How Television Has Impacted Technology

Impact Television was introduced in 1949 but very few people had it because it was extremely expensive. The only channels people could watch were NBC and CBS. Television became increasingly popular because it was entertainment without going and sitting in the movie theaters. As TV became more popular, it became more affordable. People would hear about television through word of mouth, news, radio and newspaper. Everybody liked the idea of being entertained and staying at home. By the 1960s most families has TV sets in their living rooms, depending on if they liked being entertained at home.Television in the United States has grown year after year and has made a big impact on American culture in many ways. TV has taken a big part in violence in society, the news, how people are stereotyped, childhood obesity, family values, social interaction, and so much more. In my opinion one of the biggest impacts that television has had on American culture is childhood obesity. Obesity is conside red a form of malnutrition in which food energy is stored as fat due to being unused. Child obesity is bred within the home and the television is a major contributor to it.The energy we consume from food needs to be used up by the body on a daily basis through physical exertion. An overweight child devoting a major portion of time to watching television is at risk to becoming obese. Television is certainly a contributor to that obesity. Kids these days are getting bigger and bigger, while television shows are growing and growing. To me, that is a big issue and television affects it a lot. Back in the day children enjoyed going outside to play, getting involved in sports or just anything outdoors. I feel like as of today there are now only about a quarter of the kids that enjoy doing outdoors stuff like that.The other 75% of kids choose to stay inside because most likely there favorite TV show is on or there is a movie that they just have to watch. Those kids are losing their time to play outside and mainly burn and lose calories because they are just sitting there watching TV for hours and hours. Obesity is known to be one of the major health concerns among both children and adults in the United States today. It is suggested by certain groups that children should not watch more than two hours of television a day. This in my opinion is already too much because that is where childhood obesity all gets started. The average child n the United States regularly watches between 2-3 hours of television a day and many children now days have their own television set in their bedroom. Not only are children inactive while they are watching television, they often snack on unhealthy food choices. And like I said, establishing unhealthy food habits as a child can often continue into adulthood. Investigators have hypothesized that television viewing cause’s obesity by one or more of three mechanisms: (1) displacement of physical activity, (2) increased calorie consumpt ion while watching or caused by the effects of advertising, and (3) reduced resting metabolism.The relationship between television viewing and obesity has been examined in a relatively large number of cross-sectional epidemiologic studies but few longitudinal studies. Many of these studies have found relatively weak, positive associations, but others have found no associations or mixed results; however, the weak and variable associations found in these studies may be the result of limitations in measurement. Even studies for reducing the amount of television intake have been completed.They do not test â€Å"reducing television time† directly, but the results that they get may help to reduce the amount of risk for obesity or help promote weight loss in obese children. â€Å"An experimental study was designed specifically to test directly the causal relationship between television viewing behaviors and body fatness. The results of this randomized, controlled trial provide evid ence that television viewing is a cause of increased body fatness and that reducing television viewing is a promising strategy for preventing childhood obesity. †I really think parents need to take a stand to their children by limiting the amount of time they spend in front of the television, before it gets too late and they have an obese child. Removing televisions from children’s bedrooms and putting time limits on the TV may be a good way for parents to reduce the risk of obesity in children. Parents must serve as role models because their television viewing habits influence their children’s. Parents should also limit the frequency of television viewing. Overweight and obese children need to be encouraged to do more physical activity such as walking, playing and limiting their television time.Children may also need structured physical activity times to divert them away from television. â€Å"Although the increase in childhood obesity is not caused solely by t elevision watching, Dr. Reginald Washington points out in the editorial that accompanies the articles, â€Å"Society, as a whole, must realize that to effectively control and prevent this obesity epidemic, all risk factors must simultaneously be reduced. † A study by the University of Liverpool psychologists has shown that it is to be true that obese and overweight children increase their food intake by more than 100% after watching food advertisements on television.Children all over the world are exposed to a huge number of TV advertisements, primarily for fast foods and sweets. Some say that it is not the amount of TV; it is the number of junk food commercials that advertise unhealthy foods and constantly play over and over. It is miserable that people blame television as a result to childhood obesity but the United States is starting to get very lazy when it comes to situations like this, therefore I truly believe TV is one of the dominate reasons of why children are becom ing obese. I feel like this impact has been mainly negative on American culture.Television advertisers get talked down to by research groups, wanting them to take away all the unhealthy food commercials. Childhood obesity coming from television watchers makes American culture look very bad. When you find out that all it takes is television sets in a kids bedroom and high-quality shows that make children sit, stare and snack to become obese. It really puts a depressing look on America. In my opinion it is a very negative result because it used to not be this way at all. The parents and children put themselves in the situation to becoming obese and television just is an excuse for whenever they actually are obese.I know I will never let my children or close friends get this way due to excess amount of television watching. I have time to watch all my shows I like during the day and still get a good exercise in. I believe that all people can watch their weight and not become obese if th ey really try. So I really hope the culture changes and fix its look on television with obesity. I do believe that the internet will be used more wisely than television as a medium for delivering content. Television is an older and dull way of showing and sharing shows, movies and advertisements, while now days the nternet can do the same plus a whole lot more. Internet is a lot easier to get to because so many people have smart phones or laptops to be able to quickly access it. I feel like even now I start to see more and more people of all ages on their laptop/computer/smart phone rather than sitting down and watching television shows. Internet is a new (compared to TV) and entertaining way to access World Wide Web. News and broadcast stations are all starting to put their information and ideas on the internet even before they send them to television.While putting the internet into question about my topic, as much as I hate seeing younger kids run around with their own smart phone and/or laptop, it would really help society. Internet will help a lot more in this situation because children that do have smart phones will be able to play outside and exercise with their phone in hand. If the kids do go outside while on their phone it will stop them from sitting in front of a television set, sitting, staring and snacking. Therefore, it will lower the childhood obesity rate in the United States.Childhood obesity is a very heartbreaking yet occurring thing that television influenced and started in the U. S. It has been a very big impact on television and American Culture. After all, we are all hoping and praying that parents help their children get back to how it was back in the day. Have the children exercising, playing outside, and getting involved in sports that way they only spend approximately one hour watching television. We have to lower the childhood obesity rate and will continue to try and stop every way that is involved in it.

A Long Way Gone Essay

â€Å"A Long Way Gone†, a memoir about a Sierra Leonean young boy who is a â€Å"child of war† has many themes in the novel but what is the most important? Relationship, I believe that this is the most important theme because without relationship, Ishmeal Beah, the author of â€Å"A long Way Gone† and a human rights activist would not have survived nor would he have recuperated from the war in Sierra Leone. Relationship with the lieutenant, Ishmeal looked up to his lieutenant as a father figure. Ishmeal would usually look forward to seeing him and spending time with his lieutenant. â€Å"I was looking forward to seeing the lieutenant. I hope we might find some time to talk about Shakespeare.† I believe that Ishmeal looked up to the lieutenant as a father because he lost his real father and he would usually ignore Ishmeal. Ishmeal worshiped the lieutenant because he saved his live when Ishmeal was shot through his legs. Ishmeal would have died from the pain but the lieutenant ordered the doctor and two other men to save his live, â€Å"do not let the boy die†. Ishmeal believed that the lieutenant cared for him and Ishmeal wanted to survive so that he can fight as hard as he can for the lieutenant. Ishmeal developed more feelings for his squad as well. Relationship with his gun and the squad, Ishmeal refers to his squad as his family and his gun as his protector. â€Å"My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector†. Ishmeal had spent so much time with his squad and his gun that he had developed feelings for them. Ishmeal’s rule was to kill or to be killed. â€Å"My rule was to kill or to be killed†. When Ishmeal was shot in the leg and recuperated from that, he immediately asked for his gun and cleaned it. He truly did believe that his gun was his protector and provider because he was so intrigued with his gun. Ishmeal had lived with war for so long that his reality was to kill and survive. Ishmeal Beah has also had good relationships during his childhood. The strong bond between Ishmeal and Alhaji, Ishmeal had befriended boy from his squad. Alhaji was mainly with Ishmeal during the time when the two of them where recuperating from the war in the hospital. I think that Ishmeal wanted a deep relationship that can replace his brother and the boy from when he was on the run with the group of six. The two boys would spend most of their time together and the bond they shared was as if they were brothers. When Ishmael was asked to go to the city he immediately asked if Alhaji can come too. I  believe that Ishmeal wanted to experience with Alhaji. This is one of the few good relationships Ishmeal shared with someone in his past. The most important theme in â€Å"A Long Way Gone,† was not to be strong or fear. The most important is relationships. Without relationships Ishmeal would not have survived or recuperated the way he did. If Ishmeal did not have any relationships whatsoever, he would have died from the very beginning. Even if he had survived, Ishmeal would probably not want to live when he was shot through the leg because he had nothing to fight for. Without relationship Ishmeal wouldn’t want to recuperate because there was no one there for him like the nurse or Alhaji was. This is why I believe that relationship is the most important theme in â€Å"A Long Way Gone†. A long way gone Essay Violence has a major impact on teenagers and children in today’s society. In the novel A Long Way Gone; memoir by a boy soldier Ishmael Beah, displays how teenagers are exposed†¦ Through the medias they are showed that the movie Rambo, which influences them to be violent and fight. Another way to seek violence is in real life when the boy soldiers are sent to fight the rebels. The violence that the young boys are exposed to caused them to think and act violently towards others, Firstly the boy soldiers in this novel are influenced by the movie Rambo , it encourages them to work harder and more violent. After the young boy soldiers watch Rambo for the first time they were motivated to be just like him and while in battle. â€Å"We all wanted to be like Rambo ; we couldn’t want to implement his techniques† (beah 121). This movies showed the boys how to fight , they wanted to use the same techniques to fight against the rebel villages. Some of the boy soldiers have been so influenced by this that they already implemented goals that will allow them to act like Rambo; â€Å"sometime I am going to take on a whole village by myself, just like Rambo† Alhaji told me smiling at the new goal he had set for himself† (122). This young boy has been trained to fight and destroy, watching Rambo has influenced him so much that he wants to take a whole village on by himself. Watching violent movies influences the boy soldiers how ever this is not h ow they gain courage and experience. Secondly the boy soldiers are able to gain courage and experience by being sent to fight against the rebels. The boy soldiers are brought to fight after being trained, they are told; â€Å"if you see anyone without a head tie of this colour or a helmet like mine, shoot them†(115). The boys didn’t know that they are actually going to battle however they do know what they have to do when they are in the field. When they are in the battle, the boys watch their friends get killed, this empowers them to fight back and kill; â€Å"I raised my gun and pulled the trigger , and I killed a man†¦ I shot everything that moved†(119). After watching his friends get killed Ishmael starts to fight back, he is saddened by what has happened to his friends and wants to have revenge on the people that caused their death . when the boys are in combat they gain the courage to fight back and kill people. The violence they are exposed to influenced them to act violently them selves. The boy soldiers are exposed to violence in their society which causes them to both think and act violently. The boy soldiers in the novel A Long Way Gone; memoirs of a boy soldier, are exposed to violent images in the media and in real life, which causes them to become addicted to violence. The boy soldiers in this novel are exposed to violence through movies and real life action. In conclusion violence can have a major impact on all teenagers and children no matter where they come from or how they are raised in their country.

