Fulcher of Chartes:Pope Urban’s Speech at Clermont Essay

8.4 Fulcher of Chartres, â€Å"Pope Urban II’s Speech at Clermont† As the crusades began, Christians gathered to hear the insightful speech given by Pope Urban II in which he was able take unruly knights and give them a common enemy to fight. The enemies were the Muslims and Turks who were attacking the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Land. Urban II’s speech gave insights to the knightly class who were engaging in warlike tendencies and encouraged them to help people in need. On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II began his influential speech to the church officials and nobles who were in attendance. In the beginning of his speech, Urban II said that he was given permission by God to come and speak to them about what was going on. The situations that were going on in the Christian society included the knightly class fighting each other, raping young women, robbing the churches, and other unseemly activities. Pope Urban II told them that in order to become â€Å"frien ds† with God, they would have to do things that were pleasing to God. These included leaving all matters that revolved around the church to the leaders of the church, and if they [the knights] were to rob the leaders of the church they will be cursed. At this point of his speech Pope Urban II is building up to the main reason for this call to order. Urban II informed his audience that the people of the Byzantine Empire were in need of their help, and it was their duty to help them. He explained to his listeners that the Turks and the Arabs have conquered the Byzantine Empire and taken over the Christian lands. Pope Urban II told the people that Christ commands them to help the Byzantine Empire regardless of their social class. â€Å"On this account I, or rather the Lord beseech you as Christ’s heralds† (358). Pope Urban II went on to say that whoever was to die in battle or die in any other kind of way, they would receive forgiveness for their sins. This is saying that no matter what they have done in the past, they would be forgiven for it all. Urban II continued to convince the people at his speech to help the Byzantine Empire defeat the Turks and Arabs and win back the Christian territory. This would lead to what is now called the First  Crusade. Crusade began in the fall of 1096 in Constantinople where crusaders gathered. The crusaders included the knights and people of Byzantine Empire. The Crusaders began to march through territories controlled by the Turks and Arabs which included Edessa and Antioch. They continued to head to Jerusalem in June 1099. The crusaders the n proceeded on a â€Å"five-week siege of Jerusalem† which fell in July of 1099. Crusaders then took over cities along the Mediterranean coast and built â€Å"fortified castle all over the Holy Land to protect their new territories† (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). The crusaders defeated the Egyptian relief army in August 1099. Pope Urban II died on July 29, 1099 and was not able to see the victory of reclaiming Jerusalem. Fulcher of Chartres clearly exemplified that he was bias towards Pope Urban II’s speech. Although he was there to hear the speech, he did not record the speech until years later. This proves that he truly believed in what Pope Urban II was protesting. Not only did Urban II’s speech help to reclaim the Christian lands, it also encouraged the knightly class and others listeners to reconnect with God’s laws and commandments. The First Crusades were not the ending of the battles, there was a second and third crusade. The crusaders failed in the second crusade, and had a dismal failure in the third crusade. These battles show that the Christian warriors had wanted to have what was rightfully Christ’s, and would not stop at any cost until they had it. Works Cited Chartres, Fulcher Of, trans. â€Å"Pope Urban II’s Speech at Clermont† p. 357-359 Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. â€Å"The Crusades (1095–1291)†. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/crus/hd_crus.htm (October 2001)

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay

In the past decade there has been a rise of obesity in children. I believe along with many credible sources that a lot of the reoccurring obesity problems we face with children have to do with fast food. You could almost say that fast food is kind of like a drug for kids. It is always fun to go out to eat as well as take in food that is high in calories and saturated fat. Although fast food may be a large factor in childhood obesity, it is also safe to say that it’s not the only factor. Are we placing too much blame on the fast food industry for making our kids obese, or is it our fault as parents and caregivers? Fast Food Then and Now Compared to how fast food chains functioned when they first opened and how they operate now you will see a huge difference; not only in their food selection but also in the portion sizes. For example, when McDonald’s first opened in 1955 their cheeseburger was only 1. 6 ounces and now you can get a cheeseburger for almost 8 ounces (Monte, 2008). The sizes are almost a 400 calorie increase—400 calories could be more than one whole meal for a child. Every year portion sizes are essentially getting larger and larger. A small now would have been a medium just five years ago (White, n. d. ). Not only have the portion sizes gotten larger but so has the menu. Fast food chains now have been offering smoothies, sundaes, pie slices, and even cinnamon rolls. They offer more menu options that offer more calories and saturated fats. Along with these they have also gotten better with offering some healthy options too like apples and low fat milk, but who goes to a fast food restaurant to get apples and milk? There are 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations and out of that only 12 combinations meet the nutrition criteria for preschooler’s and 15 for all other children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). The only kind of company who would essentially poison children like that is ones who are trying to make a fast buck and that is the goal for all of these fast food companies. They don’t realize or they do and just don’t care that they are poisoning our youth and even adults. Advertisements For the past ten years or so fast food chains have been advertising to children. Kids spend more time watching TV than any other activity they do besides sleeping (Nestle, 2006). Fast food chains have taken advantage of this by placing most of their ads on programs like Nickelodeon, Disney, and even PBS. They know that if they spend millions on advertising on children networks that they will get their return on investing in them. Children see more than 32% more fast food ads on TV now than in 2003 (Oren & Dodson, 2010). In 2009, McDonald’s spent the most out of all the fast food companies on advertising to children. They spent almost 900 million dollars targeting ages 6-11. Subways was in a very far out second spending a little over 400 million dollars targeting 12-17 year olds (Harris, Schwartz & Brownell, 2010). Studies have also shown that Hispanics and African American children see more than 50% more fast food ads than white children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). With this there are more fast food chains in African American and Hispanic dominated neighborhoods. Family Statistics You can probably assume that every family in the U. S. goes to fast food restaurants on occasion but some go more than others. Studies have shown that families with lesser income are more exposed to fast food than other families who have a higher income (Block & Scribner, 2004). With the economy the way it is, much more people are making much less and this is causing more and more families to visit fast food places rather than eating at home. You can go to a fast food joint and spend ten dollars for the whole family to eat rather than spending hundreds of dollars at a grocery store. In an article I just read, less than one third of Americans are eating their meals from scratch; meaning actually cooking and serving them to their families (Voigts, 2005). This was published seven years ago—just think of where we are now! I conducted an interview with my sister, Morgan Dutton, who is an extreme fitness guru, health nut, and she also has children. I asked her what she thought about this obesity epidemic in our youth and she said, â€Å"I cannot believe all of the staggering statistics regarding kids and fast food. I am not sure why parents wouldn’t want their kids eating the healthiest food option rather than the fastest. Kids are starting to get diabetes earlier and it reduces their life span by years. Fast food is essentially killing our kids, it may be slowly but it is happening (personal communication, October 15th, 2012). † Drawing the Line So whose fault is it that our children’s generation is getting more and more obese? Should we blame it on fast food—when can we blame ourselves? As a parent I want my child to live the longest healthiest life they can live and when I take them to places like McDonald’s and Burger King I am basically poisoning their body. It may be fast food that is making them obese but isn’t it our fault for taking them there in the first place? Exposing them to that kind of food especially early on in their life is only going to make it harder for them when they get older and can make their own decisions. Conclusion Rather than placing blame for the obesity problem with our children maybe we should be taking action. You could blame fast food chains for making your kid obese or you could even blame yourself because you took them there. Parent’s need to start making better decisions on what they are putting in their kids bodies because they may outlive their own child. There are so many chemicals and toxins in fast food that people are not aware of. Fast food may be cheap and it may be fast but in the long scheme of things, it is killing our kids.

How is Walmart effecting our economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How is Walmart effecting our economy - Essay Example Additionally, Wal-Mart has a tendency of providing a wide range of products for its consumers especially in the rural areas according to Hicks (2007). This is especially true of supercenters which sell products ranging from garments, cuisine, and hardware to optical services. The lower prices and the high accessibility to products in one area offers direct benefits to local consumers economically. The magnitude of the benefits varies with different regions depending on how the prices are low, and the distance the consumers have to travel in order to access the wide array of goods. The fact that Wal-Mart can trade its products at cheaper prices than other retailers provides an intense risk to the feasibility of other retailers near them. In most cases, the newly established retailers are forced to close or downsize their business when Wal-Mart opens a new branch in that region. This is because the number of their customers tends to decline as they shift to Wal-Mart. Other businesses providing products and services not offered by Wal-Mart tend to benefit due to the proximity with Wal-Mart which attracts many customers as suggested by Anderson (2011). These include businesses providing home furnishings and some foodstuff. Nevertheless, despite the positive effect, Wal-Mart as a whole has depressing impact on the operation of other local retail outlets. A typical Wal-Mart store employs around150 to 350 workers while a supercenter employs around500 employees. However, most of these workers are employed on part time basis. In evaluating the overall effects of Wal-Mart, the new jobs need to be balanced against jobs lost by the competing businesses. Moreover, with Wal-Mart’s extremely centralized supply-chain management, wholesalers and distributors at the local level are likely to experience breakdown on the demand of their services according to Renkow (2005). A good example of the general adjustments arising in the local job market as a

Criminal Justice - Delinquent and Criminal Behavior Assignment - 7

Criminal Justice - Delinquent and Criminal Behavior - Assignment Example In what they call developmental view, delinquency is a social problem that only the youth at- risk face characterizing the problem behavior syndrome. According to this analysis, delinquency is the umbrella word enveloping the many anti-social behaviors. These risk factors include family dysfunction, sexual and related abuses, physical harm, early pregnancy, educational mediocrity and suicide attempts, underemployment, and unemployment. Young offenders do not have a tendency to specialize in certain offenses. However, as this hyperactivity and impulsivity take a toll, violent offenders commit a variety of offenses and almost all chronic offenders have at one time or other committed a violent offense. It is important to note that delinquent identity is largely constructed as one in opposition to the conventional identity. Young people who are greatly vulnerable to adopting delinquent behavior often live in complicated circumstances. Some children are at a greater risk of declining into juvenile delinquency. This is because of such reasons as parental alcoholism, poverty, and squalor, family disintegration, overcrowding, abusive upbringing or the passing on of parents because of violence. These children may also be orphaned or unattended to and in serious want of care, may lack a sure means of subsistence, proper housing and other necessities of life. Sociologists have attempted to lay bare the hypothetical underpinnings of delinquency. They assert that youth problem behaviors cannot be discussed in isolation, but with strict regard to the home, family, neighborhood, peers and a cluster of other variables that jointly or separately manipulate the person’s immediate social environment.

