Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets Essay

Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets - Essay Example It has consistently appeared in Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work for, since Fortune started compiling it. The question now is how Wegmans can improve its training system better, so that it does not only measure store sales, but also evaluate changes in employee reaction, learning, and behaviour, as well as changes in results that pertain to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Problem Statements Challenge 1: The inclusion of new measures in assessing training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans measures the success of its training based on whether a store’s sales are growing.† Challenge 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing the new measures of training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† Challenge 3: Understanding the connection between employee satisfaction and delivery of services that result to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, because customer satisfaction and customer loyalty can also impact organisational succcess: â€Å"This vision of training assumes that people who understand what they are selling and who care about customers will naturally be able to sell by providing value to the customers...† Solutions Solution 1: It would be useful for Wegmans to expand the results it measures. At present, it only measures training effectiveness through store sales. In order to remain competitive, it must have a human resource (HR) strategy that fits its organisational strategy, and it can do so by doing its training differently from other supermarket chains and competitors (i.e. substitutes that do not directly compete with Wegmans, such as farmers that directly sell their goods at residential subdivisions). A different kind of training will need a different set of measures, so that the training process can improve the connection between positive reaction and learning t o behavioural changes, and results. In Ibrahim’s 2004 study on training effectiveness for 94 trainees, findings showed that the training program resulted to positive reactions and improvement in trainee’s knowledge and skills. This study has not established a direct link between positive reactions and employee and organisational performance, but it does suggest a potential relationship between training reaction and knowledge and skills development. Giangreco, Sebastiano, and Peccei (2009) suggest the importance of training reaction to training usefulness. Thus, it will also be fruitful for Wegmans to measure training reaction and learning, aside from its usual focus on the effect of training on store sales, so that it can enhance its training effectiveness. Solution 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing new measures of training effectiveness can also improve training strategy at Wegmans. At present, â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† This means that Wegmans predominantly uses apprenticeship training. In order to identity additional training methods, it is important to conduct training needs analysis for both shop-level employees and management. The two main ways that can be used to analyse training needs are task analysis and performance analysis. Task analysis will focus on the kind and frequency of tasks performed, as well as where and how they can best be learned. Performance analysis will be conducted

