Status Inconsistency - Definition in Sociology

Definition: Status inconsistency is a condition that occurs when individuals have some status characteristics that rank relatively high and some that rank relatively low. Status inconsistency can be quite pervasive, especially in societies in which ascribed statuses such as race and gender play an important role in stratification. Examples: In white-dominated societies, black professionals have high occupational status but low racial status that creates an inconsistency along with the potential for resentment and strain. Gender and ethnicity have similar effects in many societies.

Dying With Dignity. The Right To Assisted Suicide Is A

Dying With Dignity The right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the United States. The debates go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. They differ where they place the line that separates relief from dying--and killing. For many the main concern with assisted suicide lies with the competence of the terminally ill. Many terminally ill patients who are in the final stages of their lives have requested doctors to aid them in exercising active euthanasia. It is sad to†¦show more content†¦Some terminal patients in the past have gone to their doctors and asked for a final medication that would take all the pain away— lethal drugs. For example, as Ronald Dworkin recounts, Lillian Boyes, an English wom an who was suffering from a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis, begged her doctor to assist her to die because she could no longer stand the pain (184). Another example is â€Å"The cost of maintaining [a dying person]. . . has been estimated as ranging from about two thousand to ten thousand dollars a month† (Dworkin 187). Human life is expensive, and in the hospital there are only a few affluent terminal patients who can afford to prolong what life is left in them. As for the not-so-affluent patients, the cost of their lives is left to their families. Of course, most families do not consider the cost while the terminally ill loved-one is still alive.When that loved-one passes away, however, the family has to struggle with a huge hospital bill and are often subject to financial ruin.Most terminal patients want their death to be a peaceful one and with as much consolation as possible. Ronald Dworkin, author of Life’s Dominion, says that â€Å"many people . . . want to save their relatives the expense of keeping them pointlessly alive . . .†(193). It is a liberty which cannot be denied because those who are dying might want to useShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide1629 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ones we love? It would seem that most people would desire to die with dignity. Having the choice to die peacefully is a valuable option that every human should be able to make for themselves. For those with terminal illnesses or major health problems, assisted suicide creates options to reduce the amount of suffering the patient must enduring. Dying with dignity could be beneficial for not only the person who is dying, but also the person’s family and loved ones. This option, however, is oftenRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legal?761 Words   |  4 Pages We Should be in Favor of Physician-assisted Suicide In a momentous decision released February 6, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Physician-assisted suicide will be legal in Canada within 12 months. This deci-sion has caused a myriad of controversy. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide argue that the constitution recognizes the sanctity of life and no one has the right to end the life of another person’s. Supporters, on the other hand, argue that patients who experience constantRead MoreHealth Authority And Vital Records1599 Words   |  7 Pagesultimate use (Death with Dignity Act, 2015).The physician must also document the elements of an informed decision in the patient’s medical chart. The elements consist of the diagnosis, prognosis and potential risks associated with taking the medication. Result of taking the medication as well as the feasible alternatives, which include but are not limited to comfort care, hospice, and symptom control. The physician must document all reminders to the patient of his or her â€Å"Right to Rescind† the requestRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And The Rights Of Patients1523 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide needs to be recognized by the federal government to show terminally ill patients that their right to autonomy is not being ignored. The Bill of Rights of Patients was constructed to outline just this. According to the American Cancer Society, â€Å"the American Hospital Association drafted a Patients’ Bill of Rights to inform patients of what they could reasonably expect while in the hospital.† One of the notes stated in the Bill of Rights of Patients is the right to autonomyRead MoreThe Death Of Physician Assisted Suicide1731 Words   |  7 PagesDie With Dignity It is obvious this is a very controversial issue that is discussed daily by those who wish to die to avoid loss of dignity and also by those who think it could be immoral. For physician-assisted suicide to even be considered the patient must be of sound mind when they are requesting the physician-assisted suicide. To guarantee that the process is carried out correctly a doctor or a witness should be there to prove consciousness. The patient must be diagnosed with a terminal illnessRead MoreThe Legalization Of Physician Assisted Suicide1720 Words   |  7 PagesIt is obvious discussing physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial issue that is discussed daily by those who wish to die to avoid loss of dignity and also by those who think it is unethical. For physician-assisted suicide to even be considered, the patient must be of sound mind when they are requesting death with dignity. Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for people who are unable to end their own l ives. However, there should be safeguards to prevent any sort of abuseRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide : A Controversial Subject1692 Words   |  7 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide is a controversial subject all around the world. Although it is legal in some countries and states, such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Vermont it is not yet legal in most (Finlay, 2011). People travel from all around the world to these locations to receive information. Physician-assisted suicide is when terminally ill and mentally capable patients perform the final act themselves after being provided with the required meansRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide For The Terminally Ill Essay1554 Words   |  7 Pages Physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill is one of the most debated policies in America. Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is only considered a when a patient has a terminal illness and expresses their right to end their life with a physician. This scenario typically takes place when a patient is suffering severely from a terminal illness and it is only a matter of time before they will die. Advocates for PAS have typically had a loved one who is or was suffering through their final stagesRead MoreThe Debate Of Assisted Suicide1747 Words   |  7 Pages The topic of assisted suicide is very controversial and is heavily debated upon all around the world. While physician assisted suicide is only legal in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and a few states in the U.S., it is illegally practiced widely by physicians and nurses, such as Dr. Jack Kevorkian. I first heard of physician assisted suicide when the death of Dr. Kevorkian, an assisted suicide advocate and a suicide aid, was o n the news in 2011. Kevorkian assisted in the suicide of many patientsRead MoreEssay Euthanasia1740 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia The right to die with dignity, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide is a very sensitive issue debated in this country today. Euthanasia is the act of painlessly ending the life of a person for the reason of mercy. It is sometimes referred to as mercy killing. Americans are hearing more and more horror stories of the elderly tragically killing his or her spouse in order to avoid painful and horrible deaths. It is sad and amazing the extreme measure one had to go through

Motorcycle Accidents Free Essays

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS ENGLISH 215 28 AUGUST 2011 Motorcyclists are more prone to die in accidents than those in automobiles. Accidents are caused by the motorcycle itself, the lack of experience, not wearing proper gear,  riding at excessive speeds, and inexperienced automobile drivers. The main reason for most motorcycle accidents are caused by motorcyclist that operate their vehicles without wearing the proper protection. We will write a custom essay sample on Motorcycle Accidents or any similar topic only for you Order Now A safe and secure cyclist wears a helmet if riding one mile or two hundred miles. Without a helmet, a person is leaving themselves open for the potential for many different types of injuries when riding a motorcycle, in particular injuries to the brain. There are many dangers which can be waiting on the highway for motorcyclists and many of these are preventable by being properly ready to ride and always being safe. Some believe that motorcycles are temptation for fate; unlike cars that have overhead covering, seatbelts, windshields, and two extra tires. Motorcycles provide no safety features for the rider. This seems to be a good enough reason for most people to avoid riding motorcycles. A select few individuals are willing to take this chance at fate and enjoy the thrill and excitement of riding on the open road. There are many injuries and fatalities associated with motorcycles that cause most people to be against operating motorcycles. Some people have even lost love ones because of the love of motorcycles. Once the collision has occurred, or the rider has lost control through some other mishap, several common types of injury occur when the bike falls: * Collision with less forgiving protective barriers, or badly placed roadside â€Å"furniture† (lampposts, signs, fences etc. This is often simply a result of poor road design, and can be engineered out to a large degree. Note that when one falls off a motorcycle in the middle of a curve, lamps and signs create a â€Å"wall† of sorts with little chance to avoid slamming against a pole. * Concussion and brain damage, as the head violently contacts other vehicles or objects. Riders wearing an approved he lmet reduce the risk of death by 37 percent. ( Wald, Matthew, 12 September 2007, The New York Times) The Hurt Report also commented on injuries after an accident stating that the likelihood of injury is extremely high in these motorcycle accidents – 98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury. ( U. S. Department of Transportation. ) People who ride motorcycles most realize that due to the extreme risk of riding, certain protective gear must be worn to help minimize injuries. The most important piece of equipment is the helmet. Operating a motorcycle without a helmet is just ludicrous. Riders should want to be highly visible at night. When a motorcyclist is not visible to others at night they become more susceptible to being injured by other vehicles. The wearing of bright or reflective clothing helps other people notice you at night. Abrasion resistant clothing is a must. This material help protect against debris and major cuts. Wearing jackets and pants that have extra padding assists in protecting the motorcyclist from extreme impacts. Gloves are very important as well. Depending on the weather a riders hands may become moist or damp and could potentially cause the hands to slip of the throttle. The proper foot wear is very important because a rider most protect his ankles and have the necessary grip on the foot pegs to ensure a safe posture. Speeding also plays a part in the fatalities and injuries of motorcyclist. Motorcyclists tend to be very competitive when it comes to motorcycles. They often choose to speed but lack the experience to handle the speed. Inexperience motorcyclist and automobile drivers play a big part in most accidents. Most automobile operators lack the necessary skills to operate a motor vehicle. The average person goes to the DMV and takes the written test and passes it. Then go straight to the driving portion without going through any type of driver’s training. Attending drivers safety courses can help reduce injuries and fatalities among motorcyclist and automobile operators. Most states highly encourage people to attend these classes but few actually attend. Even with over 1,500 locations in USA, and over 120,000 annual students, MSF only trains about 3% of the owners of 4,000,000 new motorcycles sold for highway use. (Motorcycle Safety Foundation. ) There are many reasons for motorcycle accidents and fatalities and some of them are unavoidable, but it is up to the individual to decide whether they want to operate the vehicle, regardless of the dangers. REFERENCES www. ct. gov/dot/LIB/dot/Documents/dhighwaysafety Department of Transportation. www. nytimes. com/2007/09/12/us/12helment. html New York Times. www. msf-usa. org/SafeCycling/Safe_Cycling Motorcycle Safety Foundation How to cite Motorcycle Accidents, Essay examples

