Challenges Opportune Regional Integration .Com

Discuss About The Challenges Opportune Regional Integration? Johnson and Martin Ltd (J&M) is a company that manufactures a popular line of clothing for young people. The company’s products are positioned as fashionable and of high quality. Due to the little prospects for the future sales growth, the firm has decided to expand its clothing to the Middle Eastern region (Jullens, 2013). The potential marketing for these products is Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. As a marketing consultant, I have carried out market opportunity assessment to determine which is the most prospective market to enter. In this market assessment opportunity, I have examined the investment environment, impacts of the government interventionist policies, the market potential and the effect of regional integration initiatives and related issues. In addition to that, I have evaluated the opportunities and threats in the three markets. This study, therefore, explains the market opportunity assessment for Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the opportunity and threat s in each of the three markets. The investment environment is the global economy and the domestic economy , developments in which have an impact on the prices (values) of the assets. My examination of the investment environment revealed that investment climate in Turkey is excellent particularly for the clothing of young people. Hollensen points out that the country has a young dynamic population and a growing middle-class with a lot of purchasing power (Hollensen, 2017). He clarifies that its unique geographical location is critical in attracting many customers since it is strategically situated between the East and the West. An investor can, therefore, make high profit margins, as a result of the high volume of sales. In addition to that, it is one of the G-20 states with the highest economic growth.   Also, the state has a very friendly business climate to the investors, access to a huge national consumer base and other nearby markets and supports expansion for the international investors. A good investor wil l, therefore, make use of such an investment environment Turkey has bonded very well with most of the investors such as India. According to Hollensen, there are as many as 260 Indian companies which operate in Turkey. In the last 14 years, these firms have made humongous sales worth $ 103 million (Hollensen, 2017). Some of these companies include Wipro, Polyplex, and Mahindra among others. Turkey has a verycompetitive and skilled workforce comprising of a young population with flexibleinvestment settingand low tax prices, the country presents an exciting opportunity for clothing investors. Hence, the opportunity Turkey presents for the Johnson and Martin Ltd to invest is perfect Poor implementation of intervention policies by the government has held back the interests of foreign investors in Turkey in the last decades. A report conference that was released by the United Nations about development and trade (UNCTAD) in the year 2013 revealed that the political uncertainty which was escalating at the regional level subdued global economic prospects were preventing foreign investors from investing in Turkey (Joffe, & Vasconcelos, 2014). However, the Government of Turkey has carried out structural reforms to boost investment climate in the country. Moreover, the government has ensured tight fiscal controls, privatization of the economic enterprises of the state, increased flexibility in the labor market and a strong banking sector. As a result, the economy has improved. The Government of Turkey has pursued a well-knownreform program about investment atmosphere whose aim is to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Also, the formation of Turkey’s Investment Support and Promotion Agency has attracted investors (Kanat, 2004). ISPAT supports new investors, the business making process and promotes an investment setting that is friendly. It functionsas a support within the government for changesthat ensures investment and runsto promote domestic and global consciousnessof the values of the investment. The government’s transformationsin Turkey have made it easier to starta firm. The government has subsidedpermit necessities and has allowed people to register their businesses via regional commercial registry offices (Tuncel, 2017). Furthermore, the government has instituted a single firm registration form. The Turkish Government policies have ensured that the taxation system is friendlier to investors. According to Tuncel, the normal commercial tax rate was lowered from 30% to 20% in 2006. Market potential is the wholesize of the market for a certain product at a particular time. Turkey has a high market potential that covers more than one billion consumers. Turkey international image for investment is mainly moldedby the various marketplace opportunities both export and domestic-oriented (Kirisci, 2012). The market potential of Turkeyinclude a large and expanding domestic market which is approximately 70 million, a European market that generates a lot of capitalof about (600 million), evolvingRussian, Central Asian markets (roughly205 million) and a distinctand growing Middle East and North Africa markets (approximate 160 million). The strong historic and cultural ties provide Turkey with privateaccess and a center to create abusiness with these states. Hence, the high market potential makes Turkey a prominentinvestor in the Central Asian Turkic Republics. Regional integration has been used as an efficient instrumentfor promoting regional peace, prosperity, and stability, with the added prospect that economic expansion might also facilitate the transition to democracy (Joffe, & Vasconcelos, 2014). Turkey and the EU have worked on these suppositions and have developed various approaches to regional integration. Some of the impacts of regional integration initiatives are discussed below One of the