Discuss the nature of an effective performance management system. In Essay

Discuss the nature of an effective performance management system. In your discussion, recommend the process that should be used - Essay Example It argues that there is no singular nature of effective performance management, instead effective performance management exists in a fluid and contextually specific reality. The essay also considers the nature of effective performance management within the real world context of service and consultancy firms. In considering the nature of effective performance management measures, one of the crucial elements is that of situating performance management in terms of a structural framework. This essay argues that in large part there are different levels of understanding that can be brought to performance management systems, with structural or overarching frameworks representing a general qualitative perspective on the nature of effectiveness, as well as defining the boundaries of performance management. One such framework is that proposed by Fitzgerald and Moon (1996) who broadly argue that there are a number of core competencies that must be implemented to achieve effective performance ma nagement. Within this context, they have outlined the most effective measures to be understanding one’s intentions, developing a range of performance standards, developing patterns of comparison, and implement a top down system. While Fitzgerald and Moon (1996)’s framework is powerful in its simplistic message, other researchers have articulated the characteristics of effective performance management from a different perspective. In these regards, Otley (2005) has advanced a notion of effective performance management from a more complex angle. In these regards, Otley states that performance management must heavily consider strategic measures, emphasize effectiveness or efficiency patterns, consider incentives, and follow a bottom down structure. The elements indicated by Otley and Fitzgerald and Moon constitute a broadly framed perspective on the nature of performance management. At this level of abstraction, the defining elements represent more of general overview of effective elements. One will note that the definitions contain contradictory elements. In these regards, it seems that the benefits of one method over the other are linked to the nature of the business system in which the measures are implemented. Another framework that articulates effective performance management is that which has been implemented by Otley (2007). In this research Otley examines previous conceptions of effective performance management, specifically those presented by Johnson and Kaplan (1987), as Otley argues that it is no longer relevant to consider performance management within the ‘management accounting’ paradigm. Ferreira and Otley (2009) considered the literature involving performance management systems and argued that traditional critical assumptions did not go far enough in articulating the essence of effective performance management. As such they proposed a new critical framework that examines the issue in terms of an extended framework of perf ormance management systems. Within this framework, some of the critical assumptions regarding what constitutes effective performance management are articulated as a means of advancing past critical assumptions. The framework developed is referred to as performance management systems, and it incorporates a number of elements from Otley’s previous theoretical matrices, augmenting them through the

Ebay Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ebay Analysis - Case Study Example eBay offers a broad range of products, globally expanding and generating a community for all clients to join eBay. The potential rationale for eBay international expansion hinges on the desire to increase its: number of registered users, user activity, PayPal transactions, user gross merchandise volume, and number of listings. eBay’s global presence seeks to take advantage of the growing online shopping usage. Like the general industry, eBay’s business model is increasingly dependent on technology and expansion into international markets (Hitt, Ireland, and Robert 235). # 2. International arenas for eBay: France and Japan The CAGE Distance framework highlights cultural, administrative, Geographic, and economic differentials or distances between countries that ought to be addresses when coming up with international strategies. CAGE framework can also be employed to dissect patterns of trade, information, capital, and people flows. In terms of cultural distance, there is â€Å"wide† cultural distance owing to different languages, diverse ethnicities (absence of connective ethnic and social networks), diverse values, norms, and dispositions. Nevertheless, the problem of absence of trust is not prominent to the extent of holding eBay’s (Hitt, Ireland, and Robert 236). ... The factor on economic distance centers on aspects such as income/wealth disparities and differences on aspects such as cost/quality of financial resources, infrastructure, human resources, knowledge, or information. The internet has become an integral component in commerce allowing cross-border data flows, which also underpin global economic integration and international trade. Hence, Japan and France can still remain desirable markets for eBay. Moreover, Japan and France do not manifest any significant restriction on the internet by respective governments in a manner that minimizes the capability of businesses in employing internet as a place for international commerce. # 3. Alternative vehicles that eBay has used to pursue international expansion There are several components that can be cited as contributing to eBay’s strategic plan for growth. In its expansion efforts, eBay employs investment and acquisition strategy. In the international arena, companies usually encounter s strategic dilemma in choosing between global integration and national responsiveness. eBay is a very diverse entity and services that the company avail is appealing to individual customers, as well as large corporate customers. It is evident that eBay holds significant power within the online auction industry (Hitt, Ireland, and Robert 235). eBay’s corporate strategy centers on diversifying business to products offered, as well as customer base and global reach. eBay keeps on changing, adapting, and highlighting fresh ways to master its environment. eBay should rethink its strategy to ensure that it is capital efficient. #4. Whether eBay should acquire rival iBazar in France The acquisition of iBazar and entry into

American Family Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Family Culture - Term Paper Example There are a multitude of family forms and family types in America today and family is a social unit in a constant state of evolution. We will explore the different family configurations found in the United States today and will pepper our analysis with comparisons of American family forms to modern Mexican families, the other half of our analysis. The ‘traditional’ American family is a heterosexual, nuclear family headed by two parents in which the husband is the primary breadwinner and the wife is the homemaker. On the far left side of the continuum of change, the traditional nuclear family model is widespread across the globe and represents a traditional gendered division of labour, both within the house as well as outside of the home. Mexico families generally also meet the requirements for what can be described as a traditional family which traditional gender expectations and values. In the Western world, the traditional model is becoming less and less viable as many families require the incomes of both parents. Women’s increased education and employment prospects have made the transition from the traditional model to the modern familial model more and more prevalent in modern Western society (Bossen 128-133; Roopnarine & Gielen 32-34). As with the traditional family, the ‘modern American family’ is nuclear in the sense that it involves the cohabitation of two heterosexual partners but differs in that it involves dual earners as both the man and the woman work outside of the home to earn money. While both husband and wife work outside of the home in paid labor, it is important to note that the gendered division of labour within the home of the modern family has not necessarily changed. Women, within the modern family, still bear the brunt of housekeeping, child rearing and basic familial chores. This form of family life is found throughout the United States and has evolved in response to women’s

Holistic Comfort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Holistic Comfort - Essay Example As the study stresses  comfort is an intrinsic attribute of nursing and patient care practice. Holistic comfort is crucial in the healing process of a terminally ill patient.   It can be argued that the concept of holistic comfort is significant because it’s a key measure in which medical and health care standards are gauged. If a patient is not comfortable the chances of recovery are limited and this could result to detrimental effects. Nursing and health care practitioners are aware of the role played by comfort in the lives of their patients. This precipitates the nursing professionals to know the degree of comfort they avail to their patients and the impact the intervention on the patient.According to the report findings comfort has been ruled out as an appropriate measure with which patient satisfaction is measured. Comfort to patients affects the way they respond to medication and the treatments they are being offered in the hospital facility. On the other hand, ther e are however no operational or theoretical measures put in place to ensure that the standards of comfort are met but medical personnel can ensure that this is possible. There are several modes of instilling comfort on patient like touching and talking and listening to the patient. This actions makes the patient feel that people around him care and are concerned about his well being.  Medical practitioners should just not be geared towards the treatment of the physical ailment but should also understand the physiological needs of a patient.

Shopping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shopping - Essay Example In addition, such clothes keep on changing over the time, steadily and with considerable thought going into the design of new concepts. The western style military uniforms adopted by many modern military regimes brings in view the fact that even these garments are directly influenced by fashion, where shopping has absolutely no concern. The shopping can be restricted to a particular age where as fashion cannot be restricted, we cannot expect a child to go out for shopping and buying heavy stuff and clothing material but we can for sure expect a child to go out to visit a barber and get and stylish cut in the form of service which is also reflecting fashion, perhaps more natural one. But if we get more honest here then we should relate fashion to a particular gender, as we all know that women have a greater part in fashion to play where as men have little. Sawchuk once quoted in 1987 that, "Women's love of clothes, cosmetics, jewellery, their obsession with style and fashion, reinforces the myth that we are narcissistic and materialistic. In turn, this reinforces capitalism, which depends upon this obsession with our bodies for the marketing of new products"(Craik 1994: 47). Lets emphasize on another point which is perhaps more well defined in explaining that fashion is another major aim behind shopping. Just imagine what happens when anyone goes out for shopping, lets put some light behind the entire process starting from the designer or maker to the customer. Lets consider the example of any modern rising brand such as Christian Dior, the company previously was not allocating the need in the men's segment and was manufacturing perfumes and few other apparel for women, the... This essay declares that the shopping can be restricted to a particular age where as fashion cannot be restricted, we cannot expect a child to go out for shopping and buying heavy stuff and clothing material but we can for sure expect a child to go out to visit a barber and get and stylish cut in the form of service which is also reflecting fashion, perhaps more natural one. But if we get more honest here then we should relate fashion to a particular gender, as we all know that women have a greater part in fashion to play where as men have little. This paper makes a conclusion that there is another interesting point about fashion and that is at times we cannot simply relate fashion with shopping, simply by acknowledging that not all clothing is fashion, all clothing systems have at least a distant relationship with fashion systems and stylistic conventions. Military, religious and legal clothing can be related to earlier dress codes where associations of tradition, authority, order and distinctiveness are purposely called upon. Such clothes keep on changing over the time, steadily and with considerable thought going into the design of new concepts. The western style military uniforms adopted by many modern military regimes brings in view the fact that even these garments are directly influenced by fashion, where shopping has absolutely no concern. Shopping is not just related to the usual buying but it is much related to fashion.

