Marketing Case Study of Apple Inc.

Introduction The brand image of a company is important in achieving higher sales because consumers readily purchase products which have a good reputation. Brand image is attached to the culture of the company and it is important for the stakeholders of a company to develop corporate cultures which are consistent with the national cultures.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marketing: Case Study of Apple Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Companies operating in the global markets have a big challenge to identify the cultures of different cultural groups so that they can achieve better market positions. The global markets have become turbulent and there has been a great need to establish brand cultures that are acceptable by many customers (Freeth, 2008). For example, the computer industry has been very competitive and this has forced the existing companies to adopt strategies which will improve their market posi tion. Apple is a company in this industry that has been able to develop differentiated products and has developed its brands to match the cultural needs of the consumers. This strategy has increased the sales volume of the company and Apple has been able to sustain the stiff competition in the market (Parsons Oja, 2009). Building brand culture A brand is the perception that consumers have about a particular product. To build a brand name requires filing consumers with experiences about the product. It takes time to develop a good brand image to the consumers. Brand is a psychological aspect that is reinforced by experiences about a particular product for a given period of time. Customers identify with brands which have a good history of performance in the market. Consumer loyalty is embedded on brands that they admire and they tend to re-buy such products because they have developed a good image about them (Parsons Maclaran, 2009). According to Parsons and Maclaran (2009), culture is a set of values, norms, beliefs, tastes and customs that people practice. Culture can be divided into small subcultures which become separated by invisible boundaries.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More National cultures represent the customs of a large group of people and there is need to identify subcultures in a nation so that each group is represented in the entire marketing process. Subcultures define the type of products that certain people consume. The national culture cannot be used to define the specific cultures of the people in a country. However, some countries have few subcultures and the application of national cultures becomes easier (Parsons Maclaran, 2009). There is a strong attachment between brand image and the cultural aspects of the consumers. Marketers need to address contradictions about certain brands that consumers have about brands being offered in the market. There are myths that consumers have about brands in the market and it is important that marketers identify these myths so that they can drive a positive image about the products being offered in the market. Changing myths about a product is a task that requires setting proper strategies which will lead to the adoption of the products by the consumers. Changing the myths about a product requires learning the cultural practices of the consumers so that they the marketers can change the perception the consumers have about the brands (Beverland, 2009). It is important for companies to have a clear idea about the brand requirements and the cultural attachments of the consumers. Consumers interpret brands in different ways and there is need to understand the cultural aspects of different consumers so that a company can capture the specific brand needs of the consumers they are dealing with. There is need to shift attention from producing brands with no cultural attachment t o the manufacture of brands which are cultural sensitive.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marketing: Case Study of Apple Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The brand culture of a product is developed from self concepts and performance identities. When a brand has a history of good performance, consumers tend to develop a culture that will lead to adoption of such products (Schroeder, Salzer-Mà ¶rling, 2006). Cultural icons are developed in the market and consumers compare the performance of other products with particular brands in the market. According to Parsons and Maclaran (2009), a cultural icon is something that is used as representative symbol such that consumers tend to admire such a thing. Brands which have a good history of performance are used as the reference brands and consumers will always compare the performance of other brands with such products (Beverland, 2009). Consumer collectives There are different consumer groups in the market and there is need for marketers to identify the specific groups of consumers so that they can develop products which match their needs. Identify consumer niche is an important aspect that marketers should do to improve their sales volume. A market niche is a group of consumers with specific needs and their needs are not fully satisfied. Consumers in a particular market niche have different cultural needs and there is need to develop better strategies of satisfying their needs. Identifying the brands which satisfy the needs of a consumer niche is important in developing better markets for a company. It is important for a company to identify the culture of a market niche they are targeting so that they can develop products which satisfy their needs to the maximum (Muniz O’Guinn, 2001). Consumers in a subculture have similar characteristics and they will behave in the same manner. As such, people in a particular subculture will have t he same demand for the commodities in the market.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, consumers in a subculture admire almost the same brands of products in the market. They have a shared consciousness for specific brands in the market (Muniz O’Guinn, 2001). Gender and consumer brand culture The role of gender differences has been identified in the advertising and promotional strategies of products. This has been applied in the development of consumer brand culture such that women have been associated with beauty products while men have been associated with products which show strength and power. Companies target specific groups of consumers when they are advertising because different gender groups have different tastes and they will prefer products which express the cultural attachment. Adverts are designed to attract the attention of potential consumers and they should be designed in a manner such that they capture the attention of the specific groups being targeted (Davis, 2009). As such, several stereotypes have been developed about different gen der groups and this requires marketers to attach the specific gender aspect in the adverts they make. For example, women who are considered to be wealthy and of high class are stereotyped to be complicated and stylish. As such, adverts focusing such group of consumers will be designed in a manner that they will imply that the products are stylish and that they fulfill the needs of the consumers (Grimm, 2008). According to Grimm (2008, para. 4) â€Å"women are supposed to be aware of the fact that they are constantly on display for others to critique. Women are supposed to put time and effort into the way they look† (Grimm 2008, para. 4). These stereotypes have been developed by people and are reflected in the consumer behavior. As such, women will be observed to be very sensitive about their looks more than men. The outward appearance is highly appreciated by women and products which create the best looks will have high demand for women. In the female world, beauty is a basic aspect that must be focused by the marketers especially when carrying out promotions and adverts. To be more categorical, city women have different tastes compared to women from the rural areas. Women from the rural areas are stereotyped to be more family oriented and they are said to have a greater sense of household products. Women from the city are stereotyped to be materialistic, independent, and money-oriented. Therefore, marketers should identify the specific group of customers to address depending on the type of products they are offering to the market (Grimm, 2008). There is an increasing gender appeal in the advertising of products and this requires marketers to identify the gender roles and cultural attachments of different products being offered in the market. However, adverts never fulfill the emotional needs of the consumers because people desire to have similar feelings as expressed in the adverts. For example, an advert about a person wearing an expensive jewel is cr eated to make an appeal to potential consumers about the need to feel great. This feeling may not be felt by the consumers who buy such products, thus adverts may sometimes create a false impression. It has been a consumer brand culture to attach the feelings expressed in adverts to the emotions of consumers when they are busying specific products (Grimm, 2008). Case study: Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is a company that specializes in the manufacture of computer software and computer hardware. In the recent past the company ventured the market for electronics and this strategy has led to the development of products such as the iPhone, iPod and other electronic products. Apple has dominated the music industry by developing music players. The company has been able to sell its products to the international community by adopting online retail marketing as well as establishing retail stores in different countries. Steve Jobs is the president of the company and he has been able to develop better strategies which have made the company successful in the global market. Despite stiff competition in the global market, Apple Inc has been able to overcome this competition by establishing differentiated products and matching the consumer demand to the products manufactured by the company. The culture of the company has been very favorable in developing innovative products which are readily acceptable in the global market. Steve Jobs established the culture of leadership and the use of new technologies to develop products which are innovative (O’Grady, 2008). The employees of the company are provided with an environment which is suitable for developing innovative products and this has been a major competitive strategy which has led to the development of better manufacturing and marketing processes. For example, in the recent past, Apple penetrated the music industry by introducing products which match the market demand. The company has sold many iTunes and iMovie products an d this was achieved after the management realized the high potential in music industry. Apple has been able to sell a lot of music products by the use of online and retail stores. The company has been able to develop effective marketing strategies which have captured a lot of consumers in the market (Ireland, Hoskisson Hitt, 2008). Building brand culture To build a brand culture, Apple has developed a strong research and marketing team that conducts research about the consumer culture and values. The company has penetrated the global markets and there has been a great challenge about learning and operating in a multicultural market environment. The company has been able to develop a strong brand name in the local and regional markets. Apple enjoys a high level of consumer loyalty because many people have been able to adopt the products of the company. Both individual and corporate consumers are targeted by the company and this has led to the adoption of the products of the company in many countries (Kahney, 2005). The brand culture of Apple products is based on innovation and this has been a major aspect that consumers attach to the products of the company. The management of the company has encouraged the employees to come up with innovative technologies so that they can differentiate the products offered in the global markets. Apple has been able to develop differentiated products and this has been a competitive strategy that has made the company overcome the stiff competition in the market. Competitors such as Microsoft, IBM, Dell Companies have been a major stabling block towards the success of Apple (McGrath, 2001). These companies have dominated the market for a long period even before Apple was established. Due to their long history in the computer market, they have been able to develop a strong market foundation such that other companies which enter the market find it challenging to win the demand of the customers. After establishing Apple Company, Ste ve Jobs and Steve Wozniak developed a culture of innovation such that other companies were unable to compete successfully in production of products similar to those of Apple. The company has experienced several challenges especially about consumer acceptance and cultural differences in the different markets in which the company operates. To overcome these challenges the management of the company has been able to come up with policies of capturing consumer loyalty for the brands offered in the market and in the recent market situation, Apple has the highest level of consumer loyalty. This aspect has improved the competitive position of the company and the management has established strategies to maintain (Ireland, Hoskisson Hitt, 2008). Knowing the national culture of a country is very important to the management of Apple Inc. because it helps develop marketing strategies which are suitable for specific markets. In most cases the national cultures represent the subcultures for the p roducts sold by the company. Therefore, the existence of subcultures does not affect to a great extent the sale of the products of Apple. The management identifies the national cultures of the countries they operate in so that they can decide how to approach such markets. Culture has impact on the sale of music and Apple has employed people from different backgrounds so that they can sell the products of the company according to the cultural practices of the consumers. The company has embarked on the strategy of employing the nationals of a country in which they operate. This strategy has helped reduce cultural conflicts that may arise due to cultural differences (Royer, 2005). The brands of Apple Inc. have become an icon in the market such that people have started identifying these products as a representative of other products in the market. Iconicity of Apple products is explained by the high consumer loyalty for such products in local and global markets. Apple has dominated the music industry and this has made the company improve its image. Apple has become an icon in the establishment of online music industry because the company has been able to sell a lot of its products through this system. Apple has established the myth of creativity and innovation in the computer industry. It is through its innovative strategies that the company has been able to create products with a high demand in the market (O’Grady, 2008). Consumer collectives Tiffany Co. is a company which provides a good example of brands with a specific consumer group. The company specializes in the manufacture of jewels and other beauty products. Most of the consumers of the products of the company are women. There is a general perception in the market that the products of the company are expensive and that they depict a certain class. Women have associated the brands of the company with class and as such people wearing products of the company are highly respected (Grimm, 2008). On the other hand, Apple has developed products for specific consumer groups in the market. Apple has been able to target almost all the consumer groups in the market by diversifying the range of products offered in the market. Product diversification and differentiation have been strategies which have been adopted by the company and this strategy has been successful in achieving more sales. The company has manufactured many products which are sold in different markets. The company does not only focus on the corporate customers but also individual consumers. This strategy has increased the sales because the company has been able to achieve consumer loyalty for most of its products (Kahney, 2005). The iPod and iMovie products have targeted the young generation and this has made the company to achieve great sales because this group of consumers has been very responsive to the products. On the other hand, the iPhone, MacBook and other new computer hardware products have focused on the educat ed people. Due to the increasing number of educated people in many countries, computer products have gained an increasing demand in the recent past. Apple has developed products which match the consumer demand for these products and the company has generated more sales from such products (Sherry Fischer, 2009). Gender and consumer brand culture Consumer brand culture has been expressed in the promotion of products for Apple Inc. apple has been able to identify the consumer needs and the company manufactures products which are appealing to different cultural groups as well as different age groups. It has been a stereotype that modern music targets the youths more than the old age. Apple has used these stereotypes to develop products such as iTunes, iPods, iPhones and iMovies which target the young generation (Hart-Davis, 2009). This strategy has attracted a large number of consumers and the company has become very competitive in the sale of music products in the global market. The c ompany sells music, movies and modern phones which target the young generation. A culture has been developed such that modern music is being sold over the internet. To capture more customers, Apple has introduced online retail stores where consumers can access most of the products through online channels. There have been minimal influences on the gender roles in purchasing products from the company (Ireland, Hoskisson Hitt, 2008). Apple has used different strategies of marketing its products to different gender groups in the market. Women have the purchasing behavior of associating with classy brands. This purchasing behavior has also been displayed in the sale of music products. Women prefer music products which represent a certain class while men have different purchasing behaviors depending on their background and life experiences. Conclusion Brands are developed to satisfy the needs of the consumers. Developing a strong brand image is a great challenge to many companies and req uires investing a lot of resources. There is a positive correlation between a brand image and the culture of the customers. To establish a strong brand image it is important for the management of a company to identify the cultural needs of the people. Apple is a company that has been successful in the implementation of modern technologies. The company has been able to establish competitive products by identifying consumer needs and fulfilling these needs by adopting modern technologies in the production of their products. Apple has penetrated into the music industry by identifying the cultural needs of the consumers in different countries. The management of the company should continue doing a lot of research about the products and their cultural attachment in various markets so that it can maintain its market position. Bibliography Beverland, M. (2009). Building Brand Authenticity: 7 Habits of Iconic Brands. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Davis, John A. (2009). Competitive succes s, how branding adds value. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley and Sons. Freeth, P. (2008). Nlp in business. Warwickshire, UK: Communications In Action. Grimm, K. (2008). Tiffany Co: Representation of women in advertising [Internet]. Version 5. Knol. Web. Hart-Davis, G. (2009). How to do everything IPod, IPhone ITunes, fifth edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional. Ireland, Duane R., Hoskisson, Robert E. and Hitt, Michael A. (2008). Understanding business strategy: Concepts and cases. United Kingdom, UK. Cengage Learning. Kahney, L. (2005). The cult of iPod. San Francisco, CA: No Starch Press. McGrath, Michael E. (2001). Product strategy for high technology companies: accelerating your business to web speed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. Muniz, Albert M and O’Guinn Thomas C. (2001). Brand Community. Journal of Consumer Researc, 27(4): 412-432. O’Grady, Jason D. (2008). Apple Inc. Westport, CT: ABC-CLIO. Parsons, E. and Maclaran, P. (2009). Contemporary iss ues in marketing and consumer research. London: Elsevier. Parsons, Jamrich J. and Oja, D. (2009). New perspectives on computer concepts 2010, brief. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Royer, S. (2005). Strategic management and Online selling: creating competitive advantage with intangible Web goods. New York, NY: Routledge. Sherry, John F. Fischer, E. (2009). Explorations in consumer culture theory. Taylor Francis. New York, NY: Routledge. Schroeder, Jonathan E. and Salzer-Mà ¶rling, M. (2006). Brand culture. New York, NY: Taylor Francis. This report on Marketing: Case Study of Apple Inc. was written and submitted by user Madeleine U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Role of a Manager

