes in the global economy. The companys aggressive international expansion has left it extremely vulnerable to other countries economic slowdown. Foreign currency fluctuation is also another problem global companies like McDonalds. The Fast food industry is becoming an increasingly competitive sector. MacDonalds keeps up with competitors through expensive promotional campaigns which leads to limited margins to gain market share. McDonalds is attempting to differentiate itself, with new formats and new menu items, but other fast food industry are doing the same too. McDonalds SWOT analysis shows us that even though there are many threats against the fast-food industry, McDonalds occupies a relatively strong position in the global marketplace.   According to the five forces model, the strongest competitive force is between rival sellers in the industry.   This SWOT analysis shows the much strength that Mc Donalds employs to keep itself at the top of the fast-food industry.   Although there are various weaknesses, these can all be turned around following the McDonalds Plan to Win, which was implemented with the hiring of Jim Cantalupo.   Obviously all fast-food chains are going to have to combat the new consumer health expectations, but we feel that under Cantalupos leadership, McDonalds has a strong enough consumer base to grow in the upcoming years.   The financial analysis shows certain flaws in McDonalds finances, but these are largely due to the expansionary policy in place in the company.   SWOT Analysis and Grand Strategies Source:  P. Wright, C.D. Pringle, and M.J. Kroll,  Strategic Management,  2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994), Competitive Forces The quick-service sandwich industry faces competitive pressures from a number of forces.   The major competitive threats originate from competing sellers in the industry as well as firms in other industries that offer substitute products.   McDonalds main competitors within the quick-service sandwich industry are continually deriving new strategies through offensive and defensive tactics in order to gain customers and market share.   In 1989, Wendys implemented the 99 cent value menu as an offensive strategy to gain customers looking for a quality product at a value price.   In response, McDonalds and Burger King took a defensive approach and also instituted a value menu in their respective stores so that they wouldnt lose market share and customers to Wendys.   Firms in the quick-service sandwich industry are constantly jockeying for better market position through offensive strategies and in response to these strategies, other firms will take a defensive approach to guard against that offensive move made by the rival firm. Forces in the Industry Analysis Source: Based on M.E. Porter,  Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors Substitute Products In addition to competition from rival sellers in the industry, sandwich firms also face intense competitive pressure from firms in other industries selling substitute products.   The substitute products for the fast-food industry are probably some of the most diverse in the world.   These substitute products may include products purchased from the local grocery store, food from sit-down restaurants, or delivery foods such as pizza.   The primary issue with these substitute products is that they are readily available to the customer and the customer tends to view them as being comparable or better in terms of the quality of fast-food products.   Another issue that faces the fast-food industry is the availability of products that cater to the health-conscious lifestyle.   The majority of the public tends to view fast-food restaurants as primarily serving foods that are high in fat content and unhealthy and as a result they are likely to look elsewhere for a healthy alternativ e.   In response to the product offerings, buyers also exercise a great deal of bargaining ability through their purchasing power.   While fast-food products may not always be associated with health and quality, fast-food restaurants to possess a major advantage over firms selling substitute products through the price of their products and the quick, convenient service.   New Entrants The threat of potential new entrants and the bargaining power of suppliers is not a significant competitive force in the fast-food industry.   Occasionally, new entrants will come along and compete with firms in the fast-food industry and offer substitute products.   However, in order to compete on a large scale, it will require a great deal of capital to invest in real estate and build physical restaurant locations.   In addition, the market is already so saturated that the new competitor might find it difficult to establish a customer base and become profitable.   Suppliers in the fast-food industry do not have substantial bargaining power due to the fact that firms in the fast-food business tend to purchase their materials from various outlets.   One company might purchase their meat supplies from a couple different meat manufacturers, then purchase their dairy needs from a number of different dairy companies, and also purchase their bakery products from a variety of sou rces.   Since the fast-food firms divide their purchases among a diverse array of suppliers, the suppliers tend to have little or no bargaining power or leverage since there are multiple suppliers for the same products.   