Musical Instruments Speech Essay

The Chinese philosopher Confucius said long ago that â€Å"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. † Being able to play any musical instrument is extremely satisfying. This includes everyone from the person who has mastered her instrument right down to the beginner who knows only a few chords. I personally believe that if there’s one thing you should learn in your lifetime, it’s how to play an instrument. Learning to play a musical instrument offers a lot of benefits and can bring joy to you and to everyone around you.. Here the four most important benefits of playing instruments: The first benefits, is that playing a musical instrument makes you smarter. Playing an instrument helps the mind to be alert and remain active eventually helping to sharpen the memory. Learning an instrument requires you to learn about tones and scores which increase your ability to store audio information. According to an article from The Telegraph online magazine, â€Å"New research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills. There is continually more evidence that musicians have organizationally and functionally different brains compared to non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing and playing music. These parts of the brain that control motor skills, hearing, storing audio information and memory become larger and more active when a person learns how to play an instrument and can apparently improve day to day actions such as being alert, planning and emotional perception. And according to Lutz Jancke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, said: â€Å"Learning to play a musical instrument has definite benefits and can increase IQ by seven points, in both children and adults. † For children especially we found that learning to play the piano for instance teaches them to be more self-disciplined, more attentive and better at planning. All of these things are very important for academic performance, so can therefore make a child brighter. The second benefits, is that playing a musical instruments relieves stress. Playing any instrument can actually help release the endorphins in your body, which will also result in reduced levels of stress Playing music naturally can soothe not only others, but the musician as well, not only the actual sound of the instrument, but also the release of creativity and emotion, as well as the simple vibration of an instrument against a player’s body can significantly lower a musician’s stress level.. The study’s principal investigator, Barry Bittman, M. D. f the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, PA, says these unique findings not only shed new light on the value of active music participation, but also extend our understanding of individualized human biological stress responses on an unprecedented level. Most people would be very surprised at just how easily their stress and problems can be forgotten while playing their instrument on a quiet evening. There are no pressures or expectations while playing. This creates a perfect environment for relieving stress, along with the joy and relaxation of listening to your own musical creations. The third benefits, is that playing musical instruments enhances an individual’s ability to recognize emotion in sound. The musicians had a heightened response to the complex portion of the sound, where the frequency rapidly changes. When the musicians heard the simple sections of the sound they had lower responses. Musicians showed enhanced responses to the most acoustically complex portion of the stimulus and decreased activity to the more periodic, less complex portion. the musicians conserve neural resources while processing simpler sounds (economy) and deploy them to more thoroughly respond to complex sounds (enhancement). The study found that the more years of musical training and the earlier the age in which the musical studies began, the more enhanced their nervous systems were to process emotion in sound. Historically, it has been thought that the auditory brainstem is fixed, that information flows through without changing any of the circuits. According to Kraus’ research shows that it is not only trainable, but more malleable than previously thought. Scientists know that emotion is carried less by the linguistic meanings of words than by the way the sound is communicated. Kraus’ work reveals that brain changes involved in playing a musical instrument enhance one’s ability to detect subtle emotional cues in conversation. And last most important benefits of playing instruments, is that playing a musical instrument is fun. Everybody enjoys hearing music, but the people who make the music have the most fun. Once you get better playing your chosen musical instrument, you will be able to demonstrate what you have been learn to your families and friends that gives you fun and enjoyment. The songwriter Bob Dylan has written numerous well-known songs using only a few chords. There is nothing like the feeling of suddenly walking into a room and playing a song you just learned or wrote for a friend. You don’t have to be Beethoven to appreciate the benefits. And it is nothing but fun to sit down with a couple of friends and play and sing a song. In this camaraderie there is an endless amount of discovery and laughs to be had. The sound you’re making rises and falls, singing in the voice of the instrument. But it’s not really the instrument that’s making those great sounds—it’s you! It’s fun, even when you play by yourself. Playing in a group is even better because other players are sharing the fun. There’s no way to have all that fun than for you to be the person who is playing the music! As you can see, playing a musical instrument has many benefits and hopefully that will motivate you to keep on practicing and always hold music in high esteem. Whenever you come across challenges as a musician, think about the end results and always remind yourself of all the great reasons you love to play. I’ll leave you with an inspiring quote by jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker who once said, â€Å"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. †

French Philosophers Essay

MONTAIGNE Montaigne is both a literary writer and a philosopher > a humanist. Montaigne’s essays: cover a loto f topics without claiming to provide a definitive or an absolute truth about these topics: â€Å"We have no communication with being†, Essays, II, 12 The Problem of Truth Being is not accessible for a finite being as we (men) are. Senses or reason are not criteria of truth. Sense is no criteria since its always changing and reason is no criteria also because we only have access to appeareances, which also change. Things are always changing. They are in a perpetual movement : – The only â€Å"thing† we are directly in relation with is ourselves. The â€Å"I† is constantly changing, is in a perpetual movement and it is not self-centred or an egocentric character it is the first step to explore the whole world. He is emblematic of the rebirth of SCEPTICISM. Scepticism is the position that says that it is impossible to know anything because all the propositions are equal. For skeptics there’s no criteria for thruth. 3 Main Principles A) Epoche = â€Å"suspending judgement† – when you are not sure of what you are saying. The Greek word epoche means to check, cease, suspend, stop, or pause in some activity that otherwise or normally occurs. The sceptic suspends his judgment for default of a good reason for exercising it. The dogmatist asserts that something is true. B) Relativism = all points of view are equally valid. C) Isosthenia = the equality of strength of two opposing arguments. Sceptism is more a process than a result, is more a methodology. Descartes Dogmatism, Rationalism and Dualism 1. Dogmatism – comes from the greek word â€Å"dogma†(opinion or belief) – Common and pejorative sense: the tendency to lay down principles as undeniably true, without consideration of evidence or the opinion of others. – Philosophical meaning: doctrine that asserts that man is able to get to the  truth or, in other words, that man is able to attain absolute truths and certainty of knowing (Opposite of Skepticism). Descartes is dogmatic since he believes that we can get to absolute certainty, what he calls evidence or clear perceptions(intelectual perception, the one you can get through the eyes of mind, not the eyes of body). We can reach the truth. Reason is unique and ultimate source of truth. 2.Rationalism: REASON versus senses. Reason is the chief source and test of knowledge. Rationalism is based on deduction (versus induction). ln that sense, it is opposed to empiricism: the theory of knowledge which states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience Knowledge is an activity of our mind that applies itself to identify the figures and the properties that essentially constitutes one thing (Text 3 – Wax argument) Dream argument: ln our dreams our sensations are sometimes so strong that everything is going as if we were awake (whereas in fact we are not) Our senses are deceitful: we can’t trust them ; only reason can be trusted Wax argument: Knowledge ≠  observing its empirical qualities. Knowledge is an activity of our mind that applies itself to identify the figures and the properties that essentially constitute one thing. Cogito, ergo sum: essential link between thought and humanity.Thinking is the only proof of my existence and it is also my essence; both are simultaneous. I prove my existence by my essence (versus accidental qualities). Moreover, thinking is a property that only men possess.ïÆ'   animals are not able to think and that’s also why they are not able to speak (text 5). 3. Dualism: In philosophy of mind, dualism is a view about the relationship between mind and matter which claims that mind and matter are two ontologically separate categories. It is opposed to monism: philosophical view according to which everything can be explained in terms of a single reality or substance. â€Å"I am not only lodged in my body as a pilot in a vessel† This sentence shows that Descartes also tries to think the union and the connection of mind and body in the human being that we are Rousseau (Enlightment) Rousseau has a contractualist or contractarian approach of society: he conceives it as an invention or as an artifice. Legitimate authority of government must derive from the consent of the governed ïÆ'  Society doesn’t exist by nature. contractualism is opposed to naturalism, The state of nature: the one that exists before the invention of society. Rousseau does not think that this state really existed. It is methodological: the state of nature aims to understand and to evaluate the civil state we are actually living in. Why is the state of nature so good? State of nature is defined by pity and self-loved. Considers that man in the state of nature are not leaving together and are independent. According to Rousseau, the state of nature is a state of self-sufficiency in which every man is equal. On the contrary, civil state introduces: – property, – inequality, – love of self That’s why it is a perversion and a degradation of our natural condition Different from Hobbes: Hobbes argues that all humans are by nature equal in faculties of body and mind. From this equality, everyone is naturally in competition with one another (copiar resto) Love of self: always comparing yourself to the other and trying to see what you can do to be better†¨ Self Love: you always give your 100% He is not saying we should return to the state of nature. He considers the  state of nature as a moral value in order to evaluate society. Human Nature 2 essential properties: 1) PERFECTIBILITY or faculty of improvement (Text 2) Perfectibility draws men out of this original condition and gives him adaptability. At the same time, perfectibility is responsible for the evill. 2) FREEDOM (Text 1). Nature and instinct (beast) are here opposed to freedom. Nature and instinct are here opposed to freedom. Dog cant go against his instinct, if he is hungry for example. freedom is the equivalent of what we call â€Å"autonomy† If society perverts humankind, but if, at the same time, man doesn’t have to return to a state of nature, this is because his essential properties (freedom and perfectibility) imply to divorce from nature Difference of DEGREE between men and beast. Men, like animals, are also able to form ideas but they are more complex than the ones animals could form. There is a difference in terms of nature since men are free and animals follow their instinct. Freedom is the ability of choice. We are able to determine ourselves to act and not to be passive in front of each situation. Freedom is the equivalent to what we call â€Å"autonomy† 4. The Social Contract This legitimate political authority comes from a social contract agreed upon by all citizens for their mutual preservation. (1) The collective grouping of all citizens = the â€Å"sovereign† (it is like an individual person). As the sovereign entirely proceeds from our will: â€Å"each man, in giving himself to all, gives himself to nobody† (text 4). Obeying the contract coincides with obeying ourselves and that’s precisely what Rousseau calls  « autonomy  » The concept of â€Å"general will† End of Text 4 The general will is the common interest. Even if it proceeds from the particular wills of every citizens, it is more than the collection of particular wills The general will finds its clearest expression in the general and abstract laws of the state