The Role of a Manager Running Head: Roles 3Starr L. HaywoodThe Role of a ManagerInstructor Bridgette HardyMGT/251 ManagementFebruary 22, 2014Managers are a vital part of any business or organization. Understanding the role of a manager will help not only the workers, but the manager's position also. Management expert and professor, Henry Mintzberg developed a theory based on the 10 roles that managers play. These 10 roles are broken down into three categories: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. By implementing these various roles that managers can play, and organization can strive in all aspects of company growth.The interpersonal category is broken down into the roles of a figurehead, leader or liaison. A figurehead is a person that is looked up to for authority. An example of a figurehead in an organization is the manager of supplies. This person holds authority in ordering office supplies and is the overall decision maker for that duty.English: Low resolution logo of the Documentary Or...As a figurehead one must cultivate humility and empathy for people. Next, a leader manages the responsibilities of a team (Mintzberg 2011). A leader typically inspires personnel and they are not afraid to step up to the plate to assist in organizational duties. Lastly, a liaison communicates with external as well as internal contacts in order to network for the organization. An example of this can be a Booster Club Treasurer. The treasurer works with local businesses in order to gain donations for an organizational function to give away.The informational category consists of the monitor, disseminator or spokesperson. As a monitor, a manager is constantly seeking out information related to their industry (Mintzberg 2011). A monitor is also responsible for observing team productivity and the overall well-being of the members. A disseminator communicates useful information to the team. For instance the manager of the finance department...

