A Protest from a Bushman

201005894| ENG 373 ASSIGNMENT| BOIKANYO MAKAUSU| 1. A PROTEST FROM A BUSHMAN POEM THEME: SADNESS The theme of the poet A Protest From a Bushman is SADNESS. The poet is expressing disapproval or objection to something, thus how his fellowman treats them and undermine the tribe, culture & tradition. TONE MORAL INDIGNATION The tone of the poem is typically a reactive emotion to anger over perceived mistreatment, insult or malice. It is somehow a sense of injustice. The bushman is more concerned with how his fellow countryman treats their tribe.He now feels that his native land not good/ not enjoyable to them as they are now treated as slaves and are now seen filthy. They are seen as a nobody hence this is their native land rather they are not refugees. The tone is the same through the poem. STRUCTURE The poem has 11 stanzas with 111 lines in total. The first stanza has 10 lines followed with the second stanza with 13 lines. The third stanza has 5 lines, seven on the fourth stanza while 19 lines on the fifth. The sixth stanza with also seven lines 15 lines with the seventh stanza and followed by3 lines on the eighth stanza.Then four lines on the ninety stanza. The second last stanza has sixteen lines while the last one has 12 lines. POETIC DEVICES REPITITION From stanza four the poet use repetition of the words, â€Å"life is tremulous like a drop of water on a mophane leaf. † to emphasize that life is shaking or shivering with the bad talks about the bushman by the fellow countryman. The bushman uses repetition to truly show that these talks makes them nervous, that is they don’t feel free in their native land. PERSONIFICATIONLife is personified to a person as it is said to be shivering/shaking hence it is something that’s not human like. It cannot shiver nor shake. He shows his anger by showing the unfairness of life. 2. THE ORATION OF CHIEF JOHN MADAWO NSWAZWI VII THEME SADNESS The theme of the poem The oration of Chief John Madawo Nswazwi i s sadness. The poet is being sad and not happy about how people are being treated. He is using Chief John Madawo Nswazwi giving out a speech to his tribe or nation addressing them about the suffering they were treated with and promising them that it is now over.He shows his sadness by saying, â€Å"We have become slaves Worse than dogs and pigs† By this he clarified how cruel they were being treated as animals. He also explained how heartless they were treated in front of God’s presence thus being weeped showing the immoral signs they discovered. TONE PROTEST The tone of the poem is a formal and solemn declaration of objection. Chief Nswazwi VIII is objecting or protesting against mistreatments of human rights to his fellow beloved countryman and women. The slave suffering of the countryman had put anger on him they now do not enjoy fruits of the country.He uses the African slave trade where missionaries mistreated the blacks as animals to explain their suffering which he feels is against the will of the almighty. The chief is angry to chief Tshekedi’s law where villages are being destroyed and reduced to ashes by his tyrannical rule. By saying â€Å" I shall come back fiercer than the burning sun† The chief promises the fellow countryman & women that if it happens he dies and the slave trade continues he would come back from the dead and display an intensive aggression to help his tribe. STRUCTURE The poem has 10 stanzas with 99 lines in total.In stanza I the poet expresses the feelings of anger that they have been mistreated but that shall stop and that the war brought shall kill the enemies themselves by using the chief. He continues in stanza 2 & 3 that upon his rule suffering would be changed to freedom and stop war with all his strength. He continues from stanza stating the impropriety of other chiefs, how they overexcite power up until stanza 7. In the last stanza the chief promises people that although they have lived throug h obstacles they would live a happy, freely and not disturbed life. 3. GABORONEThe aim of the poem is to briefly describe how the city Gaborone appears to be. In other words what Gaborone is and what happens around the city. However he does this by mainly focusing on the negative aspects in describing the city. It is a clear and short description of the picture behind the city Gaborone. The theme is perfectly reviewed throughout the poem, and to begin with the poet describe the climatic conditions of Gaborone in the first two lines to mention that Gaborone characterizes of high temperature or sunny conditions (Irritating Heat) as well as polluted air or not fresh air (Stale Air).He then continues to describe what happens around Gaborone from the third line to mention the fast moving and growing cockroaches, then large number of poor people (Hungry Smiles). The Poet continues with his description by mentioning foreign investors without identity found in Gaborone and also misleaders w ho feel overly self important (Pompous Misleaders). And halfway of the poem the poet says that Gaborone characterizes of misleading politicians (Visionless Politicians), violated house-wives in this case women abuse and also very poor artists.And towards the end he mentions that in Gaborone one may find rude and strict landlords and relatively increasing number of dealers. In concluding the poem he says Gaborone with its belly about to explode as to say that now population is increasing rapidly, the city is now expanding and hence growing into a huge city. STRUCTURE The poem comprises of only one stanza containing 20 lines, and each line starts by the word Gaborone. TONE The tone of the poem is quite a tone of disappoint or rather I will say the poet if fed up with what the city has turned into.So he writes this with a depressive mood. POETIC DEVICDES However the poet used some poetic devices during his writing such as rhyme, repetition and Hyperbole. He uses rhyming schemes such as the double rhymes like Hawkers and Workers, Mongers and Lovers. And also the triple rhymes like Churchgoers, Investors and Misleaders. Throughout the poem, the poet use repetition device in which he begins each line by the word Gaborone and there is also a hyperbole where by an outrageous exaggeration is used for effect, for example Turbo-Charged Cockroaches. 4.Outside A Hotel in Gaborone THEME The Poem put its focus on the desire or chase for money that people have and on the other hand it shows the power, strength and control that money can posses. This theme is being illustrated throughout the poem, and to start with the poet is trying to show us the picture behind a person who has money. He writes ‘Splash of Strident Colours, Splash of Covetous Smiles' as to show craving for possession or desire for wealth. So this is how a rich person would appear. He then continues to the second stanza to mention â€Å"eyes that lust money† s to say Minds that have a desire for m oney. And then he continues to the third stanza until the last one to illustrate what money does or what one would achieve with his/her wealthy being. and by doing so he write ‘ Purr of sleek cars' as to say Slow, continuous murmuring sound produced by attractive shinny cars driven in a group or a flock in chase for quick money. So this is basically what the poet is illustrating towards the end of the poem TONE So during the in analyzing the poem, it has appeared that the poet wrote this poem in a sad tone or mood as to show how disappointed he is.He is being let down by the impact that money has toward people around his city, Gaborone. STRUCTURE The Structure of poem comprises of 4 stanzas, the first stanza until the third one having a tercent each and the fourth stanza with quintet. POETIC DEVICES The Poem also comprises of some poetic devises such as rhyme, imagery, metaphor, simileys and. Firstly the rhyme, the poet uses sight rhyme that is word that are quite similar in s pelling but rather differ in pronunciations. For examples words like Cars and Curs, Flesh and Flash.He then applies Imagery, which is a sentence that uses the human senses to describe a vivid mental picture. For example he wrote â€Å"eyes that lust money† as to illustrate the picture of someone who has desire for money. He then applied the metaphor and simileys as to compare objects that are not alike, for example ‘Purr of Sleek Cars' and ‘Like Curs on Heat†. Here he is comparing the sound made by cars to the sound made by cats and again he compares an Undesirable dog on heat to Cars, as they are being driven by their owners in search for money. 5. SEROWE REFLECTONS STRUCTUREIt is made up of seven stanzas. The title is relevant in the sense that Serowe that the Poet talks about is different from the one he knew, the one he grew up in therefore it creates or forms on image of the then Serowe. POETIC DEVICES Metaphor ‘There is a permanent roar of your g reat warriors’. TONE The tone is sad because the Poet seems not to appreciate the changes in Serowe. There is so much change that he cannot accommodate. Serowe has become some that he is not proud of. SUMMARY From the poem we can tell that at first Serowe was a place that the Poet liked and enjoyed as his village.It was rich in culture but now Serowe has turned into something else, people use dongas to relief themselves; it is no longer safe for people to walk as night as people are being killed for sacrifices which is believed to bring wealth. Even the Kgotla [main] of Serowe makes people to think deeply about it whether it still potray the meaning of the Kgotla. Serowe has heavily fallen, one may say on the broken back just like the Poet and he continues by asking what could have went wrong with Serowe, the question is posed in such a way that the Poet want to find a solution in restoring the old Serowe.

High School Cliques and School Violence Essay

There is an overabundant amount of cliques in high schools throughout the United States. Many teenagers believe the only way to be recognized is to be affiliated with the popular crowd. There are many factors that bring about cliques in high schools. Some are based on wealth, style, and race. But in many cases there are cliques that are a combination of these elements. Socioeconomic status is often a big factor in joining cliques. Realistically, wealthy and the poor do not go hand and hand. The children of wealthy homes often degrade people that are poverty struck. Cliques divide people through class distinction. If you are not rich, you cannot have the latest fashions or be able to spend money as freely as others on things, such as, a tenth pair of Nikes. Fashion is another huge aspect of high school cliques. Nearly every high school girl dresses like a supermodel. They purchase tight fitting jeans with oversized belts and a matching shirt from stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Guess, and American Eagle. Not to mention all the matching jewelry or â€Å"bling†. Boys, too, are caught in a similar trap. They also dress to impress when purchasing a polo shirt or baggy jeans from Polo, Gap, or Structure. The media influences all of these styles. Magazines, television shows, and especially MTV, influence teens on style. For example, a popular television show like, The Hills, advertises high end clothing by having all their actors model their clothing. Cliques are also formed by race. Far too many times people exclude others because of their ethnicity. I realize that people tend to have more in common with people of similar heritage. However, this is no reason to exclude other nationalities. People should try to regulate this by having diverse backgrounds within a specific group. For example a group can consist of Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Latinos instead of one nationality. This way, new things can be learned from other cultures and backgrounds. Cliques dominate the high school scene across the United States. There is a range of cliques in every high school. Some of these range from cliques of fashion to groups of privilege. Any clique can leave demoralizing imprints on a person who does not fit in. These imprints have led to countless incidents of school violence ranging anywhere from physical fights to trying to blow up an entire school with faculty and students inside or even mass shootings, such as the case that occurred at Columbine High School. Violence in schools needs to stop. Too many innocent people are being hurt and even killed in some cases. One way to stop the violence is to regulate cliques. A simple way to do this is try to make all students interact with one another despite their differences in wealth, fashion, and attitude. This will show the students who normally fit in what it feels like to be â€Å"an outsider.