Reflective Learning Nursing Profession

Question: Discuss about theReflective Learningfor Nursing Profession. Answer: Reflection is one of the important attribute in the nursing profession which contributes in the development of critical, autonomous as well as the advanced practitioners. It is one of the most important aspect as in this profession, experience and reflection o such experiences are inter related (Bulman Schultz, 2013). It had been seen by researchers that an individual nurse who had made time to reflect on their own practice as well as their daily experiences are more capable for providing enhanced nursing care and also have a better understanding of the actions that they had undertaken. These in turn have shown to develop their own professional skills in providing the best care to patients. A nurse who is capable of correctly reflecting her practices can actually examine her own actions and experiences that in turn help them practice and also help them in both clinical and theoretical domains (Saunders et al., 2016). The most benefitting effect of this practice is that it can help n ot only the nursing students to improve their skills but also develop the practices of enrolled nurses and registered nurses. In order to provide the correct reflection, important attributes that are important are open-mindedness, courage and also willingness to accept and act on all sort of criticism (Atkins Kultz, 2013). These attributes will help the nurse to develop a true reflection which would be helpful to develop her knowledge and skill in her profession. Gibbs model is one of the most famous models that is used by nurses to reflect their own practises (Patterson et al., 2016). The firsts step usually helps in describing various situations where she had faced like the treatment of patients who did not provide informed consents, faced cultural barriers, used medical restraints, made mistake in medication administration and others. The next step usually helps in describing the feelings of the nurses. It has helped me to properly reflect what the different negative was or the positive feelings that I had gathered from this experiences that I mentioned. It included the legal obligations that I faced, the ethical dilemma that I went through, the helping of the family members who faced a loss of their near ones and others. The next two steps are the evaluation as well as the analysis method. These steps usually helps a nurse to evaluate what went wrong in the practice and helps him to analyze the alternative ways that could have yielded a b etter and safe results. Like in the case of medical restraints, I could have made better fall assessment and introduced strategies that would prevent fall rather than applying restraints. Not only negative experiences, it also helps the nurse to evaluate the best steps she had taken and realize how her decision at the correct moment had brought down the best benefits. The next step usually involves the conclusion about the exact understanding of the entire sequences that helped me to conclude what went wrong and what should have been done. As in one case, I concluded through my reflection that I should have asked for informed consent before I took decision on the behalf of the patient to take her for blood samples. All these are concluded properly. The last step is the action plan that had helped me to reflect what should be done by me in similar situation in future. I had learnt that I should always ask for patient consent, do proper procedures for delegation, maintain proper, nurs ing guidelines and similar others to avoid legal obligations and provide best care. Standard 8 of the standards of practice for the enrolled nurses usually guides a nursing student or the enrolled nurse to refer to any issues to the registered nurse so that she can guide the enrolled nurse (Halcomb et al., 2017). The registered nurse usually helps the enrolled nurse with evidence based support in order to develop her skills ("Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses", 2017). My mentor who was an enrolled nurse helped me develop my skill in administrating medication. Although I had theoretical knowledge of following the five main rules of administration like right route, right direction, right time, right dose and right patient, I was often getting confused about the routes. She had helped me correctly to differentiate the routes discussing their significance. In this way she had helped me in demonstrating analytical skills by accessing as well as evaluating healthcare information. She had also taught me how to develop quality of my skills by monitoring my activities and helping me correct them. She helped me how to overcome ethical dilemma while handling a patient who had confirmed me to perform DNR but went to comma before completing paper works. Thereby in this way, under the guidance of the registered nurses, I learnt to use proper resources to improve current practice. References: Atkins, S., Schutz, S. (2013). Developing skills for reflective practice.Reflective Bulman, C., Schutz, S. (Eds.). (2013).Reflective practice in nursing. John Wiley Sons. Halcomb, E., Stephens, M., Bryce, J., Foley, E., Ashley, C. (2017). The development of professional practice standards for Australian general practice nurses.Journal of Advanced Nursing. Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Brighton, R., Taylor, E., Sumskis, S., Perlman, D., ... Hadfield, L. (2016). Nursing students' reflections on the learning experience of a unique mental health clinical placement.Nurse Education Today,46, 94-98. Saunders, R., Singer, R., Dugmore, H., Seaman, K., Lake, F. (2016). Nursing students reflections on an interprofessional placement in ambulatory care.Reflective Practice,17(4), 393-402. Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses. (2017). file:///C:/Users/user00/Downloads/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses. Retrieved 25 April 2017, from https://file:///C:/Users/user00/Downloads/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses.PDF

The Younger Generation in the Twenty-First Century free essay sample

We always say ‘we are the future’. Indeed. We, the younger generation represents modern knowledge, new concepts, ambition and great desire for success. But, have you ever thought of this question: how can we be successful in the 21st century, which is full of great challenges and fierce competitions? In my opinion, there are two important factors. First, we have to catch the opportunities and face the challenges. China has successfully entered the World Trade Organization, Beijing has won the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games†¦ If we want to be successful, we have to seize these opportunities. SARS and AIDS, environmental pollution, growing population†¦ We have no choice but to solve these problems with our own hands. Thus, catching the opportunities and trying our best to cope with the difficulties is necessary for us to succeed in the 21st century. ? Secondly, we have to learn to cooperate and compete. Last year, when SARS was spreading rapidly in China, scientists all over the world cooperated with each other and prevented the disease from spreading in a short period of time. We will write a custom essay sample on The Younger Generation in the Twenty-First Century or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At the same time, they were also competing against each other to see who could conquer the disease first. By cooperating and competing, the world develops day by day. Therefore, we, the younger generation, must know how to cooperate and compete. ? Ladies and gentlemen, we are standing at the outset of a new century, we are at the gate of a new era. Looking back, the 20th century is a century of great developments and remarkable changes. Looking forward, the 21st century is a century full of opportunities, challenges, cooperation and competition. I believe, if we can seize the opportunities, face the challenges, cooperate and compete, success in the 21st century belongs to him, to you and to me.

Organic Food essays

Organic Food essays Everybody is jumping on the organic food bandwagon. Why? It is healthier. If you do not believe me look at the numbers according to an article in Newsweek since 1991 the purchasing of organic food has raised twenty percent. There are many other reasons why organic food is better. Organic food is better because it is healthier, better for the Earth, and is better quality food. I. Organic food is healthier. A.) It is gown in natural soil so Mother Nature grows the plants like a garden. 1.) Regular farmers use chemicals that kill the entire natural organism that help the soil release the soils nutrients into the plants. 2.) Farmers that use chemicals make animals that burrow the earth not do their part in nature, which will effect root development and drainage. 1.) There is no risk at all for food poising. a.) if a distributer of regular foods forgets to wash off pestisides the consumer could get food poising II.) Organic food is better for the Earth. A.) There are no pesticides that can pollute the Earth or the ozone lair. B.) There is no imbalance in nature. 1.) Farmers get help from nature to make their food. III. Organic food is better quality food. A.) The Organic farmers must follow stricter regulations then regular farmers. 1.) The regulations for organic farmers must make sure that any soil, holding center, or packing utensils must not have any trace of chemicals to make sure it is certified organic. B.) All Health food stores receive all of their produce from regional areas to maintain freshness. 1.) Organic stores most likely recive their fodd within one-three days of being picked, but regular stores recive fruits at least a week old from Florda or California. That is why they use petsisides to maintanie fressness ...

Critically discuss whether or not recent changes to police oversight Term Paper

Critically discuss whether or not recent changes to police oversight have made the police more accountable to communities.'' - Term Paper Example Additionally, an endeavour that takes a more time is needed to develop an outline that will guide police oversight and accountability to ensure uprightness in the structures of the police force is reinforced. Accountability denotes a range of definitions that include the state of answerability, openness, efficient management and responsiveness (Newburn, 2008). Police accountability entails holding individual police officers together with law enforcement agencies responsible for efficiently delivering fundamental services that involve the control of crime while maintaining order (Calderon and Hernandez-Figueroa, 2013). This should be done while treating the people fairly and within the confines of the law. The police are supposed to maintain laws that deal with the due process, searches as well as seizures, arrest of offenders, discrimination and the laws that are associated with equal employment, sexual harassment and so on. In a society that is of a democratic nature, the political processes together with the officials who are elected are supposed to make sure the police are accountable and they represent the will of the people. The process of making sure the police maintain a certain l evel of accountability is vital as far as the maintaining of the faith the public has in the system is concerned (Kagari and Thomas, 2006, p. 41). The police themselves can be considered as core players as far restoring and maintaining the integrity of the police is concerned and their accountability is not limited to the police as well as the independent police agencies (Prenzler, 2009, p. 93). The different bodies which form the state all play a particular role while the role of the public is more than being clients that have the ability to share their concerns since they are supposed to share responsibility that will allow for fair and efficient policing. The police are guided by the rule of law as well as legislation that

