The advantages and disadvantages of online businesses

The advantages and disadvantages of online businesses Introduction The topic of online shopping has been of particular interest to practitioners, academics and marketing strategists and lot of research has already gone into determining whether these online companies are significantly different than brisk-and-mortar companies and if there are any systematic differences in consumer choice behavior between online and regular shopping (Eatock et al.,2002). There are some exceptional examples of online companies like Google, Yahoo and Amazon which have grown to become major global brands in their own right. These companies are purely online companies while there are others like Tesco.com who have hugely successful online operations but their online operations only supports their regular operation. This research does a feasibility analysis of a company going online and analyzes the effectiveness of the business model of online companies citing relevant examples. Analysis and Discussion Advantages of online operations Reach – Online companies can cater to a wider range of audience as compared to their offline counterparts. Eg. Companies like Amazon and eBay have a global reach. Low Cost the cost of spreading the message, advertising and in general the administration costs are lesser than regular companies and far more lesser when online companies reach economy of scale. Ease of shopping – Provides customers with a hassle free shopping experience whereby customers can sit at their home and shop at the click of their mouse. Choice – Gives customers more choice to choose from. Eg. Barnes and Noble has ten thousand books in its store and million in its online store Disadvantages Ease price comparison – Because customers can compare prices easily (now with price comparison sites like confused.com, moneysupermarket.com etc), it makes companies compete on price rather than product differentiation and other factors which means online companies have lesser margins. Security and reliability issues – With Internet and credit card fraud on the rise, people are becoming more and more cautious and reluctant of giving their bank details online. Information Overload – At times people get lost on the internet because there is too much information which makes them delay or refrain their purchasing decision. ‘Squeezing the tomato’ (Gallauher, 1999) syndrome – People still like to have a look and try products like clothes etc before buying it. Trust – Because customers do not deal with the actual person but with an internet process, trust is of the major issues. Shipping costs – Convenience comes at a cost and most often than not, people have to pay for their shipping if they don’t buy stuff above a certain price limit. Eg. Customers have to buy something greater than  £5 in TescoDirect to have it delivered free of cost. Disadvantages on online companies can be overcome but only if they view the customer experience from the eyes of their customer. Online businesses Illustrations are given of three types of online companies which are different in their operations, eBay, is purely an online auction company, Barnes and Noble is a book seller which has both online and offline operations, easyJet is a low cost carrier which follows a Web-based distribution strategy. easyJet easyJet is a low-cost airline which has made the Internet the core of its business. Its business model is based on cost efficiencies and by hacking cost and overheads at every possible stage it ensures a built-in business advantage by selling online and thereby cutting away the intermediaries like travel agents etc. Presently 85% of its sales are online and the company aims to sell all the tickets online by the end of this year and be the only ‘Web-only’ airline. (Web 1) Another noteworthy feature is the ease of online booking and security of its site. The passengers online experience reinforces confidence in the booking process. (Lynch, 2005) Underlying the use of internet is easyJet’s business philosophy of efficiency and cost cutting and its business model of reaching to the mass market which couldn’t have been done without the use of Internet. The internet helps it lower its distribution cost, reach mass audiences, give an indication of customer prefere nces and passenger demand helping in pricing and staying ahead of competition.(Ind et al.,2002) The result of efficient and effective use of internet by easyJet has propelled it into a rapidly growing airline based on sound competitive business principles with an innovative business model. easyJet has revolutionized the way Internet can be used as the most effective business tool. E-Bay E-Bay is a purely online company which sells and auctions nearly everything on the internet. Through the internet medium, it has completely transformed the concept of auctions into e-marketplaces which were once limited to garage sales and flea markets. (Light, 2001) The internet makes the auctions global making it reach a wider audiences (it has about 29.7 million registered users today (Web 2)). E-Bay’s business model is based again on low cost and maximum reach by automating the traditional methods of selling. It adopts a unique culture of rating buyers and sellers to encourage trust among its customers making them feel more confident transacting with a person they don’t know. This also ensures reliability of its brand which helps overcome the transaction security issue discussed earlier. E-Bay’s profits have soared to 400% and revenues have doubled in 2006 as compared to 2005. (Web 3) The success is not only on the revolutionary concept of e-auctioning but al so on the way it handles its internet operations. Barnes Noble Barnes and Noble is a US based book store which sells books both in its regular stores and online. It has a $62 billion worldwide market and its internet site brings more than 70% of its revenues.