Depression and African-American Men Essay

First of all it is important to understand what really constitutes depression. All of us feel down from time to time perhaps based on having a â€Å"bad day†. However when feelings of sadness last for several weeks, months, or years, and are accompanied by other symptoms such as change of appetite, isolation from family and friends, sleeplessness, etc. these are symptoms of depression. In 1999 Dr. David Satcher, Surgeon General of the United States, and an African-American, released a Report on Mental Health that was a landmark moment for America. This was the first comprehensive report on the state of the nation’s mental health issued by America’s â€Å"physician-in-chief.† It is both an inventory of the resources available to promote mental health and treat mental illness, and a call to action to improve these resources. It paints a portrait of mental illness, filling the canvas with the faces of America, revealing that the effects of mental illness cut across all the nation’s dividing lines, whether gender, education, economic status, education, or race. However, the 2001 supplement to the original 1999 report indicates that it probably affects African American men more adversely than it does the general population.†Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity,† which is the title of the supplement by Dr. Satcher, says that â€Å"racial and ethnic minorities collectively experience a greater disability burden from mental illness than do whites.† The supplemental report goes even deeper in that it highlights the disparity that exists for black men in mental health as it does in relation to most health problems. For example, African-American men are more likely to live with chronic health problems, and studies show that living with chronic illnesses increases the risk of suffering from depression. In a 2002 report, â€Å"The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors, † the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that African American Men have the highest rates of prostate cancer and hypertension in the world. The report also says that black men are twice as likely as white men to develop diabetes, and suffer higher rates of heart disease and obesity. The American Cancer Society’s report entitled â€Å"Cancer Facts and Figures†, and written in 2003 found that black men are more than twice as likely as white men to die from prostate cancer. We are also more likely than others to wait until an illness reaches a serious stage before we seek treatment. Often times treatment is not sought until we are in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, or prisons. According to a report by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in 2003, men in general are three times less likely than women to visit a doctor, and African-American men specifically are less likely than white men to go to a doctor prior to them being in poor health. This is the case for physical ailments. When one factors in the stigma attached to mental illness, and other barriers that keep us from getting help, it is easy to see why black men are even less likely to seek treatment for depression. Yet, the nation, including the African-American community is often silent on this issue. The silence on the subject among blacks is due, in part, to our lack of vocabulary to talk about depression. We call depression â€Å"the blues† in the black community. We have been taught, at least in the past, and, to a certain extent even now, to shrug off this mental state. For many of us, it is not just a fact of life; it is a way of life. When bluesmen used to sing, â€Å"Every day I have the blues† or â€Å"It ain’t nothing but the blues† or similar words from hundreds of songs, they do more than mouth lyrics. They voice a cultural attitude. They state an accepted truth at the heart of their music: Having the blues goes along with being black in America. In addition, from the time we are young boys, black males have ingrained into us an idea of manhood that requires a silence about feelings, a withholding of emotion, and ability to bear burdens alone, and a refusal to appear â€Å"weak.† The internal pressure to adhere to this concept of masculinity only increases as we sometimes experience various forms of racism in a society that historically has sought to deny us our manhood. The internal wall that often keeps black men away from psychotherapy goes along with external barriers built just as high, if not higher. Mental health practitioners are overwhelmingly white, with the proportion of black psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychoanalysts estimated at less than three percent of the nation’s total. This would mean that even if black men were to break through the self-imposed barriers and seek professional help for mental issues, it may be difficult to find someone with whom they can build a rapport, and whom they feel can relate to them, and they can trust. This feeling of comfort is what allows a patient to reveal his most intimate secrets. As Dr. Richard Mouzon, a prominent black clinical psychologist puts it, â€Å"Many of us grow up feeling that it is dangerous to give up too much of yourself to the white man.† There’s no denying that access to mental health care is restricted for Americans in general. In private health insurance policies and government medical assistance programs, psychotherapy is too often considered a luxury rather than a necessity. It has been said often times that the only people with a guaranteed right to health care are the inmates of our jails and prisons. That is even more true of mental health care.Unfortunately, this is a right that is of marginal value; while many black men receive their first treatment for mental illness behind bars, that treatment is likely to be directed at keeping them under control rather than alleviating the effects of their illness. Our health care system assures preventative measures and early intervention for mental health problems only to the privileged, just as it does for physical health problems. The disparity is so great in minority communities that for many, mental illness receives attention only when it reaches a florid stage, in public hospitals’ emergency rooms and psychiatric wards, or worse, in its aftermath, when people with mental illness may end up behind bars and in morgues. According to a new study reported on by the † Health Behavior News Service†, jobless African-American men appear to be at a greater risk of suffering from depression. While the issue of unemployment offers at least one possible explanation for why the symptoms of depression might be experienced, more puzzling is the fact that African-American men who were making more than $80,000 per year were still at a higher risk for depression. In order to come to their conclusions, Dr. Darrell Hudson, Ph.D., and his fellow researchers carefully screened the data provided by the â€Å"National Survey of American Life.† During their analysis, they took into account how much various factors such as social class, income, education, wealth, employment, and parental education level related to depressive symptoms. â€Å"After measuring depression in a very comprehensive way, the results were not very consistent. We need to figure out as a general public: Is there a cost associated with socioeconomic position or moving in an upward trajectory?† said Dr. Hudson. For the purpose of the research 3,570 African-American men and women who experienced depressive episodes within the past year of their lives were studied. Men who made over $80,000 per year reported more symptoms of depression than those making less than $17,000 per year. However, unemployed black men were more likely to report depression during that year compared to employed men. Men who completed some college or beyond were less likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who did not complete high school. Women, on the other hand, did not appear to suffer the same rates of depression. Females who earned between $45,000 and $79,000 were less likely to report symptoms of depression than those with the least income. The study appeared in the journal â€Å"Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.† According to Dr. Hudson: â€Å"One thing could be going on with African-American men with greater incomes. The more likely they are to work in integrated settings, the more likely they are to be exposed to racial discrimination. Racial discrimination can undermine some of the positive effects of socioeconomic position like the increased benefits of more income.† Some black men who suffer from depression may think suicide is the answer. It is not. Men that become suicidal don’t realize that they are repeating the cycle, burdening their children with the same loneliness the father had endured. Their kids would grow up with the knowledge that their father had taken his life. Depression can be very paralyzing to African-Americans. This vile illness affects men from all walks of life, from the black executive to the young street hustler. In many documented cases, several socially advanced black men have suffered from depression for many years and refused to receive treatment. This is a very disturbing undercurrent. If educated, accomplished, and highly informed black men refuse to seek treatment for depression, just imagine how difficult it is for uneducated or poor black men to seek help. Some experts believe that depression is likely a key factor in a 233 percent increase in suicide in black males ages 10-14 from 1980 to 1995. According to Dr. Satcher: â€Å"Black men feel that they have to be twice as good as other people, that you can’t be weak because people will take advantage of you. Those pressures work powerfully against a black male seeking treatment for depression and other mental illnesses.† About one in four African-Americans is uninsured, compared with about 16 percent of the U.S. population overall. African-Americans are less likely to receive antidepressants, and when they do, they are more likely than whites to stop taking them. Particularly troubling to those who study and treat mental illness in black men is their disproportionately higher rates of incarceration than other racial groups. Nearly half of the U.S. prison population is black, and about 40 percent of those in the juvenile justice system is black. It is a very difficult and very serious situation for these young men and for society. Psychiatrists who work with the homeless as well as with black youth say they see dozens of black males each year head to jail or juvenile justice when they should be in treatment centers.They blame,in some form or another, depression, or other related mental illnesses. â€Å"It happens all the time and it’s very alarming,† said Dr. Raymond J. Kotwicki, Medical Director of Community Outreach Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at Emory University School of Medicine, in a recent statement. While all mental illnesses often come wrapped in some sort of stigma or negative connotation, mental illnesses in black men are even more entangled. Historical racism and current cultural biases and expectations all play a part, mental health advocates say. Nearly two-thirds of African-Americans believe that mental illness is a shortcoming that can be overcome through prayer and faith, according to a study by the National Alliance for the mentally ill. Certainly prayer and faith may be helpful to someone suffering from mental illness, but is not a replacement for treatment by a professional. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide.Many experts argue that the problem of depression in black America can be traced back to the time of slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African-American men and their families, creating a society that sometimes has defined black men as being violent and aggressive, without considering that depression (or other related mental illnesses) might be one root cause. The consequences of untreated mental illness can be dire. And the tragedy of the worst outcomes can be no greater than when the disorder is depression, one of the most common and treatable mental illnesses. The disease is painful, and potentially fatal, but eighty percent of those who get treatment get better. Yet, quite sadly, only twenty-five percent of those who need help get it. African-American men are especially prone to put ourselves in mortal danger because we readily embrace the belief that we can survive depression by â€Å"riding out† the illness and allowing it to run its course. The internal walls we build to keep out the world, along with the walls that society sometimes builds to isolate us, cut us off from the help we need. So we suffer, and we suffer needlessly. Please do not be ashamed of seeking help if you feel that you are suffering from depression, or any mental illness. There are very likely resources right in your own city or town such as a county Mental Health Center, even if you are uninsured. Those who are insured may choose a private hospital or psychiatrist, but don’t hesitate to get help. One resource that is available would be to call 1-877-331-9311, or 1-877-568-6230 to talk to a specialist at any time. This could change your life immensely, and could indeed save your life.