effects of the regional integration initiatives is that it has made Turkey to increasingly become a â€Å"trading state†. Turkey has increased and diversified its economic relations with the Mashreq and Maghreb countries (Kirisci, 2012). After the Arab Spring, the Turkish regime had begun to improve componentsof neighborhood policy with Mashreq and Maghreb countries. The policies aimed at greater economic integration. Nevertheless, there has been up and down due to the crisis in Syria and also issues of stimulating transformation in the Arab world. Regional integration has allowed Turkey to acquire a higher proportion of the market share compared to its neighborhood. As the cold war ended, only 10% of itstranscontinentaltrade was with its neighborhood and this amounted to $3.5 billion (Frieden, 2015). Much of the trade was with Iran and the Soviet Union. Approximately half of the total Turkish foreign trade was acquired by the European Union countries roughly $17 billion. Nonetheless, the situation changed dramatically in the year 2011. Trade with the neighborhood was pricedat about $82 billion and comprised around 22 percent of the Turkeys general trade. Turkish regional integration has displayed other dimensions too.   In the aftermath of the Arabs revolution, the ‘zero problems with neighbors’ policy collapsed. The policy was very crucial since it was the primary source of the soft power of Turkey in the international affairs (Kirisci, 2012). Kirisci explains that the Turkish foreign policy is almost collapsing. In spite of much effort between Turkey and Syria to resolve their conflict, the conflict is too far from being resolved. Currently, Turkey is deeply involved in aconflict with Syria and this is affecting its own security negatively.   In my research, I discovered that although there are ongoing efforts by the government to court worldwide investors, the investment climate in Egypt remains challenging. Egypt has hard controls of currency and shortages. As a result, the country incurs losses and depend on importation of inputs essential for domestic production and manufacturing (Leigh & Blackey, 2016). The government of Egypt, however, remain committed to attracting investors across the globe.   For instance, it has launched a large-scale industrial zone near the Suez Canal. The main objective is to attract multinational manufacturing and logistic businesses alongside the main transnational shipping route. Most of the investors have reported delays of several months in the execution of foreign exchange transfers. In addition to that, labor rules inhibit firms from hiring more than 10% non-Egyptians. Moreover, foreign investors are not permitted to operate simple partnerships or sole proprietorship. A foreign indus try that is willing to import for trading purposes has to do so via a complete Egyptian-owned importer. Egyptian courts rarely recognize foreign judgments. Solving disputes takes a lot of time, with the time taken to settlea case to completion averaging 3-5 years (Leigh & Blackey, 2016). Also, their many hindrances such as regulatory complexity, excessive bureaucracy, the mismatch between labor market demand and job skills, non-tariff trade barriers and slow and cumbersome customs procedures. The world bankhas ranked Egyptamongstthe easiest countries in the Middle East and North Africa to start a business. According to the World Bank, a business can be opened in 8 days when compared to the and 19 and an international of 42. A businesspermit is not available online and has to be done in person at the General Authority for Investment (GAFI), situated in Nasr City with satellite offices in Assuit, Ismailia, and Alexandria. Egypt commenced structural reforms to correct macroeconomic imbalances that existed before President Mubarak’s era. Egypt has a long history of government intervention (Loewe, 2013). A substantial re-orientation happened in 2004 when President Mubarak appointed a new regime which comprised of several former business men. It came up with a new strategy for the industrial policy which was considerably more demand and market-oriented and less interventionist. The objective was to address the market failures which were hindering structural change in Egypt and prevent ‘vertical discrimination’ as much as possible (Gonzalez-Vicente, 2015). The industrial policies were effective in investment promotion, improved the entrepreneurs access to finance and simplified tax rates and procedures. Egypt is the largest textile producer in Africa accounting for about 50 percent of the world production in 2008. Private companies have dominated the downstream industry with more than 70 percent garment production. The Egyptian government is encouraging private investors to invest in both down-stream and up-stream industry (Kaplinsky, & Morris, 2014). Over the past 3 decades, the United States and Europe have been the primary markets for the textile and clothing exports with a market share of 35 percent and 46 percent respectively. Foreign Direct Investment has been an important vehicle for economic expansion in the emerging markets countries. Egypt has become the leading attractor of all the foreign direct investment in Africa. By the year 2008, it had attracted 56 foreign investment firms in the textile industry. The regional integration between Egypt and the United States has led to various economic implications. Improvement in Egypt’s market access to the united states. A potentially significant aspect of a preferential agreement with the United States has advanced access to the US markets for Egypt. (Melo & Tsikata, 2015). Important US quotas and tariffs remain on most of the Egyptian products. The ‘US International Trade Commission reports that out of the top 100 products that are imported from Egypt, only 16 products enter the United States duty-free. 22 of the remaining products face tariffs of less than 5%, 29 face tariffs which range from 5-15% and 26 products face tariffs higher than 15 percent. Hence, the