Joirnal Summary on Risk of Poverty Research Paper

Joirnal Summary on Risk of Poverty - Research Paper Example The ability to overcome poverty then becomes linked to trends and complexities that occur within the household and which link to patterns in the economic cycle. The author’s show that combinations of domestic violence, social environment, the mother’s schooling and other family influences are prevalent in the poverty which has occurred. The first association which is made with the article is the sociodemographic factors that are a part of the study. The social implications are based on the Latin American basis that each holds. Sixteen countries are studied to offer a wide variety of individuals and diverse numbers of families. The main demographics are then defined by differences in ethnicity of those living in poverty as well as the location which is associated with this. The article further explains the study through the examination of the family household and the dependent variables which may contribute to poverty. Education, dynamics of the family and social relatio nships that take place within the household are all examined for a deeper understanding of poverty. The main ideology which is found is that domestic violence and ethnicity are the two factors which continue to relate to the cycle of poverty and the association which many have in terms of the inequalities which take place. However, the study also notes secondary factors which cause the prevalence of poverty to continue among children. The risk of poverty that contributes to the article is based on the understanding of the cycle of poverty. This states that there is an intergenerational influence that occurs when one is in poverty. If the parents are in poverty, then children are more likely to fall under the same economic conditions. The risk is furthered with specific factors that are studied in the survey of the article. The risks that are examined include family factors, schooling and health. The risk of poverty was furthered with types of family dynamics, such as the number of c hildren in the household, association with the parental education and the dynamics that occurred socially. The study also showed a direct relationship to where one lived in Latin America. For instance, one living in Peru would be more likely to complete a secondary education than in Puray. This was further linked to the amount of education the mother and father received, number of siblings, gender, migration and household income. The less schooling in the family, the more siblings and the lower the household income also led to higher amounts of risk of poverty for the children in the household. Not only does the article look at the various factors for the risk of poverty but also considers how the discrimination factors lead to layers of poverty. Low – income poverty and other marginal factors are considered and relate to the dynamics of the family and sociodemographic factors of the household. By looking at this concept, there is the ability to see if there is a direct relat ionship between the demographics, social factors and the amount of income which one receives. It is found that there is a direct division based on the demographics in the household and the social and economic environments that are a part of the household. The changes in economy then create a direct link with the family factors that are noted in the household. It is

Critical Thinking Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking - Case Study Example Arbitration would ensure that consumers are able to have their cases resolved at a quicker rate and without any loss of time. The consumer can therefore be able to perform his/her daily duties with minimal fuss. According to Currier et al., recent studies suggest that, the percentage of consumer arbitration case outcomes, in favor of the consumers, stood at 55% and an additional 93% of respondents interviewed, regarding their general feelings and perceptions of the use of arbitration in consumer contracts, was favorable. They cited that they thought that, the use of arbitration, was more favorable than court cases due to their perceived fairness in dealing with consumer cases (Currier et al., 2009). Additionally, arbitration as a process is significantly cheaper than litigation in court. The high fees required by lawyers is non-existent in arbitration making it a cheaper alternative to court litigation. The insertion of the arbitration clause provides consumers with the ability to protect themselves against harmful or sub-standard goods and services supplied by a company. The arbitration clause provides consumers with the choice to purchase a good or service from one company or another in accordance with their preferences and tastes. Additionally, the arbitration clause provides a legal avenue that can be exploited by the consumer in case of a dispute. The introduction of binding arbitration clauses in consumer contracts will help both parties protect themselves against disputes and breach of

Organizational Analysis of Bank of America Research Paper

Organizational Analysis of Bank of America - Research Paper Example Bank of America is one of the largest financial institutions (Corporate Profile, 2011). The nature of the bank is to serve a full range of investing, banking, asset management along with financial and risk management services and products through its various credit and other lines of credit. Currently, the Bank serves, only in the United States, around 57 million small business relationships and consumer along with 5,900 retail banking offices together with 18,000 ATMs and with 29 million online active users of the Bank (Corporate Profile, 2011). Globally, Bank is known for its leading wealth management policies and practices particularly in investment and corporate banking together with trading in a wide range of asset classes, institutions, governments, and corporations. Additionally, the Bank is a registered member of the New York Stock Exchange and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. And, internationally, the Bank of America provides its banking services in more than 40 countries. However, having such a huge corporate portfolio does not ensure smooth sailing, particularly, in this tougher and rather uncertain period in the financial history. The Bank seems to be facing some financial and human resource problems; in this regard, the Bank, in the third quarter 2011, has announced to cut its cost by shedding 40,000 jobs out of 287000 employees currently working in the Bank (Vault.com, n.d). Several legal issues hunt the management of the Bank of America.  

Public Sector Pay Cuts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Sector Pay Cuts - Essay Example The implications of this proposal will include lack of job creation in some parts of the UK due to the lower civil servant wages relative to wages of the private sector. Currently, the UK is working under an important deficiency of collective demand with the rate of unemployment. Therefore the government suggestion is that due to rate of growth of private sector wages is low relative public sector wages according to Ashcroft (2012). Hence this will lead to high levels of unemployment as well as deficiency of demand. The government has also suggested that this will lead to a situation where the public will crowd over the private sector. Indeed the government has acknowledged that scraping public sector wages or limiting their growth comparative to the private sector will restrict the development of further demands. As a result this is likely to contribute to the crisis of relative demand deficiency in such regions. However there is a view by the government that under scraping public sector pay comparative to the private sector could assist in improving the competitiveness of the local private sector. From the governments point of view, Osborne’s aim is to rebalance the economy hence gets the public sector on the move. This implies that cutting national pay for public sector employees is likely to level the playing field. In areas where the public sector receives more pay than private sector workers, the treasury argues that the private sectors are crowded out as they are unable to compete with the pay levels as suggested by Willis (2012). However this means that setting pays should take place at the local levels but the trade unions caution that this will lead to great differences across the country hence driving the pay down along the regions. Owing to this effect, most regions are expected to face an economic count down. Unions have responded angrily on plans to scrap national pay for some public sector workers in the UK. One of the implications is

The Battle for Fox Hill Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Battle for Fox Hill - Research Paper Example The division was under the operational command of X Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Edward M Almond, USA. The 7th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), commanded by Col. Homer L. Litzenberg, had been ordered to move to Hamhung and relieve the 26th Republic of Korea (ROK) Regiment engaged with Chinese Communists in the north. While marching on the road towards the Changjin Reservoir, also referred by its Japanese name as Chosin Reservoir, the Korean regiment had encountered fierce resistance near Sudong on October 28. Meanwhile, the Chinese forces had also checked the advance of Gen. Walton H. Walker’s Eighth Army south of the border, pushing them back to the Chongchon River. However, United Nations forces had no credible information on the numbers of Chinese troops accumulated across Yalu River on the Manchurian border by that time (Appleman, 1-5; Santelli, 35-36; Simmons, 1-12). Interrogation of 16 Chinese prisoners revealed that 42nd CCF (Chinese Communist Forces) Army had deployed its 124th, 125th and 126th Divisions to check the advance of the 1st Marine Division. On the morning of November 02, the 7th RCT relieved the 26th ROK Regiment without encountering any significant resistance. The 1st (Lt. Col. Raymond C. Davis) and 2nd (Lt. Col. Randolph S. D. Lockwood) Battalions, 7th Marines, were leading the advance, while 3rd Battalion (Maj. Maurice E. Roach) was positioned in the rear. Over the next five days, the 7th RCT fought against determined resistance from the Chinese 124th Division, pushing it north over the Funchilin Pass to Hagaru-ri. On November 13, the RCT received orders to capture Hagaru-ri and advance 40 miles north to the southern tip of Chosin Reservoir. The RCT had reached its objective by November 15. However, Smith was quite concerned over the long narrow stretch of his division against uncertain enemy size and determination. He had expr essed his concerns in a personal letter to Cmdt. Marine Corps, Gen. Clifton B. Cates, stating, â€Å"I do not like the prospect of stringing out a Marine division along a single mountain road for 120 miles from Hamhung to the Manchurian border†¦I have little confidence in the tactical judgment of X Corps or the realism of their planning†. (Simmons, 13-35; BH, 36; Bevilacqua). On November 19-20. the Eighth Army captured the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The 7th RCT had reached Yudam-ni by November 25. As the elements of 7the Infantry Division arrived at the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir on November 25, the 5th RCT (Lt. Col. Raymond L. Murray) had began movement to Yudam-ni. According to the plans, the 5th RCT was to pass through the lines of 7th RCT and lead the attack to Mupyong-ni west of the reservoir on the next day. On November 26, three captured enemy soldiers had revealed the presence of 58th, 59th, and 60th CCF Divisions of 20th CCF Army around Yudam-ni. On the night of November 25, a massive attack by Chinese in the west had destroyed three ROK divisions on the Eighth Army’s right flank, repulsing its advance. Now, the Chinese prime objective was destruction of the 1st Marine Division in the east. (Bevilacqua; Appleman, 7-8; Simmons, 40-47). The American high command was under the impression that China will never enter the war, and the resistance was merely a small force of Chinese volunteers. On November 27, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines (Lt. Col. Harold S. Roise), launched the attack in the morning. The 7th Marines launched a secondary attack to the southwest. A temporary fall back of Chinese allowed the intermixed lead elements of the 5th and 7th Marines to make a 1 mile advance. Both regiments might have been combined under command of Assistant Division Commander, Brig. Gen. Craig, but he had departed for United States on emergency leave. Litzenberg had command authority as the senior officer.