Monetary Policy in the US Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Monetary Policy in the US - Assignment Example In order to overcome this problem, it is recommended that the policy implementation shall be incremental in nature with built in mechanisms to set threshold levels to trigger automatic responses where policy do not seem to deliver the desired monetary policy outcomes. Open market operations is one of the most frequently used tools that is being exercised by any central bank including FED. Open market operations basically involve the buying and selling of securities in open market in order to achieve the different monetary policy outcomes. Open Market Operations tend to provide an opportunity to FED to affect the banking system in following manner: 1. Affecting interest rates: through open market operations, FED basically mop out or in the liquidity within the banking system. By buying the securities, FED basically increase the supply of loanable funds thus interest rates tend to go down for short term period whereas by selling the securities, the liquidity is decreased which than increase the interest rates. 2. Controlling the volume of Credit: Through open market operations, FED basically increase or decrease the volume of credit as it either suck in the excess liquidity from the market or pump in new funds into the system. Through both methods, the overall extent of loanable funds can be increased or decreased in order to achieve the monetary policy objectives of the firm. 3. Open market operations also tend to affect the bank deposits because by floating securities in the market, FED basically take out funds from the banks which indirectly affect the deposits of the banks. Banks are required to keep a certain percentage of their funds as reserve with the FED in order to meet the uncertainties. FED can increase or decrease this percentage with the passage of time and according to the economic situation. Further banks can also borrow from the one window facility at the FED and the rate charged by FED on such funds is called discount rate.

The economic effects of intellectual property laws Research Paper

The economic effects of intellectual property laws - Research Paper Example It is worth mentioning that property rights can be owned by a person under the US Intellectual Property Law in three major forms in terms of Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks. Patents are defined as the exclusive rights which are granted for a specific period of time to a particular invention in any kind of technology related fields having the potential of industrial application. In case the technology based inventions have been conducted under the supervision and with the funds of a corporate entity, the patent for such inventions is to be entitled to the corporate entity/entities engaged with the invention process through a contract or agreement where the breach of agreement to sell the patent with the consent of other parties (when there are more than one entity engaged) shall also be termed as infringement of the rights (VoiceFill v. West Interactive Corporation et. al.). Similarly, copyrights are also a kind of exclusive rights which are issued to authorships related to the fi elds of art or literature for a specific period of time. Trademarks deal with the exclusive rights for any kind of specific sign or a particular combination of multiple signs which can distinguish the identity of one good and/or service from the other such as in the case of company logo. Unlike other exclusive IP rights, the trademarks are not effective for only a specified time period, but can be held by the creator(s) (i.e. mostly a corporate entity) until they wish to sell the property right to someone else (Valmont Industries, Inc. v. Lindsay Corporation et. al.). It is in this context that the infringement of either of these rights in order to use the properties without permission is called piracy which is strictly prohibited under the US Intellectual... This paper critically evaluates the American government policy in the sphere of protection of the intellectual property, which directly influence not only the growth of domestic economy, but the economic state of most developing economies, as well. Intellectual property (IP) is often defined as the personalized ideas, inventions, as well as gathered information by an entity that can either be a corporate, a person or even a group of people. These intellectual properties are considered to possess significant commercial value in the local, national as well as global market. It can be stated that the enforcement of intellectual property laws have a considerable impact on the economic structure of a country. For instance, by restricting the unwanted and unpermitted use of the IPs, the law tends to raise the value of the patents, trademarks and encourage innovation. On the contrary, enforcing Intellectual Property Laws can also result in decreased employment, especially in the developing economies where a considerable proportion of the entire labor population is engaged in manufacturing and selling the ideas without permission It is worth mentioning that FDIs and international trade relationships are considered to be quite vital , as major drivers of growth and development along with innovation. It is necessary to identify what implications Intellectual Property Rights have on the international trade relations and the generation of FDIs so as to have a better insight to the economic growth and development

Flaws of the Employment System in the United States Research Paper

Flaws of the Employment System in the United States - Research Paper Example The white settlers adopted superiority complex hence crediting them with civilizing them. The false notion came to be known as the white man’s burden. It was used to justify Europeans taking land away and enslaving the natives. This became a system of exploitation and discrimination as naturally-occurring differences became apparent. It became a system of denying people access to rights, representation or access to resources as it was institutionalized to affect virtually every aspect of life even the judicial system. Though progress has been made in the eradication of racial discrimination in employment, there is still some ground to be covered in eradicating the rampant prejudice. The situation is worsened by the statistics that are still a characteristic of modern day America which show that black people who have been arrested, charged or served a jail term can hardly get employment. The statistics show that one in every three black men has to be incarcerated in their lifetime, one in six Latino and one in seventeen Caucasian men. Disciplinary actions still are harsher for the black comparatively. The immigrants’ rights are not guaranteed as natives while per capita employment levels comparatively show that blacks are four-times less employable than the whites (â€Å"American Law Reports: Annotations and Cases† 115). Most of the big companies as is presently constituted in its ranks show that the majority of top management is white-dominated. Even if, there is an equal opportunity in hiring upward mobility is still a problem as most of the blacks remain in the same position for long a time. On the contrary, the white counterparts are being promoted to take positions of responsibility. They are segregated into the lowest level positions and still earn less than the white counterparts even if they are in the same job cadre.