(Web 3) Barnes and Nobles success can be attributed to the way its online shoppers can look inside the books (table of contents, abstract and in some cases even read the first chapter of the book they are looking to buy). The internet also offers buyers a greater variety of selection which is not the case with book stores which are limited by space. According to a Goldman Sachs report on Internet retailing, book selling is third among the top dozen or so products ranked for online success. Books are ideal to sell on the Web because you don’t need to see them in person, try them on, or check out their freshness. (Kotler, 2002) Another unique feature of Barnes and Noble is its online search facility which is subdivided into titles, authors, year of publication and industry etc which mak es customers aware of the latest issues. Its Website also offers chat facility with chat groups dedicated to particular genres. Feasibility Study Success of the online businesses highlighted above should be generalized because every online business is not successful. Before considering to go online, a company has to do a feasibility analysis which should answer some key questions like: What are the goals and objectives of the company and why does it want to go online? What does the company want to achieve by going online? Who are and will be the companies target customers and what benefit will they gain from the company going online? Does the company want to add new products, does it want to reach a wider audience or both? What are the companies technological strengths ? What is the distribution system available through online market? Who are the companies online competitors? What is the online selling strategy the company is going to adopt? : What are the risks of extending the business online? Businesses have to ask these questions and should have definitive questions to the above questions before they launch their online operations. References Books and Journals Danneels, Erwin (2003), â€Å"Tight-Loose Coupling With Customers: The Enactment of Customer Orientation,† Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24, 559-576. Eatock, J., Paul, R. J. and Serrano, A. (2002) ‘Developing a Theory to Explain the Insights Gained Concerning Information Systems and Business Process Behaviour: The ASSESS-IT Project’, Information Sytems Frontiers 4: 303–16. Gallaugher, J. (1999) ‘Challenging the New Conventional Wisdom of Net Commerce Strategies’, Communications of the ACM 42 (July): 27–9. Ind, N. and Riondino, M. C. (2001) ‘Branding on the Web: A Real Revolution?’, Brand Management 9 (September): 8–19. Kotler, P. and Bliemel, F. (2002) Marketing Management, Stuttgart: Schà ¤ffer-Poeschel Verlag. Light, D. A. (2001) ‘Sure, You Can Trust Us’, MIT SloanManagement Review 43: 17. Lynch,R (2005) ‘Corporate Strategy’, London, FT Prentice Hall Merrilees, B. and Fry, M.-L. (2002) ‘Corporate Branding: A Framework for E-retailers’, Corporate Reputation Review 5: 213–25. of Multiple Store Environment Cues on Perceived Merchandise Value and PatronageIntentions,† Journal of Marketing, Vo. 66 (April), 120-141. Websites (Web 1) How to put the money where the mouse is (online) (cited on 10 March) Available from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=5hid=7[emailprotected]> (Web 2) A Taxonomy of Internet Commerce (online) (cited on 10 March) Available from (http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_10/bambury/index.html (Web 3) Global online companies Available from http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~wwcoins/popcompanies.htm>

Effects Of A High Carbon Footprint

Effects Of A High Carbon Footprint High carbon emissions in the last two decades are slowly leading to excessive climate change. Some already visible consequences are warming of the planet, radiative warming, shift of Earths natural balance towards warming, and depletion of natural resources. Due to global warming, the last decade was recorded to be the warmest ever (Jaines, 2010) Earth is slowly turning into a different planet which is evident by the changes in average temperatures. Scientists say that high carbon emissions will cause rise in sea levels across the globe, and extinction of various species. Furthermore, they have an impact on the greenhouse effect which causes the reduction of the amount of sunlight and heat that is reflected back into space. This increases the average temperatures globally, especially the Arctic temperatures which causes the melting of ice. Melting ice releases methane in the atmosphere, which is 20 times more dangerous as a greenhouse gas than CO2. (Kage, 2007) Due to high temperatur es and rise in sea levels, there is a danger that many species of plants and animals will extinct. For example, world oceans are currently absorbing 1/3rd of