Top Gun

Top Gun relationship to Dully Article Top Gun is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie was inspired by the article â€Å"Top Guns† (U. S. navy established an elite school for one percent of its pilots it purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat, also known as flight weapon school) written by Ehud Yonay for California magazine.The film starts stars such as Tom Cruise as a young naval aviator named Lieutenant Pete â€Å"Maverick† Mitchell; Anthony Edwards aka â€Å"Goose† as a Radar Intercept Officer, and Maverick best friend; Kelly McGillis as â€Å"Charley† as a civilian instructor in air combat and a lover of Maverick, and others. The movie Top Gun centers around Maverick (Tom Cruise), a hot-headed, troubled, egoist fighter pilot/navy pilot, and how he grows up as a man/person and as a better pilot with the help and influences from his past and his colleagues. In th is paper I will be examining the theory or studies given by Dr.Frank Dully, and relating it to the characters of the movie by identifying their personality traits of naval aviator described in the Dully Article â€Å"The Life Style Keys to Flight Deck Performance of the Naval Aviator. † As mentioned above, this movie portrait around the character Maverick. Who is a very skilled, smart, charming, and one of the best fighter pilots in the nation; but he also is cocky, hot-headed, aggressive, very controlling, emotional, mission-oriented naval aviator who characteristics changes throughout the movie.In the beginning of the film Maverick and his partner Goose are involved in a reconnaissance mission. While maneuvering Maverick and his partner Goose made a contact to enemy aircraft. With his skills and boldness he maneuvered to trail the enemies’ aircraft; while breaking all the rules of flying such as flying under 10000 altitudes, high-speed passes over 5 air controlled to wer, uses the illegal breaking maneuver to outsmart the enemy, performing unrealistic stunts even throughout the movie. This characteristic of Maverick shows that he is reckless, aggressive, and very controlling naval aviator.As Dully mentioned, the first ingredient of a naval aviator characteristic is being in control, and in this movie Maverick is very controlling, the one who make things happen. Dully also mentions that â€Å"oldest sons and oldest daughters comprise a remarkably large segment of this population, well in excess of their demographic one-out-of-three stature. These are the youngsters that initially set out to please that Very Important Parent, (usually Dad), in response to his requirements for excellence in many things. It becomes the mission of the first child to bring to the Very Important Parent a series of vicarious successes.Seizing the opportunity for recognition and a taste of success, the child usually applies himself diligently to the tasks thus assigned. † In this movie Mavericks is known as the only son, and his mission-orientation or goal/action was based on his father action and reputations. However his friends are trying to help him to be a team player and a healthier naval aviator. Another characteristic that is associated with Maverick personality traits described in the Dully article is the calculation of emotional distance. As mentioned in the article, there are three factors that shape our emotional views.First â€Å"occurs in the toddler years, the second plays out in early grammar school, and the third takes place late in his high school years. † For Maverick his emotional feeling or factors seemed like they were inherited from his dad actions. Another example that shows his emotional feeling was in the beginning of the movie when he disobeyed the leader to help one of his fellow pilots back to the carrier. This shows that he is not selfish, he cares for other and he is a team player in his way. Also his emo tional feeling come out when his losses his friend Goose.For instance, when he was trying to drop out of the top gun course; this could symbolize Maverick as a stressed or failing aviator. Lastly his emotions are seen with his relationship with Charlie. That he is a nice, caring and aggressive guy when it comes to Charlie. Another character that plays a huge part in this movie is Anthony Edwards aka â€Å"Goose,† a Radar Intercept Officer, and Maverick best friend. In his movie Goose would be described as the man who influences Maverick to change from a hot-headed, reckless fighter pilot to a well-mannered, responsible, team-player pilot.After Maverick passed by the control tower, Goose told him that his action will also endangered his own place at work, so to be careful. Goose personality traits are not really mentioned well in the movie; however he seems to have a good balance with Maverick to make a good naval aviator. Goose personality traits are that he is very likable, friendly, caring, funny, not controlling, a good husband and naval pilot. According to the Grid I would classify Goose as a 5, 5 pilot because he has come to adopt or adjust to the system and to the comfortable tempo thatMaverick lives in. The last character I will be describing, and who had a big influence on Mavericks well-being is Charlie. She is a highly-qualified instructor at the school and holds a degree in air combat. Throughout the movie she has different personality and behaviors. She too, is an ambiguous figure. She seems fairly masculinizing and controlling through her name. However she has an emotional affiliation with Maverick that she wants to keep private. She is also very aggressive, usually get what she wants.As Dully mentions, usually the oldest son the controlling and aggressive ends up with the same counter-part controlling and aggressive oldest daughter in this case it seems true. Although this movie could be a good description on what a healthy/good and bad na val aviator life might be. It has a Hollywood twist and a perfect ending which make it hard to conclude and study the life, personality, and attitude of naval pilots. But it shows the significant characteristic described by Dully.

Advantage of being the oldest sibling Essay

Many kids say that being the last child is the best because you get everything you want. Well not me I believe that being the oldest child has many advantages to it. As the oldest child in my family I get to have things first, I get to stay out later than my other siblings and, I can set rules that younger siblings have to follow. First, I get to have things before my younger siblings. For example the reason why I get to have everything before my younger siblings is because I am the oldest, I get to have a car before everyone and my younger siblings have to wait. I also get to pretty much experience many things before my younger siblings. I was able to experience prom, graduating high school, and getting a car. These are some of the best experiences I got to experience before my younger siblings. They all look at me and get jealous because I get to do everything first. As they would say â€Å"That is not fair!† Second, the advantages of being the oldest is I get to stay out la ter rather than my siblings have to come home earlier. My siblings complain all the time about this topic because I get to stay out later. Then they complain to my parents asking them for more time out longer because they are having fun with their friends. My curfew for coming home is at 1:00 am my brother is at 10:00pm, and my younger sister is at 8:00 pm as you can see since I am the oldest I get to stay out later and I get more privileges than my brother and sister. It kind of makes me happy because I don’t have to sit there and wish I was the oldest so I can stay out later. Or wish I had a car so I can go to the mall with my friends. Lastly, I get to set rules that my siblings have to follow. I get to tell them what do when to do it and how to do it. For example, if my brother’s room is messy I tell him that he needs to clean it also with his homework, I tell him when to do it and I help him with it. It feels great to be the oldest sibling because I get to set many rules for my brother and sister, and they have to listen to me because if not then they will get in trouble with my parents. In conclusion, I love to be the oldest sibling because I get to have things before them, I get to stay out later than my  siblings, and I can set rules for my siblings to follow. My younger siblings wish that they were older so they can do the things that I can do but they cannot. I love to be the oldest child in my family for all these reasons but the best reason is being there for them when ever I can.

How organizational citizenship behavior is determined and how it Essay

How organizational citizenship behavior is determined and how it impacts on the efficiency of performance in Ministry of Interior in UAE - Essay Example Organizational Citizenship behavior exceeds the required limits as formal organizational roles require so; it is not possible to hold the staff accountable for failing to undertake it. However, in many occasions, levels of productivity of performance could be sacrificed for the sake of serving colleagues and bossed or serving public objectives at the organizational level. From the practical viewpoint, the significance of organizational citizenship behavior lie in its capability of developing organization’s effectiveness and efficiency though, protecting organization resources, presenting necessary creative and developmental suggestions, achieving the levels resilience in the face of challenges and unexpected emergencies. Introduction and Problem Statement Employment in the government commands the highest level of social responsibility and moral conduct in addressing the needs of the citizenry. This is because government service is essentially public service, which implies a subordination of personal interest and even comfort to the greater interest of the nation and its citizens. Nowhere is there a more fitting application of this construct that in the Ministry of Interior, where the imperative to apply force to ensure law and order is tempered by the need to observe organizational citizenship behaviour in the implementation of its police and security function.

Midlife development on Marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Midlife development on Marriage - Research Paper Example This paper aims to identify the challenges that couples go through during the empty nest years or midlife marriage. From a review of the current literature, the paper reveals some of the proposed solutions offered by psychologists and marriage counselors to resolve the problems that couples may encounter. The metaphor of the empty nest has been commonly used to refer to the time when couples are left alone again, after the children have grown up and left their home to build their own lives. The empty nest, as some authors identify, brings challenges to the married couple (Arp & Arp, 1996; Waldron & Kelly, 2009). Some may find these years to be challenging while others may struggle with the new setup. The problems dealt with in midlife marriage are different from those that occur in the early stages of marriage when the couples are young, children are little, and opportunities abound to offer excitement. The current literature suggests that the challenges in midlife marriage are often related to midlife crisis (Jones, 2008; Courter & Gaudettte, 2003). The sad part is, even though both the husband and wife are experiencing the crisis stage, women find it more difficult to deal with their husband’s crisis. ... In many stories, the midlife marriage was ruined by the crisis, as the husband demonstrated incapability to understand and face their crisis. In the same way, unaware of what their husbands are going through, the wives were caught unprepared for the crumbling marriage. The stories of women imply the tendency of the husband to find a new partner despite many years of peaceful marriage, and in spite of the women’s effort to build a perfect home. One of the common characteristics of unhappy midlife marriage implied in the narratives (Courter & Gaudette, 2003; Waldron & Kelly, 2009) is the man’s infidelity alongside with the woman’s financial dependency. Some women confessed doing what they thought would please their husband such as making the house tidy before the man arrives and taking care of the children. Despite these, however, they found out one day the shocking proof that their marriage has fallen as their husband found another woman. Thus, the core of the pro blem could be traced in the way the man deals with his crisis. As Courter and Gaudette note, it is the inability of the man to identify the ambiguities of his experiences and his inability to express his feelings that could lead to a further marital problem. In contrast with the men, women deal with their midlife crisis differently. In Thurnher’s (1976) study, which investigates the differences in midlife marriage perceptions between the two genders, the author notes that women more than men in the middle life express a more displeased evaluation of marriage. Comparing the result of this study to the observation from the Courter and Gaudette (2008) stories, one may verify the inability of men to express their true feelings.