Hcs 325

Week – 3 Importance of Teams Murugareddy Pattiputtur University of Phoenix HCS/325 Dawn Sienkiewicz November 10, 2012 Abstract Teams are formed when individuals with a common taste, preference, liking, and attitude come and work together for a common goal. Teams play a very important role in organizations as well as our personal lives. Teamwork is essential for competing in today's global arena, where individual perfection is not as desirable as a high level of collective performance.In knowledge based enterprises, teams are the norm rather than the exception. A critical feature of these teams is that they have a significant degree of empowerment, or decision-making authority. There are many different kinds of teams: top management teams, focused task forces, self-directed teams, concurrent engineering teams, product/service development and/or launch teams, quality improvement teams, and so on. Importance of Teams Introduction: â€Å"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping to gether is progress.Working together is success-Henry Ford† The above proverb by Henry Ford highlights the importance of working together in teams. Team work is very essential as every employee will be dependent on his fellow employees to work together and contribute efficiently to the organization. No employee can work alone; he has to take the help of his colleagues to accomplish the tasks efficiently. It has been observed that the outcome comes out to be far better when employees work in a team rather than individually as every individual can contribute in his best possible way.In organizations, individuals having a similar interest and specializations come together on a common platform and form a team. Teamwork is essential in the provision of healthcare. The division of labor among medical, nursing and allied health practitioners means that no single professional can deliver a complete episode of healthcare. In healthcare, where patient outcomes are dependent on effective interdisciplinary teamwork, there is need for better preparation of health professionals in teamwork.To improve the efficiency and customer service in my department, I would first identify and define the problem; secondly I would try generating and evaluating alternate and possible courses of action to understand in which areas they would need help on, thirdly based on a situation choosing a preferred and a relevant solution will be given, fourthly the solution will be implemented and finally to evaluate the results to see the outcomes.Teams are essential to health care because it has been suggested that â€Å"each team member's abilities, skills experience, attitudes, values, role perceptions and personality – all the things that make a person unique and they also determine what they are willing and able to contribute, their level of motivation, methods of interaction with other group members and degree of acceptance of group norms and the organization's goals†Teamwor k is important in industries like aviation to ensure flights land safely, the military uses it to protect the country, finance professionals need to practice it to keep the nation’s economy running smoothly, the auto racing unit teamwork is essential to change all 4 tires by a team. Overall, in any industry that requires reliable human performance, teamwork is a necessity. Lessons from other industries in healthcare: Teamwork in industries like aviation, healthcare, military and other industries is extremely important and crucial as reliability of human erformance is needed. It is important because the consequences of an error is very severe in those industries. A major chunk of errors is because of communication and teamwork problems. Teamwork is not only effective at saving lives but also to ensure the organization does well and is competitive , if not you lose the competitive edge overtime and eventually disappear from the market. Planning is an important organization proc ess required for problem solving. Successful managing requires thorough planning.Planning is the process of deciding exactly what you, your team, or your department wants to accomplish and how to best go about meeting your goals. Planning is the foundation on which all other managerial responsibilities rest. Health care organizations face pressures and challenges from many sources, all of which increase the importance of good planning. In today’s ever-changing work environment, good planning offers a number of benefits and advantages for your employees, your teammates, and even your own career.The 5 steps to planning which supports problem solving are: Step 1: Identify and define the problem – Problem symptoms usually signal the presence of a performance deficiency or opportunity. During this step, it’s important to assess the situation properly by looking beyond symptoms to find out what is really happening. Step 2: Generate and evaluate possible courses of act ion – At this stage, Involving others during this planning stage is critical in order to develop a range of solutions, get the most out of available information, and build future commitment for the plan.Step 3: Choose a preferred solution – At this stage, its important to make a decision and select a particular course of action. Exactly how you make a decision and who may need to weigh in on the decision varies for each planning situation Step 4: Implement the solution – At this stage, it’s important to establish and implement appropriate actions to meet your final goal. This is the stage at which you finally set directions and initiate problem-solving actions. Step 5: Evaluate results – And finally at this stage, it’s necessary to compare the accomplishments with the original objectives.If the desired results are not achieved, the process must be reviewed and renewed to allow for corrective actions References Lombardi, D. N. , & Schermerhor n, J. R. (2007). Health care management: Tools and techniques for managing in a health care environment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Farrington, J. (2008). The importance of working together with your team. Retrieved from http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/the-importance-of-working-together-with-your-team. html Kotelnikov, V. (2010, November 22). Team building & teamwork. Retrieved from http://www. 000ventures. com/business_guide/crosscuttings/team_main. html Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, Inc (2012) Retrieved from http://www. siop. org/Media/News/teamwork. aspx Salas E, Rozell, Drew, Mullen B, Driskell JE (1999). The effect of team building on performance: an integration. Small Group Research.. Knight D, Durham CC, Locke EA (2001)- The relationship of team goals, incentives, and efficacy to strategic risk, tactical implementation and performance. Academy of Management Journal. *************************

Blog Response and write your own blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blog Response and write your own blog - Essay Example The advert correlates to the cultural notion that physical fitness, deep voice, and aggressive action are attributes of a man. Moreover, any man who lacks these qualities is shown as feminine. On the other hand, it is depicted that women in the society prefers men with maximum masculinity. This is because, based on their perception, such a man will be able to take care of women needs. This makes them admire men who have well developed figure. However, this post deserves criticism. This is because it depicts men who lacks such masculinities cannot have power, offer protection to women, and hence this is shown to be in contradiction to American culture. In reality, this is not true because being a real man is not based on outside appearance. The real man is defined by behaviour and instinct. Moreover, it is negatively depicting women as only attracted by physical well-being towards men. This is not true as women are also attracted by other attributes towards women. In fact, violent men are usually unable to sustain a formidable relationship. Part 2 The film ‘Dangerous Minds’ is a representation of what is covered with many Hollywood movies. The film depicts the worse state of education for prone kids who face the challenges of poverty, violence, crime, and violence in the inner cities of United States. The teacher also struggles to content with the students. Initially, the film depicts Whiteness as a true reflection of rationality. Moreover, the film shows Whiteness as a cultural standard in the changing society based on the racial composition. On the other hand, the other part of the film acts as an encouragement to challenged teenagers who had given up on schooling as an alternative to their wretched lives. In the film, the purpose of schooling is intermixed with the issue of racial difference within the area of urban public schools. Therefore, the film relies on race factor as an organizing concept to develop its narrative structure and pass throu gh the message. Moreover, both the Black and Hispanic teenagers lay a foundation for developing pedagogical classroom interaction. In this context, Whiteness as espoused by the teacher authority manages to overcome racially coded images of disorder, chaos, and fear. This is seen through the conflicts that exist between teacher and students in the first scenes of the film. This is a classical example of non- assimilation feelings between whites and non-whites. Moreover, the innocence of the teacher is highlighted in the first scene of the film. She leaves a middle-class culture in the white community to teach in uncontrollable environment. This is meant to provide white American with the notion that the disorder is a thing of other culture. The negative perception on the people of colour is further highlighted as she refers to them as â€Å"rejects from hell†. Therefore, the opening scenes serve to represent Black and Hispanic kids with the culture of violence and unruliness. On the other hand, Whiteness as depicted by LouAnne Johnson is under threat. This is because it is unsafe and under siege. Moreover, Whiteness is shown through the character of the teacher as the only option for teens to move beyond the setting and nature of their cultural identities. This occurs as it is contrasted with the stereotypical portrayal of intellectually challenged and decadent Black and Hispanic kids. Therefore, Whiteness is thus implied as a standard for

US Monopoly Company and US Perfect Competition Company Essay

US Monopoly Company and US Perfect Competition Company - Essay Example The competitive market structure come into being where there are different firms competing in the market to offer the best product and services to the customers. These companies cannot make decisions without considering what other competitors are doing. When there are several companies offering similar product and services, competition will occur. In most cases, this competition is to the benefit of the customers (Mankiw 329). Market Analyses The two monopolistic companies are the National Basket Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL). These two companies are in contract with the best players as well as the best stadiums. It is not easy for any other company to compete with NBA and NFL in this kind of business due to the monopolistic ownership of necessary resources for basketball and football. New companies in the market will have to look for other non standard stadiums as well as little known players, who may not be of use to them economically (Tucker 137). Anothe r way in which NBA and NFL enjoy monopoly in the market is through legal barriers. The government has given them licenses to operate the various leagues, on the contrary, telecommunications companies such as Skype and Cisco Call manager have got licenses to operate in the market. Potential competitors also have got equal opportunity in acquiring license necessary for competition. Other potential competitors to NBA may not be given licenses since there can only be one league in the US. The market in which national basketball association and national football league operates is characterized by the fact that they are he only companies in the market, they also offer unique services and products as well as the impossible entry of possible competitors due to ownership of vital resources by these companies (Tucker 211). Competing NBA and NFL will be unsustainable hence leading to monopoly. Monopoly has resulted due to the large scale of operation in which these two companies operate. They operate national leagues across the United States; competing them will depend on who is able to survive harsh economic times. Potential competitors cannot hope to provide the services provided by NBA and NFL In contrast, One perfect example of accompany in the competitive market structure is Cisco Call Manager (CCM). This company is a key member of the Cisco IP telephony network solution. CCM offers telephone services to its customers. Further, it provides all connection services to IP phones, smart phones and VoIP services. CCM faces competition from other companies such as Skype and Comcast that offer the same products and services (Sheppard 18). Cisco Call manager (CCM) experiences competition from new entrants in the market while NBA does not. New companies that offer similar services to those of Cisco Call Manager (CCM) have found their way to the market. This kind of market is where companies offer telecommunication services to customers does not pose any challenges to possib le entrants. To survive in such a competitive market, companies like CCM and Skype must offer their services at low costs and ensure that their products are unique from those offered by their competitors. CCM has also been challenged by the availability of their product substitute (Sheppard 18). NBA experiences no competition from other companies while CCM experiences stiff competition from other companies like Skype since no barriers to entry in the market exist. NBA has awarded contract to the best players as well as