Thank you later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thank you later - Essay Example It tells us that Miss Moore's lesson has had an impact. This is from 'Everyday Use' by Alice Walker and Dee is speaking to her mama regarding the quilts she wanted to take from Maggie. She viewed them as valuable now, having identified herself with her African American roots. She thought Maggie was not worthy of owning such items, would only use them and destroy them, while she would display them for decoration. The quote showed Dee's attitude to her sister and her own heritage.3. This comes from 'Sonny's Blues' by James Baldwin and is the narrator, Sonny's older brother speaking. He realized the power and wonder Sonny created with his music. It also suggested a deeper understanding of himself, society and his and Sonny's place within it. He valued his brother and his talent at last.5. Mrs. Wright would be meek and obedient, rather scared of the others at first, especially Torvald because he is a man. She might look for instructions from the other women, being afraid to draw attention or to assert her independence. Dee would be annoyed at their situation, tidying herself up, concerned with her appearance and status, and maybe a little impatient with Mrs. Wright.Torvald, as the only man, used to having his own way and women running around after him, might try to organize the women into carrying out tasks such as fetching wood, looking for food, making a shelter. Miss Moore would at first observe all that was happening, then talk to everyone to get their views on how to deal with things. Dee would tell Torvald to stop trying to be master over the women, maybe even argue with him, which would annoy him greatly. Once Mrs. Wright felt she was safe, thanks to Dee's brave attitude and Miss Moore's regard for her input, she would become more assertive. All of them would have to change to more cooperative behaviors and accept that in order to survive, they must see each other's strengths and treat each other as equals. 6. This quote forms the last words in 'The Storm' by Kate Chopin. It has ambiguity, after what Calixta did with Alcee while her husband and son took shelter at the shop. The 'storm' could be interpreted as her passion and the 'happiness' of everyone concerned is ironic. Bobinot was blissfully ignorant, Bibi was safe at home, Alcee's passion had been shared, and his wife Clarisse did not have to sleep with him, which made her happy. It was an ironic closure, suggesting more tempests to come. 7. Aunt Jennifer's Tigers 1. Adrienne Rich is the poet. 2. The speaker is a detached observer, and could be the voice of a young person relating what she saw as the sad life of the older woman, told in an ironic tone. 3. This relates to the tigers Aunt Jennifer was embroidering. 4. Metaphor for tigers 5. The wedding ring's "massive weight" that "sits heavily" symbolized the burden she was under in being married to uncle. 6. She was afraid of him, as the tigers are not afraid of men. The poet talked of "terrified hands" and "ordeals" Aunt had suffered. Name Anderson Scholarship Address Address Date: Write in Dear..MrMrs etc. I am writing to thank you for donating the Anderson

HOW IS THE U.S UNDERSTOOD AS GREAT CAPITALIST POWER Essay

HOW IS THE U.S UNDERSTOOD AS GREAT CAPITALIST POWER - Essay Example Capital accumulation, very competitive markets and wage labor feature capitalism. In such an economy, the transacting parties often and typically control market prices. The intensity of competition, the intervening role and scope at which the public owns various assets vary within various models of capitalism (Friedman 2009). Annalists have come up with diverse perspectives of capitalism; laissez-faire, welfare and state capitalism with each showing different level of dependency (Friedman 2009). It is this economic system that US thrives in and is thus regarded as a capitalist power. America is predominantly viewed as a capitalist economy. According to Karl Marx, it entails a situation in a minute group of people seize control of the economic points of prosperity in a nation and influence key economic decision (Friedman 2009). We see this America today. America after the world war emerged as the supper power together with Russia. However, it successfully reduced the dominance of Russia through the cold war and promoted its capitalist ideas in most part of the world (Phillips 2009). This is an evidence of a hungry nation fighting to be at the summit of controlling key economic decisions in the world her own gain. The history of America reveals the ideal trait of capitalism. As early as the 17th century, America had started importing slaves from Africa to work in their land (Phillips 2009). The American farmers and owners of industries hugely needed more labor to maximize their profits. Slaves were thus imported from Africa and were subjected to forced labor, meager or no wages at all and physical oppression at work so as to be productive (Phillips 2009). At the end, individual citizens who employed dearly the service of the slaves became rich and generated a lot of wealth while the slaves anguished in abject poverty and depression. Class

The Significance Of Nationalism And Liberalism History Essay

The Significance Of Nationalism And Liberalism History Essay It can be debated as to when the sense of nationalism and liberalism arise in Germany. Historians like Andrina Stiles have turned the focus onto the War of Liberation against Napoleon I, where collective German states participated in driving Napoleon from Central Europe. After the Battle of Leipzig, a large number of young middle and upper class Germans hoped for a united Germany. However, the resistance never became a national uprising, and German seemed divided afterwards. The North tended to look to Prussian for political leadership whilst the South look towards Austria. With these two powerful states, the future and unification of Germany depended greatly upon their interests. The revolutions of 1848 were also another focal point in the rise of nationalism and liberalism. The constitutional changes from the revolt indicated the ability of the groups, where they were able to overthrow their monarchs and establish a liberal parliament. The introduction of the Frankfurt Parliament w as also a success as a liberal parliament was introduced and all of the states contributed, sparking an achievement for nationalists to unite German states. These victories did not last long, as Prussian and Austrian counter-revolutions forced parliaments to dissolve and re-establish the old system. Yet, the ideology and force of these two groups are significant in the unification of Germany as they brought the sense of unity and freedom to the people at times of crisis or unrest. Nationalism arose in Germany due to the resentment of French rule, which quickly declined after their occupation. From the view of Stiles point, the strength of nationalism remained positive as middle classes displayed their sense from cultural similarities. There were a remarkable number of festivals and associations portraying a sense of German identity. However, these groups are a small sector of the German Confederation. Nationalism had little support at the time, and unification of Germany seemed impossible. In 1830s, a number of republican groups planned for German unification. Metternich was certainly thrown into panic and soon the Diet passed the Six articles. This help establish the young Germany movement dedicating to establishing a united Germany. From these developments, nationalism was seen progressing from a small group with wild ideas to a force that can unsettle monarchs in states like Prussia and Austria. From these events, there is a clear indication of liberalism a nd nationalism gaining supports and achieving some of their aims. The formation of Zollverein provided Prussia to lead other states economically. However, it was also a significant focus point for nationalism. The economic unity triggered nationalists to push for political unity. With Prussian dominance of the organisation, the members agreed that Prussia would be a natural leader if there were a unified Germany. In the 1848 revolutions, nationalism supported the Frankfurt Parliament as it unified Germany politically. However, the failure of the Parliament was due to the division of the liberals and the lack of support for them when the counter-revolutions happened. This is significant in the unification of Germany, as it showed a unified Germany was possible, but lacking the support from the people to stop the counter-revolutions. This lack of support was soon solved when the relations with France worsened, and nationalism rallied the people to fight as a single Germany against the ir old enemy. Liberalism is the belief in liberty and equal rights, but with the majority of states consisted of rulers holding onto absolute power, they would certainly refuse the idea of liberalism. Metternich of Austria opposed the constitutional reforms proposed in 1819, which included the freedom of speech, press and allowing the formation of political parties. From this situation, it was clear that liberalism was unable to progress as the fixed constitutional system gave them little influential power. The results in Prussia were the same. However, in 1830, the July Revolution in Paris sparked an indication across Europe that liberal ideas can be achieve through force. This led to movements to force grants of a liberal constitution in states like Saxony. Many monarchs simply gave in to the demands, fearing the same fate as King Charles X of France. This gradual growth of liberal support suggests people agree to the idea of freedom. These certainly appealed to the middle classes, but alarmed t he aristocrats as their influential powers have declined. The initial success of the 1848 revolutions in Austria, Prussia and other German states made possible an attempt to win German unity through one central representative body, which met in May 1848, was known as the Frankfurt Parliament. Elected respectively from the German states by universal manhood suffrage, the eight hundred-odd delegates included mostly middle class and professional elements. They wanted to establish, through discussions and recommendations, a liberal, constitutional, federal and united German State. In fact, they did not possess any executive authority, as they could not give order to any of the German rulers. Apart from this major weakness, they were split on two main programs of German unity. The decision of including Austria in the proposed new Germany (Grossdeutschland and Kleindeutschland) split the members. While the Frankfurt Assembly was debating and arguing, Austria and Prussia had gradually won the upper hand against revolutions. As conservative counter-revolution advanced, the days of the Parliament were numbered. This attempt to unify Germany and form a constitutional parliament ended, but remained a thought in peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mind. In conclusion, liberalism and nationalism was a significant factor in the unification of Germany by giving the people a sense of national identity and pride.

Responsibility in Fred Gipsons Old Yeller Essay -- Fred Gipson Old Ye

Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Responsibility may be defined as "a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct." (www.thefreedictionary.com) Responsibility is shown all through Fred Gipsons novel Old Yeller about a family living in the dangerous wilderness in 1860. The young hard working Travis, his loving mother and the loyal dog Old Yeller all show responsibility. Travis has many responsibilities when his father left for the cattle drive and he must work hard to take care of his family. Papa's chores weren't easy. Marking their hogs was a lot of hard work. Old Yeller and Travis work together to mark all thirty hogs. The job gets dangerous when the two get hurt badly from the mad hogs. In addition to marking the hogs Travis also had to supply food to his family. Killing a deer on the run Travis feels proud and important supplying food to his family. Above all Travis had to keep the varmints out of the corn patch. Again Travis and Old Yeller work together staying up at all hours of the night fighting off the varmints in the corn patch. Travis working hard and his responsibility was not enough for the family. Mama also had to work hard for the family’s survival. Hard work was a big part of the family’s survival but the family also needed loving care supplied by Mama. Mama showed her loving care by keeping her family well fed. When Bud Sanderson comes to claim Old Yeller Mama ma... Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Essay -- Fred Gipson Old Ye Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Responsibility may be defined as "a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct." (www.thefreedictionary.com) Responsibility is shown all through Fred Gipsons novel Old Yeller about a family living in the dangerous wilderness in 1860. The young hard working Travis, his loving mother and the loyal dog Old Yeller all show responsibility. Travis has many responsibilities when his father left for the cattle drive and he must work hard to take care of his family. Papa's chores weren't easy. Marking their hogs was a lot of hard work. Old Yeller and Travis work together to mark all thirty hogs. The job gets dangerous when the two get hurt badly from the mad hogs. In addition to marking the hogs Travis also had to supply food to his family. Killing a deer on the run Travis feels proud and important supplying food to his family. Above all Travis had to keep the varmints out of the corn patch. Again Travis and Old Yeller work together staying up at all hours of the night fighting off the varmints in the corn patch. Travis working hard and his responsibility was not enough for the family. Mama also had to work hard for the family’s survival. Hard work was a big part of the family’s survival but the family also needed loving care supplied by Mama. Mama showed her loving care by keeping her family well fed. When Bud Sanderson comes to claim Old Yeller Mama ma...