How the specifics of social network relate to that of the Not So Essay

How the specifics of social network relate to that of the Not So collective associations - Essay Example These aspects include; our history, our culture, our religion, our traditions, our education and our political establishments. The reasons behind the evolution of such theories are as far stretched as the earth could be, but basically they depend on the beliefs which are held by diverse scholars and thinkers of our regions. With reference to the subject matter of the ‘Cultural Theory’, this paper will provide an interpretation in accordance to the formulation of the evolution of the social networks and how they relate to our cultural evaluations and representations. As Williams believed that some of the major historical and philosophical issues construct such statements (2003: pp.1) as that which is under presentation in this paper, thus, through brief examinations and verifications in the words of Williams presented by Ayrey and Everist â€Å"the specifics of works relate to structures which are not the works† (2007: pp.301) have been explicated in this paper. Af ter the examination of Williams’s outlook on the cultural theory various point of views can be put forth with regard to the subject of social networks which has been chosen. But in order to understand how the two areas or the focal points intersect the familiarization of the basic characterization and explanation of both the terms is necessary. Thus, the first or foremost term to be classified is ‘Culture’. This question and its answer hold immense importance as it is such a part of any community that identifies its existence. Hence, this statement itself verifies what culture is but to be on cleat terms the expression ‘Culture’ has been identified by Kalman as the way the human beings live and the roots which construct their methods of interaction, lifestyle and beliefs (2009: pp.4) Therefore, culture is essentially the part which makes the way of living the life for human beings and this major ingredient is put forth, and represented by human being s to signify their background and their relationship with their milieu. Whereas, the second term which needs to be classified is ‘Social Network’, thus, it has been elucidated as ‘all those sources or methods through which people communicate and interact with each other for both formal and informal causes’. Thus, these sources could be web-based technologies, applications or softwares which enable human beings to interrelate to each other. There is an enormous and astonishingly significant relationship between the above to mentioned terms. With the passage of time people are recognizing the values of their cultures and traditions and alongside they are being provided a large number of opportunities to represent their culture. These opportunities if devoured in a positive manner can cause an extremely constructive effect on the various cultures of the people throughout the world, on the other hand if consumed negatively could definitely prove as a root of of f-putting results. But the most important fact is that the cultural promotion and propagation is starting to be affected more and more by these advancements of the interactive sources. Thus the relationship of social network to that of the representation of our culture and our backgrounds is linked through the cultural theory of Williams. How so? This is due to the fact that along with the modernization of our society the methods of

American imperialism the subversion of latin american sovereignty Research Paper

American imperialism the subversion of latin american sovereignty (OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA BY EDUARDO GALEANO) - Research Paper Example Imperialist regime is where the central state authority is weak together with the open state territoriality while the global regime is where the central state authority is strong together with the open state territoriality. American imperialism tools include- political power, economic power, military power and cultural diffusion. Example of the economic power via Galeano is where he credits Machado’s dictatorship in 1924 to the economic domination that the USA had over Cuba. In 1920 prices of sugar in Cuba had dropped from 22cents per pound to as low as 4cents. Sugar producers were bankrupt with sugar prices fluctuating based on the prices in the America market. America gave Cuba $50 million with the first American ambassador- General Crowder. America also gave Cuba fair trade concessions on a condition that in turn America gets to export their products into the country. The United States gains in trading with Cuba, yet still trades with other states. Nevertheless, Cuba is economically forced to trade mostly with the United States. In short, America imperialism is the compulsion exerted by USA via economic, cultural, military or political power that conquers other countries’ sovereignty into acting in manners they would have not acted otherwise. It is a situation where a country forgoes its own interests at the expense of serving the American interests. The cruise of this paper is to talk about the American imperialism more particularly touching on the tool of political power in Bolivia enhanced by international institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. The international power of the USA in the 20th century has grounds on its political strength. In 1900, when the united states of American did not have much of an army, it was promising got viewed as power forthcoming great power. By 1920, the United States had displaced the United Kingdom during the First World War making them, the supreme financial power

Obesity Epidemic Its Link with Physical Inactivity and Lack of Research Paper

Obesity Epidemic Its Link with Physical Inactivity and Lack of Exercise - Research Paper Example This essay "Obesity Epidemic – Its Link with Physical Inactivity and Lack of Exercise" describes how inactivity or lack of exercise contributed to the obesity epidemic in our country. Surveys have shown that more than 1 in 3 Americans have excess body fat (Collins). Not only are the rates of obesity high but also are the amounts of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Data from CDC (2014) shows that in 2013, only 29% of children from high school had participated in physical activity for a minimum of 60 minutes per day on each of the seven days before the survey was conducted. The data also showed that about 15.2% students from high school had not participated in any kind of phsycial activity for 60 or more minutes on any day during the seven days prior to the survey. The CDC (2014) states that with age, the participation of young people in physical activity declines. Furthermore, its survey has shown that less than half of the students from high school attended physical education classes in an average week. Studies have shown that leisure activity and sports levels have remained stable worldwide but these leisure activities represent only a minor portion of the total levels of daily physical activity. The physical activity associated with transportation, home and work has reduced due to social changes, technological advancements and economic development (Harvard School of Public Health). While in 1950 in the USA, 30% Americans worked in occupations involving high activity, the percentage dropped to 22% in 2000.

M&s clothing business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

M&s clothing business report - Essay Example The implication here is that if Marks and Spencer were not attempting to reach out to the more fashion-conscious consumer, its primary competitors would be BHS and Evans. The fact is, however, that the company is trying to reach beyond that particular market as evidenced in the fact that it has hired new designers and has development new fashion lines which target the younger generation of male and female adult fashion consumers (Marks and Spencer, 2007). Within the context of the above stated, Marks and Spencer's primary competitors are Next, Topshop and Gap. These three command the lion's share of the fashion-conscious, working adult clothing market for two reasons. They provide quality clothing at reasonable prices and are perceived of as trendy and fashionable (Marks and Spencer, 2007). Marks and Spencer may be recognised for the first but definitely not for the second. The implication here is that it stands in a weak position vis--vis its primary competitors, largely because of market perceptions. As indicated in the above, Marks and Spencer faces two types of competitors. The first type, related to the older generation fashion market, is comprised of Evans and BHS.

Marketing Story Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Story Analysis - Essay Example At a deeper level, however, one can find the existence of international marketing strategy, brand image and strategic retail management. 2. Analysis a. Retail Management One of the major and all-encompassing marketing concepts highlighted by this article is that of retail management and consumer behavior. The U.K, like its developed counterparts, is facing a change in its demographics with a skewed population pyramid (KPMG, 2013). The so-called â€Å"ageing population† translates to changing customer habits based on age. In the middle of such a transition, retailers such as Tesco are finding it difficult to adapt to such changes in customer behavior. This transition has given way to increased significance of one-stop convenience shopping as elder individuals find themselves difficult to visit several stores for buying food and non-food products (SAS, 2013). This is one of the most important aspects of retail strategy which requires companies to build store formats based on the needs of the target market (Gilbert, 2003). For instance, IKEA has adapted to customers’ needs for buying furniture for their first apartment (Castella, 2012). Furthermore, it caters to customers’ need to engage in one-stop shopping for their home by offering a maze-like retail format whereby customers walk through virtually everything before getting down to the product they intended to buy (Tozer, 2011) . The article demonstrates just how the â€Å"space race† is no longer important as it used to be. In fact, multi-channel strategies, as the author puts it, are the basis for such advantage in the contemporary world. This points to the area of retail format development which involves the development of a new format of stores for the existing customers with a different retail mix (Levy & Weitz, 2012). In the context of Tesco, this means making the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Tesco has strictly adopted the multi-channel strategy by having T esco Express, Metro, Superstores and Extra in its pipeline of stores (Doyle, 2008) (West et al., 2006). These outlets fulfill different market needs ranging from being located near to customers’ place of residence or work to offering ready-to-eat meals in City Centers. Another way of viewing the same is to understand the shift from the traditional bricks and mortar store format towards digital/online presence (Bernstein et al., 2008). b. E-commerce and multi-channel strategy The scope for e-commerce has been highlighted in the article by claiming that, owing to busy work schedules, individuals are now flocking towards online shopping which has already increased by over 8% in Britain with respect to Tesco. Even successful traditional companies such as Wal-Mart are now offering e-shopping in addition to their traditional services (Rosenbloom, 2013). However, given the fact that virtually all major retailers have adopted this perspective, one may challenge whether or not the mul ti-channel strategy can guarantee a â€Å"sustainable† competitive advantage in today’s world. Further contradiction arises from some authors who have claimed multi-channel strategies to be obsolete. According to them, the â€Å"channel† perspective is being replaced by the â€Å"touch-points†

Music Therapy Description Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music Therapy Description - Term Paper Example Music therapy is defined as "a systematic process of intervention wherein the therapist helps the client to promote health, using music experiences and the relationships that develop through them..." (Bruscia KE, 1998) In these Modern times of great advancement in science and technology, music to therapy shows great promise in the expanding field of health care. Music therapy helps greatly in the field of medical sciences especially for cancer patients, in management, for children suffering from ADD to help soothe and calm the bodies and minds of such patients. Research has shown that music with a strong with them and beat stimulates the brain waves bringing about deeper concentration alertness. On the other hand, music with softer notes and slower tempos tend to calm and soothe the body bringing about a Meditative state of mind. Depression seems to be one of the major causes of certain types of illnesses. Though depression mostly occurs among older adults, there is no getting away from the fact that even the youth could experience some type of depression at any time in their lives. It is here that music therapy serves as one of the most cost-effective, but very much accessible interventions which could be applied in times of anxiety, distress and for other such symptoms of depression. Researchers Hanser SB; Thompson LW., (1994) after their research concluded that music therapy had great potential as a very beneficial intervention especially for the elderly who had limited access to professionals in health care. Home-based program – during the home-based program, the individuals learned the techniques of stress reduction by listening to music. This technique is carried out by a music therapist on a weekly basis when he visits the patient at home.  