export price of Egypt in the United States markets increases For Johnson and Martin Ltd company, Saudi Arabia is one of the most critical export markets. It is the biggest free economic market in the Middle East and holds 25 percent of the GDP (Rabie, 2013). It has a huge population of customers of about 400 million with high purchasing power. Also, its geographical location makes it a perfect entrance to European, African and Asian markets. The local market is experiencing a rapid continuous expansion. The Saudi Riyal is regarded to be one of the most stable currencies in the world (Alkhareif et. al., 2017). The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) has ensured that there are no obstacles which might present a barrier in the facilitation of the works of the ‘industrial investment facilities’. It has come up with methodologies and mechanisms of issuing licenses and services for the national factories. The most crucial procedure that has been put forward involves dividing the industrial licensing to two stages: issuing of a tempo rary license that is valid for one year and which is renewable and final licensing that is renewed after every 3 years. The government of Saudi Arabia has employed measures such as privatization among others to attain a more equitable distribution of income and wealth. Since 1980, constant public efforts have been applied to expand the economic base in substitute of the reliance on the hydrocarbon natural resources for the public revenues and economic output (Al-Rushaid, 2010). The government was aware that the economy ‘was simply resource-based and rentier in nature, with economic growth or contraction dependent on the price and output of the oil’. Nonetheless, this economic prospect was no longer plausible. The government accorded the private sector greater role in the development to improve the output, employment, and investment. The government adopted another mechanism to ensure that the private sector’s role in the economy is strengthened. These measures include promotion of non-oil exports, support to SMEs, increase of the competitiveness of the domestic products in local and twenty foreign markets and improvement of the regulatory and investment environment. Research conducted by analysts at Technavio have revealed that the retail market in Saudi Arabia will expand steadily at a CAGR of more than 7 percent by 2020. High urbanization, rising personal income, and high consumer confidence index has allowed private consumption the most imperative component of Saudi Arabia’s economy (Zain, Kassim, & Kadasah. 2017)These factors have also attracted many retailers all over the world into the market by increasing cost and competition in the major urban areas. The increase in competition will, therefore, create more pressure on the profit margins of those operating in the retail sector. The situation will provide investors the opportunity to exploit the new regions with more growth potential. Most of the population in Saudi Arabia are very traditional; however, with the increase in exposure to an international fashion brand, internet savvy, and young population have adopted new styles and designs. Hence, this preference for goods with the n ew design will improve generate capital for the investors. The establishment of the Gulf co-operation (GCC) between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman happened in 1982. The GCC has made progress from a Free Trade Area (FTA) to the Customs Union in 2003 and a Common Market in 2008 (Delgado, 2016). Launching of the common market eased the movement of goods and services. Firms and investors from the GCC states are active in mergers and acquisitions. From 1999, many transactions with a known value of $573 billion have already been made. It is worth noting that these mergers and acquisitions are very important investors in the cross-border M&A abroad. In my research, I was able to realize that all the three countries present the same opportunities. Thereis theexistence of a high demand for value-added products for the young people (Diaz et.al., 2015). Also, there is a market niche that exists in the three countries for branded products. For instance, internet savvy and young population in Saudi Arabia have adopted new styles and designs. Hence, investors can come up with a quality brand that will satisfy them. There is a high potential to invest in Egypt and Turkey due to high cotton production, spinning and finishing processes. Turkey has a high population of young people who are the target for the Johnson and Martin Ltd compared to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Some of the threats for the company are second-hand clothing which is imported from Europe and the United States. The company might experience stiff competition from other countries such as Turkey, India, and China. Furthermore, popular brands for the young generation might be imitated. Lastly, tradition and culture pose a great threat to some of the products particularly in Egypt and Saudi Arabia who are adopting some of the new fashions. To sum it all, Johnson and Martin Ltd has the opportunity to invest in the three countries. However, market opportunity assessment of the three states is the most effective method of determining the most suitable country to invest. Turkey presents a great opportunity due.   to its location and alarge population of theyoung population. It also produces a lot of cotton and is a major exporter. Turkey has a wonderful business climate that is very friendly to investors. Nonetheless, it’s interventionist policies are holding the country back. On the other hand, Egypt has many drawbacks such as poor control of finances and shortages. The country also has a lot to do to attract most of the investors who do not tolerate excessive bureaucracy among other issues. Saudi Arabia is the third state whose economy has flourished in the United Arab Emirates. Market expansion in the country has attracted many investors who have contributed