excess carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore, becoming acidic and threatening sea species. This will cause a shortage of fish stocks and coral reefs which will eventually alter the worlds food chain. Similar things will happen to any other food sources. The indicated will have an effect on the economy since the food is going to be scarce and its prices are going to be rising. Moreover, due to increases in temperatures, the world is within 70 years going to be facing frequent storms, floods, and tornados. (Fraser, 2006) It is predicted that by 2050, temperatures are going to increase by 2.1-2.8 à Ã‚ ¦C compared to the historical average, and by 2100, the Earth is predicted to be 4.3-5.3 à Ã‚ ¦C warmer. Globally, sea levels could rise by 59 cm within the next century. (The Problem, 2012). Lastly, greenhouse effect causes de pletion in ozone which further leads to global warming. If there are ozone damages, then there is a higher chance of skin cancer, burning skin due to the direct contact with the sun. These changes in climate will also affect human health in sense of the increase of various disease carrying insects due to warming. (MOFA) National level Studies and predictions for UAE say that the rises in its sea levels by 1 meter could affect almost up to 1,155 square kilometers of land. This would cause, even in lesser numbers, terrible effects on UAEs islands, infrastructure, marine life, health, tourism, business, and economy. (The Problem, 2012) With already high temperatures, a bigger rise in the upcoming decades will cause a bigger need for energy production and cooling systems infrastructure causing a raise in carbon emissions if new energy sources wont be used. Scarcity of food caused by damages to marine and terrestrial life will boost prices of food, causing an even bigger need for import. This will directly affect UAEs economy and business as food and water prices rise. Scarcity of water might impact the region even more intensely, causing problems in many segments, such as households, industry, import, export, tourism, and economy. Even now, desalination of water is the only source of drinking water in UAE and requires a lot of energy. Even bigger scarcity of water would terribly affect the region. Infrastructure will either be destroyed by rising sea levels or natural disasters, or it will have to be adapted to the new situations. Both scenarios will make for a big loss of money and resources; therefore, it will cause a big damage in economy, and eventually on every individual living in the country. Individual level The biggest impact high carbon footprint has on the citizens of UAE are on their health and safety. All these emitted gases pollute the air which humans inhale; the gases penetrate deep into their respiratory systems and therefore, affect both respiratory and cardiovascular systems causing asthma, heart diseases, and premature death. Using fertilizers can also damage peoples health, as well as the sun impact and higher temperatures, which often cause heart failures and temperature shocks. Besides health issues, scarcity of food and water obviously affects peoples lives, causing them to spend more and more. Using more air conditioners with the rise of temperature often causes viral and bacterial diseases. Current Efforts of UAE Government Renewable Energy Even though UAE lacks most of the widespread renewable energy sources, such as biomass, tidal power, and water, one thing that UAE has more than enough is solar energy. In 2010, Abu Dhabi has started working on one of the worlds largest solar power plants. The development of the geothermal cooling in Masdar City has also started recently. (MOFA) Peaceful Nuclear Power It is known that nuclear energy has a nearly zero carbon footprint. Therefore, replacing the current ways of producing electrical and other types of energy with nuclear energy would contribute significantly to less carbon emissions. Currently a huge nuclear energy sector is being developed in UAE, consisting of 4 nuclear power reactors, which are believed to be finished and ready for full work by 2017. (MOFA) Transport Trying to increase the participation in public transport, the UAE has increased the number of buses, and still planning to implement more of them. Besides that, the Dubais Metro has been the newest, successful addition to UAEs public transport. Future plans include new transit light systems all over the country, and a high speed train. (MOFA) Carbon Capture and Storage (clean fossil fuels) Building storages underground to capture the emitted CO2 from plants and burned fossil fuels without releasing it further in the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says CCS could contribute between 10% and 55% of the cumulative worldwide carbon mitigation effort over the next 90 years. (MOFA) Al Basma Al Beeiyah Intiative Launched in October 2007 by the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Wildlife Society, and the Global Footprint Network, its initiative is to better understand UAEs ecological and carbon footprint, and monitor consumption patterns in the country. Measuring carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, the project is evaluating and implementing solutions for a better future. Researches and scientists from Masdar Institute have been leading this project with the aim to inspect