Journey to New Zealand Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journey to New Zealand - Personal Statement Example I went ahead passing roads, trees, people, mountains, rivers and many other amazing things. I landed in New Zealand getting residence visa there. I got the help of a local agency who guided me from airport shuttle transfer to finding a standard accommodation at reasonable price. I had been residing there for my new settlement after my mother land. New Zealand was full of myriad attractions which brought a constant delight in the curious eyes. I dived my soul in pulling the fascination through visiting the towns of the Bay of Islands in the north to Dunedin in the south. My moments were flying on the feathers of an anonymous non-muddy bird. I became a human belonged to this whole world which called me here and there. I couldn't stop anywhere forever. I had to move on the calling of the wind for the passion of my mind. It was the mid of Jan, 1998.In the one afternoon, a postman knocked my door, and I greeted a letter of my best friend who lived in another continent, and it was America discovered by Chinese people seventy years before Columbus. It is also said that these people had also discovered Antarctica, and they reached Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook. I am not an historian, but it was my tribute to them. Making no delay, I sought the help of the agency who introduc... They ensured my air ticket for my destination within 24 hours. I kept the ticket in my hand bag with utmost care before several days of my journey. I was cheered and without any mental stress as I had a belief that my agency had done the perfect job for my trip. I boarded on the air X which continued to be the only North American operator of the A340-300 AND A340-500. It assembled travelers from many destinations of the world. It flew from New Zealand to Stockholm, then to Germany. It allowed the passengers to loiter around the airport for refreshment for the next transit in Canada before reaching the final destination. I was called by the immigration officer, "Please show your Passport." "What! You don't have Canadian Visa Strange! Who let you come here by the wrong flight No body marked you" I was stuck and found no words at that moment. I was observing the attitude of the officer standing as a statue for several minutes. I tried to become easy and tell the fact done by my agency i n New Zealand. I tried to make a clear voice, but it became thinner and thinner by an unexplained fear. First of all, I didn't meet the strict German officer before and the second matter was I was not good in English communication to explain in an organized manner. The German man was speaking British English very fluently as he used to communicate globally. I made a hissing sound, "It is my agency." He gave a slight shout, "Your agency" "Yes, the agency in the New Zealand who arranged my ticket for my trip from New Zealand to Seattle to meet my bosom friend," I told. He replied strictly that my intention was good to meet my friend, but my route was wrong. I asked for a permission to make a phone call to my agency. I was permitted very easily but I was warned that I was not

First Day of High School Essay Example for Free

First Day of High School Essay Walking into a brand new school for the first time with a bundle of happiness and a twisted knot in your stomach indicating just how nervous you really are, sure is a way to start your first day of high school. It is natural on the part of every student to remember the first day at school. Recently, I just became a 9th grader. I remember the day as a unclear haze, that resembled a impossible puzzle to complete. The night before was spent with stories of high school back in the last couple decades or so. Ever so often was an, Oh youll blend in, Youve grown so much, and I cannot believe youre already in high school. Eventually the praise died down and it was time to climb into bed. The first thing I came to realize was a large building pacted tightly together within a compound wall. As small as I am, i couldnt not seem to put the puzzle pieces together but luckily a map became my bestfriend. The schedule was confusing at first, since it was a long summertime before I had last read one. Nothing felt stable or ordered, everything seemed like it was going to be chaotic any minute. A few seconds later the bell rang, as I thought to myself how much I did not ever recall a harsh stop and ponder during the summer about miss the bell itself. The pattern went throughout the day as a class began, and after a long period a bell ended the period and began a new class. This went on for what felt like years. I walked through the halls and tried to categorize exactly what type of people I would be dealing with and Ive realized the fact high school is anything but the type of events they describe in movies. Everyone seemed to fit each category perfectly, however it wasnt quite the match. These faces appeared more normal and friendly. I remember my imagination of what high school was like when I was younger. I was just dying to experience all the new and exciting things that awaited me. From sports to boys to all the partying, I just wanted to know what everything was like and now that Im finally here, I feel like I want to go back to when I was younger and not wish to grow up so much. As time goes on you find yourself getting to class earlier and earlier each day. Finding new routes, talking a little more, taking more time between  classes and the tension eases. The days do not get harder, but the work and study habits do. Later days of the school year are always easier then the first few. Some say that high school was the best time of my life, just like others say that high school was the worst time in their lives. To be honest, I am not sure which category I fall into yet. Ive had a good start but I know high school wont be picture perfect for me. The only thing I can say is that I am learning.

Comparing Brave New World to Modern Day

Comparing Brave New World to Modern Day Prediction to future technological warfare in Brave New World When thinking about the greater good and scientific advancement, most people believe that they are always beneficial to society but brave new world gives us the negative perspective of technology advancements. In the novel, brave new world written by Aldous Huxley, warns it readers about technological disadvantages and harms. Particular these disadvantages are evident in the field of biology and technology. Firstly, scientific advancement of which Aldous Huxley warns us is about biological technology used. The huge production of humans is achieved and made through process of bokanovsky process. The Director said , But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, and will divide [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] every embryo into a full-sized adult (Huxley pg.3-4). Humans are being genetically modified and engineered in the experimental laboratories rather naturally. In the real world scenario, it is seen that cloning is a huge scientific advancement that has been made and is still being developed but is considered unethical when living things are brought into the matter of especially human cloning. This idea is also evident the book of thousand splendid suns where the Taliban controls , brain washes and teach lies , deny other religions , restrict from having freedom of thought from the people of Afghanistan also where weapons are a form of power such as guns and drones. Moreover, connecting to pre sent world we can see that embryonic stem cell research is a real thing where an egg cell is fertilized by a sperm to create a human embryo or basically create life. Keeping in mind this process can be seen unethical by some people as they have different values and beliefs. Just like the bokanovsky process this process is also is messing with an embryo and altering gods work. In Brave new World person intelligence is dependent on the amount of alcohol injected into their individual embryos before the process of life starts. Mr. Foster says that, We can make a new one with the greatest ease-as many as we like (Huxley pg.128). Epsilons have a heavy amount of alcohol injected in the decanting process whereas alphas and betas do not go through that process because Epsilons being a lower class society. Todays science is capable of modifying a person DNA but is not able to fully develop a human being by its own yet cloning of animals has been done in our world. For example, Dolly the shee p is a cloned animal who lived a normal live which offered hoped to scientists to use cloned cells in medicine also it was seen that cloned animals age quicker than normal offspring. But this first cloning done my humanity was a big step towards the future and biological advancement. By making a world where human beings are massively produced biologically, Brave new World illustrated those advancements in the aspects of biology, which display it being dangerous despite the wellbeing and betterment of the human race. According to Huxley, advancements in technology can also be a threat to mankind and the society. Among technological advances, one danger is the growth of pharmacology or the in taking of drugs by people and its side effects. The director says that, One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments (Huxley pg.46). Soma helps the users into a dream world, providing them with total relief from fear and providing them with happiness. This relates to the character Abigail William, from the crucible where she is acting as soma to the society. Abby manipulates people to get what she wants; her intentions are solely to benefit herself. She does not care about the consequences of her actions as well as she is able to manipulate the town to hurt the people she does not like. Just like the soma which is acting as positive thing for the people of brave new world but in reality a negative one, we can see how medical advancements such as x-ray devices, MRI machines and medical drugs help a person restore his/ her health and making the average human life expectancy much better as years are passing. Technology effects entertainment by altering all the games to be played by humans. Mustafa Mond says that, All conditioning aims at making people like their inescapable social destiny(Huxley pg. 13). Game make less organization, making a person bound to a superficial entertainment as it defies the ideology to be creative. This relates to a thousand splendid suns because men in the book do not care what happens to a women, so do the people of brave new world not care about connecting on an emotional level with each other, everybody serves their purpose within society and each person is there for anybody to use (even sexually) which is similar to a thousand splendid suns where the wife only role is to serve their husbands purpose and fulfill their needs just like Laila providing Rasheed with an heir. This can also relate to our present teenagers gaming mindset where advancement in ga ming technology have caused massive violence and hatred among teens making them do crime. For example Grand theft Auto is a game about stealing, shooting and hurting random people. Due to his game one of the incident that occurred in United States was the one teenager who shot two police men and was prisoned due to his crime. Similar to biological disadvantages, technology can be a dangerous factor towards the society if used inappropriately and without the regarded for the well-being of the human race. Society must ensure that technology and scientific advancements is changing to suit human needs but rather changing human race to suit science. Moreover the world one day without individual free will and sense would make it impossible to overcome these factors. Works Cited Huxley, Aldous, Margaret Atwood, and David Bradshaw. Brave New World. London: Vintage ,  2007. Print.

Free Oedipus the King Essays: Metamorphosis of Oedipus :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Metamorphosis of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex (the King)Â   Â   The metamorphosis of Oedipus in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" is sudden and climactic. Sophocles wrote the tragedy to bring a certain moral conclusion to fruition by the end of the novel. To have change, the character of Oedipus first had to reveal his tragic flaw. He begins the story as a brilliant conqueror and becomes a bereft and blind man at the play's surface. However, the moral of the play is not merely the consequences of attempting to circumvent one's fate. The running theme of the play is blindness, and Oedipus is blind the way through, comparable in every way to Sampson of the Bible. A quick-witted man at first glance, Oedipus soon showed himself to be arrogant and narrow-minded in his dealings with Tiresias, Creon, and the Old Man. After solving the puzzle of the Sphinx, he went on to unknowingly kill his father and try to save another city. His destiny was laid before him prior to his journeys, and by choosing to try to dodge it, he first showed his blindness. Tiresias was Oedipus' inverse at that point. He was the seer who had not vision while Oedipus had full use of his eyes, but was unwise and blinded to the events that circled him. Creon was cool-tempered and forgiving. After Oedipus harangued Creon with accusations of being in cahoots with Tiresias, Creon still wanted to bring the truth and have all be overlooked. At the end of the novel, Creon is kind towards Oedipus in his weakness, for even the strong fall. Oedipus is not aware that he has killed his father or is married to his own mother and has had children by her. As he realizes that the prophecies h as come to pass because of and despite him, his alteration takes place. Sampson was like Oedipus in many aspects of his character and life. Oedipus conquered the Sphinx; Sampson conquered an army using only a donkey's jawbone. Oedipus grew weaker and weaker until he finally discovered the truth and was held accountable, as was Sampson. Both engaged in sexual immorality, though one was less deliberate than the other. Towards the end of their lives they were both physically blinded, but could see the truth and stood more upright because of it. Both Sampson and Oedipus experienced a metamorphosis in which they were originally the greatest men, but by placing themselves and their "wisdom" above the gods or God's, they fell.

The Eclectic Model Essay -- Education

For my presentation I chose the Eclectic teaching method used in Physical Education. Going into the project I had no idea what the model was or what it involved. I quickly learned the importance of the Eclectic model and how it is the most vital and widely used teaching method out. The reason for this is because it is the combination of all the teaching models and grouping them to the different age levels of the students. Obviously, there are certain games or activities that you would not do with 3rd graders because they are not developed enough to handle them. On the other hand you may not do an activity with high schoolers because they are over developed for it and they will not gain any benefits from it. To better explain how the eclectic model would be used I researched other teaching models and broke them down into 3 categories where they fit best: Elementary, Middle School, and High School. Elementary Physical Education is usually the first time when young children are being professionally taught how to control their bodies and perform basic skills that they will need to succeed in physical activity throughout their lifetime. This is the most important part of a child’s Physical Education because without these skills and abilities they will not be able to exercise properly through life and it could also discourage them from trying different activities. If this happens our country will become even more obese and out of shape. The models we decided fit best in this age group of students were Developmental Education, Tactical Games Model, Movement Model, Interdisciplinary Elementary Education, and Inquiry Model. We discovered that these in particular taught objectives that younger children need before they could move onto m... ...entary school ages as well. When a school district decides to use the eclectic model in their PE program they do it in hopes that the students will apply what they have learned grades K-12 to the rest of their life. As PE teachers it is our job to give students the information needed to live a long, healthy life. When taught correctly, the eclectic model does just that. Works Cited 1. Siedentop, Daryl, Jacqueline Herkowitz, and Judith Rink. Elementary Physical Education Methods. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. Print. 2. Physical Education for Lifelong Fitness: The Physical Best Teacher's Guide. Leeds: Human Kinetics Europe, 2005. Print. 3. Manimtim-Florescar, Ruth. "Teaching Method: Eclectic | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online." The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online. 27 May 2008. Web. .