The Reason for the Shift from Transactional To Relationship Marketing Essay

The Reason for the Shift from Transactional To Relationship Marketing - Essay Example This paper illustrates that strategies harnessed by relationship marketers to achieve their goals include focussing on retaining customers and long-term view of business relations as shown by Jaguar Land Rover Plc, focus on providing value to the customers as depicted by Mercedes-Benz, emphasizes on the provision of great service to clients as depicted at Starbucks. There is also an emphasis on quality relationships and customer contact through social media, email and text messages with this strategy exemplified by Starbucks and Costa Coffee. Business to business (B2B) approach of relationship marketing between one firm to another and focuses on the features of the product and there is the lack or very little personal emotion between the representatives of the two organizations involved. The operational guidelines of the business are the main emphasis for understanding through searching more information on the organization, and there is the requirement for marketing to be in-depth in business to business marketing. The effectiveness of marketing is dependent on the ability of the product to save time, resources, and money. On the other hand, relationship marketing approaches on business to consumer is giving a focus on product benefits and decisions have the personal emotional attachment. The message has to be short and less informed, focus on product benefits, and getting right to the point. Purchasing decisions by consumers base more on emotion.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Essay Example for Free

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Essay Laotong: type of relationship within the Chinese culture that bonded two girls together for eternity as kindred sisters. Lisa See’s novel, â€Å"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan†, takes us through the journey of 19th- century Chine in which girls had their feet found, meaning crushing their bones to the size of lily flowers. This ritual was considered beauty for a women and a thrilling sensation for men to look at. Staring the binding at the age of six and excruciating painful process that took two years to complete, Lily tells her story as an eighty year old woman. Lily was the second daughter to a poor farming family, but later encounters the privilege to be married out to a wealthy family in the village of Tongkou. Lily was married out to a wealthy noble man, whom she might have loved. But Lily had no bigger love other than her laotong, sworn sister, Snow Flower. The two were matched together at the age of seven, when together they promised each other, through a contract that they would always be laotong. Both endured the agony of footbinding, married out and shared their most inner thoughts and loving ways of motherhood. Lisa See writes delicately, telling the life of these two remarkable girls on their journey to pleasing their husbands, and mother in laws. Love and Friendship keep Snow Flower’s and Lily’s spirits alive when they are not together. Once married out, they didn’t see each other as often as they would have loved to, but their thoughts were jotted down in a silk fan, which included their whole journey together written in nu shu-secret writing for women. Lily and Snow Flower become â€Å"old same†, perfect match. Even though Snow Flower came from a higher family , Snow Flower was married out to a butcher, her first son was weak, and her second passed away. Her husband beats her and her mother in law was cruel. Hoping sympathy from her laotong, Snow Flower gets criticism and â€Å"just keep trying† in return. As Snow Flower arouses new friends, Lily finds this as betrayal; therefore Lily stops any communication with Snow Flower, leaving her devastated, and empty. Even though Lily and Snow Flower experienced happiness, tragedies, and different events, Lily felt betrayed by her laotong so Lily keeps her distance and stops writing back. As Snow Flower’s death approaches Lily goes to Snow Flower and rejoins her, later discovering that Snow Flower did not become a sworn sister, like Lily thought, therefore there was no betrayal. As and eighty year old, Lily remembers Snow Flower. Trying to condemn her mistake Lily watches over Snow Flower’s children, as much as she can like she promised Snow Flower on her death bed. Lily calls out to Snow Flower even after she is dead. â€Å"But if the dead continue to have the needs and desire of the living, then I’m reaching out to Snow Flower†¦. Please hear my words. Please forgive me. † Snow Flower and the Secret Fan keeps the story plot alive, maintaining the theme of love and friendship, always feeling like you are reading Lily’s personal diary. Reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See does a remarkable job of taking you back in time to your childhood friends. I wonder if Lisa See wrote Snow Flower and the Secret Fan thinking of a close friend as well. Also, I would have loved if somewhere in the book, an entry or a piece of writing from Snow Flower was discovered so we can learn more about her own inner thoughts. In my opinion, this book is full of perfection. Throughout the book I recalled my sister. The bond that we share was very similar to the one of these â€Å"mandarin ducks†. What if Snow Flower’s father had not taken the pipe? Would she and Lily still be matched as soul sisters? Lisa See’s style of writing is a master piece in this book. Like The Washington Post Book World reviewed, â€Å" A triumph on every level, a beautiful, heartbreaking story. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan fascinated me. I recommend this book for the soul that understands what it feels like to love someone as much as you love yourself. Filled with different emotions that make you feel and experience the different obstacles that are brought upon Lily and Snow Flower. It is defiantly a love story. However, it is more than that. It involves friendship, kindness, understanding, and tragedy all in one read. â€Å"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is fascinating. †- The Indianapolis Star.