The Impact of Globalization on the Growth of Tourism and Hospitality Essay

The Impact of Globalization on the Growth of Tourism and Hospitality Industry in India - Essay Example Indian tourism and hospitality industry has been poised for a big growth over the last few years owing to multitudinous factors. Among the various drivers of growth of these sectors as a boost for economic development, globalisation and its resultant plea for economy integration of the country with rest of the world is considered to be the key factors. In the light of globalization, the country is forced to keep in track with the needs of the travelers from across the world and find amenities and possibilities to make them happy to sustain the development of the industry. Not only in India, tourism and hospitality is the most sought after service that experience an unprecedented growth and development (Bezbaruah 1999). Indeed, globalization has facilitated the sector in a big way and at the same time there might be some threats, social, cultural; and economic. By virtue of repeated arguments for the liberalization of the economy, India reformed its economic policies in the year 1990 as the first move towards globalization (Bhatia 1995). Since then, there have been many milestones in the service and manufacturing sector that contributed faster economic development than in the past. The globalization of tourism industry and eventual spurt in the hospitality sector has resulted in cross-border delivery of health services for around $140 billion (Chanda 2002). In the first half of the 1990s, hospitality industry has grown at an annual rate of 16% and as of 2007 the total value comes to not less than $34 billion. This is further increased to $34 per capita, or roughly 6% of GDP. It is also estimated that by the end of 2012, the country7's hospitality sector is projected to improve to $40 billion (Emerging market report 2007). At this juncture, the present essay is an attempt to highlight the impact of globalisation on the tourism and hospitality industry. It is understood that globalisation has many dimensions such as economic, socio-cultural, and political and lega l. Therefore, he paper mainly focuses on these implications as a result of globalization. A Brief Note on Globalization The term globalization' was first used by Thodore Levitt in 'The Globalization of Markets'. He used the term to characterize "the vast changes that have taken place over the past two decades in the