To what extent should we widen the agenda of security studies to Essay

To what extent should we widen the agenda of security studies to include issues like the environment, population migration, food security, and the concerns of women (and other groups) - Essay Example Because of the far reaching consequences of such wars, it became increasingly necessary to select less violent means of settling conflict2. The rise of the Cold war however brought along with it a different set of crimes that defined the way in which this war was fought. The primary area of focus for security studies takes organized violence as its focus. It seeks to explore the various mechanisms by which individuals and aggregations of individuals use to undertake organized violent crime in an area. Once these mechanisms have been identified, security studies goes ahead to identify various ways in which the effects of such levels of violence can be mitigated. Accumulation of knowledge is a fundamental means of protecting oneself from organized violent crime. Knowing when criminals will attack and exactly where they will attack is vital knowledge in light of security issues. This knowledge can relate to the type of weapons that they will use their tactics, their use of humans as soft targets and the exact mechanisms by which they derive their motivation to undertake organized violent crime. Security studies also looks into greater fundamental aspects of organized crime at a national level3. The nature of weapons that a country has at its disposal is essential in determining the level of damage that could be caused by a security threat. The study if security studies would not be complete without evaluating the exact means by which war is caused. War is a delicate subject in the security systems of any country. Previously, it was entered into lightly as witnessed by the occurrence of World War I and World War II. However, with the numerous casualties that were experienced as a result of these wars, it became inhuman to the common man for these wars to be supported. In recent times, security studies has faced increasing pressure to investigate other areas of security that had not been the considered a security concern.

Medical Law and Ethics by Bonnie Fremgen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medical Law and Ethics by Bonnie Fremgen - Essay Example There would be more fitness training institutes and gymnasiums all over the town instead of hospitals which are more in number. People would be healthy and wealthy working hard for personal and professional success. Presuming this kind of society would be more ideal place to live. Government may take out more number of policies keeping in mind Hygeia model of heath care. The society would be devoid of poverty, grief and dismay. There would be no legal and moral obligations with Hygeia model of preventive health care. If at all any legal obligations are there then they might be on some preventive medicines which may cause little damage to health. Hygeia model of preventive health care is ethically strong and ideal form of health care so there no question of ethical obligations arising on Hygeia model. Imagine even after taking every care to prevent all kinds of diseases de to some accident a person has fallen ill or got damaged his body then there would be no specialized doctors and medical assistance to operate on a patient because in Hygeia model of health care more importance is given to prevention rather than medication after a disease has struck. Even worse there would be no advanced medicines available to the diseased. Although Hygeia model of health care is an ideal one but when we get into detail there might be more number of problems associated with it.

Should the authorities control what is show in TV Essay

Should the authorities control what is show in TV - Essay Example They would say that the authorities were put in place by the majority of the population so this gives them the right to ban something they may deem offensive. This essay will present both sides of the argument and will debate the pros and cons of each. Those who argue against censorship of television would say that the state has no right to interfere with the lives of its citizens. The state regulates television programming based on commissions that it has set up in order to look into this issue. The state has a role to protect its citizens from harmful programming that may offend a significant amount of viewers. Where people disagree with state censorship of television is that one particular thing may be censored but not another. What are the guidelines and boundaries that are used to determine whether something is suitable or not for television? Who is in charge of deciding what to censor and what not to censor? Opponents of television censorship would say that they are educated en ough to make their own decisions about what is appropriate for them and their families. It should be the role of the state to provide as much television programming as possible and then the individual viewer can decide if something is okay or not. Basically, this comes down to first amendment rights—a citizen has the freedom of speech to choose what he may or may not do.

Prevention of Financial Frauds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Prevention of Financial Frauds - Assignment Example Various strategic practice models for financial fraud prevention have been proposed in the recent years and some of them are discussed in this proposal. Financial frauds are widely perceived to be various deliberately made criminal acts seriously violating civil law while based on financial transactions and meant to attain myriad personal benefits. For the past many years, research reports have been illuminating that the need to combat financial frauds has become increasingly important and inevitable concerning its widespread proliferation and the immense threat it poses to the older citizens especially, though this criminal issue largely involves people of all ages as well. From frauds planned on a large-scale and committed to weaken the roots of national economy to small-scale financial frauds like fake lotteries and work at home plots, this criminal issue has largely succeeded in building many holes in the net the f financial security which was once strong and meant to preserve the public protective. A layered security approach and effective tools are required to handle this dramatic emergency of felonious financial frauds and by controlling who first receives sensitive documents like bank statements, small organizations can prevent financial fraud occurrence (CBIA News, 2007). Expert policy-makers and researchers at (Research Centre on the Prevention of Financial Fraud, 2009) proposed a three-fold strategy to prevent the financial fraud proliferation around the globe. Consolidating information in an attempt to compile the fraud research for providing a disciplinary support to the policy-makers can help in preventing huge losses based on billions of dollars and occurring every year as a result of financial frauds.  

Report on Various Funding Sources Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Report on Various Funding Sources - Dissertation Example The company has no debt and is equally divided in terms of ownership among five private individuals. Differing debt and equity funding opportunities present their own challenges, advantages, disadvantages, and sets of relationships, with equity financing offering greater flexibility on the surface and reduced impact to cash flows, but likewise compromised by its tendency to dilute control and to be of higher cost in the long term compared to debt financing. Debt financing, especially senior debt financing, offers the advantages of low costs in terms of lower interest rates, and of giving the borrowing company complete, unadulterated control of the company's destiny. On the other hand, debt financing impacts cash flow and hinders the company from using cash flow and profits to finance other projects. This is due to the payments that are required on a regular basis to service the debt. There is an opportunity for the firm to float shares in an initial public offering on markets outside of the UK, but this has to be explored in greater depth, given how any equity infusion dilutes ownership and control. On balance, and culling the insights from real-life companies employing differing modes of financing, senior debt financing is the best option for the company (FindLaw 2013; Advani 2006; National Federation of Independent Business 2013; Nolo 2007; Berman and Knight 2009; Terjesen n.d.; Ivashina and Kovner 2008; Kokemuller 2013; Peavler 2013; SimplyFinance 2007; DCA Partners n.d.; Doidge et al. 2011; Krantz 2013; Gan and Applegate 2013). II. Sourcing Funding for the Firm A. Funding Opportunities There are various camps and schools of thought advocating either debt or equity as the preferred mode of funding that yields the most benefits to firms. On the one hand are arguments for debt being cheaper sources of funding, and being sources of funding that does not dilute the ownership stake of current shareholders. This favors the interests of the owners of this firm, who have valid concerns about loss of control tied to funding options (Berman and Knight 2009). On the other hand, there are schools of thought that tout private equity as being of greater overall benefit to firms in comparison to debt financing, for various reasons as well Arguments are tied to the cost of either source of financing, with debt requiring, in some cases, lower returns on investment in comparison to equity infusions, where investors may require of the current owners higher returns, as well as voting rights and ownership rights commensurate to their investments. The rest of this report explores the different options and their implications for the company as well as the issues of interest discussed above (FindLaw 2013; Advani 2006; National Federation of Independent Business 2013; Nolo 2007; Berman and Knight 2009; Terjesen n.d.; Ivashina and Kovner 2008; Kokemuller 2013; Peavler 2013; SimplyFinance 2007; DCA Partners n.d.). The table below details the key points to consid er relating to using either debt or equity to finance the project at this company, as well as to source on-going funds moving forward (DCA Partners n.d.): Table Source: DCA Partners n.d., p. 4 The key differences relating to the concerns of the owners of this company are with regard to level of involvement, which is higher for equity financing options, as well as costs, which is lower for debt financing, together with the role of the providers of the capital in board-level

Communication Between Men and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Between Men and Women - Essay Example Tannen, in her book entitled â€Å"You Just Dont Understand†, argues that even if boys and girls are brought up in the same house, on the same block or in the same locality, they grow up in different words or worlds. These communication differences between the two sexes begin at very early stage. According to her, these sex differences in ways of communicating are evident even in three-year-old children, about the time when language is developed. While they want to get their way, both girls and boys use language differently to do so. She explains that while little boys talk to boast, little girls often talk to be liked. Little boys make demands; little girls make requests. Little boys prolong conflict; little girls speak to build harmony. Little boys talk directly; little girls talk more indirectly. Additionally, while little boys use more actions, little girls talk more with words (Kelley, 2010). Recently, there has been the study of men and women’s communication styles scientifically and researchers as well as linguists have documented the apparent distinctions that characterize gender communication. Tannen, a well-respected linguistics scholar and professor who has carried out research and written books regarding gender communication, asserts that women and men express themselves differently and for different reasons. These differences in communication are evident during opposite gender and same gender conversation, during one-on-one and small group communications. Women and men express gender communication distinctions in style, structure and content. Women often talk about feelings, relationships and people while men most often discuss money, sports and business. Women most often express themselves/talk to connect, to understand and to support while men often talk for competition, to resolve or fix problems. While talking, women are more