to the growth of the economy. The country presents a great opportunity due to the young generation that adopting international fashion. In terms of opportunity and threats, Turkey is the most promising since it has many opportunities and few threats. As a marketing consultant, I recommend Johnson and Martin Ltd to consider entering Turkey first. Turkey has a large market niche to be exploited with thehumongous young population. Turkey also provides the friendliest environment for the investors. In spite of the clothing it produces, it will allow market growth due to its location. Moreover, a unique brand needs to be introduced into the market to prevent competition from within and abroad. The best market entry strategy is through a Turkish Agent. The agent will provide information on the local regulatory framework, valuable business contact, and language assistance. As the business expands, the firm may open branchesand make more local savingsto increase the market share. Alkhareif, R.M., Barnett, W.A. and Qualls, J.H., 2017. Has the Dollar Peg Served the Saudi Economy Well?  International Finance and Banking,  4(1), p.145. Al-Rushaid W. (2010). Strengthening of National Capacities for National Development Strategies and Their Management: An Evaluation of UNDP's Contribution. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved from: https://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/thematic/cd/Saudi-Arabia.pdf De Melo, J., and Tsikata, Y., 2015. Regional integration in Africa: Challenges and prospects. Delgado, P.A.A.D.L., 2016.  The United Arab Emirates case of economic success: the Federal Government Economic Policies (Doctoral dissertation). Diaz, A., Hill, J., Jenkins, R., Kay, A., Pye, A., Morley, D. and Tejedor Garavito, N., 2015. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) evaluation of university student-staff partnerships in co-creating educational resources, peer support and research within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) subjects.  Journal of Scientific Research & Reports,  5(2), pp.161-170. Frieden, J., 2015.  Banking on the world: the politics of American international finance. Routledge. Gonzalez-Vicente, R., 2015. The limits to China's non-interference foreign policy: pro-state interventionism and the rescaling of economic governance.  Australian Journal of International Affairs,  69(2), pp.205-223. Hollensen, S (2017). Global Marketing (7 th . Ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd https://mci.gov.sa/en/Agencies/IndustrialAffairs/Documents/Industry%20in%20the%20Kingdom.pdf Joffe, G. and Vasconcelos, A. eds., 2014.  The Barcelona Process: Building a Euro-Mediterranean Regional Community  (Vol. 5, No. 1). Routledge. Jullens, John (2013). How Emerging Giants can take the World, Harvard Business Review, (91)12:121-125 Kanat, E.A., 2004.  Impacts of customs union membership over european union originated capital inflows to turkey  (Doctoral dissertation, Yeditepe ÃÅ"niversitesi). Kaplinsky, R. and Morris, M., 2014. Developing industrial clusters and supply chains to support diversification and sustainable development of exports in Africa.  Report for the African Export-Import Bank. Cairo: African Export-Import Bank. Kiri?ci, K., 2012. The EU, Turkey, and the Arab Spring: Challenges and operations for regional integration.  Global Turkey in Europe, p.195. Leigh, N.G., and Blakely, E.J., 2016.  Planning local economics development: Theory and practice. Sage Publications. Loewe, M., 2013. Industrial policy in Egypt 2004-2011. Rabie (2013). Industry in KSA: Persistent Renaissance. Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved from: Salahuddin, M. and Gow, J., 2014. Economic growth, energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in Gulf Cooperation Council countries.  Energy,  73, pp.44-58. Tuncel, O. (2017).   Diplomacy in action. Central Bank of Turkey Zain, M., Kassim, N. and Kadasah, N., 2017. Isn’t It Now a Crucial Time for Saudi Arabian Firms to be more Innovative and Competitive?  International Journal of Innovation Management,  21(03), p.1750021. .com boasts a pool of 3000+ experts from different backgrounds, who are solely dedicated to providing premier quality assignment help. Due to the diversity in our expert team, we are capable of providing academic assistance in more than 100 subjects. Some of our popular services include math assignment help , economic assignment help , accounting assignment help , statistics assignment help , law assignment help and more at a reasonable price. You are required to write a researched argument essay that convinces persuades the reader of your position / stance. This is an academic, researched and referenced do... Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to elaborate the factors which are considered by individuals before selecting an occupation. Choosing an occupati... Introduction With the increase enhancement in the field of technology, it has been considered essential by the businesses to implement such technology in their b... Executive Summary In a merger & acquisition, role of an HR has emerged as a very critical function. At each stage of merger and acquisition process, HR plays a s... Introduction In this competitive business environment where every business organization is trying to attract the customers of each other, it becomes essential for ... Masters of MSc in Economics 2594 - Completed Orders PhD in Chemistry with Specialization in Organic 234 - Completed Orders MSc in Psychology 1896 - Completed Orders Ph.D in Project Management with Specialization in Project Communications Management 2109 - Completed Orders That's our welcome gift for first time visitors Rated 4.9 / 5 Based On 14001 Reviews Copyright  © 2019 .com. All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The reference papers provided by .com serve as model papers for students and are not to be submitted as it is. These papers are intended to be used for research and reference purposes only.