The Impact of Technology on Education Essay -- Teaching Education Essa

The Impact of Technology on Education Technology affects every aspect of our lives. From romance to business, it has shown its presence everywhere. But technology has had a huge impact on education that cannot be denied, and has done nothing but improve the quality and quantity of education. Today, schools are being pressured more and more to improve the technology they use and teach in the classrooms. Parents are placing this pressure on schools so that their students have the skills needed to compete in the real world job market. Students are placing pressure on the schools to improve technology by having more knowledge of current technology than the school’s staff. Teachers in turn are placing emphasis on the schools to improve technology they want to increase efficiency of information sharing, grading, and communication in the classroom. Businesses place an emphasis on technology in schools so that the schools adequately prepare their future employees, the students. The government is also placing pressure on schools to improve technology in the classrooms so that Americans can compete, along with helping prepare successful employees to help improve the economy in the future. These pressures are welcomed however, as schools are eager to improve their current use of technology in the classroom. But why are schools so eager to improve their use technology? And why is there so much importance placed on educating today's students with modern technology? The answer is simple: because technology has such a positive impact on education, and in so many ways. In regards to Language Arts education, the prominence of word processors has helped to ease the work of editing and rewriting. Built in spelling ... ...mpus isthe use of WebCT. This web site allows professors to create a source for the course syllabus, lecture notes and course calendar’s to be posted, along with public forums and public chat rooms. WebCT keeps track of what students are enrolled in what courses and when the student logs in, it brings up the information available for that student’s courses, along with notes if anything has been updated since the student’s last visit. All of this is available forLSSU students at their web page. These are examples of how exactly technology has affected education at Lake Superior State University. Technology has had a huge impact on education. It continues to shape the way we learn and what we learn today and in the future. As technology advances, so does the quality of education and that is nothing but good news for the students of today and of the future.

Compare and Contrast the Spread of Islam Essay

Two of the most significant religions are Islam and Christianity, their spread has effected many places throughout the world. Throughout the years these religions have had substantial impact on the course of history. There are many things alike and different between the spread of Islam in Africa and the spread of Christianity in Europe. During the first two centuries of the existence of each religion there were fundamental differences between the expansion of Christianity and that of Islam, despite early similarities in the way they spread. Christianity existed several centuries prior to the birth of Islam, and by the time Muhammad founded Islam in the Middle East, Christianity had moved its center to Europe, where it had firmly established itself as the official religion. But Christianity originally sprouted in the Middle East after Christ’s resurrection in A.D. 30. The church began in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, and it initially preached the Gospel only to the Jews. It grew quite rapidly for a time—in fact, the book of Acts records the conversion of 3000 Jews in a single, extraordinary day. During this early period, however, Christianity did not expand far beyond Jerusalem and its vicinity. That would soon change. After the first few years of relative peace for the church, a terrible persecution broke out following the stoning of Stephen. Jewish leaders hunted down the followers of Jesus and threw them into prison. At this time many in the church scattered to the surrounding countryside of Judea and Samaria. Christianity’s worldwide expansion was beginning (Nosotro 1). When Islam was founded about 550 years later, around the beginning of the seventh century, its initial experience was strikingly similar to the early experience of the Christian church. In 610 A.D. Muhammad claimed that he received revelations from God that called him to preach a new religion called Islam. At first he began to do so secretly, but after three years he found the courage to proclaim his new faith publicly and gained a growing number of followers. However, his monotheistic message was not well received by many in his polytheistic city, where people were used to profiting from pagan pilgrims. As a result, the early Muslim converts faced persecution, just as the early Christians had. Islam’s growth was limited during this  time, and it did not spread far beyond Mecca. Eventually the harassment forced Muhammad to leave Mecca, so he fled to Medina. Here he gathered many converts who became his militant followers. As with the early Christian church, therefore, persecution caused the first significant spread of Islam (Goddard 128). The histories of Christian and Muslim expansion, however, lost much of their similarity after the points of their initial dispersions caused by persecution. Christians, for example, generally established new churches in cities, intending that the gospel would diffuse into the countryside from there. But this made the spread of Christianity during the first two centuries an essentially urban phenomenon, and it became an urban religion. In contrast, Arabia had very few cities, so Islam spread mostly through villages and rural areas. Another contrast was that the Christian church continued to face persecution throughout its first two centuries, and yet it continued to grow. On the other hand, persecution against Muslims had essentially ended by the time Muhammad died. Many such distinctions made the spread of Christianity and the spread of Islam extremely different (Hutchinson 122). Perhaps the most significant difference between the first two centuries of the expansion of Christianity and Islam was between the methods used to spread their messages. These methods stemmed from the beliefs of each religion. Their contrasting attitudes caused Christians and Muslims to go about conversion in different manners. During their first two centuries, Christians did not force their religion on others but relied on missionaries, preaching, and leading godly lives to draw people to the one true God. Muslims, on the other hand, did not rely solely on preaching to spread their faith—they turned also to the sword. While it is true that many did convert willingly to Islam, the Muslims also conquered vast areas of land in the Middle East and Northern Africa during the seventh and eighth centuries. When they attacked or occupied new territory, they gave its inhabitants three options: convert to Islam, pay a special tax, or die. Under these circumstances many chose to pay the tax, and many others chose to convert to Islam (Nosotro 1). The differing methods of expansion actually helped determine the area each religion would cover as it spread. Christians during the first two centuries traveled from city to city in the Roman Empire, taking advantage of the excellent Roman roads. As a result, the first two centuries saw the Gospel spread primarily in Roman territory, although it was also carried to some other areas, including Ethiopia and perhaps even India. By the year 200 A.D., Christian communities existed throughout the Middle East and Turkey, and there were several in Greece and Italy as well. Islam, however, spread from Saudi Arabia and conquered most of the Middle East and North Africa. Muslims even extended themselves into the Iberian Peninsula and pressed north, nearly reaching Paris before Charles Martel checked their advance by defeating them at the Battle of Tours in 732. Because Islam advanced by force, it met with hostility and resistance in Europe, where Christianity was already strong. But in other areas, such as Egypt and Syria, it was accepted readily by people who had been living under suppressive rule. As a result of its method of expansion Islam could not spread far north into Europe but remained in the territory south of Europe instead (Neander 224). Clearly, the first two centuries of Christian expansion differed greatly from Islam’s first two centuries of expansion, in spite of some early similarities. Although the spread of both religions was initially sparked by persecution, they went about spreading their messages in very different ways. As a result of Christianity’s reliance on missionaries, it spread primarily in the Roman Empire. Since Islam used force to expand its territory, it could not expand far into Europe because it met military opposition. Instead it engulfed most of the Middle East and North Africa. Even today the marks of Christianity and Islam can be seen in the areas where they first spread. After its first two centuries of expansion, Christianity eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire, and it profoundly influenced the development of Europe and of the Americas. Islam still remains dominant in much of the Middle East and North Africa where it once created an empire (Nosotro 5) . In the beginning these two religions started on the same path of expansion.  But their expansions began to differ more and more throughout the years. The spread of Islam has greatly influenced Africa. Likewise, Christianity had a great influence on Europe. Both these religions have, and will continue to have, major effects throughout history. Work Cited Goddard, Hugh. Christians and Muslims. New York: Routledge, 1995. Hutchinson, Paul. The Spread of Christianity. Boston: Abingdon Press, 1922. Neander, Augustus. General History of the Christian Religion and Church. Boston: Crocker & Brewster, 1854. Nosotro, Rita. â€Å"The Spread of Christianity and Islam†. April 07, 2008 http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw11christislamexpand.htm.