Positive Consequences Essay Example for Free

Positive Consequences Essay Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging other cultures in the context of one’s own culture. By using the standards of a certain culture to assess other cultures, ethnocentric people often make hasty and offensive generalizations about people whose cultural backgrounds differ from theirs. Racial stereotypes and the usage of scapegoats are two negative effects of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism A common mistake that occurs in the study of other cultures is the tendency to critically judge the culture being studied using the standards of one’s own culture. In doing so, the researcher imposes the assumptions and perspectives of his or her own culture on everything that he or she encounters about the culture that he or she is studying. The researcher eventually starts to dismiss facts that may appear different or strange to him or her as â€Å"bad,† â€Å"dumb,† â€Å"pagan,† â€Å"primitive,† etc. The end result is that the researcher unknowingly practices ethnocentrism (NCSU-CHASS, n. d. ). â€Å"Us† against â€Å"Them† Merriam-Webster Online (2008) defined ethnocentrism as a â€Å"(belief that is) characterized or based on the attitude that one’s own group is superior† (Merriam-Webster Online, 2008). Ethnocentrism occurs when people make generalizations about other cultures and customs that are based on their own cultural norms. More often than not, ethnocentric individuals unconsciously use their own culture as a universal yardstick that can accurately judge cultures that are different from theirs. As a result, they come up with erroneous, hurtful and disrespectful assumptions about other people (Culbertson, 2008). Positive Consequences Ethnocentrism satisfies the human psyche’s need for identity and belonging. By claiming that his or her culture is â€Å"superior† over other cultures, a person gains a sense of importance over other people. Ethnocentrism also fosters intarethnic loyalty, which, in turn, leads to the survival of a society. In her article Ethnocentrism and Xenophobia: A Cross-Cultural Study (2001), Elizabeth Cashdan argued that being social animals, humans do not have the capacity to survive on their own. They had to form groups or communities wherein members shared the complex responsibilities needed for survival (Cashdan, 2001). But they also have to compete with other groups or communities, especially for resources. In order to win the competition, a community’s sense of identity must be strong enough to motivate its members to abandon personal interests and work together towards the society’s advancement. As a result, the community survives and even improves (Cashdan, 2001). Negative Consequences Ethnocentrism is the root cause of various misconceptions about people of certain cultures. Ethnocentric individuals often create racist stereotypes about them simply because they regard them as â€Å"inferior† or â€Å"uncivilized. † Below are some examples of racist stereotypes: The Mammy. The mammy is the oldest and the most popular racial stereotype regarding African-American women. She is portrayed as dark-skinned, middle aged, overweight, very religious cheerful and extremely loyal and faithful to the white family she was working for. There is no historical evidence that supports the existence of actual mammies. Further research revealed that this stereotype was created to justify the institution of slavery – the mammy was proof that black women were happy and contented as slaves. In addition, her desexualized nature was intended to conceal sexual relations between white men and black female slaves in pre-Civil War America (Pilgrim, 2000). The Tom. The Tom is the male counterpart of the mammy. He is frequently presented as a hardworking, smiling and dependable black server, usually working as a fieldworker, cook, butler, porter or waiter. Just like the mammy, the Tom’s life revolves around his white masters and their families. Furthermore, the Tom is another racial stereotype that was intended to debunk arguments about the evils of slavery. Nowadays, â€Å"Uncle Tom† has evolved into an expression that is used to criticize a black person who is unreasonably subservient to white people. Lotus Blossom. The Lotus Blossom is one of the most well-known stereotypes attached to Asian women. The term â€Å"Lotus Blossom† refers to a prudish, quiet and submissive Asian woman. But Hollywood took this stereotype to a higher level by featuring Asian women who are prudish, quiet and submissive, but at the same time, eager to please white men. Consequently, movies such as â€Å"Street Fighter† and â€Å"The Joy Luck Club† often pair white actors with Asian actresses (Dugong, n. d. ). Dragon Lady. Akin to the Lotus Blossom, the Dragon Lady is also physically stunning. However, the latter uses her sexuality to get what she wants. Aside from having the ability to seduce men, the Dragon Lady also has superior physical strength and martial arts skills. It is believed that she â€Å"has the power to hypnotize her male rivals, gain trust by seducing them, and when they least expect it, she rids of them through sabotage or backstabbing† (Dugong, n. d. ). As a result, this stereotype projected the misconception that Asian women are avaricious and not trustworthy (Dugong, n. d. ). Scapegoats The usage of scapegoats is another detrimental effect of ethnocentrism. Some people and or organizations unjustly blame other people or groups for the occurrence of certain problems. The targets, in turn, receive rejection and even outright persecution from parties that the perpetrators have managed to influence. The Holocaust is a classic example of using other people as scapegoats. Adolf Hitler got himself into power by constantly blaming the Jews for Germany’s economic, political and social instability after World War I. Conclusion There is a saying that prejudice is the idle man’s substitute for thinking. This byword is very much applicable in ethnocentrism. Instead of taking the time to really know other cultures, some people would rather judge them negatively simply because they are different from their culture. True, attacking other cultures unfairly may be cathartic. But doing so also exposes ethnocentric individuals as insecure people who put other people down to make themselves look and feel good.

Mass Media And Youth Culture Criminology Essay

Mass Media And Youth Culture Criminology Essay Mass media plays an important role in shaping youth culture. As we all know, the Internet, television, radio, newspapers, magazines and other forms of mass media have been integrated into the lives of youths today. The Internet provides a powerful platform for the youths to learn more about what is happening around the world. However, the mass amount of information that it distributes may be both positive and negative to the youths. Not too long ago, Teen who stared at group slashed to death (The Star/Asia News, November 02, 2010, p.1) made its way to the headlines which threw Singapores public security into jeopardy. The display of physical aggression is what causes moral decay in youths nowadays. Domestic violence and peer pressure are the key factors in influencing the youths to display signs of physical aggression while the Internet only plays a minor part. In this essay, I further expound on how the Internet, domestic violence and peer pressure can lead to physical aggression am ong youths today. Internet has widened the youths channels of absorbing information and knowledge, but it includes decadent information which may eventually spread violence among youths. Website such as YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos, allows youth to come into contact with videos containing violent acts easily. (Hopkins, J. 2006.) Online video games also play a significant role in influencing the youths to develop violent behavior. For example, Counter-Strike, one of the so-called killers games where the gamer plays through the eyes of a heavily armed character and kills as many enemies as possible. The display of violence in the game such as using a knife to stab the head of an enemy can be imitated by youths to kill relentlessly. The outburst of sources containing violence from various means has intensified the juvenile crime situation, causing variations in crime types, methods and results. In the 1980s, juvenile crime generally involves theft and fights. In the 2000s, juvenile crime progressed on to banded robbery, major theft even disengaged murder, armed robbery, arson etc. (Georgia, 1992.) The research shows that serious criminal offences have been markedly worsen. However, the fault does not lie with the Internet, just like water can float a boat, so can it swallow the ship. The excessive amount of information involving violence distributed by the Internet plays only a minor role in guiding the youths to develop violent behavior. However, domestic violence and peer pressure plays a huge part. First of all, parents are their childrens first teacher, which is why what we are just like a mirror reflection of our parents. As the saying goes, Monkey see, monkey do. If a parent is violent, it would not be surprising if his or her child takes after his violent nature. Therefore, domestic violence is undoubtedly the number one factor which causes youths to develop violent behavior. The domestic violence mainly refers to physical abuse. Each year, an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence from their mothers, babysitters or by family members. (American Psychological Association, 1996.) Youths are highly vulnerable to fear, anxiety and pessimism if they have been witnessing family abuse or even experiencing physical abuse from their parents since they were young. Children may suffer from self-abasement or even get isolated from his peers and affect their academic results and daily life. If the situation becomes severe, there will be at a greater risk of runaway youth s or youths committing criminal acts. Youths will get the wrong message that it iss okay to abuse other people or let others hurt them. Research done by Browne and Angela (1987) shows that a third of all children who see their mothers being physically abused develop emotional problems, and that boys who see their fathers physically abuse their mothers are ten times more likely to be abusive in their future marriages. Boys who witness family violence are more likely to batter their female partners as adults, and girls who witness their mothers abuse have a higher rate of being battered as adults. These common sense observations are facts, not myths. (Ewing Charles Patrick, 1987) It is undeniable that domestic violence is the major factor which has caused the youths to develop violent behavior. Another one of the major factors that lead to teenage violence behavior will be peer pressure. Peer pressure may be especially strong during adolescence. (Kate Havelin, 2000) Teenagers at this stage are easily influenced by their peers. For example, you may decide to buy a same brand of bag that your friends have. Such behavior does not seem to exude anything, but it is a sign of getting on the bandwagon. For example, one of your friends might persuade you to join his gang after you have been bullied by someone else and that, only by being in a gang, can you take revenge. Matt Monteverde (2008) stated that youths cannot resist the temptation of peer pressure. Many youths who experienced physical abuse from their peers often worry that they may get into hot soup if they inform the teacher or parents about the abuse. We should deal with violence among youths thoroughly, or else a wrong message will be spread across to youths that Violence can be accepted. Peer pressure can cause the vi ctim to gradually believe that I should be the victim of violence and submit to humiliation. Eventually, peer pressure would worsen the situation of violence among the youths and severity of upgrades. The Internet, domestic violence and peer pressure have indeed formed a vicious circle that reinforces itself through a feedback loop. Firstly, the Internet has gradually becoming a huge platform for the young victims of domestic violence to spread and share their resentment with others. As mentioned before, that youths can easily upload, share, and view videos involving violence on website such as YouTube or Facebook. Children who view media violence are said to be more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence and injury that lead to violent behavior. The Academy of Pediatrics says More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a meaner and scarier place than it is. (Aimee.T, 2003) If youths start to think that this kind of viole nce is acceptable, then these thoughts are often difficult to change in rest of their life. Then eventually can lead to domestic violence in the future. In turn, youths who experience domestic violence will use violence on their peers through imitation. Many victims were been forced to remain silent for the pain that they endured. Therefore the only simple way for them to voice out their anguish is again, through social net working sites such as Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. Lastly, the three factors will form a vicious circle and resulting in more youths been influenced to develop violent behaviour. Eventually, why domestic violence and peer pressure are the major cause of developing violence among youths is because what they bring to the youths is only the negative impacts. The effect of domestic violence is absolutely negative towards youths. For peer pressure, although it affects youths to develop negative behaviors, the competition among the peers can be a kind of motivation power sometimes. Finally, what the Internet can benefits us are more than enough to cover the blemish it has left on developing violence among youths. For example, Dawn Smith stated (2010) Internet games can help children focus. Youths who have Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD, can actually sit for longer periods of time to play some of their favorite games. Not only does this help them keep focus, it also teaches them patience. In fact, the Internet has plays an important role in preventing and educating people about domestic violence. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence of USA has held a n conference in last year regarding the issue about: using online technology to advance the movement to end domestic violence. Their main goal was to let the public get to know more about domestic violence around them and learn how to stop the extension of such cases through social net working sites. By using the power of social net working sites, it became extremely easy to share and spread information to help the victims worldwide. In conclusion, the Internet plays an important role in shaping youth culture but it is not the main cause of violence among youths. This is because domestic violence and peer pressure contribute much more negative impacts that influencing the youths to develop violent behavior compare to the Internet. Therefore, I conclude that the Internet is not the main cause of developing violence among youths.