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Research Paper Example The OFCCP is assisting the Department of Labor (DOL) like three other major programs Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Office of Labor Management Standards, Office of Workers Compensation Programs and the Wage and Hour Division to address the diverse employment, compensation and labor issues. Assessed on the Porter’s framework OFCCP competitive advantage was found satisfactory based on the services offered to the society and the level of its performance as compared to other services providers in the market. Businesses registered with federal government have a contractual binding to ensure compliance with government resolve to provide equal opportunities of employment to all job seekers and wage earner. The purpose of Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is to ensure that businesses are fulfilling the contractual requirements with Federal Government. OFCCP may also assist businesses for compliance through a variety of steps that may include technical assistance, compliance evaluations, reconciliations, monitoring and assistance in the recruitment of skilled and qualified workers. Moreover, OFCCP will ensure enforcement of law in case of contract violation and will provide relief to victims. (DOL, 2011) The most difficult management challenge is to provide the compliance assistance to OFCCP clients. These clients may include employers, workers, job seekers, wage earners and retired individuals. Providing such assistance to the clients is challenging because it needs to get in touch with each individual and provide him with the professional advice in the light of laws administered by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The subjectivity in each case may need detailed deliberations and insight into the case before the management can ascertain the onus and degree of discrimination committed, penalty of

N&S Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

N&S Finance - Essay Example Quick ratio Quick ratio, just as current ratio, is a measure of the company’s liquidity level, only that Quick ratio excludes inventory. This ratio is significantly below the current ratio, which could be an indication that the company is maintaining a high level of inventory. In case the company’s inventory is not easily convertible into liquid cash, then its financial position is at crossroads because it may experience difficulties paying its short-term creditors. The management should also consider whether the company is experiencing sales difficulties because that could be the reason why its inventory level is quite high. If this is the case, strategies should be crafted to increase conversion of inventory into cash so the liquidity could get better. Nonetheless, the positive increase from 0.83 to 0.95 is remarkable and if this trend continues, the company will not have liquidity problems. Accounts receivable turnover This ratio also shows the company’s liqui dity level. It is a strong indicator of how the management has efficiently employed the accounts receivable. A ratio of 6.63 in 2009 is remarkably big, meaning that collection of accounts receivable and extension of credit to customers was operated efficiently. Alternatively, this may indicate that the company operated, chiefly, on cash basis. The drastic fall of the ratio in 2010 could send alarm signals to the management that something is wrong especially if this sale is not as a result of a shift from cash sales to credit sales. For instance, this could imply that the debtors are servicing their dues very slowly or even defaulting. Average Collection period Average collection period reflects the period that it takes for the company to receive its accounts receivables. The 53.03 days for 2009 is an ideal period because the company will be assured of conversion of its receivables into cash in less time and use the money to pay its bills. However, 214.38 days for 2010 is very high, and this means that the company may be headed for liquidity problems as a result of customers delaying or defaulting on their dues. This, in turn, will cause cash shortage and hence the company may not be able to meet its administrative and operating expenses. The management should revise its debt collection policies to avoid experiencing liquidity problems. Inventory turnover The inventory turnover for 2009 is 6.5 times, but this reduced to 3.96 times in 2010. This implies that the company’s sales have started moving slowly, which is discouraging because this will most likely affect the profits directly. This, however, could be a sign that the company is increasing its inventory. Decline in inventory turnover will result to cash shortage and hence this trend should be averted. Total asset turnover Total asset turnover indicates how the management has invested the assets to generate revenue. The higher the ratio the better because it shows that the assets are applied more eff iciently. Reduction of this ratio from 0.93 in 2009 to 0.71 in 2010 is a cause for alarm because it indicates that the company’s assets are used less effectively, to generating income. The management should seek ways of boosting sales to ensure this ratio is restored to an optimum level. Debt to total assets Debt to total assets shows the company’s financial leverage, by revealing the proportion of the total assets that are funded by debt. In 2009, 47.14% of the assets were financed by creditors

Environmental Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Environmental Law - Essay Example The economies of the world hang on legislation passed global environmental law making bodies like the United Nations (IPCC Secretariat).    Fossil fuel is what drives the global economy, everything from your car to get to work, to the transnational shipping chain around the world. Business revolves around fuel and our nations revolve around that very business to build strong financial systems. How does fossil fuel cause climate change? Well, the answer lays around particular greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere. Like a greenhouse these gases allow heat from the sun to pass through the ozone layer and trap infra red radiation inside the layer, causing the earth to heat up if the right conditions are met for such a thing to happen (Goldberg D. 1993, 244-51).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Climate Change happens naturally. Some factors that contribute to the earths climate change in the past deal with volcanic activity, continental drift, ocean heat exchange and atmospheric chemistry. This in relation to the global carbon cycle gives scientist and pro fuel lobbyist something to cheer about. But since man has been driving his cars and burning his refined fuels, man-made greenhouse gases have been presented to the atmosphere as well. Gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons all have taken shelter in the atmosphere. The intergovernmental board on climate alter stated there was a "discernible" human pressure on climate; and that the pragmatic warming trend is "unlikely to be completely natural in origin." In the mainly present Third Assessment Report the panel wrote "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities." These gases o nly make up three percent of the earths atmosphere, But that small percent can have catastrophic events on climate patterns all over the world (Intergovernmental Panel, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So far the

Moses And Jesus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Moses And Jesus - Essay Example The birth of Moses came under the oppressive rule experienced by the Israelites while serving as workers in Egypt. They were under Pharaoh2. The aspect of external powers (Not Israelite rulers) that controlled Israelites at their births makes their lives different. The two leaders’ births occurred during oppressive regimes of the leaders controlling the Israelites at the different moments. During the birth of Jesus there was a decree running that ordered the oppression of all male new born children, should they be males. The decree was among the reasons as to why the information on the birth of Jesus remained secretive to many. The birth of Jesus, therefore, occurred at a time when there was fear of the possibility that the child may face the law and, therefore, subjected to death at a young age. After the birth of Jesus, his parents had to find avenues of hiding the child to avoid the child from facing the wrath of the law that required that he dies at a young age, being a ma le child and a Jew3. The birth of Moses, likewise, occurred under circumstances when the regime was oppressive to male Israelites who were just born. The mother of Moses feared that the child would be killed4 because of the oppressive regime of pharaohs that required that all boy children born to the Israelites face death at a tender age. The decision by Moses’ mother was similar to that of Jesus’ parents since she hid the child to escape the provisions of the rule. The two, Moses and Jesus, were lucky to survive despite the strict provision of the law that required their killing at their young ages. Since the parents of the two newborn male children had to escape the killing of their children, they sorted for refuge. The mother of Moses hid her baby in the same country where she gave birth to him, Egypt. The parents of Jesus however, sort refuge in a foreign country. They flew the child to Egypt where they hid the baby for three months. This makes Egypt a common place in the life of the two as a country from which the parents sort refuge. Hence, the life of Jesus and Moses share a commonality since they survived when they sort refuge from Egypt. At birth the two children’s’ parents used a manger and a basket where they placed the babies. Mary wrapped her baby and placed him in a manger since they had little space to accommodate the child at the place where the birth occurred. The manger protected the new child. The wrapping of Moses and the decision to place him into a basket by his mother was to protect him from any external attack at the place where they positioned the child. The proficiency and leadership skills of the two were identifiable from their young ages. Both had traits that displayed efficient leadership skills that turned effective when they started their roles of salvation as well as leadership. A commonality in the lives of the two relates to the favor of God that they had during their early stages of life. Mosesâ⠂¬â„¢ early life experienced the favor of God when the daughter of pharaoh saved5 him from the place where his mother hid him, near the river bank. He brought the child out of the hiding place and elevated him to adopt the royal life at the pharaohs. This came as a sign of favor of God since his stay at the pharaohs played a core role in nurturing leadership characters in him. Jesus experienced God’s blessings at his early life stages. At the age of