Visual Merchandising In Apparel Industry

Visual Merchandising In Apparel Industry Visual merchandising is the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets. This includes combining products, environments, and spaces into a stimulating and engaging display to encourage the sale of a product or service. Visual merchandising starts with the store building itself. The management then decides on the store design to reflect the products the store is going to sell and how to create a warm, friendly, and approachable atmosphere for its potential customers. Many elements can be used by visual merchandisers in creating displays, including colour, lighting, space, product information, sensory inputs such as smell, touch, and sound as well as technologies such as digital displays and interactive installations. The main principle of visual merchandising is that it is intended to increase sales. Visual merchandising is one of the final stages in trying to set out a store in a way that customers will find attractive and appealing and it should follow and reflect the principles that underpin the stores image. Visual merchandising is the way one displays goods for sale in the most attractive manner with the end purpose of making a sale. If it does not sell, it is not visual merchandising. Especially in todays challenging economy, people may avoid designers/ visual merchandisers because they fear unmanageable costs. But in reality, visual merchandisers can help economize by avoiding costly mistakes there by saving time and money. It is important to understand that the visual merchandiser is there, not to impose ideas, but to help clients articulate their own personal style. Visual merchandising is the art of implementing effective design ideas to increase store traffic and sales volume. VM is an art and science of displaying merchandise to enable maximum sale. VM is a tool to achieve sales and targets, a tool to enhance merchandise on the floor, and a mechanism to communicate to a customer and influence his decision to buy. VM uses season based displays to introduce new arrivals to customers, and thus increase conversions through a planned and systematic approach by displaying stocks available. Recently visual merchandising has gained in importance as a quick and cost effective way to revamp retail stores. Apparel Industry The influence of fashion clearly, fashion has also played an important role in shaping apparel consumerism. As lifestyles change, fashion in India is becoming more stratified, as in the West. Technology, ideas and lifestyles are moving concurrently, and quickly. Companies and brands that offered monotonous, mundane products for years have now tripled their product ranges and new appealing shapes and forms are being launched each season. Top-notch fashion professionals came together four years ago to form the Fashion Design Council of India. Under the aegis of the Union textile ministry and in tandem with National Institute of Fashion Technology, FDCI now provides professional inputs for designing labels and is now working towards developing the fashion supply chain through backward linkages with suppliers and mills, and forward linkages with the retail and distribution network. The boom in domestic apparel, nevertheless, tells only part of the story. India has huge potential as a market for foreign clothing, given its large population and growing household incomes. A few significant foreign players-such as Levi Strauss, Benetton and Lacoste-have been selling their branded apparel in India for a number of years. But now, just like their Indian counterparts, global apparel brands are setting up their own apparel outlets, instead of just selling through departmental stores. Ralph Lauren, for example, has a limited range exhibited in generic department stores located in metro cities. Yet it has now set up its own stand-alone stores, which showcase all the companys brands. Now, with the governments proposal to let in branded retail players- brands like Benetton and Lacoste currently sell mostly through the franchise route-investments in Indias apparel sector are likely to go up substantially. Indian Apparel Industry- an Overview: The apparel industry is one of Indias largest foreign exchange earners, accounting for nearly 16% of the countrys total exports. The 1996 Indian textile exports approximately amounted to Rs.35,000 crores of which apparel occupied over Rs14,000 crores. Source: http://apparel.indiamart.com/lib/garments/indian07251998.html It has been estimated that India has approximately 30,000 readymade garment manufacturing units and around three million people are working in the industry. Today not only is the garment export business growing, enthusiasm in the minds of the foreign buyers is also at a high. Today many leading fashion labels are being associated with Indian products. India is increasingly being looked upon as a major supplier of high quality fashion apparels and Indian apparels have come to be appreciated in major markets internationally. The credit for this goes to our exporter community. Consistent efforts towards extensive market coverage, improving technical capabilities and putting together an attractive and wide merchandise line has paid rich dividends. But till today, our clothing industry is dominated by sub-contractors and consists mainly of small units of 50 to 60 machines. Indias supply base is medium quality, relatively high fashion, but small volume business. Recent recession in Europe and the South Asian currency crisis have also contributed their own bits to the decimating Indian exports. Though these are expected to fizzle out soon, there is no reason for complacency on the part of Indian exporters or of the garment industry. The industry will be soon faced with open competition shorn of quotas or tariffs. Thus the need of the hour is to enlarge both manufacturing as well as the marketing base. Inculcation of a spirit of innovation by way of research and development and tapping new markets especially in South Africa, Central Africa, CIS, East European countries, Latin America and Australia is also mandatory for export growth. In India, clothing retail accounts for 36% of organized retail business. It is the largest sector. Ready-made apparel accounted for an estimated 20% of domestic clothing sales in 2005. With growing working women wearing western wear to work, and pressed for time, market for good readymade clothes is likely to grow. India is a film-crazy nation, and the largest producer of films, with more than 1,000 every year. They provide entertainment and an escape from reality for Indias masses, and set the popular fashion trend. Bollywood fashions have become pan Indian. They affect various sectors of the market including clothing, footwear, weddings and fashion accessories. With the advent of modern format retailers and the growth of plastic cards, affluent urban Indian women are shopping like never before. Source: www.ibef.org They spend mornings browsing in stores looking for deals or latest styles. There are designer clothes that incorporate Indian motifs, ethnic fabrics and are a fusion of western and Indian styles. In the large urban centers, apparel retailers, like Shoppers Stop, Westside and Pantaloon have popularized their private labels, which have attracted urban shoppers. Westside carries only its own private labels, while for the other stores, 20-30% of their apparel turnover is from private labels. Customers have loyalty to a store rather than any particular garment brand. This has led to a thriving unbranded or local brand market for ready-to-wear clothes leading to severe competition. Hence organized retailers like Lifestyle, for instance, has a loyalty programme called `The Inner Circle, while Pantaloons offers a `Green Card Rewards programmes, Westside has `Club West to Woo the customers. Customers look to design and fit of the clothes, and use the shops name as a quality standard. About the Companies: Allen Solly Allen Solly was founded in 1744 by a company called William Hollin and Co Ltd. The brand was purchased some time in the 90s by a new company called Madura Garments which was a part of Madura Coats. Madura Coats was a big producer of threads. The Vision Of Allen Solly : The company aimed to emerge as a brand which was totally new and did not stick to conventions. Friday Dressing was introduced to give the company a stronghold. Initially the Indian markets was not open to experimental apparel for men. Friday dressing by Allen Solly gave Indian corporates an oppurtunity to transform their wardrobes. The new formal wear was relaxed and not boring. The Aditya Birla Group took over Allen Solly in 2001 . Allen Solly brings together people from different walks of life and unites them in the matters of style and attitude. The innovative garments of Allen Solly give people an identity in the work place, while chilling out. Source:http://www.mapsofworld.com/referrals/brands/mens-brands/mens-accessory-brands/allen-solly.html Max Max, a part of Landmark Group, is a fashion and footwear retailer in the Value segment. Max retails its own label clothing for men, women and children, as well as footwear and house ware. Max is opening around 100 stores across India, is a division of Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd., which is a part of US $ 1 billion Landmark Group. Landmarkgroup is one of the largest retailers in the Middle East with over 500 stores across 8 countries, directly employing 10,000 people. We have already opened stores in Indore, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi-Rajouri Garden, Agra, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai Noida and Delhi Laxminagar. A good shopping experience and a great value at Max translate into making customers Look good and Feel good to the maximum Source: http://company.monsterindia.com/lsiplin/ Kazo Kazo is a young international brand that has made its way into the centre of the fashion industry within a short span of time. Kazo launched its first showroom in Delhi on 07th july, 2007 under the directorship of Mr. Deepak Aggarwal. The idea of Kazo came into being with the aim of amalgamating international trends and fashion at a value that would be affordable for the woman of today. The garments designed are phenomenally fashionable with a high wear ability and practicality quotient. The main asset of the collections is that it is highly affordable which enables customers an access to the latest designer wear, giving a chance to every woman to feel great in her skin, right to her soul. Source: http://www.kazo.com/cmspages/index/1 Bizarre The bizarre label was first introduced in 1987, to fulfill self-expression. They entered this new age with a change in recent years and a person so assertive, they all have set the womens sights glouriously higher. With the buzz of a new girl on the block. Source: http://www.bizarreindia.com/company.html Globus Launched in January 1998, Globus is a part of the Rajan Raheja group. The company opened its first store in 1999 at Indore followed by the launch of its second store in Chennai (T-Nagar). The Globus has a Privilege Club card which is very unique in a way that Members are immediately rewarded for purchases at any of their stores, in addition to a host of other privileges such as exclusive tie ups, promotion and special shopping hours. To each his own individual needs vary. This is why Globus offers 2 different card categories, each with it own benefits designed to suit the needs of the customers. Source: www.globus.in Pantaloons This Company was incorporated on October 12, 1987 as Manz Wear Private Limited. The Company was converted into a public limited company on September 20, 1991 and on September 25, 1992 the name was changed to Pantaloon Fashions (India) Limited and in the same year the Company made an initial public offering. Later they changed their name to Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited on July 7 1999. Pantaloons believes in managing customer expectation by offering them all the requirements for their entire family under one roof is the key to being a successful retailer, and hence have built their business model around Family focus rather than individual focus. Pantaloons clearly define Lifestyle products under Private Labels and third party brands. They have a loyalty card programme with a name of Green Card. It is divided hierarchically into one star, three star and five star. Every point generated at all the levels is equivalent to Rs.1 It also stays in touch with its loyal customers through Mailers, SMSs E-mails and Telephone informing them about the developments and promotions. Source: 1) www.scribd.com/doc/47945/McKinsey-MGI- india-consumer-full-report 2) www.pantaloon.com/companyinfo.asp LITERATURE REVIEW Gaynor Lea-Greenwood, (1998) in his paper Visual merchandising: a neglected area in UK fashion marketing? outlines recent research which demonstrates that the re-naming of display as visual merchandising has led to centralization and professionalism of the function. Centralization of visual merchandising has given the function a strategic profile which has to date been neglected within the literature. The move towards centralization and therefore increased professionalization and sophistication of the creative process is discussed and includes the following benefits outlined by the respondents: (1) communicating a cohesive brand image; (2) differentiating the offer from the competition; (3) integrating promotional effort across the brand; (4) increasing availability of technology to facilitate the process. The paper concludes with future research avenues and recommendations. The article in Fibre to fashion on The art of visual merchandising talks about Visual Merchandising is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eyes of the customer. It sets the context of the merchandise in an aesthetically pleasing fashion, presenting them in a way that would convert the window shoppers into prospects and ultimately buyers of the product. A creative and talented retailer can use this upcoming art to breathe in new life into his store products. Passion for design and creativity are essential to be a good visual merchandiser. A perfect design process and the ability to create ideas that are different are required. Awareness of happenings in fashion world is needed so as to keep up-to-date with the dynamics of the market constantly. Components of Visual Merchandising: Make merchandise the focal point Right choice of colours is vital Display themes to appropriately support the product Thus visual merchandising is all about how to attract the customer to buy merchandise. Jerry Gelsomino in his article on Basic Tips for Better Visual Merchandising states that Great store presentation and product merchandising is like a good book. Its got an alluring cover to entice, an interesting first chapter to tell the reader theyve made the right choice, and a satisfying conclusion to get the audience to want more. The tools used to achieve these attributes are based on creating the most satisfying experience for the shopper, turning browsers into buyers. Storefront Identity and First Impressions the entrance reflects the personality of