Procter and Gamble Mergers and Acquisition

Procter and Gamble Mergers and Acquisition PG ltd is a leading multinational based in Cincinatti, USA. With sales of around 78.9 billion dollars or 3,779 billion rupees approx in 2009 and a presence in almost 180 countries PG has touched 4.2 billion people across the world, and aims to touch 5 billion by 2015. It has a presence in the beauty and grooming, Health and well being and the Household care segment. In the Skin care segment, some of the major brands are Olay, Gillette and Braun. In the hair care segment, its major brands include Pantene, Wella, Rejoice, Head and Shoulders etc. It is also present in the hair colour segment with products like Nice n Easy and Natural Instincts. PG has looked at the inorganic way of growth also especially in its personal care business. Some of the major acquisitions that it has made in this segment are mentioned below in a brief. In 2001, PG acquired Clairol for an all cash deal of 4.95 billion dollars or 232.65 billion rupees approx. This was primarily done to have the strong hair business of Clairol in their basket. PG had no presence in the hair colour segment and the Herbal Essences line of Clairol was the market leader. The acquisition was a strategic decision, as it saw more sense to acquire the 2nd biggest player after LOreal. The immediate impact of this acquisition was the 2.5 % increase in revenue, after a miserable 2000, as sales for the company had stagnated. In terms of distribution and marketing, PG was able to add value and achieve economies of scale as it distributed and marketed the Clairol with its existing brand of products. With the advent of the new millennium, it was imperative to expand into newer geographies, and for PG it meant Europe and Latin America. With this objective in mind, in 2003 it acquired Wella, a leading marketer of beauty salon products for 5 billion dollars or Rs 230 billion approx. Wella had a dominant market share in the hair care segment in these geographies and along with PGs reach in the US, it aimed at having a dominant position in the Womens hair care segment. As part of the of the integration strategy after the acquisition, PG sought to complement the sales of professional care products of Wella and personal hair care products like Pantene, Head and Shoulders, and Herbal Essences. This was a major push, that PG was looking for, as the Wellas inclusion lead double digit growth in revenues in 2004. The biggest buy in this space came in the year 2005, when PG acquired Gillette for 57 billion dollars, approximately Rs 2500 billion. This was also done with a view of catering to the entire household. The male grooming segment was worth 5.5 billion dollars and PG was not present in this segment. The well known products of Gillette were Mach 3 razor, Duracell, Oral -B, Right guard and Braun. Thus, it gave PG access to not only the mens grooming segment but also the gadget market with Braun. Gillette was already an established brand with 31 plants in 14 countries and significant presence especially in the BRIC countries. This strong presence across geographies was expected to lead to strong synergies and significant cost reductions. These were the major acquisitions by PG in the most profitable and fast growing segment of personal care and beauty. PG was also seeking to diversify its business risk by expanding into different geographies and different market segments where it had no presence earlier. By acquiring Clairol, Wella and Gillette, PG had complimentary brands and products which helped it achieve synergies in scale in marketing, distribution and promotion. UNILEVER Unilever has 400 brands across 14 categories of home, personal care and food products. They have big global brands with a broad based portfolio like Dove, Axe, Clear, Lux, Ponds, Suave, Lipton to name a few. They are world no.1 in Savoury, dressing, tea, ice cream, spreads, deodorants, mass skin. World no.2 in Laundry, daily hair care, and they have local strength in oral care and household cleaning. Unilever has made several strategic acquisitions in the past few years. Their acquisitions in the personal and hair care business include the following. On 2nd April 2009 they purchased the hair product business of TIGI. Major brand in TIGIs portfolio includes Bed head, S-Factor and Catwalk. The acquisition was valued at 411.5 million dollars (Rs. 19.90 billion). On 25 Sep 2009 they acquired the Sara Lees personal care business for 1.275 billion Euros (Rs 89.78 billion). The brands included Radox, Sanex, Duschads. Colgate Palmolive Ltd Colgate Palmolive is one of the leading companies across the world in the household and personal care industry, present in more than 200 countries. It has a wide range of products under various categories including oral care, personal care, pet nutrition, home care and professional oral care. Few brands under personal and oral care are Palmolive Spa, Palmolive Aroma shower gel, Palmolive Natural Liquid Hand Wash Family Health, colgate dental cream, colgate max fresh, colgate total 12, colgate sensitive tooth brush and colgate zig zag. It has recorded worldwide sales of $15,327 million in 2009 which is level with the sales in 2008 being $15,330 million. The organic sales excluding mergers and acquisitions, foreign exchange and divestment grew by 6.5%. Colgate Palmolive has strengthened its global position by acquiring brands in the oral care and home care categories. Following is a description of the same in brief Colgate started in the 18th century as a soap manufacturer and merged with Palmolive-Peet company in 1928. Colgate initiated its international operations being a pioneer by creating a Canadian subsidiary in 1913 and France in 1920. Eventually, it expanded its operations in Australia, Philippines, Germany, United Kingdom and Mexico. In 1953 it officially became Colgate-Palmolive company. Since the company was focusing on international operations and was seeking growth in the personal care business, in 1985 Colgate-Palmolive merged with Hong Kong-based Hawley Hazel which being a leading oral care company added to its strength to expand its presence in Asian markets. In 1987, Colgate acquired a line of liquid soap based products through Softsoap from Minnetonka which was an essential step towards Colgate being the pioneer in the liquid soap category. Colgate had achieved decent gross margins in the beginning of 1990s, hence it decided to invest in research and development.It announced restructuring of the infrastructure by reducing the number of employees and factories, thereby adopting a growth strategy to enter different avenues as it was facing tough competition from Procter and Gamble. In 1992, Colgate acquired Mennen Company for 670 million dollars. This widened its personal care business line by addition of the best U.S. deodorant brand, Mennen Speed Stick, and the number two baby-care brand, Baby Magic. During the same course of time, Colgate achieved success in skin-care and hair products. The strengths of Colgate, like distribution and marketing reach gave a major push to the Menen brands in terms of geographic coverage. Further, in 1993 the purchase of S.C. Johnson Son, Inc.s liquid hand and body soap brands in Europe and the South Pacific it speedily progressed in the liquid soap market and became the market leader due to this acquisition. In 1995 Colgate purchased Kolynos Oral Care from American Home Products worth $1.04 billion. Kolynos being a widely accepted brand in Brazil and a leader in several other Latin American countries widened the its oral care portfolio. This purchase pushed Colgates share of the Latin American oral-care market from 54 percent to 79 percent. Colgate also increased its market share at a global level by implementing product development and huge amount of investments in marketing strategies and advertising expense. It introduced antimicrobial agent based toothpastes which increased its acceptability overseas. Next, Colgate acquired European oral care firm GABA Holding AG worth $866 million. GABA, was operating in 15 countries with annual sales of close to $300 million. Its strength in the pharmacy channel supported Colgates leading position in the European retail market. This increased Colgates share of the European toothpaste market to 33 percent. In 2006 Colgate stepped into the fast-growing Naturals segment by acquiring Toms of Maine which was a leading manufacturer of natural toothpaste for US $100 million. At present, Colgate Palmolive has a lot of subsidiaries across 200 countries. But, it is publicly listed only in US and India. LOreal France based Loreal has a century of expertise in cosmetics, with 17.5 billion euros in consolidated sales in 2009. It has 23 brands and is present in 130 countries. Few of the brands they have in their stable include Garnier, Maybelline New York, and Body Shop etc, which also have a presence in India. Although LOreal had created a niche in the segments that it was present in, it still looked at opportunities to grow inorganically across the world. One such opportunity came by in the year 2007, when it announced that it was acquiring 100% of the Turkish hair care product company Canan. Canan, founded in 1981, achieved high sales numbers of 26 million euros in 2006, mainly through its brand Ipek, which was 4th in the mass market hair care segment. The Turkish cosmetics market was expanding strongly, and the acquisition of Canan was important as it also had a manufacturing in Istanbul. It also had an extensive presence in the retailing chains across the country and that is something LOreal was interested in , as it would help it push the other brands of the company, when they would finally be introduced in Turkey Focussing on hair care and the cosmetics business, in quick succession, they also acquired 2 professional salon distributors in the US. The 1st of them was in 2006 when it acquired Beauty alliance, which through its business model was selling to 1,25,000 salons through 870 distributor sales consultants and 400 professional consultants. It had achieved sales of 372 million dollars in 2006. Close on the heels of this purchase, it acquired Malys west which had a significant presence in the western states selling to 30,000 salons through 340 distribution sales consultants and than 100 professional outlets. These acquisitions allowed the creation of a particularly high performance beauty salon distribution model combining the American distribution system and LOreal s expertise in hairdressing salon partnerships. Also, staying with the US, where major of its acquisitions have taken place, they acquired PureOlogy, in May 2007. PureOlogy is a luxury American brand sold through hair dressers in the professional hair care market. It was then one of the fastest growing hair care brands in the US, with 2006 sales touching 57 million dollars and it was a significant addition into LOreals fold. The roaring Indian decade The Indian FMCG industry is a key sector in the Indian context, since it is one of the few sectors that have been able to work on the last mile distribution, by having a robust and dynamic rural play too. From a $9 billion industry in 2000, the Indian FMCG industry has catapulted to become a $25 billion industry in 10 years. A big part of this growth story has been written by Indian FMCGs, which have recorded CAGRs of 15-16% over the past decade, compared to the industry average of 14.5% and Hindustan Unilevers 5.5% (source: IDFC Securities report). The aggressiveness with which the Indian FMCGs are expanding appears to have its roots in their overwhelming success against MNCs on their home turf. In 2000, Hindustan Unilever commanded more than 60% of the market in most key FMCG categories such as soaps, detergents and shampoos. A decade later, according to the report, the tables have turned and Indian FMCGs are clearly on top. HULs sales in most categories are less than half of the rest of the listed Indian FMCG players. The markets have applauded their toils. The market capitalisation of Godrej Consumer Products, for instance, has multiplied 27 times from Rs 304.8 crore in 2000 to Rs 8,315.7 crore in 2010. Similarly, Marico has grown from Rs 362.5 crore to Rs 6,431 crore in 2010, while Dabur has grown from Rs 2,336.5 crore to Rs 13,861.2 crore in 2010 over the same period. Compare this with HUL: in 2000, its market cap was at Rs 53,694.6 crore, more than twice the value of all the Indian FMCG companies combined. But in 2010, its market cap has crumbled to Rs 49,689.5 crore. The sales and profit figures show similar trends: from Rs 1,046 crore in 2000, Dabur India became a Rs 3,389 crore company in 2010, while Marico grew from Rs 650.39 crore to Rs 2,660.76 crore over the same period. HULs growth chart shows no such exponential growth: from Rs 10,978 crore in 2000, it earned Rs 17,979 crore a decade later. That is the rosy part; these companies have been able to ride the wave in the Indian growth story. The Indian market although not saturated, has been tapped to a large extent. These companies soon realised that they had to go global to diversify their risks and also provide them another avenue for growth. Thats obviously easier said than done, when these companies go global, they will face uncertain geographies, regulations and different consumer behaviour. They also have presence of local players in those markets and large MNCs present there who will have a head start in those markets. What will be even more challenging is to be able to bring in synergies in between these acquisitions to their existing businesses. The temptation to go global is always strong as the return on investments on international businesses is more brisk than in domestic business. The kind of price brands are able to command in this category of cosmetic care is higher in overseas markets in India. But it is also imperative to realise that the global play cannot be at the expense of the Indian market, which still offers a lot of scope and potential for growth. Without having a strong base in the country of origin, it does not make sense to make any venture abroad. In this report, we have looked at a few global and Indian companies who have made significant acquisitions worldwide, with a focus on Marico Industries Limited. Indian companies making it big globally Godrej Consumer Products Limited Outlook Business 24 July 2010 The Godrej group was established in 1857. It is one of Indias most trusted brands. It has seven major companies under it; they are into FMCG, appliances, industrial engineering, real estate, agri-care, security etc. Godrej consumer products ltd (GCPL) is its consumer products division. 