Brand Impact On Consumer Buying Behavior

Brand Impact On Consumer Buying Behavior Branding psychologyConsumer driven approaches is widely adopted by the companies in order to enhance countless emerging needs of modern customers. Branding becomes a crucial activities of consumer driven approach and its aim to build a loyal customer base and creation of an effective brand image. In this document, the author presents a research report complied after analyzing the effects of branding on the consumer purchase decision. The research had been carried at the shopping centre called Shoppers Stop in India. The research had attempted to find whether there is positive relation between the positive effect of the brand and the consumer purchase decision. There are so many parity products out there that the only way to differentiate yourself from the others is to create an aura, an image, around your brand. Consumers need a road map; they need to find a way to get from their need to a product purchase thats simple, easy, not full of a lot of noise, and most brands get lost somewhere between the shelf and the consumer mindset. -Karen Benezra, editor of Brandweek The paper also discusses the literature the importance of branding and the consumer purchase decision. It details the research rationale along with the research philosophy, the approach used, the context, sample and procedure. As well as It discussed the significance of the proposed research along with its limitation. A provisional work schedule is also provided. Aims The aim is to determine the extent of the correlation between the activities of branding and consumer purchasing as well as put into perspective the main functions and values branding can offer companies in term guiding valued customers through the often complex process of purchase decision-making. Thus the basic research question would be, how does branding affect the consumer purchase decision? Objectives This research will have the following objectives: To assess whether positive feelings towards a brand will translate into a consumer purchase decision. To establish the changes in the relationship between branding and consumers purchasing decision when other factors such as price are introduced. To examine the consumers tendency to recommend brands and its effect on purchasing decisions of their friends and family. Chapter 2: Literature Review Origin of Branding in Market. After the First World War, the whole world economy was under Great Depression during 1930s and also gives rise to socio-economy problems because of impact of war wages on the people and hence left a dent in peoples pockets and curbed the desire of society to spend and consume. Strangely, the Second World War and the period after the war had seen a different pattern in manufacturing industries that a increased capacity to produce goods whereas the society was left with an ingrained desire to be frugal. Bass Company, the British brewery, claims their red triangle brand was the worlds first trademark. Lyles Golden Syrup makes a similar claim, having been named as Britains oldest brand, with its green and gold packaging having remained almost unchanged since 1885. Source: http://www.quaffale.org.uk/php/brewery/578 What is Branding? The word Brand the Germanic root meaning is burn. In commercial market branding is all about the product attributes that make a lasting impression in a customers mind. As per Karl Marx, people make their own decisions about who to be, how to live, and what to buy, but under circumstances shaped by brands advertising, marketing and publicity. Thus a brand exploits the underlying attribute that is storytelling and emotions which are the buying behaviour. James Walter Thompson published a house ad explaining trademark advertising, in 1900. Thus Branding was coined for the first time with commercial explanation. Mr. Thompson appeared as the philosopher of Branding by drawing a straight line between the manufacturer and the consumer. Source: http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/hartman/guides/jwt-history.html Human civilization is dependent upon signs and systems of signs, and the human mind is inseparable from the functioning of signs-if indeed mentality is not to be identified with such functioning. Apple Logo Design Apple was selected as main form of branding depending upon the company name. Initially, the logo depicted a small apple shape sitting under a tree with Apple Computer Co set into the frame of the picture. It is this apple that has continued to be used. The first logo design was perceived to be a bit too complex and hard to view, so Regis McKenna worked on the logo some years later and added a bite mark to symbolize the concept of seduction of the customers and the marketplace in general. Next, the monochrome version was replaced with the rainbow-colored logo as a reference to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in which the apple represents the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. It brings to mind that people must pursue their dreams. While this was not initially a deliberate goal, it did encourage business and consumers to consider the Apple brand for the first time and was successful in generating increased profits.Source: Charles Morris, Foundations of the Theory of Signs. Source: http://www.logoorange.com/logodesign-A.php A brand is an end result. Branding is the process by which a brand comes to be. A brand is many, many things, but it is never an accident. Present Day Branding. A branding provides a platform for consumer choice process. Todays market offer different products among thousand for similar offerings, this complexity makes the users to follow their choice that have satisfied already in past. The pattern of this consumer behaviour was also supported by Assael in 1993 with a concept that in a situation of low-involvement of consumer, the consumers completely rely on past consuming experience; hence it provides a clue that consumers with minimum purchasing areas could be targeted by advertisement campaigns. Thus consumer plays a key important role product branding process in current market. Even nowadays a good number of consumer emotionally attach with the brand that helps to understand the impact of image among consumers. With this a natural differentiation concept was introduced by Adcock in 1998, with differentiation process , the company start developing a set of unique differences that help to provide a distinctive identity among other products in market. Hence, differentiation provides a cutting edge for the branding of product in present competitive market. As per Prof. Kevin Lane Keller, author of Strategic Brand Management: The trend in marketing of brand depends upon the changes in the environments around the consumers. A social, cultural, political, economic and technological environment changes the life of human and with this the branding need to adopt the trend for example Online Marketing Social Networking Online-Media such as Face book, MySpace, Google. A corporate social responsibility and sustainability impacting the product image. Philip Kotler in 1999, a brand captures consumers attention through a Six Dimensions of Brand: Attributes A brand will communicate specific attributes, such as prestige. Benefits A brand strengthens a products attributes by communicating a set of benefits that makes it more attractive. Values A brand represents a companys core value and belief system. Culture A brand is representative or targets a target audiences socio-cultural characteristic. Personality A Brand Project behavioural personality patterns of targeted consumers. User A brand can emulate the end user. Identification of Branding Differences step by step Difference 1: A Visual difference, Symbols and logotype. In the seventies, when the phrase generation was being coined and used in any number of contexts such as in movies, music, technology etc, Pepsi annex the beverage style of young adult segment of the inhabitants and dubbed them the Pepsi Generation, in an endeavour to make Coca-Cola seem old and staid. In the 1980s, Coca-Cola executed what was perhaps the most celebrated marketing mistake in history, discontinuing production on its core product, the most recognizable brand name in the world; in favour of a more Pepsi-like formula it dubbed New Coke. This Grand Canyon-size blunder eventually worked in the companys favour when consumers revolted with startling vehemence and Coca-Cola quickly announced it would bring back its revered product, now under the name Coca-Cola Classic. Sales rebounded, and more media attention was lavished on the Cola Wars. The campaign also managed to underline the loyalty and affection so many consumers had for original Coca-Cola-which might very well have been the goal of the company to begin with. Coca Cola eventually dropped the word Classic from its name, and remains the most widely recognized brand in the world to the present. Difference 2: Culture (Hofstedes onion) Difference 3: Personality (Aaker) Difference 4: Identity and positioning (Kapferer) Brand Equity and Brand Loyalty. Consumer Buying Behaviour : Branding a influencing factor What influences consumers to purchase products or services? The consumer buying process is a complex matter as many internal and external factors have an impact on the buying decisions of the consumer. When purchasing a product there several processes, which consumers go through? These will be discussed below. 3- COMPONENTS OF BRANDING Branding is a process of creating a product or company identity a personality creation and development by a number of differential professionals with same objective or goal. 1. Advertising. Its a wonderful thing to create a unique, user-friendly brand that the public is sure to embrace. However, if the public doesnt find out about the brand-and much of the public will find out through advertising-all that effort, time, and money will go to waste. The look and attitude of the advertising also help define the brand in the publics mind. Nike is well known for spending millions on celebrity endorsements for advertising. Its ads are legendary, and its swoosh logo is known the world over without a word being said. 2. Marketing. In devising the personality of the brand and determining how it will be presented to the public, marketing, which is usually done in-house and through consultants, helps to create the entity that the brand will become. Its a fine thing to own the recipe for Oreo cookies, but if you decided to sell the recipe and not the cookies, you would be making a very large marketing mistake. Marketing is not just selling; it knows what to sell and how to sell it as part of a larger plan. What marketing does is to determine the proper audience for a product, and then deliver to that audience what it wants. The target demographic can be as narrow as 15-year-old boys living in the suburbs, or it can be literally anybody. That will depend on the product. But once the demographic is identified, marketing professionals analyze it, make sure the characteristics of that demographic are compatible with the product, and then emphasize the strengths of the product. The strengths of the product here are very specific: They are the strengths that will best convey the personality the demographic wants to see in it. For example, if Philips had tried to market its flat-screen TV to an audience over 65, which traditionally is not warm to change, it might not have been successful, no matter how innovative the product may have been. Instead, the company aimed its ads at people in their twenties and thirties, emphasized the newness and difference of the product, and had a great success. 3. Public relations. If advertising is the juggernaut of public attention, public relations is the stealth bomber. PR generates publicity for the brand, helps solidify the publics opinion of the brand, and defines the brand-all without being perceived by the public A lot of clients dont understand the difference between Branding, PR, advertising and marketing, says Rob Frankel, author of Revenge of Brand X. Personally, I prefer PR to advertising. I like PR because a lot of my Branding program is based on third-party endorsement. Its way more credible and fast-acting than when you pay for ads. Problem/Need Recognition for Future Branding How do you decide you want to buy a particular product or service? It could be that your DVD player stops working and you now have to look for a new one, all those DVD films you purchased you can no longer play! So you have a problem or a new need. For high value items like a DVD player or a car or other low frequency purchased products this is the process we would take. However, for impulse low frequency purchases e.g. confectionery the process is different. Q. What are the new branding challenges and opportunities especially nowadays with the global economic crisis? The current economic crisis presents many challenges but also much opportunity for brand marketers at the same time. Research has show that in past recessions those firms that have been willing to invest in their marketing have emerged in a stronger position than those firms that have cut back spending and reduced their marketing investments. Obviously those marketing investments must be wise ones. Perhaps the most important branding consideration in tough economic times is to establish perceptions of good value. Being seen as low priced or less expensive is not necessarily the answer, the more important consideration is that consumers feel that they are getting appropriate value from a product or service. Value is basically all the benefits the consumer realizes versus all the costs that he or she incurs. It is important to view and these benefits and costs broadly. Benefits include the perceived monetary value of all the bundle of economic, functional, and psychological benefits th at customers expect from a product. Similarly, costs are not restricted to the actual monetary price but may reflect opportunity costs of time, energy, and any psychological involvement in the decision that consumers might have. Top marketers in a recession will be sure to develop marketing programs and activities that optimally balance that equation so that consumers feel the collective benefits outweigh the collective costs as much as possible. That my involve framing the brands costs and benefits so that they are seen in the most positive light possible. Q. What would you single out as the most important message out of your extensive experience in studying brands? The most important message for marketers these days is to make sure they have a deep, rich understanding of consumers and how they think and feel about brands and their products and services. It is so fundamental and may seem obvious, but unfortunately many marketers still fall way short on that score. Consumer Buying Behaviour Q. What is the future of branding? Brands will always be important given their fundamental purpose to identify and differentiate products and services. A good brand makes peoples lives a little easier and better. People are loyal to brands that satisfy their expectations and deliver on its brand promise. In an increasingly complex and busy world, the ability of a brand to simplify consumer decision-making is powerful. The predictably good performance of a strong brand is something that consumers will always value. What will change, however, is the means by which firms will build those brands. Marketers must always be adopting state-of-the-art branding practices to ensure that their marketing programs and activities reflect the always changing economic, cultural, technological, social, and legal environments. There are 4-Types of consumer buying behaviour: Assael 1987 Purchasing Experiences High Involvement Low Involvement Significant differences between brands Complex buying behavior Variety-seeking buying behavior Few differences between brands Dissonance-reducing buying behavior Habitual buying behavior Source: Assael 1987, Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Action, 6th edition, p. 67 There are four types of consumer depending upon the degrees of involvement and degree of differentiation amongst the brands as per Assael. A displaying Complex Buying Behaviour Pattern is a group of consumer who prefer to expand their beliefs regarding a particular product as a primary step and hence this process will lead them to develop positive attitudes regarding the product. Dissonance-Reducing Behaviour of consumer is classified as the trend in which consumers are highly involved in the purchasing experience but unable to compare among the brand of products offering similar services or features. Thus differentiation becomes the key point as consumers asks for the features or functionalities or price comparison among the brand but in a market which display low differentiation of brands, the consumer purchasing behaviour is influenced by convenience. Displaying Habitual Buying Behaviour is a behavioural pattern as a result of consumers condition where the consumer buying decision depends on the product information acquired passively or the information embedded in their mind via review electronic media or promotional efforts, also the user shows low-level of involvement products. Variety Seeker Buying Behaviour, the consumer buying reaction occurs because of low-involvement in a market that displays high levels of product differentiation , thus they prefer to follow Brand Switching , in order to satisfy their need for diversification. Chapter 4: Survey, Analysis and Findings Introduction The survey was performed in India at Shoppers Stop Mall (New Delhi Ansal Plaza Branch), which has many branches across the country at major cities and in United Kingdom, at St. Anns Shopping Centre (Harrow, London). The survey template was design to understand the relation between a product brand and consumer, in a sense that how much they trust or rely on the brand that they go for the product, in short the impact of branding on consumer purchasing decision. The research was to understand the influence of Brand in a developing and developed country. As the one could easily conclude that the consumer in developed country focus on more on brand image as the brand image define the quality of product whereas consumer in developing focus more on the need rather than quality for example a consumer in India purchasing a television will first look for the price and then maximum features within the price also the product should belong to reliable brand this is one of the key reason that even though India has certain level of free trade open market relation with china , still the Chinese cheap product unable to penetrate the Indian market. Questionnaires There are 150 and 180 interviews have performed in India and UK respectively, the pie chart display the same. The Number of interviews conducted with respect to different age group, the column chart below represent about the survey conduct in India at shoppers stop mall. The below graph display the number of interviews conducted, focusing the age group in UK at St. Anns Shopping Centre. In our survey we have put more focus on the young generation and middle-age group to understand their psychology while purchasing a product and how its being influences by the brand of the product. We also get to know the preference made by female and male group in India and UK. The female group in India and UK both spend their most of their shopping time in costumes and they prefer detail analysis or observation between different brands and they could easily compromise on the brand. Which brand do you use? Brand P Brand Q Brand R Brand S In case of others, please specifyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Age group? 16- 24 24 35 35- 50 50-70 What to you perceive to be the key attributes of a brand and what do you associate it with? Quality Price Status Personality Aesthetics To what extent brands are important to you? Very Important Important Neither Important nor Unimportant Not Very important Not at all Important 5. How does the Made in trademark influence your buying? Very Much Not much Doesnt Matters Matters Strongly Matters What is the key difference between International and Domestic brands? Quality Price Variety Services Does Culture difference play an important role in regards to your buying decision? Agree Strongly Agree Depends Disagree Strongly Disagree Do you agree shopping is different in abroad then in India? Yes No Do you feel changing market of fashion and technology plays an important role in your buying decision? Yes No What product of that particular brand do you use? Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 4 In case of others, please specifyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. How long have you been using this product? 1 year 2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year In case of others please specifyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ How did you first chance upon the product? Advertising Word of mouth Display In case of others, please specifyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Please suggest, if you want to make any changes to the product and why? Are you satisfied with this brand? Extremely satisfied Satisfied Fairly Satisfied Not at all Satisfied Which Cosmetic product brand you prefer? Olay Dove Grainier A combination of mixed product brand. How long have you been using the product XYZ? First Time Regular user Never. What made you use the Product XYZ the very first time? Advertising Word of Mouth Display at shop If anything else, please specifyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Have you ever used competitors product? Yes No. If you have used competitors product, then please confirm which product is better in the following terms: Quality Quantity Brand Name Are you: Male Female How did you receive this product? Gift Purchase If other, please specify? How did hear about the sale of this product? Advertising-Newspaper, radio, TV Friend / family Article / magazine Store Others, specify__________________________________ From which store did you made the purchase of this product? Specify. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How many different brands did you look out for this product? Specify. ___________________________________________________________ Findings In developing nations such as European countries, a different trend has been seen because of globalisation and free trade, the market is flooded with many products offering similar features and because of competition, the price of the product has fallen down, European industries has to reduce their cost of goods sales by compromising with the quality of materials or setting up manufacturing industries in developing or poor nation where the quality of production much more oriented towards manufacturing the product instead of manufacture quality product , for example Automobile industries , the number of automobile industries has gone down significantly in past 50 years. As per the research performed by KPMG for Automobile industries, the future of automobile industries will not only be characterized by origin of OEMs. Recommendations Convergence: A Business Concept The concept convergence has already entered into the market with innovation ideas of doing business, in automobile industries; e-Mobility and Car-sharing business are the best example the convergence of brand and business ideas, e-mobility provides convergence between Fiat OEMs and Power Suppliers and Car-Sharing e.g Deutsche Bahan is the convergence between OEMs and mobility providers. From this we could able to figure out that convergence and innovative business ideas not only helps the Brand Convergence A New Business Player Convergence example: E-Mobility and Car-Sharing Assembled Product: Combination of Branded Products In coming future, one could imagine of a product developed like an IT product, for example an IT product such as cloud computing systems , IT for green , Client computing , Advance Analytics (Business Intelligence software) is a combination of many software product provided by different brand leaders. This could be a future business concept across all products , one could think of his own car made up of worlds different brand leaders. Conclusions Recommendations Personnel Reflections