Transition From Authoritian Rule In Argentina Essay Example for Free

Transition From Authoritian Rule In Argentina Essay The transition of governments between various systems of rule is an on-going and never-ending process.   Every geopolitical entity in the world is under some form of government, be it barbarian or advanced, and no two governmental systems function in exactly the same way.    The system of government used in a certain area, territory or country is highly dependant upon the experience of those governed with the systems of governments in place in the past.   Because of the unique occurrences in history, no two entities will experience periods of transition between various forms of government in exactly the same way. Even those countries that are geographically close and share similar histories will experience differing periods of transition.   Although great differences exist, however, many similarities can also be drawn between nations that are seemingly worlds apart.   After World War II, both Argentina and Brazil experienced periods of authoritarian rule.   Both nations came under authoritarian rule and later evolved from authoritarian rule in differing manners.   Therefore, through the practice of drawing contrasts and comparisons, it becomes apparent in what ways the current practice of democracy in Brazil and Argentina is different because of each country’s former experience with authoritarian rule. Introduction Although close geographically, Argentina and Brazil experienced vastly different evolutions in their form of governance in the period following World War II.   Because the similarity in the governmental history of Argentina and Brazil lies in their shared experience of authoritarian rule, it is important, first, to understand the ramifications of that form of government.   The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the term â€Å"authoritarian† by describing it as â€Å"of, relating to, or favoring a concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people†.   (Merriam-Webster, 2007)   To interpret this definition within the bounds of the research question at hand, it is important to draw out two portions of that definition. First, consider the phrase â€Å"concentration of power†.   Unlike decentralized power that spreads rule amongst many, authoritarian rule places all power squarely upon the minority in power.   Next, the key phrase most important in defining â€Å"authoritarian† is that the concentrated power is held by â€Å"a leader or an elite†.   Again, this is the minority that holds a majority of the power.   Finally, consider the phrase that authoritarian rule is â€Å"not constitutionally responsible to the people†.   This could indicate that the government is not duly elected by the people through a constitutionally-defined format, or that once elected, there are no checks and balances by which a full accounting of activities can be demanded by the people. To further fully explore both similarities and differences in the affect of authoritarian rule on later rule, it is important to define the difference between democratization of a nation and liberalization of a nation, because both political processes affect populations in a vastly different manner.   According to Wikipedia, democratization â€Å"is the transition from an authoritarian or a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic political system†.   (Wikipedia, 2007)   In contrast, liberalization â€Å"refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy†.   (Wikipedia, 2007) It is possible, therefore, for democratization and liberalization to work hand in hand as a geopolitical entity transitions its form of government away from authoritarian rule, but it is not necessarily true that one requires the other.   For example, a country can simply relax its set governmental activities without actual changing its form of rule. Authors Guillermo ODonnell and Philippe C. Schmitter state in their work entitled â€Å"Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies† that â€Å"liberalization can exist without democratization†.   (O’Donnell Schmitter, 10)   But while liberalization does not necessarily need democratization, the authors go on to state that â€Å"in all experiences examined, the attainment of political democracy was preceded by a significant, if unsteady, liberalization†.   (O’Donnell Schmitter, 10)   Therefore, the true difference between liberalization and democratization must consider the influence one has upon the other. To understand the state of politics in South America today, one must first understand the basis from which it has evolved, and then its process for evolution.   This paper will first examine the varying forms of governance in Argentina and Brazil prior to authoritarian rule.   Next this paper will study how authoritarian rule came into being in Argentina and Brazil.   Further, this paper will explore how authoritarian rule in Argentina and Brazil gave way to other forms of governance.   And finally, the present-day political climate will be examined in both Argentina and Brazil, in light of the history from which both countries have evolved. Argentina vs. Brazil: Governance Prior to Authoritarian Rule   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Argentina and Brazil became independent nations in 1816 and 1822 respectively.   During this similar time period, Argentina separated from Spanish rule, while Brazil broke from the rule of the Portuguese.   Both countries, according to the CIA World Factbook, were both heavily influenced by European powers, both at their period of separation and to the present day.    In South America, Brazil is the largest nation, and currently the most populous.   Argentina’s political and societal history was largely shaped by Italian and Spanish immigrants that continued to stream in until the 1930s.   (CIA World Factbook, 2007)   The forms of government employed by Argentina and Brazil differed, however, after each nation was granted its independence and before the institution of authoritarian rule.   Both nations separated from countries with forms of government far different than they, themselves, would adopt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Author David Rock, in his work entitled Argentina in the Twentieth Century, explains that â€Å"the period between 1890 and 1930 in Argentina marked the rise to a position of national dominance of one of Argentinas leading political parties, the Unià ³n Cà ­vica Radical, or Radicalism†.   (Rock, 66)   Conservative rule in Argentina gave way to the rule of the Radical party in 1916, and it is that party that ruled until being overthrown in favor of an authoritarian government in 1930.    Rock states that â€Å"At one time it was thought simply that Radicalism was the political vehicle for the Argentine middle classes. However, more recently it has been shown that the partys origins are to be traced to a coalition between the middle classes and segments of the land-based elite†.   (Rock, 67)   A coalition between the middle classes thought to be the backbone of the Radical Party and the â€Å"land-based elite† is significant, because it was the â€Å"land-based elite† that were in rule as a conservative power both before the Radical party took control in 1916 and after it was overthrown in 1930.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite an apparent coalition between dissimilar factions, the CIA World Factbook reports that â€Å"up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentinas history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military factions†.   (CIA World Factbook, 2007)   This conflict refers both to the transfers of power in 1916 and 1930 as well as the strife that continued in the intervening period of fourteen years.   While the Radical party was in power, Argentina enjoyed a policy of free trade, allowing a strong exporting economy to develop and aiding in the financial development of the country. The tie between the middle-class bases and the â€Å"land-based elite† can be illustrated even in this policy of free trade, as Rock states that â€Å"this system was undermined by the inherent tendency of the primary export economy to concentrate economic power and opportunities narrowly in the hands of the landed groups and foreign capital†.   (Rock, 68)   Despite progress made in the advancement of the interests of Brazil during the period prior to 1930, the overall stability of the Radical party’s governance was shaky at best, and laid the ground work for transition to authoritarianism in 1930.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brazil employed a more representative form of government earlier on than Argentina, when a republic was established in 1889.   The republic of Brazil, formally named the Republic of the United States of Brazil by the constitution drafted and enacted in 1891, was lead by a constitutionally democratic government that employed a twist – unlike a traditional democracy, such as the United States, the original leaders during this period of time in Brazil were not elected popularly. Instead, power was seized during a coup d’etat and leaders were appointed.   Wikipedia develops the important point that during this period of time, the government of Brazil decentralized and â€Å"restored autonomy to the provinces†.   (Wikipedia, 2007) The major challenge to the ruling party of Brazil prior to 1930 was one of legitimacy: â€Å"how could an illegal, treasonous act (the coup d’etat) establish a legal political order?†Ã‚   (Wikipedia, 2007)   Unlike in Argentina, where a disparity between the â€Å"land-based elite† and those without land led to the government’s eventual overthrow, Brazil’s future can be seen by the fact that the rise of the Republic also led to the strengthening of the state-sponsored Army – the same Army that would precipitate the turn to authoritarian rule in the 1930s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although a Republic, albeit with initial leaders installed instead of elected, future Brazilian elections did not enjoy the popular support of the people as was seen elsewhere, notably Argentina.   As the road was traveled towards authoritarian rule, â€Å"throughout the 1920s, only between 2.3% and 3.4% of the total population voted.†Ã‚   (Wikipedia, 2007)   Hardly, then, a representative government, Brazil continued to struggle with the question of the legitimacy of its republic.   With that low participation recorded, any decisions made by the government feel to criticism and skepticism.   Although this question of legitimacy would ultimately hurt the concept of a constitutional democracy during that period of time, the Army continued to strengthen with its power checked only nominally by the government and the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Argentina and Brazil share similarities and differences in their history prior to the 1930s.   One notably similarity is the continued instability of government that ensued during the period prior to the transition to authoritarian rule.   This is tempered, however, by differing causes for instability; notably dissention between the ruling party and the landed, in Argentina, and the ruling part and military factions, in Brazil.   Like Argentina, Brazil enjoyed wealth through exportation during the period prior to 1930.   Unlike Argentina, however, Brazil failed to account for the agricultural needs of its own countrymen before exportation, and thus was forced to import many products.   These factors all lead to the laying of the path to authoritarianism.    Argentina vs. Brazil: How Authoritarian Governments Came into Power One of the leading exportation products of Brazil prior to 1930 was coffee.   After the crash of the American stock market in 1929, the Great Depression experienced in North American had a trickle-down affect on the economies of South America.   The prices paid for coffee, and thus the revenue gained from the exportation of coffee, was slashed by one third initially and later by two thirds.   With such a gross decline in profitability, the exportation economy as a whole was affected.   Any money held in reserve by the government to equalize pricing was tapped and emptied.   And thus, the country of Brazil was ripe for revolution.   (Wikipedia, 2007) Revolution came in 1930 when Getulio Dornelles Vargas came to power in a legitimate election gained through strategic alliances throughout Brazil.   A non-bloody revolution, the changeover was simply one of ideologies.   Vargas’ rule was to be one interim in nature – during his fifteen years in power, his rule gradually became less open and more repressive.   Wikipedia characterizes this change in his pattern of rule as â€Å"‘a legal hybrid’ between the regimes of Mussolinis Italy and Salazars Portuguese Estado Nà ´vo, copied repressive fascist tactics, and conveyed their same rejection of liberal capitalism, but attained power baring few indications of his future quasi-fascist polices†.   (Wikipedia, 2007}   While in power, Vargas thoroughly rejected the values of Communism – they were in direct contrast with his support of the landed elite – and instead espoused the fascist notions that would help to lock in and retain the power he had grown as the leader of Brazil. The decentralization that had occurred in Brazil before 1930 was gradually eroded, laying open the path to authoritarian rule.   