Married Lifestyle vs. Single Lifestyle Essay

There are advantages and disadvantages to being married or single. Some married couples share every aspect of their lives including, work, children and marital related issues while some may opt to have a joint bank account . While this may help each spouse financially, one person always has to consent with the other before making any serious purchases. However, single people don’t need anyone’s consent nor do they have to share. Children are another thing married couples and single people have to consider. Having children can be a great thing, especially with someone there to help share the responsibility of raising those children. Whereas, single people may ultimately struggle with things such as, child care, the cost of raising a child on their own, and being the responsible party. Goals are also a big factor, because some married couples have a hard time agreeing on or reaching common goals. A single person is only responsible for their own goals and how they choose to reach them. Over time, the passion may seem to cool in married couples. The couple may not be as sexually active as they once were due to the routine each lives. They may be busy with work or kids, or unfortunately, simply desensitized to one another. Some married couples work on keeping their sex life interesting. On the other hand, it isn’t hard for a single person to keep things interesting and new in the bedroom, because they may have as many sexual partners as they please, and this may seem fun. But sometimes, for them the work is finding the right sexual partner. In a marriage, not only could you have sex when you want, but you can enjoy intimacy as well. According to [Eve Prajonyud, Single Versus Married Life-Pros and Cons] â€Å"The cons of both lifestyles differ from person to person. If you are involved in a bad marriage than single life will seem like a dream come true. Likewise, if you are unable to find someone to spend your time with, then you will likely feel lonely and frightened no matter how successful your life is. The key to weighing the differences is actually in enjoying the lifestyle you have while you have it.† (Eve Prajonyud) People living single lifestyles have freedom to do what they want . For instance, if they were offered a well-paying job a thousand miles away from where they lived, they could simply take the job and move without anyone else to consider. Married couples don’t have that same option. The goals of married couples and single people may be different. For example, a married couple may be saving up money toward the goal of purchasing a bigger house in the future, for a growing family. They may be working toward a better lifestyle than they started with as a newlywed couple. They might attain a degree together or maybe just save up for a couples vacation . Single people may choose to focus completely on their career, instead of a family. Their main goal may be reaching top status in their profession before focusing on a family. Their goal may also be to attain a degree, or saving money to travel or buy a house. There may be a difference in the career choices of married and single people. For instance, married couples may have to work around each other’s schedule and still have time to spend with one another. Single people don’t have to worry about that if that happen to have a job or career that is very time consuming. Both lifestyles can be challenging in many different ways. Whether it’s children, sharing, or setting individual or marital goals. Works Cited Prajonyud, E. Single Versus Married Life. Retrieved on April 1, 2013 from www.professorshouse.com.

Violent Behavior in Couples Essay Sample

Violent Behavior in Couples Essay Sample Partner and Violence Sociology Essay Sample Partner and Violence Sociology Essay Sample Social interaction is the most important sphere of human life as healthy relationships are the basis for a successful society. Nevertheless, usually, people who are involved in a relationship experience cases of physical force use. Today, the rates are alarmingly high and, thus, require additional studies. The paper analyzes violent behavior in couples and discusses different causes for it. Violent Behavior in Couples Partner-and-violence is a current issue in the public health domain. There are a number of different types of social behavior patterns that are recognized as violent. In most cases, the study of partner–and–violence problem focuses on couples, both married and dating. That is why, it is also regarded to as the intimate partner violence. In this context, the term partners is used to indicate sex couples that date, cohabit, are engaged, or married. Partner violence may be a one-time incident, which people are usually able to overcome together; however, in most cases, it is a recurrent pattern of actions. Partners in such couples experience fear and are under the control of a dominative individual who abuses. According to the World Health Organization, â€Å"Intimate partner violence refers to any behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to those in the relationship† (World Health Organization, 2012). In order to research the topic, the types of violent behavior patterns have to be discussed. The paper aims at describing the cases, in which violence is an issue; therefore, the following examples of violence between partners are considered: Acts of violent behavior when one partner uses physical force in order to influence the other. This kind of physical input includes hitting, beating, slapping, and kicking. The list may be completed with examples of situations when a man, for example, leaves a woman somewhere in a dangerous place alone. Physical assault is considered one of the most common cases of violence between partners. Sexual violent acts. Sexual assault refers to forcing a partner to have an intimate intercourse or telling humiliating comments during and after sex. Among more complicated problems, there is forcing someone to have unprotected coitus that may lead to unwanted pregnancy or diseases. In this case, rape is the most serious issue. Emotional violence. It is a kind of psychological abuse that includes various insults, humiliation, constant criticizing, and verbal threats directed at the partner. Controlling. In these situations, one of the partners prohibits another one to communicate or meet with family and friends, isolates him or her from the world, controls all movements, restricts using different services (education, medical care, and employment, for example). Such acts may be caused by jealousy and possessiveness. Violence between partners is defined by scholars by the term intimate partner violence. This problem also may be regarded to domestic violence. However, this term is not appropriate as usually, it also includes abuse of children, elder people, or any other member of a family. In the article â€Å"Clinical Screening and Intervention in Cases of Partner Violence,† Griffin and Koss (2002) claim, â€Å"Because of the wide range of perpetrators who can be involved, and because of the multiple forms of violence they commit, the term â€Å"partner violence† is more precise than alternatives such as domestic violence, wife beating, or wife battering.† Violence between people who are intimately involved is a problem familiar to most communities. The studies show different numbers of violent act occurrences. According to the American Journal of Public Health, as of 2000, the estimates of physical partner violence range from 23% to 55%. Those who are married and are younger than 30 years old show higher numbers (over 55%) that were established by the National Surveys of Families and Households (Halpern, Oslak, Young, Martin, Kupper, 2001). Violent behavior often begins in the early period of life. Studies report, â€Å"Dating violence has been documented in the middle adolescent years ranging from 10% to 25% of high school students† (Walton-Moss Campbell, 2002). However, in terms of the abusing partner, they do not show a clear distinction between genders. Middle adolescence is a time to develop principles of normal relationships and, that is why, for example, school nurses should pay attention and shape a healthy attitude t owards dating. High school students are carefully observed as they are considered to be a critical group that shows how common psychological and physical abuse is among young people. The results of investigations report, â€Å"3 of every 10 adolescents aged 12 to 21 who were involved in heterosexual romantic relationships in an 18-month period experienced some type of violence victimization within those relationships† (Halpern, et al. 2001). Statistic data prove that the question of partner violence is a matter of high importance. That is why, some studies were conducted with the purpose of identifying individuals that may have violent features. The American Medical Association’s Practice Guidelines for Physicians suggests a system of screening a partner for violence. The paper suggests discussing four main levels of the violent factors: Individual Relationship Community Social The influences that may trigger violent behavior are not limited to any evidence, but they give a psychological review of the most common factors. These four levels are legitimate when analyzing violent behavior between partners in various countries. It should be noted that some patterns may differ in specific situations. The individual level identifies features that are associated with the increased capability of committing violent acts. The first contributing factor here is a young age. The youth tends to express their negative emotions in a violent manner. Another thing is a low level of education. Moreover, witnessing or experiencing violence in a family in childhood may be a contributing factor, as well. One also should consider the use of alcohol and drugs the elements that lead to violent conduct. In addition, a person with psychological disorders tends to act violently. Any of these features or a combination of them can create an intense atmosphere between partners and require additional studies in order to prevent violence. Relationship level is associated with dissatisfaction in a relationship that a couple builds. Conflicts, explicit dominance, and stress usually provoke violent behavior. More often, violence is registered in couples that have different levels of education. It is also seldom tolerated if one of the partners has other sexual partners. This issue brings an individual to a point of committing violent acts. Community and societal levels correspond to violence between partners who do not play an equal role in accordance with social norms. Different social statuses, economic discrepancies, and a high level of violence in a community provoke violence between intimately-closed people. Scientists who study the matter of partner violence do not state that the factors described above inevitably lead to violent conduct. Nevertheless, they influence the nature of relationship between two people. Often violence against women is explained by sociocultural theory. The discussed levels overlap with the beliefs that are historically accepted in some societies that relate to the way of how a woman and man are supposed coexist. Among them, for example, there is a right of a male to exhibit powers over a female who is socially inferior to him in order to curb the improper behavior of a woman. On the basis of certain religious and social standards, it is the woman’s duty to have sex with her man; consequently, she may be even forced to have sexual intercourse. The most crucial idea that makes females accept violent attitude is her responsibility for keeping a family together. Studies help to create lists of issues that are believed to make males behave violently. For example, when a woman refuses to obey a man, he may decide that she must be disciplined. When a woman does not prepare food, questions a man, argues and shows her opinions, a man is considered to have a right to u se force. In some countries, women are not supposed to oppose these violent acts but obey. In order to decrease the level of violence between partners â€Å"community-based studies are needed that examine socioeconomic status variables such as employment, education, types of jobs/careers, and differences in status related to these variables between intimate partners† (Campbell, Sharps, Gary, Campbell, Lopez, 2002). The statistical data and examples of violent partners signify that partner violence is an important problem, and it may increase if no measures to prevent it are taken. As of now, even though, the possible causes of partner violence are known, there are not many solutions. This kind of violence is one of the forms of antisocial behavior. It is crucial to deal with violence between partners because such relationships have severe consequences for the whole society. Violent conduct affects both partners and causes physical and mental injuries. Usually, prolonged stress in relationships results in chronic health problems. Moreover, experiencing violence has its influence even after violent behavior stops. The stronger the abuse, the more serious impact on health it has. It may even lead to depression and suicide acts. That is why, apart from identifying the factors of violent behavior and measures of preventing it, it is important to treat individuals who have been already abused by thei r partners. There are programs that employ a so-called group format in order to analyze personal experiences and find ways to cope with emotional pain, anger, and fear. In the recent years, different health organization try to design effective preventive methods. First of all, cooperation between governments and civil society at all levels is crucial. Global reforms and programs are under international research now. Specific strategies may be also effective, including a criminal and civil legislation reform, organization of mass media campaigns, which will aim to inform about the existing situation and make people aware of the problem (with educational materials), providing women with more legal rights in terms of custody and divorce, paying more attention to violent behavior in various sectors, promoting social interaction, and providing more intervention services for families at risk. These strategies are but a few suggestions to cope with violence between partners. The subject under consideration of the paper was partner and violence. Violence between partners was discussed in terms of the most common violent acts, including physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional ones. The analysis of statistical data and circumstances that can cause violent behavior proves intimate partner violence to be an important issue. It may be concluded that individual characteristics and social contexts are generally associated with acts of violent behavior. It is important to pay attention to the early stage of personality development. It is the time when, for instance, the exposure to different types of violence in a family, emotional disturbances, and social norms have the strongest influence on people.