Balancing Act Essay -- Essays Papers

Balancing Act For the working adult, being a full time college student can be quite stressful. It can also be challenging, fun, and rewarding. In order to become a successful student you must learn to balance and organize the different elements of your life. Three of the major elements will be work, studying and relaxing. If you can learn to balance these elements, you will find that success will be easier to achieve. As adults, most of us must work a full time job in order to support ourselves. Often employers and coworkers expect us to give extra time and effort to our jobs. You must keep in mind that there is only so much time in each day and you have other responsibilities. Do not be afraid to say no to an additional workload that is not your responsibility. Another wa...

Process of Issuing Ipo by a Bangladeshi Corporation Essay

When a company wants to go public the following procedure must be performed: †¢The first thing it does is hire an investment bank, which does the underwriting. Underwriting is the process of raising money by either debt or equity (in this case we are referring to equity). We consider the underwriters as middlemen between companies and the investing public. †¢The company and the investment bank will meet to negotiate the deal. Items usually discussed include the amount of money a company will raise, the type of securities to be issued and all the details in the underwriting agreement. †¢The deal can be structured in a variety of ways. For example, in a firm commitment, the underwriter guarantees that a certain amount will be raised by buying the entire offer and then reselling to the public. In a best efforts agreement, however, the underwriter sells securities for the company but doesn’t guarantee the amount rose. †¢Investment banks are hesitant to shoulder all the risk of an offering. Instead, they form a syndicate of underwriters. One underwriter leads the syndicate and the others sell a part of the issue. †¢Once all sides agree to a deal, the investment bank puts together an offer document to be filed with the SEC. This document contains information about the offering as well as company info such as financial statements, management background, any legal problems, where the money is to be used and insider holdings. †¢The SEC then requires a cooling off period, in which they investigate and make sure all material information has been disclosed. Once the SEC approves the offering, a date (the effective date) is set when the stock will be offered to the public †¢Then Individual Deposit the same amount in the listed bank-branch and submit an application for getting stock. †¢Then Conduct a lottery to distribute the stock †¢Those who are not get the stock they refund there subscription fee within one month. †¢Those who got the lottery, stock will deposited in there BO account.

News and History: Re-Inventing Iraq Through British Drawdown

Early this month U.S. Defense Department’s Secretary Robert Gates and British Defense Secretary Des Browne met in London to agree on the withdrawal of half of the British troops in   Iraq. They said that the pull out was not because of any mounting domestic political pressure from any individual or groups but because of the improved situation in the said region. Des Browne said that Britain and the U.S. have the same aspirations for Iraq. But while the situation in Iraq continues to stabilize, in Afghanistan, however, it was the opposite. Des Browne is calling for additional international forces to be sent to Afghanistan which he said as part of the â€Å"long-term commitment† to pursue stability in those areas. That probably is the catch for the withdrawal because according to him all the 2,500 troops that would be taken out in southern part of Iraq would be diverted to Afghanistan to support the present force manning those territories. The two powerful personalities agreed that there is no need for most of the forces in those parts of Iraq and that the withdrawal was agreed by Gen. David Petraeus who was the highest military personnel in Iraq. Accordingly the situation in this part of the region has been neutralized and had been peaceful in the past few months and no major war can be foreseen. Also, Australian troops would be included among those to be withdrawn. These three countries have been blood allies from the beginning and such decision are always being agreed by these three powerful nations. But that is not the end of the news, however. According to the New York Times, in reality there is still continuous fighting between the rival Shiite factions who are trying to gain control of the oil-rich section of Iraq. Just recently, politicians were assassinated in the provinces of Muthanna and Diwaniyah. These provinces were located in the southern part of the country and people say that these political killings are being done by certain groups to have control over all of the oil reserve found in these areas. Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair was somewhat dismayed of the growing fractionalization and rebellion in Iraq. The Prime Minister has always been supporting the U.S. in its long time war with Iraq and ironically his decade-long tenure ended in June this year. Blair was questioning British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s decision on the issue of withdrawal and for now Brown had to distance himself from the embattled ex-Prime Minister. Britain has more than 5,000 troops particularly situated in Iraq while the U.S. has nearly 170,000 troops all stationed around Iraq. After the announcement of the withdrawal, Brown said those who will remain would be tasked to train Iraqi government troops and will only fight if necessary. They will also be withdrawn by the end of next year, he said. The New York Times also reported that some U.S. Marines were proposing to be pulled out along with the Britons and also wanted to move to Afghanistan because they feel they are better suited to fight in that war (Youssef, 2007). This news was more related with Toby Dodge’s book Inventing Iraq where in the old days the British colonizes part of the Ottoman territories in the now modern Iraq and built frontiers to keep natives from uniting and throwing them out of their colonies. British has long been trying to conquer Iraq because of its vast oil resources and widening its territories. Although it has established itself temporarily, ultimately it failed to conquer the country due to Britain’s misguided policies plus the ever intervening attitude of the U.S. The result was a failure of governance and ultimately the assumption of rule by the Iraqis. The author has explicitly vindicated the fate of the oppressed as against the oppressor and implied that no one has the right to rule anybody because it is unjust and immoral. Reference: Youssef, N. A. (2007). Gates: British Drawdown In Iraq Due To Improved Conditions [Electronic Version]. Retrieved October 17, 2007 from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20393.html.      

Top German Mistakes Made by Beginners

Top German Mistakes Made by Beginners Unfortunately, there are much more than ten mistakes you can make in German. However, we want to concentrate on the top ten kinds of mistakes that beginning students of German are likely to make. But before we get to that, think about this: How is learning a second language different from learning a first? There are many differences, but the most significant difference is that with a first language there is no interference from another language. An infant learning to speak for the first time is a blank slate- without any preconceived notions of how a language is supposed to work. That is definitely not the case for anyone who decides to learn a second language. An English  speaker who is learning German must guard against the influence of English. The first thing any language student has to accept is that there is no right or wrong way to construct a language. English is what it is; German is what it is. Arguing about a languages grammar or vocabulary is like arguing about the weather: you cant change it. If the gender of Haus is neuter (das), you cant arbitrarily change it to der.  If you do, then you risk being misunderstood. The reason languages have a particular grammar is to avoid breakdowns in communication. Mistakes Are Unavoidable Even if you understand the concept of first-language interference, does that mean youll never make a mistake in German? Of course not. And that leads us to a big mistake that many students make: Being afraid to make a mistake. Speaking and writing German is a challenge for any student of the language. But the fear of making a mistake can keep you from making progress. Students who dont worry so much about embarrassing themselves end up using the language more and making quicker progress. 1. Thinking in English Its only natural that youll think in English when you begin to learn another language. But the number one mistake made by beginners is thinking too literally and translating word-for-word. As you progress you need to start to think German more and more. Even beginners can learn to think in German phrases at an early stage. If you keep using English as a crutch, always translating from  English to German, youre doing something wrong. You dont really know German until you start to hear it in your head. German doesnt always put things together like English.   2. Getting Genders Mixed Up While languages such as French, Italian, or Spanish are content to have just two genders for nouns, German has three! Since every noun in German is either  der, die,  or  das,  you need to learn each noun with its gender. Using the wrong gender not only makes you sound stupid, it also can cause changes in meaning. It can be aggravating that any six-year-old in Germany can rattle off the gender of any common noun, but thats the way it is.   3. Case Confusion If you dont understand what the nominative case is in English, or what a direct or indirect object is, then youre going to have problems with case in German. Case is usually indicated in German by inflection: putting different endings on articles and adjectives. When  der  changes to  den  or  dem, it does so for a reason. That reason is the same one that makes the pronoun he change to him in English (or  er  to  ihn  in German). Not using the correct case is very likely to confuse people a lot! 4. Word Order   German word order (or syntax) is more flexible than English syntax and relies more on case endings for clarity. In German, the subject may not always come first in a sentence. In subordinate (dependent) clauses, the conjugated verb may be at the end of the clause. 5. Calling Someone Sie Instead of du Almost every language in the world- besides English- has at least two kinds of you: one for formal use, the other for familiar use. English once had this distinction (thou and thee are related to German du), but for some reason, it now uses only one form of you for all situations. This means that English-speakers often have problems learning to use  Sie  (formal) and  du/ihr  (familiar). The problem extends to verb conjugation and command forms, which are also different in  Sie  and  du  situations. 6. Getting Prepositions Wrong One of the easiest ways to spot a non-native speaker of any language is the misuse of prepositions. German and English often use different prepositions for similar idioms or expressions: wait for/warten auf, be interested in/sich interessieren fà ¼r, and so on. In English, you take medicine for something, in German  gegen  (against) something. German also has two-way prepositions  that can take two different cases (accusative or dative), depending on the situation. 7. Using Umlauts German Umlauts (Umlaute  in German) can lead to problems for beginners. Words can change their meaning based on whether they have an umlaut or not. For example,  zahlen  means to pay but  zhlen  means to count.  Bruder  is one brother, but  Brà ¼der  means brothers - more than one. Pay attention to words that may have potential problems. Since only a, o, and u can have an umlaut, those are the vowels to be aware of. 8. Punctuation and Contractions German punctuation and the use of the apostrophe is often different than in English. Possessives in German usually do not use an apostrophe. German uses contractions in many common expressions, some of which use an apostrophe (Wie gehts?) and some of which do not (zum Rathaus). Related to the prepositional hazards mentioned above are German prepositional contractions. Contractions such as  am,  ans,  ins, or  im  can be possible pitfalls. 9. Those Pesky Capitalization Rules German is the only modern language that requires the capitalization of all nouns, but there are other potential problems. For one thing, adjectives of nationality are not capitalized in German as they are in English. Partly due to  German spelling reform, even Germans can have problems with spelling hazards like  am besten  or  auf Deutsch. You can find the rules and a lot of hints for German spelling in our capitalization lesson and try our spelling quiz. 10. Using the Helping Verbs Haben and Sein In English, the present perfect is always formed with the helping verb have. German verbs in the conversational past (present/past perfect) can use either  haben  (have) or  sein  (be) with the past participle. Since those verbs using to be are less frequent, you need to learn which ones use  sein  or in which situations a verb may use  haben  or  sein  in the present or past perfect tense.