The policies enacted by Vargas included the enactment of â€Å"one of the highest tariffs in the world and constructed a heavily regulated and increasingly centralized economy†.   (Rock, 16)   David Rock, in his work entitled Latin America in the 1940s, went on to outline that Brazil and nearby Argentina experienced changes in economies during the time of World War II, stating that â€Å"although they could no longer import capital goods and raw materials, the industrial producers of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and other countries managed to increase production†.   (Rock, 18)   As such, both Argentina and Brazil benefited by the demands of war.   The turn to authoritarianism between the two countries would differ, however, in the way in which military regimes lead to the transfer of power. Philippe Faucher, in his work entitled â€Å"Authoritarian Capitalism: Brazils Contemporary Economic and Political Development†, states that â€Å"when the dictatorship first came to power [in Brazil] it appeared that it would follow the same course as other military dictatorships†.   (Faucher, 11)   This was not to be the case, however.   Army strength built in Brazil for many years, both pre- and post-World War II.   But it would not be until 1964 that a military power decisively came to power in Brazil, many years after the start of rumblings in 1930.   In between, militaristic periods ensued, interspersed with periods of quasi-democratic rule. In 1964, Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco, then Brazil’s Army Chief of Staff, came to power.   He skillfully dealt with challenges to his power by making many changes to the government, including removing long-serving governors and representatives and adding power to the presidency.   Although his intent was solely to limit challenges, he instead installed the groundwork for a military dictatorship.   Wikipedia states that his measures â€Å"provided the successor governments of Marshal Artur da Costa e Silva (1967–69) and General Emà ­lio Garrastazu Mà ©dici (1969–74) with a basis for authoritarian rule†.   (Wikipedia, 2007) Meanwhile, in Argentina, a coup d’etat was enacted, quite in contrast with the bloodless transitions of power in Brazil.   Authors Benjamin Most and Lynne Rienner, in their work entitled â€Å"Changing Authoritarian Rule and Public Policy in Argentina, 1930-1970†, state that the military coup of 1930 â€Å"ended middle-class rule in Argentina and reestablished the political domination of Argentinas conservative, export-oriented landed elites and their allies among the export-related industrialists.†Ã‚   (Most Rienner, 46) While Brazil bounced between authoritarian and quasi-democratic rule for more than three decades, Argentina entered a period, in 1930, of different forms of authoritarian government.   This period would last until the mid 1970s.   It is important to look at the variety of forms of authoritarianism that prevailed in Argentina during this 40 year period, as it is indicative of the basic needs and desires of the Argentinean population during that time. Most and Rienner, outlining another work of Guillermo O’Donnell, delineate that Argentina experienced periods of traditional authoritarian rule, populist authoritarian rule, non-dominant rule, and bureaucratic-authoritarian rule.   During those four periods, the dominant coalition was first export industrialists, then domestic industrialists, then non-dominant coalitions, and finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   more militaristic rule.   Interestingly, Most and Rienner, quoting O’Donnell, show the beginning of more militaristic rule in 1966, coinciding with Brazil’s own turn towards militaristic rule.   Although history shows the first strongly authoritarian rule in Brazil to have been military-affiliated, the comparison does not draw to Argentinean rule.    Instead, power couple Juan and Eva Peron, who would later be fictionalized and characterized in the stage and film productions of Evita, were the most noted rulers during authoritarian rule in Argentina.   Most and Rienner state that the populist coalition – an authoritarian government that sought to identify with the masses – was â€Å"mobilized and dominated† by Juan Peron.   Peron ruled until being overthrown by a militarily-influenced regime in 1955, shortly after terrible droughts affected the country and also shortly the death of his wife, Eva.   One can almost hear the strains of â€Å"Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina† when contemplating the fate of that nation after the change in regime in 1955. Instead, the period from 1955 until 1966 proved to be almost without notably occurrence, as no strong leadership emerged.   Although authoritarian rule lasted yet several decades longer, the instability begun in 1955 would begin the way out of authoritarian rule in Argentina.   Similarly, continued instability in Brazil would lead to the same, albeit later than the emergence of Argentina from authoritarian rule. Argentina vs. Brazil: How Authoritarian Governments Gave Way to Other Governance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Powerful to varying extents in Argentina and Brazil, the time nevertheless came for authoritarian rule to end in both countries.   Like their descent into and experience with authoritarian rule, Argentina and Brazil left behind the constraints of that form of government in varying manners and with varying levels of difficulty.   Indeed, the most marked difference in the changes in rule in Argentina and Brazil is the steps and timelines followed by each in the 1970s and 1980s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Authors Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan note the following in their work entitled â€Å"Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe†: â€Å"Brazil has experienced the most difficulty in consolidating democracy†.   (Linz Stepan, 166)   Linz and Stepan go on after that telling statement to breakdown a variables in Brazil that could have lead to its difficulty in transitioning, but arrive at the conclusion that those variables – including overwhelming debt and the affect of military rule – are not so significantly different than situations faced by other transitioning governments so as to set Brazil apart.    Instead, they arrive at a separate conclusion: that â€Å"the major distinctive problem in Brazil concerns our variable of the political economy of legitimacy†.   (Linz Stepan, 166)   As alluded to in the section dealing with Brazil’s governmental type dating to the beginning of the twentieth century, the largest stumbling block was one of legitimacy.   Through regime after regime, leader after leader, Brazil continued to experience a strong enough, popularly backed official to bring an aura of legitimacy to its government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A further stumbling block to Brazil in their quest to realize a democratic rule after the end of authoritarianism was the fact that historically, Brazil â€Å"had the least structured system of political parties†, in comparison to other South American countries studied.   (Linz Stepan, 167)   This lack of structure was clearly illustrated by the continual bouncing between authoritarian and non-authoritarian rule during the period following World War II. Because a coalition of any real strength failed to materialize to decisively lead Brazil out of the dark authoritarian rule and into the light of democracy, its transition period was prolonged.   Finally, Linz and Stepan note that the constitution put into place in the late nineteenth century proved again to be inadequate in light of the caste-like society in Brazil, where the disparity between the classes was stark.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The question remains, then, as to how Brazil eventually did cast aside authoritarian rule in favor of democratization.   The answer, it seems, resides in the differentiation of liberalization and democratization.   Linz and Stepan note that â€Å"the Brazilian transition from authoritarianism began†¦[in] 1974†¦[and]was not completed until†¦1990†.   (Linz Stepan, 167-168) Sixteen years of transition is demarcated by initial efforts made in 1974 by General Ernesto Geisel, who set out to institute â€Å"controlled liberalization† in order to aid the country in moving forward alongside South American neighbors then doing the same.   Although liberalization was first introduced in the mid-1970s, democratization did not catch up for quite awhile.   In the intervening years, many changes rocked Brazil, but a sign of true democratization was to come when in 1990, President Fernando Collor de Mello was directly and popularly elected by the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The movement of the people that made the direct and popular election of Mello possible in 1990 began in early 1984.   As was characteristic of the entire Brazilian transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, the period of time necessary to enact change was lengthy.   Linz and Stepan write that â€Å"from February to June 1984, Brazil experienced the most sustained and massive political movement in its history – the campaign for Directas Ja, or Direct Elections Now†.   (Linz Stepan, 168)    Although significant portions of both the political and civil realms in Brazil were in favor of a change to a system of direct elections, and although, in fact, no major group voiced opposition to direct elections, the wheels of democratization turned slowly.   The military regime then in place insisted upon exerting a final show of power, and thus the elections of 1985 – the first opportunity for a non-military government since 1964 – were still conducted by indirect vote.   More political drama ensued when the elected president died before assuming office, and his vice-president served at the displeasure of many.   Slow but not stopped, however, was the march towards full democracy, and so Mello was elected in 1990.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Linz and Stepan also spend significant time in analyzing the regime change from authoritarian rule to democracy in Argentina.   One of the first similarities noted was that Argentina emerged from authoritarian rule, similarly to Brazil, by shedding the remains of military rule.   While Brazil’s military rule uttered its dying gasp by blocking a direct election, Argentina saw a more-bloody grasp at remaining in power.   Indeed, Linz and Stepan write that â€Å"while the overall regime lacked the coherence of ideology and organization of a totalitarian regime, many of the military’s statements about the need to exterminate their enemies had a totalitarian edge†.   (Linz Stepan, 190)    In fact, more than â€Å"three hundred times more people per capita disappeared in Argentina than in Brazil†.   (Linz Stepan, 190)   While Brazil’s military may have created stumbling blocks, its leaders were at least working towards liberalization.   In contrast, Argentina’s military rulers wanted no part in that initiative and sought to control power by eliminating the competition.   A further contrast drawn by Linz and Stepan was that â€Å"the military never created parties or held elections as in Brazil†.   (Linz Stepan, 190)   Indeed, while the rule in Brazil was farsighted and thought out an eventual change in rule, the Argentinean model of military rule sought to hold tight to power for as long as possible without regard to the benefits that may be inherent in change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Linz and Stepan outline five consequences of the fact that the military held so tightly to power, and in fact was able to stay in power for a full eighteen months after their defeat.   First, the span of eighteen months between defeat and the secession of power meant â€Å"the possibility of revolutionary policies was precluded†.   (Linz Stepan, 192)   Second, although the military in its dying gasp held on to power far longer than anticipated, it was weakened by a fear of conflict caused internally.   This fear was rightfully backed by practicality – for any hope of power to remain, any internal division would be deadly. Third, the continued show of power by the military was rebutted when the incoming regime prosecuted military officers vigorously for human rights violations.   Fourth, the violence exhibited by the military against any adversaries tarnished any future hope of partnerships with the incoming democratic government.   And finally, the prosecution of military officers almost led to an undoing of the democratic process, as uprising after uprising by other military officers drew President Raul Alfonsin’s attention away from other critical issues and forced concessions that reflected poorly on a newly-democratic government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although tenuous at the start, the turmoil experienced in both Brazil and Argentina was weathered by the democratic governments so longed for during authoritarian rule.   Authors Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman offer insight as to why democratization was such an arduous process in Argentina and Brazil, saying that â€Å"in non-crisis circumstances, incumbent authoritarian leaders tend to enjoy greater leverage†.   (Haggard Kaufman, 78)   Obviously, the leverage for the authoritarian leaders in Argentina and Brazil suffered because crises did occur, including financial downfalls that caused the economies of both countries to suffer.   But perhaps those crises were in fact beneficial, in providing the impetus necessary for regime change to occur. Argentina vs. Brazil: Today’s Political Climate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In present-day Brazil, the CIA World Factbook lists the type of government as federative republic.   In fact, the formal name for the nation is the Federative Republic of Brazil.   The current constitution was enacted in 1988 towards the end of rule by the last non-directly elected ruler.   Interestingly, in a nation that once experienced dismal election turnout rates, voting is now required between the ages of 18 and 70, with the exception of military conscripts, who do not vote. Similarly to the United States, presidential elections are held now every four years.   On the economic front, a country once plagued by enough debt to threaten a complete collapse of government is now growing at a rate of 2.2% per year.   The Factbook quotes that while domestic and international economic shocks have affected the overall economy, the fact â€Å"that Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy.†Ã‚   (CIA World Factbook, 2007)   Each president elected since 1990 has introduced initiatives to further strengthen the economy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To understand the full extent of where Brazil is politically today, one must first understand the type of government now in rule.   The basic tenet of a federative republic is that the popularly elected president is both the head of state and head of government.   The election of presidents and legislators is enabled by a multiparty system in a federative republic.   In current-day Brazil, this multiparty system is exhibited by the fact that more than one dozen political parties are currently represented in the legislature, and the president and vice-president were elected from separate political parties. Although the legislative and executive branches of the government work closely together, the judiciary is set apart.   In looking for a cause for this separation of the third wheel of government, it can be presumed that it is to ensure complete independence in the rulings handed down and that those rulings are not influenced by ruling members of the legislature or the president himself.   After so many years of military rule interspersed with weak quasi-democratic rule, it can be easily seen that the setting apart of the judiciary is a stabilizing move.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The present-day government of Argentina has developed similarly to that of Brazil.   In a slight departure, the CIA World Factbook lists Argentina as simply a republic instead of a federative republic.   More practically stated, Argentina is currently a representative democracy.   Unlike Brazil, the current constitution in Argentina was the one originally enacted in 1853; it has, however, been amended numerous times.   In a very similar electoral process to Brazil, presidential and vice presidential candidates are elected to four year terms.   Also similarly to Brazil, the president is both the head of state and head of government.   A final similarity is that voting is also compulsory for anyone above the age of 18.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The roots of today’s Argentinean government can be more clearly seen in the history of Argentina than can be traced in Brazil.   One of the two largest political parties in power today is the Radical Civic Union, which formerly ruled in Argentina from 1916-1930.   The efforts of this party and the popular support among the masses have sustained its power throughout more than a century from its founding in 1890 and its cause of supporting and enhancing the well-being of the middle class remains relevant in the current political climate.    The other of the two largest political parties also has a clear historical tie.   Called the Partido Justicialista, or Judicialist Party, the platform arose from the efforts of overthrown Juan Peron and his efforts â€Å"to expand the role of labor in the political process† during the 1940s.   (Wikipedia, 2007)   Once a country divided by vast differences in social classes, the two largest political parties now place utmost emphasis on the middle and working classes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brazil and Argentina both enjoy a bicameral legislature composed very similar to that of the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States of America.   In Brazil, the legislature is called the Congresso Nacional, or National Congress.   The two houses of legislature within are called the Senado Federal or Federal Senate, and the Camara dos Deputados or Chamber of Deputies.   The members of the Senate serve eight year terms, with one-third elected during the first four year election and two-thirds elected during the second four year election.   Three Senators are selected from each Federal district, totaling 81 altogether. The Chamber of Deputies are elected to four year terms and represent their Federal district proportionate to population, totaling 513 altogether.   The vast number of political parties represented in the Brazilian government is a sure sign of the people that they want to ensure representation for all – representation that was missing during period of authoritarian rule in Brazil’s history. The Argentinean legislative branch is set up and named in the same way as Brazil, with slight variances occurring in the number of representatives and length of terms..   The Senate of Argentina boasts 72 representatives elected to six-year terms, with one-third up for election every other year.   The Chamber of Deputies in Argentina counts 257 representatives who are elected to four year terms, with half up for election every other year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The judiciary, as mentioned prior, is set apart in terms of rule from the other two bodies of government in Brazil.   It is not quite so separate in Argentina.   In both countries, members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president for life and confirmed by the legislature.   In Brazil, however, life ends at 70; at that age, judges are mandatorily retired.   On key difference in the appointment of judges between Brazil and Argentina is that judges in Argentina can be deposed by the legislature; this is not the case in Brazil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A lasting legacy in Argentina is the current role of the military in overall society.   Having experienced gross tyranny under military rule for so many years and with bloodshed that affected such a wide population, there is understandable fear of an overly powerful military.   Therefore, the military is â€Å"firmly under civilian control†.   (Wikipedia, 2007)   Once a force that completely disregarded human rights and sought only to maintain the largest extent of power possible, the Argentinean military is now a greatly downsized force with only volunteer soldiers.   Conscription in the Argentinean military was abolished in 2001, further giving control to the civilian sector. The history of Brazil speaks more kindly to the rule of military forces, and as such, the influence of the military on the present-day democracy of Brazil is different from that experienced in Argentina.   Conscription in the Brazilian military is still compulsory; males between the ages of 21 and 45 must serve a term of between nine and twelve months, but can volunteer for this service as young as 17.   Women are also allowed and encouraged to serve in the armed forces of Brazil. At any given time, 33 million men and 38 million women are deemed fit for military service; only a small percentage of that actually serve at any given time.   This figure is roughly five times the number of men and women in Argentina considered fit for service.   Brazil also outspends Argentina in the upkeep of military forces by a ratio of two to one.   This may change in the future, however, as the continually stabilizing economy of Argentina launched what is called â€Å"plan 2000† in 2005 to make its forces more prepared for any needs the country requires.   (CIA World Factbook, 2007) Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By all appearances, the governments of Argentina and Brazil have successfully transitioned out of authoritarian rule and into democratic bodies.   This transition, as illustrated by the many examples of this paper, has not come easily or quickly.   Both nations experienced much strife in the twentieth century, which has carried on some levels into the twenty-first century.   In the end, however, the power of the people prevailed in both countries, and democracy changed from a fleeting form of government experienced only sporadically in the past to a strong form of rule which has a secure future. The future of both Argentina and Brazil is not pre-determined, however, any more than the various forms of rule in the past was pre-determined.   Instead, continued struggles will ensue as the democracies in place grow and age and are tested by circumstances yet unforeseen.   In Brazil, the democracy is still only just over twenty years old, and only a few years older in Argentina. By comparison, when the democracy of the United States of America was just over thirty years old, a war was being fought with the former mother-land in the War of 1812; when the democracy of the United States of America was just under 100 years old, a civil war was fought that proved to be the toughest challenge to the future of democracy ever though possible.   And yet the United States of American has prevailed with a democracy considered the strongest in the world. As the democracies of Brazil and Argentina age to thirty, forty, fifty and a hundred years old, challenges will arise to test legitimacy and strength of power.   However, Brazil and Argentina took a far different path to democracy than did the United States of America.   Because of the trials and turmoil already experienced through authoritarian rule, it is likely that the governments of Argentina and Brazil will be well-prepared to take on the challenges of the future. It is in looking forward that it becomes necessary to define one further term: that of foresight.   Foresight can be defined as using the lessons of the past with the realities of the present to plan for the future.   Both Brazil and Argentina are steeped in rich lessons of past forms of governmental rule; by remembering those histories and tempering them with current circumstances, the nations will be well-equipped to face the future.   Those futures will likely continue on different paths, however, based again on lessons and examples of the past.   Most importantly, the future of democracy, similarly to the current practice of democracy in Brazil and Argentina, will continue to differ because of each country’s former experience with authoritarian rule. References Argentina. (2007) CIA World Factbook   Retrieved electronically April 7, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br.html. Bruneau, T.C., Faucher, P. (Eds.). (1981). Authoritarian Capitalism: Brazil’s Contemporary Economic and Political Development. Boulder: Westview Press. Brazil. (2007). CIA World Factbook.   Retrieved electronically April 7, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br.html. Democratization. (2007).Wikipedia. Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Democratization. Haggard, S. Kaufman, R. (1999). The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions.   In â€Å"Transitions to Democracy†, ed. Lisa Anderson.   New York: Columbia University Press. History of Brazil, 1889-1930.   (2007). Wikipedia.   Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil_(1889-1930). History of Brazil, 1930-1945.   (2007). Wikipedia.   Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil_(1830-1945). History of Brazil, 1945-1964.   (2007). Wikipedia.   Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil_(1945-1964). Liberalization. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalization. Linz, J.J. Stepan, A. (1996). Problems of Democrative Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe.   Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. (2007). Retrieved electronically on April 7, 2007 from http://www.webster.com/dictionary/. Most, B. A. (1991). Changing Authoritarian Rule and Public Policy in Argentina, 1930-1970. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. O’Donnell, G. Schmitter, P.C. (1986). Transition from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies.   Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Politics of Argentina. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved electronically April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_ Argentina. Politics of Brazil. (2007). Wikipedia. Retrieved electronically April 7, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Brazil. Rock, D. (Ed.). (1975). Argentina in the 20th Century. London: Gerald Duckworth Co. Ltd. Rock, D. (Ed.). (1994) Latin America in the 1940s: War and Postwar Transitions.  Berkeley: University of California Press.