This is an essay about Steven Ozments Magdalena and Balhasar. this is a good description of how thier lives were lived given the harsh separation of Balhasars job.

This is an essay about Steven Ozments Magdalena and Balhasar. this is a good description of how thier lives were lived given the harsh separation of Balhasars job. In the story Magdalena and Balthasar by Steven Ozment's, one is able to reconstruct the lifestyle of a sixteenth-century merchant family that lived in Europe. The life styles specifically shown in Magdalena and Balthasar's relationship was anything but an average lifestyle. Although the couple dealt with many problems such as the separation due to business, they were able to keep their marriage stable through letters. In these letters one is able to uncover their beliefs about their family life, marriage, parenting, and the affects religion had on them. Although this specific couple had a unique relationship, one could come to some understanding of how a medieval persons' life was lived.When analyzing pieces from these letters, one could conclude that marriage had to be filled with love, admiration, and cooperation to be successful. Given the role in 16th century society, the husband was the dominant figure and the wife was left with the household duties and children.Depiction of six teenth century cannon placements f...However, some relationships were ahead of their times and was based solely on reciprocated compassion. If this bond could be achieved it brought a sense of equality in the understanding and responsibility of a marriage. The growing love in a marriage relationship was hard to accomplish. Whether the marriage was based on the similar backgrounds, or mutual feelings about equality, a successful marriage had to be worked on.Many merchants at this time were extremely involved with their work. This meant that when work called they had to reply. If the job took the husband out of town the best way to maintain their relationship was through letters. Although it was hard to keep in touch there were many ways that they could communicate their love.Another aspect that was seen in the medieval time period was the way in which...

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Literature Review - Essay Example Evaluation/Assessment: Brunn’s books is a collection of works and analytical studies conducted by more than twenty business scholars, therefore it offers a broad view on the subject – why Wa-Mart became a business phenomenon, and why it became so controversial. Quotations: â€Å"Wal-Mart always tries to look for specific places to build its stores, where the small stores are located. Because Wal-Mart wants to build it’s store next to small stores† (Brunn, p. 294). â€Å"The salaries are lower than the others stores and it is $4 to $7 depending on the employees’ level.† Summary: Dicker’s book is a successful attempt to explain the controversial nature of Wal-Mart as American retail phenomenon. Dicker’s provides a thorough analysis explain the social and economic problems associated with Wal-Mart’s retail dominance, particularly its low wages, continuously decreasing social benefits for its workers, anti-union policies, outsourcing, and negative impact on local communities and local business. Evaluation/Assessment: Dicker’s book, besides being a solid analytic study on Wal-Mart, provides an additional sociocultural emphasis on Wal-Mart’s lasting consequences. Book’s chapter two effectively explains how Wal-Mart became an â€Å"ethos† for contemporary American, and what business and cultural determinants led to this. Summary: Unlike the mainstream literature on Wal-Mart, Charles Fishman’s book represents an analytical attempt to evaluate both â€Å"pros† and â€Å"cons† of Wal-Mart operations. Fishman provides an explanation that Wal-Mart constitutes a typical reflection of American economy and its transformation over the last 20 years. Evaluation/Assessment: Fishman objectively analyzes Wal-Mart’s positive and negative effects on American economy and social and cultural parts of American society. Author admits that Wal-Mart brings some specific monetary benefits to an average American family. Simultaneously, utilizing

Woman and Social Oppression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Woman and Social Oppression - Essay Example Even with laws to prevent this sort of treatment of women, we suffer from this deep-rooted system that allows for men to hold a dominant position. The God of Small Things also explores the oppression of women, but it is present in a much more flagrant manner in this novel. Ammu is not even given a chance to succeed in life, as she is not permitted to pursue an education and her only realistic goal in life is to marry someone and do what he wants. When Ammu divorces, she becomes an outcast and she spends the rest of her life waiting to die. These works show that women are oppressed in a variety of ways in different cultures and that gender constructs are causing this oppression. The essay â€Å"Oppression†, by Marilyn Frye, examines how women are oppressed in society. Often times, this oppression is not flagrant, but is rather a series of small privileges that are taken away from women in order to benefit other social groups. The author makes the claim that women live within a birdcage, where each of the individual wires is meaningless but when they are all put together, it is impossible for the bird to escape. The oppression of women has two main features, according to Frye. First of all, they are place in positions of power where they hold a great deal of responsibility, but they are not given enough power to effectively use this position. Also, women know that they are limited in these positions of power, so they make sure that they do not exceed the limits that society has placed upon them. The system is in place, according to Frye, to privilege men and oppress women. In Judith Lorber’s essay, entitled â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender†, the author agrees that the roles of each gender are defined by society and there is very little that can be done to alleviate these constructs. Lorber traces these constructs back to

Wages ,Unions ,and Labor Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Wages ,Unions ,and Labor - Term Paper Example Moon (2011) cited that the weekly applications of unemployment insurance fell to a 3-1/2 year low. The unemployment rate was reduced to 8.6 percent last November from 9.0 percent in October this year (Dalgleish, 2011). Though this shows an improvement of 0.4 percent, the present unemployment rate is still high (Harrison & Berg, 2011; Felsenthal & da Costa, 2011). This improvement might be undone if the bill which cuts funds allocated for defense in the 2012 budget will be approved by the senate and the president. This bill will cost 800,000 jobs and this might rose up to 1.5 million jobs in the following decade due to legislation passed in August (Felsenthal & da Costa, 2011). High unemployment rate was one of the reasons why thousands of demonstrators marched on ports from Southern California to Alaska last December 12. This march included two of the largest labor unions in country: the longshoremen’s union and the Teamsters (Harrison & Berg, 2011). Part of the rally’s focus was for non-union members; independent workers who earn low wages such as truck drivers said Harrison and Berg (2011). High unemployment rate is one of the major problems of the economy of the United States at present times. ... The U.S. GDP and Unemployment Rate To analyze the current situation in an economic perspective, the country’s data on its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) must first be known together with its unemployment rate. It is important to take note of the economic output at the macro level According to Williamson (2008), â€Å"when the aggregate real GDP is high, the unemployment rate tends to be low since the two variables are countercyclical in nature (p. 594). Graphing these two sets of data will serve as a tool for analysis. Table 1. U.S. Gross Domestic Product 2011  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter3  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ GDP 0.4 1.3 2.0 Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis Table 2. U.S. Unemployment Rate 2011  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ Month Unemployment Rate January 9.0 February 8.9 March 8.8 April 9.0 May 9.1 June 9.2 July 9.1 August 9.1 September 9.1 October 9.0 November 8.6 Sou rce: Bureau of Labor Statistics Graph 1. U.S. GDP and Unemployment Rate 2011 Graph 1 show that the data is in accordance with what Williamson (2008) mentioned regarding GDP and unemployment rate. This further implies that despite the European debt crisis, the U.S. economy is still doing well at the moment, especially since an increase in GDP has been noted in the last quarter together with a significant decrease in unemployment. Production output has increased implying increased earnings. The number of people employed increased which means less spending for the government since the people who avail unemployment benefits decreased. If the bill which permitted the cut of funds in the budget for defense is approved, 800,000 workers will lose their job and the unemployment rate will increase once more. This will lead lesser production