the store and gives a glimpse of the merchandise available inside. Design a distinctive store logo that communicates your mission. The way merchandise is displayed in show windows also has a lot to do with enticing the guests into the store. Whether you have a store in the mall or on the street, the customer has only a few seconds to view and be attracted by your displays. Your visual philosophy should replicate a billboard: make it bold, colorful, and simple. Store Layout In developing an effective store design, a most critical element is how the store is organized for a logical unfolding or discovery of merchandise by the browser. Is your store easy to shop? In this article on The importance of Visual Merchandising posted in Financial Express (2 November, 2002) it talks about the importance of VM in stores. It majorly focuses on aspects like: Walls Layout Shelving Colour Lighting Space Odour etc. Visual merchandising is the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets. This includes combining products, environments, and spaces into a stimulating and engaging display to encourage the sale of a product or service. It has become such an important element in retailing that a team effort involving the senior management, architects, merchandising managers, buyers, the visual merchandising director, designers, and staff is needed. This information on VM also contains: History Plano-gram Window Display Merchandising etc. Bill Gerba (19 October, 2006) In his article on Five visual merchandising tips for your in-store network the author explains Merchandising, as commonly used in marketing, means the promotion of merchandise sales, as by coordinating production and marketing and developing advertising, display, and sales strategies to increase retail sales. This includes disciplines in pricing and discounting, physical presentation of products and displays, and the decisions about which products should be presented to which customers at what time. Five tips: Dont bother force-feeding your network name to consumers: Do promote your host retailers brand and core values: Do work closely with the retailers store marketing department Do use your displays to complement the retailers other marketing strategies Do make your content valuable to shoppers This article on Retailing (2006) talks about the attitudinal shift of the Indian consumer in terms of Choice Preference, Value for Money and the emergence of organised retail formats have transformed the face of Retailing in India. With a growth over 20 percent per annum over the last 5 years, organised retailing is projected to reach US$ 23 Billion by 2010.The Indian retail industry though predominantly fragmented through the owner -run Mom and Pop outlets has been witnessing the emergence of a few medium sized Indian Retail chains, namely Pantaloon Retail, RPG Retail, Shoppers Stop, Westside (Tata Group) and Lifestyle International. Given the attractiveness of the Indian retail sector, foreign retailers like Wal-Mart, Carrefour SA, Europes largest retailer and Tesco Plc, the UKs largest retailer, were keen to enter this growing market, despite the Indian retail sector being closed to foreign direct investment (FDI). Himanshu Vaidya in her report on Visual Merchandising Concept and Concern talks about various aspects in VM and their importance Also the points where attention needs to be given. Some of the areas discussed are: Aim of VM Effect of VM Merchandise Seasons-Plans and schedules Life expectancy of Visual Displays Types of Visual Merchandise Displays VM problem in India etc. Preeta H Vyas in his IIMA journal (2 November, 2007) on Sales Promotion Practices in Apparel Retail Sector and Challenges Ahead, clearly explains that Indian organised retail industry is poised for growth. Apparel sector in particular has a great opportunity with alignment of Indian economy to globalised markets. With the widespread use of sales promotions- short term activities which provide material inducements to consumers and trade it becomes imperative for managers to understand such practices and understand challenges. This study investigates sales promotion activities of six apparel stores in Ahmedabad market and compares them on various dimensions. It presents major findings and provides insights on consumer behaviour. Ulla Harrison, Sebastien Retaillieux,, Laurence Hugon Ellen Verburg in their article on Visual Merchandising: Seeing is Buying (2008), talks about the various modes of visual display in apparel sector, it also gives a basic idea regarding: Window Display Entrance of a store Props and its use Types of displaying the merchandise: By family By colour By Product group etc. Zilka, Carlain their article on Dressing Down The Business Model; The apparel industry has been hard hit during the recession, and the industrys cost-cutting measures may be out of fashion(17 April, 2009), they state in detail the condition of the apparel sector and the exhausted strategies of cost cutting measures used by them and suggests new measures as well. This article answers the question as to how can companies truly understand their organizations health, especially when visible symptoms may or may not be obvious. Global Luxury Apparel Retailers Eyeing Indian Markets, (Edit Article | 13 Jan, 2010) mostly talks about the situation of the apparel sector and regarding the International Majors that are in talks With Indian players to target aspirational but Value-Conscious Consumers. Especially regarding Shoppers stop and how they are planning to bring in more foreign brands. This research paper posted by an anonymous person on Research Paper on Retail Industry (21 May, 2010), provides a detailed research on the organized retail sector of India. A brief introduction and evolution shows how the organized retailing changed its gears over the period from Panwala dhukan to chain stores across the length and breadth of India. The market size and related details gives a statistical view of increasing market in a few major areas of retailing. The major market players who enlivened the present caricature of retail sector are presented briefly along with statistics. The changing scenarios of Indian consumers give a proof to the potential opportunity in the retailing arena. SWOT analysis of retail industry and its future prospects. Major lifesaver of the Indian retailing is the advertising and promotional strategies and Visual Display; which comes out with innovative ways to win consumers over and keep them permanently happy. Gupta and Swati, (23 July, 2010) in their wonderful article on Deviant Displays New Trend in Window Fashion speak about the new trend that has started, where the deviant window displays are created to look creepy to grab attention. the article gives detailed information on what, how, when and Dos and Donts of deviant display. Hemanth Y. In his paper on Reshaping the Apparel Business, focuses briefly on the recent trends which are followed in Apparel retailing. Retail business in India has transformed from traditional mom and pop stores to big retail chains. We can witness the fact in this article what factors are going to bring about a change in the retail sector with special reference to Apparels. The paper gives a thought towards new trends followed in Apparel Retailing. Tappal Babu in his paper on Visual Merchandising states that Visual merchandising is a comparatively new career field in which has sprung up with the growing popularity of window and floor displays. Visual merchandisers main area of work is to create impossible window displays. They can find employment with fashion boutiques, shopping malls, euphoria etc. They are also engaged as shop floor mangers. They can also do freelancing on contract basis for windows displays in exhibitions, fares, and other places. Other career options under this head are production coordinator, quality control supervisor, fashion retailer, export manger etc. This paper discusses importance and potential for visual merchandising professionals. 1. PROBLEM STATEMENT To study the effectiveness of Visual Merchandising in Apparel Industry 2. OBJECTIVES To study the visual Merchandising of the stores covered under my research. (Max, Globus, Pantaloons, Allen Solly, Bizarre and Kazo.) To analyse the efforts put in by the stores in Visual Merchandising. To check the effectiveness of their current visual merchandising on the customers. To propose a new or modified Visual Merchandising for the store that has least effect of VM over its customers. 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research design Research Design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to solve the marketing research problems. Research Design can be classified into 2 major categories: Exploratory : The objective of this research is to explore or search through a problem or situation to provide insights and understanding. Conclusive: The objective of this research is to test specific hypothesis and examine specific relationships. A conclusive research is further sub-categorized into: Descriptive: The objective is to describe something-usually market characteristics or functions. Causal: The objective is to obtain evidence of cause and effect relationship. In this research of apparel industry, including Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly, I adopted a Conclusive research as I was working on a specific hypothesis and was examining the validity of that hypothesis. Within the conclusive research I have selected Descriptive research as I am trying to determine the effectiveness of Visual Merchandising in apparel industry (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly). A Descriptive research requires a clear specification of the six Ws. So the specification of Six Ws in case for my research are: Who: Who should be considered as the patron for the research? Any one who is a customer of all or any of the stores considered in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly). What: What information should be obtained from the respondents? Information related to Customers feeling or view towards the display of all or any of the stores considered in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly). Information about changes required in the Visual display of all or any of the stores considered in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly).. When: When should the information be obtained from the respondents? After they have shopped from the stores. When customer is free and fills the questionnaire mailed to them. Where: Where should the respondents be contacted to obtain the required information? Outside the stores Online through mail. Outside the stores if they are not busy for a while. Why: Why are we obtaining the information from the respondents? To decide as to whether the visual merchandising of all or any of the stores considered in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly) is effective or not. Way: In which way are we going to obtain the information from the respondents? Direct survey through questionnaires. 3.2 Source of information In case of this research though I have gone through the few articles published on all or any of the stores in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly). I have not considered those information, my source of information for this research is Primary data collected through questionnaires. 3.3 Sample size In my research I have used the Statistical Approach to determine the sample size and in it I have used Sample size determination through proportions. I have considered this approach because I am interested in estimating the effectiveness of visual merchandising in the apparel industry. In my research: Confidence Level (CL) wanted is 95% Level of Precision required (S) is  ±0.02 so s= 0.02 Thus : Formula for n sample size is Zà ³p = s : Zà ³p = 0.02 The Z value associated with 95% CL is 1.96 So Z=  ± 1.96, 1.96à ³p = 0.02 Now à ³p = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡pq/n, So 1.96à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡pq/n = 0.02, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡pq/n = 0.02/1.96. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡pq/n = 0.0102 By squaring on both sides we get: Pq/n= 0.0001 Hence pq = n x 0.0001, Thus n = pq/ 0.0001 Now we assume the parameter p, though ideal is 0.5 we considered p as 0.0168 And q = 1-p thus q = 1- .0168= 0.9832 Replacing p and q we get: n = (0.0168)(0.9832)/0.0001 = 165.18à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 165. Thus our sample size is 165. 3.4 Sampling Technique In my research I have used Non Probability Sampling technique. Judgmental: As in this technique the researcher chooses the respondents on the basis of his/her judgment as to who will be the best suitable representative of the population. I mailed the questionnaire to all those whom I felt could be the customer of all or any of the stores in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly . Snowballing: In this technique a initial group of respondents is selected and after their response they are asked to identify others who belong to the target population of interest. I selected few respondents in Amity Hostel and my other friends after their response I asked them to name few more in the hostel or their friends whom they know are the customers of all or any of the stores considered in my research (Globus, Max, Pantaloons, Kazo, Bizarre and Allen Solly). 3.5 Hypothesis of the research H0 : There is no significant impact of Visual Merchandising in Apparel Industry. HA: There is significant impact of Visual Merchandising in Apparel Industry. 4. DATA ANALYSIS From the data that I collected for the research, I posted them in SPSS and got t-test and k-test results.. As I have considered 95% as my confidence level. The result (ÃŽÂ ±) of each question has to exceed 0.05, so that Null Hypothesis could be accepted. The result of each question is as follows: Are people attracted towards eye catching window display. As ÃŽÂ ± is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. So Ho is rejected. While passing through the racks, people tend to look through the clothes nearby. As ÃŽÂ ± is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. So Ho is rejected. People tend to buy the merchandise on display featuring a new style or design. As ÃŽÂ ± is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. So Ho is rejected. People are attracted towards sales or clearance signage. As ÃŽÂ ± is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. So Ho is rejected People are attracted towards promotional signage in the store. As ÃŽÂ ± is 0.000 which is less than 0.05. So Ho is rejected. Result of comparing the apparel stores (Globus, Pantaloons, Max, Bizarre, Kazo and Allen Solly) on the basis of there Visual Merchandising H0: There is no significant difference amongst the mentioned stores in the minds of customer in terms following attributes. Ha: There is significant difference amongst the mentioned stores in the minds of customer in terms following attributes As per preference of shopping H0: is rejected as ÃŽÂ ± is less than 0.05, so Ha s accepted 5. CONCLUSION From the market research on the effectiveness of the Visual Merchandising of Ap