Concepts Of Consumer Behaviour And Mobile Phones Marketing Essay

Concepts Of Consumer Behaviour And Mobile Phones Marketing Essay Mobile phone occupies a fundamental place in peoples daily life. It has become one of the most important tools for personal communication across the globe during the past fifteen years. Consumer behavior is the study of when, why, how and where people do or do not buy products (Sandhusen; Richard, 2000). One of the things that can be categorized as both needs and desires is mobile phone. This chapter introduces the concept of Consumer Behaviour and shows the various components applicable to the mobile phones purchase in Mauritius. This will include the key factors influencing the Mauritians buying behaviour for mobile phones. The different criteria consumers consider in their buying behaviour will also be exemplified. Concepts of Consumer Behaviour and Mobile Phones In todays world consumer behaviour is one of the most fascinating topics. Consumer is the ultimate user of every product, without any consumer there is no market as such (Baker, 2004). Consumers are considered the king therefore it is very essential to study the behaviour of consumers. Blackwell et al. (2001) described consumer behaviour as the activities, in which people acquire, consume and dispose products and services. In the same view, Kundi et al (2008) stated that consumer behavior refers to the mental and emotional process and the observable behavior of consumers during searching, purchasing and post consumption of a product or services. McGraw-Hill (2005) defined consumer buying behaviour as the behaviour in the quest to satisfy needs which products and services were acquired to satisfy these personal consumption needs. Customers make purchases in order to satisfy needs. According to Christ (2009) some of these needs are basic and must be filled by everyone on the planet whi le others are not required for basic survival and vary depending on the person. It probably makes more sense to classify needs that are not a necessity as wants or desires. On the other hand, Peter and Olson, (1993) mentioned that interactions between the peoples emotions, moods, affection and specific feelings is called consumer behavior, in other words in environmental events which they exchange ideas and benefits each is called consumer behavior . Figure 1: Influential factors of consumer behaviour Source: Kotler Armstrong, 2008 By understanding consumer behaviour deeply, different authors have given different information about the consumer behaviour and how consumer buys the products. Consumer behavior involves the psychological process that consumers go through in recognizing needs, findings ways to solve these needs, making purchase decisions, interpret information, make plans and implement these plans (Perner, 2008). Consumer behaviour towards mobile phones The emerging technologies, one that promises greater variety in applications, highly improved usability, and speedier networking (Robert Godwin-Jones, 2008). Mobile phone is a constant companion to many people. Mobile phone which is fundamentally a communication device has undergone several transformations making its functionalities transcending the traditional voice communication between two individuals (Kushchu, 2007). Mobile technology is a daily communication device that allows people to communicate worldwide within seconds. Different researchers have diverse view about mobile phones. Xiaowei Huang (2011) identified mobile phone as one of the cultural commodities in todays world. According to Bassett (2006), today, the functions of mobile phones are not only for making and receiving calls, but also for providing other functions such as mailboxes, digital cameras, video recorders, personal radios, personal organizers, and even MP3 players. It is sometimes assuming that the mobile becomes each of these objects rather than simulating them, or re-mediating them; that it takes on the most advanced characteristics of each media stream it subsumes, and also assumes the development trajectory, or even the nature, or ontology, of these media (Bassett 2006). Nowadays mobile phone users are more adaptive, definitive, and subjective to how they use the communication device (Murni Mahmud et al, 2010). Mobile phone is not only a medium for communication but an entertainment device, an educative tool. Consumers used the technology as designed by the designers to satisfy different purposes beyond the conception of the designer (Carroll et al., 2002; Bar et al., 2007). Mobile technology were used and interpreted by users of mobile phones in their distinctive ways rather than how the designer had conceptualised the use of the mobile phones. Likewise mobile phone usage became more meaningfully through how the technology is used, the purposes it serves, and the context of its use through choice of functions and features (Okabe, 2004; Lindqvist and Svensson, 2007; Wirth et al., 2008). Overview of the Mauritian Mobile Phone market The Republic of Mauritius, a small island state with a population of 1.3 million inhabitants, is nestled in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius was the first country to launch cellular operations in the Southern Hemisphere on 29 May 1989 (Minges, Gray Tayob, 2004). Mauritius has been the first with the many telecommunication innovations in the African continent, who aims to be known as a cyber island. Telecommunication had an early beginning in Mauritius, the first telephone line was installed in 1883, seven after the invention of the telephone. The privatisation of telecommunication industries since the mid-1990s, most mobile phone markets have been characterised by competitive industries due to the presence of more than one operator (Bailard, 2009; ITU, 2011). The result is more affordable and reliable mobile services. People also do not have to wait for long periods of time to have a mobile phone installed. The Mauritian telecommunications sector was fully liberalized in Ja nuary 2003 pursuant to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitment made by Mauritius in 1998 (WTO, 2012). Currently there are 3 main mobile phone operators in Mauritius namely Orange, Emtel and MTML. Orange is the market leader, while Emtel and MTML are the challengers. Emtel first launched the 4G Mobile in Mauritius, Tassarajen Chedumbrum Pillay, Minister of Information Technology and Communication (ICT), which officially launched the 4G mobile phone service on May 29, 2012 (Lexpress.mu, 2012). Mobile penetration rates have exploded from a mere 1.05 percent in 1995 to a staggering 92.79 percent by the end of 2010. Mobile cellular subscribers rose by 9.6% to reach 1,190,900 in 2010 from 1,086,700 in 2009. Prepaid subscribers increased by 8.5% from 1,013,000 in 2009 to 1,099,200 in 2010. Mobidensity or the number of mobile cellular phones per 100 inhabitants increased by 9.2% from 85.0 in 2009 to 92.8 in 2010 (Central Statistics Office, 2011). Figure 2: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Mauritius C:UsersRachnaDesktopchart.png Source: World Bank, 2011 Consumers purchase preferences and satisfaction level for mobile phones For perspective of globalization we cannot change the system of tastes and preferences of Consumers. Another instance demonstrating the ignorance of local tastes in the wake of globalization features the multinational mobile phone makers, Nokia had tasted success with its soap-bar designed phones and ceased producing the flip phones that consumers found irritating to use (Zaccai, 2005). Every consumer has their own tastes and preferences. So, every consumers opinions and preferences are different from one another. It has also been pointed that many decision strategies used by consumers can change due to person-, context-, and task-specific factors (Dhar, Nowlis and Sherman, 2000; Swait and Adamowicz, 2001). Consumers tend to utilize different approaches to make choices. Mobile phone choice and use has also been found to be related to prior consumption styles. According to a survey of Finnish young people aged 16-20, it was found that mobile phone choice and especially usage is consis tent with respondents general consumption styles (Wilska, 2003). Customer value perceptions are found to significantly impact and drive consumers intentions in terms of repurchase intent, word-of-mouth referrals, customer commitment and loyalty (e.g. Brady and Cronin, 2001; Cronin et al., 2000; Duman and Mattila, 2005; Christou, 2003). In general, a common distinction to be made is that while the utilitarian goods usually are primary instrumental and functional, hedonic goods provide fun, pleasure and excitement. It has been noted that many choices have both utilitarian and hedonic features (Batra and Ahtola, 1990), and thus it can also be proposed that the choice between mobile phones has both utilitarian (e.g., communication, time planning) and hedonic (e.g., games, camera) features. Quite similarly, consumer choice can also be approached from the perspective of conscious and non conscious choice (e.g., Fitzsimons et al., 2002). On the other hand, direct marketing activities have big impact on every consumer, every company knows about the behavior of every consumer in the market. This theory helps for the organization and sub-organizations to know the consumer behavior in different market environments, taste and preferences of the consumer behavior (Thomas, 2004). Kalpana and Chinnadurai (2006) found that adverti sement play a dominant role in influencing the customers but most of the customers are of opinion that promotional strategies of cellular companies are more sale oriented rather than customer oriented. Nandhini (2001) examined that attitude of the respondents using cell phones was not influenced by either education or occupation and income Usage functions and features as a key driver of consumer acceptance of mobile phones Another important aspect that has risen from different studies is that consumers purchase new phones due to the fact that their existing ones capacity is not appropriate referring to the idea that new technology features such as built-in cameras, better memory, radio, more developed messaging services, and color displays are influencing consumer decisions to acquire new models (In-Stat/MDR, 2002; Liu, 2002; OKeefe, 2004; Karjaluoto et al., 2005). Thus it can be expected that new features will influence the intention to acquire new mobile phones. The consumer will respond according to the product quality and reliability, the fundamental understanding of products is necessary to understand the product features, products reliability and product benefits (Baker, 2004). For example, researchers like Chang and OSullivan (2005) showed that concrete feedback provided when keys are pressed offers a good satisfaction experience among the mobile phone users whilst Lesher et al. (1998) and Nesba t (2003) re-designed the keypads to expedite text entry. Moreover, studies involving elderly users found them to prefer large, clear and bright screens (Kurniawan et al., 2006; Nizam et al, 2008). Mobile phones are often criticized as being too small to be held and handled (Balakrishnan and Yeow, 2007). In a recent paper, V. Balakrishnan (2011) investigated mobile phone messaging satisfaction among Malaysian youths. It was found that mobile phone users have mixed feelings towards text entry speed, keypad design and health-lower extremity and thus, they are unsure about their overall SMS satisfaction. Hence this indicates that consumers lay more emphasis on the design of the mobile phone while choosing which cell phone to buy. The younger the consumer the more hedonistic features consumers tend to value in mobile phones (Wilska, 2003). Though, in Africa, the use of SMS and chat services has been widely accepted, but people are still reluctant to engage in other mobile data services, such as MMS, mobile banking and web browsing amongst others (Brown, Gordon, Janik Meyer, 2005). The major portion of the population uses SMS, chat services and some leisure based services such as ring tones and games but they are still reluctant to engage in other more advanced data services (Goldstuck, 2005; Bouwman et al., 2006). Mobile value-added services are digital services added to mobile phone networks other than voice services, including short message service, games, entertainments, web surfing, software applications and functions for achieving specific purposes (e.g. performing electronic transactions (Kuo et al., 2009). Among all m-commerce applications, mobile value-added services have been recognized as having a remarkably promising future in the telecom service market because customer values, such as time-critical needs and arrangements, spontaneous needs and decisions, entertainment needs, and efficiency needs and ambitions, can be met by using these services (Anckar and DIncau, 2002). Consequently, mobile phone technological advances allow customers to participate in the mobile services development, design, production and delivery process, mobile phone users increasingly demand for affordable and reliable services that correspond exactly to their specific individual needs, lifestyle and preferen ces (Sigala, 2002). Generally speaking, a positive attitude with regard to new information technologies can be found among the younger, male and high-income categories (Brown and Vemnkatesh, 2005; Gefen and Straub, 1997; Ilie et al., 2005; Rice and Katz, 2003; Wei and Lo, 2006). Not all types of mobile phone are successful in entering the market because some types of the mobile phone have a negative perception of user (Jaya Suteja and Stephany Tedjohartoko, 2011). While some people find using mobile devices to conduct transactions relatively easy, others experience difficulty with the small screen size and small keypad. Data input becomes a problem, and this can lead to wasted time, errors and frustration experienced by users, hence making usability less attractive (Chen Frolick, 2004).However, the mobility of mobile devices also increases the risk of losing them (Tarasewich, 2003). Mobile users are worried about the safety of their devices as these can easily be lost or stolen. Branding as a major factor affecting purchase of mobile phones Brand image is perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory (Keller, 2003). Brand is considered as a warranty not only of the quality and performance but also of the difference and emotional relationship with the product (Bahmanziari et al., 2003; Jiang, 2004). Moreover, the technological advancement lead to product features becoming more and more similar, as such consumers are often incapable or reluctant to distinguish between brands on rational attributes alone (Temporal and Lee, 2001). Likewise Riquelme (2001) examined how much self knowledge consumers have when making choice between different mobile phone brands based upon six key attributes (telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile-to-mobile phone rates, call rates and free calls). The research showed that consumers with prior experience about a product can predict their choices relatively well, although respondents tended to overestimate the importance of features, call rates and free calls and underestimate the importance of a monthly access fee, mobile-to-mobile phones rates and the connection fee. Brand image acts as information prompt (Bhat and Reddy, 1998). Moreover, brands can accelerate consumers information transmission (Kotler, 1999). Brand image helps to create positive attitudes and feelings. Brand effects for mobiles have been investigated by various authors. Luca Petruzzellis (2010) studied the hedonic and utilitarian value dimensions to better understand the brand effect. Previous research has shown that consumer brand image would affect