Strategies for counter terrorism in United States Essay Example for Free

Strategies for counter terrorism in United States Essay Strategies for counter-terrorism in United States Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   September 9/11 is a day that many people will never forget. It’s a day that’s the world’s peace was on the line. The attack on the world’s trade center proved that terrorism is a real threat in the world. That day I watched TV in shock watching people crying and wailing in pain. Many souls perished in the attack and others were maimed seriously. Counter-terrorism is an action taken to prevent the activities of political groups who use violence to try to achieve their aims. To come up with an effective counter-terrorist strategy, state government need the aim terrorists ‘ interest and goal in their state and what they aim to achieve in their mission. This analysis entails how terrorism occurs and the strategies that America has taken to counter it and challenges of each strategy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The word terrorism originates from the word terrero which is in Latin, meaning fear. Usually terrorists are taken as Middle Eastern men who are motivated by their beliefs to harm innocent people. Unfortunately this vice is diverse, found everywhere in the world and used for any imaginable goal. Mostly terrorists are religiously or politically motivated. There are those homegrown and international. For the homegrown they organize and do it in their country (Cindy C Combs, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The word terrorism brings fear into many people while others misunderstand it. Terrorists are usually ideologically motivated whereby they use violence towards civilians so as to create fear and panic hoping to change policies or laws in a given country. There various practices used by terrorists to propagate their activities. One way terrorists is to create civil disorder. This can vary from legal protestation to illegal intimidation to the government. Various countries condone different dissent levels whereas in other peaceful assembly this is taken as terrorism. For sure destructive terrorism forms are religious, political, and quasi political. The political terrorist performs the terrorism hopping to change policies, normally in reference to profession, color or creed. The quasi political terrorism is one whereby terrorist’s tactics are used for personal gain. Finally religious terrorism looks at proliferating a person’s belief in the expense of others (Cindy C Combs, 2003). A firm stand should be taken against terrorism since it is very cruel and unjust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Terrorism goes in and around diplomatic process with a purpose of disrupting safety and peace so as to achieve a goal. For many terrorists, a mission successful is considered when thousands of helpless, children and women lie as corpses in the streets. What many terrorist do is to set as small bomb maybe in a building which results in killing say, forty people and later detonate a larger bomb when crowd of people, policemen and medics gather to witness the outcome.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Terrorists attacks have taken place like hundred times in America and the exact figures are not clear since distinction between political violence and the domestic one is blurred. From the year 1999, there have been over fifty terror attacks which are separate, on domestic soil. According to the FBI’s NCTC records, there were over eleven thousand five hundred terror acts in the entire world by the year 2011. These attacks occurred in seventy two countries and led to approximately fifty thousand casualties of which thirteen thousand two hundred of the fifty thousand casualties suffered extreme trauma.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each American government agency concerned with counterterrorism, has a purpose in the war against terror. The mission of Federal Bureau of Investigation is to counteract terrorist cells and operatives in United States and to aid in dismantling terrorists networks globally. In United States, numerous agencies including State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency are mandated to counter terrorism. The main objective of the National Counter-terrorism Center is to orchestrate and integrate the formidable abilities of the American government devoted to defeating the threat of international terrorism and reducing the terror to Unites States interests at home and overseas (Jim S., 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Counter terrorism strategy was paramount in the US national security even before the September 9/11 attacks. This is depicted whereby from the year 1958 to the year 1999, over forty legal acts dealing with war reinforcement against terrorism in a ranging degree were adopted. This acts brought about empowering of the state authority and also the agencies of law enforcement to detect and also repress the terrorism act in United States and overseas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most of the states use varied goals and sub-goals that dictate their counterterrorism policies. These vary depending on the state’s economic and political situation. Some of these goals include; preventing the attack, getting rid of terrorists and motivation and minimizing casualties and damages should the terrorist attack occur (Michael B. Kraft, Edward M., 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the decade, United States has had high level of involvement in counter-terrorism actions. The time of struggle during which it fought against terrorism can be divided into two phases: this is after and before the occurrence of the 11th Sep, 2001. Phase one of counterterrorism is in relation to 1980s to 1990s. In this phase there were clear distinguished tendencies such as: use of military forces and new technologies. They used of military forces to fight international terrorist especially bombing their bases and their agencies. One of these operations was held during autumn-inter the year 2001 in Afghanistan. According to Bush G.W, they joined hands with the afghan people to overthrow the Taliban regime— the defenders of the al-Qaida network- and supported a new democratic government to rise in its place. In the field of information technology, there has been a defense by the United States: the data system and the supervisory c ontrol that are applied in the oil and gas industries, pharmaceutical. In the water supply system, and in chemicals are very vulnerable since the implementation of the information technology. The attack of computers by viruses will have to play a vital role in military. Moreover, united States plan a major role in helping train new agents for counterterrorism in other countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phase two started since autumn the year 2001. Thousands of people from eighty eight countries died as a result of 11th September attack. This attack led to the realization of the vulnerability of any country in the hands of terrorist. These have led to expansion of anti-terrorism cooperation in many countries. According to Paul Pillar, CRI agent who is working on Middle East countries and south Asia,’ the campaign against terrorism must be as diverse as terrorism itself’. He gave the difference among the following various counterterrorism measures; (1) The diplomacy which recognizes no borders among states, (2) the combination of many measures that complement one another, (3) blocking financial support to terrorists groups or even their sponsoring states. They would also try to track their cash flows though very difficult, (4) use of a considerably weak military force. Terroristic bases are normally not large targets and ther efore easy to destroy unlike the military bases which presents a large stationary, (5) intelligence activity is the most crucial tool to deal with terrorism. The challenge with this tool is that most of the terrorists’ data is fragmented, pregnant with meanings and usually highly questionable, (6) they would also combine different measures which complement each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the America’s main strategies of combating terrorism is diplomatic actions and economic sanctions against countries that tend to back-up terrorism activities. The best example of this is the United Nations mandating and leading international sanctions against West African country—Libya due to the role it played in backing up terrorists who were involved in the bombing of Pan Am 103 in the year 1988.this was the first action that the entire world community took against terrorism. The United States sternly led this action with nations now being aware that US would discipline nations that support terrorism (Spindlove, C. E., 2007)..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second strategy which included objectives and policies such strengthening coalitions to beat global terrorism was initiated in the year 2002.the main objective of this strategy is to compel other nations’ government to indentify and destroy terrorist organizations. For instance, when President George Bush was planning war on Iraq, he encouraged Americans to use the full influence they have and work hand in hand with allies and friends to ensure that all actions of terrorists are illegal so that terrorism is perceived as unacceptable behavior that no reputable government can support. This strategy depicts America as using a policy of global coercion but at the time of this strategy, America was waging a war on Iraq. One of the main challenges of this strategy is that it used weapons of mass destructions and the fear of terrorism to help gain back-up for the war using a policy of ‘’your nation is either with us or aga inst us.’’ (Spindlove, C. E., 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The former U.S.A president said that the United States can no longer rely on deterrence to keep the terrorists at bay or defensive measure to thwart them at the last moment. The fight must be taken to the enemy, to keep them on the run. In order to succeed, America need the support and concert action of friends and allies (Bush G.W., 2010, p.8). Conquered with the president, â€Å"in this task of eradication, â€Å"deterrence† is a mere tactic†¦..to succeed in the long run, however ,the united state must address root causes or a next generation of terrorists will emerge. â€Å"They promised to make better the performance of making of decision, action and also for centralized decisions. They also said that the actions would be decided by those who can understand the political, military and also economic boundaries. They are the central authorities. Broad-front strategy, though seen as unwise and wasteful is what united state s hould conduct. As they have been dealing with issues of terrorists organizations, such as al Qaeda, the U.S.SA as realized that the head or the heat of the beast is never single. This means that the center of gravity to look at when attacking may not be there. Bush G.W. has outlined the main objects in the plan of fighting terrorism in United States. He said that the fight entails use of military force including other national power instruments to kill or catch the terrorists, refuse to give them safe haven, or power over any nation. Block them from getting access to WMD, and obstruct their means of support. This plan is also targeted on continuation of political reforms to guard peaceful Muslims in the whole world in their faith. He also said that responsible Islamic leaders should dissociate from an ideology that alters and exploits the Islam for ends that are destructive and rapes a proud religion. (Bush G.W., 2010, p.23).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main counterterrorism plans are based on pre-emption, prevention, consequence management and defense. America is pursuing preemptive and proactive strategies to combat terrorism. The American security strategy is that of protection of its citizens and assets as it sees deterring and defeating terrorists as the ground for this defense. One of the main challenges of these policies is that they have internal conflict within themselves. On one hand, they seek to promote free and open societies globally while on the other hand, they seek to fight tyranny and terrorists. These strategies contradict each other as America is seen as promoting free and open societies while it benefits itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   US usually attach much importance to getting from friendly countries rights to use their territory and tools for the USA armed forces, together with making the improved operating basis in dangerous and regions that are unstable. Today American troops are all over in one hundred and thirty countries of the world, in regards to Heritage Foundation. Most of these troops are majored in Arabic countries, together with Iraq base, Qatar, Kuwait and also in UAE (Spindlove, C. E., 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion terrorism is a danger to world’s peace and stability. No groups of people should kill innocent people in the name of religion politics or ethnicity. Instead people from all religions, political or ethnic background should co-exist together and embrace peace. Unfortunately the terrorists consider a mission successful when hundreds of innocent souls lie in pools of blood. World leaders should unite their people and encourage them to shun away from terrorism and other related violence. The America’s counterterrorist policy is based on prevention; deterrence, pre-emption and limiting consequences if the act cannot be prevented. It also uses coercion as a strategy to help to strengthen coalitions for its strategies. America feels that exclusive of strong alliances and support from its friends and allies, terrorism will continue to grow and at one point, be a danger to its people and assets. References   Bush, George W. (2010).  Decision Points. Crown Publishers. pp.  399–400. Palestinian extremists, many affiliated with the terrorist group Hamas, launched a wave of terrorist attacks against innocent civilians in IsraelMy views [on Israel and Hamas] came into sharper focus after 9/11. Cindy C Combs (2003), Terrorism in the Twenty First Century, (3rd Edition, New Jersey: Pearsons Educ. Inc.) Jim Saxton. (2001). Patterns of Global Terrorism and Threats to the U.S:Hearing before the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism. Washington D.C: Diane Publishing Co. Michael B. Kraft, Edward Marks.(2012) . U.S Government Counterterrorism: A Guide to Who Does What. New York:CRC press. Paul R. Pillar.(2003). Terrorism and U.S Foreign Policy: Washington, D.C: R.R. Donnelley and Sons Harrisonburg, Virginia Spindlove, C. E. (2007). Terrorism Today. The Past, The Players, The Future. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Source document