Marketing Objectives Essay Example for Free

Marketing Objectives Essay Executive Summary Ceylon Tea came into being nearly a century and half back when the then existing coffee plantations, struck by a deadly disease – which virtually proved the death knell of coffee in Ceylon as it was then called, were converted to tea plantations. Nearly all the coffee plantations were very soon converted to tea plantations. As Ceylon Tea made its mark in the world and was being widely traded in the markets, measures were instituted to facilitate and monitor the process of manufacture and sale of tea to be shipped to foreign countries. On 30th July 1883 the first public sale of tea took place. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce brought under its purview the conduct of these auctions. In 1894 the Ceylon Tea Traders Association was established. Today almost all tea produced in Sri Lanka is sold in auctions conducted by these two organizations. Introduction This assignment is mainly about a FMCG product which the organisation depends only on Tea. I have sectioned this assignment in to different sections, to make the reader easy and understandable. I have also given a brief idea about marketing orientation, key steps to follow to be marketing oriented and also difficulties of implementing marketing orientation. Then I have spoke about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment and also how these environments impact to the organisation. At last I worked with marketing mix and how the marketing mix elements are blended together in an organisation. I hope this assignment will be something different and interesting task for you. Thank you. Methodology Mainly concentrated on preliminary data questionnaire and the study also contains secondary data from www.zaidtea.com Got reference from articles and books are revealed by tables and diagrams. Also discussed and got ideas from people who are in the high position in the tea industry. Body of Assignment Task 1 1. Zaid Tea Company 1.1 About Zaid Tea The Company incorporated in 2008 was formed in the year 1998 by a person with multifaceted experience gained in the tea industry and inherited from his forefathers of two previous generations. Naushad Jamaluddin the Managing Director/CEO of ZAID TEA CO. (PVT) LTD and a scion of an icon in the tea industry was nurtured in it from an early age during the tenure of his school days whilst assisting his father and grandfather in their tea business and plantations. He was trained in the delicate art of tea tasting by some of the best experts in the industry. He has blossomed to be an expert, having an exquisite flair in tasting and blending teas to meet the most exacting requirements of his buyers. Zaid Tea with its well experienced, diligently trained resource personal and cutting edge knowhow is eminently suited to seamlessly source and deliver the most exacting tea blends to its diverse worldwide clientele. Selecting for them the choicest of teas produced in factories located in the tea plantations of the central highlands of Sri Lanka and sold at the Colombo Tea Auctions, each having their distinct and subtly varying aroma, flavor and liquor Zaid Tea Co (Pvt.) Ltd is incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka. It is registered as an exporter of Ceylon Tea with the Sri Lanka Tea Board – the regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka entrusted with the task of ensuring the maintenance of the quality and image of Ceylon Tea exported from the country The Co. is also registered with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board as an exporter of Ceylon Tea. This is another regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka promoting exports in general from the country 1.2 Products and Main Brands Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminum pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea a) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminum pouches b) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags a) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging b) Kingswood Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored Green Tea a) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored 1.3 Services a) BLACK TEA Bulk Teas – They source and deliver unblended or specified blends worldwide packed in paper sacks, plywood chests and corrugated cartons with inner lining of either aluminium foil or suitable polythene to retain the freshness and aroma Branded Teas – They also source as per customer specifications and blend, package in printed cartons or other packaging as per their own brands and deliver worldwide Flavored Teas – Here too we can supply either in bulk or as per customers branded or un branded packaging – cinnamon, vanilla, ginger etc b) GREEN TEA Zaid Tea are in a position to supply you Green Tea plucked and processed from the finest tea gardens located in of the high mountainous terrain found in the central highlands of Sri Lanka where the air is fresh, pure, cool and crispy. It is manufactured to the highest international standards. Like black tea we can supply in bulk or customized brand, packaging and flavoring – unflavored, jasmine, mint etc Task 02 1. What Is Marketing Orientation A business which begins work on, or philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting customer’s needs and wants satisfyingly. -Himaz Ahamed 2. Key steps that Zaid Tea should implement in order to be marketing oriented 2.1 Customer Focused An organizational orientation toward satisfying the needs of potential and actual customers. Customer focus is considered to be one of the keys to business success. Achieving customer focus involves ensuring that the whole organization, and not just frontline service staff, puts its customers first. All activities, from the planning of a new product to its production, marketing, and after-sales care, should be built around the customer. Every department and every employee should share the same customer-focused vision. This can be aided by practicing good customer relationship management and maintaining a customer relations program. In order to achieve this, the organization must: a) Define its market, effectively segment and target the right customer and listen to customers. b) An extensive programme of employee education and communication may be necessary to introduce customer focus in order to create the environment that encourages to think customers. c) Implement an effective marketing information system that will track customer needs on a continuous basis. 2.2 Competitor Focused In terms of competitors, in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats. Profiling coalesces all of the relevant sources of competitor analysis into one framework in the support of efficient and effective strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment. Competitor focused concept is more preferable in markets which are growing very fast. Tea also one of the fastest growing market in Sri Lanka. So Zaid Tea also can invest in gathering more data about competitors which will enable them to develop innovations at lower costs. 2.3 Strategic Vision Develop a long-term, market-oriented strategic vision by viewing marketing as more than a series of promotional tools and techniques. Strong leadership from the top with high level executives building a customer philosophy into their business plans and define the future in terms of creating long-term value for stakeholders. Figure-01 Market vs Operations oriented structure 3. Difficulties in Implementing Marketing Orientation Concept to Zaid Tea Even though Zaid Tea might feels that the marketing orientation is the only correct path to be successful, in practice there are likely to be barriers in developing such an orientation. They are as follows: 3.1 Lack of Effective Customer Service The job of the customer-service staff involves more than just answering questions and providing solutions to problems that arise. For market orientation to prove successful, it must also include customer-service representatives who take the time to get to know each customers needs and preferences. Zaid Tea Company also can gather records of the feedback it receives and analyze them for use in developing market-orientation plans. Without such customer-service efforts, company loses key opportunities to obtain information. 3.2 Lack of Marketing Knowledge Lack of marketing knowledge, skill and experience are among the challenges of developing market-orientation plans. Many company employees understand basic marketing concepts, but lack the in-depth knowledge needed to develop marketing-orientation strategies that work. Some companies deal with this by seeking additional education for key employees or by hiring experienced, skilled marketers. Skilled marketers can help develop solid plans and give direction to key employees and departments. For example, an experienced marketer might help customer service, sales and technical-support departments learn how to incorporate a companys overall market orientation plan. 3.3 Conflict between marketing and other functions The power struggle between different departments within an organization can hinder the process. Task 03 1. Marketing Environment Framework A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers. (Philip Kotler – 12th Edition) Figure-02 the marketing environment 2. Micro Environment 2.1 Definition Factors or elements in an organizations immediate area of operations that affect its performance and decision-making freedom. These factors include competitors, customers, distribution channels, suppliers, and the general public. Micro Environment| Description| Factors that impact to Zaid Tea| Suppliers| A party that supplies goods or services. A supplier may be distinguished from a contractor or subcontractor, who commonly adds specialized input to deliverables. | A suppliers behavior will directly impact the business it supplies. If a supplier provides a poor service Zaid Tea this could increase timescales or product quality. An increase in raw material prices will affect an organization’s Marketing Mix strategy and may even force price increases. Close supplier relationships are an effective way to remain competitive and secure quality products. | Intermediaries| Firm or person (such as a broker or consultant) who acts as a mediator on a link between parties to a business deal, investment decision, negotiation, etc. Intermediaries usually specialize in specific areas, and serve as a conduit for market and other types of information. Also called a middleman. | Zaid Tea must partner effectively with marketing intermediaries to optimize the performance of the total system.| Competition| The marketing concept states that to be successful, an organization must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors.| Competi tor analysis and monitoring is crucial if an organisation is to maintain or improve its position within the market. If a business is unaware of its competitors activities they will find it very difficult to â€Å"beat† their competitors. The market can move very quickly. As a business it is important to examine competitors responses to these changes so that you can maximise the impact of your response.| Customers| A person, company, or other entity which buys goods and services produced by another person, company, or other entity.| Zaid Tea Companys marketing plan should aim to attract and retain customers through products that meets their wants and needs and excellent customer service.| Publics| A public is any group that has an actual or potential impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. | According to Zaid Tea there are number of publics that will impact. They are:Financial Public, Local Public, Media Public, Government Public, General PublicZa id Tea should keep a good relationship with these publics in order to run successful business. | 3. Macro Environment 3.1 Definition The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organizations decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. Macro environment is also known as uncontrollable environment. Figure-03 Macro environment forces The main forces in the macro environment are commonly denoted by the mnemonic PESTEEL forces. a) Political Environment b) Economical Environment c) Social and cultural Environment d) Technological Environment e) Ecological Environment f) Ethical Environment g) Legal Environment 3.2 Political Environment The first element of a PESTEEl analysis is a study of political factors. Political factors influence Zaid Tea Company in many ways. Political factors can create advantages and opportunities for Zaid Tea. Conversely they can place obligations and duties on company. Political factors include the following types of instrument: Legislation such as the minimum wage or anti discrimination laws. Voluntary codes and practices Market regulations Trade agreements, tariffs or restrictions Tax levies and tax breaks Type of government regime Non conformance with legislative obligations can lead to sanctions such as fines, adverse publicity and imprisonment. Ineffective voluntary codes and practices will often lead to governments introducing legislation to regulate the activities covered by the codes and practices. 3.3 Economical Environment The second element of a PESTEEl analysis involves a study of economic factors. Zaid Tea Company also affected by national and global economic factors. National and global interest rate and fiscal policy will be set around economic conditions. The climate of the economy dictates how consumers, suppliers and other organisational stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors behave within society. An economy undergoing recession will have high unemployment, low spending power and low stakeholder confidence. Conversely a â€Å"booming† or growing economy will have low unemployment, high spending power and high stakeholder confidence. A successful organisation will respond to economic conditions and stakeholder behaviour. Furthermore Zaid Tea will need to review the impact economic conditions are having on their competitors and respond accordingly. Task 04 1. Traditional Marketing Mix 1.1 What Is Marketing Mix Marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing tool that firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. Thus in performing their key tasks marketing managers have at their disposal marketing programs to create customer satisfaction and ultimately profit for the organisation. These tools are often referred as the â€Å"4P s† on how to use these ingredients require marketing research and information. Marketing mix variables are as follow: Figure-04 Traditional Marketing Mix 2. How The Marketing Mix Elements Are Blended Together In Zaid Tea Company Sri Lanka is one of the oldest tea producing countries in the world commercial Production was started in 1867 by the British planter James Taylor in Loolecondera Estate in Kandy. The tea produced in this country, popularly known as â€Å"Ceylon Tea†, ranks among the best available teas in international trade. In 2007, Sri Lanka was the third-largest tea-producing country globally, with a 9% share of global production, producing 30.6 million kilograms of tea. The total extent of land under tea cultivation has been estimated at approximately 187,309 hectares. Sri Lanka produces tea throughout the year, and the growing areas are mainly concentrated in the central highlands and southern inland areas of the island. They are broadly grouped under these headings according to their elevations, with high growns ranging from 1200 m upwards, medium growns covering between 600 m to 1200 m. and low growns from sea level up to 600 m. High grown teas from Sri Lanka are renowned for their taste and aroma. The two types of seasonal tea produced in these areas, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya, are much sought-after by blenders in teaimporting countries. Uva teas from the Eastern Highlands contain unique seasonal characteristics and are widely used in many quality blends, particularly in Germany and Japan. The medium grown teas provide a thick colour variety which is popular in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America. The teas produced in low grown areas are mainly popular in Western Asia, Middle Eastern countries and CIS countries. Most factories in these areas produce what is known as a leafy grade of tea, the tea leaves of which are highly twisted and can grade into long particles. 2.1 Product Tea is produced from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The tea plant, which is evergreen, isn’t a shrub as popularly believed but a tree that is grown like a shrub to facilitate the process of tea plucking and production. It is native to Southeast Asia and is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions across the world. Tea is mainly produced in India (the world’s largest producer), Sri Lanka (till recently the world’s largest exporter), China, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The differing climatic conditions in the world’s various tea growing areas influence the quality and taste of the various teas. Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminium pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea c) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminium pouches d) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags c) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging d) Kingswood Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored Green Tea b) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags flavored and unflavored 2.2 Price Table 02- Price List Effective from 1st January 2013 of Maskeliya Kahata ZAID TEA CO (PVT) LTD| Price List Effective from 1st January 2013| Product| MRP| WSP| QDP| Maskeliya Kahata 20g| 20.00 | 18.00 | 17.10 | Maskeliya Kahata 50g| 42.00 | 36.96 | 35.11 | Maskeliya Kahata 100g| 84.00 | 73.92 | 70.22 | Maskeliya Kahata 250g| 195.00 | 171.60 | 163.02 | Maskeliya Kahata 500g| 385.00 | 338.80 | 321.86 | Maskeliya Kahata 1Kg| 755.00 | 615.00 | 584.25 | Maskeliya Kahata 2Kg| 1,495.00 | 1,215.00 | 1,154.25 | Maskeliya Kahata100 Tea Bags| 250.00 | 220.00 | 209.00 | | | | | | | | | | MRP Maximum (Marked) Retail Price| | WSP Wholesale Price Price to Retail Trader| | QDP Quantity Discounted Price| | The above table shows the effective price list of Maskeliya Kahata from 1st January 2013. 2.3 Place The role of this element basically describing availability, which is â€Å"right place† and the â€Å"right time†. Zaid’s Maskeliya Kahata is also available in every retailer shops. A channel of place is a set of interdependent organisation, which helps to make a product available in market for use of consumer. Zaid Tea also uses this concept of channels in order to provide Maskeliya Kahata available in the market. The below diagram denotes how Zaid Tea uses the distribution channels. Figure-05 Distribution channels of Zaid Tea * Note- There is also another Distribution channel method: PRODUCER AGENT WHOLESALER RETAILER CONSUMER Conclusion In a fast growing market day by day everything is fluctuating faster than we expect. Products and services are also same. The purpose of the project is to exhibit organisation to be marketing oriented and to aware about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment , how these environments impact to the organisation. Recommendations Plantation companies a) Explore the possibilities of upgrading plantation jobs, by providing upward movement, to attract more workers to work in the estate. b) There should not be any effort from the plantation companies to dilute the existing labour laws which protect the workers in the tea industry, on the grounds of declining returns. c) The big companies could also tie up with the ILO and other civil society organisations to help small growers achieve minimum labour and environmental standards. Adherence to such standards will give an additional product value to the tea being sold at the retail level. In return, the companies could provide incentives in terms of better prices to the small growers. These practices could work to the advantage of both. The government a) Provide technical and marketing assistance to the small and marginalized Farmers b) Provide credit schemes and debt management services to the plantations c) Strengthen the relationships between small tea growers and private processing factories. Develop a strategic intervention in order to help each actor aware of their rights and responsibilities within the value chain. International tea buyers a) Take responsibility for conditions in their entire tea value chains, particularly where they have more influence. b) Provide support to the small tea growers through technical and marketing assistance c) Pay a higher price for tea produced in a sustainable process d) Do not lobby to dilute the social protections available to tea estate workers e) Conduct multi-stakeholder monitoring and verification of the social and environmental standards on the tea estates from which tea is procured Annexure References * PCM Text Book * Kotler P. â€Å"Marketing Management† 9th Edition, Prentice hall of India, 1997, pp 128-150 * www.zaidtea.com