how the development of power and water might affect UAEs carbon footprint up to 2030, and accordingly develop alternative energy productions. (UAE Ecological Footprint Initiative) Campaigns UAE government made some campaigns in UAE that raise awareness which include Heroes of the UAE, Environment agency Abu Dhabi etc. Heroes of the UAE campaign is designed to make people know about energy shortages and the effect of climate change. This campaign supplies people with easy tips on how to save energy. By making small changes in every days behavior people can easily contribute in the global efforts to reduce consumption. (Abu Dhabi, 2012)Furthermore, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi helps in conservation of water, climate change awareness and improving air quality by running environmental education and awareness courses and programs. Solutions and Recommendations Individual level Turn off home appliances if not used or needed; unplug from the power chord Do not overcharge cell phones and laptops Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs as it saves 60% of energy, yet providing the same brightness (What Is Carbon Footprint, 2012) Individuals can buy more energy efficient vehicles to help reduce carbon footprint People should use their vehicles only when required and use public transport or consider walking otherwise They should also use energy efficient devices as well as renewable energy sources and insulation at home to prevent the emission of greenhouse gases or heat loss Try carpooling; driving several people in one car can reduce a lot of carbon emissions coming from cars Slow down, try keeping to the speed limit. Driving at 80mph burns 10% more fuel than driving at 60mph. (What action can we take, 2011) Only boil the amount of water you need in your kettle Make sure taps are fully turned off and fix leaking taps. A dripping hot water tap wastes not only water but energy too. (What action can we take, 2011) National level Use sustainable forms of energy like solar energy, and wind energy Creating organizations which could help reduce carbon footprint The government should also make sure that only the necessary amount of cement is being used for the manufacture of buildings The government should also make sure that there are less amount of industries in the country which could be harmful for the environment The government should set up some awareness campaigns and workshops for the citizens to spread more awareness on how to reduce carbon footprint at home or elsewhere Diversification of resources is necessary for saving resources (DUBAI STRATEGY DEVELOPED TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS) Successful implementation of Envitechs Green Buildings Project- development of buildings that require almost no external energy and consume the lowest possible amount of fresh water (Green Buildings Project) Building hydrogen power plants and nuclear power plants in order to develop clean energy and reduce carbon emissions Involve business organizations in reducing their collective carbon footprint in the offices; by doing this these organizations would become more competitive in the market Using biosolids as a fertilizer in agriculture since it is organic and allows the reduction of irrigation requirement (Al Wathba Veolia Besix Waste Water , 2012) Encourage more public transport, more physical activity, and walking Build more green spaces, parks, places for walking where there would a possibility to walk to malls or any other place instead of driving Establish recycling plants and companies Global level Stop deforestation; encourage reforestation in all parts of the world Avoid manufacturing of the buildings and industries which are not required Introduce the concepts of green and clean energy everywhere around the world Encourage the use of solar and wind energy everywhere around the world to produce electrical energy; open more nuclear power plants but with safety precautions and educate people about their plus-sides Encourage business organizations world-wide to start making their business greener; the prospective interest parties should evaluate business companies according to how environmental-friendly they are Financing companies should provide loans to help achieve objectives related to reducing carbon footprint to governments of different countries, especially to those with economic instability or less money Stricter family planning laws should be implemented globally to control the ever growing world population that is one of the major causes of this problem Committees everywhere around the world should be set up to educate the underprivileged people about the harmful effects of high carbon footprint Make laws which would aim towards conserving energy and water, such as putting limits on the usage per person/apartment, or increasing prices which would stop people from over-spending for unnecessary reasons Provide awards for companies that implement eco-friendly strategies Encourage ethanol, biodiesel and hydropower-produced hydrogen as alternative fuel options since they produce less greenhouse gases Recycle water so it can be reused for agricultural and irrigation purposes (Al Wathba Veolia Besix Waste Water , 2012) UN should establish more organizations everywhere around the world to raise awareness and educate people on how to protect our environment Divesting from oil stocks and investing in companies practicing carbon capture and storage (Biello, 2007) Restricting flying to only critical, long-distance trips; trains can replace planes for short- to medium-distance trips (Biello, 2007)