The Impact of Increased Domestic Abuse Rates

The Impact of Increased Domestic Abuse Rates INRODUCTION 1.1Background of study According to the United Nations secretary, the general Ban Ki – Moon (2008) highlighted: one universal truth which always prevails in all countries, cultures and communities is that violence against women has never been accepted, will never be excusable and in any circumstance will be tolerated. Violence against women is an international concern since it is a national phenomenon that influences women of all races, ages, religions and economic statues. Every year as a result of violence, more than one million people lose their lives and many suffer from non- fatal injuries which are mostly women kids. Moreover, it is a huge expense for the economy since it erodes billions of US dollars worldwide mainly in health care expenditure and much more in national economies in terms of workforce absenteeism, new law enforcement or even loss investment. In 2012 there was an estimation of 475 000 deaths which was recorded as a result of homicide. Furthermore 1 in five women have been sexually abused when she was a child and 1 in 3 women have been victims of either physical or sexual violence by their intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. According to the late Nelson Mandela in the health organization in (2002:12) which emphasize in the world report on violence and Health that: ‘Many who live with the violence day in and day out presume that it is an innate part of the human state’ Brutality against women is a violation of the human dignity, the right to life and considered as an extreme inequality towards the women. According the world Health organization, 2004 in Europe North America nearly 3.9 men die from suicide for every 1 women they killed and in Asia the sex ratio are about 1.1. Unfortunately Mauritius, our small paradise is not to be left, the figure is even higher here where 1 women out of 4 are been battered. Between January to September, in 2013 nearly 1376 cases of violence against women were reported even though the ministry of gender equality had already allocated 12.8 million (320, 000 Euros) to combat against intimate partner violence declared by the Defi Quotidian. The Family Violence Prevention fund (2008) with the American Association of University Women announces that more than 1,200 women are been killed every year by their husbands or boyfriends. Violence is associated with health problems and it affect the person in all dimension, physical, sexual, mental. In UK it affects both the child and the mother’s health which often result in maternal mortality. In addition to it, 70 out of 295 women in UK (24%) died during their pregnancy or within 6 weeks they given birth and 19 of them were murdered according to the review saving lives: Maternal deaths to make motherhood safer in 2003. Last but not the least, 30 to 66% of the same abusive offender exploits both the mother and the child. In India, they used to beat their wife and death caused by means of fire was very common that is women were been douse with kerosene and then it was claim that she died as a kitchen accident. Public officials in 1980’s reveal that women who were mostly aged between 15 to 44 in Bombay or other urban areas of the Maharashtra where 1 out of 5 women were associated to accidental burns[S1].(world Report on violence and health, 2002) According to Durkheim (1800); Kushner, Sterk et al., (2005) which is disclose in Davis et al., (2011) research uncover that women were less expose to violence when they were residing in the protective domestic sphere, however it was when they started to undertake non traditional roles, according to Levinson (1999) that is been engaged more in the men’s role which lead them been more susceptible to violence. However, women are now emerging greatly in the world of business, thus they have a more independent lifestyle compared with their partner whereas some time back they were heavily depending on their partner causing them been more vulnerable to abuse and victimization. Culture depicts norms that women need to respect his husband thus if the women made a mistake at any level, the partner had the right to punish her. An Anon Pakistan (n.d) notes were publish that beating a woman is to chastise or to discipline her as it was culturally and religiously justified because men are t he owners of their wives and it is very much necessary to show them who is the boss so that the future transgressions are discourage[S2]d. The gender based violence is rooted in gender inequality, characterized by unequal power relation and the social structures are like factories which yields it to the society. The concept of masculinity has been integrated since civilization which is the main entrance for violence. The media also plays an important role in the sexualisation of women, portraying a negative image of the women to the society. Religion engage in the production of discrimination violence against the women, the speech, scared text and their meaning , the practice of exclusion and the sexist un equality in church for instance contribute to maintain violence against women Stroher 2009, p.101 mention in Krob and Steffen article in 2015. Authorities’ responses are crucial to domestic violence calls. However police officers are often reluctant to intervene, often performing their job in a leisurely manner in serious cases and most surprisingly they side with the offenders than been with the victims. Parnas 1967 and Browne 1995 disclose that police hesitation to deal officially with domestic assaults is due to insufficient law enforcement in response to this major concern. Rather than been part of the solution they been increasing the problem. The police officers categorized simple assaults as been of low importance thus the victim will have to wait for the officer’s availability or seek assistance with other agencies from Buzawa 1993 and Buzawa 1996. According to Waaland and Keeley in (1985) Â ½ of a sample of the survey they conducted indicated that the police officers did not give any arrest in cases of illegal assault. Thus it is been added to the debate of addressing violence against women and the intervention strategies of the officers 1.2 Problem statement According to the domestic violence Homicide Report (2003); the human death toll is grossly underestimated. In 2001, intimate partner violence against women account for 20% of all non fatal violence that is 600,000 crimes overall. (Matthews, 2004) In spite of women’s emancipation in the modern society, through its equal contribution at home and in society, we still perceive[S3] that women are been treated unequal to their husband or to other man in various settings. Domestic violence influence the women’s ability to participate in the world where they are unable to take care of their children due to various health problems that they experienced and pursue job careers normally. The government lost billions of money each year because of the enormous burden that violence leaves on the society. Mathews (2004), reveal that medical expenses from domestic violence range from $3 to $5 each year and this excludes the $100 million which are been lost by businesses from sick depart ure, lost salary, non productivity. No action is without meaning, Mahmood, 2001 stated that a women which is making use of a veil might be viewed in certain contexts as an oppression whereas in another might be a women’s resistance. Domestic violence also sends messages to the women that you must not breach this barrier. According to the European Parliament, 2006 violence is an exhibition of the historical unequal power relations between men and women leading to domination over and discrimination against the women by men preventing women’s full advancement. For example, the concept of the male honor is associated with purity of the women, if the women was raped or have sexual intercourse voluntarily outside marriage thus she was disgrace by the family. A study was conducted in Egypt where 47% of women were been killed by their relative after been raped. Women are unable to protect them from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. We note that the situation have become beyond control intern ationally. Children who witnessed violence have many health problems like behavioural, anxiety, depression and poor school performance. In North America, children who witness violence exhibit antisocial behavior due to psychological disturbances. Moreover, a research in Leon and Nicaragua (2013) shows those children of abuse women were 6 times more likely to die at age of 5. Children are dearly affected, 3207 cases of child abuse reported to the women’s Aid national Free phone Helpline (2013) and based on the women’s aid annual report (2013) 1,204 children were present at home during intimate partner violence. Unfortunately most of the authorities techniques are far of been protecting the victim. Ferraro (1989) disclose that despite having serious policies only 18 % of offenders are been arrested, they often very lenient in domestic violence incident by Eigenberg et al. However, it is far to be a simple issue, fault in the system is indeed contributing in the nurture of domestic violence where it create a need to address this issue. 1.3 Aim and objectives of the study The purpose of the study is to analyze the consequences of an increasing rate of domestic violence on the women and the responsiveness of the police authorities towards this major concern. The study will mainly focus on the impact that domestic violence have upon women kids, the forms of violence, sources, causes and how the authorities response to this alarming social phenomenon accordingly. Therefore, it will be interesting to know till what extent a women is been victimized in the 20th century. The objectives of this research are as follows: An insight of the different forms of domestic violence To disclose the voice of the stigmatized To investigate the effectiveness of the intervention strategies of the authorities upon violence To locate solutions to combat against domestic violence 1.4 Research Questions What are the forms of domestic violence and how does it impact women? What is the consequence of domestic violence upon the women? Are authorities’ intervention techniques effective in response to violence? What are the reasons for difficulty in combating against domestic violence? 1.5 Outline of the study Chapter 1: introduce the subject matter under study, how violence greatly influences the women, children and society and the response of the authorities towards this issue. The problem statement give a more in depth description how domestic violence has an impact on women, children and drawbacks of the police strategies. The aim and objectives and a brief picture of each chapter accordingly. Chapter 2: literature review Chapter 3: Methodology Chapter 4: Results and Discussions Chapter 5: Recommendations and conclusions REFERNCES World Health Organization (2013) Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non- partner sexual violence. Switzerland: WHO publications. World Health Organization (2002) World report on Violence and Health. Geneva: WHO publications. World Health organization (2014) Global status report on violence prevention. Switzerland: WHO publications. European Union Agency for Fundamental Right (2014) Violence against women an EU –wide survey. Europe. Publications Office of the European Union. Devries k, watts C, Yoshihama M, Kiss L, Schreiber L.B, Deyessa N, Heise L, Durand J, Mbwambo J, Jansen H, Berhane Y ,Ellsberg M. and Moreno C.G. (2011). ‘Violence against women is strongly associated with suicide attempts: Evidence from the WHO multi –country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women’, Journal of social science and medicine, Vol. 73, pp. 79-86. Indian Ocean Times. (2013). Mauritius: 1,376 domestic violence cases recorded between January and September 2013, from: en.indian-ocean-times.com [accessed on the 12 April 2015 British High Commission Mauritius. (2015). Help and support available for victims of domestic violence in Mauritius from: www.gov.uk [ accessed on 12 April 2015] Women’s Aid. (2015). National and international statistics from: www.womensaid.ie [accessed on 12 April 2015] Council of Europe (2014) PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: ARTICLE 12 OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION A collection of papers on the council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Europe: Council of Europe publications ([emailprotected]). Krob D.B and Steffen L. (2015). ‘Religious influence on education and culture: Violence against women as common sense’, Journal of Social and Behavioral sciences, Vol. 174, pp. 2374 -2379. Peter G; Sinder B and Stephens J. (1999), ‘Police perceptions of domestic violence: the nexus of victim, perpetrator, event, self and law policing,’ International journal of police strategies management, Vol.22 Iss 3, pp. 313-327. Chhikara P, Jakhar J, Malik A, Singla K and Dhattarwal S.K. (2013), ‘Domestic Violence: The Dark Truth of our Society’, Journal of Indian Academic Forensic Medicine, Vol.35 (1), pp. 0971-0973. Davis, R.L. (2010), ‘Domestic violence related deaths’, Journal of Aggression ,conflict and Peace Research, Vol. 2, Iss 2. Davis, D.M. (2013). Rehabilitation Counseling Master’s Students: Beliefs and Attitudes about Domestic Violence toward Women. Published PhD dissertation. Lowa: University of Lowa, 167 pages. Grovert, A.J. (2008). Domestic violence against women: A literature Review. Published Masters Literature review. Forest Grove: Pacific University, 41 pages. Rojas, L.D.A. (2010). Men and Domestic violence/Partner Violence in Santiago, Chile: the meaning of violence in masculinity. Published Master Dissertation. Gothenburg: Gothenburg University, 76 pages. 1 [S1]Source? [S2]discouraged [S3]percieve