Marketing Plan- Pepsi in Pakistan

Contents acknowledgement3 executive summary4 challenge5 new product category5 product line extension5 incremental improvement5 introduction to the company5 sigtuation analysis7 company analysis7 mission statement7 vision statement7 market share8 customer analysis8 customers:8 consumer decision process:9 competitors10 collaborators11 climate:12 economic effect analysis12 political effect analysis13 technological factors:14 social and cultural analysis14 swot analysis of pepsi15 strengths15 weaknesses15 opportunities16 threats16 market segmentation16 behavioral base16 congnitive base17 selected market strategy17 product17 branding:17 logo18 pepsi slogan18 product line19 packaging19 price20 prices of different bottles21 discounts21 placement/distribution channel22 indirect distribution22 direct distribution22 promotions22 conclusion23 suggestions23 bibliography24 references24 evidences24 visiting cards24 acknowledgement ? We owe our gratitude to Allah Almighty whose shower of blessings and kindness has been on us throughout the working on these pages. It is His help that we finally able to compile this document. Related article: co.uk/gardenia-marketing-plan/">Gardenia Target MarketWe are indebted to our respected teacher Miss Fiaza Rehman who’s indispensable and intricate comments on various aspects conjoined with motivation made us come forth holding such as project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ? Purpose of this project is to study the strategies which Pepsi is doing in Pakistani market for its product Pepsi cola. Pepsi International is a world renowned brand. It is a very well organized multinational company, which operates almost all over the world. In Pakistan It also has proved itself to be the No. 1 soft drink.Now days Pepsi is recognized as Pakistanis National drink Pepsi's greatest rival is Coca Cola. Coca Cola has an international recognized brand. Coke’s basic strength is its brand name. But Pepsi with its aggressive marketing planning and quick diversification in creating and promoting new ideas and product packaging, is successfully maintaining is No. 1 position in Pakistan. Pepsi is operating in Pakistan, through its 12 bottlers all over Pakistan. These bottlers are Pepsi's strength. Pepsi has given franchise to these bottlers.Bottlers, produce, distribute and help in promoting the brand. Pepsi also launched its fast food chain KFC i. e. â€Å"Kentucky Fried Chicken. † We also did analysis of the soft drink industry in Pakistan and worldwide. The soft drinks set to become world's leading beverage sector. Global consumption of soft drinks is rising by 5% a year. CHALLENGE Pepsi is doing new product development on frequent interval of times. The purpose of which is to refresh the brand. By new products and innovative ideas consumers can easily be attracted.In following ways Pepsi is doing new product development. New product category Pepsi which is mainly a company of soft drinks after establishing a brand in Pakistan Pepsi came into several new product category. Lays, kurkuray and aqua fina, fast food restaurants are the examples of new product category. Product line extension Mountain dew is the most recent addition in the product line of soft drinks which is very popular especially among the youngsters. However Pepsi launch its several variants with a minor difference on frequent interval of time.There have been many Pepsi variants produced over the years since 1903, including Diet Pepsi, Crystal Pepsi, Pepsi Twist, Pepsi Max, Pepsi Samba, Pepsi Blue, Pepsi Gold, Pepsi Holiday Spice, Pepsi Jazz, Pepsi X (available in Finland and Brazil), Pepsi Next (available in Japan and South Korea), Pepsi Raw, Pepsi Retro in Mexico, Pepsi One, Pepsi Ice Cucumber and Pepsi White in Japan. * Line Filling Pepsi claims that they are doing mass marketing but there was an unfilled gap in the consumers. The diabetic patient can’t use the regular Pepsi because f the sugar. So Pepsi had introduced diet Pepsi to fill the gap in their drinks as of then onwards even diabetic people became their consumers. Incremental Improvement Pepsi jumb o is an example of incremental improvement made by Pepsi. It was 2. 25 liter bottle introduced few years ago in Pakistan. The purpose of this packing is to offer the Pepsi to a family for one or two time meals. Price of this pack is also kept low so that is can be affordable easily by the consumers. INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPANY Pepsi International is a world renowned brand.It is a very well organized multinational company, which operates almost all over the world. They produce, one of best carbonated drinks in the world. Pepsi is a symbol of hygiene, quality and service, all over the world. Pepsi is producing Cola for more than 100 years and it has dominated the world market for a long time. Its head office is in New York. HISTORY OF PEPSI COLA It was first introduced as â€Å"Brad's Drink† in New Bern, North Carolina in 1898 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his pharmacy where the drink was sold.It was later named Pepsi Cola, possibly due to the digestive enzyme pepsin and kol a nuts used in the recipe. Bradham sought to create a fountain drink that was delicious and would aid in digestion and boost energy. In 1903, Bradham moved the bottling of Pepsi-Cola from his drugstore to a rented warehouse. That year, Bradham sold 7,968 gallons of syrup. The next year, Pepsi was sold in six-ounce bottles, and sales increased to 19,848 gallons. In 1909, automobile race pioneer Barney Oldfield was the first celebrity to endorse Pepsi-Cola, describing it as â€Å"A bully drink†¦ efreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race†. The advertising theme â€Å"Delicious and Healthful† was then used over the next two decades. In 1926, Pepsi received its first logo redesign since the original design of 1905. In the year 1929, the logo was changed again. In 1931, at the depth of the Great Depression, the Pepsi-Cola Company entered bankruptcy – in large part due to financial losses incurred by speculating on wildly fluctuating sugar prices as a r esult of World War I. Assets were sold and Roy C. Megargel bought the Pepsi trademark. Eight years later, the company went bankrupt again.Pepsi's assets were then purchased by Charles Guth, the President of Loft Inc. Loft was a candy manufacturer with retail stores that contained soda fountains. He sought to replace Coca-Cola at his stores' fountains after Coke refused to give him a discount on syrup. Guth then had Loft's chemists reformulate the Pepsi-Cola syrup formula. During the Great Depression, Pepsi gained popularity following the introduction in 1936 of a 12-ounce bottle. Initially priced at 10 cents, sales were slow, but when the price was slashed to five cents, sales increased substantially.With a radio advertising campaign featuring the jingle â€Å"Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / Twelve full ounces, that's a lot / Twice as much for a nickel, too / Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you,† arranged in such a way that the jingle never ends. Pepsi encouraged price-watching consum ers to switch, obliquely referring to the Coca-Cola standard of six ounces per bottle for the price of five cents (a nickel), instead of the 12 ounces Pepsi sold at the same price. Coming at a time of economic crisis, the campaign succeeded in boosting Pepsi's status. In 1937 500,000,000 bottles of Pepsi were consumed.From 1936 to 1938, Pepsi-Cola's profits doubled. Pepsi's success under Guth came while the Loft Candy business was faltering. Since he had initially used Loft's finances and facilities to establish the new Pepsi success, the near-bankrupt Loft Company sued Guth for possession of the Pepsi-Cola company. A long legal battle, Guth v. Loft, then ensued, with the case reaching the Delaware Supreme Court and ultimately ending in a loss for Guth. PEPSI COLA PAKISTAN The market in Pakistan is surely dominated by Pepsi. It has proven itself to be the No. 1 soft drink in Pakistan. Now days Pepsi is recognized as Pakistanis National drink.In 1971, first plant of Pepsi was constru cted in Multan, and from there after Pepsi is going higher and higher. Pepsi is the choice soft drink of every one. It is consumed by all age groups because of its distinctive taste. Compared with other Cola in the market, it is a bit sweeter and it contributes greatly to its liking by all. Consumer’s survey results explain the same outcome and Pepsi has been declared as the most wanted soft drink of Pakistan. SITUATION ANALYSIS COMPANY ANALYSIS MISSION STATEMENT â€Å"To be the world's premier consumer Products Company focused on convenient foods and beverages.We seek to produce healthy financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity. † VISION STATEMENT â€Å"To be the world's best beverage company†. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness and value, so that their every customer is contented and happy with their products. † â€Å"To increase the value of their shareholder’s investment through sales growth, cost control and wise investment of resources. † MARKET SHAREWhen Pepsi was introduced in Pakistan, it faced fierce competition with 7up, lemon and lime drinks, which was established during 1968, in Multan. Pepsi introduced its lemon and lime, â€Å"Teem† to compete with 7up. It successfully, after some years, took over 7up, and this enhanced Pepsi's profits and market share. In Pakistan, Pepsi with 7up enjoys 70% of the market share where as the coke just has 20% markets share. Pepsi is operating in Pakistan, through its 12 bottlers all over Pakistan. These bottlers are Pepsi's strength. Pepsi has given franchise to these bottlers. Bottlers, produce, distribute and help in promoting the brand.Pepsi also launched its fast food chain KFC i. e. â€Å"Kentucky Fried Chicken. † CUSTOMER AN ALYSIS CUSTOMERS: There are three types of customers 1. Consumer 2. Business 3. Government Pepsi main focus is the consumers which are the end users. Pepsi has to make its marketing strategies keeping in view the consumer buying behavior. To forecast the behavior of the consumer is a business problem. Physical aspect of the consumer can be satisfied but it is difficult to satisfy the consumer psychologically. Consumer buying behavior is affected by certain factors like Cultural factors, Social factors, Personal factors and Psychological factors.So the producer should keep these factors in Mind while promoting their product so that they can acquire the customer and increase their market share. There are different consumers in a society whose behavior is not the same. Every consumer has a different perception of different products. Some consumers are impressed by one quality of the product which may be in the view of other consumer not that impressive. So to deal with different consum ers in a society one should know about the consumer buying behavior process which may help in making a true picture of their product in the mind of the consumers.About 75 million cases a year for Pepsi alone; the total beverage market is about 120 million cases of which 65% per cent are Pepsi products; about 20 to 22 per cent are Coca-Cola products and Zum Zum cola and Mecca Cola, Amrit Cola and Muslim Cola†¦ there are so many colas; there is RC and Double Cola which are franchised products. Altogether they have around 5 per cent of the market. Due to the Afghan and Iraq wars, they did get a little footing especially in the frontier and Islamabad area but still they are not hugely popular * ? Total annual sale of soft drink in Pakistan 120 million cases * ?Pepsi annual sales in Pakistan 75 million * ? Market share of Pepsi 65% * ? Consumption growth 1. 