Californias Direct Means of Democracy Essay -- Prop 19

California is a democratic republic consisting of three branches of government. The first is the executive branch, i.e. the governor and a group of elected constitutional officers. Second is the judicial branch which consists of the Supreme Court of California and the various local courts. Officials are appointed by the Governor and ratified in the next general election. The third branch of government in California is the legislative branch. It is a bicameral body which includes California’s Senate and Assembly. The Assembly makes up the lower house of the California State Legislature and consists of eighty members, one representative from each county, who serve for up to three two year terms. There are forty state senators who are able to serve up to two four year terms. Each senator represents approximately 846,719 Californians. California practices direct democracy which is a method of governance in which any citizen of a state wishing to participate holds sovereignty. It is a political system that allows citizens to change constitutional laws, put forth initiatives, referendums, and suggestions for laws. Also, they can give institute limitations for removal on the state’s executive branch official. These means of governing is a clear contrast representative democracy which state officials, elected to office through popular vote, hold the power to make legislation. The framers of the United States did not see direct democracy as a viable option of governance because it made it easy for the majority to impose their will over the minority. Also, it gave the newly formed legislative branch less power. In turn, the founding fathers instituted a representative democracy in the form of a constitutional republic. This allowed the s... ...011: 48-49. Print. "California." Initiative and Referendum Institute. University of Southern California, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . "California Ballot Propositions - November 2nd 2010 ." California Choices. California Choices, 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . Kesler, Charles R. "Direct Democracy In California." The Claremont Institute: For Studying Statesmenship and Political Philosophy. The Claremont Insititute, 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . Stern, Robert M. "Democracy by Initiative: Shaping California’s Fourth Branch of Government." Health Vote. California HearthCare Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.

battle of hastings recruiting :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  October 14th of the year 1066 two armies faced each other near the town of Hastings. 10,000 Norman troops under the command of William of Normandy faced 8,000 Anglo-Saxon soldiers led by Harold the current king of England. Geoffrey Parker, Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare (Cambridge: 1995), pp. 82-3. Harold's 8,000 men consisted of Housecarls, the local Fyrd, and local village volunteers. David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest (New York: 1977),pp.170-1 The two armies clashed on that day and history tells us the outcome. But what forces go into creating an army of these sizes? The three main Anglo-Saxon troop types will be defined and the forces that created them will be examined below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three troop types would fight for the Anglo-Saxons the Housecarls, the Fyrd, and local peasantry. The Housecarls were professional soldiers under the service of the King and the Earls of the Kingdom. Harold used the Housecarls of the King and his Housecarls of his Earldom of Wessex. He also used the Housecarls of his two brothers. The Fyrd was a volunteer citizen army provided by the Thanes of the kingdom. The local peasants fought to protect their homes. David Howarth, 1066: The Year of the Conquest (New York: 1977), pp. 80-1. There were two divisions of fyrd in the 11th century one consisting of a local peasant force and the other a select levy force. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), p. 26.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The local peasant Fyrd that fought at Hastings came from Sussex. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), p.30. All freemen of the area were obligated to provide protection for the local area. This obligation was connected with financial and agricultural obligations. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), pp. 35-6. The peasant fighting force is a Germanic tradition in origin. Based upon a freeman's duty to defend the lands of the king, however the peasant force is a limited army. The king is required to pay the troops if needed for them to leave the area. The peasants have the right to return to there homes at the end of the day. However, they must provide their own equipment. C. Warren Hollister, Anglo-Saxon Military Institutions: On the Eve of the Norman Conquest (Oxford: 1962), pp. 27-8. The primary function of the peasant Fyrd was to provide defense against enemies attack from the sea, such as the events at Hastings.