20 percent of their business is done overseas. They are present in more than 60 countries. The estimated value of their acquisitions in the personal care segment is $600 million. They have a global 3 by 3 strategy. They are present in 3 continents- Asia, Africa and Latin America through 3 core categories hair care, personal wash and home care. Over the past few years, they have been following a focussed approach to identifying acquisitions that fit well with their business strategically. They entered the UK market in Jan 2005 by acquiring the company Keyline brands. The brands in their portfolio include Cuticura, Erasmic, Adorn, Nulon, Apri. Godrej entered South Africa in Sep 2006, while Marico entered in OCT 2007, almost a year after. They acquired the company Radipol. They have brands like Inecto (ethnic hair colour brand) Soflene (hair and skin colour brand). They also acquired Kinky in April 2008. They entered Nigeria in March 2010. They acquired the company Tura which is a personal care brand. They entered Indonesia in April 2010, they acquired the company Megasari which is in the home care, personal care and hair care segment. It acquired Argentina-based based hair care firm Argencos SA. Godrej is still on the lookout for more acquisitions. It has been on an aggressive acquisition spree, in hair colour, insecticides and soaps. The companys board in Dec 2009 had given approval to raise up to 30 billion rupees in debt and equity to fund mergers and acquisitions. WIPRO Consumer Care and Lighting Wipro Consumer care and lighting is part of the Wipro group of companies involved majorly in the IT services. It is based in Bengaluru and made revenues of 208 crores in revenue for yearend 2009. From being a purely vanaspati company, it has grown to own a vast plethora of brands spanning across categories. Some of the major brands that it has include Santoor, Chandrika, Yardley etc. It has never been a major force to reckon with in the dynamic FMCG business in the country. In the last couple of years, it has acquired a few brands internationally, keeping in mind the trend that has been witnessed in FMCG companies, specifically in the personal care segment. The 2 acquisitions have been mentioned further. It acquired Singapore based Unza holdings limited in July 2007 for Rs 1,010 crores. Unza has a wide range of products like body lotions, deodorants, shampoos and shower gels under the brand name Enchanteur. One of the major strengths of Unza was its ability to deal with the modern retail chains, as half of its revenues came from selling to such chains. The Indian retail sector is under constant change, and this acquisition was timely as the revenue for Wipro Consumer care rose by over 87% in the immediate year after the acquisition of Unza. Unzas major markets included Vietnam, Hongkong, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. As mentioned earlier, major personal care businesses were planning to go international and specifically the south east asia, middle east and African regions. The acquisition of Unza gave Wipro two bonus mature markets in China and Hongkong. The idea was to bring in cost efficiencies to its products, by increasing the margins that these products earn. The only flip side to this was the fact that Wipro had to make heavy spends on advertising and promotions as most Indians were not aware of this brand. But, the scale this acquisition brought Wipro was important to give it a push in the FMCG space. In November 2009, Wipro announce that it has acquired the Yardley business in Asia, Middle East, Australasia and certain African market for 45.5 million dollars, approximately Rs 2,118 million from UK based Lornamead Group. This has given the Wipro group a heritage brand in its kitty as Yardley was established in 1770 and it has a very strong equity globally in markets including Asia, Middle east and Australasia. Wipros strong RD was expected to give a strong push to one of the most powerful brands in the personal care market. Dabur India Limited It is one of the leading consumer goods company in India with a turnover of Rs 2834.11 crore (FY2009). It is one of the few consumer goods company to have a significant manufacturing presence across the world, with 17 plants. Their master brands include Dabur, the ayurvedic healthcare brand, Vatika premium hair care, Hajmola tasty digestives, Real fruit juices and beverages and Fem Skin care products. It has been able to create a niche in the minds of the consumer, with the USP of ayurvedic products. Although, they have garnered a significant share in the Indian market, this USP meant that it left them with little or no options to grow in organically. Acquisitions abroad were not easy to come as the ayurveda and nature based products is an USP no other company offered. The international business division, a SBU within Dabur India limited, catered to the healthcare and personal care needs of customers across different international markets like Gulf region, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal and the US. Although, it made a few acquisitions in the country like Balsara who was present in the hygiene and home products business and also fem care Pharma, a leading player in the countrys women care segment. These acquisition offered Dabur to enter newer product categories and markets. In the international market it made its first move as, in July 2010, it acquired Hobi Kozmetik group, a leading personal care products company in Turkey. 3 subsidiaries of Hobi were bought for a total consideration of 69 million dollars, approximately Rs 3,231 million. This is in line, with their idea of further consolidating and expanding their already substantial presence in the Middle east and the North Africa region. Hobi Kozmetik, has a wide range of hair care and skin care products under the Hobby and New Era brands. It also commands a 35% market share in the hair gel category. What is noteworthy is that its products are sold across 35 countries. Dabur has a host of international brands that enjoy pole position across their respective categories. So, Hobis brands have to get into synergy with Daburs offering soon, so that capitalization on the strengths of Daburs businesses across the international operations is significant. Colgate Palmolive India Ltd Colgate Palmolive India Ltd started in the year 1937. It offers various products in India and internationally in the personal care, oral care, household care and pet nutrition. It has a market capitalization of 2.4 billions. In 2007, it acquired 75% stake in Professional Oral Care Products Pvt Ltd based in Goa which manufactures and supplies toothpaste to Colgate Palmolive India Ltd. Further, it also acquired 75% stake in Advanced Oral Care Pvt Ltd an 100 % stake in SS Oral Hygiene Products Pvt Ltd in 2008. The sales dropped in the toothpaste and toothbrush market in 2009 as compared to 2008. This did not hamper the sales of Colgate Palmolive to a very great extent. In fact, even though the personal and home care industry was facing negative inflationary effects due to which companies increased the prices, Colgate Palmolive adopted a volume based strategy. Since, it faces competition from HUL and P and G, Colgate Palmolive decided to further strengthen its position as a market leader by acquiring a 100% stake in CC Heath Care which is a Hyderabad based tooth powder manufacturer in March 2010. Presently, Procter and Gamble is planning to come up with its Crest toothpaste brand. The idea is to take away market share. This may lead to a price war which is a major concern for investors. Emami Its gross revenue was over Rs 1000 cr. in FY 2010 with a CAGR of 27% over last 5 years while its net sales grew by 35.7% in FY 2010. Their domestic distribution network includes over 2800 distributors, 4,00,000 retail outlets and brand reaches 26,00,000mn outlets through other trade channels. Emami Limited has over 30 brands under its portfolio, 4 of which are Rs. 100 cr. brands. It has developed strong brands like Navratna, BoroPlus, Fair and Handsome, Sona Chandi, Fast Relief, Mentho Plus and has recently acquired Zandu. Emamis products in different categories like cool oil, antiseptic cream and fairness cream for men are market leaders in their respective segments. Emamis products are available in 60 different countries. Their international business contributes about 14% of the total revenue. Most of their international business growth comes from Middle East, CIS and SAARC. The international business is growing at a CAGR of 38% over the last 5 years. One of their business objectives is to foray into new categories and international business in order to drive revenue growth. In fact they are focusing on setting up manufacturing facilities in Egypt and Bangaldesh. Emami Ltd. bought Zandu Pharmaceuticals for Rs 750 crore-plus in 2008. The brand Zandu, one the strongest Ayurvedic Brand, has a market share of about 43% of the balm market in India. This acquisition was aimed at building a strong Ayurvedic Ethical / Generics portfolio, promoted through doctors and strong consumer marketing driven OTC Business. The production commenced at the Pantnagar unit, located in the tax free zone of Uttaranchal. Post acquisition integration process was undertaken by streamlining sales channels in the north, east and west zone. This helped Emami strengthen the network further, in Western India. Their sales realizations increased by over 10% owing to the improved distribution coverage and penetration. It helped the company focus on incremental sales from alternate channels like state governments, PSUs and institutions. More acquisitions in the personal and healthcare sector in the domestic market is on the companys radar. It has about 1,000 cr. set aside for its acquisitions, and Paras Pharma has been suggested by their financial consultants seems to fit the bill. Encouraged by their performance post Zandu acquisition Emami Limited is also on lookout for acquisitions abroad for inorganic growth in FMCG sector. Marico Limited Marico Ltd. is one of Indias leading FMCG players in the beauty and wellness space. Its brands and brand extensions have significant market share in various categories like hair oils, coconut oil, refined and premium edible oils. Its flagship brand is Parachute coconut oil, which is the largest branded coconut oil commanding a huge market share of the Indian, organized coconut oils segment. Its other flagship brand includes Saffola, which is the leader in the edible oils segment and now has entered into the foods category Saffola diabetes management, Saffola cholesterol management atta mixes, Saffola Arise which is a lower GI rice which contains good carbohydrates and Saffola Salt which is the healthier choice in salt, with less sodium and higher potassium and calcium. Over the last 17 years, Marico has been continually building new brands, creating new categories and has been a leader in various markets. Marico houses well known hair care, health care and skin care brands. Under hair care it has brands like Parachute, Nihar, Shanti, Mediker, Shanti Badam Amla, Silk and Shine, Hair code, Black Chic, Hair and care etc. Under health care it has premium edible oils, and functional foods Under Skin care they have brands like Mediker, Manjal, Kaya skin care products. Competitive advantages: Marico has a strong distribution network, which ensures a pan-India presence. Marico has a well-built network in Middle East, African countries, and SAARC. Marico also enjoys strong brand equity; it also enjoys the leadership or the second position wherever it has its presence. Therefore it has a pricing power over the other players in the market. Marico is also present in the largely under penetrated Indian beauty service segment through its Kaya range of products and clinics, which acts as a growth driver and provides it with sufficient room for augmenting future revenues. International consumer products business In the global space the major markets for Marico are the Middle East, Bangladesh, Egypt, and South Africa. The International Business group of Marico reaches out to more than 20 countries. This group was formed in the early 1990s. The IBG customizes its product offerings to suit the requirement of diverse cultures. Graphical exposition of Maricos Total sales from financial year2004 to 2009 and IBGs Contribution Source: Company Website Marico is present in Bangladesh through its wholly owned subsidiary Marico Bangladesh ltd which produces and sells branded coconut oil under the brand name Parachute. It is also present in the soaps segment through the acquisition of Camelia and Aromatic in the year 2005. In South Africa it acquired Enalini Pharmaceuticals consumer division pty. Ltd in Nov 2007. It has 3 brands in its portfolio which face competition from the local brands such as Amka and MNC brands of Unilever and Loreal. In Egypt they acquired brands like Hair Code and Fiancee in 2007. Where Fiancee is the market leader and Hair Code has the 2nd position in the category of creams and gels. The company uses Egypt as its manufacturing hub to service North African markets such as Morocco, Sudan, Libiya and the Middle East region. Data for FI-2010 KAYA- Maricos presence in Indian beauty care segment Kaya Ltd, which was earlier Kaya Skin care limited was Maricos big leap from consumer products to providing holistic solutions and moving into the service space. With the rise in the disposable income amongst the youth and propensity to spend, kaya limited wanted to focus on meeting the emerging needs of the modern day consumers by providing useful and effective services in the beauty and wellness space. In a short span of 8 years, Kaya has grown at an unprecedented pace, with over 100 clinics in India, Middle East and Bangladesh. Out of a total of 101 clinics, they have 13 centres in the Middle East, 1 in Dhaka and 87 spread across the country. This was the strength of their clinics by 2009. In 2010, they acquired Derma Rx, a Singapore based Wellness Company to give a fillip to the wellness business. Kaya Ltd, has also been a steady contributor to the revenues of IBG and is part of the continuous focus on the services aspect of the beauty care business that Marico ltd wants to be a big part of. Maricos global foray Maricos Strategy in South Africa Marico entered the South African market on 31st Oct 2007. The firm acquired the consumer division of Enalini Pharmaceuticals, Enalini Pharmaceuticals Consumer Division PTY LTD (EPCD) through a competitive bidding process. Enalini Pharmaceuticals is a Durban based hair care company for around Rs. 52 crore. At that time the companys annual turnover was Rs. 53 crore and was present across segments such as hair relaxers, after care hair care and hair conditioners. For Marico this was an opportunity to partake in the fast growing market in South Africa. EPCD had 3 leading brands Caivil in premium segment, Black chic in value for money health care and Hercules in OTC health care. Harsh Mariwala said It helps us extend the Marico footprint to a new geography with potential, thus taking us a step further towards becoming a global player in beauty and wellness On 13th August 2010 Marico Ltd acquired over-the-counter health care brand IngweÂÂ ´ from Guideline Trading CC, South Africa, for an undisclosed sum. Ingwe has a turnover of Rs15 crore. This is Maricos second acquisition in South Africa and the 7th globally. It (Ingwe) complements the Hercules range. I am confident this acquisition will strengthen our distribution reachand step up our growth momentum, John Mason, managing director, Marico, South Africa, said in a statement. Maricos South African business recorded a 34% growth in the financial year 2010, now the overall size of the business is Rs63.80 Crore. The Indian consumer goods companies, are facing rising competition at home, and are looking at the African market as an opportunity, where there is rising demand which will boost growth. Egypt Maricos Egypt journey began in 2006, by acquiring the Brand Fiancee which operates in the 3 segments gels, cream and cream-gels. Cream-gels contributed to almost 70% of its business, and it was considered as a pioneer in this market. The major products which came under Maricos fold through this acquisition were Fiancee Hairfood cream, Fiancee 2*1cream gels and a few more. In quick succession by January 2007, Marico acquired a leading hair care brand Hair Code along with its manufacturing facility. It has a highly successful hair gel brand under its wing, which has more than 50% market share. This acquisition really propelled Hair Codes business in the region, with its integration with Maricos strength and expertise in this segment. Immediate analysis shows that mar