Driving Forces   There are a number of driving forces which have molded the current state of the fast-food industry.   In the beginning, fast-food companies typically focused on being the low-cost provider and sought to expand into as many markets as possible.   As these national brands have grown, the markets they are competing in have become overly saturated with restaurant options.   As a result, the fast-food industry has begun to focus on the needs of the customer.   The buyer has a great deal of leveraging power due to the fact that if they are dissatisfied with one brand they can easily switch or purchase from an alternate brand with little or no monetary repercussions.   The fast-food firms have implemented strategies to improve the quality of customer service and the cleanliness of the restaurant locations in order to please their customers in hopes that they will become a repeat customer.   Health Factor All fast-food hamburger chains, McDonalds included, are forced to respond to the shift in customer preferences from high-calorie burger and fries to healthier items such a deli sandwiches and baked potatoes. All the chains are expected to be struggling for several years to come to meet new consumer health expectations without compromising the original menu items. McDonalds customer service and opposing points    As years have progress many issues have arisen for McDonalds but the greatest is probably its poor customer service. A customer service index done in 2003 found that McDonalds has the lowest the customer service ranking in the fast food industry and is ranked even lower on customer service than the IRS. One reason for this is a high employee turnover rate. McDonalds has the highest employee turnover rate among its competitors. Another contributing aspect to the poor customer service is slow service at the drive-through window. McDonalds currently ranks fifth in speed at the drive-through window and 19th in accuracy. If you compare its speed and accuracy to its competitors and keep in mind that McDonalds generates 60 percent of its revenue from its drive-through and assume it is losing one percent of revenue for every six seconds that its behind, than McDonalds is loosing approximately 97,000 dollars annually. While McDonalds feels positive about its newly implemented changes the critics are rather skeptical. It was stated that long-term they believe that it will be tough to sustain growth and margin expansion. Specific concerns include McDonalds ability to maintain it current level of product innovation and competitors ability to copy those ideas. The critics even went as far to question if McDonalds recent improvement was more of a reflection of the market and the dollar rather than its newly implemented strategy. In response, McDonalds officials stated that they will need to deliver on their stated goal of sustaining increases in sales and operating income. Following with the most significant question of weather or not the new changes will sufficiently provide McDonalds with core competencies necessary to build a sustainable competitive advantage in the global fast-food industry. 2.2 Strategic analysis of McDonalds McDonalds Global strategy McDonalds already holds a strong position in the global economy.   It is recommendation that they decrease expansion in the almost saturated domestic markets, and continue their expansion in foreign countries, such as Asia, and the Pacific.   Companies generally expand into foreign markets in an attempt to gain new customers and capitalize on core competencies.   McDonalds core competency is that they are able to produce and sell quick and cheap food to a large number of customers.   With this concept, they have been able to expand into other countries, and they currently are the largest global fast-food chain in the world.   Since they already hold this lucrative position, they should continue expansion in an effort to drive out competition.   One strong recommendation would be for McDonalds to expand into emerging markets.   Since they focus on low-priced food, it is likely that many could afford their products, and therefore, McDonalds could expand into a stronger co mpany. Politically Sensitive Strategy One of the companys major concerns was to develop ways to avoid political confrontation with the Indian government. The other major concern was to be careful of the religious sensitive in India. Almost 80% of Indians do not eat beef, and over 150 million Indian Muslims do not eat pork, therefore, instead of supplying the normal Big Mac, which consists of beef, the company developed the Maharaja Mac that is made of two lamb patties. Other foods were also added to the non-standardized menu including McAloo Tiki Burger, and other common Indian dishes. Emphasis on Local Management Throughout the world, McDonalds prides itself in hiring locals, specifically management in order to gain acceptance into the country by its citizens. The emphasis is based on the think global, act local theme of the company. For instance, the company decided to establish two joint ventures with two local entrepreneurs in New Delhi, who were selected to manage the fast food restaurant. This strategic move allowed the company to gain easy access to the bureaucracy associated with the countrys government. Employment Opportunity Foreign enterprises are often reluctant to hire locals in their