Name etymology theme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Name etymology theme - Essay Example Neither of these names is rare or unusual for my country, yet there are some interesting points to concentrate upon while researching their etymology. First of all, I would like to mention that my first name, Mai, actually exists in several different cultures and languages. For instance, Mai is as popular Japanese name meaning "brightness" (www.babynames.com). In some languages of the Native Americans, Mai meant "coyote" (www.babynameworld.com). Mai can be regarded as a pet name from Margaret (from Latin "pearl") or Mary (from Hebrew "bitter" or Latin "the star of the ocean"). The name Mai exits in the Swedish and Chinese languages as well. In Vietnam, the names given to the girls normally have literal meanings associated with beauty or art - very often the etymology of the names is connected with the names of flowers, plants or birds. So, my name Mai in Vietnamese means "cherry blossom". (Female Vietnamese names) In Vietnamese, Mai is a very popular name for girls, and as far as my family's history is concerned, the reason why I was given this name was that my Dad obviously wanted me to be very much like my Mum whose middle name is Mai as well, and therefore he insisted that I should be named this way. Thi is, according to the research, the most popular female middle name, and it means "ancestry", "clan".

Developing an Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy Essay

Developing an Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy - Essay Example This paper will focus on developing an integrated marketing communication strategy for Selfridges, a departmental store located in London, United Kingdom. The objectives of the marketing strategy will include: increasing awareness of the products and brand visibility, increasing company sales, and customer base, enlarging the marketing channels and integrating the marketing content to convey a similar message that focuses on product quality and excellent customer shopping experience ad service. These objectives will be achieved by launching a comprehensive marketing campaign that will focus on several marketing channels. These channels include offline, online, mobile and social media marketing strategies. The department store is also called Selfridge & Co. It is a chain of high-end departmental stores that was founded by Gordon Harry Selfridge. The basis of the store's success is the innovative marketing strategies that have been used over time. For example, at the initial stages, Go rdon used creativity to making shopping adventurous by putting merchandise on display so that customers would be attracted to the departmental stores. He put highly profitable items at the front end so that customers could easily see them. He made policies that made it easy and safe for customers to shop. These techniques have been developed by other departmental stores worldwide. The stores have a slogan that says that the customer is always right. The company has successfully launched profitable advertising campaigns based on this slogan. Following their good customer focus and creative marketing strategy, the stores are very popular and register high profits year after year.

Love :: essays research papers

In 1606 William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, wrote a play which would go down in history as the cursed Scottish play after numerous mishaps during production. It was written for his new patron, James I (James VI of Scotland), following the death of Queen Elizabeth. James was interested in witchcraft and Scotland, and hence the themes in the play. Banquo is James's ancestor. The play itself tells the story of a man, urged by his wife and foretold by prophecy, who commits regicide in order to gain power. Unfortunately, due to numerous quirks of language and obscure allusions, the play is difficult to understand without assistance. Using this annotated version along with external links and analysis, to more information, you can now get a better grasp of one the best tragedies ever written, the tale of Macbeth. Notes on reading this: The summaries, notes, and definitions are all stored in large files that serve you throughout the play. It is a good idea to let them load completely into your browser's cache the first time you access them, and from then on there will be a minimal de lay. Try reading through quickly, trying to get the gist and not dwelling on specific phrases. Then come back and use the annotation, as well as your knowledge of English and what is going on, to decipher the wit and depth of each line. Any differences in spelling of words between the glossary and the text are the result of version differences that pop up in various editions of Shakespeare's works and aren't important. You are encouraged to look up any words not defined here using the on-line dictionary, but please let us know so we can add them to our list of words as well.