Adolescent Behaviors and the Challenges in Society Today Essay Example for Free

Adolescent Behaviors and the Challenges in Society Today Essay Increased awareness needs to be established so that adults can be aware of adolescent behaviors and challenges in our society today. Some issues as simple as adolescents are being ostracized because of obesity, mothers work schedule causing risky behaviors, children being raised by depressed mothers, parent stress causing adolescents not to have good self-concept, and adolescents being involved in risky behavior in order to be accepted by peers. All of these actions are causing behaviors such as teen pregnancy, self-injuries, suicide, and eating disorders. Research states many of these behaviors have high statistics coming from the home environment. The United States having the highest teen pregnancy rate all around, what are parents doing wrong and how can society be educated so that behaviors can change with adolescents in the world today. With increased awareness of what adolescents are doing, adults can be helpful to adolescents who are so desperately in need of attention? A family needs to raise their children in a Christian setting so they will have a solid foundation when they grow into adolescents because, they need to be strong enough to face the challenges, peer pressures, and behaviors of our adolescents who are not raised to know right from wrong in their environment. Because of reality of society all adolescents will be challenged to deal with other adolescent behaviors. Adolescents can’t be put into a bubble and be protected from what society has to offer. Society is proof that there is lack of guidance for adolescents in the world today. Is society proof that there is lack of guidance for adolescents in the world today? Research proves lack of guidance is evident. In this study research says that adolescent problems can stem from weight problems, peer pressure, parents work schedule, and parent stress, causing many different behaviors in adolescents. See more:  The Story of an Hour Literary Analysis Essay The discussion in one of the articles researched says that social status for adolescents depend on how your body is developed. Girls and boys are not being accepted or are not popular by peers if they are overweight. â€Å"Adolescent girls are more popular if they have the â€Å"perceived body size† and the boy’s popularity depends on the â€Å"overall muscularity† of his body† (Wang,S.S., Houshyar, Prinstein, 2006). The research in this article is based on â€Å"522 students in grades 11 and 12.† (Wang, 2006) â€Å"The research was discovered by students choosing popular kids and not so popular kids and results being those popular kids, having the perceived bodies being popular and the not so popular kids being overweight† (Wang, 2006). This research states â€Å"Messages within the media or family promoting ‘idea’ body shapes may be reinforced within adolescents’ own peer groups and associated with social rewards that are particularly salient during this developmental stage† (Wang, 2006). â€Å"Adolescents who desire to achieve high levels of status among peers may be motivated to engage in behaviors that will help them achieve an â€Å"ideal† body shape. (Wang, 2006) Do adolescents have to be socially ostracized by peers to be motivated to look the same as others to be accepted? Are we accepting these behaviors from adolescents, that they should ostracized by anyone? With appropriate guidance and education, we can help adolescents with weight problems instead of adolescents wanting to lose weight to be accepted by peers. The cultural idea for adolescents is to be slim and trim and when they are not slim and trim they react with different kinds of eating disorders. â€Å"Psychological consequences may be particularly severe during a time of life when body image is of special concern† (Feldman, 2011). Anorexia is a disorder when the person refuses to eat because they are afraid of getting fat. ( 2011) When our adolescents don’t get the proper diet it can cause health problems and psychological problems in our children. Feldman states obesity is the most common problem with our adolescents stating that, â€Å"One in 5 adolescents is overweight, and 1 in 20 can be formally classified as obese† (Feldman, 2011) Our text states why our children are becoming overweight and not getting the exercise they need to burn the calories they are eating.(2011) It is a challenge to go past a fast food place because of the affordable prices and availability. It is a challenge for family’s to eat at home. The text also states a disorder called bulimia which adolescents eat large amounts of food and then they vomit it out of their system.(2011) These disorders are very serious and can lead to many health problems. The challenge for adolescents to have the perceived body weight is hurtful to those who are considered overweight or obese. This idea of perceived body weight is causing depression which causes risky behaviors for adolescents. Another example that shows guidance is vital is in this article about peer pressure and friend influences. The article states how our adolescents are being influenced by peer pressure. Do our adolescents have to join the group norms to be accepted or are they strong enough to say no and still be liked by the group? In this research there are two categories of friends called stable friends and unstable friends. Who influence who? According to research â€Å"the more accepted friend had greater influence than the less accepted friend after the friendship was established† ( Laursen, 2012). When the stable friends were paired up with the unstable friends, the stable friends were influencing the unstable friends. (2012 ) â€Å"The stable friends being the popular group and the unstable friend being the less popular group the unstable group was being pressured by the stable groups† (Laursen, B., Hafen, C. A., Kerr, M., Stattin, H† (2012). Research stated that the unsta ble friends did not influence the stable friends. (2012) The stable friends were influencing to the unstable friends because of their status in who they were and the unstable friends were being accepted. The research shows how â€Å"adolescents alter behaviors so that they will fit in even when it comes to alcohol consumption and other deviant behaviors† (Laursen, 2012). This is a challenge even for the stable friends to be able to say no to the alcohol and other deviant behaviors. If parents would teach their children about peer pressure, use the word as something happens, the children would know when an issue comes up and they said they did it because everyone else did, let them know they allowed themselves to do the wrong thing because of peer pressure. How something as simple as parental work schedules cause risky behaviors in adolescents. Why are parental work schedules vital when it comes to adolescent risky behaviors? What are adolescents doing while parents are at work? The article provides â€Å"new evidence on the pathways linking parental work schedules with adolescent risky behaviors†( Han, W.-J., Miller, D. P., Waldfogel, J. (2010). The research states that years of night shift work for mothers indicate that the relationship between their children are not developed as to mothers who work day time jobs.(2010) Parents working to make a living are having to sacrifice having a relationship with their children. As these parents work it allows more freedom for risky behaviors. Also, while parents are working different shifts research indicates that parents don’t know what their children are doing or where their children are.(2010) â€Å"Effects were particularly evident when parents work such schedules during children’s middle childhood years but were also evident during preschool years and early adolescence†(Han, 2010). Our analyses by children’s developmental stage suggest that the number of year’s parents worked nonstandard hours at various stages of childhood influence adolescent outcomes, but in different ways depending on the stage when nonstandard shift work occurred. These results make sense given that children face very different developmental tasks during these different stages. In the middle childhood years mark a time of important changes related to school transitions, developmental advances that establish children’s sense of identity, and developing relationships with parents and peers. These years serve as a foundation for later development, and experiences during these periods can have lasting effects. (Han, 2010) The risky behaviors focused on in this article while parents are working was, â€Å"cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use, delinquency, and sexual behavior. With evidence of all these behaviors in adolescents because of parents work schedule, parental guidance is vital in our society today so that these behaviors will be recognized by parents so they will know that their adolescent needs some attention. This article provides facts about how much parent stress is apparent toward parenting behavior and how it reflects adolescent’s self-concept? According to the findings in this article, parent behavior reflected on their stress that they deal with daily? How does the parent behavior affect the adolescent’s self-concept? The article debates how the lax parents and stern parent’s reactions are toward adolescent’s self-concept. The parent’s relationship to the child contributes to the child’s â€Å"self-concept and well-being.† Without self-worth how can adolescents achieve what they need to accomplish in their life as they grow into adulthood. Putnick, D.L., Bornstein, M. H., Hendricks, C., Painter, K.M., Suwalsky, J.T. D.Collins, W.A. (2008)† Why is society having so many problems with adolescents? Appropriate parental guidance is vital so that adolescents can grow into healthy men and woman. However, we have adolescents growing up and being exposed to many different challenges. Being raised by a mother who has dealt with depression, the article states that the children are the caretakers of the siblings and the house. (2009) The authors stated that they observed â€Å"a 13-year old boy talked about regularly preparing dinner for his mother and younger sibling (instrumental caretaking) and a 9-year old girl offered suggestions to her mother for ways to feel better and reduce her stress at work, including setting up and appointment to talk with her boss. (Emotiona l caretaking)† (Champion,Jaser, Reeslund, Simmons, Potts, Shears,Ccompas, (2009). â€Å"Emotional and instrumental caretaking were significantly correlated with greater self-reported anxiety-depression symptoms only among adolescents whose mothers had a history of depression† (Champion, 2009).The research states that â€Å"mothers think there children are more capable if they are preforming emotional caretaking however the children feel more anxiety and depression when they are preforming those task† (Champion, 2009). How do these children stand a chance to grow and develop their needs if they are caring for depressed mother? The challenges these children face are tremendous as they grow into adult hood. They totally missed childhood and all their lives saw their mother cry, take overdose and the many other behaviors that depressed people do. These children grow cold of emotions. They don’t know how to express except the way their mother expressed. How do we expect them to grow up as good citizens? The United States having the highest teen pregnancy rate of all other countries is not making a good statement of how adolescents are seeking to get the attention they need. The authors in this article state that a â€Å"disturbing discovery that the percentage of apparently involuntary sex among female teens is a significant social problem, around 13% for ages 15-19 by one estimation† (Thomas and Dimitrox, 2007). Also another alarming fact discovered is that â€Å"over half of teens ages 15-19 have had oral sex, including roughly 25% who have not engaged in vaginal sex (2007). Seeing it as a strategy to avoid pregnancies, many teens believe that oral sex avoids the prospect of STD’s including HIV/AIDS. (Thomas, and Dimitrox (2007).† Research detects that direct effects of teen pregnancy are coming from background variables such as family poverty, early school failure, and dysfunctional family systems. â€Å"Some research suggests that most of the economic consequences of early childbearing can be explained by family background variables.†(Thomas and Dimitrox, 2007) However, research is not saying that all teen pregnancies are coming from these variables. â€Å"Recent data suggest that the number of children living in poverty in the United States would have risen by 8.3% if the teen birth rates had not declined as they did for the years 1991-2003† (Thomas , 2007). Education to adolescents and parents is vital. There are so many grandparents raising the adolescents’ babies. The adolescents never have to take responsibility for their action because they have someone to raise their child. What do they do but go have another child for their parents. Even more hurtful than teen pregnancy, would be facing a knock on the door telling you you’re adolescent tried to commit suicide or even worse committed suicide. â€Å"The institute of Medicine defines a suicide attempt as a nonfatal, self-inflicted destructive act with the explicit or implied intent to die.† (Hausmann, C., Kuhlberg, J., A., Zayas, L.H., Nolle, A., P., Cintron, S., L. 2012) We often think that these things can’t happen to us until we are faced with the issue at hand. Research says that â€Å"depression is the number one disorder diagnosed among adolescents†( Hausmann, 2012). Research also states that depression is associated with the greatest risk of suicide attempts.(2012) â€Å"Adolescents are using objects in their homes to commit suicide such as, drug overdose, knives, pieces of glass, nail files, and guns† (Hausmann, 2012). Less common attempting methods were â€Å"jumping off buildings, suffocating by placing plastic bags over their heads, and trying to hang themselves† (Hausmann, 2012). The majority of adolescents in this study had a lifetime history of two to more than six previous suicide attempts† (Hausmann, 2012). The authors state that the â€Å"Latino population adolescents are at high risk for attempted suicide† (Hausmann, 2012).† Latino population for the youth is up to 41% in the US†(Hausmann,2012). The 76 adolescents in this study have already tried suicide 2 or 3 times. The article states that adolescents will try suicide in the next 3 or 4 months and may continue trying suicide up to the next 12 years. (Hausmann, 2012) `Talk about a heartbreaking behavior for parent, siblings, whom ever involved. If parents could get some education on some of these behaviors, to reinforce that there is a problem with Adolescents growing up in society today. â€Å"The structure of the family for the last couple decades has changed in many ways. With an increase in the number of parents who both work outside of the home, soaring divorce rate, and a rise in single-parent families, the environment faced by children passing through middle childhood in the 21st century is very different from that faced by prior generation† (Feldman, 2011 pg.332). Conclusion is that a family needs to raise their children in a Christian setting so they will have a solid foundation when they grow into adolescents because, they need to be strong enough to face the challenges, peer pressures, and behaviors of adolescents today. Adolescents who go to church are not free from this kind of behaviors but have a solid rock to stand on if they know the Lord. Is society proof that there is lack of guidance for adolescents in the world today? Reference Champion, J. E., Jaser, S. S., Reeslund, K. L., Simmons, L., Potts, J. E., Shears, A. R., Compas, B. E. (2009). Caretaking behaviors by adolescent children of mothers with and without a history of depression. Journal of Family Psychology 23(2), 156-166 . Feldman S.R., (2011). Food, and Eating Disorders: Fueling the Growth of Adolescence, Development across the Life Span, Pg.365. Grella, C. E., Stein, J. A., Greenwell, L. (2005). Associations among Childhood Trauma, Adolescent Problem Behaviors, and Adverse Adult Outcomes in Substance-Abusing Women Offenders. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 19(1), 43-53. Han, W.-J., Miller, D. P., Waldfogel, J. (2010). Parental work schedules and adolescent risky behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 46(5), 1245-1267. Hausmann-Stabile, C., Kuhlberg, J. A., Zayas, L. H., Nolle, A. P., Cintron, S. L. (2012). Means, intent, lethality, behaviors, and psychiatric diagnosis in Latina adolescent suicide attempters. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(3), 241-248. Laursen, B., Hafen, C. A., Kerr, M., Stattin, H. (2012). Friend influence over adolescent problem behaviors as a function of relative peer acceptance: To be liked is to be emulated. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121(1), 88-94. Nock, M. K., Holmberg, E. B., Photos, V. I., Michel, B. D. (2007). Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview: Development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample. Psychological Assessment, 19(3), 309-317. Putnick, D. L., Bornstein, M. H., Hendricks, C., Painter, K. M., Suwalsky, J. T. D., Collins, W. A. (2008). Parenting stress, perceived parenting behaviors, and adolescent self-concept in European American families. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(5), 752-762. Thomas, C.L., Dimitrov, D. M. (2007). Effects of a teen pregnancy prevention program on teen’s attitudes toward sexuality: A latent trait modeling approach. Developmental Psychology, 43(1), 173-185.