Currency Exposure to Hedging Currency Risks

Currency Exposure to Hedging Currency Risks Hedging Currency Risks at AIFS, we shall now address the many stipulations regarding issues such as currency exposure and hedging decisions of the AIFS Company. Looking at the theory and practices of Archer-Lock within the company, with the information given we shall now analyze and interpret the report of AIFS. Using the financial Instruments of the foreign exchange market, the effect these instruments have on hedging will further be discussed, as well as the result of these instruments on the hedging decision. It is important to note that Becky Tabaczynski, CFO for the groups high school travel division ACIS, portrayed the idea a good hedging result is gained due to good relationships across the board. Whilst in some companies, hedging is considered a financial decision, independent of the business needs here; were trying to match the business needs. Now with the information provided in the case study, combined with knowledge of hedging options, the topic of currency exposure will be discussed. Q1. What gives rise to the currency exposure at AIFS? Currency exposure is the extent to which the future cash flows of an enterprise, arising from domestic and foreign currency denominated transactions involving assets and liabilities, and generating revenues and expenses are susceptible to variations in foreign currency exchange rates (International Federation of Accountants, 2010). Currency exposure at AIFS can be caused by 3 risks: the bottom-line risk, volume risk and competitive pricing risk. These 3 risks happen at AIFS because of the AIFSs hedging policies, so before analysing these 3 risks it is necessary to analyse AIFSs hedging policies. AIFSs Hedging Policies AIFS starts to hedge foreign currencies between 6 months and 2 years before the main pricing date, and uses forward contracts and currency options to hedge currency; the main hedging technique is forward contracts. Then AIFS uses these currencies to pay its customers expense abroad. AIFS charges USD by catalogue-based price from its customers, so no matter how the exchange rates change in the spot market, AIFS never changes its price in that period. AIFS uses forward contract to hedge before it has completed its sales cycle. So AIFS has to predict its business then hedge based on its prediction, but the situation that the number AIFS pays equals to the number AIFS buys is very hard to carry out. When the currencies that AIFS has bought are smaller than it has to pay, AIFS has to buy some more currencies by using currency options. When the currencies it has bought are greater than it has to pay, currency exposure happens. The Bottom- Line Risk Exchange rate is always fluctuant. EURO is one of the main currencies that AIFS needs to hedge. Looking at the graph, the exchange rate between USD and EURO in January was highest in 2010, which was 1.427$/à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬, and the exchange rate in June was the lowest, which was only 1.221$/à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬, the difference between highest and lowest is 0.206à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬/$, so when purchasing large amounts of EURO by using USD, the large difference of price will appear. The main hedging technique of AIFS is forward contracts, so if the exchange rate at the contract date is higher than the exchange rate at the settlement date, AIFS is at a disadvantage (maybe AIFS can choose currency options at this time, but it needs to pay premium, so the cost may be not reduced so much). When this situation happens, AIFSs cost will be higher and it will lose profit. 2010- American Dollars to 1 EUR Average Rates January 1.42721 USD (20 days average) February 1.36857 USD (20 days average) March 1.35685 USD (23 days average) April 1.34095 USD (21 days average) May 1.25653 USD (21 days average) June 1.22085 USD (22 days average) July 1.277 USD (22 days average) August 1.29029 USD (21 days average) September 1.3067 USD (22 days average) October 1.38978 USD (21 days average) November 1.38806 USD (12 days average) From X- rate.com, 2010 The Volume Risk When AIFS uses forward contract to hedge currencies, it doesnt know the number of customers it will get in this period. AIFS has been doing culture and educational exchanges for more than 40 years and got a very good praise and has a large number of customers, every year many young people go abroad via AFIS. Because its so popular, its hard to say how many customers will be increased next time. Also, war, terrorism and policies and other uncertainties will affect peoples mind, these factors will make more people prefer to stay at home rather than go abroad, and in that case the number of customers will be decreased. So its hard to predict the number of customers, its hard to say whether the number of customers will increase or decrease. In negative situations where there will be a lack of customers, the foreign currencies that have been bought will not be used; this is when currency exposure is evident. The Competitive Pricing Risk When AIFS is purchasing and using currencies, its competitors are doing it as well. These companies may contract with banks in lower exchange rates, which makes their charges lower than AIFS and therefore makes AIFS less competitive. Customers may buy currencies from other companies, and so AIFSs currencies cant be sold up and currency exposure happens. The changes of transportation fees (like train, boat, plane ticket), living fees, hotel fees can also give rise to the currency exposure. When these fees reduced, AIFS will pay less and may not use all of the currencies it has bought. According to AIFSs hedging policies, it has to predict the exchange rate fluctuant, the number of customers, which may be different with the final exchange rate and the volume when selling currencies, so the currency exposure happens. The actions of AIFSs competitors may make AIFS less competitive resulting in minimum sales of the currencies bought, further resulting in currency exposure. So the bottom-line risk, the volume risk and the competitive pricing risk will give rise to the currency exposure at AIFS. Also, the changes of fees may cause currency exposure. Q2. What would happen if Archer-Lock and Tabaczynski did not hedge at all? According to the case, The American Institute for Foreign Students (AIFS) organizes students who study abroad and the cultural exchange programs. It has two major divisions which are Archer-Lock managed The Study Abroad College and the High School Travel division, whose finances Tabaczynski managed. The problem faced by AIFS is the revenues of the company are mainly in US dollars, but most of their costs are in British pounds and Euros. AIFS sets guaranteed prices for its exchanges before its final sales figures are known. Therefore, for AIFS, the foreign exchange hedging is the key important area. The managers use currency hedging to protect their bottom line and cope with changes in exchange rates. But if Archer-Lock and Tabaczynski did not hedge at all, it would mean full exposure to the currency risk, the company could lose a lot of money if USD depreciated. Maybe the company can produce good results and have a really good profit when the USD appreciated if they did not hedge at all, as there are no other losses to erase their total revenue. However, they cannot know what the future sales volume and future exchange rate are, and so they may need to face losing a tremendous amount of money if USD depreciated. The cost base of the company would increase, and the revenues in USD will remain the same, this means their profitability would be erased. Also, AIFS needs to preserve their price guarantee policy. If they did not hedge at all, the company may incur losses by following this policy. Moreover, there may be a difference between final sales volumes and projected sales volume, and this exposes the company to having either more or less of the foreign currency depending on the final sales volume. For instance, as we know from the case, every year AIFS expected 25,000 students in their project. If the currency exchange rate decreased to USD 1.01/EUR, the company could save USD 5.25 million, however, if the exchange rate increased to USD 1.48/EUR, the company lose USD 6.5 million. Q3. 100% hedge with option and 100% hedge with forward The data shows above, When 100% hedge with option, currency rate 1.01, and the outcome is higher than total cost, the company can gain the profit. Rate becomes to 1.22 and 1.48, the outcome is lower than total cost, and the company has risk and a loss of money. When 100% hedge with forward, the fixed rate is locked in 1.22, the outcome is 0. That is means no risk and no profit. Q4. Using the forecast final sales volume of 25,000, the following are the possible outcomes relative to the zero impact scenario described in the case. Zero impact happened with rate (1.22) when they use forward contract were the same as project costs. When dollar becomes weak (1.48) it would cause a negative impact by a loss of money. When dollar becomes strong (1.01) it would cause a positive impact through gain of profit. When the USD is strong (1.01), the more options there are to hedge, the lower the cost. When USD is weak (1.48) the more options there are to hedge, the more the cost. Q5) what hedging decision would you advocate? Should we not hedge at all? As AIFS guaranteed its prices would not change before the next catalogue, if the USD goes weak, AIFS need to more USD to pay for its overseas cost ¸ however the price cannot be changed, which means AIFS will lose money. To eliminate this risk, AIFS better hedge. What do you advocate? (Advantages and Disadvantages) The forward contract is a simple arrangement widely used by the companies to manage the exchange rate risk. It can guarantee the amount of currency AIFS would receive in the expiry date of the contract, so it can get larger profits with forward contracts if AIFS count on a favourable exchange rate. The company can also avoid the 5% option premium, but it is not easy to get the counter party who would agree to fix the time period and the future exchange rate which would result in illiquidity. Thus being bilateral private contracts, the forwards have to be executed. The option contract can eliminate the downside risk and being more flexible, it can be seen as a combination of covered interest arbitrage depending on the difference in currency options and interest rates; it gives the company the right to sell or purchase a currency at an agreed exchange rate, but not the obligation. With the option contracts AIFS can hold the currency until the favourable exchange rate arises, so it would be more secure for the company. However, the premium cost is the disadvantage of option, and it has to be paid up front. Both forward contract and option contact work if the company is tight on cash and cannot spend 5% option premium in this case the forwards contract is a better choice. However, if AIFS has sufficient funds and foresees changes in exchange rates, then it should use option. AIFS does not have to exercise the contract when currency moves to unfavourable exchange rates. What happens if sales volumes are lower (10000) or higher (30000) than expected (25000)? According to appendix 3 and 4: The sales volume increase to 30000, exchange rate is 1.01. AIFS Company can gain the profit. Exchange rate is 1.22 and 1.48, AIFS Company exist risk loss the money; but when use 100% forward to hedge Company can avoids risk and there is no profit. The sales volume is decrease to 10000, the total cost is 1000* 10000= à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10000000 There are 3 possible situations that will happen at this time. = 0.4 = 40% According to the calculation above, when AIFSs currency hedge is covered less than 40% of its prediction (it predicts 25000 sales volumes), AIFS needs to buy some more currency to reach à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10000000 by using spot trading rate; when AIFSs currency hedge is covered at 40%, the currency it buys is equal to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10000000; when the currency hedge covered over 40%, AIFS cant use all of the EUR it has bought, so AIFS has to sell the extra EUR or save them and use them in the next period. 1.48 1.01 10000 30000 Source: AIFS case There will be 4 outcomes with the in the money and out of money positions and high and low sales volume (30000 or 10000). Square 1 shows low sales volume (10000) with strong USD that when the company is out of money (1.01USD/EUR). AIFS has an excess of currency. In this case, if it locked into surplus forward contracts then it would lose money. So the option contract is more favourable. AIFS does not execute the contract, it just lets it expire. In square 2 shows low sales volume (10000) with weak USD, The requirement of the currency is below the projection (25000), and the exchange rate is high (1.48USD/EUR). If AIFS uses forward contract the gain is larger compared to when it uses options contract because the options contract costs 5% of the nominal USD strike price. In square 3 the exchange rate moved out of money (1.01USD/EUR) and the sales go higher (30000) than expected. So AIFS doesnt have to buy euro at higher rate, therefore, the Options contract is better, as the extra volume they need (5000), can be bought at the spot rate. The increase of the Spot and Fixed rates and the difference of the volume of sales are the reason for company loss. The tricky square 4 shows when the exchange rate moved in the money (1.48 USD/EUR) and AIFSs sales volume came in higher (30000) than projections, which means the company need more currency (5000), however, the exchange rate is high. In this case, Forward contracts should be used and the extra volume at the spot rates should be bought. The increase of sales may offset the downside. For companies that work with more than one currency, several hedging techniques are available to guard against foreign exchange fluctuations. After studying and addressing the case study of AIFS, it can be concluded that the changes in fees can be the cause to currency exposure. The fact that the companys revenues are in USD, and costs in GBP and Euros may result in a rise to currency exposure. After analyzing the affects of financial instruments such as forward and option contracts will have on the company, it has been decided that the company would be at a better advantage with Forward contract in order to prevent risks. AIFS charges USD by catalogue-based prices from its customer, and as the company guaranteed the prices will not change, if the rate of the USD decreases then the company will be at a loss as they will have to cover other expenses with the currency they have bought, and in order to prevent this risk, the company would be in a better position if they hedged. REFERENCES: International Federation of Accountants, 2010, http://www.mia.org.my/handbook/guide/imap/imap_3.htm#Business%20Implications [Accessed on 4/11/2010] X-rate.com, 2010, http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/EUR/hist2010.html [Accessed on 16/11/2010]

Innovation and Traditionalism in Art Essay -- Art Artistic Arts Histor

I am sure that we have all, at one time or another, noticed that almost any discussion concerning the merits and demerits of art, if it goes on long enough will come to the qualities of innovation and traditionalism in regards to aesthetic value. As soon as these two qualities are mentioned, there comes an inevitable forming up of those who favor innovation and deride tradition and those who favor tradition and deride innovation. Either side usually admits only enough merit to their opposition, and limitation of their own view, to make themselves seem reasonable and objective: but the bulk of their effort goes into savaging their opponents and extolling the ultimately ascendant nature of their position. I am inclined to take neither view, but to propose a third. It is not enough that we should pursue either innovation or traditionalism simply because we have some sort of aesthetic attraction to them, such as, for example, sentimentality or novelty. There may be those who would r espond that there is simply no arguing about taste: that you like what you like and that is that. Certainly such people are right in one sense, but this response seems too simplistic and of a ‘sour grapes’ nature to convince me that this is the end of the matter. Rather, I suggest, it is the purpose to which we apply either innovation or traditionalism which dictates whether or not they have aesthetic merit: too often, our adherence to either of the two qualities becomes a thoughtless habit of our culture rather than anything useful in itself. In order to prove the viability of this qualification, I will first explore the negative and positive qualities of innovation, and the possible causes thereof. Then I will look at the negative and positive qual... ...wild beast, a tiger or some such, with whom I am trapped in a small room. There are many factors which may influence the tiger in one way or another, and while these factors, such as my experience of tigers (traditionalism), or clever new ways to influence them (innovation), are of deadly importance, the tiger remains the primary focus, or reality, in the room. Often, however, we confuse the factors for the art itself, the means for the ends, the cause for the effect. We talk of our difficulty about defining art in empirical terms, as if it were an elusive fog of wraiths, a "veil of unknowing", or an ethereal mist of fleeting experiences: we are unable to ever really grasp the identity of what we seek to define. Maybe this is true, but every now and again I am sure I see something strangely beautiful, terrifyingly real, gracefully elusive, gliding through the vapours.