7 % per year CONSUMER DECISION PROCESS: Consumer decision process or consumer buying behavior is explained in some steps which are discussed below: * Need Identification The consumer is thirsty and he wants to quench his thirst. * Information Search He will search as to what will satisfy his thirst the most. * Evaluation of Alternatives He will now evaluate from the wide range of beverages available to him that which one of them is suitable to him in terms of quality, taste and is pocket friendly. Selection After evaluating the product he will select a product. * Purchase The consumer will buy the selected product. * Post-Purchase Experience: It is the experience that the consumer gets after using the product. He will use the product again if he feels that his satisfaction after use is more or equal to the price of the product. After looking at above mentioned example, we can get an understanding that a product should be so desirable that whenever a person identifies his need, he selects our product among various substitute products and he feel satisfies so that he retains the use of that product.COMPETITOR S Company who directly target your customers. The marketing concept states that to be successful, a company must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors do. Pepsi has a tough competition with Coca Cola while it faces a little competition with the local producers like RC Cola, Shandi Cola etc. The local producers hardly affect the sales of Pepsi in the market. There are different types of competitor in the market. Some of them in which our product lies are discussed below: ? Close Competitor Pepsi and Coke are close competitors.It means that both have direct competition in the market, their products are close substitutes for one another. Both the products can influence the market share of one another through effective strategies made to cope up with their competitors. * Distant competitors Pepsi cola and Nestle juice are distant competitors of one another. It means that their products satisfy the same want but they are in indirect competition with one ano ther. * Strong Vs Weak: Coca Cola and Pepsi are strong competitors. In Pakistan Pepsi is the market leader and Coca Cola is its competitor.The Pepsi makes defense strategies so that it can maintain its position in the market. While Coca Cola is a challenger and it makes attack strategies so that it can become the market leader. Pepsi and Shandi Cola are weak competitors. Pepsi is the market leader and Shandi Cola is the follower. Pepsi is not in direct competition with the Shandi Cola. It means that Shandi Cola has little effect on the sales of Pepsi. COLLABORATORS Pepsi Cola International has given franchises all over Pakistan. These companies have installed their plants in different parts of Pakistan with these specified areas and names e. g.City| Name of Franchise| Karachi| Pakistan Bottlers| Lahore| Riaz Bottlers| Faisalabad| Punjab Beverage | Multan| Shamim ; company| Pepsi Cola provides consumers place utility which is, where ever and whenever you want it, you get it! Pepsiâ⠂¬â„¢s channel of distribution is very aggressive according to the consumers, manufacturers and distributors. Pepsi has 12 different units in different areas of Pakistan, which make the Pepsi easily available all over the country. The cities in which the Pepsi units are: * Lahore * Sukkur * Karachi * Multan * Dera Ghazi Khan * Islamabad * Faisalabad * Quetta * Hyderabad * Sahiwal * HattarPepsi is an international brand so it also has other units in other countries of the world like America, Europe, Afghanistan, Middle East and Central Asia. The big advantage for Pepsi in Pakistan is that it distributes the product through bottlers. So bottlers’ effort also contributes in the promotion of Pepsi. CLIMATE: ECONOMIC EFFECT ANALYSIS * Income and Income per Capita If the income level or per capita income of the people increases, it will have a positive effect on the consumption of Pepsi. * Inflation If the country faces inflationary trend in the market, the price of the Pepsi will ultimately increase which will lower its demand. Consumption Behavior Pakistan is a consumption oriented society. Due to demonstration effect the people are more inclined towards consumption than saving. So the people of Pakistan spent heavily on food items. Hence Pepsi has a good market share in the present circumstances. * Income Distribution It means how much is in the hands of rich and poor class. In Pakistan 10% rich people posses 93% of wealth and 90% people posses 7% of wealth. If there is balanced distribution of income in the country, the consumption of the people will increase hence increasing the sales of beverages as well. * Payment ModAs the use of plastic money is increasing the consumption pattern of the people are increasing. Although it will have a low affect on the consumption of Pepsi. * Employment Opportunities As employment opportunities increase the living standard of the people increase and the people consume more. * Aggregate Demand In case of Pepsi, aggregat e demand of the product increases in the season of summer as the hot weather makes the consumers want to drink more. * Aggregate Supply In summer season to cope up with the increasing demand they have to increase the aggregate supply of their product. * Economic PoliciesSome of the economic policies which can affect the market of Pepsi are discussed below: * Fiscal Policy It is the policy of taxes. If heavy tax is levied on Pepsi then its price will rise having negative effect on its consumption. * Monetary Policy Monetary policy is made to restrict or increase the supply of money in the market. If policies are made to restrict the flow of money in the market, inflation can be controlled hence increasing the real income of the people which will ultimately affect the consumption of Pepsi. * Price Policy If price of Pepsi is increased its demand will decrease and vice versa. Income Policy If income of the people will increase their purchasing power will increase and hence increasing t he market share of Pepsi. POLITICAL EFFECT ANALYSIS * Political Stability: Whenever the government is considered to be stable, the business will flourish. If there is political stability in the country the policies and strategies made by Pepsi can be consistent to be implemented. Foreign companies are also keen to invest in those countries which are politically stable where they have no fear of decline in their market share or shut down due to sudden change of government. Mixed Economy In mixed economy government and private sector both plays their role in developing the economy of the country. Investment by foreign companies like Pepsi is more likely to flourish in mixed economy.? * Laws Formulation Government has given copy rights to Pepsi so that another company cannot sell their product by the name of Pepsi. The countries where laws are formulated, the strategies and activities of the company are different. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS: * Research and DevelopmentThrough research and de velopment quality of the product can be improved or better techniques or machinery can be developed which can increase the production. When technology is advance the supply of the product increase hence the company experiences growth in their business. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANALYSIS * Psychographic It is a combination of demographic and psychological factors. Psychological attributes mean how you perceive things. The company will focus on the behavior of consumers and make different changes in their product quantity or quality and in promoting their product so that they can attract the customers.Keeping in view that the behavior of different consumers is not alike they have to make their marketing strategies in accordance with their requirements so that they are convinced to buy the product. * Religious Religious factors can influence the market sales of Pepsi as it happened in 2003 when the U. S-led attack on Iraq, wide sections of society in Pakistan have banned American multination als Coke and Pepsi * Social Status Pepsi is a well renowned brand. People who are brand conscious will not drink beverages of lesser known brands such as Amrat cola.They will try to show their status by drinking Pepsi which is known to all as a quality drink. * Media It is a very important factor for marketing. Media these days is a very effective way of inspiring people to buy a specific product. A good promotion can boast up sales to a great extent. SWOT ANALYSIS OF PEPSI SWOT Analysis, which is based on thorough review of the business (corporation, product category competition, customers and products), identities and evaluates the internal strengths and weakness of the companies well as its external threats and opportunities.The marketing mix is driven by the results of the SWOT analysis. STRENGTHS * Demand of Pepsi is more than its competitors. * Company has a very established name and a good reputation. * Pepsi has large market share than its competitors. * As the target custom ers of Pepsi is young generation, so Pepsi has more brand loyal customers. * Most of the customers are satisfied with the price of the Pepsi. * Pepsi is an international company and it has a very strong position internationally. * The environment of factory is very good and attractive. * Pepsi spends a lot of budget on its advertising. Pepsi has a very vast distribution channel and it is easily available everywhere. * Employees are also motivated. * Pepsi offers many discount schemes for customers time to time. * Pepsi Cola is sponsoring sports, musical concerts, walks. * The location of the Pepsi plant is utilized that all major markets of Lahore are within the reach of the Pepsi plant within 30-45 minutes. WEAKNESSES * Pepsi does not offer any sort of incentive or discount to its retailers. * Pepsi target only young customers in their promotions. * Crown of the disposable bottle is not good. * Demand of disposal bottle is declining. Pepsi tin pack is not available in far off rural areas. * Pepsi is not considering many potential outlets like hotels, college canteens etc. OPPORTUNITIES * Company may start entering rural areas also. * The company may also diversify its business in some other potential business. * Increased interest of people in musical groups, cultural shows and sports has provided an opportunity for Pepsi to increase its sales through them. THREATS * The main competitor of the company is the Coca Cola. * At the international level, Pepsi has a very strong competition with Coke.Coke has started its advertisements more effectively to increase their demand and it is a very strong threat for Pepsi. * Cola drinks are not good for the health so the awareness level of the people is increasing which is a big threat to the company. MARKET SEGMENTATION It means that you divide the target market in to different groups. Market consists of buyers and buyers differ in one or more ways. They may differ in wants, resources, locations and buying practices. Th rough market segmentation companies divide large, heterogeneous markets into smaller segments that can be