companies, specifically at the managerial positions, however, McDonalds research concluded that in order to survive the brutal Indian government, it would have to hire locals as cashiers, cooks, managers, etc., as well as provide jobs for the countrys agricultural workforce. In fact, McDonalds outsources its products to several Indian companies throughout India. This provides evidence to the Indian government that McDonalds is not only customer friendly, but also employee friendly. Environmental Friendliness In order to achieve a positive reputation, as well as follow local and national policies of a country, McDonalds tries to establish services that are environmentally friendly. India is an example where the company provides financial contributions and sponsors several community related activities in order to promote environmental protection. This is primarily seen within schools; thus indicating that the company also supports local schools. Corporate Citizenship In order to better its reputation, this multinational firm gives back to the local citizens in all countries it operates. For example, the company provides several financial donations to local organizations. This is one way to encourage consumers to eat at its restaurants, as it is an incentive that is used to spread the name. Diversification One strategy that McDonalds as well as many of the other fast-food chains have embraced is that of diversification.   We feel that McDonalds should continue this trend.   With the large health-craze hitting the United States, many restaurants have to change to healthier, higher quality menu items.   The fast-food industry is no exception.   Healthier burgers, low-fat salads are all popping up on menus across the country.   We feel McDonalds should continue its diversification and incorporate more healthy foods, including low-carb burgers and fries.   If McDonalds is able to stay ahead of the competition in this aspect, they will have a strong competitive advantage over such companies as Wendys and Burger King.   Defend strategy The purpose of this strategy is to make it harder for challengers to gain ground and for new firms to enter. A fortify-and-defend strategy works well with firms that have already achieved industry dominance. Since McDonalds is already the industry leader in the fast-food market, they can opt for a number of tactics using this strategy to maintain their industry position. They can continue their expansion tactics by continuing to open more stores around the world. This expansion would help defend against and help to discourage smaller companies from increasing their market share. In addition, they can also elect to invest capital in RD to aid in developing new technologies for their operations. These new technologies will help them remain cost-competitive and technologically progressive. Recommended strategy for McDonalds The main goal of the stay-on-the-offensive strategy is to be a proactive market leader. The principle of this strategy is to continually stay one step ahead of your competitors and force them to play catch up. McDonalds is already the industry leader in the fast-food industry with a market share of 33 percent compared with the number two chain in the industry, Burger King at 13 percent market share. They can stay out front by implementing technological improvements in their restaurants to enhance the production methods or to improve the ordering process of the customer. In addition, they can also introduce new or better product offerings to satisfy the needs of their customers. The best approach that McDonalds can take through this strategy is to improve their customer service. McDonalds customer service ranking was the lowest in the fast-food industry and was even lower than the Internal Revenue Service. To improve upon this substandard attribute, McDonalds should revamp their train ing process for newly hired employees and introduce new educational modules for currently employed personnel. Training and learning McDonalds should put more emphasis on training of its employees as part of their strategy of growth. Training and learning is the main tools for HR to prepear management for any upcoming change in the organization. According to Beardwell and Claydon (2007) the role of formal training in organisation today appears to have declined significantly. Firstly, the speed with which skills requirements change in some sectors means the formal time consuming, to deliver efficiently as required. Secondly, the growing recognition of Human resource development as a tool to achieve competitive advantage has raised awareness of the need of the embrace learning as a central strategic concern and to be part of the culture of the organisation. Employees, employers, managers, leaders, government, European and international bodies, customers and Human resource development specialist consultants all of them needs more training for the future. Equal opportunity Equal opportunity, means changing workplace behaviour in the areas of discrimination, sexual harassment and affirmative action to ensure that all employees have equal access to fulfilling and productive working lives. Wright,N (2003) 3. Conclusion In analyzing McDonalds, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were inevitably explored to better understand the current situation. This SWOT analysis shows us that although there are numerous threats against the fast-food industry, McDonalds occupies a relatively strong position in the global marketplace.   