Brownie: White American and Octavia Essay

The short story â€Å"Brownies† written by Z. Z. Packer is told in first person by a young introverted African American girl named Laurel, known as â€Å"Snot† to her friends from school. The story reflects back during a summer camp outing at Camp Crescendo that involves a small group of young African American fourth grade girls from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. In this story the author provides countless details of how the effects of social segregation and racism can have a negative impact on our children and our entire society. Arnetta, the leader of the Brownie pack disliked sharing the summer camp with the young girls of Troop 909 from day one because they were white. Referring to them as â€Å"Invaders†, because in the suburbs of Atlanta they were rarely seen or even thought about(358). While riding in their bus on their way to the cabin and after they had already passed the Troop 909 girls at the front gate, Arnetta asked, â€Å"Did you smell that? † Trying to make fun of the girls she threw her head up and with her nose pointed to the sky she said they smell like â€Å"wet Chihuahuas†. By the end of the day and with a plan to entice her Brownie troops to start a fight with the Troop 909 girls, Arnetta stated that she heard one of them call Daphne a nigger and that they couldn’t let them get away with that. When asked to confirm that one of the white girls said it, Daphne was hesitant to answer until Arnetta gave her an elbow followed with a mean stair down. Daphne was not the type of girl that would stand up for oneself and was too scared to speak up. Even at their Woodrow Wilson Elementary school, if someone doesn’t fit into their little group or doesn’t land a perfect ten after jumping off the swing at the playground, Arnetta and Octavia would reply using the word â€Å"Caucasian†. This was just another way in belittling other people and displaying that Caucasian race was below that of the African Americans. Octavia was considered to be Arnetta’s right hand woman. Octavia was quick to tell anybody to shut up and readily made fun of even her Brownie troop friends. Janice, the muscle of the group and maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed had a country accent that came along with an bubbly personality was even referred to as â€Å"Miss Caucasian† when she wouldn’t leave Arnetta and Octavia alone. One day during lunch time while Janice was standing alongside the water’s edge, Octavia had the temptation but not necessarily the courage to push her into the water. Octavia even disliked Daphne for beating her out in the school poem contest and even referred to Mrs. Margolin, the Brownie troop chaperone as â€Å"Big Fat Momma†. Once they decided that the bathroom would be where the fight takes place, all they needed was to hope they could catch them their alone without their troop leader. As they walked through the woods on their way to the bathroom Janice spoke out, â€Å"this smells like my mother’s air freshener†, than one of the other girls stated the trees in the woods are Pine trees. Janice was shocked to hear that they could get the smell of trees onto an air freshener. As they approached the bathroom they could hear the Troop 909 girls talking. Arnetta suggested that Octavia, Janice and herself would go in first while the rest of them wait outside. After minutes of waiting outside Elise, Drema, Dephne, and Laurel went inside to see what was happening. Octavia looked over at Elise and said, â€Å"I think they’re retarded†. One of the white girls replied, â€Å"We ARE NOT retarded(366-367)! † Once Arnetta and Octavia came to the realization that these girls were mentally challenged, they felt remorseful from their actions and wished to leave without being caught teasing the white girls. Octavia tried to scare the girls by mentioning to them, that if they told on them they would be considered tattletales. As one of the white girls replied, I like tattletale, the Troop 909 leader walked in. Minutes later both Mrs. Margolin and Mrs. Hayes were at the center of the debate. The lady that ran Troop 909 never got mad or raised her voice and always kept a smile on her face as she talked. She said she wasn’t going to blame anybody for their actions or their behavior and cited that maybe what caused this incident actually could of happened. The troop leader clarified that her girls were not retarded but considered slow learners. That they might not have the best of parents and could of possibly heard a bad word or two from