A Guide To Building Workplace Integrity Essays

A Guide To Building Workplace Integrity Essays A Guide To Building Workplace Integrity Essay A Guide To Building Workplace Integrity Essay A guide to building workplace integrity Indicators and practice The Prevention and Education Unit of the Office of Police Integrity has It involves ethical leadership, active management and supervision, the right people, effective processes and confident professional reporting. In essence, building workplace integrity is about creating a workplace that fosters the development of high professional standards, and demonstrates the values of the organization. An ethical and professional workplace is the best safeguard against risks to integrity, including improper conduct, misconduct and corruption. With this in mind, this guide has been developed to help Victoria Police strengthen its workplace integrity. It will assist Victoria Police to: assess the management of workplaces identify particular strengths and weaknesses in current practice implement practical strategies to build and sustain workplace integrity. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Victoria Police members of the police Reform Advisory Group in developing this guide, which is based on public sector resource produced by the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission. A guide to building workplace integrity Indicators and practice 4 How to use this guide Managers and staff are responsible for the integrity of their workplaces. However, managers and supervisors play an important role in shaping the ethical health of a workplace, and setting the right tone for staff. They work closely with staff and manage their performance and development. Managers are best placed to identify any current or potential integrity concerns and to proactively manage these in the workplace. This guide has been designed specifically for managers or members of the police service area management team (Inspectors, Senior Sergeants, Sergeants and leading Senior Constables who may be acting or performing management duties). It aims to help managers consider the ethical and professional standards of their workplace and to strengthen workplace integrity. As a manager, you can use this toolkit to assess and monitor workplace integrity. For example, you may want to assess the capacity of your station or unit to identify and manage misconduct risks, and then monitor this capacity by conducting regular assessments over time. Integrity monitoring may occur as part of the business planning of your team or unit (ii annual monitoring) or in response to changes to the workplace or team such as changes in staffing or work demands. This toolkit is structured around the assessment of five key areas considered fundamental to building ethical health: Ethical leadership: the extent to which managers lead by example and create a professional working environment for staff. Active management and supervision: the extent to which managers take responsibility for the team, and actively manage work performance. The right people: the extent to who ICC staff carry out their duties in accordance with the organ conations expectations of them. Effective processes: the extent to which risk management processes exist in the workplace, and are complied with by staff. Confident professional reporting: the extent to which internal reporting facilitates early detection and contributes to the continuous improvement of the organization. These five key areas are interrelated. When a workplace performs well in each, it indicates strong capacity to identify and manage integrity related issues. The Workplace Integrity Indicator consists of 25 statements divided into the five key areas. This section asks you to think about your workplace -? in particular, the way you manage staff and their performance and development, and the way your staff undertake their duties. 5 To assess the integrity of your workplace, indicate your level of agreement with each of the 25 statements on the five-point scale from (1 ) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree. Once completed, you will have a useful indication of your current workplace strengths. You will be able to identify aerospace areas that need attention. In the Workplace Integrity Practice section, you are provided with some practical suggestions for achieving good practice within your workplace. It is important to note that the strategies recommended are not an exhaustive list. You may have some other ideas for improving workplace integrity or be guided by the material referred to in the Workplace Integrity Resources section. 6 Workplace integrity indicator Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements. The next section of this guide provides some practical suggestions for threatening workplace integrity in each of these core areas. Strongly disagree agree Comments Ethical leadership My values are consistent with the organizational values of integrity, leadership, flexibility, respect, support and professionalism. Am a positive role model who acts with integrity and professionalism. Communicate the importance of professional and ethical conduct to my staff. Have the confidence and trust of my staff. My influence contributes to a professional working environment. 2 3 Active management and supervision take responsibility for the performance Of my team. SE the people management resources available to me to manage staff. Now my staff, what they do, and how they do it. Actively manage work performance issues as they arise. Support the continuous improvement of my staff. The right people My staff demonstrate the organizational values of integrity, leadership, flexibility, respect, support and professionalism. My staff are committed to achieving team and organizational goals in a professional way. My staff know what co nstitutes proper and improper conduct as a member of the organization. My staff act to prevent misconduct and improper behavior. My staff understand shared responsibility in the workplace: they feel valued and supported by Victoria Police, and in turn, value and support the organization. 7 Effective processes My workplace has effective systems and processes in place to identify and manage ethical risks. Communicate to staff the ethical risks within my workplace. Specific processes exist for those areas within my workplace that are associated with a high risk of misconduct and corruption. Monitor staff compliance to workplace policies and processes. Integrity and ethics are part of all education, training and practice in my workplace.

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language The Maya lived in subtropical Mesomerica in parts of the countries that are now Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, and the Yucatan peninsula area of Mexico. Major sites of the Maya are located at: PalenqueCopanBonampakTikalChichà ©n ItzYakchilanPiedras NegrasCalakmul. When Were the Ancient Maya? The recognizable culture of the Maya developed between 2500 B.C. and A.D. 250. The peak period of Maya civilization was in the Classic period, which began in A.D. 250. The Maya lasted for about another 700 years before suddenly disappearing as a major force; however, the Maya did not die out then and havent to this day. What We Mean by the Ancient Maya The ancient Maya were united by a shared religious system and language, although there are actually many Mayan languages. While the political system was also shared among the Maya, each chiefdom had its own ruler. Battles between cities and protective alliances were frequent. Sacrifice and Ball Games Human sacrifice is a part of many cultures, including the Maya, and is usually associated with religion in that people are sacrificed to the gods. The Maya creation myth involved a sacrifice made by the gods that had to be re-enacted by humans from time to time. One of the occasions of human sacrifice was the ball game. It is not known how often sacrifice of the loser ended the game, but the game itself was often deadly. The Architecture of the Maya The Maya built pyramids, like the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Maya pyramids were usually 9-step pyramids with flat tops on which were perched temples to the gods accessible by stairs. The steps corresponded with the 9 layers of the Underworld. Maya created corbeled arches. Their communities had sweat baths, a ball game area, and a central ceremonial area that may have also served as a market in the cities of the Maya. The Maya at the city of Uxmal used concrete in their buildings. Commoners had homes made of thatch and either adobe or sticks. Some residents had fruit trees. Canals afforded an opportunity for mollusks and fish. The Language of the Maya The Maya spoke various Maya family languages some of which were phonetically transcribed via hieroglyphs. The Maya painted their words on bark paper that has disintegrated but also wrote on more enduring substances [see epigraphy]. Two dialects dominate the inscriptions and are presumed to be the more prestigious forms of the Maya language. One is from the southern area of the Maya and the other from the Yucatan peninsula. With the advent of the Spanish, the prestige language became Spanish.

Strategies to Motivate Employees in an Organisation Research Paper

Strategies to Motivate Employees in an Organisation - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that in the corporate world, the need for motivation cannot be undermined. One of the things that facilitate operations in an organization is the drive which can either be intrinsic or extrinsic. In the work setting, the human resource management is tasked with ensuring the employees are highly motivated if good performance and pleasant results are to be achieved. The strategy to use in order to raise and maintain high levels of motivations amongst workers has always been a great challenge for most organization managers. The management gets into a dilemma when they seek to achieve high motivation amongst the workers while at the same time they pursue to incur the lowest possible cost. It is a great challenge to find the best strategies that can minimize the number of financial resources a firm spends to keep the employees highly motivated. Stress that comes from work is some of the many factors that demotivate employees leading to an economic downturn. Managers , therefore, are required to strategize on how well the workers can be rejuvenated so they may perform best. It is not always motivation in the form of monetary gains that works best for employees. According to Holden and Overmier, non-monetary schemes have been equally found to impact positively as a stimulus to the employees. Other than the financial grants, an organization can resort to using intangible rewards such as recognition, affirmation among others to motivate its employees. Pension schemes are some of the strategies that are currently grounding as a rewarding initiative that can be used to motivate workers. Conversely, myriad arguments have come up about the effectiveness of these non-monetary reward strategies. Do they enthuse and stir employees to deliver high performance? The research attempts to respond to these concerns and show how best employees can be stimulated to work passionately to drive the organization towards meeting its objective. The results will be an e ye-opener concerning how best staff can be motivated.

Risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk management - Essay Example This report will focus on the different types of yield curves and how changes in the slope of yield curve impacts the future prospects of the economy. Further, it will also take into consideration the effectiveness of monetary policy responses in the time of financial crisis and how those responses have affected the shape of the yield curve. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Task 1: To Examine the Types of Yield Curve 4 Task 2: Impact of Yield Curve on Future Economic Prospect 6 Task 3: Effectiveness of Monetary Policy 9 Task 4: Implication for Investor and Policy makers 10 Conclusion 10 Appendices 11 Reference 13 Introduction A yield curve is referred to the graphical representation of the relationship among the yield on a group of securities for different maturities. It explains how interest rates differ with the term to maturity (Burton, Burton and Nesiba, 2010, p.115). The yield curve has too much information about the economic conditions an d the future interest rates. In U.S. the benchmark interest rate last recorded was at 0.25%. Federal Reserve reports the interest rates in U.S. Historically, from 1971 to 2013, the interest rate of U.S. averaged 6.17 % and recorded a high of 20% in March 1980 and a low of 0.25% in December 2008. Interest rate changes depend not only on what Federal Reserve does today or next year but also on perception of the people about the goals and reliability of the monetary authority. In U.S. the monetary policy is determined by the Federal Reserve. The goals and the associated expectations depends on the arrangement of the monetary policy (Haubrich, 2004, p.1). The yield curve is used by the investors to understand the future prospects of economic activities. Task 1: To Examine the Types of Yield Curve The structure of interest rates can be characterized by a graph which shows the relationship between the yields to maturity as a function of term to maturity. Such a graph is termed as yield cu rve. There are four different types of yield curve for U.S. Treasury securities such as normal yield curve or upward sloping yield curve, inverted yield curve or downward sloping yield curve, flat yield curve and humped yield curve. There are two theories which are used to explain the shapes of yield curves. The pure expectation theory reflects the current expectation of the future rates of the market and the market segmentation theory signifies that the shape of yield curve is established by demand for and supply of securities within each maturity sector. In normal yield curve long term rates are high in position than short term rates. The securities with longest maturity provide the highest returns and the shortest maturity securities provide lowest returns. Generally it is upward sloping. The normal yield curve signifies the normal conditions of the capital markets. It presents the borrowers with the risk-return trade-off (Droms and Wright, 2010, pp.144-145). It entails that the investors of the U.S. expect growth in the economy in the future and for this growth to lead to higher interest rates and higher inflation. They don’t purchase longer term securities without receiving a higher interest r

Argument against Execution of Capital Punishment Essay

Argument against Execution of Capital Punishment - Essay Example Utilitarian believe that it is not morally permissible to punish criminals in order to give them what they deserve by exacting retribution on them. They have a problem with retribution in as it advocates the infliction of suffering without any compensating gain for happiness. This paper is going to analyze the utilitarian’s support for capital punishment and then argue against that support.They are of the view that if the death penalty can deter, then there is an auxiliary argument for its use. The statistical evidence is inconclusive. According to common sense, there are reasons for believing that the death penalty deters some would-be murderers from murdering. Van den Haag’s is the best proponent of this view terming it as the ‘Best Bet’ argument. He said that, â€Å"If we value the saving of innocent lives more highly than the loss of the guilty, then to bet on a policy of capital punishment turns out to be rational.† By doing an effective cost be nefit analysis of capital punishment, we find that it has more disadvantages than advantages. To begin with, just by looking at the fact that those condemned to death do everything in their power to postpone it and to get their sentences reduced to long-term prison sentences, we are able to deduce that the death penalty is feared as an evil to be avoided. The society condemns murder as a serious offense. . Capital punishment is in itself murder as it involves killing. We can therefore deduce that capital punishment is murder, and therefore it is wrong.

Visuals and page design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visuals and page design - Essay Example e of the measures that can be put in place include revoking or suspending drivers’ licenses for persons found of such offenses, confiscating number plates of such drivers, and increasing penalties for the crimes. On the other hand, the pedestrians must not use phone while crossing roads. Moreover, drivers must evade the use of phones at all times especially while driving or alighting from their vehicle since the same my interfere with their personal judgment while driving and distract them thereby placing other road users including themselves in gravies dangers. Road users must protect each other at all costs by ensuring they do not create, increase, and do any risky behavior while using the roads. Notably, the government and society have for many years cooperated in improving safety on our roads; therefore, for those who are unable to use the road safely must consider hiring or requesting for designated drivers. Statistics has it that most fatal accidents are caused by persons driving under the influence of alcohol among other drugs or persons with high content of alcohol in their blood (BAC). It is vital that all road users to have their 100 percent concentration on the road; hence, the use of phones while using the roads must be evaded at all costs. Opposed to the road accidents caused by mobile phone users, drunk drivers are known to cause most of the accidents. However, with strict traffic laws and sensitization, accidents caused through drunk driving have reduced drastically since 1982 from a height of 60 percent of total road accidents to 39 percent in 2005. Shockingly, the trend changed in 2005 in an increasing trend to 42 percent in 2010. This has been attributed for by the increased use of phone especially accounted for by the social media that seems to be taking the world crazy (Martinez 142). Changes in the percentage shows how better the society and the authorities have worked towards improving road fatalities; however, reinforcement of all other

Quality and Problem Solving (global tourism management) Essay

Quality and Problem Solving (global tourism management) - Essay Example The organization has successfully captured a favorable contract from a tour operator in the United Arab Emirates and will be receiving a significant proportion of guests. The customers are Emirati guests who espouse a culture highly divergent from western orientations. The challenge is to determine how to successfully address the quality issues in such an arrangement. Before venturing into determining what is required in addressing the needs of the Emirati (citizens of United Arab Emirates) guests, the driving philosophy should first be identified. The staff of the Royal Edwardian Hotel should adopt a quality policy that stresses service quality as opposed to value for price paid or maximum profit. The relationship between service quality and business performance has long been established in hospitality (Hakes, 1991; Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998; Pizam and Ellis, 1999). Researchers such as Caruana (2002), Cronin and Taylor (1992) and Teas (1994) have shown that service quality is antecedent to customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer satisfaction is antecedent to customer loyalty (Bloemer and Kasper, 1995; Caruana, 2002; McDougall and Levesque, 2000). In the hotel industry, service quality is considered as defined and the discerning customer will evaluate quality and develop satisfaction or dissatisfaction in each encounter (Bitner et al., 1990). As hotel experience is made up of individual discrete encounters, it is important to make sure that everything is perfect (Min et al, 2002). The quality management scheme should therefore emphasize gathering and interpreting correctly the traits and characteristics of the customer. It is important to survey the Arab customers to find what they are specifically looking for in a Royal Edwardian Hotel stay. The hotels should determine customer expectations regarding a British hotel experience. According to Clow & Vorhies (1993), the customer forms expectations through a

Men in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Men in Nursing - Essay Example Men, have mostly, been curiously invisible, in the history of nursing. General nursing may be viewed as a feminine role also, because specific job tasks involve washing and close physical contact with the patient. Mental health nursing could be viewed, as being more masculine, and therefore the role of the majority of male nurses, as they sometimes have to deal with physical aggression, so have to be physically stronger and remedy disturbances of the patients mind. As nursing is also perceived, as too poorly a paid profession, It could also be a strong likelihood, of why the majority of men are "put off" from pursuing it as a career, especially as society appears to focus on men as the main family wage earners. To encourage people into non-stereotypical employment or training especially in nursing, the environment needs to be one that welcomes the individual and which is readily accessible. The conditions need to be right for that person to feel valued, in an environment where they m ay be in the minority. In order to make this happen, the place of work should be neutralized, in this case new nursing practices could be introduced, changing the image of nursing, firstly the job title of nurse could be changed, to one more suitable to both genders, to perhaps "medics" as known in the states. Developing strategy, focused on members of the multidisciplinary team, in the process of questioning their own attitudes, beliefs and values, aimed at implementing cultural and structural changes. The government, could implement new pay scales inviting more applicants, an attractive salary will certainly steer more people towards nursing as a career. (Meldrum, 2000) In new age men seem to resume their historical role as carers and nurses, like women are now resuming their role as physicians. In twentieth century nursing as a predominately female profession is changing again. American Assembly for Men in Nursing is working to support and promote men in American nursing; this