According to the five forces model, the strongest competitive force is between rival sellers in the industry.   This SWOT analysis shows the much strength that Mc Donalds employs to keep itself at the top of the fast-food industry.   Although there are various weaknesses, these can all be turned around following the McDonalds Plan to Win, which was implemented with the hiring of Jim Cantalupo.   McDonalds has adopted many strategic changes during its business cycle.  McDonalds business will continue to thrive as long as the core competencies are recognized and never forgotten.   With every issue and challenge the corporation faces, it has the opportunity to improve itself and prove itself to the public, shareholders, and stakeholders.   With every battle conquered, another one rises and with a secure mission and vision in mind, the corporation should never stray too far from the roots and success of the company. The recommended strategy will strengthen this plan because it is doing what McDonalds does best and more so.   Despite the downturn the company has seen, the general impression we receive from McDonalds financial situation is that the company is slowly climbing out of a low period and making a turnaround.  Ã‚   We must never forget the key success factors of the business which really makes the business for what it is today, including franchises that off er quick, efficient service in a clean friendly environment. 4. Recommendations Team building Team building is crucial for any individual McDonalds store for improvement of their sales figure and as a whole for the organization. If the organizations have the proper team than they can face all sorts of challenges, they can achieve the competitive advantage, and organizations can maximize their profit. Sustainable growth Managers and employees of McDonalds need to put more effort about the sustainable growth. In this constant changing world of organizational dynamic only sustainable companies will survive. McDonalds should have concern more on their product and the way they produce it , and environmental issues. Total quality management Total quality management is the key of the success in the development path. If everything is done by as they planned, than they will the quality in every field of the organisation. The reason behind is, why researcher is emphasizing on these studies, because after covering these factors managers, employees and organisations will get the continuous development path.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay -- Literary Analysis, Ernest Hemingw

Human Life: Torture of the Mind Ernest Hemingway captures the essence and origins of nihilistic thought in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place†, written in a time of religious and moral confusion shortly after The Great War. The ideas expressed in this short story represent the post World War 1 thinking of Hemingway, and the notoriously nihilistic Lost Generation in Paris, which was greatly influenced by the many traumas of war. Learning from his unnerving experiences in battle, Hemingway enforces the idea that all humans will inevitably fade into eternal nothingness and everything valued by humans is worthless. He develops this idea by creating a brilliant mockery of two coveted religious documents, revealing authority figures as typical, despicable, human beings, and he reduces life into the most raw, simplistic, and frightening reality imaginable. Hemingway states that all humans will naturally die alone and literally be â€Å"in despair† about â€Å"nothing† (494), and that people will eithe r seek a â€Å"calm and pleasant cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬  (496), or a self-inflicted death simply to escape despair. Undoubtedly, Hemingway eliminates any consideration of a higher meaning because he believes that â€Å"[life is] all a nothing, and a man [is] nothing too† (496). By viewing the actions of three different generations, Hemingway’s â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† elaborates on the idea that human life is not continual enlightenment and growth, but gradual despair, and an inevitable death into â€Å"nada† (497). The youthful and confident waiter, representing the youngest of the three male generations, is the only apparent spec of existentialist thought in the story. However, this young man is simply an unconcerned existentialist due to his age; he is not in despair bec... ...ed Place†, represent the opinions and views of one typical person, in one ordinary life. The theme of a world of nothingness is overwhelming to the human brain, and almost inconceivable, and everything we do in this life is simply designed to help us take our mind off of death; suicide is the ultimate escape from â€Å"despair† over â€Å"nothing† (494). Hemingway’s brilliant transitions in time explain how life eventually grows worse with age, and humans will succumb to suicide, drunkenness, or something comforting and safe, much like a clean, well-lighted cafà ©. Further, Hemingway has shown the world that man has created many bogus ways to cope with the insurmountable fear of nothingness, namely religion. Bluntly, people can try to kid their selves into feeling soulful, genuine, or meaningful, but there is no need to â€Å"fear for [the human] soul†, as it is non-existent.