their parents. Even after the situation was over and things had calmed down, Arnetta pointed to a small girl and insisted that she heard her say the word. After the white troop leader made the statement that it was impossible because she doesn’t speak, Arnetta made another acquisition that it then came from the girl wearing the complete Brownie uniform. At that point nobody was believing in Arnetta’s story. On the bus ride home Elisa and Arnetta still felt it necessary to continue to make fun of the white girls from Troop 909. When Daphne gave Laurel her prized journal, Daphne could not think of anything to write in it. Than Laurel remembered a time when she and her father were at the mall and they came across some Mennonites who her father insisted that they would do anything you asked of them. Nobody on the bus besides Daphne believed in her story even after she told them that they had actually painted there front porch. until she told them that they sat on the bus and as they return home on the bus, Laurel tells them of an incident in her family involving a white Mennonite family. As she tells the story, she comes to an unsettling realization about racism and the nature of human life.

My Family, My Everything Essay

Family is the cement the mends my life, keeps me grounded, and allows me to be a part of something greater than myself. My family has always been very close, we always look forward to spending time together. We have mostly gotten along and supported each other. Not to say we never get mad at each other, like the time my sister took my car without asking and accidently wrecked it, we do always work things out. Though we have not always lived near each other, my family has remained close through; the â€Å"wonder years† growing up, family holidays, and supporting each other during good times and bad. My mom is an independent women who worked full-time, kept our family close, put dinner on the table and supported each of us any way she could. My mom did a spectacular job of raising us even though at times it was a struggle raising 3 children alone. Through the years of watching her as we grew into teenagers we gained our own independence around the house, at school and in our per sonal lives. The great example my mom set for us allowed us to become successful in our personal and professional lives by making good decisions, working hard towards our goals, and taking responsibility for our actions. Growing up was not always easy, because we moved around a lot which meant we always were attending a new school. Having to make new friends all of the time, we learned to find friendship in each other. Over 28 years ago my step father’s job transferred us to Southern Indiana. Distance could not keep us from each other, my mom and I talked to my sister and brother every week, if not every day keeping our family bond strong even with the miles between us. As the years went on the distance got easier, we would make the trip to Michigan often for holidays, special  events. In 2009, my mom and daughter moved to Michigan and later that year I packed up my husband and 2 other children and moved backed to Michigan. I like being able to meet all my family for dinner at my mom’s house or go bowling on the spur of the moment or shopping with my sister or to the beach with my niece, without having to drive seven hours from home. The thing I like the best is when we are all get together sit around and tell stories from our past and remember the good times and share laughs. I look forward to this for many years to come. When a tragedy affects someone in our family we all jump in and help without being asked. Several months ago my sister-in-law was starting to have head aches and not feeling well and then it began to affect her vision and balance. At first, the Doctor thought it could be something really serious and she had to keep going back and forth to the hospital to have testing done. We all helped them out and have all taken her illness on as our own and plan to stand beside her and my brother and will continue to support them anyway they need. We do this for each other without having to ask or feel like a burden. Through good and bad and in tough hardships and the best of times, my family has always stood together. It does not matter whether I am in a bad mood or busy with my life, my family comes first and they know that. They know they can always count on me and I will be there whenever they need me. While some families might act like a bunch of strangers, my family; they are my everything.