The Life and Sensibility of Jane Austen :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Life and Sensibility of Jane Austen        Ã‚   Jane Austen has often been considered a woman who led a narrow, inhibited life and who rarely traveled. These assertions are far from the truth. Jane Austen traveled more than most women of her time and was quite involved in the lives of her brothers, so much that it often interfered with her writing. Like most writers, Jane drew on her experiences and her dreams for the future and incorporated them into her writing. Her characters reflect the people around her; the main characters reflect parts of herself. In Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park, Elinor Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, and Fanny Price all reflect aspects of Jane Austen and dreams she had that were never fulfilled.    Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, the sixth of seven children, to a rector and his wife. Jane was raised among books and began reading and writing at an early age. Her brother Henry said "her reading started very early," and it was difficult to say "at what age she was not intimately acquainted with the merits and defects of the best essays and novels in the English language" (Tomalin 67). Her earliest works date to age twelve, although she most likely wrote pieces before then. Her family often read Shakespeare together in the evenings. Her mother enjoyed writing verse and often wrote poetry to celebrate happy occasions. Jane grew up with an appreciation for writing and literature.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The biographies about Jane Austen describe the facts of her life in a step-by-step manner. They tend to be repetitive since she did not leave behind a rich fabric of day-to-day life. Yet Jane Austen is known not because of the factual details of her life; she is not remembered two hundred years after her death because she had six siblings and was a wonderful aunt to her nieces and nephews. Rather, Jane Austen is remembered because of what she wrote, her "ouvre." Only through reading her literature does one get a taste of the real Jane Austen, the Jane Austen who dreamed and made plans for the future that failed to materialize. Therefore, I have attempted to describe the life of Jane Austen by interpreting her novels and picking three main characters who I feel most closely serve as her alter ego. A writer writes from his or her own experiences; only by analyzing Jane Austen's characters do we get an understanding of the true author.

Complexity of Poetry Essay

Poetry is a way for the reader to openly interpret a poem in almost any way they see fit. Because there is so much freedom of interpretation with poetry, there leaves a lot of room for discussion and opposition. Billy Collin’s poem, â€Å"Introduction to Poetry†, breaks down the basic ways for interpreting and understanding a poem. In summary, he explains that the reader cannot focus on trying to figure out one specific meaning of a poem, but instead, try to piece together small parts to understand a deeper meaning. Collin’s rules on how to interpret a poem can be applied to Hughes’s poem about a young student writing a poem for homework. Instead of looking at Hughes’s poem as a whole, the reader can better understand it by breaking it down and figuring out why each line is important and how it ties together with the poem as a whole. Understanding Collins rules to interpret a poem, help the reader decipher Hughes poem on a deeper, more academic level. Langston Hughes’s poem explains how a black, twenty two year old man and the rest of his white classmates are given an assignment to write a paper. The narrator, who is also the student, explains his thoughts about the assignment and how him being the only colored one in his class might be reflected on his grade on the assignment. At the beginning of the poem, he explains how he has to get to class everyday by traveling across some of the â€Å"better† parts of town. The student goes on to explain how even though he is colored, he likes the same things and has the same wants as everyone else. He states that he is no different than the rest of his class and that he too has knowledge to share. By stating this, the student is expressing to the reader how he thinks him and the instructor are equal. In the last few lines the student writes, â€Å"As I learn from you, / I guess you learn from me† (37-38). This explains how even though their skin color and age is different they are still able to learn from each other. The student has a somewhat optimistic and confident tone throughout the poem. He is aware of his capabilities and knows that he can be just as successful as anyone else. Billy Collins â€Å"Introduction to Poetry† explains how whenever people analyze a poem they do not try to find the true message of it. By writing, â€Å"But all they want to do / is tie the poem to a chair with rope / and torture a confession out of it,† explains how the majority of people are lazy and want everything handed to them effortlessly (12-14). This last stanza explains how some people look at poems from one point of view and expect the meaning of the poem to be written out for them. The author is stating that people should look at the poem from different angles just as one would look at the world from a color slide. He tries to explain to the reader that if one were to interpret the poem from a whole new approach, then they could find a deeper meaning than just the surface meaning. After reading Collins â€Å"Introduction to Poetry†, the reader should have a better sense of how to interpret Hughes’s poem. Throughout the first part of Hughes’s poem the reader may think all of the characters background information including his address, age, and hometown is pointless. After reading an entire stanza about this â€Å"pointless† information the reader may try to stop understanding the poem before they even finish it. If the reader uses Collins instructions about analyzing a poem, they may find that all of this â€Å"pointless† information is actually important and helps contribute to the characters feelings of insecurity. Collins poem explains that not all poems have one specific answer or meaning the writer is trying to get across. Keeping this idea in mind, the reader may realize that Hughes’s poem, in fact, does not state an answer or solution to the characters mixed feelings. Although both of these poems leave room the readers own special interpretation, there is a basic meaning and idea to each one. Both of these poems fit well together because Collin’s thoughts and ideas can be directly applied when reading Hughes’s poem. The poems are an effective example of how even though a poem may seem short and simple, there is usually a deeper and greater meaning beneath the surface.

Get Capone Book Review

Get Capone Book Review Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured Americas Most Wanted Gangster is a first edition book by Jonathan Eig and published by Simon Schuster on 27th April 2010. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Get Capone Book Review specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given the way the book goes beyond mere myths in seeking to bring out new facts and evidences concerning the rise and fall of criminal activity in the United States of America, it is an incredible informative piece of literary writing that has received much claim in the US judicial corridors. It is centered on the criminal activities of Al Capon who was a notorious American criminal. Eig’s main theme in the book is dissecting the ways of the shrewd criminal (Al Capone) whose endeavours appeared to continually outwit and make a mockery of the federal law, slip through hands of justice unscathed and creating torment and trouble for his target victims. In so doi ng, Eig delves deep into the mystery of Capone’s ways and attempts to surmise what made such a known criminal to elude the hands of justice for such a long time in the US criminal justice system. Eig has used a wide range of sources to support his case and postulates in the story most of which have helped bring some level of authenticity and a touch of professionalism to the book. These sources are both primary and secondary given their nature. The primary sources include unpublished bibliographies of Al Capone, archived documents (such as Johnson’s personal letters), handwritten documents from different government law enforcement agencies (such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation), personal documents (like those written and signed by Edgar Hoover and notes written by the author who worked on Capone’s autobiography) and Capone’s library letters about his release from prison among others. Secondary sources include family members’ and relatives’ interviews, newspaper accounts and recorded information obtained from interrogation of persons that were associated with Capon and Johnson. Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These sources are appropriate in their own rights since they help bring a sense of research and investigation about the criminal activity of Al Capone and his capture therefore helping to depict the book as a compilation of well researched and investigated case. They have been considered in other quarters as having informed the understanding of the Capone case. There is justifiable criticism on how the author has used these references in the book calling to doubt the surmises and conclusions that he draws from them. A quick perusal through the book gives the impression that these sources have been used as they were being merely copy-pasted into the book wit hout investigative consideration of the circumstances surrounding the information given especially given that the case was a high profile case that was prone to a lot of prejudices, half-truths and exaggerations. The book simply revamps experts from previous Capone’s biographies whereas inasmuch FBI massacre letters are used as corroboration for the surmises made, key evidential photos to support the claims (like photos from the baseball massacre at Chomsky Park ) are not provided. In addition, these sources are just used in their raw nature in that there is very little analysis that is carried on them and this has created multiple instances of facts surmised that are completely unjustifiable. For instance, Eig surmises that Eliot Ness was the person responsible for the downfall of Capone and yet it is in public domain that this was merely Hollywood concocted story that lacked any professional and investigation coherence and yet the author takes it as truth. Another insta nce of this incoherent presupposition that has no systematic police evidence is the massacre theory that Eig postulates where he relies on the archived letters that claimed that Jack White was the one who killed the seven men with whom Capone was.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Get Capone Book Review specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author is prejudicial in the sense that he assumes that Weiss’ and Drucci’s $ 13 000 roll was what compelled Capone to initiate their attack on the front of the Standard Oil Building. Considering the author’s intention of removing untruths of the story in circulation concerning Capone’s case, it can be observed that he frantically tries to input evidences and perceptions to the story so as to give it a totally different view from what really happened. In this regard therefore, I personally do not find the book as compelling and authentic as it is intende d to be. The overt premeditation that informs what the author wants to create even before gathering information that is relevant and the lack of analysis of the data collected and objective consideration of the facts that are gathered makes the book inappropriate if it is to be used for this course. For persons reading about the case for the first time may find the book appropriate but for the ones with prior knowledge of the same and who are interested in scholarly approach of the story, the book falls way below their expectations in appropriateness.