Traditional american family

Best One of the chief social problems afflicting this country Is the breakdown In the traditional family (Kennedy 501). We live in the country where we have all different kinds of families, but the traditional family is the strongest one. We need to fight for the traditional family today because it would make a better life for us and our children. Traditional family Is based on a strong foundation, good values and family traditions. First, every family should build their life on the strong foundation.What is the strong foundation for the family? The best foundation for the good family is found In the Bible. God's plan for the family system Is the best. First, we need to show appreciation every day for each other. Romans 12:10 says, â€Å"Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another. â€Å"Second, we must express our admiration, love, and respect for our family members. Romans 13:7 says, â€Å"Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute Is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear: honor to whom honor (The Bible 1009). Hat Is traditional family? The traditional family is made up of a father, mother and a couple of children. Anything other than this ideal is a deviation from the normalcy of values. According to this point of view, the family Is a basic unit of society that serves the purposes of socializing the young, regulating sexual activity, procreation, providing physical care for family members, giving psychological support and emotional security to individuals (Bullock 1). A family is not a collection of individuals who happen to live at the same address.They are people who share an intimate and complex connection with one another, being related by marriage, birth or adoption. Together they form meeting larger and more significant than the contribution of one person. Two people, a man and a woman, locked together by love and lifelong relationship. Furthermore, the situation our nation's f amilies are facing is dire, but there Is hope. When the family returns to the original blueprint that God designed, we will begin to see America strengthened. The family can change the nation in one generation if they will follow God's Word.What is a family today? What challenges does being a member of a family present while traditional family structures change? Every family has to struggle to balance the demands of work and children. Also, the relationship between each spouse can become more delicate and complicated. Now we can see that the traditional family is stronger and the relationship between husband and wife (if they based on the Bible) are also much stronger and almost Impossible to break It. Therefore, If we will not fight for the traditional family, we will have distraction Inside the family and In our society.Leers look what we have with a breakdown of the American traditional family. Here is some statistics. Currently, 27 percent of family households with minors presen t are headed by single parents. Over two million fathers are the primary caregivers of children, marking a 62 percent surge since 1990. More than 50 percent of minors will live In a single parent household at some point (Cotton 1). This should be no surprise when one considers the fact that one third of infants are born to unmarried parents. Single motherhood same period. This is not all.The divorce rate is half the marriage rate, which has a tremendous impact on children. Each year one million of them witness their parents legally separate. Further down the line, these kids have a better than even chance of being in a steamily. One out of 25 children will reside with neither parent (1). More children than ever before are enrolled in various state operated foster care programs. Grandparents increasingly find themselves as parents once again; nearly two and a half million are primary caregivers to related minors. That is our sad reality, but we can change that if we work hard in ours families.In addition, family values are very important in traditional family. Members of the traditional families have physical and emotional support whenever they need it. It is a big benefit for the spouses, their children or even grandparents. Children learn how to build a strong traditional family through observing their parents and by following their life examples. Having strong, well defined family values, helps solidify the foundation for a strong family. Strong and consistent family values are important in building trust and confidence in each family member.What is the some of the values of traditional families that keep family strong? It is very important that each member of the family feel that they are loved, that they belong and that they matter. Each person should be allowed the space and freedom to explore the activities that they enjoy. People are more willing to take chances if they know they have a safe place to come back. Just spending time together as a family is what helps build that sense of belonging. Another big value is respect. Respecting each other is to take feelings, thoughts, needs, and preferences in to account when making decisions.It also means acknowledging and valuing everyone's thoughts, feelings and contributions to the family as a whole. Respect is a very important family value. Respect will extend out of the home and into school, work or other social settings. Honesty -? is the value of any strong relationships. Honesty between