The concept of earning ones citizenship Essays -- essays research pape

The Concept of Earning One’s Citizenship Citizenship is defined as a being a citizen or a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. Citizen preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people. The concept of which in one of its earliest was given to us by the Romans, who had just began to understand the importance of a populace contributing to the decisions of its own fate. Modern American citizenship as we know it today was defined for us in the constitution of this nation by the founding fathers. Citizenship as they had envisioned it even back then was not free, but came with a price. A citizen was expected to carry out certain civic duties and responsibilities such as the defense of the republic, participating in state and local government, and voting on affairs of the nation as a whole. Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunc h. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!† Given all the communication technology; receiving and sending information has never been easier, however civic involvement is at one if its lowest points in the past 100 years. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote of her husband, that Theodore Roosevelt taught by precept and example that men owed something at all times, whether in peace or in war, for the privilege of citizenship and that the burden rest equally on rich and poor. He said that, no matter what conditions existed, the blame lay no more heavily on the politician and his machine controlling city, state, or nation, than on the shoulders of the average citizen who concerned himself so little with his government that he allowed men to stay in power in spite of his dissatisfaction because he was too indifferent to exert himself to get better men in office. In order to maintain such a jewel of democracy, a new superior breed of citizen is required, one that has stepped forwa rd and reached out to carry the torch of freedom and guard it from those that would seek to extinguish it. He or she must wear his or her citizenship like a badge of honor. For citizenship to be so greatly prized it must be earned. One should have to make great sacrifices in order to be awarded the status quo of a class that steers and maintains the republic for the greate... ... â€Å"Democracy and the Public Service† Oxford University Press 1968 The scope of this book is to tie in â€Å"protected† non-electoral public service with being responsive to the public, and operating in a manner compatible with a democratic society. It explains how public service is the last industry to grow and take advantage of the increasing knowledge of every generation of workers’ and changing advances in regards to technological, and social concepts. Noteworthy: this book looks at the problem from both the publics and the public servants point of view. Eleanor Roosevelt â€Å"Good Citizenship: The Purpose of Education† Pictorial Review, April 1930: 4,94,97 Reprinted Online. Internet. Available http://newdeal.feri.org/er/er19.htm 4 oct. 2002 Eleanor writes to us about the problems she saw already manifesting in the civil populace of her time. She provides us with insights and lessons from her husband and his political career. Her ideas and concerns are not that far removed from the quotes that evolved in the hearts and minds of our countries great theologists. Bolie Williams IV â€Å"Robert A. Heinlein† 7 August 2001 Online. Internet. Available 4 oct. 2002   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