Coursework on Alternative Financial Investments The WritePass Journal

Coursework on Alternative Financial Investments Intoduction Coursework on Alternative Financial Investments IntoductionAlternative InvestmentsVenture Capital TrustsEnterprise Investment SchemeHedge FundsAgriculturalLivestock and MeatEnergyPrecious MetalsIndustrial MetalsPropertyREITSInvestor BenefitsRisks of REITSFine Art Fine WineShort Answer QuestionsQuestion 1.   The disadvantages of repaying debts by encashing investments are:Question 2Question 3BenefitsDrawbacksBibliographyRelated Intoduction Alternative Investments We are all familiar with the usual suspects when it comes to investments with ISA’s Unit Trusts, OEICS, Capital Investment Bonds, Investment Trusts, National Savings and General Banking Products being the general fare when it comes to advising our clients. However whilst these products often can and do achieve the desired results there are many   alternatives investments available that offer a wider choice and variety which can be used instead of or to complement mainstream products. Lets look at these alternatives and see what benefits they have and of course any drawbacks associated with them. The AIM Market (Alternative Investment Market) â€Å"AIM is the most successful growth market in the world. Since its launch in 1995, over 3,000 companies from across the globe have chosen to join AIM. Powering the companies of tomorrow, AIM continues to help smaller and growing companies raise the capital they need for expansion† (www.londonstockexchange.com/companies-and-advisors/aim.htm 18/02/2011). Aim is the international market for growing companies trading on the London Stock Exchange. Businesses you will find range from new venture capital-backed companies to well established, mature organisations looking to expand into a wider market. Created in 1995 by the London Stock Exchange principally to offer a diverse range of smaller companies the opportunity to sensibly raise capital in a regulated market, hence AIM has developed into a highly flexible public market easily accessible to both investor and company. Aim companies come from 37 sectors, 90 sub-sectors and 26 countries. It has over 250 companies from outside the United Kingdom, with many more joining every year, which is testament to the viability of the AIM market as a place fro the younger international companies wishing to fund expansion and raise their global profile. Aim is an exchange Regulated Market and enjoys a reputation for effective regulation: it offers a secure yet flexible trading environment for both companies and investors. Aim is wholly owned and run by the London Stock Exchange and has three investment indices – the FTSE AIM UK50, FTSE AIM 100 and the FTSE AIM ALL-SHARE Supersector Indices Investors wishing to buy or sell shares in AIM stocks will deal through a stockbroker in a traditional way. However, whilst dealing in the shares in an execution-only basis may be relatively straightforward; those investors who want advice may have to be more selective. There are some brokers with specialist knowledge of AIM stocks and which spend a considerable amount of time researching the AIM market. It clearly makes sense for investors to deal via such brokers so as to take advantage of there expertise. Due to the tax breaks which are currently available, many brokers run specialist portfolios which have been set up with the intention of mitigating Inheritance Tax. (IHT). The shares after being held for at least two years qualify for Business Property Relief and therefore as long as they are held until death after the two year period will be fully exempt from IHT. If the purchaser is married or in a civil partnership and they die prior to the two year period, the shares may be transferred to the spouse or civil partner so that they may retain the shares until their own death so that the two year requirement may be exceeded. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is payable in respect of sales of AIM stocks and any losses can be set off against losses in the usual way. â€Å"The AIM market should be regarded as higher risk as AIM market shares tend to be relatively illiquid and therefore may be difficult to sell or obtain reliable information as to the value and the risks to which the shares are exposed. A company on AIM can elect to revert to private status, in which case the shares may become impossible to trade or value and the protections offered by AIM will cease to apply† (www.rensburg4ifas.co,uk/   Iht for Ifas v 3.2-07/10 7323) â€Å"Every AIM company is supported, advised and monitored by its own Nominated Adviser (NOMAD). Firms that wish to act as Nomads must undergo stringent checks before they can be authorised to become a London Stock Exchange-approved Nomad for AIM. These Checks ensure the suitability both of Nomads and of the companies they assist to operate as part of AIM, bringing investors increased certainty and security† (http:///www.aimslisting.co.ukindex.php/page/The-Aim-Market 25/02/2011). Venture Capital Trusts â€Å"The Venture Capital Trust   scheme started on 6th April 1995. It is designed to encourage individuals to invest directly in a range of small higher-risk trading companies whose shares and securities are not listed on a recognised stock exchange, by investing through Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). So, if you invest in a VCT, you spread the investment risk over a number of companies† (www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/vct.htm 18/02/2011). VCT’s have to be approved by HMRC and once given offers a   unique tax break, in that as long as you hold ordinary shares for at least 5 years from the date of purchase 30% income tax relief is payable, therefore a  £200,000 investment held for 5 years, if it had not grown or fallen in value would be valued at  £260,000. In addition there is no liability to Capital Gains Tax on disposal. The benefits to individuals investing in a Venture Capital Trust include not only the opportunity to participate in the growth the unquoted investment portfolio but also to enjoy the valuable tax benefits on an investment of up to  £200,000 in each tax year. This type of investment should be seen as medium to long term and the capital value is not guaranteed. Enterprise Investment Scheme The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is designed to help smaller higher-risk trading companies to raise finance by offering a range of tax reliefs to investors who purchase shares in those companies. The EIS is a concession by HMRC whereby an investor can invest between  £500 and  £500,000 in an EIS company in a single tax year and claim the income tax relief at 20%. Furthermore, providing the shares are held for 3 years, then there is no Capital Gains Tax on the eventual disposal. â€Å"All shares must be paid up in full, in cash, when they are issued. They must be â€Å"full risk† ordinary shares, with no preferential rights to dividends, or to the companies assets in the event of winding up. There must also be no arrangements to protect the investor from the normal risks associated with investing in shares and no arrangements for the shares to be purchased by anyone else after the end of the relevant period† (www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/eis.htm 02/02/2011) Investment can be directly into the company or through an EIS Fund. If you invest through an EIS fund, the fund manager will invest on your behalf in a number of qualifying companies. You are still the owner of the shares. Hedge Funds    Hedge funds are collective investments that aim to make money whether the market is moving up, down or sideways. Unlike Unit Trusts, Oeics or Investment Trusts, which tend to only grow when shares rise, hedge funds can make money when share prices are falling.They do this using a range of complicated specialist techniques. The most commonly used is going long or short on a share. Most private investors simply go long on a share, buying in the hope that the price will rise.Where an investor goes short, they believe that the equity will fall in value. There are two main ways a hedge fund can do this. The first is by â€Å"shorting† the stock, where the investor â€Å"borrows† a stock to sell it, with the hope that it will decrease in value so they can buy it back at a lower price and keep the difference. For example, if an investor borrows 500 shares of X   company   at  £10 each, they would then sell those shares for  £5,000. If the price falls to  £8 per share, the investor would buy the shares back for  £4,000, return them to the original owner and make a profit of  £1,000. These funds now reportedly manage over  £750bn of clients money and their highly-paid managers can achieve remarkable returns.Hedge funds are not restricted to equities, they will invest in anything that will make a profit, including Foreign currency, Bonds, or Commodities. The return achieved by the fund is likely to be dependent on the skill of the manager rather than the underlying economic conditions and that is why they are so highly paid.At the moment Hedge funds are only available to high wealth individuals who are prepared to invest around  £500,000, or to professional investors, such as Pension Funds or Insurance Companies.If individual investors want exposure to hedge funds, they can purchase shares in the companies that operate the funds.Hedge Funds are regarded as high risk investments as many funds are â€Å"leveraged† which means they borrow money to add to their fund rather than just using investor capital.Because the funds use Derivatives, where they bet ag ainst the future value of an asset, rather than purchasing the asset directly, the funds are effectively borrowing money.The result is that gains and losses are magnified, with some making huge profits, but if things go wrong the fund can go bust. The majority of Hedge Funds are domiciled offshore for tax reasons, but the UK based managers are fully regulated by the Financial Services Authority. (FSA).However the FSA does not regulate the funds themselves and if a fund goes bust, investors do not have any recourse to compensation. Commodities â€Å"A physical substance, such as food, grains, metals, which is interchangeable with another product of the same type and which investors will buy or sell usually through futures contracts† (londonstockexchange.com/focus-on/018-commodities. 