mother- daughter, husband-wife, and sister-brother is critical. Without honesty, a deeper connection will not form and certainly won't last. Encourage honesty by practicing understanding and respect when someone tells you of their wrong doings. Another value is forgiveness. Forgiveness is a choice.Forgiving people who did wrong is an important choice to make. In the loving and respectful family, forgiveness should be an easy choice. People need to forgive, so they could be forgiving. Communication is another important value. When people feel they can talk openly about anything – popes, dreams, fears, successes or failures – all without Judgment, it's encouraging and strengthens the bond (Kruger 1). That's why it is so important not only communicate, but also be a good listener. We can see many bad accidents happening around the world, especially lately with all the shootings at the schools.Maybe some of them could be prevented if the kids who were shooting had a strong traditional family with open communications. Almost everyone involved in these tragedies was from broken or divorced families. Next, a good traditional family has good traditions that they have passed from enervation to generation. Why it is so important to have family traditions? We all came from different backgrounds and countries, but it is very important to have and keep traditions of our families. Traditions make a family unique, they draw people important traditions is family dinners.Over th e last 15 years, a large number of scientific studies have confirmed what parents have known intuitively for a long time. Sitting down to a family meal is good for the spirit, the brain, and the body. Recent studies link regular family dinners (5 or more meals a week) with a host of teenage behaviors that parents pray for: lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and depression, as well as higher grade-point averages and self-esteem (Fishes 1). Dinner conversation is a great booster of vocabulary for young children, and stories told around the table about parents and grandparents help to build self-esteem and resilience.Having family meals also lower the rates of obesity and eating disorders in children. Family dinners is the time to talk and listen. It is one time a day when the whole family is together and they can talk about their day, problems, and future Lana. Lastly, the breakdown of the traditional family and longer life expectancy means two million in their upper ass will face their old age alone. A report warns us that two million over-ass will face loneliness in their old age because of the breakdown of traditional families.Study predicts one in ten over-ass, will live solitary lives by 2033 (Groves 1). Longer life expectancy, the breakdown of extended families and the growing number of older people living alone is making it harder for older people to sustain strong relationships and connections to community life. Let's summarize hat is the benefits of traditional family. Children raised in a family with the same parents during their growing years have a higher likelihood of having stability in their relationship and emotional bonding.Children that grow up in a single-parent household have higher chances of feeling a sense of loss regarding the absent parent, and miss out on the emotional support that only a father and mother can provide. With both the father and the mother, children get a better sense of what is acceptable and unacceptable, a s far as behavior is concerned. Children get a sense insistence, especially when it also includes closeness with other members of the family such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Children in the traditional family get far more extensive training in life skills.Their mothers usually teach their children relationship skills, like emotional response skills and how to have smooth relations with others, while fathers teach their children handiwork skills and sports skills. With two parents sharing the responsibility of raising the children, it enables one parent to take time to pursue other interests or get a rest while the there parent plays or works with the children. Children that are raised in a traditional family also tend to take on some of the sharing of the responsibilities, such as older siblings taking care of younger siblings.The breakdown of the American traditional family is a serious problem today, but we need to fight for traditional family. First of all, pe ople need to have a strong family relationship based on the strong foundation-?Bible. We need to respect and love our spouses. By doing that, our children would have a strong example to build their strong families. In addition, is it very important to have good family values. People and children who have good families values will also respect and honor people outside their family, at school, work, and in the community.Families need to have a good communication at home and be a good listeners. Having good family traditions, talking, listening, sharing, dreaming, and laughing. It is so important for children to see a good example from their parents about how they treat each other and their own parents. Good traditional family is the healthiest family. Children who have two parents are less likely to get in trouble. They are better students and helpers. Also, elderly people are less likely to be lonely at the end of their life if they been raised and lived in traditional families.