The Return of Martin Guerre Essay -- Natalie Zemon Davis French Histor

The Return of Martin Guerre Historian Natalie Zemon Davis wrote an informative novel about the lives of peasants in the sixteenth century. Entitled The Return of Martin Guerre, Davis tells a true story about a law suit against a man claiming to be someone he is not. She familiarizes the reader with peasantry, laws, and moral attitudes of the time. The story begins in 1527 with a family move from the French Basque country to the village of Artigat. There the Daguerre family settled and started a tileworks business; a prosperous business in the sixteenth century. They eventually started businesses in wheat, millet, vines, and sheep. To be accepted in the new town the family had to make some changes such as speaking a different dialect, dropping the 'Da'; from their name thus pronouncing and spelling it 'Guerre,'; and also in style of dress. As for the Guerre women, life in the village of Artigat was a drastic change. No longer could they push ahead of the men to make their offerings at parish mass or go about the church to collect for the vestry. The Guerre's seemed to like their new lives, their family grew, and they became successful in their trade. In 1538 the only son of the Guerre family, Martin, got married to Bertrande de Rols, the beautiful daughter of a well-off family. After much trying they have one son. In 1548 the rich peasant disappeared from the village of Artigat after a family dispute over his stealing some grain from h...

Welsh Poetry Essay - Compare and contrast White Roses with Stop all the

Welsh Poetry Essay - Compare and contrast White Roses with Stop all the Clocks. -Compare and contrast "White Roses" with "Stop all the Clocks." "White Roses" is about a young boy who dies. It was written by Gillian Clarke, a modern Welsh poet. The title of the poem is ironic, because "White Roses" suggests youth, beauty and innocence. The poem starts with, "Outside the green velvet sitting room" This suggests luxury and wealth. The use of the colour green is also very indicative, because the colour green suggests spring and fertility and overall life. This is in contrast with the theme of the poem, which is suppoused to be one of death, but in actuality, it is as much about life as it is of death. The next two verses fit in with the theme of green, fertility and springtime. "White roses bloom after rain" "They hold water and sunlight" This is a simile. Water and sunlight are essential to life, which interlock with the theme of life. The newly-bloomed white roses are only still alive because of the water and sunlight they hold. The reader is then taken inside , to a scene of sickness and disease. "Within the boy who sleeps in my care, In the big chair" "Big chair" suggests that this boy is a very small boy. The boy awakens to pain. "The cold bloom Opens at a terrible speed And the splinter of ice moves" The second and the third stanza are linked together, through enjambment. "In his blood as he stirs in the chair" From the next line we can assume that the boy and carer are not family. The narrator is merely a nurse or a carer for this boy. The boy is obviously in a lot of pain. A sympton of some unknown disease. He grits in teeth in effort to subdue of forget the... ...ve, where-as "Stop all the Clocks" is written in first person narrative. "Stop all the Clocks" is also a more personal poem where as "White Roses" is more vauge and abstract. More objective . "White Roses" is about a child, who was not close to the poet, dying. "Stop all the Clocks" is a poem all about grieving and mourning for a lover, a partner. It is about the complete and utter outpouring of grief. "White Roses" is simply a reflection of death. The poem I prefer is "Stop all the Clocks", because I feel it is a more significant poem than "White Roses" simply because it is a more personal poem. A poem full of heartache, grief and despair that someone the poet truly loved has gone forever. I feel it is a more realistic poem. Although "White Roses" is a sad poem, "Stop all the Clocks" is a sadder poem. Full of an overwhelming sense of grief and of loss.

Marxist explanations of social class inequalities Essay

In society there are many different factors which divide us and result in social inequality. In this essay, I will be covering social class. Karl Marx believed that in society, there are two major social classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. The bourgeoisie are basically the upper class; in order for you to be classed as a part of them you must own the means of production such as factories etc. In order for these factories to run, they would need workers, which is where the proletariats come in. The proletariat only owns their labour force which they sell in order for a wage. Karl Marx stated that the proletariats are exploited through low pay and poor work conditions, but due to capitalism, we deal with it as were tied down to the economy. Conflict theory coined by Karl Marx suggests that suggested that social order is maintained by domination and power opposed to a shared consensus among society. This inequality is derived from social and political aspects established in s ociety. Marxists believe that social in equalities are implemented by the bourgeoisie in order to maintain a disturbance among the proletariats in order to keep them distracted from existing economic issues. A way they do this through the media. They distract the public with celebrity’s lavish lifestyles and people are tied to the economy in an attempt to imitate them. Factualists would counter this perspective claiming that social inequalities benefit society positively. They believe that it works as an incentive for individuals to work harder and achieve their maximum potential. The education system also ensures that the most suitable are picked out for the job. It also ensures that social order is maintained as people would accept their position as they had an equal chance to everyone else. Factualists also believe that the individuals at the bottom of the fragmented social scale are needed as some has to do the less attractive jobs. The New Right have a very traditional view of so ciety. They believe that women should embrace the assigned expressive role and males should be the breadwinner in the family. They have old fashioned views and are often of the Christian religion despite recent secularisation rates. The New Right are one of the few perspectives which with holds a cultural argument. They believe that failure in society is a result of the individual’s actions and choices. They believe that all the wealth within society slowly â€Å"Trickles† down to the rest of society. They believe that  business entrepreneurs create jobs for the rest of society by setting up business such as industries and factories which then create jobs; hence the wealth being distributed throughout society. Although inequalities exist and are relevant in the contemporary UK, it’s very rare that there are cases of absolute poverty due to free services provided by the government such as health care and education which then give individuals more equal life chances. Capitalism has gotten rid of many working class jobs throughout the UK such as factory jobs and mining, because of this, these working class jobs have been replaced with many middle class jobs. This has given people a better standard of living and made them more aspirational for the future. Within the past 50 years, the middle class has massively grown and become the largest social class within the UK. There are also exceptionally much more university graduates. Karl Marx was strongly against the concept of capitalism. He disliked the fact that there was income inequality. He pushed for a communist society and equality. He predicted that this would happen in the future as capitalism was unstable and was inevitable to fall. He stated that we would all achieve a class conscience and be aware of the fact that we are being exploited, realising our true value. He predicted we would all revolt against the system. The fact that we all still live in a capitalist society proves he was wrong. Sociologists such as weber countered this prediction and believed that the proletariats would be too distracted with domestic problems amongst each other forcing them to divide as opposed to sticking together.

Love and Memory in Deuteronomy Essay

Love and Memory in Deuteronomy, is the prompt for this weeks reflection paper. First, we must identify what each of those terms means to us in context to Deuteronomy and for me Love does not just mean love in the sense that we all know. Although you could easily write a reflection amount the many ways God displayed his love to his people, like when he parted the seas for them and crushed the Egyptians behind them, or when he was slow to anger when they chose to worship Baal while Moses was a top Mt. Sinai, but I choose to interpret love in Deuteronomy as God’s continued faithfullness to his people. â€Å"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.† (Deuteronomy 7:9, English Standard Version) Here God is described as a faithful God, and one who will always love those that love him, and follow his word. This is such a powerful verse and really speaks to the faithfullness of God to his people, here it shows that God is obligated to us, that he must love those that love him. I think it also shows that he is bound to look out for us because he is our â€Å"faithful† creator, and that as the creator he is obligated to look out for us, to satisfy us, and provide for us, and ultimately look out for us enough so that we may seek him out and follow him with out Faith. That creation of the Covenant is the ultimate example of God’s faithfullness to us as it takes out all mystery and makes things most certain for us, and shows his commitment to us as a people, because of the covenant we know all the cornerstones of His divine government. The many ‘I wills’ in Deuteronomy cover everything that we as a people might need in both the past, present, and future. There is no avenue of life that we can venture to where we can not find God, and he has given us clear definition of His heart and intentions by his word and covenant. God’s love in Deuteronomy can best be described as his faithfullness to us, and as mentioned prior, there is no greater example of this than his Covenant, and new Covenant with us through Jesus Christ. â€Å"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.† (Deuteronomy 8:2, English Standard Version) Memory plays a huge role in Deuteronomy as God is very clear in this verse, that the people are to remember, that all they have been through was a way for God to see what was in their heart, to see what kind of people they were. Memories, in general, throughout time are always a great way to see someone’s true heart. There were times the people worshipped false idols or cried out against the Lord, and in those moments peoples true natures were revealed, the memories of those times are a great reminder of where people stood, and as it says in that verse that is what it was all about, was for God to measure their true hearts. This principle is still the same today, we are often judged by our past deeds, and it is not because we do not believe people can not change or that people do not deserve new chances, but often times we are what we do, and again the memories of our past actions are a great way to measure who we are as people.