reached more efficiently and effectively with products nd services that match their unique needs. Segmentation is done on basis of the previously mentioned external factors and the following: BEHAVIORAL BASE It is how people perceive a specific product, in short psychological analysis of a product. Pepsi all over the world is recognized as a quality drink and therefore people drink it without any hesitation whenever they are thirsty or otherwise. So marketers of Pepsi have made it a drink for all people and for diabetic people they introduced diet Pepsi. CONGNITIVE BASE It pushes and pulls the consumer.If the outlook of Pepsi bottle is desirable and it attracts the consumer, he will buy it even if he isn’t thirsty. SELECTED MARKET STRATEGY PRODUCT The soft drinks market in Pakistan enjoys dynamic growth in both volume and value terms. Carbonated drinks have become part of the culture in Pakistan and multinational companies have maintained standards over the years to provide the nation with high-quality drinks. Rural areas of Pakistan have driven sales of carbonated drinks to new heights as more than 60 percent of the population resides in rural areas and young consumers are more attracted to advertising.Pepsi is the most popular and leader brand in the Pakistani market and is consumed by children and adults alike. Pepsi is a responsible corporate brand of Pakistan and have contributed a lot to the economy. In marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a market that might satisfy a want or need. Until unless the product of the company is not strong in the market it cannot survive in the longer run. Pepsi has a product line comprised up of carbohydrate drinks, Lays and many other products in Pakistan.Pepsi’s product line satisfies consumer needs because Pepsi produces different types of soft drinks for different consumers. The most popular product of Pepsi is Pepsi Cola. Due to its good taste Pepsi is a well-known product. Thus Pepsi Cola satisfies the consumer’s needs efficiently by launching a desired product. BRANDING: Consumer view a brand name as an important part of the product and branding can add value to the product. A name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of these intended to identify the goods and services of one eller or group of seller and to differentiate them from their competitors. LOGO Logo is what establishes a brand name in the consumer mind. It is the brands identify, signature, image and more often it is a logo that makes of breaks a product logo plays a very effective role to improve the product or brand. Pepsi kept on changing its logo from time to time along with the trade marks. Evolution of Pepsi logo ? PEPSI SLOGAN 1909-1939:  Ã‚  Ã‚   | Delicious and Healthful | 1939-1950: | Twice As Much For A Nickel Too | 1950-1963: | The Light Refreshment | 1953-1961: | Be Sociable | 961-1963: | Now It's Pepsi For Those Who Think Young | 1963-1967: | Come Alive! You're In The Pepsi Generation | 1967-1969: | Taste That Beats The Others Cold | 1969-1973: | You've Got A Lot To Live, Pepsi's Got A Lot To Give | 1973-1975: | Join The Pepsi People Feelin' Free | 1975-1978: | Have A Pepsi Day | 1978-1981: | Catch That Pepsi Spirit | 1981-1982: | Pepsi's Got Your Taste For Life! | 1983-1983: | Pepsi Now! | 1984-now : | Pepsi, The Choice Of A New Generation | 2000 : The choice of a new generation. 2003 : Zinda Dilon Ki Pehchan. 006 : Generation next. PRODUCT LINE SODA| WATER| CHIPS| JUICES| Pepsi cola| Aquafina| Lays | Tropicana | Teem | | Kurkure | | Mirinda | | | | 7up| | | | Dew | | | | Pepsi twist| | | | PACKAGING â€Å"Packaging is a part of product planning in which a firm researchers, designs, and produces its packaging. † The physical container may be a cardboard, metal, plastic or wooden box; a cellophane, wax paper, or cloth wrapper; a glass, aluminum, or plastic jar or can; a paper bag; styro foam; some other material; or a combination of these products frequently have more than one physical container.But packaging depends upon the product nature as well as structure means either it is liquid, semi liquid or solid. In case of Pepsi Cola, they take the packaging designs by considering what is better for company and what is better or convenient for the transportation. For protecting the syrup, Pepsi Cola uses the glass as well as plastic bottles of different quantity. The variants that are offered by Pepsi in terms of size and quantity, 1. 175 ml Mini Bottle(not available now) 2. 250 ml Regular Bottle 3. 300 ml Tin 4. 1000 ml Regular Liter Bottle 5. 1500 ml Disposable BottlePRICE The amounts of money charged for a product or service, or sum of the values that consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or services. As price gives us the profit so this P is very important for business price of produ ct should be that which gives maximum benefit to the company and which gives maximum satisfaction to the customer. Following factors Pepsi kept in mind while determining the pricing strategy. * Price should be set according to the product demand of public. * Price should be that which gives the company maximum revenue. Price should not be too low or too high than the price competitor is charging from their customers otherwise nobody will buy your product. * Price must be keeping the view of your target market. The price of Pepsi Cola, despite being market leader is the same as that of its competitor Coca cola. Sometimes, Pepsi places its customers into some psychological pricing strategies by reducing a high priced bottle and consumers think that they save a lot of money from this. PRICES OF DIFFERENT BOTTLES Regular bottle e= rupees 12 Non Returnable/disposable= rupees 17 Liter Bottle=rupees 30 . 5 Liter Bottle= rupees 60 2. 25 Liter Bottle= rupees 70 DISCOUNTS Pepsi Cola offers va rious discounts to those retailers who have the maximum sales of Pepsi products on daily, monthly and on seasonal basis. Some of the main discounts given to the retailers are as follows: Quality Discount Following are discounts offered by Pepsi. 1/10 Discount I. e. one case of Pepsi is free on buying 10 cases of Pepsi at one time. 2/20 Discount I. e. two cases of Pepsi are free on buying 20 cases of Pepsi at one time. Seasonal Discount Following are discounts offered by Pepsi.Pepsi also offers seasonal discounts schemes by reducing price in Ramadan and on Eid. Pepsi also offers trade in allowance for retailers. PLACEMENT/DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL The Pepsi uses the following two channels for the distribution of their products. INDIRECT DISTRIBUTION Indirect distribution involves agency holders e. g. Riaz Bottlers Pvt. Ltd. Lahore franchise has divided its region i. e. Lahore and Kasur districts in two categories. Local Zone These are 62 agencies distributing Pepsi Products (250ml Sd) onl y around Lahore in their respective allocated sub zones. Out Station Zone 7 dealers have been appointed by the bottlers for far distant places and in out skirts of Lahore and Kasur the dealers involved in direct distribution are only authorized to sell 250 ml (STD) bottle of Pepsi, Team and Marinda. DIRECT DISTRIBUTION The factory vehicles operate on 45 direct routes in Lahore selling non-returnable bottles Litter, Pet and Can. PROMOTIONS In Pakistan Pepsi is the most liked soft drink especially by young generation so the Pepsi cola company has devised such marketing strategy which attracted them. For this reason they started monitoring the habits of the generation.What they saw was that the students were crazy about cricket and usually liked to idealize them so in order to increase their sales the Pepsi cola company paid high amounts of money to the cricketers to act as their spokes men. Some of the most famous cricketers in the modern era have acted as spoke persons also film star s have been acting as spoke persons. The Pepsi cola company has after doing research also has introduced different size of bottles offered at lower prices so that everyone can afford them. Also Pepsi Company has introduced other soft drinks including mountain dew, seven up and marinda.Pepsi company has introduced other flavors such as Pepsi twist, Pepsi max diet Pepsi. Pepsi Cola Company has also become official sponsors of Pakistan cricket and has sponsored a number of series. Also Pepsi has donated a lot to the earth quake victims and has launched a number of prize schemes to attract new customers As a result of this marketing strategy Pepsi has become the largest seller of soft drinks in Pakistan and is slowly forming a monopoly in drinks market. Although many soft drinks like Pepsi have been introduced such as Amrit Cola, Quibla Cola offered at lower prices but none of these drinks have been able replace it.Frequency of the Pepsi ads varies from time to time. When the season is on Pepsi do heavy advertisement especially in ramzan days or eid occasions but this advertisement not remain consist. We can hardly see the ads of Pepsi now as there is winter season. CONCLUSION Pepsi is a well renowned company and it has maintained its position well by understanding the client psychology, by ensuring quality, by introducing ingenuity in products, by enlarging its product base, by keeping economic factors in view and by intense and jazzy advertisements.Whenever and where ever there is a spotlight event, Pepsi must figure in, like the one day international cricket matches between India and Pakistan many other such occasions. The key word for success in the Marketing World is to â€Å"remain in the spotlight† and that is what Pepsi is doing. SUGGESTIONS The marketing world is full of surprises. Who could imagine that Coca Cola would be overtaken by Pepsi? If Coke could be overrun by Pepsi, it would be no wonder that Pepsi might be overtaken by some other bevera ge. The need then is to combine quality with ingenuity.Along with that, the reputation of the company has to be kept robust. Today we live in a fast moving world where novelty and newness count a lot. One cannot rest on one’s laurels. Fresh efforts, newness of approach must remain the cardinal principles of a well orchestrated marketing strategy and the campaign must be relentless. A continuous bombardment in advertisement would convince the clients that Pepsi is a part of their lives. In order to live with style, Pepsi ought to be an essential ingredient of one’s life.The Pepsi is at its maturity stage and the sales of company are not growing very rapidly. Company is doing a lot of promotional activities to let the product remain in the market. It holds a large share of the market and whenever the sales state declining, the company can improve it by different promotional activities. Marketers of Pepsi can try to improve sales by improving one or more marketing mix ele ments. They can cut prices to attract new users and competitor’s customers. They can also launch a better advertising campaign or use aggressive sales promotion to improve the sales.Thus, Pepsi is at its maturity stage. BIBLIOGRAPHY The following are the reference material where the information is collected. i) Company websitewww. pepsico. com ii) Project Outline REFERENCES The person from whom the information is collected. i) NameTousif-ur-Rahman Khan ii) Designation/PositionBusiness Unit Manager iii) Cell No. 0302-8465226 iv) Email Addresstousif. [email protected] com. pk EVIDENCES VISITING CARDS The visiting cards of the persons relevant to marketing department are attached herewith.