Quality and Problem Solving (global tourism management) Essay

Quality and Problem Solving (global tourism management) - Essay Example The organization has successfully captured a favorable contract from a tour operator in the United Arab Emirates and will be receiving a significant proportion of guests. The customers are Emirati guests who espouse a culture highly divergent from western orientations. The challenge is to determine how to successfully address the quality issues in such an arrangement. Before venturing into determining what is required in addressing the needs of the Emirati (citizens of United Arab Emirates) guests, the driving philosophy should first be identified. The staff of the Royal Edwardian Hotel should adopt a quality policy that stresses service quality as opposed to value for price paid or maximum profit. The relationship between service quality and business performance has long been established in hospitality (Hakes, 1991; Bowen and Shoemaker, 1998; Pizam and Ellis, 1999). Researchers such as Caruana (2002), Cronin and Taylor (1992) and Teas (1994) have shown that service quality is antecedent to customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer satisfaction is antecedent to customer loyalty (Bloemer and Kasper, 1995; Caruana, 2002; McDougall and Levesque, 2000). In the hotel industry, service quality is considered as defined and the discerning customer will evaluate quality and develop satisfaction or dissatisfaction in each encounter (Bitner et al., 1990). As hotel experience is made up of individual discrete encounters, it is important to make sure that everything is perfect (Min et al, 2002). The quality management scheme should therefore emphasize gathering and interpreting correctly the traits and characteristics of the customer. It is important to survey the Arab customers to find what they are specifically looking for in a Royal Edwardian Hotel stay. The hotels should determine customer expectations regarding a British hotel experience. According to Clow & Vorhies (1993), the customer forms expectations through a

How Do I Build A Legacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How Do I Build A Legacy - Essay Example The first step of legacy-building is to understand your legacy and why it is important to leave it in the first place (Ottinger, 2008). You will need to know yourself, identify the value of your legacy, and your target group so as to create the vision and develop goals for achievement. Since legacies come in different forms and shapes with varying levels of commitment and effort, you will choose the legacy you want to live. After that, you focus on the legacy; design it to meet your dreams, values and ideas, and gather the required resources. It also involves identifying your strengths by talking to the friends, family, or colleagues for an insight. By having a plan of action, you can now live your legacy or actualize it. The implementation pulls together the plan, design and resources. Bringing a project to life may take various aspects such as character development, behavioral changes, or relationship building. Creating a legacy does not end at the actualization stage. You need to keep it alive by harvesting the rewards and building on the joy and inspiration it creates on the people. During this last stage, you will need to put in place the succession planning for transition to other generations (Ottinger,