Peter Kolchin’s “American Slavery: Origins and Consolidation” Essay

Peter Kolchin’s book entitled, â€Å"American Slavery: Origins and Consolidation† discusses the problems and the evolution of slavery in the United States of America. The opening sentence of his first chapter is indeed quite interesting. According to him, Americans have this wrong perception that the U.S. is â€Å"conceived with liberty† because the reality is that, the so-called â€Å"New world† tolerates slavery. Kolchin believes that African slaves, more importantly, should not be treated by the Americans as inferior individuals but rather be grateful to them. One of the greatest sources of income actually came from the continuous importation of African slaves to the U.S. Because of the increasing number of slaves in the country during the early 16th-17th century, coercion in their labor actually provided for the country’s foundation of agriculture. He further believes that, slavery became widely accepted in the U.S. because of two factors namely, religious and economic. The concept of slavery as a labor system in the U.S. was patterned after the imperialistic attempts of European countries. The emergence of this kind of system is brought by the shortage in workers, especially in the agricultural aspects. A big number of workers are needed by the rich landowners during the harvest season in order for them to meet the existing demands of the market. Because of this, Africans were being imported to become farm workers. The more laborers that they have, the greater is the production, and therefore the greater is the possibility of an economic growth since there has been demands made in both international and local market, which is very apparent today in the U.S. (Kolchin, p.5) The second factor deals with religion. Since slaves are considered as subordinates to their masters, everything that the master will tell them, the slave will follow, including their master’s religion (which is mostly Christianity as Kolchim discussed). Unlike their masters who have religious backgrounds in the form of doctrines and teachings, the slaves do not have. Because of this, the slaves settled in potion-makings, superstitious beliefs, and the like. However, by being introduced to Christianity, they became more civilized and at least, knowledgeable because they already follow â€Å"legal rituals.† Surprisingly, the Christian bible tolerates the presentation of stories depicting slavery. For instance, the bible suggests that God blessed and protected the Christians while the non-Christians were punished and viewed as slaves, serving their Christian masters in building religious temples or religious images. In general, slavery in the United States of America has evolved throughout the years. In fact, two historical periods sought to explain this evolution. One is the colonial era wherein slaves were still powerless and submissive individuals, and the other is during the period of antebellum. During this period, there were calls and proposals to the slave-owners to treat their subordinates as humans, providing them with their basic needs (Kolchin, p. 28) I do agree that Kolchin has a basis in saying that economy and religion are the factors why slavery was accepted in U.S. because his arguments are very apparent. If we are to trace back history, the rich American landowners, there are a number of them who became the country’s chief executives, hired African slaves to attend to their agricultural business. In fact, he was quoted in his book saying â€Å"[slavery] helped propel the economic transformation of the leading colonial powers.† (Kolchin, p.5) Meanwhile, in terms of religion, many of the country’s leaders are Christians. As such, they follow the bible. A passage from the Book of Genesis 9:25 which states that, â€Å"Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers,† Christian believers are quick to say that this passage is the cornerstone of the belief that God made the blacks suffer from slavery (Kolchin, p.145). The most important new information that I discovered about America’s history is the irony of former President Thomas Jefferson. While he announced that â€Å"all men are created equal† during his declaration of Independence, he was a large-scale slave owner himself. Apart from that, his all men are created equal contradicts his racist remark when he said that black’s â€Å"depravity† is caused by their slave status, and more offensively, the distinct nature of their innate characteristic (Kolchin, p.88). The reason why I considered it also as an important learning for me is because the African slaves suffered too much pain, physically and emotionally, under the Americans’ hands. Even former Presidents have their own share of taking advantage of these â€Å"blacks† despite their call of equality. African slavery will always be a part of American history. As such, this article further strengthens Kolchin’s arguments that slavery was caused by both economic and religious factors. The Americans, thinking that they are superior individuals, took advantage of the Africans. They used their power in order to force these Africans to work doubly hard and in case the slave masters were not satisfied, they will maltreat them. Meanwhile, the Americans use their influence in religion to further manipulate not only the actions of the slaves but more importantly, their way of thinking also. However, despite the influence of the Americans, it is not still safe to conclude that African slaves were â€Å"Americanized.† In fact, even if Americans do influence their thinking, they are still â€Å"Africans† themselves. It’s just that, Africans were exposed to two different cultures. Reference: Kolchin,P. Unfree Labor: American Slavery and Russian Serfdom. Harvard University Press, April 1987.