Mate Selection

It is not uncommon for individuals to bargain with themselves in an effort to create motivation where none exists: If I get the lawn mowed before noon, I’ll spend the rest of the day watching football; if I lose five pounds, I’ll buy that new dress.   Sometimes, when individuals bargain, it isn’t as much for motivation as it is for justification: If my boss won’t give me that raise, I’ll stop working those extra hours; I had every right to flip that guy off because he cut right in front of me. These are instances in which the bargaining is self-motivated, self-serving, and self-indulgent, and while effective and perhaps necessary, the stakes in most of these circumstances isn’t necessarily high.   After all, who’s going to know or care if a yard goes unmowed, a dress is prematurely purchased, an extra hour isn’t spent at one’s desk, or a flip-off wasn’t honestly deserved?   However, when it comes to choosing a mate in a relationship, the role played by bargaining carries a much higher stake, and the consequences of poor judgment while bargaining and/or poor bargaining tactics can be devastating. The degree to which bargaining occurs during the mate selection process varies from person to person as do the focal point(s) of the bargain; however, there are a number of areas that are particularly intriguing. â€Å"The Necessities and Luxuries of Mate Preferences: Testing the Tradeoffs† (2002)  focuses on the degree to which â€Å"women and men first ensure sufficient levels of necessities in  potential mates before considering many other characteristics† (Li, Bailey, Kenrick, &  Linsenmeier).   Factors such as a potential mate’s attractiveness and social status are essential  according to Li, et al. (2002); however, because their research placed greater emphasis on  realistic economic potential as opposed to that of previous research (which allowed for  speculation regarding â€Å"how to spend imaginary lottery winnings†), a pattern that had not  previously emerged became clear: the sexes do not always agree on what constitutes a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"necessity† versus what constitutes a â€Å"luxury† (Li, et al., 2002). American social construct is partially responsible for this difference.   Men are far more likely to have access to â€Å"status, power, and resources†; therefore, these are deemed â€Å"necessary† traits by women who seek a mate.   On the other hand, men view women as the means by which offspring can be produced, and based on this, they see physical attractiveness and age as â€Å"necessary† factors in mate selection (Li, et al., 2002).   Obviously, this requires a great degree of bargaining as the two subjects are (at least initially) focused on absolutely different traits while evaluating a potential mate Where Li, et al. conclude that much of the bargaining that occurs in mate selection is based on the differences between what men and women consider â€Å"necessary,† â€Å"Gender Socialization: How Bargaining Power Shapes Social Norms and Political Attitudes,† (2005) examines the social dynamics that might be responsible for creating the basis for the differences between the sexes regarding what is â€Å"necessary† (Iversen & Rosenbluth). Iversen and Rosenbluth (2005) focus on the issue of patriarchy â€Å"and explore its effects on female social, economic, and political status† in order to evaluate â€Å"mate choice preferences between agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial societies.†Ã‚   This research was an intriguing undertaking, and what it revealed was the effect that social structure had on the bargaining that took place in mate selection. Social settings that required brawn (i.e. the agricultural and industrial periods) required women willingly bargain to find a mate who was physically capable of performing basic household and wage-earning duties (Iverson & Rosenbluth).   Women often bargained for a mate with physical strength by giving up living arrangements, locations, and circumstances.   Because women of the agricultural and industrial periods were not physically capable of performing some tasks and legally barred from others, there was little choice but for them to put aside almost everything but sheer physical strength when undertaking bargaining during mate selection (Iversen & Rosenbluth). When the post-industrial period was examined, two significant differences were seen.   First, because the need for physical prowess to survive at home and at work had diminished, women were far less likely to bargain away everything simply to secure a strong man.   â€Å"Once employment opportunities for women [began to approach] those of men in quantity and quality, socialization [began] to shift away from [women’s] ‘playing the marriage market’ † (Iversen & Rosenbluth). No longer would women willingly pack up and move hundreds of miles away from all family and all friends, nor would they automatically settle for a man of lower social and economic status in order to marry brawn—women could consider themselves wage-earners and be more choosey when it came to potential mates (Iversen & Rosenbluth). The second phenomenon that was revealed was â€Å"the declining importance of virginity† that factored into the bargaining (Iversen & Rosenbluth).   Where women of the agricultural and industrial periods had to secure their virginity absolutely, women of the post-industrial period were not as likely to be dismissed as ineligible brides by the men of the era simply because they were no longer virgins.   This degree of personal control had a freeing effect on women who began to see themselves as capable of autonomy (Iversen & Rosenbluth). Much of this seems to indicate a breaking away on the part of women, and Iversen and Rosenbluth (2005) conclude that â€Å"while mate preferences in agrarian societies seemed to reflect an inevitable female resignation to their subordination, modern mate preferences are more egalitarian, and the gender gap in policy preferences suggest that many women are hoping to use the democratic state to make them more egalitarian still.