Explain why women failed to gain the right to votebetween 1900 and 1914

Female Emancipation was one of the greatest changes in human history. Only in the last two centuries has progress been made; the right to vote was part of this global process. In the 19th Century Britain was profoundly unequal in terms of class and gender. Women were of inferior status both in society's views and legally, and their role was to marry and have children. On marriage they promised to serve their husband and a woman's property became her husband's. (Until late 1880, they had absolutely no rights over their property or children. ) Around the turn of the century, groups such as the Suffragists and Suffragettes started up, championing the right for women to vote, which in turn would help female candidates run for a position in parliament. This was the state of Britains social hierachy. The matter of why women failed to gain the right to vote in the years leading up to the first world war is quite a complicated issue. With all the huge campaigns lead by the Suffragists and Suffragettes there are a number of key points to understand. First of all, the vote was very exclusive at this period of time, even all men did not have it. Only homeowners in full-time employment were allowed to vote, which limited the vote to virtually the upper-middle and upper clases, and the lucky workers. Then there were the traditional views on women in general; they were seen as practically â€Å"second class† citizens of the country. Only in 1870 had education up to the age of 11 become free and compulsory for girls. (For boys it was earlier) Women had only just won the right to vote and run in local government elections. Most people felt the womans place was in the home raising children. Young girls who wanted to go on to higher education instead of marrying at the age of 16 were generally looked upon with disgust. They were seen as abnormal. It is easy to see that in a male-dominated country with an all-male government and cabinet it was an almost impossible task to win the franchise, or so it seemed. The Suffrage movement was increasing constantly, however compared to the nations population, the members of the various groups seemed very small. Many men did not want women to gain the vote for the long term reasons stated earlier, and even many women felt that they did not need the vote. It is hard to understand, but the whole mentality of British society was so deeply set in traditional thought that bringing about a change of such proportions was an immensly difficult task. Some people even started up Anti-Suffrage movements. The Suffrage groups started putting massive amounts of pressure on the government, which was for most of the duration run by the Liberal Party. (Lead by Lloyd Asquith after 1908. ) Hopes were high for a women suffrage when the Liberals came to power in 1906, because their policies were based on equality, although women's suffrage was not on their manifesto. Asquith, however, was against the right to vote for women. All the women's suffrage groups had intensified their campaigns when the Liberal Party was elected, and they had a high level of support. The Suffragettes were the smaller of the two largest groups, but were by far the most publicised. They believed in â€Å"Deeds not Words†, and were a more militant group than the larger and more respectful â€Å"Suffragists†. The Suffragettes were growing impatient and started intensifying their campaigns, growing more and more violent. Incidents involving stoning and heckling MP's, confronting authorities, getting fined and not paying; leading to imprisonment plagued the headlines of newspapers on a regular basis. Although this was putting pressure on the government, it also had the negative effect of alienating the movement from the public who generally did not like this approach. The Suffragettes started launching attacks on property, attacking Key MP's houses or property, setting fire to pillar boxes (thus destroying the property of Her Majesty) and chaining themselves to rails outside important political locations. This caused intense dislike towards them, and caused splits within the group itself. A free vote showed that the Parliament was overall for women to have the vote, as long as an adult male suffrage was introduced aswell. This was so all the working class males would be allowed to vote which would be an adcantage to them, so the increase in upper class people voting (women) would not hurt their chances of becoming re-elected. They also did not want to be seen as giving in to what was literally terrorism. The government also had greater issues to deal with, such as the crisis in Ireland, and the threat of War with Germany. Compared to these issues, the womens demonstrations and attacks seemed a minor problem. In 1914, The First World War had begun. This was the first total war, which required the whole nations contribution. The Suffragettes and other groups called off their protests and volunteered to help the government in the war effort. They had failed to win the right to vote, at least in the years between 1900 and 1914.