consumers opinions on brand equity, leading to brand loyalty. Brand equity significantly affected purchase intention (Chen, 2010). Brand equity is referred to the marketing results that accrue to a product with its brand name as compared to those that would ensue if the same product did not have the brand name (Aaker, 1991; Ailawadi et al., 2003; Keller, 2003). The brand equity influences consumer-level constructs such as attitudes, awareness, image, and knowledge and company related outcomes like market share, prices, revenues and cash flow (Ailawadi et al., 2003). Accordingly brand equity drives to brand loyalty. Likewise, Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001) added that affective responses to brands are of utmost importance as brand effect is a strong driver of brand loyalty. Additionally, in the context of the mobile communications industry, Baker et al. (2010) examine the importance of brand equity in generating greater consumer demand for mobile communications products/services. In a similar vein, Jurisic and Azevedo (2011) address the need to increase brand equity by building and maintaining customer-brand relationships, which can be done by valuing the issues that customers value the most in order to increase their emotional attachments to the brand. Personality influences on mobile phones Mobile phones have been recognised as a form of self-expressive identity (Mannetti, Pierro, Livi, 2002; Walsh White, 2007) with many mobile phone users personalizing their phones to express their identity by decorating their phones and having unique ring-tones (Goggin, 2006; Katz Sugiyama, 2005). Self-identity has also been found to predict level of mobile use, with use increasing as self-identification as a mobile phone user increases (Walsh White, 2007). These findings suggest it may be worthwhile to assess whether self-identity is related to the level of involvement that people have with their mobile phone to improve our understanding of the connection between material objects and behaviour. As the mobile phone supports interpersonal interaction, mobile phone use might be a function of personality (Sarah Butt James G. Phillips, 2008). Historically, a mobile phone has been pricy with the market dominated by business users (Kendall, 1997). It has been considered a status symbol for the rich and famous during the early 1990s all over the world. The mobile phone is, however, more than a communication tool or piece of furniture: it is an extension of their person, and expresses their identity and selfhood in a variety of ways, including both how it is used and how it is worn (Helen Haste, 2005). It has been argued that a young persons mobile phone is a central expression of their identity (Brown et al. 2002). Young people are increasingly using and adapting mobile phones not only to interact with their own worlds, but to create and structure their worlds (Spero Stone, 2004 Referral influences for mobile phone buyers behaviour Consumer behaviour research on consumers social and interpersonal environment has indicated that the mobile phone consumers final purchasing decision will also be influenced by reference groups (such as friends, family, work associates and etc.) on whether to buy a specific product and which brand or model to choose among competing alternatives (Moschis, 1976). Wooten and Reed (2004) suggested that consumers with high susceptibility to normative influence tend to use protective self-presentation to avoid undesirable disapproval. In the studies of Jiaqin Yang et al. (2007), reference groups have a significant influence on US mobile phone consumers in their purchasing behavior. The target population for the survey was Chinese people, they consume similar brands or products that their peers consuming. In comparison, individualism is a popular trait among US consumers, so most American consumers focus more on their personal needs and less concerning about the opinion of others. It can be further supported by a recent research (Mourali et al., 2005). The research of Tiana Tucker (2011) illustrate that friends were the most influential people for young adults when looking to purchase a new mobile phone. Sernovitz (2009) described word of mouth marketing as all about consumers sharing their experiences of products by ways other than direct marketing to consumers. When an idea is transferred to the consumers and they send it to fellow customers, that is, a form of real word of mouth communication. Word of mouth seems desirable to achieve positive perception and thus preference for a brand in the customers mind (Sweeney et al., 2008). One way that offers a distinct point of advantage is positive word of mouth (WOM). Early studies suggested that WOM is nine times as effective as traditional advertising in converting unfavorable or neutral predispositions into positive attitudes (e.g., Day, 1971). More recently, Hogan et al. (2004) showed that WOM can triple the effectiveness of advertising. Table 1: Types of Reference Groups Type of Reference Group Definition Example Formal Clearly defined structure and membership Soccer club Informal Has no formal rules Families, friends and peer groups Primary Has face-to-face interaction Students in a class Membership Members of a certain group and model behaviour on others in the group Members of a church or a social club Non-membership Do not have membership but may still model their behaviour on members of this group Non-member of church may still be influenced by members behaviour: helping those in need Aspirational Groups that people aspire to belong Movie stars and famous personalities (Ryk Neethling) Dissociative Groups that you avoid or reject Gangs Source: Cant et al. (2006); Strydom, et al. (2000) Mobile technology within the social and occupational spheres influence buying patterns Social needs are the needs for social interaction of an individual that represent the need for communicating with friends, family and affiliation such as group membership, clubs, churches and work affiliations (Tikkanen, 2009). Social need is one of the determinants of consumers dependency on mobile phones (smartphones) because the mobile phones have become much more versatile, allowing consumers increased usage for communication and maintaining relationships between and among individuals (Lippincott, 2010). This is supported by the Mafe and Blas (2006) study which found that consumers high dependency on smartphones is positively correlated with consumers future purchase behaviour. Currently, TV-individual interaction through text messages includes participation in programmes in order to vote, downloading a variety of content, expressing opinions and appearing on screen, taking part in draws or competitions and even TV screen chats (Beyer et al., 2007). Mobile phones have in the firs t place been enhancing friendships and family interaction and have resulted in the tightening of social cohesion among close friends and family members (Ling Horst, 2011). In Wei and Los (2006) research, it was found that consumers were highly engaged with smartphones when there was a positive correlation between social needs and dependency. Consumers with a high need to socialize and be connected were found to increase their usage rate on mobile phones because Bodker et al. (2009) claimed that interaction or social networking has been embedded and conveyed through the mobile phones itself. Consequently, consumers with a lower level of social needs are expected to have a lower usage rate of smartphone (Morgan, 2010). According to Hundley and Shyles (2010), consumers fulfils their social need by engaging with mobile phones and have concerns about being socially disconnected, uninformed and excluded from friends and their social activities. Research has consistently shown that many young people believe mobile phone use enhances social inclusion by allowing them to remain in contact with friends and peers at all times (see, e.g., Ling, 2004; Peters ben A llouch, 2005; Wei Lo, 2006). Additionally, some mobile phone users report feeling loved and valued when they receive contact on their mobile phone (Walsh, White, Young, 2009) and that positive messages are stored on mobile phones so they can be re-read when the user is feeling low (Srivastava, 2005). Young people are heavy users of mobile phones; they are the majority of the population who users mobile phone the most (Dickinger, et al., 2004). As such the younger generation is keener to have high technology devices, for example latest technology mobile phones than the older population. Mobile phones are more as a fashion accessory to the young generation than a communication device (Robins, 2003). Mobile devices are more likely to be used in the presence of other people and may even be seen as a fashion accessory (Lu et al., 2005, 2008). More public use of these portable systems may mean that users are more open to circumstances of social judgement, criticism and censure. Young people are using and adapting mobile phones more and more not only to interact with their own worlds, but to create and structure their worlds (Spero Stone, 2004). Mobile phone is now a common part of youngsters lifestyle. Research showed that mobile phones enable young people to be associated to their fa mily and to their peers and allows them even more freedom to connect and explore. The impact of culture on mobile phone purchase Culture is identified as the collective mental programming of individuals in an environment (Hofstede, 1980). This means that culture is not genetically inherited, and it cannot exist on its own but acquired from the society. An individuals behavior is a result of that individuals cultural value system for a particular context which are changed and developed over time (Luna and Gupta, 2001). According to various authors, culture is believed to have a great influence on consumer behaviour. Culture has a profound influence on how and why consumers purchase range products and services, (Blackwell et al., 2001). Cultural groups influence the consumption patterns. Moreover, ethnic background and geographical locations play a large part in culture and establishing culturally acceptable and unacceptable consumer behavior. Subcultures exist with culture groups. According to researchers obtaining a mobile phone is a milestone that indicates success, not only financially but also culturally in term of the integration within society, (Castells et al. 2007). On the other hand, Marquardt (1999) has claimed that mobile phones affect social relationships and this is a disintegration of communities. Mobile phone usage has resulted in greater electronic interactions between friends and family at the expense of face to face interaction which have been dramatically reduced. Consequently, it could be proposed that mobile phones are changing individual cultural norms and values (Rauch, 2005). Conversely, HUANG Xiaowei (2011) argued that the mobile phone, with its dramatic development and peerless functions, is not a myth but a consequence of social development. The study from Choi and Geistfeld (2004) showed that functionality design, feature images and brand images are highly positive correlated with cultural characteristics of the users. Research showed that in some of Shanzhai mobile companies develop special models of mobiles for sub-cultural group consumers, for example, for Buddhists they have gold plated mobile with Buddha picture as inter face and sutra (Jun Li, 2010). Subcultures comprise of nationalities, religions, racial groups, and geographic regions. Further, Lee and Kacen (2008) discovered that subjective cultures tend to influence the buying intention of consumers. Gay et al. (1997) defined culture as the what-everybody-knows about the world without consciously knowing where or when they first learned it. The research work by Monthathip Srikes et al (2009) demonstrated that differences in national culture impact on the buyer behaviour of the Thai and British consumers when purchasing a mobile phone. For example, for Thai consumers, it is important to note that social acceptance acts as the main buying decision factor alongside their cultural attributes. In contrast, a strong correlation occurred between buying Intention self- direction and price -hedonism with British consumers (Monthathip Srikes, Panos Louvieris, Catherine Collins, 2009). Mobile phone choice as a learning device Mobile technology is dominating the world rapidly. In the educational system, Ling (2003) argues that communication systems between students have always existed. Students have always communicated to each other by passing notes, whispering, using hand signals, and the like (Ling 2003). Furthermore, the use of the mobile phone to send SMS eliminates the physical note, thus allowing for discretion-the message cannot be seen or read by others (Ling, 2003). Mobile learning devices such as mobile phones now have the emerging potential to achieve a large scale impact because of their portability, versatile features, and low cost (Roschelle, 2003). Many researchers have analysed the effectiveness of mobile phones. Taher Bahrani (2011) believes that mobile phones offer promising opportunities for learning in informal setting outside the classroom borders. Moreover, the increase in processing power, storage memory, and connectivity through the internet or the Bluetooth technology have resulted in an extensive growth in media richness that can provide access to highly personalized learning environment for everyone in informal setting (Pea Maldonado, 2006). As the matter of fact, the conventional mobile phone is more than just a device to make a call. In recent years, there have been many studies and projects using the relevant mobile technologies such as mobile phones or ipods for both formal and informal language learning (Chinnery, 2006; Kadyte, 2003; Kiernan Aizawa, 2004; Levy Kennedy, 2005; Norbrook Scott, 2003; Paredes et al., 2005; Thornton House, 2005; Ogata Yano, 2004).Mobile phones can provide the learner with frequent engagement opportunities to language problems all the time increasing the learning chances by allowing the learner to use many sources of authentic audio/visual and print materials once motivated (Beaudin et al. 2006). Nevertheless, there is no formal theory of mobile language learning developed to date (Joseph Uther, 2006), but still emerging mobile technologies increasingly suggest potential language learning solutions and environments that will be highly interactive, ubiquitous, and convenient. On the other hand, in countries such as India, cell phone ownership is growing fast. As a result, many educational projects are taking advantage of that development to create applications that run on mobile phones (Robert Godwin-Jones, 2008). However, research carried out by Ozhan (2004) reports that as educational level increases, the level of negative attitude toward mobile phones increases also. In the same vein, Pressley (2002), reading is about constructing meaning from a text so that the goal of reading goes beyond decoding and recognizing words. Also, reading is purposeful only when a learner can build meaning from a text and connect it to his or her everyday life. A lack of comprehension leads to negative attitudes and a loss of motivation (Graves et al., 2003). Additionally, Murphy (2006) also emphasizes the need to consider cultural and social factors when designing mobile learning activities. Similarly, Cobcroft et al. (2006) suggested to be well aware of the limitations a nd challenge, bearing in mind the potential impact on transforming current cultures and practices. Price as an influential factor in the purchase on Mobile Phones Besides new technological advances price was the most influential factor affecting the choice of a new mobile phone model. Price of the phone has b