The Political Communication Of India

The Political Communication Of India In the early years of Indian Independence political communication was considered to be addressing peaceful rallies and dropping election pamphlets from a plane to persuade the Indian Voter. The post liberalization has already seen three paradigm shifts, Firstly the Nehruvian Socialism in the 1960s, then the hard lined discipline of Indira Gandhi and economic freedom in the 1990s. the liberalization of the Indian economy has changed the way of communication ranging from cable television to telecommunication and then bringing on to the online platform. Earlier the communication during elections used to take place in rallies and depended a lot on politicians interpersonal skills. But the political parties are soon realizing the importance of this Digital Era to connect with the youth of the country. The Political parties know that the youth are going in the transformation from Digital Migrants to Digital Natives. They are present with their true identities on the Digital platform. This requires the political parties of India to adopt methods which have been never adopted before. In the recently hard fought Lok Sabha Elections of 2009, all major political parties of India had hired Ad and Media Agencies to manage their Brand Image. Understanding Political Communication Political communication is a sub-field of political science and communication that deals with the production, dissemination, procession and effects of information, both through media and interpersonally, within a political context. This includes all usage of Media, speeches by politicians, Opinion leaders in the community to influence the decision process and it also includes the formal and informal discussions in the general public. The Study of Political Communication revolves around 3 basic elements. The Political Party The Voter The Medium of communication The Political Party As per the Ace Electoral Network, A political party is defined as an organised group of people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office. Political parties perform key tasks in a democratic society, such as Aggregating and articulating needs and problems as identified by members and supporters Socialising and educating voters and citizens in the functioning of the political and electoral system and the generation of general political values Balancing opposing demands and converting them into general policies Activating and mobilising citizens into participating in political decisions and transforming their opinions into viable policy options Channelling public opinion from citizens to government To perform these above mentioned key tasks, the political party should be able to communicate their objective clearly to their Voters. With the increase in the number of mediums a party can use to communicate with their voter, a consistency in the communication objective should be must. Communication objective is derived from the Brand Proposition the party wants to display to the general public. Harrop (1990) perceives political marketing as being not just about political advertising, party political broadcasts and electoral speeches but covering the whole area of party positioning in the electoral market. Maarek (1995) conceptualises political marketing as a complex process, the outcome of a more global effort implicating all the factors of the politicians political communication. Maarek explained the Difference between commercial marketing and political marketing. Figure 1: Commercial and Political Marketing, two parallel strategies. In the above figure Maarek tries to point out the difference between Commercial Marketing and Political Marketing. Such a parallel cannot be drawn, as a partys product consists not of its political communications but of: a) Its ideological platform and its set of policy proposals. b) The party leader, the candidates and party officials. In Maareks view, political marketing has become an integral and vital component of political communication. In his words: Political communicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦encompasses the entire marketing process, from preliminary market study to testing and targeting. The Voter The aim of any type of communication is to convince the receiver. All marketers try to convince their customers about the product. Here the marketer is the political party and the customer is the voter. But there are certain differences between mainstream marketing and political marketing with respect to the voter. Lock and Harris (1996) identify four main differences between mainstream and political marketing: All voters vote on the same day, everyone makes choice as per their own methods or requirements There is no cost attached to casting a mandate for a particular party, therefore no cost when considered from an individual point of view but a very huge cost from a societys point of view. Even though you must have voted for a particular party, even though its not elected ,you will have to live with it. There is no choice to vote for a political party or the candidate, basically the service given is unbundled. The candidate and the political party both are generally taken into consideration while making the choice. The main role of PR activities is to improve the perception of the political party or the candidate. Today political parties are involved highly in PR activities during elections; the Bhartiya Janata Party had the India Shining campaign in 2004 which triggered a new PR era in Indian Politics. The Congress party ran the Secular campaign successfully in 2009. No political party has left any stone unturned in the field of PR, whether it is print or television or even digital. The Indian Voter today is exposed to a minimum of three different kinds of medium in a day, it is important to reach out to this person when its most effective. It is very difficult to improve the perception of the candidate or the party in a short term; it requires a long term perspective with a consistent proposition to the voter. The Medium The early beginnings of democratic thought in the eighteenth century, political philosophers have recognized the crucial role of un-inhibited public debate and free speech, which was later, extended to the demand for a free press (Voltmer, 2007)The notion of a marketplace of ideas is based on the liberal belief that no single agency be allowed to have the last say on the course of politics. Rather, it is through public exchange of argument and counter-argument that the truth eventually emerges (Mill 1859, reprinted 1974). From the perspective of the marketplace of ideas argument, the media are usually assigned a more passive role, serving as a forum where a variety of groups and individuals are given the opportunity to express their views. Arguably the mass media serve as the main link between governments, political parties, candidates, etc. and voters, as the opportunities for direct communication between citizens and their representatives are extremely limited both in terms of the scale of the audience reached and the scope of the issues covered. However, the media are not just channels conveying the messages politicians want them to communicate to voters. They are also active participants in the creation of political messages (Cook 1998). In a democracy like India, The medium of communication is the single most important factor through which political parties reach out to the people. Political Speeches, coverage, events are all part of the medium of communication. Even hate speeches, rally by political parties only make sense if they are reported by the print or the television medium. In the print there are articles that report the unfolding of different events through the day, the television has live screening of interviews and events. As film stars became popular figures in Indian politics, movies became an important medium of political communication. This all is the part of the medium through which political marketing talks place. Today the digital medium is yet another medium which cannot be ignored by any political party. Blogs, Social media, websites, email, viral marketing and websites itself has brought about a paradigm shift in ways political parties could present itself to the voter. The print and television mediums are generally active only during election campaigns but the digital medium is generally active all through the year. The Digital Medium: The Game Changer Not so long ago, Television and Print were the mainstays of most marketers media plans with radio and outdoor and a few other things filling in the gaps where appropriate. Even with the emergence of the internet in the late nineties television commercials were heavily favored by the dotcoms as the way to build their brands. The internet is now over a decade, its certainly isnt new .In fact, any product that advertised itself as new ten years on would be laughed at or even sued by the authorities . Today Digital channels are mass and mainstream reaching global audiences. For example in some markets, a popular website can reach a staggering part of the population. Its not just the big portals or social networking sites that command large audiences. Perez Hilton, the web king reaches an estimated 5 million people daily via the blog. (David Meerman ,2004) While digital channels are now mass, they can also be extremely targeted allowing for singular interactions with consumers. This is one of the defining benefits of new media. Marketing through the digital platform can be extremely personalized in many ways. Personal Emails or SMSes might be tailor made to suit every individual needs. They can be content differentiation also, as different mailers could be sent to different individuals based on their likes and dislikes. New Media are essentially social. Everything in digital format can be easily replied to by everyone. The best part of digital medium, that it can be viral. Any exciting piece of communication through the digital medium can be easily replicated and produced in the same form. There are basically two types of Digital Marketing. The first one is the pull strategy and the second is the push strategy. The pull strategy basically consists of attracting consumers/visitors to a particular website or a blog or even watching a video (youtube). Here the initiative is on the consumer to visit the particular digital platform. The pull strategy requires a substantial marketing budget as the numbers of competitors are more. Also the pull strategy does not allow you to be personalized to the user, as the same content is viewed by all viewers. The push strategy basically consists of sending emails and SMSes to the target audiences. The push strategy could be extremely personalized, for example a polit ical party could send in different SMSes to people of a region affected by floods and a different message to people affected by Naxal issues. Use of Internet as a Political Communication Tool The internet is a perfect example of customer centricity in political communication. The internet acts as a one stop platform for people to interact with politicians, discuss their problems. The primary problem in India was that people were finding it tough to connect with politicians except during elections when politicians wanted their mandate. The internet as a platform itself can act as a connection tool for the people with the politicians. But internet is not utilized to its true potential; internet is often seen as a tool to spread awareness about a politician or a political party. (David Meerman ,2004) Before the internet platform emerged, it was believed that the people would go to the administration for help or issues, but the internet could give way to a system which would bring the government and political parties to the people. The focus of the internet could be to generate efficiency in the system which will indirectly benefit the government. But the important thing with the internet is that the tool works best when the consumer uses it for a dialogue and not a monologue. Online tools There are a variety of tools available today for use of political communication. These tools are generally used by the people for entertainment or networking purposes. These tools can consist of blogs, social networking sites, news sites, video streaming and group sites. These tools can be used by have great political applicability. These tools can be used to generate public attention and also to act as points of salience. The internet is generally open systems and are accessible all public. The internet today has no dependency on computers as the internet can be accessed through mobiles. Every tool present on the web today has a specific use and can be used to target niche audiences. Importance of youth in elections The analysts believe that the segment of youth would be the most critical in the forthcoming elections. Unfortunately this segment has registered a dismal participation in the elections upto this point. This segment of youth is identified as being rationale and will be having the capability of taking decisions. This segment can easily identify the right and wrong between things, they understand the importance to cast votes in elections too; the only thing that is lacking is a platform to connect with this target audience. The political parties today should be involved in giving out communication messages which are more relevant in times of today. The youth of today feel that they are disconnected with politics just because of the lack of use of appropriate communication tools by the political parties. That is why it is very important to understand the consumption of messages by this segment. Understanding the Psyche of the Indian youth in Elections The Indian youth is one of the largest segments of the Indian Society; they surpass any other segments present in the Indian Voting Canvas. In the recent Lok Sabha elections of 2009, the voting percentage among the youth was an abysmal 20%. The influencers in the case of youth are their parents, if the parents decide to cast their vote then the youth generally follow them otherwise they dont cast their vote. Most of the youth today does not find it intriguing enough to talk about politics, the trend is slowly changing but it is still an urban phenomenon. Most of the youth today look at the Election Day as a holiday; they generally plan out long weekend holidays on account of election days. The youth of today believe in the saying Be the change, they volunteer to NGOs and help other organization, they firmly deem that rather than relying on politicians or political parties, they themselves take the onus of changing the landscape of this country. Generally Youth does not cast their vote on the pretext of saying that their vote does not make a difference. The youth of today in the range of 20- 25 years, have seen all the major political parties at the centre (1996 2009), so the feeling of nothing changing in the Indian Landscape is pretty evident. The youth also believe in the fact that they have never been asked to vote. When researched this