To what extent are developmental states emerging within Africa and what policies could be adopted to support them?

Introduction This essay is concerned with analysing what role, if any, the model of the ‘developmental state’ can play within Africa. The concept of the â€Å"developmental state† has origins in the fruitful development in Eastern Asia. This research will look to examine the relevance of the existing model to contemporary Ghana. The paper will also look at the extent to which the favourable conditions for growth that existed in East Asia could ever be replicated in Africa (for a brief summary of the contemporary debate see: United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC), 2013). As a form of introduction to the topic, this study will start with a brief definition of a developmental state according to the literature before moving on to look at what characteristics make up a typical developmental state. A brief analysis will determine the extent to which there is agreement within the literature. From here, the paper will look at the origins of the â€Å"developmental state model† born out of the experiences in East Asia as well as exploring some of the major academic contributions to the developmental state debate. Here, the research will touch upon the relevance of these contributions within the African context. The second section will be the main critical analysis around the extent to which developmental states are emerging within Africa or whether the ‘impossibility theorem’ (Mkanadwire, 2001) continues to hold water. Following that, the paper will examine what policies are needed to support these fledgling developmental states, according to the literature. The third and final chapter will provide case studies from Ghana, examining whether this nation possesses any of the defining features that constitute a developmental state. The aim here is to show, via a practical example, that â€Å"developmental states† are possible in Africa but are also far from similar to East Asian examples. Here, the paper will also offer a critique to show the struggles and developmental threats for Africa as a counter argument that developmental states are emerging within Africa. Starting first with a definition of a developmental state, the study immediately encounter some points of contention. Firstly, as Mbabazi and Taylor (2005) point out, â€Å"the definition of a developmental state does not correspond directly with economic performance.† That is, a country which is performing well economically is not necessary ‘developmental’. Rather, the current accepted definition of a â€Å"developmental state† is one that is ideologically directed towards development, where the state â€Å"seriously attempts to deploy its administrative and political resources to the task of economic development† (Mbabazi and Taylor, 2005: 2). Traditionally. â€Å"developmental states† are associated with locations that have economic development as a leading governmental policy which has the potential to form bodies which can facilitate these policies and targets. To be classed as a developmental state, there must be a governmental ability to â€Å"weave formal and informal networks of collaboration† between civilians and public officials whilst promoting â€Å"macro-economic stability† and maintaining an â€Å"institutional framework that provides law and order, effective administration of justice and peaceful resolution of conflicts, ensures property rights and appropriate infrastructure investments, and advances human development† (Mkandawire, 1999, 2010; UNESC, 2013; 2). Others have added to the definition of a developmental state in that it must be willing to engage itself directly with the direction and pace of economic development using ‘market conforming’ mechanisms to allocate economic resources, rather than simply falling back on a uncoordinated, laissez-faire attitudes to market forces (Johnson, 1982: 319-20; Mbabazi and Taylor, 2005: 4; Meyns and Musamba, 2010 :13, UNESC, 2013: 2). Now that a clear definition of what a developmental state is, along with a taste of what key theoretical features need to be present has been established, this paper will take a step back to look at the origins of the developmental state in terms of East Asian experiences. Here, the study will see some of the main contributions made to the literature from leading scholars, which will shed some light on what are held to be the key theoretical features of developmental states. This will then be used as an entry point into the discussion about to what extent these theoretical features are feasible, and how it might be applied within the context of this research. As touched upon above, much of the contemporary discussion about developmental states has its roots in research conducted on the experiences faced by the East Asian tigers (for the original research see: Amsden, 1989; Haggard, 1990; Johnson, 1982). There seems to be a general consensus within the academic literate as to the key features that facilitate the Asian tigers to superior levels of growth and these are the following: Embedded autonomy of state bureaucracy: Put forward by Peter Evans (1989, 1995), he argued that strong state institutions have a significant influence towards the promotion of development in the Tiger economies because they avoided being ‘captured’ by vested interests. The East Asian states have professional bureaucracies, in which the employees had real opportunities for advancement so they avoided the temptation to engage in extra rent-seeking (income providing) activities. Simultaneously, Evans noted that the state administration remained attached to or embedded in society so that it did not become isolated and self-serving, so that it could continually redefine its policy goals and aims. Market conforming intervention Charlmers Johnson (1982), who studied Japan’s highly successful post-war recovery, found similar results to Evans. He notes that â€Å"small, inexpensive, professional and efficient state bureaucracies or pilot bureaucratic agencies†, like the Japanese Ministry for International Trade and Industry (MITI), which had authority over economic policy, allowed those states to promote civic interests whilst maintaining a high level of prestige and legitimacy (Johnson, 1982: 49). Most importantly for Johnson, however, was the fact that the government of Japan provided national administrators with the tools and authority to intervene directly in the economy under the condition that all work would stick to neo-liberal market principles (Johnson 1982: 315-316). Political primacy According to Adrian Leftwich; â€Å"politics is the dominant variable which determines the concept of the developmental state as well as the developmental success or failure in all human societies† (Meynes and Musamba, 2005:16). Leftwich (2000: 4) argues that developmental states possess the following six factors during their emergence: â€Å"The presence of development-oriented political elite who possess high levels of commitment and will to attain economic growth.† â€Å"A powerful, professional, highly competent, insulated and career-based bureaucracy† â€Å"Civil society is relatively weak and disorganised† â€Å"A high capacity for the effective economic management of both domestic and private economic interests† â€Å"An uneasy mix of repression and non-adherence to human rights† â€Å"Performance-based legitimacy of the governing political elite, and which takes precedence over procedural legitimacy† (Leftwich, 2000:174). It seems that Leftwich differs in his arguments from Evans, in that Leftwich observes an imbalance. Yet it can be seen that there exists a significant state body which has a powerful bureaucracy which can effectively take care of the interest of the private economic. Then, this leads to a frail society which has no way of influencing the ruling elite. Alternatives to neo-liberal economics: Conceptually speaking, the developmental state is often located in-between a â€Å"free market capitalist economic system† and a centrally-planned economic system â€Å"conjoining private ownership with state guidance† (Woo-Cumings 1999: 2). This means it is neither purely capitalist nor totally socialist. With regards to the relationship between the developmental state and â€Å"interventionism† is concerned, â€Å"the developmental state is an embodiment of a normative or moral ambition to use the interventionist power of the state to guide investment in a way that promotes a certain solidaristic vision of national economy† (Loriaux 1999: 24). Ha-Joon Chang, demonstrates that â€Å"economic development requires a state which can create and regulate the economic and political relationships that can support sustained industrialisation – or in short, a developmental state† (Chang, 1999:183). Therefore, the creation of the developmental state concept leads to the formation of a interventionist state. Are developmental states emerging in Africa Several African states have endured a surge in development across the independence years, that started from the early 1960s onwards (Woo?Cumings 1999: 19?20). However, subsequently, governance deteriorated and efforts to spread education stalled: â€Å"National armies discredited themselves through bloody coups and internal divisions along ethnic lines† (Woo?Cumings 1999: 19?20). Since those dark times, there has been increasing evidence to suggest that developmental states are now emerging in sub-Saharan Africa. However, existing literature expresses concerns with regards to if this the correct route for the African countries. For example, Woo-Cumings warns us that the developmental state can be â€Å"good in relation to its (economic) effectiveness but it can also be a grim model in terms of human rights and lack of democracy† (Woo-Cumings 1999: 19?20). After initial developmental optimism, by the 1990s, things had changed; â€Å"the African state had become the most demonised social institution in Africa, vilified for its weaknesses, its over-extension, its interference with the smooth functioning of markets, its repressive character, its dependence on foreign powers, its ubiquity, its absence† (Mkadawire, 2001: 293). The legacy this has left behind is an academic thesis that posits that the developmental state concept is â€Å"not feasible under prevalent conditions in Africa known as the impossibility theorem† (Mkadawire, 2001: 293). Lewis and Stein (1997) for example, when investigating the possibility of translating the Asian model and replicating it in the African context argue that â€Å"while greater political insulation of economic policy makers could reasonably be achieved in African countries, the extensive coordinated economic interventions of the East Asian states are far beyond the administrative capabilities of most African governments†. Scepticism has been widespread within the literature regarding the prospects for the formation of viable developmental states, owing mostly to the poor record of state-led development efforts during the immediate post-independence era of African governance. State intervention in the economy, according to Ake, became a way for the governing elite to accumulate wealth for themselves (Ake, 1996). Others have put forward that the African continent lacks â€Å"adequate political superstructure and the leadership necessary for implementing policy of a developmental nature† (Birdsall, 2007: 580). The ‘impossibility theorem’ is a collection of arguments that posits that the developmental state concept in Africa is not possible, and, in particular, demonstrates scepticism towards the East Asian development experiences and if these could act as a model for Africa (Mkandawire 2001) . Those who advance the ‘impossibility theorem’ also argue that this model is incompatible with globalization. They argue that the current â€Å"international regulatory architecture and the dominance of the neo-liberal paradigm† – supported by the World Bank, the IMF and the Washington Consensus – have created an environment that is largely â€Å"inhospitable for the viability of the developmental state approach† (Beeson 2006: 34-39). Yet, supporters of the emergence of African developmental states argue that â€Å"the poor performance and lack of potential for African countries to achieve rapid state-led development is due to a biased and unfair comparison of the achievements of the East Asian models† (Mkandawire, 2001, Chang, 2006, UNCTAD, 2007). The fact is, developmental states are emerging in Africa and there evidence for them to promote a developmental-state approach. It is now accepted that â€Å"market-based economies† need a successful state to function and develop. African nations are beginning to satisfy the fundamental needs of their people (Manzavinos, 2004). This journey of rediscovering the â€Å"role† of the state has been simultaneous with the recognition of that of economic institutions. Douglass North published a book in 1990 called, Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance, which argues against the idea that â€Å"institutions simply come about as a by-product of economic growth, and put forward that improvements in institutions are essential preconditions and determinants of growth† (Manzavinos, 2004). The final part of this paper now turns to the Ghana case-study in order to find out what policies could support the growth of African developmental states. Ghana was the initial nation in Africa to gain independence and has since undergone a stable transition since then. The Nkrumah were soon established as the popular legitimacy of the state, Ghana has since managed to escape the violence that has occurred in other Sub-Sahara states. As within all academic debates there are two sides to the argument: those that put forward that Ghana is a model of a developmental state and those who argue the contrary. Put simply, Ghana has failed to capture successful long-term development but that does not necessary mean it is not a developmental state. Ghana’s growth could be seen as a â€Å"mirage† rather than a â€Å"miracle† as some key structural changes as highlighted in the introduction of this paper have not occurred. However, Dzorgbo (2001: 5) observes that â€Å"it has confronted the challenge of increasing dependence on foreign aid, an exponential external debt, high rates of unemployment and poverty, and de-industrialization resultant from the elimination of protective measures†. In terms of what policies Ghana can implement to support itself as a developmental state; it could start with intervening with its fiscal and monetary policy as done by the East Asian tigers during their developmental phase. The main aim of this would be to reduce government spending; â€Å"The CCP adopted an exaggerated, bloated vision of development of which the crucial feature was the number of physical structures and general infrastructure that could be constructed rather than assessing the actual social and material needs of the people† (Osei, 1999: 6). This would mean that Ghana should instead rely on state monetary policy to restore macroeconomic balance and cease to continue along the path of government spending which is dependent on bank credit. This creates an environment which is â€Å"inhospitable to foreign and private investment because excess lending and inflation results in low (even negative) interest rates that further discourage future investment† (Os ei, 1999: 6). This paper puts forward that the policy that Ghana should adopt is one of state intervention in its monetary policy instead of a laissez-faire attitude to economics. However, in the case of Ghana it is easy to see why the over extension of the state could become a problem given that the Divestiture Implementation Committee, established in 1990 under the patronage of the IMF, â€Å"gradually auctioned off state enterprises to the highest bidder† (Rothchild, 1991; 206). As such, Ghana has an uncomfortable history of state interference within the economy. Once hailed as the frontier of Africa and in many ways similar to the Asian tigers, Ghana still must endure significant obstacles as such â€Å"formulas for success† set by the IMF and the Washington Consensus have continually failed to bring about change. Taking into account the dynamic and unpredictable periods of economic policy formation we must ask ourselves if it even possible to generalize a developmental theory for Ghana or even Africa as a wholeAke strongly disagrees; â€Å"because development paradigms largely ignore the specificity and historicity of African countries, it puts them in a position in which everything is relevant to them and nothing is uniquely significant for understanding them† (Dzorgbo, 2001:13). In conclusion, it can be seen that drawing on the experience of the East Asian tiger’s economies cannot be effectively applied to Africa as the contexts too different. As we have seen, developmental theory can be utterly misleading and inappropriate for Africa even if there is evidence to suggest that some nations of Africa ‘fit’ the developmental state model. References: Ake, Claude (1996). Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, D.C. The Brookings Institution. Amsden, A. (1989). Asia’s Next Giant. South Korea and Late Industrialization. New York: Oxford University Press. Beeson, Mark (2006). Politics and Markets in East Asia. Is the Developmental State Compatable with GlobalisationIn, R. Stubbs., and G. R. D. Underhill (eds.), political Economy and the Changing Global order, 3rd edition, Ontorio: Oxford University Press Birdsall, Nancy (2007). Do no Harm. Aid, Weak Institutions and the Missing Middle in Africa. Development Policy Review, 25(5), 575-598. Chang, Ha-Joon (2006). The East Asian Development Experience. The Miracle, the Crisis and the Future, London: Zed Books. Dzorgbo, D. (2001). Ghana in Search of Development: The Challenge of Governance, Economic Management, and Institution Building. Evans, Peter B. (1989). Predatory, Developmental and Other State?Apparatuses. A Comparative Political Economy Perspective on the Third World State. Sociological Forum, 4 (4), 561?587. Evans, P. (1995). Embedded Autonomy: States and Industrial Transformation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Haggard, Stephan (1990). Pathways from the Periphery. The Politics of Growth in Newly Industrialising Countries. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Lewis, P. and Stein, H. (1997). Shifting fortunes: the political economy of financial liberalisation in Nigeria. World Development, vol. 25, no. 1, 5–22. Loriaux, M et al (1999). Capital Ungoverned: Liberalizing Finance in Interventionist States, (Ithaca: Cornell), pp 57-91 Mantzavinos, C., North, D. C., & Shariq, S. (2004). Learning, institutions, and economic performance. Perspectives on politics, 2(01), 75-84. Mbabazi, P., & Taylor, I. (2005). Botswana and Uganda as developmental States. The Potentiality of Developmental States’ in Africa: Botswana and Uganda Compared, pp. 1-15. Meyns, P. and Musamba, C. (2010 [eds]). The Developmental State in Africa: Problems and Prospects. Institute for Development and Peace, University of Duisburg?Essen INEF-Report, 101/2010). Mkandawire, T (2001). Thinking about developmental states in Africa. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 25 (3), 289-13. Osei, A. (1999). Ghana: Recurrence and Change in a Post-Independence African State. Peter Lang Publishing Rothchild, D. (1991). Ghana: The Political Economy of Recovery. Lynne Rienner Publishers United Nations Economic and Social Council (2013). ‘The Developmental State: What Option for AfricaAn Issues Paper’ in Economic Commission for Africa Governance and Public Administration Division Third Meeting of the Committee on Governance and Popular Participation (CGPP-III). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia , 20-21 February 2013 . UNCTAD (2007). Economic Development in Africa. Reclaiming Policy Space: Domestic resource mobilization and developmental states. Geneva: UNTAD. Woo?Cumings, Meredith (ed.) (1999). The Developmental State. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.