Problems Faced By Chinese Students

Problems Faced By Chinese Students This current research is titled as Problems faced by Chinese students in learning English language: A case study of S.M. Pei Yuan KAMPAR. This chapter consists of nine sections which is background of the study, statement of problem, purpose of study, significance of study, research question, scope of study, methodology, limitation and definition of key words. Background of the study Learning English language as second language (L2) is a big challenge for second language learners. Students still have problems with grammatical functions most of the time, although they have 11 years of English language exposure. Hence, this study focuses on the first language (L1) grammatical functions that interfere with Chinese learners of English as a second language. In Malaysia, there are numerous learners who have Chinese language as their L1. Most of them have problems in learning English language especially the English grammar. Learners are more or less likely to be influenced either positively or negatively by their first language. According to Hassan (2002), learners L1 background knowledge will affect them in learning English language especially in speaking and writing. As a result, the interference of L1 has become the major problem for Chinese ESL learners in the process of learning English especially in writing. Chinese ESL learners will get interference from their L1 when they write. It is because they will get influence by their L1 grammatical structure. Besides, the differences of syntactic between L1 and L2 also will affect them in writing. A few studies have reported that Chinese ESL learners will use their mother tongue to plan an outline before writing (Cumming, 1989; Jones Tetroe, 1987), transfer the writing context to English language by using their mother tongue (Edelsky, 1982; Friedlander, 1990; Lay, 1982). Second language learners will use their mother tongue in such circumstances and the interferences from L1 to L2 can either be positive or negative. Learners L1 will influence In this study, researcher will examines mother tongue influence on Chinese learners 1.2 Statement of Problem To learn English as second language, learners at least have to master four basic skills which are listening, reading, speaking and writing. However, seldom Chinese ESL learners can fully master the skills especially in writing. It is because the L1 interferes of English Language causes grammatical errors in the writing process. According to Nik Safiah (1978), this kind of grammatical error can be obviously found in Chinse ESL learners essay writing. The differences between L1 and L2 grammatical funtions intefere on students English essay writing process. As we know that mastering English Language is not an easy task especially for learners who study in Chinese independent schools. It is because they mostly will get inteferenced from their L1 and affect the way they learn English. As a result, Chinese learners will face difficulty in learning English grammatical functions such as tenses, subject-verb agreement or countable and uncountable nouns. Although Chinese learners have exposed to English language since primary one, the errors still occur. Chinese ESL learner make this kind of grammatical errors because they do not fully utilize the language even though they are able to use it. As the saying goes, practise makes perfect if the learners do not polish their English language even with years of exposure to the language, it will make no different. 1.3 Purpose of Study The purpose of this study is to find out if L1 interference have a significant effect on Chinese ESL learners English essay writing. Besides, this study is also to identify types of errors that Chinese ESL learners commonly make with English grammatical functions in the English essay writing. 1.4 Significance of Study Although learners learn English since the first day enter they school. However, most of them cannot fully master English as their second language. This study can help teachers to understand the problems that learners face when they are learning English. Besides, teachers can identify the influence of learners L1 in learning English and among the errors, they help to correct the grammar. This can help to reduce the inteference of L1 from happening to students learning English. 1.5 Research Questions Based on the problems and purpose mentioned in the earlier sections, this study will focus on two research questions which are: Does L1 interference have a significant effect on Chinese Learners English essay writing? What types of errors do Chinese ESL learners commonly make with English grammatical functions in the English essay writing? 1.6 Scope of Study The aims of this study is to identify the inteference of learners L1 in learning English language. Learner who study in S.M. PEI YUAN (P) KPR would be chosen as participate in the writing test. This study is using purposive sampling because only one class of Chinese ESL learners will be selected as participants. 1.7 Methodology This study will utilize a test to find out why Chinese ESL learners have problems in learning grammar. The learners will be asked to write a short essay. The topic of the essay is My family and learners have to write around 100-120 words each. This test will be distributed to the learners during their classes. Thus, they will take the test seriously and the results of the data collected will be more precise. 1.8 Limitation This study is designed for those whose first language is not English language and have L1 background knowledge. The survey will only be conducted with one class of learners who study in S.M. PEI YUAN (P) KPR. Thus, the result do not represented all Chinese ESL learners. 1.9 Definition of key words Inteference learners make an error in ther L2 which influnced by their L1 (Lott,1983:256).

Style :: Writing Styles Style Paper

Style After reading Strunk and White’s, The Elements of Style, Williams’, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, and my peers’ reviews of these two books, I have come up with an all encompassing answer to the question: what is style, and what elements are most important to all writers? The answer is: there is no clear cut definition of style. It is ever changing; and is based on society’s views of what makes good writing, not necessarily the writer’s own thoughts on the matter. Therefore, the writer is better off following the set rules of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, determined by society; then adding her own voice. The actual elements that make up style are a little less vague, but again, it is up to the individual writer to decide which elements to include in her writing—and which to leave out. Strunk and White have listed â€Å"Seven rules of usage, eleven principles of composition, a few matters of form, and a list of words and expressions commonly misused.† (Strunk and White) Strunk and White present their list of rules to would-be writers in hopes that they may one day attain what society deems to be style. Strunk and White’s rule number six: â€Å"Do not break sentences in two—in other words, do not use periods for commas,† (Strunk and White) was interesting because I break it often. Before reading Strunk and White, I was under the impression that when you want a sentence to be emphatic, you can clip it, and force the reader to take notice simply by creating a sentence structure that looks unusual to them. This forces the reader to stop and take another look. Strunk and White warn us that this is not proper, and should be attempted by no means, â€Å"Less a clipped sentence seem merely a blunder in syntax or punctuation.† Strunk and White also claim, â€Å"As a rule, single sentences should not be written or printed as paragraphs.† Unfortunately, writing single sentence paragraphs once defined my writing. In grade school, I was told the only way to write well was to write exactly as you speak. I just happen to be the type of person that speaks fast, changes subjects often, emphasizes certain groups of words I want my listeners to grab on to, and then (and this is what often saves me from becoming a complete muddle), summarizes what I was saying.