† Given the number of times a day an individual is likely to bargain with him/herself over routine actions or mundane decisions, it seems reasonable that a great deal of bargaining go into something as significant as the selection of one’s mate.   Research seems to indicate that like other acknowledged differences that exist between the sexes, the degree to which certain factors influence bargaining with and selection of a potential mate may depend on the gender of the evaluator. Further, it seems that as time passes and the more independent women become, the more the evaluative items regarding what is â€Å"necessary† may change in the minds of both males and females. References Iversen, T. & Rosenbluth, F.   (2005).   Gender socialization: How bargaining power shapes social norms and political attitudes.   Retrieved October 22, 2006. Li, N. P., Bailey, J. M., Kenrick, D. T., & Linsenmeier, J. A. W.   (2002).   The necessities and luxuries of mate preferences: Testing and tradeoffs.   Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6). Retrieved October 22, 2006               

Of Mice and Men Summary

Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s best-known work. The 1937 novella tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who travel from farm to farm in search of work in Depression-era California. Chapter 1 The story begins with two childhood friends, George Milton and Lennie Small, who are traveling through California in search of work. Lennie is drinking from a puddle of standing water, and George reproaches him. When Lennie stops drinking the water, George reminds him that they only have a little way to go until they arrive at their next farm. George notices that Lennie isn’t really listening; instead, Lennie has been focusing on petting a dead mouse that’s in his pocket. George mentions that Lennie picked up the habit from his Aunt Clara, then reminds Lennie that he always used to kill the mice. George angrily tosses the mouse into the woods. The two men settle down in the woods for the night. They eat a dinner of beans and talk by the fire about their dreams of making enough money to buy land of their own, with rabbits to care for. Chapter 2 The next morning, George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and meet their boss (referred to only as the Boss). The Boss tells them that they were supposed to arrive the night before; thanks to their delayed arrival, they will have to wait until the next day to start working. During the conversation, George speaks for both himself and Lennie, which frustrates the Boss. However, once Lennie finally speaks, the Boss agrees to hire the men. Next, George and Lennie meet Curley, the son of the Boss. Curley tries to intimidate them—especially Lennie—but once he leaves, they learn some gossip about his character from Candy, one of the ranch hands. Candy explains that Curley is a good fighter who made it to the finals of the Golden Gloves, but that he is mad at [big guys] because he aint a big guy. Curleys wife briefly appears and introduces herself to George and Lennie. Lennie cant take his eyes off of her, but the farm hands warn him against talking to her and describe her as flirtatious and a tart. Lennie frets about having to fight Curley, but George reassures him and instructs him to go to their predetermined hiding place should a fight begin to brew. Lennie and George also meet two other ranch hands—Slim and Carlson—and learn that Slims dog has recently given birth to a litter of puppies. Chapter 3 In the bunk house, George and Slim meet up. George thanks Slim for allowing Lennie to take one of the puppies. As the conversation continues, George tells Slim the truth about why he and Lennie left their previous farm: Lennie, who loves to touch soft things, tried to pet a woman’s red dress, leading people to think that he had raped her. George explains that Lennie is a gentle person and that he never raped the woman. Candy and Carlson arrive, and the conversation turns to the topic of Candys elderly dog. Candy clearly loves the animal and doesnt want to let him go, but he also recognizes that the dog is suffering; plus, according to Carlson, we cant sleep with him stinkin around in here. Candy finally agrees to let the dog go, and Carlson takes the dog away with a shovel to end its life. Later, George and Lennie discuss their plan to save up some money and buy land of their own. With childlike fascination and hope, Lennie asks George to describe more and more elements of the imagined farm. Candy overhears the conversation and says that he wants to join in using his own savings. George is skeptical at first, but he eventually agrees to let Candy in on the plan, convinced by the fact that Candy has considerable money saved up already. The three men agree to keep the plan a secret. As they make this pact, an annoyed Curley appears and starts to pick a fight with Lennie. Lennie doesnt want to fight and begs George for help. Curley punches Lennie in the face and, going against his own promises to protect Lennie, George encourages Lennie to fight back.  In nervous retaliation, Lennie grabs Curley’s fist in his own and squeezes; as a result, Curley starts â€Å"flopping like a fish on a line.† Lennie and Curley are separated, and it becomes clear that Curley’s hand is shattered. He is rushed to the doctor, but not before he and the others agree not to say a word about what has happened to anyone else. Once Curley has been taken away, George explains that Lennie only acted that way because he was scared. He then tries to calm his friend by telling him that he didn’t do anything wrong and that he can still tend the rabbits on their land. Chapter 4 That night, after everybody else has gone into town, Lennie is out on the farm visiting his puppy. He walks past the room of Crooks, the African American stable-hand who lives in separate lodging because the other farm hands wont allow him in the bunk house. The two men start talking, and Crooks asks him some probing questions about his relationship with George. At one point Crooks suggests that George won’t return that night, which frightens Lennie, but Crooks settles him down. Lennie lets slip that he, George, and Candy are planning on saving up for their own piece of land. Upon hearing this, Crooks calls the idea â€Å"nuts,† and says that â€Å"ever’body wants a little piece of lan’†¦nobody gets no land. It’s jus’ in their head.