The Origins of Hip Hop | Essay

The Origins of Hip Hop | Essay 1. Introduction Hip Hop was born in the early 1970s amongst poverty and gang violence in the South Bronx. In the beginning of Hip Hop DJing, MCing, graffiti writing, and break dancing were used as a way to channel the energy of the youth in a more positive way. Thirty years later things have changed, the game is more serious. There is a lot more money involved, there is a lot more at stake, some say it is dead. If so, who killed it? (YouTube 2) In this essay I will look at the growth of Hip Hop as an art form, from its origins in New York through to its transition into the world wide phenomenon we are familiar with today. My main focus will be to explore and understand why so many people seem to be asking the question is Hip Hop dead?. In order to answer the question is Hip Hop dead? it is first necessary to define my understanding of the question. In this essay I will be evaluating the health of Hip Hop, not in terms of its popularity or the money it generates but in terms of its health as an art form: is it still a thriving, growing, developing form or has it stagnated under the weight of its own success? I will be looking at the artistic growth of Hip Hop as well as the effect that commercialisation has had. My essay charts the decline of the rawness that was at the core of Hip Hop in its early phase of development in New York City, when it was recognised and respected for its in the moment personal creativity, where the dancing would bounce off the music, the music off the rapping, and the rapping from the sounds of the streets. 2. The Origins of Hip Hop Hip Hop is an art form that includes rapping rap music, graffiti writing, particular dance styles (including break dancing), specific attire, and a specialized language and vocabulary. (Droppin science p224) To master an art in Hip Hop required a creative and expressive skill, whether it be a physical expression, rhythmical lyrics, vocal percussion, playing with the many aspects of music or graffiti art. Hip Hop is also a cultural movement which grew and developed primarily amongst poor black kids in the streets of the South Bronx, New York City, in the mid to late 1970s. These were young Afro-American kids, descended from slaves bought over from Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries who lived in poor social conditions: broken families, poverty, poor education, lack of any job opportunities and much radical prejudice, and police prejudice. They lived in black ghettos where violence, and death were common. In the same way as their recent ancestors had been enslaved and made to work the plantations of the Southern states in places such as Mississippi and Alabama, they also felt enslaved in a system which seemed to offer them no way out. America condoned the peculiar institution of slavery from 1619 up until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude on December 18, 1865. (Bruno, Anthony (no date) [online]). When slavery was abolished in 1865 (Bruno, Anthony (no date) [online]), and the slaves were suddenly freed, the necessity to work and earn money to survive led them to emigrate to the richer Northern states of America, to cities such as Washington, Chicago and New York, where jobs were available, however low paid. As well as a large number of Africans moving to the Northern Cities, so did many Latinos who had originally emigrated from Mexico, and Puerto. The same attraction of a better life and a chance to make money spurred on their movement North. The Afro-Americans and Latino youth that grew up in the streets of these Northern cities, were the originators of Hip Hop. However, although Latino groups, particularly in New York, made a huge contribution to Hip Hop, there is no doubt that the main influences on Hip Hop came from the African American population. Lack of education and strong prejudice against African Americans led to the being stuck with the dead end, poorly paid jobs and these conditions led to a high level of crime and violence, particularly involvement of drug dealing. To many there seemed no choice, it was either poverty or crime. It is the frustration and anger created by these conditions, especially the lack of any opportunities to improve their situation, that gave rise to the birth of Hip Hop. Hip Hop became that way out, and the music and rhythms of their ancestors were reborn within Hip Hop. The ancient African tribal rhythms and musical traditions travelled with the slaves and remained an important part of the life of an African slave in America, and after 300 years of slavery in the so called Land of the Free the sounds of Old Africa became the new sounds of black America. Rapping, the rhythmic use of spoken or semi-sung lyrics grew from its roots in the tribal chants and the plantation work songs to become, an integral part of black resistance to an oppressive white society. (The roots of Hip Hop, online) Hip Hop, like its direct ancestor, the Blues, were both born out of social deprivation and the determination to use the experience in a positive way, and to escape the clutches of poverty. 3. The Development of Hip Hop YouTube Video 1 briefly shows an interview with a man on the streets of the Bronx, shot in 1986. He talks about how the music programs in the schools of New York would often cut out because of budget problems, and the only way for the kids in the schools to get music lessons would be to pay for them outside of school, which many could not afford. Hip Hop was a new form invented by the kids who struggled with money, and the place they would learn from was on the streets. They used the pieces of music from their roots, their blood, music influences such as blues, gospel and jazz to create a new genre. The genres which their ancestors would have known during the slave trade back in the South of America. A time of similar misery, and expression of the same pain and sorrow in their souls was being called out. For them there were many similarities with their ancestors. Hip Hop was something the youth could get excited about, and have a passion for. It was something that no amount of money or person could get in their way and stop them. And over the few years, whilst not only was Hip Hop gradually developing as a music, dance and art form, so was their range of listeners. More and more people outside of New York were becoming familiar with the genre, and soon an identity had been created for these youths. They had become what they had longed for, a something which was making an impact. Not only were the youth creating the music, dancing to the music but they were living the Hip Hop genre as a way of life. But not at the time were they aware of the size of impact they were going to have on the rest of the world. (YouTube 1, Dropping science 230) It was the disco DJs in the clubs where the roots of the Hip Hop music style began. An interest grew of paying attention to the blending of one track into the next one, as opposed to finishing one and the starting another. The DJs began matching tempos to make a smooth transition. The reaction from the crowds was nothing but excitement as they became witness to gradual build up beats and phases would suddenly put you into a whole new track. (P 12 The rap attack) At a similar time as DJs finding a new and exciting craze in paying attention with and playing around with the beats and tempos of tracks, originally MCing referred to today as rapping was being developed in the streets of the Bronx. Rapping is one of the main elements which had always been at the heart of the Hip Hop genre. It was seen as a skill of rhythmic talking over a funk beat. (P8 The rap attack) Lets Work Together It was not long until these new styled DJs and Rap artists would come together and put the two talents together for everyone around to hear. One of the first DJs to explore this collision was DJ Kool Herc in 1975, who is often referred to today as a godfather of Hip Hop. Another popular DJ at this time was Love Bag Starski, and was known as the first to refer to this new found culture as Hip Hop. With the fast development of rap in the early 80s, rap music records where being played everywhere around America. However in the Bronx the listeners were still excited about the beats of the records and soon became obsessed with what was known as the break of the records, where the lyrics of a track would stop and all that could be heard were the strong beats and rhythms from the drums. (P14 The rap attack) These breaks in the records would be what the listeners would be waiting for, and the dancers to do their thing. This response led DJs to open up their creativity as DJs. From just playing records from start to finish, they would use the breaks as their bass and play around with cutting, repeating, layering, using turntables, extending parts of the records however they wished and felt at the time. Their time of developing a creative identity came. Suddenly the chances of hearing one copy of a James Brown record did not exist. (P14 The rap attack) Around 1973, the new craze of longer lengths of the breaks was reflected in the longer length of improvised moves of the dancers. Soon a new name break-dancer was what these dancers started to call themselves, or b-boys and b-girls for short. The kids who were into the breaks started calling themselves B-Boys and the wild, acrobatic style of dancing which accompanied the playing of the breaks became known as breaking. The better Bronx DJs like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash started mixing two copies of the same record to make the breaks last longer; (The roots of Hip Hop, online) This was when the dancers would be creating the moves that inspired the lay down of Hip Hop dance. (online, Hip Hop History) Bringing it Back to the Streets The vocal percussion called beatboxing, is known to have grown originally as an urban form. The beat box drum machines used to create the breaking that the more established MC and DJ artists were using, could not be afforded by the majority of the Hip Hop creators on the streets. Therefore if the breaks could not be made for them, then they would make the breaks themselves through the skill of beatboxing. These soon established beatboxers were imitating drum sounds and beat patterns using the lips, tongue, mouth, throat, and voice. Its summed up with the image of a guy in a hoodie with his hands cupped over his mouth spitting and making wonderful noises. (The Real History of Beatboxing: Part 2) Hip Hop Dance The gangs of the Bronx strongly influenced the development of the Hip Hop dance style. The gang experience and forced hard and strong persona they was almost required to be taken seriously among the streets can been seen of an influence in the dance of Hip Hop. More specifically the dance style uprocking. Before gangs were going into battle, it was known that they would perform a particular dance in order to get the adrenaline running and bring an aggressive nature to the surface. The gang members would carry out movements that would resemble actions that would take place in moments of violence with an enemy. The dance would consist of kicks and strikes between the dancers. (P229 Droppin Science) In the early days, Hip Hop dance was an outwardly body expression specific to that person and their feelings spurred on from the beats and rhythms in the music being heard. The style has adopted a large range of different skills which have developed over time. The dance includes breaking, popping, locking, and free styling, while its movements indulge jumps, breakages, and rotations. Such elements make this dance style amazingly explosive and truly informal. (Hip Hop Dancing) Hip Hop dance has received a renowned respect for being a genre which demands such a high level of personal creativity. Just like the musicians, the dancers develop their own identity to how they dance, and they cannot be wrong. Dance genres such as ballet, demands a specifically noticeable technical ability which normally requires years of intense training. Hip Hop however enables an openness that most genres do not, a freedom to move however you wish. The only requirement which can be seen is an understanding and respect as a creative culture. (Hip Hop Dancing) What made Hip Hop dance so interesting when being performed in the Bronx was the ability to see such a range of new moves, new ideas, new ways of expressing. However with Hip Hop dance today, in the music videos created in the money making world, how often do we see a range of creativity? In my opinion hardly ever. Sure the choreography might involve different steps, but it will almost definitely involve a focus on female dancers, carrying out a version of booty-shaking, torso popping and hair flicking. Moves which emphasises the woman figure and create a more sexual orientated atmosphere. There is no denying that the attention to the movement of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦bum.. does not link back to moves that would have been found in African history, but Hip Hop in its original day was not all about just that. Just like how many more times can a Hip Hop artist swear in a song, how many more times can a Hip Hop dancer booty-shake? Not much more. Booty-shaking that existed originally as one of many Hip Hop moves has been taken and pushed forward to be portrayed as what Hip Hop dance is. The money making corporate world knows that sex sells, and to them the more sexy moves the better. Graffiti Graffiti is another of the main expressive elements that made up the Hip Hop culture. Graffiti represented the visual, emceeing and DJ produced the music, and B-Boying was the dance. In the early days of hip-hop, all of these elements were deeply intertwined. (graffiti and Hip Hop, online) Graffiti was normally an expression of the political activists in Hip Hop, people who wanted to mark their territory. Graffiti would be found all around the city, particularly on subways. People suddenly did not have to visit the Hispanic parts of the city to become face to face with the Hip Hop culture that was emerging, as graffiti was bought to them, a permanent reminded of the current sub-culture that was growing around them. The were adamant for their previously silent voices to be heard. Not long did graffiti progress from a scribbled tag (nickname) or club name on the wall to an elaborate art form emblazoned with Magic Marker and spray paint over every available surface of the subway trains and buildings. (P15 The rap attack) Competition Another element of Hip Hop that separates itself from other genres is how originally it would be performed in the form of a battle, whether it be rapping or break dancing. One side (or sometimes more) would go against another, and each side would take turns to show what they had to offer with a sort of you think your better than us, prove it attitude. This competitive nature stood at the heart of Hip Hop. Not only did it help displace violence and drugs such as heroin, but it also fostered an attitude of creating from limited materials. (P15 The rap attack). These young black men wanted to prove themselves to the world, and with these battles they were suddenly given a chance. I was ironic that these battles only ended up supporting the views of much of white America that young African American males are threatening, and that this then further restricted their entry into the mainstream service economy as well as other areas of mainstream life. (P229 Droppin Science) 4. The Social Impact of Hip Hop The most noticeable impact Hip Hop had on the community was the decrease conflict between the many established gangs that existed. It was within The Bronx and, to a lesser extent, Harlem that black youths developed their own alternative to the gang warfare that had risen from the dead in the late 1960s to dominate and divide neighbourhoods north of Central Park. (P12 The rap attack) The Savage Seven was the name given to the first known gang that took on the streets of the Bronx. This group of teenagers laid the groundwork for a surge of street gang activity that would overwhelm the Bronx for the next six years. One of the most well-known and influential originators of Hip Hop along with Eric B. and Rakim was Afrika Bambaataa, (more specifically in break-beat dee-jaying) is seen today the Godfather of Hip Hop Culture. Bambaataa, who was once himself not just a member but a leader of the Savage Seven, set up the group Zulu Nation, a Hip Hop group that spoke the message of factology versus beliefs. (Zulu Nation website, online] Hip Hop History) Zulu Nation spoke out of beliefs of right knowledge, right wisdom, right overstanding, right sound reasoning, to bring about right ways and actions. Bambaataa spoke out to the youths of Hip Hop with a message describing the importance of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. (Zulu Nation website) Zulu Nation effectively reached out to the large number of current gang members in the Bronx and show them a chance of an alternate path in life. The African American youths were able to express their frustration and pain now in a way which did not require violence, instead of putting it on one another; they were putting it into Hip Hop. A peacemaking was established. (Dropping Science 213) The school playgrounds, community parks and centres helped bring what were once gang enemies in the ghetto together. The former threatening gangs transformed into relatively harmonious, harmless crews, and the only battling they would have with one another was through the exciting new form of Hip Hop. The gang lives many Afro-American youths had, was never hidden away and ignored in Hip Hop. Instead, the pain and suffering they experienced bought to the forefront of much of the rapping creativity, as a chance to express how they really felt and not be rejected by it became an seized opportunity for many to release their inside emotions. An interesting description of the way Hip Hoppers reacted to media attention and the manipulation is in the book Droppin Science. William Perkins interview with a filmmaker and author of that time Michael Holman describes how the Bronx youth had created a cultural depth and confidence to talk back, when challenged by the media, staying loose, and reacting in a way which most likely spurred on even more attention to how strong the Hip Hop culture had grew to become, they stayed fresh, they maintained that certain volatility that Hip Hop craves. No fear of the end of the world, just fear of being stuck: If you became classifiable, Holman says, you became all the things that kept you in check. (P214 Droppin Science) Through Hip Hops deeply personal and expressive nature, whether it be through words, movement or art we are bought face to face with the reality of the suffering of the African Americans were experiencing at that time. Hip Hop stood out as a form which spoke of stories of everyday life experiences in the streets. (Hip Hops evolution, online) However any positive social impact from Hip Hop in the early days of its development was soon undone when the commercial pressures of the market started to take effect. 5. The Commercialisation of Hip Hop What does the term commercial mean?   It can take on various meanings, but in essence that term is used to label artists who have alienated parts of the hip-hop culture in their work.  (Hip Hop Culture Essay) There is no denying that commercialisation has helped to open up Hip Hop to the rest of the world. Originally Hip Hop was very much an Afro-American art form, however with the commercial world recognising and marketing the genre with music shows such as MTV, the audience range opened up not only to the whites of America, but the rest of the world. A world can now be said to be dominated by Hip Hop in a commercial sense, but perhaps no longer in an artistic sense. However, many people believe that commercial hip-hop has deteriorated from what so many emcees in the 80s tried to build a culture of music, dance, creativity, and artistry that would give people not only something to bob their head to, but also an avenue to express themselves and deliver a positive message to their surroundings. (Droppin Science) For instance, the dancers we see on TV in Hip Hop music videos and on stage with Hip Hop artists today might look like Hip Hop dancers and be able to do Hip Hop dance, but do they really have artistic integrity and spontaneous thrill of the originals danced on the streets of New York? Well, they are not creating the moves; most likely the steps are taught for them to copy and perform. There is little creativity or realness they learn and perfect their moves in studios, not the streets or in the ghetto clubs the realness in that sense is not in Hip Hop anymore. (mrwiggles, online) Also, Hip Hop music has become to rarely live anymore with many performers miming vocals to pre-recorded backing tracks. Thinking on the spot, being under pressure, being unpredictable and real in the moment as you do your thing, was one of the core skills originally associated with being a master of the form. How often today do we see the so called top Hip Hop artists of today think on their feet? Music videos are recorded, re-recorded, played with, special effected, deleted, you name it. We are hardly given the chance to see Hip Hop being presented as one artist showing what they can do, with the microphone, with the floor. The originators of Hip Hop did not just get involved in creativity and performance, they lived the Hip Hop lifestyle. But as soon as Hip Hop gained media attention and respect for its potential, it was not long until big business seized the opportunity to have a piece and shape the artists style in a way which they felt would make money. Vanilla Ice is a clear example of an attempt to change Hip Hop into a more poppy genre of music. Vanilla Ice was a white kid from Florida who was used to try and create a crossover between Hip Hop and pop music; a blatant and widely ridiculed attempt to manufacture a Hip Hop artist with mass appeal. Gangs were still involved in Hip Hop as it grew, and some believe that there was more gang involvement than ever before. We call them the Hip Hop record labels. They may not call themselves gangs, but through the extreme competitiveness of the record companies to be bigger and better than anyone else, the rivalry backbone still remains. The most famous and recognised record company rivalry is between the West Coast and East Coast. The West Coast record label Death Row founded by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight verses the East Coast label, Bad Boy founded by Puffy Combs. The website Knowledgerush says that the rivalry intensified as Hip Hop continued to enter the mainstream in the United States and abroad; more money entered the industry and raised the stakes. The focal point soon came to a head with Tupac Shakur on the west coast and Notorious B.I.G. (Knowledgerush, online) Tupac (West Coast) and Notorious B.I.G. (East Coast) were two talented rappers, who were friends and would occasionally see one another despite the competitiveness between their record labels. Both were murdered within six months of each in 1996 as part of feud between the East and West coast gangs. The obvious explanation behind the deaths of Tupac and Biggy is in the saying an eye for an eye, and was as a result of the rivalry between the record companies. However the most sinister theory fingers Knight for both murders, the founder of Death Row. (Hip-hop homicide, online) TAKE OUT When Tupacs body lay dead waiting for atomisation (autopsied), his infamous tattoos were fully displayed, including his signature phrase, thug life, in large letters in a semi-circle around his abdomen. (Knowledgerush, online) Despite Hip Hops development into a world full of money, the artists of Hip Hop were still living the Hip Hop culture, Hip Hop still remained their life. Many commentators were of the view that the feud between the East and West coast Hip Hop gangs and the deaths of Tupac and BIG were all primarily morivated by money. As the comedian Chris Rock said, when Tupac became worth more dead than alive, it was the end for him. (Bigger and Blacker, Chris Rock). Rivalry still exists today with Ja Rule verses DMX, Eminem verses Benzino and Jay-Z verses Nas. Not much has really changed. Mentioning and dissing of other gangs started to become a major lyrical theme within Hip Hop in the 1990s. MCs began incorporating more varied and stylistic speech, and focused on introducing themselves, shouting out to friends in the audience, and boasting about their own skills, and criticizing their rivals. (Knowledgerush, online) Not surprisingly this would result in their rivals feeling disrespected and seeking revenge. These Hip Hop artists would never work and travel as individuals, they would go around in big groups including others from their record labels, calling it an entourage. A direct link to the gangs that walked New York cannot help but be made. The bigger the entourage, the more of a successful impression they would make on the rest of the world. A genre that was originally aimed to help the stop gang violence in New York, over time has transform into a genre which can not help but seem creating violence, and glorifying gun culture. Hip Hop identity is now a world-wide phenomenon, the cutting edge of global youth culture. The gangsta identity both represents the drama of the streets, but also the merchandizing of the rhymes of violence by profit hungry media companies. As KRS-1 and others tell it, the media companies promote the most outrageous stereotypes of violent, vicious Black youth while ignoring the rappers who represent the positive and political side of ghetto life. (Hip Hop Gangs) Hand in hand with the commercialisation of Hip Hop came far more negative and misogynistic attitudes to women (or bitches as they are widely referred to within Hip Hop). A video youtube3 discusses the use of women in these Hip Hop music videos. One interviewer expresses that women have become adornments, walking objects, portrayed as walking bling. The numbers of girls in videos has increased over the years, going from maybe four or five to forty even fifty. These women are not dressed in a way that can argue this idea, as they are made to wear as little as possible, which most likely turns out to be very revealing underwear or swimwear. Surely the way these videos portray and use women, with the derogatory terms used to describe them questions womanhood today? I recognise that gender is a very key element to the Hip Hop culture in terms of it being a very much male-dominated world, females struggle to match the success levels as the men, and the degrading attitude women are faced with, however I believe to have looked into and covered that would have been a whole essay in itself. I just wish to mention that since Hip Hop has entered the commercial world it has developed into a male dominated genre which portrays women in a disrespectful, objectified and careless way. In its original day, there was never such a strong disregard for women in Hip Hop, and it can only be noticed that it began to have this misogyny opinion when the Hip Hop artist were working with the big music companies. 6. Conclusions Hip Hop came out of a life people were forced to live in of poor healthcare, no money and no hope. Once they realised they could use the media and publicity in their favour to achieve longed for wealth and a chance for more in their lives, they used it so much, they exploited it. African Americans became corrupted by letting their aim and their search for money become their integrity in life. I cannot help but say be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. As Hip Hop grew and the money in Hip Hop became bigger, more people wanted a piece of the action: managers, promoters, publicists, stylists and most importantly, producers and record companies. Hip Hop (very much like Punk music) was originally an art form that had at its core its rawness and openness you needed no musical training to rap, no instruments to beatbox and no canvass to write graffiti. But now Hip Hop has succumbed to the celebrity culture, and without a major record label, who will want to package and market you, there is little chance of getting your music heard. In the search for record sales, Hip Hop also seemed to lose its integrity and political purpose. Hip Hop, in its early days, did not glorify and encourage violence, drugs and misogyny, it expressed the anger, frustration and suffering young black men were experiencing because of the poor social conditions and lack of opportunities available to them. Today, Hip Hop lyrics and music videos seem to offer a constant diet of violence, drugs and misogyny so much so that it almost becomes bland. How sexist can you be? How many times can you swear in your record? How violent can you (pretend to) be? As Hip Hop artists competed with each other to write more and more extreme lyrics, it quickly became apparent that there was nowhere else to go Hip Hop seems to have reached a stage where everything has already been done. Like other mainstream artists, many rappers sold out and kept their mind on their money and their money on their mind. (Hip Hop Gangs) Today, many of Hip Hops most successful artists are pretenders well educated people, from privileged backgrounds some of whom studied performing arts before becoming Hip Hoppers. Kanye West and Young Jeezy are often mentioned in this way. It seems to me that Hip Hop sold out. It reached a compromise with big business in which both sides used one another to get what they wanted. The record labels would use Hip Hop to generate vast sums of money for themselves, and a few Hip Hop youths would get what they had always wanted: money, recognition for their music and a respect from others. In this essay I hope I have shown that in its early days Hip Hop had an integrity and truth rooted in the experiences of black ghetto youths in North American cities. It had an openness and accessibility any one could participate, anyone could be creative. I also hope I have shown how as Hip Hop grew it very quickly became consumed by the needs of the market and original, creative output was replaced with commercial product. I believe that as a commercial enterprise Hip Hop is still very much alive, in fact it might be said to be bigger than ever, and the gangsta rap culture identity still lives on, not just within music but in fashion, language, film and television. However as an art form I believe it is dead. Hip Hop was an art form that existed out of curiosity, play and freedom. Today through the corporate process every little element has to be questioned and often changed to make the genre be put forward in the most marketable way. The creative control has been lost by being someones money making product. In the music world it is very hard to not be a commercial product, and Hip Hop like many other genres has fallen into that existence. I believe Hip Hop began to die when the real Hip Hoppers dont own Hip Hop anymore. Money took control. The music companies did not have the same interest in Hip Hop as the originators did, their interest was making money, not keeping Hip Hop alive in its purest form. People who did not know anything about real Hip Hop were suddenly having say as to how it would sound. A realisation of this I believe has c