Dont Blame Me :: essays research papers

Who job is it really to realize if you or myself have had too much to drink? What we're discussing is the simple fact if it is a bar's, bartender, or waiters' responsibility for their customers actions once they leave. Some people believe so, like our State of Texas. The question is whose respoonsibility really is it? I actually don't believe that it is no one persons responsibility for how much one person drink, except for the people themselves. The State on the other had believes and enforces thatit is the bar's, bartender, ot waiters' responsibility. Personally, I don't think that there is and one around that knows me well enough how mich it takes me to be drunk or intoxicated to where I may hurt others or myself. To be truthful, at times I don't realize it myself until I actually get up from seat and walk around for a while. So how can we hold others responsible for wat we do after we do after we leave their site? I don't think it is fair; it is nearly impossible to spot everybody that has been served to where you can tell if thy have dad too much. The legal terms the State gives is " the provider (a person who sells or servers an alcoholic beverage under authority of a license or permit) is responsible for the provision (the person who comsumes the alcoholic beverage) for the individual be sold, served, provided with an alcoholic beverage is abviously intoxicated to the extent that he (provision) presents a clea danger to himself and others. The promblem is how do we know? For example, there is a man that stands at 5'8 and weighs 160. Then you have another man that stands at 6'3 and weighs 250. They both fo into a bar together and they sit down at the bar and order Long Island Ice Tea's. Now the first thought that comes to your mind is ,"I better slow the little guy down because this drink has 4 different liquors and he'll probally try to keep up with his buddy?" Which dos happen they wait for each other to finish and order another round together. Now the bartender notices that the little guy is always waiting on the big fellow. So the bartender tries to slow them down, but they say they are all right and he gives them their last drink.

Love Song

I thought of it as a positive because he was almost escaping time. B: Okay so he's Just like thinking about everything in this moment so time doesn't exist anymore A: Yes B: So when he says â€Å"Let fall upon the its back the soot falls from chimneys. † he almost personifying their sleep. Okay because I kind of saw it as him reflecting on his entire life and how there will be time to do all these things that I want to do but in the end is it worth it? And when he says â€Å"let us go then you and l. Maybe he's talking about the afterlife and saying what is the meaning of all of this until you get there. They also talk about Michelangelo, maybe because he's dead but almost amortized. A: He said â€Å"Do I dare† often and â€Å"how should I should I presume† I don't know maybe that's Just the uncertainty if It all and like the things like he said let us go and take these risks but he questioned it. Just moments we overlook or miss out on because we don't know how to think.Then he talked about like In line 40 and on â€Å"my hair growing thin† â€Å"my arms are thin† â€Å"do I disturb the universe? † do I question time do I go out even though nature Is taking Its course B: And he says indeed there will be time to wonder do I dare like there will be time to think about the things that you would have done and maybe he regrets not doing some of them. Like he says â€Å"l have measured my life with coffee spoons† and he know the voices and has kind of been In the background.You know coffee spoons Is kind of tedious A: Yea kind of living autonomously, Just like day by day doing the same thing and then think maybe this moment Is something different or special or he has this revelation that maybe I should take a risk and I guess In that moment he thinks this Is how I'm living my life and kind of reflects B: He repeats the question â€Å"would It have been worthwhile to do al these things and says no I am not prince ham let nor was I meant to b† and he says â€Å"I'm more Like a fool and fool and someone who advises the prince† and I don't know what do you think that means A: He also mentions Like a lot of characters really exalted people and he's saying†¦B: Kind of that he won't be remembered A: Exactly Like talking of Michelangelo, and Lazarus and a prophet, Prince Hamlet B: Yea and he's not prince hamlet A: He's not anything special I guess or he wants to be B: And so how does this reflect on love then he's saying would I have been worthwhile o squeeze this universe Into ball A: It think maybe In this moment he this thinks to himself what If I had lived my life Like this all the time and what If I had taken risks I could have know this feeling more. If we're looking at It Like love or even If It Is the end of his life and In the afterlife he's thinking I could have done so much more Like I'm not this person but I could have been and Instead I was the assistant that's Just the u ncertainty if it all and like the things like he said let us go and take we don't know how to think. Then he talked about like in line 40 and on â€Å"my hair o out even though nature is taking its course B: And he says indeed there will be measured my life with coffee spoons† and he know the voices and has kind of been in the background.You know coffee spoons is kind of tedious A: Yea kind of living moment is something different or special or he has this revelation that maybe I should take a risk and I guess in that moment he thinks this is how I'm living my life and kind of reflects B: He repeats the question â€Å"would it have been worthwhile to do says â€Å"I'm more like a fool and fool and someone who advises the prince† and I don't now what do you think that means A: He also mentions like a lot of characters really A: Exactly like talking of Michelangelo, and Lazarus and a prophet, Prince Hamlet B: to squeeze this universe into ball A: It think maybe in this m oment he this thinks to himself what if I had lived my life like this all the time and what if I had taken risks I could have know this feeling more. If we're looking at it like love or even if it is the end of his life and in the afterlife he's thinking I could have done so much more like I'm not this person but I could have been and instead I was the assistant Love Song The poem I chose to imitate and use to create my pastiche was Joseph Brodsky’s â€Å"Love Song†. The poem is Brodsky’s unusual ode to the woman he loves, telling her all the things that he would do for her if he could. These are things that he would do to show her how much he loves her, how far he would to take care of her, and how attracted he is to her. I chose this poem because I felt that it was an interesting combination of humor and subtle sexual innuendo intertwined with classical love poem emotion.I also chose this poem because the structure of it and the meter of the words were interesting and I wanted to challenge myself to recreate this structure with lines and thoughts of my own. Within Brodsky’s poem there are some particular elements that I intentionally tried to recreate, while there are others that I changed for my own. I tried to stay within the same meter with my poem as Brodsky did in his. I did this primarily because I enjoyed the way t hat the meter made his poem so easily readable and made the poem flow better.Brodsky did this by using words and lines with the same number of syllables, and I tried to recreate this element for the same effect. I also chose to utilize the element of rhyming every other line so that every two lines complete one sentence and one sentiment for the poem’s reader. Again, I felt that this technique made the poem flow well and made it more interesting. I began my creative process to create my pastiche of Brodsky’s poem by reading it several times.I did this to get an accurate understanding of the places in the poem where he inserted humor or innuendo in the lines. I felt that it was important to evenly space out these occurrences as Brodsky did so my poem didn’t come off too humorous and seem like a joke or a less than heartfelt expression. I also noted the individual components that Brodsky said he would be willing to be in his poem and tried to follow these. In some lines he refers to being a particular occupation, but in others he refers to himself as hypothetically being an inanimate object.I tried to follow this same structure because I felt it lent to the imagination of the poem and the genuine expression of love. The biggest challenge for me when creating my pastiche was to rhyme every other line. I find it difficult to write poetry that rhymes but I wanted to keep this element from Brodsky’s poem. I dealt with this challenge by trying to keep the first word, which is the word for which I would need to find an accompanying rhyme, simple and easy to rhyme.This meant rewriting some of the lines to make them end with an easy but fitting word, but it also helped me to make the poem flow better. I think I was able to rhyme the alternating lines while still incorporating meaningful metaphors in my poem. The other challenge I encountered was trying to implement Brodsky’s use of sexual innuendo without making the poem sexual. I trie d to accomplish this by using metaphors that hinted at sexual or physical attraction without being too overt, but I honestly found it difficult to imitate Brodsky’s sly subtlety.Overall, I think that the resulting pastiche that I created is a good imitation of Brodsky’s poem without mirroring it exactly. While I followed his formula for constructing the poem, I used my own metaphors which give it my own perspective. I think I did a good job of retaining the structure and flow of Brodsky’s poem, which was difficult since I was using my own words and having to rhyme every other line like he did. In creating this pastiche I was reminded of how much work goes into writing what seems like a simple poem.It’s easy to look at Brodsky’s poem, which is only sixteen lines of simple language, and decide that it must be easy to write something like it. But in reality, the structure, language and rhyme scheme made it more difficult than originally imagined. It t ook a lot of creative effort to create something individual while imitating the elements of the original poem that I liked or wanted to incorporate, but I think the resulting pastiche is a quality imitation of Brodsky’s display of poetic talent.