My Philosophy on Education Essay example -- Teaching Philosophy Educat

My Philosophy on Education My philosophy on education is based on the concept of sharing. Obviously, the most common form of sharing in education is the sharing of knowledge that occurs between a teacher and her students. Although I feel that this type of sharing is crucial, there are many other forms of sharing in education that I value extremely. The sharing of ideas amongst students is another necessary form of sharing in the area of education. I have seen firsthand how effective students teaching students can be. When an educator uses this type of sharing as a way of enforcing a lesson, she is making the process of learning much easier and more powerful. In addition, some students who have difficulty comprehending a teacher’s lesson may understand a fellow student’s slightly different approach to a concept. Another aspect of sharing that I personally find difficult is the sharing of time. It is clear that a teacher must devote hours inside and outside the classroom to be an excellent educator. On the other hand, students must also give an impresive amount of time to fully participate in the education experience. Parents also fit into this area of sharing, most children need parental attention in order to grow and develop properly. I find it incredibly frustrating when I hear about parents who are too busy with work and other activities to spend quality time with their children, but when their child starts to do poorly in school they immediately start blaming othe...

Knowledge Is Virtue Essay

We define knowledge as the state or fact of knowing, familiarity, awareness or understanding, gained through experience or study and virtue as the moral excellence and righteousness. All of us have knowledge but not all the knowledge we have is the same, same with virtue. All of us have virtue but not all is practicing it. All of us have knowledge because it is a gift from God that we can keep and share to others. Through knowledge, one is also given the knowledge of understanding one’s self and what surrounds him. One can be taught about life through knowledge. Having knowledge is also having the ability to know what is right and what is wrong. With knowledge we can also do change or improvements. For instance, the knowledge of sickness, the more we know about our sickness, the more we know that it can be cured and by that, life our life is improved. We can make improvements through knowledge physically and mentally. We can identify problems and find solutions because of knowledge, but these problems is not caused by knowledge itself but from the individuals’ use of knowledge. By having simple knowledge about these problems, it already creates vision of solutions. Knowledge is a virtue that we should know what is good for us. Virtue is something that is good or something that is right. If we have done something that is not right, for example, if the knowledge of power is used improperly, it is not because of the mere knowledge already. It is because of the emotions that caused him to do that. If that’s the case, he doesn’t possess virtue. Knowledge is like the other virtues that we should keep and be reminded of always. We should use it not to seek advantage over others but to share it and make them a better individual. Through knowledge, we know how to understand and we know how to act right. We just have to use knowledge justly so we will know about virtue. Thus, knowledge is the creation of virtue. Knowledge is virtue.

Juvenile Offender’s Right to a Jury Trial

This piece of music intends to answer the following questions 1) Should youthful wrongdoers open a shapingal chastise to a control board trial? and 2) Should each commonwealth coerce that conclusion? The legal finish (Amendment 6 and 14th) which addressed the issue allow for be briefly discussed as swell up as set forth of the answers to the aforementioned questions. Should juvenile offenders have a organizational skillful to a jury trial?Yes, juvenile offenders should be given a right field to a jury trial (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). Doing otherwise will be considered un law of natureful since this is a violation of the Sixth Amendment which covers the Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). The Sixth Amendment holds that an individual who undergoes wicked trial should be given a right to an impartial jury of the terra firma and district wherein the crime shall have been act (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ).In addition to that, juvenile offenders should be given a right to a jury trial because anybody who deprives them of this violates the 14th Amendment which involves the Rights Guaranteed Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, repayable Process and contact Protection (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). Explaining pull ahead a jury trial is part of what is technically referred to as due emergence (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). Also, equal protection is provided if a jury trial is given to the juvenile offender (FindLaw, 2008, n. . ).Should each state make that determination? There is really no take for each state to make much(prenominal) a decision because this is already cover the Fourteenth Amendment which involves the Rights Guaranteed Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). Here, it is clearly stated that No state shall make or put on any law which shall abridge the prefer or immunities of citizens of the US (FindLaw, 2008, n. . ). This means that pack be protect ed by the constitution and even their States can non do anything to take this right away from them (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ). The same is true with a right to jury trial, it is not necessary that each State determines what their law will be about this since whether States make a move or not, citizens are still protected by the constitution (FindLaw, 2008, n. p. ).References FindLaw. (2008). Sixth Amendment. Retrieved November 7, 2008 fromhttp//caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment06/FindLaw. (2008). Fourteenth Amendment. Retrieved November 7, 2008 fromhttp//caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment14/

Race by the Numbers Essay

In his article, Race by the Numbers, Orlando Patterson argued active the misunderstanding of the enumerate results and that this mis cultivation is having negative effects on the perspective of the people. The misinterpreted part of the census, according to Patterson, was the musical theme that the race of the Whites is becoming the minority in many argonas of the landed estate. Thus, Patterson offered arguments and estimates to negate the validity of the interpretation. However, the question is whether or not Patterson was competent to persuade the readers, the citizens, that the interpretation of the census report was thence incorrect.Pattersons article is full of information bad-temperedly statistical and quantitative information that helped him in nameing basis for his arguments. Patterson statement that 48 percent of Hispanics classified themselves as solely gabardine (p. 83) adds to his persuasive argument that is in any case supported by the next sentence in the article, Hispanics understructure be of any race (p. 83). These statements understandably supported the fact that the pith percentage of Whites in was decreased as interpreted by the census report.Patterson likewise included studies that affirm his yell including modern census result. Patterson stated that, whites leave al unitary constitute 74. 8 percent of the total population in 2050, and that non-Hispanics lead still be 52. 8 percent of the total (p. 83) as indicated by the recent census. With such facts indicated in the article, it can be said that Patterson was able to figure a strong evidence and supporting detains and information regarding his assertions. Thus, his argument, regarding the population of white Americans in the country, is a rough distortion (Patterson p.83) is not a mere spotlight of view but is supported by facts and applicable information. By establishing the facts and the arguments, it can be said that Pattersons main purpose of writing the arti cle was to place that the population of whites in America is still and allow for go along to be the majority disproving the assumption that non-Hispanic whites allow cease to be the majority (Patterson, p. 82). By doing so, Patterson aims to get on the whites that they still argon the majority and bequeath continue to be. In this case, Patterson was able to do great agate line through his article.However, Patterson also indicated in his article the idea that each group in the new minority-majority country has longstanding grievances against whites, thus, Patterson whitethorn also want to claim the invalidity of this assertion through his article. But in this case, was Patterson impelling? Basing from the article, Patterson was really able to encourage the whites and egress away the doubt that they will cease to be the majority. However, Patterson was not able to take away the idea that minority groups in America have grievances on whites.On the contrary, it even points out another idea, that whites does not see minority groups as to be correspond to them. Thus, instead of disproving the issue of minorities having grievances on whites, the article may even fuel the said issue. The article can trigger grievances against whites since the article establishes the idea that whites are and will continue to be the superior race in the country. Therefore, this may ca affair insecurity and rebellion against the white race since others may wish to see the declination of a superior race. Patterson also included historical developments in regarding some issues such as the mixture of races.Patterson stated that, In 1930 Mexicans were classified as a separate race by the Census spot which reclassified them as white in 1940, after protests (p. 84). Patterson also honored 2 other related issues in history. In this case, Patterson was able to convince the readers regarding the misclassification done that lead to the misinterpretation of the census result. Thus, Patterson once again established a ground for his ideas and arguments by nullifying the classification made by the census bureau on the issue of which races are to be included as whites.As mentioned earlier, the condition was able to establish the supporting facts rough his claims. However, on that point are some instances that the condition failed to mention carnal knowledge and important information. Patterson adapted a study stating that, new-made studies indicate that the second-generation Hispanic whites are intermarrying (p. 83). However, Patterson did not mention what particular study reaches that conclusion. Therefore, readers in doubt of that particular argument have no means of substantiative the claim.Patterson should have indicated all the necessary information about the research to enable the readers to locate the particular study, other than doubts will remain doubts in the minds of the readers. Although the article has its strengths, i. e. the use of statisti cal information, the weakness of the article is readily for sale to the readers. The main weakness of the article was that the author, Mr. Patterson, was obviously one sided in writing the article. The bias can be seen from the very beginning of the article. Thus, this limits the trust of the readers and the integrity of the writer. covering personal biases is will really lead to doubts and disbeliefs of the authors claim since the readers are aware that he or she is arguing for or against one side. Thus, in persuading the readers about a certain action or issue, one must shew personal biases for this will weaken the arguments and the ideas presented by the author. In order to establish a ground proof about an argument, a writer must not show biases as much as possible. It would be better to show the different arguments of both side and show coitus information, facts and evidences and let the readers decide which arguments weigh more basing from the condition evidences.All in all , Patterson did a great occupancy in laying the arguments and he was able to adjoin his main objective, to encourage the whites. However, as mentioned earlier, the article has its throw weaknesses as well. Thus, the article would only be effective if the reader is taking the same side as Pattersons, otherwise, the article would seem very racist of which whites are considered incomparable to others. The validity of the claims is thus, very subjective on the personality and side that the readers will take.