Gender Roles and Ideas :: Arab Women Culture Literature Essays

Gender Roles and Ideas The Male Character in Arab Women’s Novels: Often in literature authors, particularly men, are criticized for falsely or inaccurately portraying or "writing" women. This debate has been historically confined to male authors, but is on occasion reversed and female authors are criticized for inaccurately writing men. Although it may sound like a fair trade—or at least the beginnings of one in the world of critics—these situations are limited to primarily European and predominately North American literature. Examining the portrayal of men and the male sex as a whole, by women, is an important if not essential undertaking in this modern world, but where is comes to a point of being absolutely crucial is when it is the women authors of a world where they are second class citizens only because of their gender. If the writing of men in Arab women’s novels can be understood at even the most basic level it may allow some insight into what these women think and assume consciously and subconsciously, about themselves and their position in society and about the inherent oppression that they deal with and resign themselves to—no matter how weak or extreme the degree of the oppression, ranging from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this discourse is to first, examine and delineate the manner in which Arab women novelists portray or ‘write’ men; and second, to discuss the most relevant reasons why the women write them as they do. This will be accomplished by focusing mainly on three novels written by women from Jordan and Palestine with settings form Beirut to London. The first of these three novels is Fadia Faqir’s, Pillars of Salt. This story is set in Jordan before and during the British occupation and Mandate. The book itself is broken into a number of chapters, each shifting between the voices of "The Storyteller", Maha, and Um Saad, and Faqir’s third-person. For purposes of ease in this discourse these short chapters will be grouped into eight natural sections, as each five or six chapters between Maha and Um Saad is set off by an interlude from The Storyteller, who himself appears nine times altogether. In this book there is a large spectrum men that Faqir writes, but in terms of relevance to the topic above we will focus on the following characters to illustrate how Faqir portrays the male sex: The Storyteller, who could be argued as not being a man, but with very little success, as it is undoubtedly Faqir’s intention to have the story’s told by The Storyteller to be from a male perspective.