Jane Eyre and Class System Essay

In Bronte’s time, the Victorian era, class system still played a huge role in society. People of a certain class would often look down on people from another class. Class was something you were born into. It was almost impossible to shift from one class to another. In the novel Jane Eyre, Bronte presents a very revolutionary character in that aspect. Charlotte Bronte is critical about the class system and tries to show that through Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is not influenced by the social class system, because she shifts between several classes, has a strong character which enables her to ignore the traditions of the class system, and she does not judge others on their class, but rather on their character. Jane is not fixed to one class, but instead shifts between several classes. During her childhood, she is raised within the wealthy Reed’s family (Bronte 1). However, she is not considered as family, because she is an orphan. She is born into the working class and for that reason she is ill-treated by the Reed’s family (Godfrey 853). This becomes clear when John Reed addresses Jane: â€Å"you are a dependant, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live with gentlemen’s children like us† (Bronte 7). She still remains in this class position when she attends Lowood school, which is a school for orphans. At the age of eighteen, she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, and her position changes. Since she earns her money by teaching a pupil, her position moves upwards somewhere between the working class and the middle class (Godfrey 857). In the rich Mr Rochester she meets her future husband, but when she discovers that he is married to another woman she runs off (Bronte 379). With almost nothing, she has to beg for food which brings her position to the lower class (Bronte 431). When her uncle dies, she inherits a large amount of money, which enables her to climb up to the middle class (Bronte 500). Knowing that Mr Rochester’s wife died, she is now able to marry him since their positions are equal. Jane Eyre does not judge others on their class, but rather on their character. As is mentioned before, Jane does not belong to one particular class, but shifts between the two extremes of the class system. In the beginning Jane does not feel comfortable around superior people. This might have been a result of her childhood during which she was ill-treated. However, she quickly learns to evaluate people on their character instead of their class status. First we see how Jane feels drawn to Bessie, the maid, who is the only one during her hard childhood who cares about her: â€Å"She had a capricious and hasty temper, †¦ , still such as she was, I preferred her to any one else at Gateshead Hall† (Bronte 41). Later on we see how she establishes a close relationship with Helen Burns, who is a friend at Lowood, and also with Miss Temple, the head teacher. These examples are people from the lower or working classes. We also see that Jane criticizes Mr Brocklehurst, who belongs to a higher class, because of his wrong and hypocrite behaviour. He tells the girls at Lowood: â€Å"my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh, to teach them to clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel† (Bronte 86). Yet, his own wife and daughters are dressed luxurious. The most important example is of course Mr Rochester. Jane Eyre often reflects on his character, but never really on his class: â€Å"I believed he was naturally a man of better tendencies, higher principles, and purer tastes than such as circumstances had developed, education instilled, or destiny encouraged† (Bronte 193). Her love for him is based on his character and not on his class. Jane has a strong character which enables her to ignore the traditions of the social class system. In the Victorian era, women were still considered inferior to men. At a certain point during her stay at Thornfield Hall, she expresses her opinion about this: â€Å"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as man feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do† (Bronte 146). This shows that Jane has a different view from the traditional one, namely that she thinks that women are equal to men. At a later stage in her life, when she inherits twenty thousand pounds from her uncle, she also reacts different from the traditional standards. She wants to divide the money equally with her nephew and cousins (Bronte 505). However, St John calls this â€Å"contrary to all custom† (Bronte 507), because normally someone from a lower class would keep the money for himself. So Bronte shows that she has a critical view on the social class system by presenting Jane’s revolutionary character, and letting her break through the traditions of the class system. She is not influenced by the social class system, because instead of being fixed to one class, Jane changes from one class to the other. She starts out as a working class girl being raised in a middle class environment, and shifts back and forth until she finally ends in the middle class. She also evaluates people on their character instead of their class, and her strong personality enables her to ignore the standards of the social class.

History Since 1500 Essay

Modern history began in the end of the 15th century, which witnessed the beginning of Reformation and the discovery of the new continent. In the following five centuries, many historic events (such as the two world wars and the cold war) have fundamentally changed our world in the fields of politics, economics, and culture. Political Systems in Europe after the Thirty Years’ War The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) refers to a series of wars intermittently fought chiefly between the Roman Empire and the Protestant principalities with which French allied. Theses wars were fought for religious, territorial, dynastic, and commercial reasons (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). After the Thirty Years War ended with the Peace of Westphalia, European states were divided into different political regimes. For the five most important ones, Spain, Portugal and France remained absolute monarchies, while Holland and England became a republic and a constitutional monarchy respectively. The political differences significantly affected these countries’ performance. While being the first European counties to start colonial enterprises, Spain and Portugal’ rejection of new ideologies and new political thinking rendered them weaker day by day. There is no doubt that ideological change plays an important role in political change. That is to say, the Reformation made those Protestant states much easier to adopt more democratic political forms: a republic or a constitutional monarchy. It is worth noting that the defeat of the Spanish Armada happened in 1588, almost three decades before the start of the Thirty Years’ War. It is safe to say that Protestantism was one factor that brought Capitalism, which requires a more democratic political system. Among the five nations, only the Dutch Republic was as enlightened and democratic as England, and even more so at times. For instance, the Pilgrim Fathers took refugee in Holland before settling in the Plymouth colony. For another, the constitutional monarchy in England was made possible by the Dutch invasion during the Glorious Revolution. However, the Dutch Republic was too small to be a colonial superpower for a long time. The lack of manpower and resources led to Dutch defeats in the four Anglo-Dutch wars, and â€Å"when the last war ended in May 1784, the Dutch were at the nadir of their power and prestige† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009, par. 4). In sharp contrast with the Dutch Republic, the French Bourbon Monarchy was then a much larger country than England and the most powerful European state in the early 18th century. However, its backward political system made it unfit for the global competition with Britain. After defeating France in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), England became both the dominant power in North America and the global superpower in addition to the naval supremacy it had maintained since 1590s. The Causes of World War One Before the First World War, a great many wars had been fought in Europe for various reasons: such as the thirty years’ war, the Anglo-Dutch wars, the Anglo-French wars, and the Napoleonic wars. Of the wars mentioned above, some were fought on a big scale. For instance, the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France were fought both in Europe and in American colonies, bearing some resemblance to the First World War. However, we can not deny that World War One was far more catastrophic than any previous war. Thus, what was it about the modern world that caused such a catastrophe, and let people doubt the virtues of progress in its aftermath? The immediate cause of the Great War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 by a Serbian nationalist. However, the incident itself was not worth a total war; there were other deep-rooted reasons. Undoubtedly, national state (nationalism) was one of the main causes. Since 1850s, a number of national states, such as Germany, Italy, and Japan, arose from across the globe, trying to unify and centralize their nations. There were also some failed attempts, such as the Hungarian Revolution (1848) and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864) in China, both struggling for national independence from their foreign rulers. However, these nationalist movements were quite problematic and troublesome themselves. First, these nations intended to build up unified and centralized states for themselves, but denied equal rights to ethnic minorities within their boundaries. For example, while unifying German states in central Europe, Prussia never considered the self-determination of the Polish population. Second, during the unification, these national states failed to solve territorial disputes with their neighbors peacefully. For instance, territorial disputes over Alsace and Lorraine were one of the main causes of the Prussian French war, which started the lasting hostility between Germany and France until the end of the World War Two. Moreover, because modern national states were more centralized and got more so during the war period, World War One became both the first â€Å"total war† and the first â€Å"war of attrition†. In addition to national states (nationalism), interdependence and modernization also played a role in causing this catastrophe. Machine gun and trench were two embodiments of the First World War. Machine gun and heavy artillery made the army a much more efficient killing machine; the well fortified trenches let the massacre on the western front continue for over four years. New technologies can also shorten the war and thus reduce the casualties, such as the German blitzkrieg on the western front in World War Two. But in World War One, they only greatly prolonged the stalemate. European industrialization and commercialization in the 19th century made them more dependent on each other and on oversea colonies: they needed raw material, market, and capital from outside their own territories. Therefore, each country paid more attention to alliance and navy to protect their market, resources, and trade routes. The diplomatic maneuverings and the naval competitions obviously heightened the tensions between individual states and between deferent blocs. The Cold War After World War One, the Soviet Union and the United States were two superpowers along with Britain, France, Germany, and Japan. However, the Soviet Union and the U. S. had larger territories and populations than other nations. After the Second World War, the defeated Germany and Japan lost all their colonies, so did Britain and France in a much longer period. As a result, Russia and America became the only two post-war superpowers—Japan and Germany were no longer military powers while Britain and France were too small to qualify. It was this bipolar state made the cold war possible: the two superpowers could incorporate smaller nations into their camps to fight a long lasting war of ideology, politics, and economics. The cold war era refers to an unpleasant yet less painful and bloody period compared to the two world wars. Yet, this definition was from the two opposing military groups’ (NATO and WARSO pact countries) standpoint; for those former colonies (quasi-colonies), this view can not be farther from the truth. During the cold war, NATO and the WAWSOW did not confront each other in order to avoid a nuclear war, which could annihilate both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Yet, the collapse of the colonial system offered them a distant and relatively safe battlefield—the newly independent former colonies (quasi-colonies). Conflicts there had made the cold war nastier, bloodier, and more suffering. For many third world countries, the cold war era is the most painful period in modern history as they served as pawns in the ideological war between Russia and US. In the cold war era, the two biggest wars were fought in Korea and Vietnam; Cambodia saw the biggest massacre after World War Two; China experienced the greatest famine (1959-1961) in human history and the Cultural Revolution almost wiped out this 5,000 years old civilization. However, these events themselves did not decide the course of the cold war. The communists fought to stalemate in Korea, won the Vietnam War. However, several months after Chinese communists crushed peaceful protesting students and civilians with tanks and armed vehicles and firmly controlled the situation, communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe quickly collapsed. Since 1500, human being has made breath-taking progress in government, technology, business, education, health care, etc; it has also suffered a great deal from wars, national rivalries, epidemics, environmental damages, natural disasters, and all kinds of discriminations while living standards have been steadily improving. Since technology and productivity can be double-edged swords, it is urgent for the current generation to learn the lessons from the past five centuries.