† Before Lennie can respond, Candy enters and joins in the conversation, also talking about their plan to buy some land. At this, Crooks once again expresses his skepticism, though Lennie and Candy remain unconvinced. Unexpectedly, Curley’s wife appears, mentioning that she is looking for Curley and drawing the attention of the three men as she flirts with them. The men tell her that they don’t know where Curley is. When she asks how Curley hurt his hand, the men lie, saying that it got caught in a machine. Curleys wife angrily accuses the men of covering up the truth, and Crooks tells her to leave. This response angers her even further; she hurls racial epithets at Crooks and threatens to have him lynched. Powerless, Crooks averts his gaze and apologizes flatly to her. Candy tries to come to Crooks’ defense, but Curley’s wife retorts that nobody would believe them over her. Before slipping out, she says she’s glad Lennie crushed Curley’s hand. As  soon as Curleys wife exits, the three men hear the other farm hands. Lennie and Candy return to the bunk house, leaving Crooks to himself once again. Chapter 5 The next afternoon, Lennie sits in the barn with his puppy, which has died as a result of his indelicate touch. As he buries the body, Lennie worries that George will find out and that the revelation will cause George to forbid Lennie from tending rabbits on their farm. Curley’s wife enters the barn. Lennie blurts out that he is not supposed to talk to her, but they converse nevertheless. Curleys wife describes her youthful dreams—now crushed—of becoming a Hollywood actress, as well as her resentment towards her husband. Lennie then tells Curleys wife about how he likes to pet soft things, like rabbits. Curleys wife lets Lennie stroke her hair, but Lennie clasps her too tightly and she squirms in his grip. Lennie shakes her —so hard that â€Å"her body flopped like a fish†Ã¢â‚¬â€and breaks her neck. He runs off. Candy discovers the body of Curleys wife in the barn. He runs to get George, who, immediately recognizing what Lennie did, decides that they should walk away and let the others find the body. Once Curley learns the news, he quickly decides that Lennie must have killed her. Curley and the other farm hands set off to kill Lennie in revenge—only they can’t locate Carlson’s Luger pistol. George is supposed to join the search party, but he sneaks away, knowing that Lennie has gone to their pre-established hiding spot. Chapter 6 Lennie sits by the river, waiting for George and worrying about how he might react. He begins to hallucinate; first, he imagines that he is talking to his Aunt Clara, then, he imagines a conversation with a giant rabbit. George arrives at the hiding spot. He reassures Lennie that he wont leave him and describes the land theyll own together, which calms Lennie down. As the two men are talking, George can hear Curleys search party closing in. He raises Carlson’s Luger pistol to the back of Lennie’s head, so that Lennie cannot see it. George hesitates at first, continuing to calmly tell Lennie about their farm, but just before Curley and the others arrive, he finally pulls the trigger. The other men take in the scene. Slim tells George that he did what he had to do, and Carlson remarks to Curley, â€Å"Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?†

Sleep Is An Important Part Of Everyday Life Of A Human Being

Sleep is an important part of the everyday life of a human being. There are multiple sleep cycles but in the process one of the most important stages is known as REM Sleep. REM also known as rapid eye movement is the very unique phase of sleep where the eyes begin to randomly move, and the extremities of the body become paralyzed while vivid dreaming begins to occur. This stage is the the most important for the consolidation of different memories and also in facial recognition and other mental processes. There are many studies that have been done about sleep and why it is important, but there are also many more studies to be conducted in the future because it is still pretty unsure to psychologists and doctors why sleep is actually so†¦show more content†¦This kind of disorder can readily effect a persons sleep cycle as well as put them in danger. With being in a deep sleep and violently acting out it is very well possible that these individuals can put themselves into all s orts of danger and they would not even know that it was occurring until it would be too late. There is also a study that has been done that has somewhat shown psychologists and humans alike that memory is very well influenced by the amount of sleep that one receives. A study done to test the working memory had a group that napped and a group that did not. It was found that the Nap-group had higher accuracy on the working memory task, fewer lapses on the psychomotor vigilance test and lower state-sleepiness than the Wake-group. In the Nap-group, working memory accuracy was positively correlated with duration of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and total sleep time during the nap (Lau, Wong, Lau, Hui, Tseng, 2015). These findings suggested that taking a nap or sleeping during a daytime sleep opportunity had significant positive impact on working memory performance, without affecting subsequent nighttime sleep in young adult (Lau, Wong, Lau, Hui, Tseng, 2015). This kind of study has also proven that studying right before one goes to sleep is more beneficial to remembering and do ing well on a test than studying at any other point during the day. A research study conducted by Carol Everson in 1989 had tried to see