led to the vicious cycle phenomenon in Indian Politics, the Indian urban segment and youth are the two segments which generally registers the lowest amount of voting percentages. This is the primary reason why politicians and political parties pay very less or no attention to them. Due to no attention to them the youth do not get any personalized or communication that makes relevance to their life during election days. Many youth of today feel that the process of casting votes is a tedious one, as one never know how to register and when and where to vote. Before the Jaago re campaign, th ere was no particular online platform which educated the youth about the process of casting votes. Need and Rationale for the Study Changing voter profile of the country The voter profile of this country is fast changing, the faster the political parties adopt the change, better will be the results for the political party in the Long run. Media fragmented As the media of today is getting more and more fragmented, the traditional means of reaching the voter might not work, and innovative means of reaching the same voter might be needed. Americanization of Politics in India Learning from the recently concluded Americas Presidential elections, the use of social media had been used exhaustively along with other online tools. This can pave the way of the changing political propaganda as it takes place today Research Design Literature Review Knowledge and Learnings Content Analysis of Websites Conclusion/ Recommendation Learnings Expert Interviews Research Objectives Following are the research objectives: To analyze and compare the websites of different political parties and understand their offering in the digital medium To analyze the different promotional activities done by political parties on the digital platform. Research Methodology Information gathered through data published, websites, reports. The books and articles for reference would be sourced from the KEIC library of Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad In -Depth interviews would be conducted with professionals from the digital marketing industry and the people responsible for PR of political parties. Content Analysis of Websites would be done of the websites of the major political parties of India The content analysis of websites will be done on several labels like Information on the website, Informing the people, engagement with people, appeal to people , media releases given on the website and transparency achieved by the website Content Analysis in general is conducted in several discrete stages. Although the following stages are given in sequence, they need not be followed in the same order. Formulate the research question : Analyzing and comparing websites of different political parties in India ( Four national parties are taken in the consideration set) Define the population in question: The population would be all the data that is available on the internet about these political parties. Select an appropriate sample from the population: The sample for population would be the websites of these parties. (Official websites) Select and define a unit of analysis: The unit of analysis would be the pages on the website. Each page would be analysed from the website. The units would be : Information of the web site Interaction with People Appeal to the people Service to the people Media Coverage and Public Relations Transparency Sampling A panel of experts from the digital marketing industry would be chosen with their political knowledge in mind. For selecting the panel snowball sampling would be used The sample for selection of websites would be of the four national political parties of India Research Questions Some sample questions which would be asked to the panel of experts would be as follows How important do you feel is the online platform in todays age for political parties? Describe what is the appropriate time for political parties to use the online platform? Where is the online platform best likely to fit in the entire process of political propaganda? Could you tell us some campaigns which u liked/disliked by political parties? What would be the extent of use of online platform in political campaigns, five years down the line? Limitations Confidential information would be withheld as the topic of research is sensitive subject which is politics Data Collection The data collection was done in two phases for the Four National Parties of India. This was decided by the number of seats won by each of these parties in the recently concluded General Elections. The initial data was collected on January 5 January 7 2010. This data was recorded in an Excel sheet based on the selected variables. After this interviews were taken with the Media / PR heads o the respective political parties. This helped me in cross checking and validating their claims about the website and also to help me fill in gaps during my initial collection. Also a link analysis was done to check the traffic for these websites during the election period, as these links are more active during election periods. Data and Analysis The research would be done on the following websites: National Party Website URL Indian National Congress (INC) http://www.congress.org.in/ http://www.congress4india.com/ Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) http://www.bjp.org/ http://www.bjpindia.in/ Samajwadi Party (SP) http://www.samajwadipartyindia.com/ http://www.spmumbai.org/index.aspx Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) http://bspindia.org/ http://www.bahujansamajparty.net/ The Research was done on two websites of each political party. The first data collection was carried out on January 5 January 7 2010 and the second data collection was done between February 5 February 7 2010. The purpose was to find if the websites were updated. In all cases however the content was not changed. Findings of the Research The political parties have yet not realized the importance of the updates of the websites. They did not update the sites on a day to day basis, although it is technologically possible to update the contents in real time today. The sites of the Indian National Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party are more updated than the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. There are more than 32 features on the INC website put together compared to 29 of the BJP party. The Samajwadi party and BSP havent updated their sites since a very long time; they have far less features than compared to the counterparts. The better contents and updates in the BJP site could be attributed to the experience of the BJP elections n 20004. New Media including internet was used extensively during the elections of 2004. BJP has hired a New Media agency for handling only their New Media campaigns in 2009. INC lagged behind in the use of internet during the elections so far and appeared to have attempted to catch up with the BJP. BJP has sites for all the states of India; these are for the local communication in the state. BJP had the India Shining campaign as the theme in which the party had extensively used New Media. Language of the Content of Website Maharashtra state has the local language called Marathi and Gujarat has Gujarati. There are 71, 936,894 (6.99% of the total population) Marathi Speaking people in India where as 46,091,617 (4.48% of total population) people of India speak Gujarati. This is against 90,000,000 (10.66% of total population) in India. Yet the parties have totally neglected the regional language. No one has given regional font for download. Campaign Strategists bank heavily on the local language to write text for bills, posters, billboards, and advertisements etc. Hence logically they should write contents of the sites in local languages to reach majority voters. However this study revealed that the sites depended only on English. None of the all the eight websites of political parties in Maharashtra and Gujarat had site analytics , date of the last update of the website and site map. The date for last updating is necessary in some situations. For Example political parties announce their candidates for elections in two three phases or more. They announce various lists and it changes even after announcements. If the date of last updating is given, the visitors of site can easily come to know whether it is an odd list or the latest one. This happens with other types of content too. Site Map is a feature that helps the user to easily locate the needed information on that site. They also act as a navigation aid by providing an overview of sites content at a single glance. If the number of links is very large, the site map helps visitors to access all content on the site. Webmaster: Details of the webmaster (email, phone or fax) are necessary because a visitor can write to him/her in case the site or part of it does not function. All sites had Telephone number to only the head quarters and no region wise contacts. All sites had given the indication of a copyright. This prohibited others from using the website content for free. Visitors counter is another feature which is neglected by these sites , the visitor counter helps getting everyone an idea about the popularity and utility of the site. Unit Analysis of Websites Information of the party Indian National Congress The site of the Indian National Congress had given Information about the history of the party , the latest manifesto, List of candidates and the current Office bearers. Bhartiya Janata Party The Bhartiya Janata Party had given Information about the Organisational Structure of the Party, History of the party, List of states under BJP rule and the current list of Member of Parliament Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi party had given information regarding the performance of the party in the recent elections and the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha Elections in 2009. There was no mention of any kind of History of the party and the party manifesto Bahujan Samaj Party The Bahujan Samaj party website was more focuses only on current activities of the party and no information about the past. They didnt have the list of candidates or constituency which they have won in the recent elections. There was no mention of any kind of organisational structure in the party. There was no mention of Alliance partners of any of the websites under perview Interaction with People Indian National Congress The website of the Indian National Congress had given option to submit their feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints. There was no Toll free number mentioned on their website. Bhartiya Janata Party The Bhartiya Janata party was more people and new media friendly they had subscription to RSS feed They also had an opinion poll on their website to know peoples view on a particular issue. Samajwadi Party The website of the Samajwadi Party had only contact numbers of the head office and respective branch offices. They had no other latest interactive features on their website. Bahujan Samaj Party The website was least interactive among websites of all the parties. The party was more interested in a monologue and not a dialogue with its voters. The website had no links or any other such things to keep the voters updated on the happenings. Appeal to the people Indian National Congress The Website of the Indian National Congress does not appeal to vote for it neither their alliances. There is no way that anyone interested in joining the party could apply for a position. There was no appeal for a donation for a noble cause. Bhartiya Janata Party The Website of the Bhartiya Janata Party does not appeal to vote for it neither their alliances. There is no way that anyone interested in joining the party could apply for a position. There was no appeal for a donation for a noble cause. Samajwadi Party The Website of the Samajwadi Party does not appeal to vote for it neither their alliances. There is no way that anyone interested in joining the party could apply for a position. There was no appeal for a donation for a noble cause. Bahujan Samaj Party The Website of the Bahujan Samaj Party does not appeal to vote for it neither their alliances. There is no way that anyone interested in joining the party could apply for a position. There was no appeal for a donation for a noble cause. Service to the people Indian National Congress Every website should be user friendly at the base level and somehow it should help us in the entire process of voting. The website of the Indian National Congress had no links for whats new on the website, FAQ s etc. Bhartiya Janata Party The website of the Bhartiya Janata Party had links whats new is happening to the political party in India. There was no service of any kind to the people. Samajwadi Party During Elections, finding your name on the voters list is one of the most tedious tasks for any voter. Samajwadi Party is the only party which is providing voters list to its users. This is one of the most useful features on any of the websites. Bahujan Samaj Party There is no feature of any kind on the Bahujan Samaj Party Website. The lowest on service to people. Media Coverage and Public Relations Indian National Congress The Media Coverage and Public Relations is an integral part of any website, it gives you a coverage on the latest happenings of the political party. The media coverage in the INC website give you info only on the election results and not on the party achievements in each of their state. Bhartiya Janata Party The BJP Website has put photo gallery section at the front of their home page and audio-video features to attract the visitors Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party has their media section updated and it has given it list of latest joins in the party on the website. The party is not in power in any state so its only mentioned its achievements when they were in power Bahujan Samaj Party The Bahujan Samaj Party uses it website to effectively communicate its latest achievements, especially in the state of Uttar Pradesh where its a ruling party. Other News of the party is lost in the clutter of information which is present in the website. Transparency Indian National Congress Transparency is one thing that the Indian voter likes to see with every political party. The site didnt try to remain transparent about declaring the assets of their candidates even though it was a simple thing to do. All the details of assets of a particular candidate are given on the site of the Election Commission of India. Bhartiya Janata Party The site didnt try to remain transparent about declaring the assets of their candidates even though it was a simple thing to do Samajwadi Party The site didnt try to remain transparent about declaring the assets of their candidates even though it was a simple thing to do Bahujan Samaj Party The site didnt try to remain transparent about declaring the assets of their candidates even though it was a simple thing to do Unit Analysis of Websites INC BJP SP BSP Information on the Website Interaction with people Appeal to People