Discuss the Relationship Between Great Britain

The years 1750-1776 were very volatile years regarding the relationship between Britain and the North American colonies. A large scale war, taxes, and revolts all played a part in the hostilities between the two nations. Economics, however, may have been the spark that started the fire between the two nations, and might perhaps be the most significant cause of the future conflicts between the North American colonies and Great Britain. The French and Indian war was fought from 1754-1761 primarily between the French with Indian allies and Britain for control of North America.This war was one of the first wars that would be fought on a global scale requiring more resources to aid in the war effort. Britain poured very large sums of money into the war in order to protect the colonists. By the end of the war, after Britain’s victory and the signing of the treaty of Paris of 1763, Britain had expended much of its resources. Americans, after hearing the news of Britain’s victo ry in the war, were readily making plans to venture westward into newly acquired lands. Britain, fearing that Indians would attack the colonies, quickly passed the proclamation of 1763 prohibiting settlement west of the Appalachians.Doing this was one effort to prevent future conflicts that would in turn require Britain to utilize more of its resources. Britain had dug an economic hole so deep that it would require vast amounts of dirt to refill it. Where was the money to come from? The Americans, having barely supported the war effort, would become the mule that was to carry the burden. The war was in fact fought to protect the colonies; thereby the colonists should have to pay for the money that was used for their own defense. Britain embraced this idea and started passing tax acts and enforced the navigation acts.Of the acts that were passed to raise tax revenue the first was the Sugar Act. This act placed a tax on all sugar that was imported into the colonies. Another act that w as passed was the stamp act which placed taxes on playing cards, marriage licenses and other printed goods. The colonists showed fierce resentment to this as they eventually formed the stamp act congress. As seen in Document B sections III and IV the colonists believed that they did not need to pay these taxes as they were not even being implemented by their own government.Other forms of resentment would arise as groups known as the sons of liberty and daughters of liberty would be formed. In document C it is shown that the sons of liberty were a group of common townsfolk workers. These men and women would cry for liberty, no stamps, and property as they believed that they should not have to pay for the taxes. They also enforced nonimportation agreements to make other fellow colonists support their cause to rebel against the mother country. The navigation acts also posed as a serious threat to the colonists as they forced trade specifically between them and England exempting other c ountries from the trade.This was a major economic problem for the colonists as they were not able to sell goods to other countries as they could possibly obtain larger profits as they could sell more goods and at higher prices. In document D Benjamin Franklin talks about how the colonists are restricted to trade with England except for the smuggling that occurs between Spanish and colonial trade. He feels that some action should be taken that would eventually better the colonies economically. Overall, economics were the roots of the weeds that had been planted by Britain sparking a major conflict that cost them an entire nation.

Thea Astley’s It’s raining in mango

A literary text often acts as a reflection of the society of the time in which it was written. The particular value systems or ideologies of the characters and character groups represented in the text inform the reader of those characters' cultural identities. In Thea Astley's it's raining in mango, the author offers many representations of cultural identity. Through the story of the Laffey's, Astley provides an alternative to the mainstream society's representation of cultural identity and challenges traditional beliefs regarding Australia. It's raining in mango is set in Australia, and follows the story of the Laffey family from 1860 to 1980. The characters endure some of the major events in Australia's history, such as the gold rush of the 1860s, the depression, both World Wars, and the horrific treatment of the Aboriginal population. From these events came the ‘Australian identity'; what mainstream society believed to be the traits and characteristics unique to the ‘typical' Australian. From the First World War sprung the legend of the heroic ANZAC, and Australians were regarded as the resilient ‘battler' with a strong sense of humour and laid-back attitude. Camaraderie and mateship were highly valued. The patriarchal ideologies of the society meant that women were expected to be submissive, and function solely in the domestic sphere, while men were the providers and â€Å"bread-winners†. Aboriginals and other minority groups were marginalised or silenced. The value systems and ideologies that inform the representation of mainstream Australian society's cultural identity are represented in Astley's text by characters such as the diggers, who believe that the Aboriginal people are â€Å"not human† and the pub owner â€Å"who hated blacks, but loved their pay checks†. Other characters who represent the patriarchal values of the society are the priests with whom Jessica Olive and Connie conflict with. However, the strongest representation of the values and ideologies of this society are reflected through the police, the figures of authority who find it â€Å"in order to blame a blackskin. The easy way out†. All these characters, along with the men looking for work during the Depression, reflect the values and ideologies of mainstream society, which inform representations of the cultural identity of Australians. However, through the Laffey family and other character groups, Astley offers an alternative representation of cultural identity. The women in Astley's text offer an alternative to the cultural identity of women in mainstream society. Unlike the women represented in the ideologies of this patriarchal society, the female characters in mango display strength and independence. Jessica Olive begins as the passive, submissive wife and mother idealised by mainstream society, however moves to challenge this notion after Cornelius leaves and she is left to become the â€Å"manageress extraordinaire†. She shows strength, passion and determination when facing hardships, or challenges to her values from characters such as the boarder at her hotel, and Father Madigan. Connie also proves her independence and strength of character throughout the text. As a child in a convent, Connie has difficulty suppressing her sexuality â€Å"and for one silly week she flattened her gently erupting breasts with a broad ribbon band†, and then as an adult she goes on to become a strong, self-reliant single mother. Connie, like Jessica Olive, displays passion and determination when she conflicts with another priest, Father Rassini. Mag is another character whose values and beliefs give an alternative to the mainstream notion of cultural identity. When she hides Nelly and her baby from the authorities, Mag displays courage and defiance, and the fact that she speaks for George, her husband, reflects power and strength of character. The prostitutes in the text also show very strong independence and courage, and their value systems and ideologies inform a representation of cultural identity that challenges the identity ascribed to prostitutes by mainstream society. The value systems and beliefs of the female characters in this text create a very different representation of women's cultural identity in Australia than that ascribed to women by the mainstream patriarchal society of the novel. They create a new cultural identity for women, that of the strong, independent woman. These women have a very strong connection to the land, and place family at the centre of their value system, as do most of the main characters in the text. The centralisation of family in the story of the Laffey's is very important in the construction of an alternative cultural identity. Unlike the characters that represent mainstream society, whose families are not mentioned, the Laffey's have a strong, profound bond. They represent values and attitudes similar to those found in Aboriginal culture, those of respect for, and reliance on, the family. Connie recognises that â€Å"only the family as she knows it has cohesion, provides a core†. She understands the unbreakable bond between her family throughout the centuries, and the fact that they are inextricably linked to each other by the knowledge that they are Laffey's. The bond between Connie and Will reminds the reader of the importance of family in a time when many families were being ripped apart by the tragedy of the Second World War. For the main characters, the family home in Mango is their place of return, a place to come back to for sanctuary and security. This emphasis on strong family values informs the reader of a cultural identity that is very different to the one offered by mainstream society, in the text. Along with a strong family connection, the main characters also have a strong connection to the land. While the settlers in the text saw the land as something to be battled with, the Laffey's learnt to harmonise with the land, and see it as something to be protected. Reever represents the values of the Laffey family through his acting out as a conservationist, and Clytie and Harry's struggle to save their farm during the Depression displays their concern for the land. It is this connection to the family and the land, similar to Aboriginal values, that sets the Laffey family's representation of cultural identity apart from that of mainstream society. The value system and ideologies of the Aboriginal characters, and other characters, inform the reader of the cultural identity of the Aboriginal people. The mainstream society of the text views Aborigines as savage, â€Å"no-hoper(s), river-tribe layabout(s)†. This view is clearly expressed throughout the text; by the diggers who callously slaughter the â€Å"blackskins†, the pub owner, the police, and especially by the gang in the bar who beat Billy and his family. The Aboriginal population is marginalised by mainstream society. However, Astley, by privileging the point of view of some of the Aboriginal characters, and creating main characters who sympathise with, and share some beliefs and values with the Aboriginal people, has created a cultural identity that is different from that of mainstream's society's beliefs. Aboriginal culture places great emphasis on the unity of the family, and this value is evident in Astley's text. Nelly is willing to run, and risk being hunted down, to keep her child, and Billy's first concern is his father when they are attacked in a bar. The very strong Aboriginal connection to the land is also evident in it's raining in mango. The way the land is described by the Aboriginal characters is beautiful and serene, with it's â€Å"hill(s), grey scrub against blue, the long grasses dry before the big rains†, and shows an understanding of the nature of the earth. Bidiggi automatically reaches for the earth to comfort him when his tribe is slaughtered, hiding in the water grass and falling asleep under a paperbark. These Aboriginal notions of family, and their connection to the land, provide a representation of cultural identity. The attitudes of other characters also affect the representation of Aboriginal cultural identity in this text. The Laffey family, who are centralised in the text, sympathise with the plight of the Aboriginal people. Cornelius is fired because he writes an article exposing the shocking treatment of Aboriginal people, the child George believes that Aborigines are just the same as white people, Mag and George protect Nelly and her baby, and Will tries to help Billy in the bar brawl. Because these characters are all centralised, and the reader is encouraged to agree with their values and attitudes, the reader is positioned to see the Aboriginal people as humanised, which provides an alternative representation of cultural identity to that offered by mainstream society. Other character groups are also represented in it's raining in mango, and their value systems and ideologies inform the reader of their cultural identity. These groups are the soldiers, the hippies, and the cult members. The myth of the resilient, laid-back Australian soldier is destroyed in Astley's text, and replaced instead with the image of a shattered, broken man, plagued by what he has seen. Will's experience of the war, and how he deals with it, are not the same as the romanticised identity created by main stream society. Will is instead constantly disturbed by the horrific images of his experiences at the front, and though awarded for bravery, he throws the medal in the rubbish because he does not believe that he deserved it. Thus, through Will's reaction to the war, Astley again offers an alternative to the cultural identity created by mainstream society. The hippies are represented as lazy, careless, and free. They believe in love, peace, and freedom, and regularly smoke marijuana. The hippies don't have real names, and they are constructed as drifters, travelling and moving whenever the mood seizes them. The values and ideologies of the hippies create their cultural identity, however their attitudes and actions are hypocritical, and position the reader to question the validity of the hippies' cultural identity. The members of the cult are constructed as surreal, surrounded by a blue haze. The reader sees them through the point of view of Connie, and the odd characters are almost satirised. Astley uses the cult to make another attack on institutionalised religion, suggesting that they are no better than the Father Madigans or Father Rassinis of the world, as they place their absolute faith in the intangible. Their inability to act in an emergency, such as when Connie saves the drowned man, highlights the ineffectiveness of their beliefs. The cult members' representation of cultural identity is informed through their value systems and ideologies, and is used by Astley to comment on the ineffectiveness of having faith solely in the divine, and no faith in self. In Thea Astley's it's raining in mango, the author has revealed several representations of cultural identity. She has revealed the cultural identities created by the mainstream society of the text, and then offered alternatives to these assumptions through the story of the Laffey family and other surrounding characters. The value systems and ideologies of these characters are what create the cultural identities for these groups.