07/03/2011) The Commodity Markets are markets were raw or primary products are exchanged. They are traded on regulated commodity exchanges, in which they are bought and sold in standardised contracts. Commodities investing is volatile, promising big gains and capable of big losses. But this volatility can work in your favour in a broad investment portfolio, where a small amount of commodities can offset risks associated with stocks, bonds and cash. Commodities can be an excellent way to diversify your portfolio, especially if you believe that stocks are heading downwards for the next few years. The Commodities traded include: Agricultural Corn, wheat, oats. Livestock and Meat Cattle, Pigs Energy Crude oil, natural gas, heating oil. Precious Metals Gold, platinum,palladium. Industrial Metals Copper, zinc aluminium. Trading is normally via Futures Contracts, which is basically an agreement to buy now, pay and deliver later. In essence, a futures contract is a standardised forward contract in which the buyer and the seller accept the terms in regards to the product, grade , quantity and location and are only free to negotiate the price. Commodities are regulated and authorised by the FSA in the UK and Investing in commodities is normally done through a stockbroker or a   commodities broker. Property Property can be a very attractive asset to include in any investment portfolio – especially as it often performs well when stock markets are going through an unstable period. Over the long term, property has been proven to outperform   most sectors, so it might be a good bet even when share or bond prices fall. Of course, property markets can still be volatile, as shown by recent events. However, the best property funds will spread their exposure across many property areas. For example a property fund could give you access to the commercial property sector as well. This may include retail premises, office space and warehousing. Property funds remain one of the most practical ways to gain exposure to the property sector, some invest in actual bricks and mortar, while other funds may include shares in property companies or property securities know as real estate investments trusts. (REITS). Investments in funds of this nature are subject to specific risks arising from investment in REITs and property related securities and investors should ensure that they full understand these.    REITS A REIT is a company that owns and manages property on behalf of shareholders. A Reit can contain commercial and/or residential property. REITs provide a way for investors to access property assets without having to buy property directly in the UK REITs can apply for â€Å"UK-REIT† status, which exempts the company from corporation tax. It is an investment through buying shares in a listed property company that has elected for REIT status and operates in accordance with REIT regulations. The REIT regulations are intended to ensure the company is primarily engaged in property investment, rather than in development or other non property related activities. Most UK REITs focus on the UK, though a few have European investments. Investor Benefits REITs can be very tax efficient, as the property company pays no corporation or capital gains tax on the profits made from the property investment. As a condition of these tax breaks REITs must pass 90% of their taxable income through to shareholders. As the real estate appreciates in value, the REIT becomes more valuable and the share price may rise. REITs can also offer predictable income streams because of long term lease agreements. Also as REITs trade like stocks, you can get into and out of them with ease.       Risks of REITS However as stated earlier there are risks associated with REITs and investors need to approach them with these in mind. Most REITs focus on particular types of commercial development, such as apartments or office buildings. This concentration leaves them vulnerable to a downturn in this particular sector. Investors should examine where the REITs projects are located. A high concentration of development in one community or geographic region may leave it vulnerable to a downturn in that area’s economy. Better to invest in more than one REIT and choose different property sectors, also make sure that they are in different geographic locations. As stated earlier REITS are traded like stock on the major markets and can be purchased via a stockbroker in the normal manner. Fine Art Fine art offers the opportunity for portfolio diversification into an area that has historically provided high returns. Quality works of art have proved to be a remarkable store of value. This is predominantly due to increasing rarity caused by an expanding demand from museums and collectors and dwindling supplies. Art has evolved considerably over the last decade or so. Now building up a portfolio of works of art is not the only way to invest. Dedicated funds have been launched and there are investment advisers specifically geared to help investors with little or no experience of the art market. Far from just being a hedge against inflation art investment is now just one of range of alternative investments that can be used to diversify portfolios. Investing in ART can be done in the traditional manner via Art Dealers or now through an increasing number of specialist fund managers were the funds are structured like private equity investments and investor commitments are drawn down over a period of time to facilitate purchases. Due to the nature of Art works and how they appreciate in value over time they should be seen as a buy and hold investment rather than a buy and sell one. Fine Wine â€Å" What makes fine wine such a good investment is that production of the world’s top vintages are strictly controlled. As supply of the very best wines dries up, the prices of the very best vintages invariably rocket† (http://capitalvintners-px.rtrk.co.uk 14/03/2011) Investing in fine wine is an attractive proposition for many investors, who wish to diversify their investment portfolio. As wine matures, more bottles are consumed and like all things rare and desirable, its valuation will rise. Demand has increase enormously over the past decades,resulting in some extremely good returns. Wine is also an easily transferable asset, as there is an established fine wine market and a thriving auction market. There are no limits to wine investing, however the current prices of top wines are such that one should start investing with at least %,000 to  £10,000. It should be remembered that investment in wine is a long term investment and experience suggests that a minimum five year term would be a reasonable benchmark. Although Fund Managers are beginning to take a keen interest in this market, with wine investment funds now readily available, care should be taken as their investment charges will inevitably eat into any gains made and also they may not have the in-depth knowledge of Fine Wines that a reputable broker has. Perhaps best to use a   reputable broker, who will ascertain the exact nature of the fine wine holding you require, taking into account your dealing range, liquidity needs and risk/return requirements. The broker will then obtain on your behalf, the fine wine most suitable for you, either from their suppliers or from their own extensive stock holding. The broker will also organise safe storage and insurance for your wine. It is critical wine is stored and cared for in the correct manner and in order to maintain the very high quality of the product and ensure its longevity, fine wine must be stored in a controlled environment and again reputable brokers will have this facility. Once this has been done you will receive written confirmation of your holding from your broker. Your broker will also attend to your needs for the duration of your holding and will keep you aware of developments in the markets on a monthly basis. When the time comes to sell your holding, your broker will organise this on your behalf. Again it should be remembered that as with all investments returns are not guaranteed and you could incur substantial losses, if the market for Fine Wine falls into decline. Short Answer Questions Question 1.   The disadvantages of repaying debts by encashing investments are: Lack of liquidity. No guarantee that you would subsequently save the new found disposable income. No longer have the expertise of the fund managers or the investment asset mix. Less time for subsequent investments to build up. Any new investments would have fresh set-up charges therefore reducing the potential returns May lose valuable tax relief on existing investments that cannot be re-used. Interest rates on debts may be lower than your investment returns. May need to borrow again in the future at higher interest rates and or a shorter repayment term, costing more. May be unable to borrow in future years due lower income or credit crunch. Question 2 Interest Yield: Divide Annual Income by Current Market Price. 7% divided by  £132 x 100 = 5.30. Gross Redemption Yield: Current Price  £132 Minus the Nominal Value  £100 and divide by remaining 3 years to run. Divide this figure by current price and then add to Interest Yield.  £132  £100 =  £32 divided by 3 = 10.66 divided by  £132 = 0.08 add to Interest Yield = 5.30 + 0.08 = 5.38. Question 3    Benefits Guaranteed 100% secure: total capital invested is returnable Any winnings are tax free Partial withdrawals from initial investment allowed No regular investment required No fixed investment term. Automatically eligible for monthly prize draw Can win valuable cash prizes Drawbacks Investment is subject to decrease in value due to inflation Savings in interest earning accounts may earn more Chances of winning a larger cash prize are slim No guarantee of a win Minimum and maximum investment required Chances of winning a larger cash prize are slim Money is not instantly accessible Bibliography Websites HMRC Venture Capital Trust. www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/vct.htm 18/02/2011 This website provides commanding and very valuable information for advisers and the general public. This proved to be an extremely relevant site for my research, as the site lists all articles produced on specific tax areas and also includes historical information for research thereby providing a one stop shop for all tax related enquiries. The reference to Venture Capital Trusts allowed me to give a factual overview of the investment and also to explain the tax relief available to this type of investment. http:///www.aimslisting.co.ukindex.php/page/The-Aim-Market 25/02/2011. www.hughespartnership.co.uk/enterprise investment scheme 01/03/2011. www.thisismoney.co.uk/investing/article.html 02/03/2011 This is an excellent financial website and helps advisers keep up to date with what’s going on in the world markets. It has a reputation for accuracy and has a specialist team of financial journalists, whose aims are   to ensure that readers are accurately informed in financial matters. This makes it a very relevant site for my research as there are regular articles on all aspects of investments including alternative investments and what they have to offer. Its journalists write in a straightforward and understandable manner, which makes it easy to digest what can sometimes be very complicated subject matters. myifslearning.com 06/03//2011   The ifs School of Finance is a registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter and provides the financial services industry with a skilled and competent workforce. They have been providing financial education for the past 130 years. The website is very informative and provides students with a wealth of information, tailored to helping them progress. An on-line knowledge bank library to assist with studies and understanding is available at the click of a button. In addition the in-house magazine, Financial World, has features, comments and reviews on financial matters relevant to the financial services sector, which enables advisers to constantly keep up to date on financial services matters. www.rensburgsheppards.co.uk/discretionary management solutions 04/03/2011 http://stocks.about.com/od/advancedtrading/a/REIT 07/03/2011 www.ftmandate.com/theartofalternativeinvestment.html 10/13/2011 www.moneyweek.com/investing-in-wine 14/03/2011 bbr.com/fine-wine/how-to-invest 14/03/2011 Textbooks IFS School of Finance. Financial Planning Principles (2009) Taxbriefs Life Assurance Pension Handbook. 2009/10 Taxbriefs Tax Guide 2009/10 Journals. Financial Adviser, published weekly. Money Week, published weekly.

Mixed Higher Education is not as Effective for Those Female Students Research Paper

Mixed Higher Education is not as Effective for Those Female Students Who Come From Single Sex Schools in Middle East - Research Paper Example Traditions in the Middle East are strictly observed. The Sharia law upholds morals and values of women in a strict manner. Girls are supposed to behave in such manners as dictated by the Sharia law. The law requires women to cover their faces. Girls going to a single-gender school interact with other girls of their age-set. For girls attending primary school education becomes cheap to comprehend and follow. According to Hill traditions are the basis of the Arab culture, and at no time will leverage be used to measure the value of people (Hill, 1993, p. 201). The Islam religion makes it easy for students to uphold values in an appropriate manner. The culture practiced in the Arab countries conforms to their traditions based on the Sharia law. The Muslim sorority is always keened on defending values, morals and the integrity of the society. In perchance, the best that girls achieve in primary schools is proactive in their day-to-day lives. The veracity with which decent is sustained go es a long way in advocating for the education rights of the girl child. The system of education in Middle East has been formed with an aim of integrating all genders. The students are given an opportunity to learn together and socialize. The primary education is made up of kindergarten schools, nursery and primary schools. Single-sex school system boosts intellectual attainment. Girls do not feel repressed or constrained in this environment. Gender bias and lack of attention to girls by teachers are not evident in single-gender schools, unlike in a mixed school. Girls in this school get motivated and receive broad experiences (Hill, 1993, p. 156). There is implementation of culture-centered models in the single-sex system. The system centers on the... This essay approves that the effectiveness of a girl child from a single-sex school going to a mixed-sex higher school is slow and often leads to a poor showing of performance by the girl child. Girls who come from Middle East and attended primary education in their native country will have a lot of difficult in class. For one to be effective in any field, experience and habits are very essential to such people. Being used to a scenario will promote the behavior of a person. Mixed-sex higher school is effective to the girl child from the single-sex school. This is because there is no close correlation between gender and performance. Girls have the ability to perform well in any system no matter the environment. Mixed higher learning will give the girl child the strength to compete favorably well with the boy child. Since, the system is in the higher level it does not have any bearing in the performance of the girls. Studies show that the coeducational system is the most efficient as it gives both gender the opportunity to engage and find solve the problems facing them as members of different gender. This report makes a conclusion that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Girls from the single sex schools will not be effective in their studies when they are taken to mixed higher learning in the Middle East. The traditions, values and the environment they are used to form a big base of their success. It does not matter the essence of gender, girls will do and perform normally whether in single-sex schools or the mixed-gender schools.

Do you agree that the concept of core values in International Essay - 3

Do you agree that the concept of core values in International Relations is not being applied in its spirit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Either way, justify your answer with the help of examples - Essay Example In essence, the essay seeks to expound on how diverse factors in Saudi do impede and curtail the promotion of international relations Conflicts that threaten to graduate into war do exist in Saudi Arabia. The existences of various anti-governmental groups are the perpetrators of this insecurity. The reasons for low levels of security range from frequent active Protests demanding to air their grievances to the government (Al-Ahmadi 2011). This mainly involves the Shia; that is a minority group in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, cases of violence and use of weapons during effort to quell protests have been reported. The security forces had to deal with armed Protestants in the early protests. Another recent big blow to help fight the war against insecurity in Saudi Arabia surfaced when the government turned down the chance to take up membership in the United Nations Security council. This was after the country being elected to join the ten nonpermanent members of the Security Council. The reason for turning down the seat was unclear and therefore this to some way suggests that the government is unwilling to streamline security issues. Consequently, this scares away the foreign investors as well as the citizens lose confidence in the government. Security is a fundamental requirement for development and it cannot be overlooked by any country willing to match ahead economically. Contrary with Saudi Arabia, we feel that the security is not given priority. This undermines the international core value relations. While the world is advancing with measures to counter insecurity Saudi Arabia in not willing to be part of this prosperous change. Therefore, the future of the country in terms of security is unpredictable although it is likely to fall into more insecurity upsurge. Individuals, groups, societies and nations enjoy the free will to express themselves and do what they feel is right as long as they are not interfering with other peoples’ rights.